《Apocalypse: I Can See the HP Bar, Killing Monsters Drops Loot》 Chapter 1 - 1 1 The Apocalypse Descends_1 1 Chapter 1 The Apocalypse Descends_1 Trantor: 549690339 Cleared! Watching his game character hammer the final boss to death, Wang Tao felt a surge of satisfaction. He didnt have a huge addiction to gaming, after all, he was busy with work. But whenever he did y, he had to do it perfectly. Things like no-damage clears and unlocking all achievements. Of course, this only applied to single-yer games, he couldnt afford to spend on pay-to-win online games with his familys financial condition. The game Wang Tao was ying this time was called Apocalypse Kill Kill Kill, a side-scrolling fighting game that wasnt rich in content but was a good way to kill time. He couldnt remember when he downloaded it, but after ying for a day, he had finally unlocked all the achievements. Time to go out for a big meal, reward my hard work! Only, looking at the pouring rain outside, Wang Tao frowned, Why is it still raining He was an ordinary stuntman for martial arts scenes, and the reason he was home ying games instead of working was the heavy rain, which had led to the cancetion of all the days shooting. Tired from ying all day, dont feel like cooking Theres a small eatery downstairs, not far from me In the end, Wang Tao decided to eat out. Just as he opened his door, his neighbors door also opened. A young woman in a ck dress appeared, her left hand holding a phone, her elbow holding a bag, and her right hand carrying high heels. Wang Tao couldnt help but steal another nce at those slender and well-proportioned legs in ck stockings. Sister-inw, good evening! Wang Tao was surprised to see her but still greeted her politely. The young womans name was Ding Yuqin, the wife of a young director named Zhao Yuan. They had been married for a short time and were very affectionate. Wang Tao and Director Zhao were from the same hometown, and although they both worked in the movie industry and didnt cross paths often, they were acquainted, and he would greet him as Brother Zhao. Wang Tao remembered that the couple went back to their hometownst month, and he didnt know when they had returned. Upon hearing Wang Taos voice, the young woman looked up, revealing a delicate face with light makeup. Oh, its you, Xiao Wang, good evening! Ding Yuqin tucked her hair back and smiled slightly. Wang Tao held the elevator for her, but Ding Yuqin didnt get in, instead saying suddenly, I just remembered, I forgot to take something. You go down first Wang Taos face stiffened slightly, but he responded politely, Alright, then Ill go ahead. Rejected again, but he had grown used to it. Ding! Entering the elevator, looking at the reflection of the tall and burly man, 1.83 meters tall, with a vicious scar on his face in the mirror, Wang Tao sighed helplessly. He had been injured identally on the set, and with a physique that could rival a fitness instructors, his appearance scared many people. He once had the appearance of a tender young man and the opportunity to be a lead actor. But now, he had be a martial arts double, and always for viins With a self-deprecating smile, Wang Tao left the elevator, opened the unit door, and rushed into a small restaurant called Big Mouth Meat Eater. The restaurant was empty; an old TV was broadcasting the weather forecast, and the presenter said the intense rainfall would stop tomorrow, telling everyone not to panic. Boss Li, where are you? Wang Tao called out. Coming! The voice came from the side door. A momentter, the owner came in wearing a raincoat, carrying a military green oil drum. I was just refueling the car. What would you like, Xiao Wang? Arge portion of fried rice noodles! Alright! Just a moment! Soon, Boss Li brought over arge portion of fried rice noodles andined, Ah, this damn weather, including you, Xiao Wang, not even twenty customers today, cant even make the rent Wang Tao shook his head with augh and then asked curiously, Wheres Sister Liu? She didnte today? The couple ran the shop together, and Sister Liu was Boss Lis wife. She has a fever, sleeping inside. But with so few customers today, I can manage alone. Boss Li shrugged. Seeing this, Wang Tao didnt say much more; todays downpour had disrupted many peoples work. Im off, Boss Li, the moneys transferred to you, check it! No problem, take care! Wang Tao lived in an old residential area called Happy Community, which exuded a sense of age with its single courtyard and four six-story buildings. The poption was notrge, and the elevator was installedter. Wang Tao lived in apartment 501 of building number 4. Unlike his neighbor Director Zhao, whose house was purchased, Wang Taos was rented. It was a two-bedroom apartment that cost three thousand a month. Although not located in the city center of Huangfeng City, it was close to the Huangfeng Film City, which made the rent not so cheap. Originally, Wang Tao had a roommate to share the rent, but the roommate abandoned his star dream to go back to his hometown to get married. Recently, Wang Tao had been considering moving out because he could barely afford the rent. In the living room, there were a few dumbbells and a punching bag. Wang Tao exercised every day, since having a good body shape required regr workouts. But not today he finally had a day off, so he decided to rx thoroughly. y on theputer a bit longer, until twelve, then go to sleep early today, he thought. Just as he sat down, Wang Tao suddenly felt a piercing pain spread throughout his body. Sizzle Looking at the sparking wires at his feet, Wang Taos eyes widened, and then darkness enveloped him as he fainted. So hungry! In a daze, hunger woke Wang Tao up; he found himself lying on the floor. He quickly stood up, and seeing the charred wires andputer, Wang Tao was utterly bewildered. Electrocuted? It wasnt a dream? Im still alive? There were plenty of snacks on the table. Driven by overpowering hunger, Wang Tao grabbed them and started to eat. Ah Suddenly, a piercing scream came from outside. Instinctively, he went to the window to look, and his pupils shrank abruptly. What the hell! He saw in the courtyard below, a blood-covered person pinning a middle-aged man down, ripping and gnawing at his flesh! The mans gaze was vacant; he was clearly beyond saving. The blood-covered person raised its head, revealing a hideous and horrifying face. Z-zombies?! Wang Taos eyes widened in disbelief. Filming? Impossible! He was too familiar with filming, and this was clearly not it, not to mention there were no cameras or other crew members aroundjust as he thought there were no other people, several zombies appeared from out of sight and joined the gruesome feast. Wang Tao had only been dumbfounded for a moment, and the man on the ground was almost dismembered. Ugh~ Wang Tao felt nauseous and vomited out everything he had just eaten. Dont panic! Call the police! After calming himself, Wang Tao quickly took out his phone to dial emergency services, but all he got was a busy signal. He then opened his web browser to search for local emergency numbers. Instead, he was greeted by a flood of shocking news. The end of the world is here! Zombies! The whole world is full of zombies! The zombie virus is highly infectious! Please stay in a safe ce and wait for rescue! The whole world is under attack by the zombie virus! It is advised to seek refuge in less popted areas! Known methods of virus transmission include bodily fluids, scratches, bites, and air (suspected). The incubation period of the zombie virus ranges from one minute to twenty-four hours, possibly rted to the strength of an individuals immune system. Please be sure to take precautions! If you are unfortunately infected, iste yourself immediately and amputate the infected area! Most water sources have not yet been affected, but it is rmended to filter and boil or distill before use. If the water turns yellow or green, do not drink it! Some zombies may retain certain habits from before, so be sure to distinguish carefully! Some regions havepletely copsed, with water and power outages urring one after another An expert says: Our Qian Country has made great progress in the anti-zombie virus serum, but we still need a little more time! Reading the overwhelming news, Wang Tao was stunned. How could the end of the worlde out of nowhere! He had just fainted for a few hoursno, not a few hours! Wang Tao checked the time; hisst payment record at the small restaurant was on April 3, 4444, at 8 p.m., and now it was 9 a.m. on April 7. In other words, he had been unconscious for three days?! Chapter 2 - 2 2 Taking Good Care of Sister-in-Law_1 2 Chapter 2 Taking Good Care of Sister-in-Law_1 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Taos parents had met with an ident and passed away when he was young, and he was raised by his grandparents. However, his grandparents also died one after the other a few years ago. As for other rtives, he barely had any contact with them so even with the apocalypse, Wang Tao didnt have many ties to worry about. But he still had a few friends, and Wang Tao certainly didnt want anything bad to happen to them. He opened his social media app, and a flood of 99+ messages popped up. But the content of the messages quickly sank his heart. The chat history in the drama crew group showed that almost everyone who had gone to the film studio to shoot two days ago had met with disaster. He had not gone and had unwittingly escaped that cmity. Now there was no one talking in the group. Thest message was from yesterday morning, from an actress saying there was a monster lurking outside her room. She said she was very scared and then there was no more. What surprised Wang Tao was that the young director surnamed Zhao living across from him had made several phone calls to Wang Tao and sent numerous messages. April 4th, 11:34 Wang, I heard you didnte for the shoot? Are you at home? If you are, reply to me! Its urgent! April 4th, 22:08 Bro, Im still at the film studio, hiding out for now. You havent turned into a zombie, have you? Its terrifying outside; you must be careful! By the way, your sister-inw is also at home, but we dont have much food. If you can, please look after her. I, Zhao, will be greatly indebted to you when this is over! April 5th, 18:49 Bro, I feel like I might not make it. Before I die, theres something I have to ask of you. Could you take care of your sister-inw Shes too scared by herself at home and theres not enough food. Im afraid she wontst until the rescue April 5th, 21:13 Bro, my good brother! Would you please respond! Are you dead or what! Ahhh! Im going crazy! This was thest message, and it was evident that Brother Zhao was close to breaking point then. Wang Tao tried replying: Brother Zhao, Im here. Dont worry, Ill do my best to take care of sister-inw! He didnt ovemit, only saying he would do his best. Doing my best meant he would help if possible, but if not, then so be it, as his own life was of utmost importance. After sending the message, he waited for a while but got no reply. It seemed that Director Zhaos chances of survival were slim. Wang Tao sighed and quickly reviewed the official news posted online. After half an hour, he roughly understood the current situation The day after he was stunned, on the morning of April 4th, the zombie crisis had erupted without warning. The exact time was unclear. By the time a massive amount of information appeared online, the situation was already severe. There were also many observations about the zombies posted by the public online. These zombies had stiff joints, werent very fast,cked agility, and their vision had greatly deteriorated; their heads were their weak points. However, they never tired, possessed immense strength, were sensitive to light, and had keen hearing Anyone bitten or scratched by a zombie would be infected, and once infected, would turn into a zombie! But often, those bitten would be devoured by zombies before they could transform. The Government quickly deployed soldiers to suppress the outbreak. Faced with an onught of steel, the zombies were easily crushed. But suddenly, without warning, the soldiers also turned into zombies! An external enemy is not as frightening as internal copse. The Governments attempts to block the spread failed. At this point, things had pretty much fallen into chaos, and the more chaotic it became, the more people died. No one knew how many zombies were out there in the world now, but the number was undoubtedly terrifying. Wang Tao checked other chat groups to see that some were still active. In the groups, some people were venting their emotions, but even more were asking when the Governments rescue would arrive, as they had run out of food. Seeing these messages, Wang Tao hurried to the kitchen to check his supplies, then his face turned somewhat gloomy. He didnt have much food stored, enough tost maybe three or four days. After all, he didnt eat at home often, and if he kept too much food it would go bad. The 10kg of rice he boughtst month was now half gone. As for gas, he had just bought a full cylinder, which couldst three months. Out of the blue, the same message popped up simultaneously in all the chat groups [Government announcement: All survivors are requested to stay in a safe ce and not to leave their homes at will. The Government has mobilized arge number of people for the rescue. Large survivor bases have also been preliminarily established, and we will gradually transport everyone to these bases. Additionally, considering that some residentsck essential living supplies, we will soon perform airdrops of supplies in areas with fewer zombies. If your home is in critical need of supplies, you may take the risk to retrieve the airdrops. Therge Survivor Base of Huangfeng City is located at No. 32 Fuqiang Street, Red Stone County, while the locations of the various small Survivor Bases are] The message ended with a photo of a survivor base with tall city walls, which seemed quite safe. Many people became excited after seeing this message. The rescue ising! Hang in there, brothers! Wuwuwu, rescue is finally on its way! I want to go to the Survivor Base Luckily, I still have some rice at home, I can hold on for a few more days. Brother, Ive run out of food at home! I have an elderly mother who is eighty and a child who is only three, I cant survive without food! Brother, could you please lend me some food, I will repay you a hundredfold in the future! Uh, you better wait for the airdrop; this food is just enough for me and my wife. Besides, were separated by several buildings! But Im afraid to go out! Pleasee and bring it to me, Ill wait for you at home! Get lost, damn it, youre afraid to go out for the airdrops but want me to bring food to you? cklisted, no thanks! Hey hey, dont be so heartless Wang Tao shook his head, truly, all sorts show up in a big forest. And this was his Happy Community group. The guy ying the sympathy card seemed to be from Building No. 2 opposite, who also worked at the film studio; Wang Tao had seen him. If he remembered correctly, the guy was a single bachelorwhere would he get an elderly mother and child? Wang Tao then looked at other groups, where in his crews and ssmates groups, some proposed that once they reached the Survivor Base, they could meet up at a scheduled time. After all, no one knew exactly what the Survivor Base was like. Arriving in a strange ce where they knew no one, it seemed better for these acquaintances to stick together for warmth. Wang Tao thought this was a good suggestion. Having fought and struggled in society for so many years, he knew well the dangers of human nature. He sent a received to acknowledge the message, wanting to agree with a response, but the message disyed a red exmation mark. Huh? No inte? And the cellphone signal is gone, too?! Wang Taos expression changed. He could faintly hear some cursing from downstairs. I hope its just temporary Withmunication cut off, its likely that power and water outages would follow. Wang Tao hurriedly gathered all the containers he could find in his home to fill with water. Then he made himself a simple lunch. He didnt dare eat too much; after all, food was scarce, and he needed to conserve it. Chapter 3 - 3 3: I Can See HP Bars_1 3 Chapter 3: I Can See HP Bars_1 Trantor: 549690339 After the meal, Wang Tao carefully observed the surroundings from a few windows in the house. Outside the south-facing window, in the courtyard of the residentialplex, there were roughly over a dozen zombies. Those were only the ones he could see; there might be more in ces he couldnt see. And definitely, there would be zombies inside these four buildings. However, the day the zombie virus appeared wasnt a weekend, and the rain had stopped. It was likely that a good number of the working poption had gone out That might be the only good news. Outside the north-facing windows, over the main road, was a scene of devastation. Many cars had crashed, blood was everywhere, but no corpses were visible, only a few ferocious-looking zombies wandering around. Of course, Wang Tao didnt believe there were only these few zombies on the road. His windows angle limited his view, and he wouldnt be able to see many ces. Perhaps, inside the cars, stores, shadows, or even at the base of the wall beneath his building, countless zombies might be lurking! With some resignation, Wang Tao shook his head and began to analyze the current situation. Rescue was something to wait for, but before help arrived, the food at his home might not be sufficient. Go borrow some food from other peoples homes? Clearly not an option. Wang Tao never ced his hopes on the mercy of others, and under the current circumstances, the likelihood of being able to borrow was almost zero. There was only one thing to dogo out and find food! Inside the small restaurants outside themunity, there must be a lot of food, and they were very close to his home. But even if they were close, he would still have to cross through the yard. Wang Tao was strong, but he didnt feel he could win against these ten-plus zombies Suddenly. Thump, thump, thump! There came a series of dull knocks at the door. Is it the sister-inw from next door? Or Wang Tao didnt speak. He tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole, a tingling sensation running through his scalp. Outside the door was a zombie covered in blood, its neck and face adorned with twisted, dark veins, expression distorted, pupils white, mindlessly pounding on Wang Taos door! Thump, thump, thump! This person, Wang Tao had seen him before. Seems like he was the single guy in his thirties living upstairs. Could it be that the zombies have discovered me?! Wang Tao immediately grabbed a kitchen knife, waiting by the door, somewhat nervously. Although he didnt think the zombie could open his security door, he felt very insecure without a weapon in hand. However, when Wang Tao looked out the peephole again, he was momentarily taken aback. Huh? Whats this? He noticed a thin red bar floating above the zombies head with a line of text500/500. This red bar hovered over the zombies head, unlike a real object. After a while, the zombie gave up on Wang Taos room and went to knock on room 502 across the hall. The red bar remained in front of Wang Taos view, and its size did not change. Why does this feel like the health bar from the games I y? Wang Tao was somewhat astonished. Aaah Suddenly, a piercing scream of a woman came from the room across. Wang Tao wasnt frightened by the zombie, but the scream gave him quite the startle. Roar! Bang bang bang! Upon hearing the scream, the zombie, like a cat that had smelled fish, started hitting the door of room 502 furiously! It seems that when the zombie doesnt detect any movement, it acts very slowly. Once it senses movement, it goes into a frenzy. As for the sister-inw, she can still scream so loudly, so it seems shes safe for now Wang Tao continued to observe the zombie through the peephole. The door of the opposite room was equally sturdy, and after pounding for two or three minutes, the zombie returned to its previous state and slowly descended the stairs. Ive been knocking on the door for two or three minutes; if there were any other zombies, they should have been attracted by now. Does that mean theres only this one zombie in the corridor of this unit? If theres only one zombie, maybe I can try Wang Taos gaze flickered. Sooner orter, he was going to have to go out to look for supplies, and there was a high chance he would encounter zombies. He absolutely needed to understand the strength of these zombies and whether he could handle them. Moreover, he suspected he could see the zombies HP bars! Right, if those really are HP bars, then I should have one, too? Wang Tao was about to look for a mirror when, just as he thought about his own HP bar, a golden HP bar suddenly appeared in his field of vision! There was also a line of text on the HP bar: 100/100, and the moment he thought about it, the numbers on the HP bar changed to 100%! An understanding shed through his mind in an instantthis was his own HP bar! 100/100 indicated that his maximum HP was 100, and he currently had 100 HP. 100% naturally indicated the percentage of the HP bar. Indeed, I can see HP bars! Excitement surged in Wang Taos heart. He hadnt seen anyone with this ability when he was refreshing the news online before. Theres only one zombie in the corridor right now, and although it has 500 HP and I only have 100 HP, this is a chance for a one-on-one battle! It would be a disservice to all my muscles if I didnt give it a try! Lets do this! With such a rare opportunity at hand, Wang Tao decided he wanted to test the zombies strength. But not right now; he needed to gather his strength and prepare proper protective measures before attempting. After all, zombies were infectious, and getting infected meant the end. Lets warm up first! Wang Tao went to the living room to do push-ups. 1, 2 Huh? Why do I feel like my physical strength has increased? Is it an illusion? Keep going! 3, 4 498, 499, 500! Huff~ Sweat dripped from his bulging muscles onto the floor, umting a small puddle of moisture. Afterpleting thest push-up, Wang Tao flipped over and got up nimbly. Gulp gulp~ After drinking half a bottle of water, Wang Tao felt a bit excited. Its not an illusion! My physical condition has genuinely be stronger! His physical strength was originally impressive; he could do over a hundred perfectly-formed push-ups in one go. That already surpassed a vast majority of people. But now, he had just done five hundred in one go! And after the five hundred, he still felt like he had energy to spare, as if he could do another five hundred. However, exercise shouldnt be too intense at once, especially under current circumstances where he was trapped. It was better to be moderate; there would be plenty of time in the future. Roar~ A roaring sound came from the corridor again. Looking through the peephole, he saw that the zombie had moved upstairs. Initially, Wang Tao had been scared of the zombies roaring, but after hearing it many times, he gradually got used to it. Ill rest up today and take care of you tomorrow! After muttering to himself, Wang Tao ate some food, then continued to train. He didnt stop until the evening, when he went to take a shower. In front of the bathroom mirror. Eh? Wheres the scar on my face? Wang Tao discovered that the fearsome scar on his face had disappeared! Not only that, some other minor injuries on his body were also gone. And Wang Tao could feel that his muscles seemed to have grown evenrger! Looking at the handsome face and exploding muscles in the mirror, Wang Tao felt a surge of excitement. Looks were secondary; the main thing was the enhancement of his physical condition and the disappearance of scars and underlying injuries on his body. And now, he could also see the zombies HP bars This is my chance! Chapter 4 - 4 4: Initial Victory_1 4 Chapter 4: Initial Victory_1 Trantor: 549690339 The next day. Wang Tao woke up early. First, he checked his fully charged phone, still no signal, and emergency calls couldnt get through either. Water and electricity at home hadnt been cut off yet. He looked up at the deep blue sky. Is it the base station thats broken, or the satellite? Could there be another disaster He shook his head and tried not to think about it anymore. Wang Tao took some of the food out of the refrigerator and made a rich breakfast. Then he took all the books off the bookshelf; they were discounted decorations, but the books were real. Wang Tao picked out books of appropriate sizes and taped them to his forearms, shins, front and back of his chest for protection. He didnt wrap anything around his thighs and upper arms because these were areas that needed to exert force, and having them wrapped would make it difficult to use strength properly. Next was weapons, and there were several pointed kitchen knives in the kitchen. But the knives were a bit short After some thought, he tied a knife to a rolling pin to create a makeshift homemade short spear. Wang Tao had actually wanted to make a spear out of a mop, but the corridor was quite narrow, and a weapon too long might not be effective; getting it stuck could spell disaster. The length of the rolling pin was just right, neither too short, which would increase the chance of infection, nor too long, which would make it unwieldy. Lastly, Wang Tao found a thick hand towel and a pair of yellow anti-blue light sses. He covered his head, face, and even eyes. After all, the zombie virus was contagious, and preventative measures could never be too careful! Wang Tao checked himself in the full-length mirror. There stood a person in the mirror, over 1.8 meters tall, burly, wearing ck gloves, a ck mask, yellow sses, brown hiking shoes,pletely wrapped up tightly, with homemade arm guards on his hands, and holding a homemade short spear. He looked very secure. Once everything was ready, Wang Tao waited quietly behind the door. The zombie had been wandering up and down the staircase and soon came up. Wang Tao didnt rush and continued to wait. The zombie first went up to the sixth floor, then came back down to the fifth, before heading downstairs toward the fourth floor. After seeing through the peephole that the zombie was going downstairs with its back toward him, Wang Tao took a deep breath and then suddenly opened the door. ck The sound of the security door opening startled the zombie, which turned its stiff body around showing a face both terrifying and grotesque. Whoosh! Wang Tao gripped the homemade short spear and stabbed toward the zombies head. The zombie, upon spotting a person, let out a fierce roar and spun around. But due to its stiffness, the movement was uncoordinated; it nearly tripped over itself, staggering. Wang Taos stab missed! However, Wang Tao didnt expect to kill it with one blow. The pointed kitchen knife could not only stab but also sh. He held the rolling pin with both hands and swung it down fiercely! Slice The sh cut from the zombies shoulder down to its waist. The clothes on the zombie made it difficult to see how deep the cut was, but Wang Tao could clearly see a sliver of HP disappearing from above the zombies head. [-14] [486/500] What the hell! That sh cut only this much HP? Wang Tao knew the zombies had a lot of HP, but he hadnt expected it to be that much. Or rather, the power of his sh was too weak! Although shocked, Wang Tao wasnt too panicked inside. Both he and the zombie were in the corridor, with the zombie below and him above. He had specifically chosen this position, standing above surely had its advantages. Wang Tao quickly retracted the knife, and the zombie took the opportunity to lunge at him, its hands smeared with blood reaching for Wang Tao. Wang Tao immediately stepped back two paces, avoiding the zombies attack, then stabbed out with another sh. Zombies wouldnt actively dodge an attack, the previous miss was just luck. This time, the stab hit hard on the zombies forehead, but it didnt go in! The skull is the hardest bone in the human body, and the quality of the kitchen knife Wang Tao held was average, and it even had a slightly rolled edge. It wasnt surprising that it didnt prate on the first attempt. But what surprised Wang Tao was that the strike didnt cause much damage. [-3] [483/500] Wasnt the head supposed to be a zombies weak spot? Howe its only this little damage? Could it be because the skull is too hard, so it didnt pierce the defense? As these thoughts raced through his mind, Wang Tao gripped his homemade short spear tightly and thrust it fiercely from bottom right to top left. Swish! The de cut across the zombies neck. Pfft Dark blood spurted from the zombies neck as it staggered a step back. Wang Taos cut was shallow; although it sliced through the zombies neck, it didnt sever the head. However, Wang Tao was somewhat excited. Because the damage from this strike was high. [-117] [366/500] This cut took away more than twenty percent of the zombies HP! The neck, its also a zombies weak spot! Andpared to the head, cutting the neck is much easier! Enraged, the zombie charged at Wang Tao again, reaching out both hands to harshly swing at Wang Taos face. Wang Tao was a few steps from the wall behind him, making it difficult to dodge this time. He quickly took the spear in his right hand, then raised his left arm, using the vambrace to block the zombies attack. Bang! Wang Tao was forced two steps back, right up against the wall. This was the first time Wang Tao had been attacked by a zombie, and he finally understood why they said zombies had immense strength. With his physical fitness, enduring this strike made his arm somewhat numb. If it had been anyone else, they might have been knocked down instantly. But seeing that his HP hadnt dropped a single point, Wang Tao felt invigorated. This is reality, not a game! In games, if a monster attacks you, even if its just a touch, you lose HP, whether you lose a little or a lot. Thats the game mechanics. But reality is different; as long as you are not hit, you wont lose HP! Wang Taos physical fitness was high; since the strike with the vambrace didnt cause an exterior or interior injury, just a numbness, his HP remained full. Understanding this, Wang Taos eyes shone brightly. In games, you have to follow the rules of the game when fighting monsters. Without a one-hit-kill mechanism, no matter how strong you are, you cannot kill a monster in one hit. But reality doesnt follow these rules! With this in mind, Wang Tao didnt retreat but advanced, charging fiercely towards the zombie. And the zombie, too, roared angrily and attacked Wang Tao again. sh! Just as he was about to collide with the zombie, Wang Tao exerted all his strength, suddenly kicked off the ground, and harshly kicked the zombies chest. The zombies strength was great, but its weight was the same as when alive, just over a hundred pounds. That weight couldnt withstand Wang Taos Energize One Hit. The zombie immediately rolled to the turn of the fourth-floor corridor. Without stopping, Wang Taos foot stepped on the stair, and he leaped powerfully. Like a flying man, he plunged toward the zombie. Both hands gripping the homemade spear high above his head, as hended, he stabbed viciously at the zombie below! Pfft! With the help of gravity, the spear plunged deep into the zombies forehead. [-366] [0/500] One-hit kill! Chapter 5 - 5 5 Monster Killing and Loot Drops_1 5 Chapter 5 Monster Killing and Loot Drops_1 Trantor: 549690339 ` Huff Looking at the zombie lying on the ground, still twitching, with its head blooming like a chrysanthemum. Wang Tao let out a long sigh of relief. He called this move Jump sh, and as a Martial Arts Substitute, it wasnt surprising that he could execute it. However, it was the first time he used it in actualbat, and he wasntpletely certain of victory in his heart. Now it seemed that the effect was pretty good, after all, zombies didnt dodge. With the geographical advantage of jumping from a high ce to a lower one, the jump covered a distance of five meters. With the force of inertia, the kitchen knife, which normally couldnt pierce through a zombies skull, sessfully entered through the zombies brow, instantly killing it. But instant killing wasnt without a cost. Wang Tao looked at the kitchen knife, now bent out of shape, and felt somewhat helpless. An ordinary kitchen knife really wasnt up to par! Hmm? As Wang Tao was getting up from the zombie, his gaze sharpened. That was because he saw a semi-transparent package with bloodstains appear in front of the zombie. With a thought, the package instantly entered his body. [Obtained: purified water (small) x1] Whats this? Wang Tao noticed an icon of a backpack appeared below his HP bar. The backpack was empty except for a white stic cube marked with 5L. [purified water (small): 5L, drinkable] Killing zombies can drop loot? Wang Tao felt that he could take out the water with just a thought. But now wasnt the time to study these things, so he quickly searched the zombies body. He found a set of keys, an electronic wristband, a box of cigarettes, and a wallet. He had intended to take the zombies belt as well, but seeing that it had a cut that made a crevice, he decided against ithe wasnt in need of a belt that badly. After collecting the spoils of war, Wang Tao went back to check the elevator. It was broken, and he had no idea if there were zombies inside. Bang! Back in his room, it wasnt until he had closed the door and leaned against it that Wang Tao finally felt some lingering fear. During the fight, adrenaline was pumping like crazy, leaving no time for any other thoughts. Now recalling the zombie whose head hed blown up, he still felt somewhat ufortable. After calming down a bit, Wang Tao took a big gulp of water and then stripped off all his clothes. Covered in sweat, he needed a shower. After showering, Wang Tao finally had time to study the backpack icon below his HP bar, but before looking at the backpack, he paused. Huh? When did my HP increase? Wang Tao was pleasantly surprised to find that his HP bar had gone from 100/100 to 110/110! Hed gained 10 HP! Could it be from killing the zombie? Wang Tao hadnt noticed it at the time. Ill have to pay attention next time. If its really from killing zombies that one can gain an increase in HP limit Wang Taos face broke into a brilliant smile. He looked again at the backpack icon below his HP bar. This item was simr to the inventory systems in many video games. However, only the purified water (small) could be put into the backpack and taken out at will. Other items couldnt be put inside. It seems that only items that drop from killing zombies can be put into the backpack Wang Tao was excited, as this backpack was like a storage space! ` And he could sense in the dark that the time inside his backpack was paused, which meant that the things inside would never go bad! Although there was a certain limit to what could be stored, Wang Tao was quite content. After all, he was sure to fight zombies in the future, so there was no worry about not having space for loot! As for the purified water (small) that the zombie dropped, it was a 5L square stic bucket. Wang Tao tasted the water inside and it indeed was purified water. Although it felt somewhat discordant that a single zombie had dropped a whole 5L bucket of water, that wasnt the pointthe point was that killing zombies could him loot! This, like his ability to see zombies HP bars, was in some ways an invincible power! Others might not benefit from killing zombies, but he certainly wouldhe could get loot, and there was a high chance that his HP limit would increase. Even his physical attributes might improvethough Wang Tao wasnt sure about this, it might just be an adrenaline-fueled illusion. After he had killed this zombie, he felt like he had gotten somewhat stronger He would know for sure after killing a few more zombies. In any case, as long as he made an effort, he would definitely reap rewards! This is the apocalypse, huh? Why do I suddenly kind of like it? After feeling a bit smug for a moment, Wang Tao didnt get too arrogant. The zombies were indeed very strong, and a moment of carelessness could lead to disaster. Of course, he had more or less figured out the strength of the zombies. As long as he was well-protected and not caught by them, with his physical attributes, he could definitely withstand an attack from one zombie. Moreover, with proper technique, he could potentially kill a zombie with one strike. But to achieve a one-hit kill, weapons were vital. His kitchen knife had been rendered useless after a single usehe needed to find a weapon that wouldst longer. In the actualbat with zombies, Wang Tao hade to some conclusionsagainst zombies, how sharp the weapon was wasnt the most important aspect; what was crucial was that it was sturdy enough! For example, when he used Jump sh, even a not-so-sharp kitchen knife could still pierce through a zombies skull. If only I could get my hands on a firefighter axe or a crowbar Unfortunately, those items were not avable here. No hurry, take it slow. After grabbing a simple meal and a short rest, Wang Tao put on his makeshift gear again and tied another kitchen knife of the same kind onto the rolling pin. He had a total of five such knives, bought on discount just because they were cheap. Based on his previous experience, he could use Jump sh at least four more times. Fully armed, Wang Tao opened the door again. There was only one zombie in the hallway, and now that it was dealt with, he definitely wanted to go out and look around, especially checking the upstairs. The zombie he had just killed was a neighbor from the floor abovethere might be some resources in their home. Wang Tao first tiptoed downstairs. The doors of the apartments on these floors were all closed; it was unclear whether there were people inside them or not. The entrance door on the first floor was locked. He had suspected as much before, but hadnt beenpletely sure. Now seeing it locked reassured him. Wang Tao arrived at the sixth floor; the door of apartment 602 was open. Entering 602 cautiously with his weapon at the ready, Wang Tao thoroughly checked the room to make sure there were no zombies before closing the door behind him. Although there were no longer any zombies in the hallway, it was still safer to be cautious. With the door shut, he could scour the ce with peace of mind. Not only was this his first time killing zombies, but it was also his first time rummaging through someones home without any reservations. The thought even gave him a sense of illicit thrill. The inside of 602 was not in disarray, showing no signs of a struggle. It seemed his neighbor had mutated suddenly and, hopefully, not suffered too much. Theres a big bag of rice, probably about seven or eight kilos. Not bad, not bad! Theres a stock of vegetables and meat in the refrigerator, thats great! Instant noodles, pickles, snacks, tobo, alcohol Im taking all of it! Hmm? Whats this a walkie-talkie? Chapter 6 - 6 6 Search 602_1 6 Chapter 6 Search 602_1 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao wasnt very familiar with walkie-talkies, but he knew they were a good thing. Without awork, mobile phones were basically useless. However, the working principle of walkie-talkies was different, so maybe they could still make calls? The guy must have been a radio enthusiast; there were four walkie-talkies of different shapes, along with their boxes. Besides the walkie-talkies, there were also two radios, onerge and one small. The small one used batteries, and therge one could be powered by hand-cranking. Wang Tao briefly fiddled with them, but all he heard was a buzzing and crackling noise from the walkie-talkies and radios, no useful information. He was slightly disappointed, but Wang Tao wasnt in a hurry. He could take these gadgets home and try them out slowly. After searching the room for a while, Wang Tao gathered all the things he thought were useful. There were two suitcases, packed full to the brim. Then, he grabbed a bedsheet and wrapped up the rest of the stuff. It didnt matter whether he could use them or not; he took everything he could. Once he was sure he hadnt missed anything for the time being, Wang Tao packed up and locked the door to Room 602 on his way out, taking the key with him. As he locked the door to Room 602, a sudden bang, bang, bang came from next doors Room 601, and a roar seeped through the security door. Wang Taos spirit instantly focused. There are really zombies in the room He set down his things, approached the door to Room 601, and saw that it was securely locked, which relieved him for the moment. Wang Tao remembered that a middle-aged couple lived in Room 601; they seemed to work close together and alwaysmuted together. That means there should be two zombies inside Wang Taos gaze flickered. He could handle one zombie, but two was not certain However, it was too early to discuss this since he couldnt open the security door. I need to find a way to get some tools for prying or picking locks. If I try to break in violently, not to mention whether its feasible or not, the noise would definitely be loud With zombies outside, although the corridor was temporarily clear of them, Wang Tao still felt the noise should not be too loud. Otherwise, even if the zombies couldnt get in, if they all crowded at the entrance, he wouldnt be able to leave. Carrying a 24-inch suitcase in each hand and arge bundle on his back, with another hanging around his neck, Wang Tao headed towards the fifth floor. After returning home, Wang Tao found ces to store these items. Setting other things aside, just the supply of food was enough for half a month. Along with his own stock, he could probablyst about twenty days. If he hadnt discovered his ability before, Wang Tao would have chosen to wait for rescue with so much food. But after discovering his abilities, he definitely didnt want to sit around and wait for death. Thats enough for today; tomorrow, Ill see if I can open any other rooms. As for now time to treat myself! Having food gave Wang Tao more confidence. He took out the perishables and prepared to make a big meal. As for the cooking method, he wasnt picky. After washing all the ingredients, he added a block of hotpot base and stewed everything together. This is delicious! Wang Tao wasnt sure if it was psychological, but he felt this big pot of food was more delicious than anything he had ever cooked before. He filled arge bowl with rice, sat down, and was just about to start eating when he heard the door knock again. Thump, thump, thump The knocking was more urgent this time, and quite light. Wang Tao immediately picked up the homemade short spear next to him, and then went to the peephole to take a look. He saw a woman with her hair tied up high, staring nervously at Wang Taos door. Is it her? Outside the door was none other than Wang Taos neighbor across the hall, Zhao Yuans sister-inw whom he had asked him to take care ofDing Yuqin. Wang Tao did not open the door directly but first hung the safety chain behind the security door. In the apocalypse, one could never be too careful with others. Outside, Ding Yuqin nced at the corridor and then back at Wang Taos door, her face extremely tense. Her own door was left ajar, if there was anymotion downstairs, she would run back immediately. If possible, she really did not want to go out. Merely a few steps away, it was the result of her struggling for several hours. But there was no choice, her family had run out of food a long time ago. If she didnt think of a solution soon, she might starve to death, even if she wasnt killed by the zombies. Of course, what ultimately propelled her out the door was the fact that she had seen with her own eyes Wang Tao kill the zombie wandering in the stairwell! The specifics of the fight werent clearasrge as the peepholes field of vision was, it had its limits, especially since Wang Tao and the zombie had fought all the way downstairs. But she knew, Wang Tao had won! The only zombie in the corridor, dead! Wang Taos strength was beyond her expectations; her husband, back when they were still in contact, had told her about the horrors of these zombies. It wasnt just about wielding cold weapons; even with a gun, one may not win. Many police officers had met their gruesome end in the jaws of zombies. Yet, Wang Tao was able to go solo, using a cold weapon to kill a zombie, which was, she had to admit, incredibly impressive. At that moment, Ding Yuqin felt the urge to run out. But she still dared not, not just from fear of other zombies but also fear of Wang Taobecause she did not know if Wang Tao had been infected. If he was infected, wouldnt she be amb walking into the mouth of a tiger? So, she waited a few more hours. When she saw Wang Tao heading back and thening out with a lot of things, big and small, from upstairs, she guessed that Wang Tao was most likely not infected. The information online stated that although the incubation period after infection varied in length, most had amon characteristic: the body exhibited some negative conditions, such as weakness, fever, coughing, and the like. Wang Tao, hopping around and carrying so much stuff upstairs, clearly had no problems with his health. However, she was still somewhat afraid toe out, after all, stepping through this door also required tremendous courage. But now, as her stomach growled and she smelled the faint alluring aromaing from next door she could no longer endure it. Only those who have experienced hunger know that hunger is a more terrifying existence than any addiction, after all, eating is an instinct for survival. When one is close to starving, as long as theres something to eat, a person can do anything. Click~ The door of apartment 501 opened. Wang Taos face appeared from behind the door. Sister-inw, is there something you need? Seeing this face, Ding Yuqin was taken aback. Was this the Wang Tao who could frighten children with his looks? Where was therge scar on his face? Even though she was surprised, the voice and height were indeed Wang Taos. Ding Yuqin had no time to dwell on it, she tucked some stray hair behind her ear, then spoke softly: Ahem, Wang Tao look, were neighbors, could you lend your sister-inw some food? Chapter 7 - 7 7 Sister-in-Law Borrows Grain_1 7 Chapter 7 Sister-in-Law Borrows Grain_1 Trantor: 549690339 Ding Yuqin was wearing a set of light pink sportswear today, which tightly wrapped her graceful figure. Her hair was pulled up, albeit somewhat messily, and it was clear she hadnt taken much care in grooming it. Her face was very pale, extremely haggard. Beneath those captivatingrge eyes, there were two faint dark circles. Wang Tao couldnt help but feel that Ding Yuqin seemed to have lost a lot of weight, perhaps due to the loose clothing. Above her head, there was also an HP bar, but it was green. [63/100] Borrowing food? Wang Tao furrowed his brows; he suddenly remembered the message from Zhao Yuan asking him to look after Ding Yuqin. Had it been before, Wang Tao might have hesitated. But now that he had some extra food, he felt a bit more confident in his ability to help others. Seeing Wang Tao frown, Ding Yuqins heart instantly tightened. After days of hunger, she knew all too well the importance of food. If Wang Tao refused her, she would really starve to death, especially since she didnt dare to venture out looking for food. Wang Tao, I I dont eat much, just a little bit of food will do! When Brother Zhaoes back, we will definitely repay you! Please Ding Yuqins hands were sped together, her face showing a mix of embarrassment and eagerness to please. Then, as if she remembered something, she quickly dug into her pockets. Right, I have money, I can give you money! Looking at the few hundred yuan Ding Yuqin took out, Wang Tao shook his head. No need for money, we are neighbors after all; its only right to help each other. Sister-inw, wait here for a moment, Ill go get you some food. Watching Wang Tao go to fetch something, Ding Yuqin breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself that Wang Tao was quite decent, and she might have been a bit too quick to judge him by his appearance before. However, as soon as Wang Tao left, a rich fragrance wafted out, and Ding Yuqins gaze involuntarily followed his figure, from which she couldnt tear her eyes away. Gurgle~ Ding Yuqins throat moved as she swallowed hard. What did she see? Was it arge pot of stew? And a big bowl of rice! So much food, enough for four or five people to eat! Was Wang Taos meal really that good? Then he must be serving her a bowl, right? Ding Yuqins mind wandered with various thoughts. She subconsciously pushed at the door, but the chain behind the security door stopped her. Hearing the noise, Wang Tao looked back at her. Ding Yuqin immediately regained herposure and hastily withdrew her hand, somewhat embarrassed. Yet, she felt slightly indignant. To chain the door after opening it, Im not the type of person to be so thick-skinned as to insist on entering Ding Yuqins eyes couldnt leave the pot of stew until Wang Tao came over with a pack of bread. Sister-inw, there isnt much food left in my house either. This bag of bread is for emergencies. Watching the 250g of toast bread being passed through the crack of the door, Ding Yuqin quickly took it. While excited to have food, she wasnt as thrilled as she had imagined she would be. Thank you, very much! Ill go back now. Wang Tao, you be careful too, those zombies are too dangerous! Ding Yuqin held the bread tightly, expressing her sincere thanks. Mhm. I will. Wang Tao nodded. After seeing Ding Yuqin off and closing the door, he then locked it. In this apocalypse, everyones food supply was precious. He had given Ding Yuqin a bag of bread in consideration of his neighbor, Brother Zhao. That should be enough to ensure she wouldnt starve to death. ` As for providing her with a better life, that was out of the question. Wang Taos appetite was huge; the food was only enough for him. After all, he wasnt just sitting around at home waiting for rescue. He needed to train and go out to kill zombies! A pot of stewed vegetables and a basin of riceWang Tao ate half of it by himself. Not bad, about seventy percent full, after all, I still need to train, cant eat too much. He quickly tidied up the tablethe remaining food would be eaten tomorrow. It was seven in the evening, and there was a long time until bedtime, so he nned to train for a while longer. Otherwise, with no phone orputer to y with, the long night would be tough to endure. He rested until eight oclock, and feeling that was enough, Wang Tao began doing push-ups. Yesterday, he did a thousand in two hours; today, hed see if he had improved. 1, 2, 3 Wang Tao didnt intentionally speed up, just followed the previous pace 999, 1000! Wang Tao got up and checked the time on his phone. Indeed, theres improvement, these thousand push-ups werepleted a few minutes faster than before Wang Tao was very satisfied as he squeezed his fist. The progress was small, but as long as there was visible improvement, there was a source of motivation. After taking a quick bath, Wang Tao picked up the four walkie-talkies and the radio. The walkie-talkies came with boxes, one of which had a manual. After studying it briefly, Wang Tao powered on the walkie-talkie and tuned into some channels. Szzz It was still just crackling sounds, no useful information emerged. Wang Tao then turned on the radio and adjusted the dial to search for frequencies. Szzz The Government will Szzz Huh? Theres a voice! Wang Tao quickly turned the dial back, then turned off the lights in the house, and went below the balcony window, opening both the curtains and the window. After hearing that zombies were particrly sensitive to light, he had covered all the windows in the house with thick cloth and avoided turning on lights that were too bright at night. Even though he was on the fifth floor, at times like these, one couldnt be too careful. Szzz The Government will organize rescue as soon as possible Szzz Please wait patiently for the public Szzz Aid drops willmence on the morning of April 18th Szzz throughout the city Repeat The Government will Aid drop! Wang Taos eyes lit up at the keyword. The Government had mentioned future aid drops in the group chat but hadnt specified a time. Now he knew, today was April 8th, which meant the drops would start in ten days! Wang Tao was quite looking forward to this aid drop. If the Government had the capability to perform aid drops, that meant they still had armed forces, which meant the possibility of self-defense, or even a counter-attack. Of course, he was also interested in the aid drop itself. The emergency supplies prepared by the officials would certainly be ample! Ten days time, time to prepare well! Wang Tao decided that if there was a chance, such as the aid drop being very close, or even if itnded in the courtyard of hisplex, he would try to get one. If it was too far, then forget it. Unless he grew stronger in these ten days, gaining some ability to defend himself The next day. Wang Tao got up just past six. Since the loss of the inte, his daily routine had be more and more regr. He warmed up briefly and ate yesterdays leftovers. Then, as before, Wang Tao armed himself from head to toe. Today, he nned to check out apartment 301 on the third floor, because the two tenants who shared it had, Wang Tao had noticed before, left the keys in the crack of the electricity meter box. Under normal circumstances, even if someone knew where the key was, they wouldnt enter. But now, the world was no longer normal. Chapter 8 - 8 8: Double Kill_1 8 Chapter 8: Double Kill_1 Trantor: 549690339 ` Click. He secured his own door. Fully armed, Wang Tao walked out. His target today was Room 301, but before entering Room 301, he stopped in front of the doors to Rooms 402 and 302 respectively. It was quiet inside both Room 402 on the fourth floor and Room 302 on the third floorhe could hear nothing. Wang Tao knocked softly on the doors, but there was still no sound from within. Wang Tao suspected that these two rooms were likely empty, since the outbreak of the zombie virus happened on a workday, and many workers had gone to their jobs. There should be a survivor in the room below him, Room 401, because prior to the inte disconnection, Wang Tao heard someone inside cursing. This time, Wang Tao didnt bother them. As for Room 301, his targethe first obtained the key from the electricity meter box, and sure enough, there was a key. He then listened intently at the door but heard no sound from inside. Then he prepared to knock on Room 301s door. If nobody was inside the room, there would surely be no response to his knocking. If someone was in there, out of fear or something simr, they might also not respond. Those bolder might ask who was at the door. If there were zombies, there would likely be a response, such as growling, pounding on the door, and the like, as zombies are rather sensitive to sound. However, if a zombie was locked inside the room, even if it did respond, Wang Tao might not hear it. But then again, if it was locked inside, he wouldnt have to worry. So, to sum up He would knock, and if there was no response, then it was likely safe for him to enter, at least the living room would be. If there was noise, then there were zombies in the living room. There might also be the possibility of a survivor lying in wait behind the door to ambush him. This possibility was small, for now, putting aside the question of necessity. If these survivors had the courage to do so, they wouldnt be hiding inside unable toe out. Of course, it was still a possibility, so Wang Tao still needed to be cautious, since its always prudent to be wary of others. After preparing himself, Wang Tao took a deep breath and then gently tapped on Room 301s door. Roar! Listening to the growl and footsteps inside, Wang Tao felt a bit of a headacheing on. The worst-case scenario had happenedthere was a zombie inside! And this being a shared room, Wang Tao wasnt sure how many zombies were inside. After a few seconds of solemn contemtion, Wang Tao decided to listen through the door. Thud thud~ Roar! Thud, thud~ Roar Gripping the homemade short spear tightly in his hand, Wang Taos eyes flickered with thought. Judging by the sound, there should be only one zombie, I didnt hear a second one. But what if If there are two zombies, I might not be able to handle them. After all, I cant afford any mistakes; getting infected means death Wang Tao was in turmoil internally, but he was not one to hesitate. Ivee this far lets do this! The zombie was now locked inside, and he had the key to open the door. The initiative was with him! If after opening the door, he found two zombies inside, he would immediately close the door and retreat. It wasnt that he was being cowardlyif he had a better weapon, perhaps he could try to deal with two zombies. But this weapon was hardly up to the task; one stab to the head and it would be done for Wang Tao gently turned the key, and the moment the door was opened, he rapidly pulled the door open and then kicked out fiercely. Bang! A muffled sound, and a small but ferocious and scary blood-colored figure was kicked flying by Wang Tao. [-3] [482/500] Clink tter The zombie he kicked flew into a heap of objects, knocking them over. Wang Tao didnt rush in to deal the killing blow but quickly scanned the surroundings instead. One of the bedroom doors was closed; he wasnt sure if there was danger inside. But there was only one zombie in the living room! The advantage was his! Wang Tao clutched the homemade short spear tightly in both hands, pushed off with his back foot, and rapidly elerated. Roar~ The female zombie twisted her body to stand up, let out an angry roar from her mouth, and then iled her arms as she staggered towards Wang Tao. Wang Tao had intended to stab her neck with the short spear, but the zombie suddenly lunged forward, dodging his strike. Unfazed in the face of danger, Wang Tao switched his grip on the spear and chopped towards the zombies left arm. ` ` Thwack! [-35] [447/500 HP] The cleaver might not have been very sharp, but Wang Taos astonishing strength inflicted a huge wound on the zombies left arm, from which ck blood sttered. Meanwhile, the zombies other right hand smacked down fiercely onto Wang Taos right arm. Thud! [-5] [105/110 HP] Despite the thick protection of the books, Wang Tao still felt his arm go numb, and he also lost 5 HP. He was injured! Wang Taos mind became even calmer. At that moment, the zombie opened its mouth wide, trying to bite Wang Tao. Wang Tao shoved his left arm, guarded by the arm shield, into the zombies mouth, blocking its lower jaw. His right hand then thrust the homemade short spear fiercely into the zombies stomach. [-5] [442/500 HP] This minor damage was almost like a tickle to the zombie, but it sessfully restricted the zombies movements. Then Wang Taos muscles bulged as he gathered strength in his right leg and delivered a sweeping kick to the zombies waist. Thud! The zombie slid along the ground for several meters before crashing into the wall. For a moment, it seemed dazed and unable to rise. [-15] [427/500 HP] Whether it was the impact against the wall or something else, the kick had more power than Wang Tao had expected. Without thinking too much, Wang Tao pressed the advantage, quickly rushing to the wall. He stomped on the zombies chest, pinning it down, then with both hands, he reversed the grip on the short spear and raised it high. Thwack~ [-427] [0/500 HP] Headshot kill! A partially transparent package stained with blood appeared instantly. After collecting the package, Wang Tao didnt look at it immediately but instead nced at his own HP bar. [110/115 HP] Indeed, the upper limit of his HP had increased by 5 points, and his current HP had also recovered by 5 points! Killing zombies could increase the upper limit of the HP bar and restore the increased HP! After calming his excitement slightly, he then looked at the contents of the package. [Acquired: Iron Block x1] [Iron Block: Crafting Material] Iron Block? Looking at the small cubical iron block in his backpack, Wang Tao didnt have time to study it for the time being. He searched the female zombies body and found a string of pearl nes, a wallet, and a crushed box of womens cigarettes, with no lighter. After collecting the spoils of battle, Wang Tao didnt rush to scour the room but sat down to rest for a while; then he turned his gaze toward the closed-bedroom door. If he didnt remember incorrectly, the female zombie had an HP of [482/500] when he entered, and the kick he had delivered upon entering only caused 3 points of damage. In other words, this female zombie was not at full health! If she had turned into a zombie at home, she should have been at full health, unless Wang Tao gripped the short spear tightly in both hands, then kicked fiercely at the bedroom door. Thud! The bedroom door was of decent quality and withstood Wang Taos kick. However, the lock was clearly subpar, as it was immediately wrecked. And in the moment the door opened, Wang Tao saw a male zombie lying on the ground, missing half its body, unable to move. Roar~ Thwack! [-286] [0/500 HP] ` Chapter 9 - 9 9 Sister-in-Law Comes to Help You_1 9 Chapter 9 Sister-in-Law Comes to Help You_1 Trantor: 549690339 The room contained a male zombie that had lost half of its body. Though it still seemed vigorous and had a sturdy build, it ultimatelycked arms and legs, couldnt stand up or dodge, and was easily head-shot by Wang Tao. Wang Tao felt that this female zombie wasnt as strong as the male one in the hallway. He killed her without using Jump sh. The minor injury he sustained was due to the terrain. However, while Jump sh was powerful, it also greatly damaged the weapons. Having dealt with the female zombie without using Jump sh, his homemade short spear was barely useable. After killing this male zombie, though, his kitchen knife waspletely ruined, and even the rolling pin developed a crack and was on the verge of being scrapped. After a brief rest, Wang Tao checked around the room. He looked in the bathroom and the kitchen, and after confirming there was no danger, he locked up apartment 301 and then began to inventory his gains. First was the male zombie. After killing him, Wang Tao gained an additional 5 HP, making his HP bar read [115/120]. Then there were the items he dropped. [Acquired: Gear x1] [Gear: Crafting Material] This was a gear about the diameter of a ping-pong ball. The female zombie dropped an iron block, and the male zombie dropped a gear. Moreover, both were described as crafting materials. The term crafting materials is quite broad, and things like iron blocks and gears should bemon everyday items, abundantly avable in hardware stores. Wang Tao didnt know the difference between the items dropped by zombies and those found in everyday life, but before figuring out their use, he was certainly going to save them forter rather than use them indiscriminately. After all, items dropped by zombies could be stored in the space backpack, which was very convenient for storage. After putting the gear into the space backpack, he began to loot the corpse. But this male zombie didnt have anything useful on him. Last was to scour the entirety of apartment 301. As Wang Tao scavenged, he inferred the previous situation from clues and his own spection. It was likely that at the outbreak of the apocalypse, the woman turned into a zombie, whereas the man was initially normal. The man might have had some strength. In the attack by the woman, he fought back, taking away over a dozen HP from the female zombie. But he was wounded too, even having half of his body eaten by the female zombie. The time it took to mutate after infection with the zombie virus varied from one minute to twenty-four hours. The man held on for quite a while, having a strong will to survive, and with the zombie virus potentially providing some enhancement when it activated, he dragged his severely injured body back to his own room. But in the end, he couldnt withstand the virus and became a zombie. After he turned, the female zombie probably lost interest in him which is why when Wang Tao arrived, it felt so deathly quiet inside The end of the world, huh He sighed in his heart, but Wang Taos hands didnt stop searching. Perhaps because two people lived here, the apartment was cluttered with numerous belongings. Especially the womans things, which included clothing, cosmetics, adult toys, bags, various small ornaments, and so on, which took Wang Tao quite a while to sift through. As for the mans possessions, they were simpler. Besides a rtivelyrge number of shoes and various electronic products, there were few other misceneous items. However, what Wang Tao cared about the most was the food, but these two didnt have muchonly enough for a day or two, and it was all vegetables and fruits that didnt keep well and were wilting. Curiously, the womans room contained quite a few unopened snacks. Although they werent filling, they werent cheap either. Huh? In the kitchen, Wang Tao found three neatly cut lengths of steel pipe, one of a meter and two of half a meter each. ` Good stuff! Wang Tao was wondering what could rece his cracked rolling pin when this steel pipe came at just the right time. Moreover, if he sharpened the steel pipe a bit, it could even rece a kitchen knife. He had a whetstone at home, so he could do the sharpening there slowly. Right, Ill take this too! Wang Tao carried out the gas cylinder from the kitchen. The gas cylinder in apartment 602 was nearly empty, so Wang Tao didnt bother with it. But the one in apartment 301 was almost full, so he could take it back home as well. An hourter, Wang Tao, with a bundle wrapped in a bedsheet on his back and with a steel pipe sticking out, ran toward apartment 501 with a suitcase in each hand. After cing the items at the doorstep, Wang Tao ran back to 301 to fetch the gas cylinder. But before he locked the door of 301, he thought for a moment, went into the room, and despite feeling nauseous, dragged the two zombies out. Then he opened a window and threw them down, one after the other. He also threw out the zombie in the corridor. Since the southern window overlooked the residentialplexs yard, he was afraid of attracting zombies. So he threw them from the northern window, which meant theynded on the street. Thump, thump, thump Three sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground echoed. Hiss Roar Instantly, a series of strange and prating hisses and roars came from the street. Several gruesome and terrifying zombies appeared from the darkness, wandering towards the source of the noise. Indeed, the street is full of zombies! Wang Tao felt a chill in his heart. Looking at the number, there were probably thirty to fifty of them, and who knows how many more were inside the shops. If someone unknowingly rushed into that area, they would likely find no ce to run. Across the street was a convenience store. Wang Tao had thought about scavenging there if he got the chance, confident that there would be plenty of supplies. But now he immediately dismissed the idea; he wanted to live a little longer. After he moved the gas cylinder up to apartment 501, Wang Tao started to unlock his door. Just then, apartment 502 next door opened a small crack. Ding Yuqin looked at Wang Tao with utter shock, seeing the big and small parcels beside him. In fact, she had been paying attention since Wang Tao had left the house. She had roughly heard some of themotion downstairs. She didnt know exactly what had happened, but she knew when Wang Tao had left, he was holding a rolling pin tied with a kitchen knife, yet when Wang Tao returned, he brought back supplies in big and small packages. Especially the half bag of rice peeking out of the big bundle, it made her feel like if Wang Tao were to give the rice to her, she could eat it raw. As Wang Tao was about to enter his door, she clenched her teeth and opened her door. Click Wang Tao heard the noise and nced at her. As Wang Tao was wearing sses, Ding Yuqin couldnt see his eyes clearly. Cough that Wang Tao, youre amazing! Getting so many supplies today! I see youre having a bit of trouble carrying them Let sister-inw help you After saying this, Ding Yuqin embarrassingly immediately looked down at her feetoh, she couldnt see her toes. Wang Tao was somewhat speechless; indeed, the stuff wasnt easy to carry, but he had already reached his own doorstepwas it that hard to take thesest two steps? Why didnt she offer help earlier? However, looking at Ding Yuqins pale face slowly turn a shade of blush, seeing the HP bar above her head disying [15/100], Wang Tao thought for a moment and then said: Okay. Then Ill trouble sister-inw. ` Chapter 10 - 10 10 Are You Hurt?_1 10 Chapter 10 Are You Hurt?_1 Trantor: 549690339 Hoo Seeing that Wang Tao had agreed, Ding Yuqin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had already prepared herself to be rejected by Wang Tao; after all, yesterday he didnt even want to let her into the housethinking of this, she still harbored some minor grudges in her heart. Wang Tao opened the door and handed a slightly smaller parcel to Ding Yuqin. Sister-inw, could you help me take this inside? Sureow! After Ding Yuqin took it, she felt a heavy weight in her hands; she was too weak, scarcely having any strength at all. Wang Tao reached out to support the bundle, somewhat helplessly saying: Sister-inw, if its too much, I can do it Ahem, its fine, I can manage! She finally found an excuse to enter Wang Taos house and didnt want to waste the opportunity. Alright then. Wang Tao let go and watched as Ding Yuqin shakily carried the small bundle inside. He quickly brought the rest of the items back to his house, then closed the door. Wow~ Ding Yuqin knew that Wang Tao had a lot of supplies, but she was still somewhat astounded when she actuallyid eyes on these things. Sigh, they are just some useless stuff Wang Tao sighed. Most of these items were misceneous. The truly important things, such as food, were not plentiful. As for weapons, only those three steel rods passed muster; for the time being, they were indeed of little use. Ahem, Wang Tao, how about I help you tidy up? Your ce is too messy! Ding Yuqin ignored Wang Taos ostentation, getting busy organizing as she spoke. Sure. Wang Tao didnt refuse. His house was indeed in disarray. He had spent thest few days either eating, sleeping, exercising, or fighting zombies, with no time to clean up. Today, Ding Yuqin wore a form-fitting white dress that entuated her figure, her hair tied up high, revealing a slender and exquisite neck, with a tinum ne deeply nestled in her cleavage. Perhaps knowing that there were no zombie threats in the hallway, she also wore a pair of impractical caramel high heels. Paired with flesh-colored stockings clinging to her skin, they added much sensuality and allure. Wang Tao watched as she crouched on the ground, deftly categorizing items, before finally pulling his gaze away from her legs. Watching Wang Taos retreating figure, Ding Yuqins tense body finally rxed a little. She could feel Wang Taos unrestrained gaze sweeping over her body, and she had started to regret dressing up so much. If Wang Tao lost control of his animal instincts she wouldnt be able to resist. At the time, she was just thinking that since she was asking for help, she should at least appear clean and tidy, rather than sloppy and unkempt. Fortunately, Wang Tao only watched her for a while and then left, without making any inappropriate moves. How could I doubt Wang Tao? If it werent for him, Id have starved. Hes a good man! In the bathroom, Wang Tao took off his gear and carefully set aside the books inside; these were vital for survival and couldnt get wet. Then he removed the coat stained with some zombie blood and washed it separately with water. After rinsing the coat, he stripped off the rest of his clothes and washed them in the machine. While bathing, he looked at the bruise on his right arm and frowned. This was where he had been injured today, a zombie pped away 5 drops of his HP. During the fight and scavenging before, he had not felt pain. But now, whenever he touched hot water or even lightly brushed the area, he felt a piercing pain, and he started to wonder if the bone had been injured. Wang Tao had been thinking before that he had only been pped by a zombie, without any wound or serious pain, so why did he lose 5 HP? After all, his total HP was barely over a hundred. Wouldnt it mean that a few more ps from a zombie could kill him outright? It seemed a bit unreasonable to him. But now it appeared that it wasnt unreasonable at all, but rather very reasonable. Thats because theres a limit to human pain endurance. Its not that you only die by being decapitated or stabbed in the heart. Even some superficial pains can be enough to kill a person from pain alone. The bruise on Wang Tao surely wasnt fatal, but if he umted more of these types of injuries, even to the bone, he might die of pain. So losing 5 HP was quite reasonable. This HP bar didnt just represent the HP amount like in some games, but also represented the condition of ones health. That also exined why Ding Yuqins HP bar was only at 15. Although Ding Yuqin wasnt attacked, her health kept dropping under conditions of hunger and fear. Without help, she might end up dying from starvation or fear After the bath, Wang Tao put on long pants and a tank top, exposing his arms. The bruise was painful to the touch, and although he could endure it, he saw no need to torture himself. Ding Yuqin was rather capable, it had to be said. In the time it took for Wang Tao to bathe, she had already sorted many items. Everything was neatly ced together, creating afortable visual. Yu Qin, no rush, take a break. Wang Tao spoke. Ah? No, no, its okay, just give me a moment! Ding Yuqin looked up, and upon seeing Wang Taos explosively muscr figure and his somewhat unfamiliar but handsome face, she quickly lowered her head again. Before long, they had sorted the items into simple categories. There werent too many things and no need to categorize them too meticulously. Wang Tao saved these items with the mentality that it was wasteful to throw them away. Whether they would be useful or not was another story. Ding Yuqins legs were feeling a bit sore from squatting; as she prepared to stand up, she suddenly felt a wave of darkness before her eyes, and her body started to uncontrobly fall backwards. Wang Tao, quick as lightning, caught Ding Yuqins waist with his arm. Yu Qin, are you alright? Ding Yuqins face was extremely pale, and the words losing HP even appeared above her head. [-5] [10/100] Good lord, just tidying things up and shes losing HP? Found a scam, did she? And now that shes down to such low HP, wouldnt it be game over with just a pWang Tao thought with a bit of wicked amusement. Im fine maybe just a bit anemic After recuperating in Wang Taos arms for a while, Ding Yuqin quickly struggled free, a bit embarrassed as she tidied the hair beside her ear, her pale face flushing slightly with a tinge of red. Hmm? Are you injured? But when she saw the bruise on Wang Taos arm, she let out a gasp, instinctively stepping back. Yeah. Wang Tao nodded his head, not borating much, since being injured was nothing to brag about. Ding Yuqin initially thought Wang Tao might have been infected. However, seeing that it was just a bruise without any wound, and that Wang Tao was quiteposed, she breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling that her step back might have been an inappropriate reaction, Ding Yuqin hurriedly stepped forward and grasped Wang Taos arm, gently stroking around the muscles near the bruise, saying softly: I have some experience with treating bruises and injuries Chapter 11 - 11 11 Starving for Five Days_1 11 Chapter 11 Starving for Five Days_1 Trantor: 549690339 ` Ding Yuqin finished speaking and, without waiting for Wang Tao to refuse, hurriedly began to gently massage the muscles on Wang Taos arm. As Ding Yuqin drew closer, a faint scent of shampoo wafted into Wang Taos nostrils, making him feel unexpectedly hot and bothered. Wang Tao had intended to refuse. After all, he was a manly man, and what was a little wound to him? But his sister-inw, after all, meant well. Seeing how earnest she was, Wang Tao really couldnt bring himself to refuseand it definitely wasnt because her gentle kneading felt veryfortable. Oh right! I have a first aid kit at home, just wait for me Ding Yuqin got up, ready to head out the door, but then quickly turned back and gave Wang Tao an appeasing smile. Wang Tao, dont forget to open the door for your sister-inwter! She was afraid that once she left, Wang Tao would lock the door behind her. Okay. Wang Tao nodded, not closing the door. After all, they lived across from each other, just a few steps away. Plus, the zombies in the corridor were already dead, so it was still safe for the time being. Before long, Ding Yuqin came out carrying a medicine box from her ce, and seeing Wang Taos door open, her face lit up with joy as she quickly trotted in wearing her high heels. Inside here are some medications for treating contusions and sprains Ding Yuqin opened the medicine box, revealing various medicines and items like bandages. Wang Tao watched the medicine box in silence. He had rummaged through two households and hadnt found a medicine box, at most some cold and anti-inmmatory medicines. Not even his own home had one, as his health had always been pretty good and he hadnt been to the hospital in years. He didnt have any regrly used medications either. After all, medicines have expiration dates, and theyre expensive too. Apart from some well-off individuals or those with a sense of crisis who might prepare a professional medicine box, most people wouldnt buy such an item. These were bought by your Brother Zhao, havent even been used yet Ding Yuqin spoke with a touch of pride. But after saying it, she felt a bit deted. If she had spent the money for the medicine box on food instead, she could have eaten for quite a while When Ding Yuqin applied some ointments and medicated solutions on Wang Taos arm, his eyes lit up. Because he saw a change in his HP bar. [+1] [+1] [+1] [118/120] The medications had added 3 HP to Wang Tao! He could also clearly feel the pain in his arm diminishing significantly, apanied by a tingling numbness. No pain meant an increase in HP, which made sense. And from this incident, Wang Tao could also infer that he probably hadnt injured his bones, otherwise he wouldnt have recovered so quickly. This medication is really effective! Wang Tao praised. As long as it helps! Ding Yuqin, seeing that Wang Tao didnt seem to be just being polite, was suddenly cheered by the fact she could help him. After all, she wanted to borrow some food, and it was best for her to offer something in return. No one was a fool. After applying the medicine, Ding Yuqin continued to knead the muscles on Wang Taos arm, which helped with the absorption of the medication. However, after a while, Ding Yuqin began to inwardlyin. It was just too hard, and her hands were getting sore! And with her hunger pangs, she was running out of strength Feeling Ding Yuqins hands losing their strength, Wang Tao directly spoke: Sister-inw, you dont need to keep massaging, it doesnt hurt anymore. Its also mealtime. Why not have something to eat before you go back? Sure! Upon hearing about eating, Ding Yuqin agreed before her brain could even register, but perhaps realizing she seemed a bit too eager, she hurriedly added: Ahem, I dont have anything else to do at home anyway, so let me help you! You guys probably dont cook often, right? Im actually quite good at cooking Wang Tao suddenly noticed that Ding Yuqins HP bar had also increased. [+1] [+1] ` [] Indeed, Ding Yuqins HP bar above her head was not only depleting due to hunger but also because of fright,ck of security, and other reasons. Okay, then Ill trouble you, sister-inw. With more people, there was more strength, and Wang Tao did not refuse. Besides, he wasnt really good at cooking. He followed the simple principle that as long as it was cooked, it would suffice. He had just gotten some vegetables with poor appearance from Apartment 301; they had been put aside for several days and would go bad if left any longer. It made sense to invite Ding Yuqin for a meal, especially considering Brother Zhao had asked him to take care of his sister-inw. Men and women working together made for lighter work. It didnt take too long, and a rather sumptuous lunch was prepared. Looking at the full spread of four dishes and a soup, Ding Yuqin swallowed hard once again. Five days, it had already been five days! She hadnt eaten a proper meal for five whole days! She didnt even know how she had gotten through it. As she looked at the table full of food, tears suddenly blurred her vision. Only those who had experienced hunger could realize the preciousness of food. Sister-inw, whats wrong? When Wang Tao saw Ding Yuqin suddenly covering her mouth and crying, he was quite surprised. Could she have misunderstood that all this food was specifically prepared for her? Was she moved to tears? If so, she might be reading too much into it. No, Im fine, sorry for making youugh Ding Yuqin hastily wiped away her tears. Even while wiping her eyes, her other eye did not leave the sight of the food. She feared it was all a dream, and with a blink, everything would disappear. Seeing Wang Tao washing his hands, she quickly washed the bowls and chopsticks and set them neatly on the table, then stood aside waiting for Wang Tao to sit first. Have a seat, dont be polite. Only after Wang Tao sat down did she take a seat herself. Holding a small bowl brimming with rice, she could feel the warmth in her hands and almost burst into tears again. Oh right, I suggest you dont eat too much all at once, sister-inw, Wang Tao suddenly said. Yes, yes, I understand! Ding Yuqin quickly nodded, understanding that if someone had been starving for too long, eating too much at once could be overwhelming for the body. She carefully picked up some greens, put them in her mouth, and bit down. A flood of happiness filled her senses! Even though the vegetables were wilted, she felt they were the most delicious food she had ever had in her life! Huh? It really does taste good! Wang Tao was a bit taken aback; he hadnt expected his sister-inws cooking skills to be this good. As he ate, he observed. He noticed that with each movement of Ding Yuqins chopsticks, her green HP bar started to slowly increase. [+1] [+1] [+1] [] Moreover, it must be said that Ding Yuqin was someone who could restrain her own desires. Wang Tao could feel that she wanted to devour all the food, but she was still trying to eat slowly, although her table manners were not very elegant. After eating for a while and feeling her strength gradually returning, Ding Yuqin finally had a moment to sneak a peek at Wang Tao. No wonder Wang Tao was such a big guy with developed muscles; it turns out he could really eat! He could consume half of therge spread of dishes all by himself However, she also realized at that moment that her own eating manners were quite unseemly. To avoid embarrassment, she wiped her mouth and then took the initiative to strike up a conversation. Sigh, Wang Tao, you dont know how unlucky your sister-inw has been. Its a good thing were neighbors After Ding Yuqin exined, Wang Tao finally understood why she was so starving. Simply put, she and her husband went back to their hometownst month, nning to spend a month there. So, they cleaned out all the food in their home in advance. But her husband had sudden business and came back earlier. Upon returning home, they had no food at all, but they didnt think much of it, deciding to make do with a meal at a restaurant for the time being and to go shopping together at the supermarket once her husband was less busy. The next day, she slept in, and by the time she woke up, the virus had broken out. That meant that, while other families couldst a few days even with little food, she had nothing at all at home. If it werent for some snacks she bought earlier and a bag of bread given by Wang Tao, she might have truly starved to death Chapter 12 - 12 12 Nighttime Explosion_1 12 Chapter 12 Nighttime Explosion_1 Trantor: 549690339 Wuwuwu, why is my life so miserable! At the heartbreakingly sad part, Ding Yuqin covered her face and wept profusely. Then through the gaps in her fingers, she stealthily nced at Wang Tao, hoping to gain his sympathy. Wang Tao did feel sympathy. He could tell she wasnt lying just by looking at Yu Qins HP bar; he guessed that if she went another day without food, she really would die. But sympathy couldnt be traded for food. So, Wang Tao showed no reaction and simply buried his head in his meal. Ding Yuqin, shrewd as she was, saw that Wang Tao remained unmoved and felt a bit down. She wiped her tears and stopped crying. After all, crying would also consume physical strength, and right now, every bit of strength was precious. After the meal, Ding Yuqin took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Wang Tao didnt stop her. He looked at Ding Yuqins graceful figure from behind, lost in thought for a moment. 40/100 now When she heard about my offer to eat with her, her spirit improved, gaining 10 HP. After having a meal, she gained 20 HP. However, her body is still in a state of weakness, and even if she keeps eating, it probably wont increase as much as it did today After quickly washing the dishes, Ding Yuqin dried her hands and then said to Wang Tao: Wang Tao, do you have anyundry that needs washing? I dont have much to do at home, so I can help you wash them Wang Tao shook his head. No need for that; I have a washing machine. Uh Ding Yuqin felt a bit awkward, but soon thought of another excuse, Then, can I give you a massage? Im pretty good with my hands Massage? Wang Tao was somewhat tempted, especially since the one offering was a great beauty. However, he had to train in the afternoon. He was always very disciplined, not to mention that now, in the post-apocalyptic world, his body was his greatest asset. I appreciate your kindness, sis, but theres no need. I have to start my training in a bit. Okay then, Ill be heading back. If you need anything, Wang Tao, just call me. Ding Yuqin left with some reluctance. Both Wang Taos muscr body and the well-organized food gave her a sense of security. But she could find no reason to stay any longer. Alright, no problem. Seeing that Wang Tao didnt offer to have her stay for dinner or anything of the sort, Ding Yuqin let out a sigh. She had actuallye over this time hoping to borrow some food, even a pack of bread would have been fine. Having had the chance to enjoy a big meal was an unexpected delight; she didnt dare ask for anything more, for fear of upsetting Wang Tao, which would sever herst hope of survival After making sure Ding Yuqin got home safely, Wang Tao closed the door and began his training. Todays task was practicing with the punching bag. After two encounters with zombies, he realized that hisbat skills werecking. Zombies were not like humans; though their movements might be stiff, it didnt mean they were slowit just meant theycked agility. Besides, zombies were incredibly strong! Fighting zombies was a whole different ballgamepared to fighting humans. Against human attacks, one could dodge, resist, or even resort to an all-out battle to the death. But none of that worked on zombies. The best option for now was just to dodge. Even with Wang Taos physical fitness, he was left bruised by just one p from a zombie. The one in the hallway had directly forced Wang Tao back several steps with its blow. Resisting wasnt an option, at least not continuously. And the thought of fighting zombies to the point of mutual destruction was even more out of the question. Zombies could afford countless mistakes, but he couldnt afford a single one. If he were bitten or scratched by a zombie then he could only wait for death. Wang Tao had never fought zombies before, so he was very unused to this style of fighting. If he could optimize his technique to counter zombie traits, he wouldnt necessarily be able to kill instantly, but at least he wouldnt have to take the hit he did today. During his contemtion, Wang Tao began to ruthlessly pummel the sandbag, pretending it was a zombie. While exercising, Wang Tao suddenly had an epiphany; he felt that if he didnt use weapons and just used his fists, his agility would be much higher. Perhaps in certain specific situations, fists might be more appropriate! Ill look for some special gloves or brass knucklester Zombies dont feel pain, so if he were to punch a zombie in the head and the zombie was fine but he ended up with a broken finger, that would be embarrassing. A few hourster, a sweaty Wang Tao stopped his exercise. However, he didnt rest, feeling he still had plenty of physical strength left to sharpen a steel pipe. He found three steel pipes in Room 301, two half a meter long, and one a meter long. The one-meter pipe was suitable for use in open spaces, while the half-meter ones were better for corridors and indoor environments. The steel pipes were much better than the homemade short spears he had before. Wang Tao decided to sharpen one of the half-meter pipes first, after all, they were difficult to sharpen. But he didnt need to make it extremely sharp, just a bit pointed would do. After all, with one Jump sh, zombies couldnt block his head-exploding attack. He heated up the leftover rice from lunch briefly and quickly finished it. Then Wang Tao began the sharpening. Scrape~ Scrape~ He kept at it until eleven at night. If it werent for being on the fifth floor, Wang Tao worried that the noise from sharpening the steel pipe could attract zombies. But fortunately, it was just about usable. After a quick shower and routinely turning on the radio, it crackled for a while. After not hearing any useful information, Wang Tao turned off the light and got ready for bed. Suddenly. Bang! A loud noise came from outside, startling Wang Tao who had justin down, causing him to spring up in rm. Damn it! Could it be the Governments artillery or missile? He hurried to the north-facing window, only to see a sh of fire in the distance on another street lighting up the night and illuminating countless zombies. Roar~ In an instant, countless roaring sounds erupted from all directions, causing ones scalp to tingle. Ah Help At the same time, a few screams from survivors arose from outside, but they quickly disappeared. At that moment, there was nothing Wang Tao could do but to hide in the corner and silently wait. After about an hour, there was no second explosion. Wang Tao finally sighed in relief. It probably wasnt artillery or missiles, as the Government would have attacked more than once if they had the capability. Looking at the street outside still aze, Wang Tao suspected it might have been a gas explosion in a shop. Fortunately, they were in an old neighborhood that used gas cylinders, so there was no need to worry about a gas leak. Even if a gas cylinder were to explode, it would be contained within a room, not reaching him. But that wasnt the point; the main concern was that Wang Tao could distinctly feel the zombies outside bing more frenzied, with constant howling sounds. No, it wasnt just the zombies outside! Wang Tao quickly ran to the south-facing window, and in the dim starlight, he saw zombies in the residential area howling and running, sending chills down his spine. What happened to the slow, stiff movements and low agility they were supposed to have? He had fought with zombies and seen them in a frenzy before, but not like this! Chapter 13 - 13 13 Locksmith_1 13 Chapter 13 Locksmith_1 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao didnt sleep wellst night. He guessed that other survivors nearby felt the same. After all,st nights explosion was terrifying, and the frenzy of the zombies induced by the explosions noise, with their chilling roars, made it impossible to sleep. The first thing Wang Tao did upon waking up was to check his HP. His HP was full, and though there were still some bruises on his arm, they barely hurt anymore. His recovery ability had strengthened after the apocalypse. Then he went to check the doors and windows, worried aboutst nights frenzied zombies. With their agility, if they could climb walls Fortunately, everything at home was safe. Wang Tao then surveyed the zombies in the residential area. There really are more zombies! They must havee from outside, but they look so dull,pletely different fromst nights Whats going on? Wang Tao had thought thatst nights zombies had mutated, given how frightening the ones running wildly in the courtyard were. But now the zombies had reverted to their usual selves, wandering slowly around the yard. No good, Ill have to observe again tonight! I need to figure out whats the deal with these zombies, hopefully, the weather will be good tonight After mumbling to himself, Wang Tao looked toward the street that explodedst night. The fire was still burning, and when he opened the window, he could smell a disgusting stench of decay. Wang Tao quickly closed the window. He made a simple breakfast. After eating, Wang Tao pondered for a moment and decided to try his luck on the second and first floors today. He remembered there were tenants on these floors, and what if someone, like the tenant in 301, left the keys in the meter box? Of course, he had to get fully armed before going out. Although there were no zombies in the corridor, safety came first. When he arrived on the second floor, Wang Tao searched both meter boxes but found no keys. Interestingly, he noticed that the door of 201 had many small locksmith ads stuck on it, just like his, but the door of 202 was spotlessly clean. Suddenly, Wang Tao thought of some inte jokes. Could those ads be stuck on the inside of the door? Shaking his head with a chuckle, Wang Tao proceeded to the first floor. There were no keys in the meter boxes on the first floor either, which left Wang Tao slightly disappointed. Since there were no keys, Wang Tao decided not to knock on the doors. After all, without keys, there was no way to enter the apartments, whether there were people or zombies inside. Wang Tao treaded lightly and observed the security gate of the building entrance. The ss on the gate was somewhat shattered, but behind it was a wire mesh, so the door remained quite sturdy. Through the window, he could see a group of zombies wandering outside, at least twenty of them at a rough count. With so many zombies, it will be hard to get out It was already the seventh day of the apocalypse, and he had not seen any sign of rescue operations. Wang Tao had lost hope in that regard. With his limited supplies, he definitely needed to go out. And to get out, there were only two ways, either to go through the courtyard of theplex or to climb out from the window on the north side. But there were more zombies on the street to the north. So he had no choice but to go through the courtyard. Those twenty-plus zombies were something he had to confront. If only he could lead them to a certain ce and take them down one by one While he was pondering, Wang Tao nced at the other residential buildings. He was in Building 4, and from his position, he could only see Building 2 opposite and Building 1 diagonally across. The situation in Buildings 2 and 1 was not great. Wang Tao could clearly see that the gates to their units were opened. Zombies were going in anding out. He wondered if there were any survivors inside. Wang Tao felt somewhat relieved, guessing that the reason their gates remained closed was because this building housed manyborers. On the day of the zombie outbreak, which was in the morning, theborers would have all gone to work early. Yet, inside buildings 1 and 2, there were many retired old men and women. They would gather downstairs to chat and y chess. To facilitate easy ess, some had even propped their units security door open with bricks to prevent it from closing. If zombies appeared under such circumstances, it would be hard for them to survive. After roughly understanding the current situation, Wang Tao prepared to return. However, as he was about to ascend to the second floor, the door of room 202 suddenly opened a crack. Wang Tao immediately gripped the steel pipe tightly and cautiously peeked over. Big brother, Im not a zombie! A mans voice, deliberately lowered, came from inside. Through the crack, Wang Tao also saw a slim, balding middle-aged uncle inside, roughly over 1.6 meters tall. [25/100] Looking at his green HP bar above his head, his health condition did not seem very good. Big brother, did you kill the zombies in the corridor? Youre amazing, brother! Since Wang Tao was fully covered up, the bald uncle couldnt see his face clearly. But seeing Wang Taos steel pipe and sturdy figure, he instinctively called him big brother. Is there something you want? Wang Tao asked with some indifference. If he had the means, he wouldnt mind helping a survivor. But with rescue nowhere in sight yet, he couldnt afford to be overly charitable, especially to a stranger. Ahem well, Ive run out of food at home The bald uncle scratched his head awkwardly. Sorry, my food is also running low. If I had enough food, I wouldnt havee out. Wang Tao shook his head. No, no, no, youve got it all wrong, big brother! What I mean is, how about we work together? I know where theres food, but Im afraid to get it The anxious bald uncle hurriedly exined. Oh? Lets hear it. Wang Taos brows rose at this. He didnt seem like a fool, so what he meant probably wasnt the outsidethe outside had a lot of supplies, but one had to be alive to get them. Sure enough, the bald uncle quickly said: The 201, right across! Two days before doomsday, I saw him carrying a 50-pound bag of rice home, and he lives alone, there must be a lot left! A 50-pound bag of rice! If one were to eat normally thrice a day, a person couldst about one or two months. If one were to ration it or eat by the bare minimum survival standards, it might evenst for several months But the door of 201 is locked. Wang Tao looked towards the bald uncle. Living right across the hall, he couldnt be unaware that 201s door was locked. Since he brought up the idea, did he likely have the key to 201? I, I can pick locks! Im a Locksmith! The bald uncle immediately replied. No wonder there were no small ads for lock-picking services at his door, he was the Locksmith! Big brother, how about this? Ill unlock their door, and you deal with the zombies inside! Well split the found foodIll only take one third, the rest is all yours! After speaking, he looked at Wang Tao with a hopeful expression. After pondering for a moment, Wang Tao shook his head. Chapter 14 - 14 14 Learning Lockpicking Skills_1 14 Chapter 14 Learning Lockpicking Skills_1 Trantor: 549690339 Seeing Wang Tao shake his head, the bald uncles face suddenly became urgent. Brother, I know fighting zombies means risking your life, but were not zombieswe need to eat! We have no choice but to take risks How about this, I only want a quarter, and the rest is all yours, brother! The bald uncle clenched his teeth and lowered his demands further. 12.5 pounds from 50 pounds of riceone quarterwould be enough for him to eat sparingly for half a month, or even a whole month. And surely there must be other food inside unit 201; rounding up, he thought, at least two months worth of food! If he still hadnt received any help after two months, he figured he might go mad But concerns for the future could wait; the immediate priority was to secure food for the short term. Watching Wang Tao remain silent, the bald uncle grew more and more anxious. If he had the ability to kill zombies, he would have gone alone long ago Just when he thought Wang Tao really didnt want to take the risk, Wang Tao suddenly spoke. A quarter, fine. But I have one condition. Brother, just say it! I promise Ill agree! The bald uncle immediately became excited and hastily made his promise. Whether or not he could do it, it was best to agree first. Wang Tao looked at him earnestly and said: Teach me how to pick locks. Ah? The bald uncle was stunned for a moment, then his face showed some difficulty. Lock picking isnt something that can be taught casually; were registered for that. If There are no ifs. Just say whether youll teach or not. A quarter of the food in room 201 is enough to keep you alive for a long time. He hadnt finished speaking when Wang Tao interrupted, Think it over carefully. Im in room 501; find me there once youve decided. As soon as Wang Tao finished talking, he walked away, as if without a single regret. But he had barely taken two steps when the bald uncle hastily called out from behind. Brother, dont go! Ill teach! Ill teach! The bald uncle still harbored hope that society could return to normal, and he didnt want to do something that would ruin his future prospects. But hope was hope, reality was reality He had no other choice. Good, then open the door, Im going in. Wang Tao turned around, a faint smile on his face. Pleasee in! The bald uncle quickly opened the door. His home had the same three-roomyout as Ding Yuqins and was much bigger than Wang Taos. However, it seemed he had disassembled the furniture at home; the ce was messy, with tools, boards, and whatnot everywhere. I was sealing up the windows with stuff I found, so its a bit messy at homedont mind, brother, please take a seat! Wang Tao didnt mind and casually sat down. He then stuck the steel pipe into the sheath on his back and took off his gloves, face scarf, and sses, revealing a young face. Seeing how young Wang Tao was, the bald uncle suddenly felt a bit embarrassed; after all this time, he had been calling a youngster brother. Big Younger brother, wait a moment; Ill go get the tools! Wang Tao didnt care about these minor details in the naming. It wasnt long before the bald uncle came back with a bag containing various tools like torque wrenches and lock picks. Younger brother, shall we start with the simplest? Sure. There are many types of locks, and the simple ones are actually quite easy to crack. Its just that ordinary people donte across such things, so they seem very impressive. The bald uncle started by exining the basic principles to Wang Tao, then he demonstrated how to pick a lock, and finally let Wang Tao try it himself. It didnt take long before they heard a click, and Wang Tao sessfully picked a lock with the tools. Younger brother, youre awesome! After praising Wang Tao a couple of times, the bald uncle went on to teach him other methods of lock picking. When Wang Tao saw the bald uncle open a lock with just a piece of wire, he immediately dered, Coach, I want to learn this one! Wang Tao had headed out in the morning and kept learning until noon. He felt that if he had had this level of dedication at school, he wouldnt have ended up in this sorry state. Gurgle~ The bald uncle, somewhat embarrassed, covered his belly; he hadnt eaten for a day. Wang Tao, seeing the situation, directly took out several squashed pieces of bread from his pocket and handed them over to him. Thank you! Thank you! I really cant thank you enough! The bald uncle was immediately very excited as he took the bread; he actually didnt like eating bread, preferring steamed buns instead. But he felt that the bread at this moment tasted better than any steamed bun he had ever eaten. [+10] [35/100] The bald uncles HP bar also recovered a small portion. Wang Tao also ate two slices of bread to fill his stomach. He had eaten breakfast that morning and, without any strenuous exercise, his appetite was about the same as a normal persons, so he wasnt hungry now. After a simple meal, Wang Tao followed the bald uncle and learned for a while, then stood up and said: Lets stop here for today. Im going to take care of the trouble in room 201. Ah? Alright, alright! Brother, go for it, and make sure to be safe! Hearing that Wang Tao was finally going to take action, the bald uncle quickly stood up in excitement. Are you sure theres only one person inside 201? Wang Tao asked while putting on his gloves. Sure! He lives alone in there; I havent seen many people go to his ce Wang Tao paused in his movements. Havent seen many, so that means you have seen some? I have seen him bring young women home a few times before. The bald uncle scratched his head. Women? His girlfriend or wife? Cough, he brings different women each time. I see. So, youre not one hundred percent certain that theres only one person inside? Yes. But most likely its just him, because he doesnt bring women home very often, maybe once a month Wang Tao said no more. Assuming there were two zombies inside, that still wouldnt be unmanageable. After all, he had changed his weapons. If it really came down to it, he could just run. He believed that zombies definitely couldnt climb stairs faster than he could. After rearming himselfpletely, Wang Tao and the bald uncle arrived in front of room 201 together. You pick the lock, then go back home and wait. Wang Tao didnt let him get involved in dealing with the zombies. Given the bald uncles short and thin stature, he probably couldnt withstand a zombies attack. Letting him in would definitely slow things down; Wang Tao would be better off on his own. Wang Tao didnt want him to dieafter all, he hadnt fully mastered the lock-picking technique yet. Alright! The bald uncle fiddled gently with the exterior of the lock, then there was a click, and the door opened. Without a word, he turned and ran back home, closing his door behind him. Wang Tao gripped the steel pipe tightly, gently pushed the door open, and quickly scanned the area. There was no one in the living room, but there were many dark bloodstains. Theres more than one person in this ce! Wang Tao instantly felt nervous, yet somewhat excited. A single person turning into a zombie wouldnt leave so many bloodstains! Clearly, someone had been attacked by a zombie! All the doors inside the house were open, and after Wang Tao took two steps, he caught sight of a long-haired woman, kneeling on the floor of the master bedroom with her back to Wang Tao. The woman was slightly bowing her head, as if she was eating something. Seemingly hearing a noise, the woman slowly turned her head, revealing a pale face with white, bloodshot eyes, dark veins all over, and in her hands half of a human head! Chapter 15 - 15 15 First Battle of the New Weapons_1 15 Chapter 15 First Battle of the New Weapons_1 Trantor: 549690339 Seeing this scene, Wang Taos heart went cold. If he hadnt guessed wrong, the male owner of the house had been eaten by this female zombie! Grrr Upon seeing a living person, the female zombie immediately dropped the skull she held and, with a growl, staggered toward Wang Tao. Wang Tao gripped the steel pipe tightly with both hands, his gaze fixed on the female zombie. [510/510] This female zombie didnt have 500 HP, but 10 more! It was unclear whether she was naturally this strong or had gained it from eating that man Swish! After the female zombie approached Wang Tao, she swung a w at him. Wang Tao dodged nimbly to the side and then swung the steel pipe with all his might at the zombies head. Thud! There was a crisp sound as a streak of ck blood spurted from the zombies head. [-102] [408/510] Seeing these damage numbers, Wang Tao became somewhat excited. Indeed, it was different when you changed your weapon! When he had used the homemade short spear before, attacks on the zombies head had almost never prated its defense, and the weapon would be useless after just a few uses. But now, with one swing of the steel pipe, he took away one-fifth of the zombies HP! The steel pipe remained intact, and the zombie staggered from the blow, dizzy. Although this was also rted to his slowly increasing strength, the weapon was the most critical factor. The sess of this strike bolstered Wang Taos confidence. Taking advantage of the zombies apparent dizziness, he struck again at the zombies head with the steel pipe. Thud! Ssh [-135] [273/510] That blow burst one of its eyeballs. Roar! As if enraged, the zombie let out a furious roar and then suddenly pounced forward, its stinking mouth aiming to bite at Wang Taos neck. Wang Taos quick reflexes allowed him to hoist the steel pipe up, thrusting it horizontally into the mouth of the female zombie. Grr~ Looking at the disgusting face so close by, Wang Tao forcefully pushed down with the steel pipe in his hands. Crack~ A sound of bone breaking was heard, and the zombies jaw was abruptly dislocated by the steel pipe, leaving behind a pool of ck blood. [-59] The zombie looked up; the remaining white, lifeless fish eye fixed stubbornly on Wang Tao as its arms reached out in an embrace, an attempt to wrap around Wang Tao. Wang Tao ducked, avoiding the enthusiastic hug of the female zombie, and then smashed the steel pipe onto its legs. Bang! [-3] The female zombie had a petite frame and an unstable lower body. Putting all his strength into the strike, Wang Tao knocked her to the ground. Seizing the moment she fell, Wang Tao quickly stood up. The steel pipe rotated 180 degrees in his palm, instantly changing grips. Then, with the pipe held in both hands, he raised it high and stabbed fiercely downward at the forehead of the female zombie. Ssh! [-211] [0/510] The female zombie twitched a couple of times and theny still. Though a long story, the actual fight was brief, less than a minute. Phew~ Wang Tao took a deep breath. Although the fight had been short, he had given his all with every strike, so it was still somewhat draining. In fact, Wang Tao had wanted to test if a few good strikes with the pipe could kill it, especially since one strike had cost the zombie over one-fifth of its HP. But the battle was ever-changing, and Wang Tao was a bit too slow to seize the opportunity perfectly. Plus, his strength wasnt sufficient to cause dizziness in the zombie again. So, his n was temporarily thwarted. However, the oue was good, as he managed to kill it quite easily in the end. Wang Tao had already killed a few zombies, and he felt this one was the second easiest, with the easiest naturally being the zombie that was missing half of its body. But this did not mean that the female zombie was weak, Wang Tao felt that its strength was probably about the same as the one he encountered in the corridor earlier. Indeed, when Wang Tao looked at his HP bar, he discovered it had increased by 10 HPthe same amount as when he killed the zombie in the hallway! [130/130] It was 120 before, now its 130! Without pausing to feel excited, Wang Tao quickly absorbed the semi-transparent package that floated out of the zombies body. [Obtained: Steel Wire x1] [Steel Wire: Crafting Material] Another crafting material, it was still unclear what could be made with all these materials. After collecting it, Wang Tao began to search the body. After a thorough search, he found a gold ne, a gold bracelet, and quite a few condoms. Wang Tao immediately threw away the condoms; after all, he dared not use anything that came from a zombie. Then Wang Tao looked at the male corpse in the room, who had been eaten by the female zombie until only half a head remained, with only some bones left on the ground, stained with traces of blood. Wang Tao felt a bit queasy looking at it, and even saw a [-1] figure appear over his own head. Mental attack, huh! Wang Tao quickly searched the bedroom and then left it. The man only had a wallet and a mobile phone. The female zombie had a womens shoulder bag that contained some change, a mobile phone, various strange drugs, and cosmetics or something. Wang Tao didnt care whether they were useful or not, he took them all. If he could survive, he was sure to meet other survivors or make it to a Survivor Base eventually. Wherever there are more people, there will inevitably be trade. These things he scavenged may not be useful to him, but they might be just what someone else needs. They could be used for trading. As for the paper money, it might still be of value, or it might not. But it was no bother to carry it. If it really became worthless, it could be used as fuel to keep warm. After a quick search, Wang Tao went out and knocked on the door of 202. Its safe now,e out. The bald man inside the room had been peering through the peephole the whole time. He was incredulous to see that Wang Tao had entered and, after a short time, emerged with no issue. He hadnt expected Wang Tao to resolve the situation so quickly! But he did not rush to open the door. Instead, he waited for Wang Tao toe knock and, upon hearing that Wang Taos voice was normal and he did not sound injured, he then opened the door. Young man, you are really impressive! Are you hurt? The bald man gave a bit of ttery. Wang Tao knew what he was thinking; he was just afraid Wang Tao might have been infected. Dont worry, it was just one zombie. I havent touched the food inside, do you want to go in together? Wang Tao was a man of his word, having promised to trade a quarter of the food for the bald mans lockpicking skill, he wouldnt go back on that he didnt even check to see exactly how much food there was. Yes, yes, yes! The bald man happily followed Wang Tao into 201. As for the womens shoulder bag that Wang Tao was carrying, the bald man naturally noticed it, but he didnt mind. Wang Tao had killed the zombie and thus had the right to pick spoils of war, and besides, those things were of no use to himhe only wanted food. But something seemed off. Why was there a womens shoulder bag in room 201? Ugh When he saw the blood all over the room, the female zombie, and half the head of his neighbor, the bald mans pupils shrunk suddenly, and he felt a surge of nausea. However, remembering that the bread he had just eaten might not have been digested yet, he forcibly held back and did not actually vomit. But a number appeared above his head. [-10] [25/100] Wang Tao was somewhat speechless; it seemed that this scene had a major impact on him. To prevent the bald man from having a mental breakdown, Wang Tao suggested that he look at the food to distract himself. However, upon seeing the rice in the kitchen, the bald man let out a wail No~ Chapter 16 - 16 16 Outdoor Power Supply_1 16 Chapter 16 Outdoor Power Supply_1 Trantor: 549690339 When Wang Tao entered Room 201, the sight of chaos and bloodstains everywhere must have given him some expectations. But the sight of rice spilled into pools of blood in the kitchen still pained him greatly. What a waste! Most of the rice was inedible, and judging by the traces on the ground, Wang Tao suspected a female zombie had pursued the male homeowner, who likely tried to grab a kitchen knife, throwing everything at the zombie in his path. The bag of rice in the corner was probably knocked over by the man. Unfortunately, it seemed the fight hadnt dyed the zombie for long No, my rice! The bald man wailed, clutching his head. He was genuinely cryingafter all, it was 50 pounds of rice! Pick through it, see if any is still edible. Wang Tao patted his shoulder. Hmm Trying to suppress his grief, the bald man began to sort carefully. The kitchen was covered in bloodimpossible to tell if it was human or zombie. The woven bag that held the rice had toppled to the floor, the grains mixing with the blood. However, there seemed to be some rice at the bottom of the bag that might still be edible. Swallowing hard as he looked at the rice in the blood, he ultimately didnt dare to take it. If it were only human blood, he might consider it if he were nearly starving to death But the problem was the zombie blood. If he dared to eat it, hed likely turn into a zombie within minutes! Reluctantly, he had to give up. Wang Tao searched through the rest. Most of the food in the kitchen was contaminated, but the refrigerator door was unopened. Inside, there were some wilted vegetables, some eggs, and, to their surprise, several pounds of frozen beef in the freezer. Seeing this, the bald mans mood finally improved a lot, making the trip worthwhile. After considerable effort, they managed to sort out the edible rice. Wang Tao and the bald man collected these items and then returned to the bald mans apartment. Only 6 pounds of rice left 2 pounds of vegetables, 5 pounds of meat, 22 eggsthats about 2 pounds In total, 15 pounds of foodnot as much as expected but still decent. After crunching the numbers with pen and paper, the bald man looked at Wang Tao expectantly and said: ording to our deal, I take one-quarter which is 1.5 pounds of rice, half a pound of vegetables, 1.25 pounds of meat, and 5no, 5 eggs Wang Tao was much stronger than he had anticipated; he expected a tough struggle between Wang Tao and the zombie, but Wang Tao resolved it in a minute If Wang Tao didnt keep his promise, he would have no way to resist. Fortunately, Wang Tao was a man of his word. Okay, take yours first. Give me the rest. Alright! Thank you, brother, thank you so much! The bald man quickly took his quarter share and then helped to pack up the rest of the food. Having taken the goods, Wang Tao stood up to leave. Ill be going back now; Ille over again tomorrow. He hadnt mastered all the lock-picking skills yet, and that was a craft Wang Tao was determined to learn. Eh, sure! Ill give you these tools so you can practice on your own The bald man readily agreed and then proceeded to hand over some tools to Wang Tao. Thanks! Wang Tao looked at him appreciatively, nodded in preparation to leave, but suddenly turned back and asked: By the way, do you know the situation with the two apartments downstairs? Downstairs Im not too sure, when the virus broke out, I was too scared and didnt pay much attention to the neighbors The bald man was somewhat embarrassed, but quickly added, However, I do know that theres an elderly couple in 101 downstairs, and a family of three in 102, their naughty kid always causing trouble Wang Tao had some recollection when it came to the naughty kid. During the previous winter break, he was hit by a little stone thrown by that kid, and when he turned around, his scary scarred face immediately made the kid cry. Wang Tao even got scolded by the kids mom, and if the other people in the courtyard hadnt stepped in to defend him, the kids mom would have even tried to extort money from him! After that, when the kid went to school, Wang Taos routine didnt align with that of normal people, so they never ran into each other again So, it looks like there might be five zombies downstairs Alright, Ill head back first. Okay! After leaving 202, Wang Tao didnt rush back home. Instead, he went to the first floor and lightly knocked on the doors of 101 and 102. Soon, there came some scratching noises from inside. Great, there are zombies inside. Wang Tao went back to the bald man to tell him that there were zombies in both houses downstairs and warned him not to unlock the doors rashly. If the bald man, tasting sess this time, tried to unlock those doors, that would spell trouble. Thanks, buddy. You can rest assured, I dare not go in there Remembering the scene he encountered in 201, he was still shaken. As long as you understand. After Wang Tao got home, he organized the supplies he had gathered that day and analyzed the situation in the building. Based on the current situation, there seemed to be only four surviving families: 501, which was his own; 502, where the sister-inw lived; the stranger in 401, and the bald man in 202. There were also the rooms he had looted, which were 602, 301, and 201. Then there were rooms where he had knocked and heard noises, confirming the presence of zombies these were 601, 101, and 102. Last were the rooms he guessed were empty: 402 and 302 Of course, his guesses might not be urate. Maybe the zombies hadnt heard him, or perhaps there were other threats, it was hard to say. But he felt there was a high probability they were empty. One visit will tell if someones there or not! Wang Tao clenched his fists, ready to venture out again. Killing that zombie today had been rtively easy, and he hadnt wasted too much physical strength. Even if there were zombies in those rooms, he felt confident he could handle them! After eating something light and drinking some water, Wang Tao grabbed his lock picking tools and the steel pipe and set out again. It was now past three in the afternoon, still early before dark, so time was on his side. First, he went to 402. Using the skills the bald man taught him that morning, he managed to open the door after a bit of effort with a click. He cautiously entered and looked around. After a thorough check, Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, there was no one in this apartment! But soon, Wang Tao felt uneasy. Not only was the ce void of people, but there were also no signs of life. Furniture was covered with stic sheets, all of which wereyered with thick dust. Judging from the looks, at the very least, no one had lived here for a month or two. Nevertheless, since he was already there, he certainly intended to look around. He couldnt leave empty-handed. And sure enough, just after stepping into the spare bedroom, Wang Tao found some valuable things. Is this a portable power supply! And a generator! Among some misceneous items in the spare bedroom, Wang Tao spotted a portable power supply and a diesel generator next to it. These people were likely off on a trip? Well then, I wont be polite! Chapter 17 - 17 17 Sister-in-law Works for You_1 17 Chapter 17 Sister-inw Works for You_1 Trantor: 549690339 This outdoor power supply probably weighs about thirty kilograms and is about the size of a smallputer case, with abel indicating it can store 5-degree electricity. Despite the evident signs of wear on the power source, Wang Tao didnt mind, as long as it worked. He fumbled for a moment before flipping the power switch on, and the small screen disyed that it was more than half-charged. Not bad, not bad! Ill go back and charge it to full! Aside from the power supply, the most conspicuous item was the diesel generator. This thing was muchrger and heavier than the outdoor power source. Wang Tao gave it a try and estimated it weighed seventy to eighty kilograms. This is also a good item, but not very convenient to use The diesel generator had abel stating it could hold 15L of diesel. Could 1L of diesel produce about 3 or 4-degree electricity? Wang Tao wasnt very knowledgeable in this area, but he had used generators while working with a film crew, so he knew how to operate one. But first, the diesel engine was very smelly when working; if ced indoors, the fumes would probably kill him. Second, it made a lot of noise when generating electricity! Wang Tao wasnt sure if starting it in the house would attract the zombies. Although in theory, the noise made upstairs should be much less than downstairs, and zombies wouldnt climb walls. It should be safe. But he feared trying it out could be the end of him. In a post-apocalyptic world, who knew what could happen Last, and most importantlyit needed diesel to operate, and there was no diesel in the room! Its good stuff, but theres no opportunity to use it for now After setting aside the outdoor power supply and the generator, Wang Tao continued his search. Horned hammer, wrench, small handsaw, and a map Seeing these items, Wang Tao suddenly had an ideawould stuffing the horned hammer into a steel pipe increase its power? He could try itter; he had three steel pipes, after all. After tidying these things up a bit, Wang Tao took some misceneous items and the outdoor power supply, leaving the generator there. He couldnt use it at the moment, and it was too heavy and cumbersome to move around. After bringing the items from apartment 402 back to his ce, Wang Tao went to 302. After some tinkering, he managed to unlock the door. Just as Wang Tao had anticipated, there was no one and no zombies inside 302. The interior of the apartment was decorated very simply, with not much stuff aroundit looked like a rental. After searching for a while, Wang Tao found about ten-plus pounds of food. Very good indeed! However, there werent any other useful items; it was evident that the tenant lived a frugal life. After moving all the items to his ce, Wang Tao drank a big gulp of water and rested for a moment. Now only apartments 601, 101, and 102 are left unscavenged. If I can clear out the zombies in these three apartments, then this building will be basically safe! Wang Tao was a bit excited. Ill stop here for today, and Ill clean out the remaining apartments tomorrow! The sky outside was already darkening, and even inside the building, Wang Tao wasnt keen on moving about at night. He had just returned to his apartment and hadnt started to take off his gear when a light knocking sound came from the door. Looking through the peephole, Wang Tao saw Ding Yuqin. He opened a crack in the door, his voice slightly muffled beneath his mask. Sister-inw, is there something you need? Well, Wang Tao, sister-inw needs to borrow a bit more food Ding Yuqins face was lightly made up, but it couldnt hide her haggard appearance, especially therge dark circles under her eyes. She probably hadnt slept well the previous night. Wang Tao found it strange as he looked at her HP bar above her head. Didnt she have a full meal yesterday? If he remembered correctly, her HP increased to 40 yesterday, so why did it look like only 20 HP remained today? It shouldnt be from hunger; one couldnt lose that much HP from half a days starvation Sister-inw,e in and we can talk. Wang Tao opened the door and let Ding Yuqin in. Looking at the suddenly umting pile of items in the room, especially the abundance of food, Ding Yuqin subconsciously licked her lips. Take a seat first, sister-inw. Im going to change my clothes. Okay. Ding Yuqin responded and began to actively organize the supplies on the floor. Wang Tao quickly took a shower and changed into his casual clothes beforeing out. He looked at Ding Yuqin squatting on the floor and suddenly asked: Sister-inw, you seem to be in bad shape. What happened? Hearing Wang Taos words, Ding Yuqin almost cried. The explosionst night was so terrifying. I, I didnt get any sleep at all. During the day, I was so tired that I finally took a nap, but I ended up sleeping until evening That exined why Ding Yuqin looked so out of sortsit was the gas explosion fromst night that had frightened her. Wang Tao himself had been startled and hadnt slept well, but at least he hadnt lost any HP. Ding Yuqins psychological resilience was much weaker, which he could understand. Sister-inw knows that getting food is not easy for you; its a matter of life and death. But I have no choice How about this, if there is any work you need sister-inw to do, just think of it as me working for you, okay? Ding Yuqins face showed an awkward yet pleasing smile. It had been seven days since the apocalypse, and she no longer talked about having her husband repay Wang Tao. Although she didnt want to believe it, she knew there was a good chance her husband was gone, and with the governments rescue nowhere in sight, she had to fend for herself. Of course, she wasnt capable of going out to search for food on her own. Her only hope was to rely on Wang Tao. After all, her husband and Wang Tao were folks from the same hometown. They were also neighbors, which made him much better than a stranger. After having a full meal at Wang Taos ce, she never wanted to experience that hunger again. Seeing that Wang Tao didnt respond, Ding Yuqin hurriedly added: I can clean, wash clothes, cook I do these chores at home, and Im quite skilled at them. I wont cause you any trouble. To be honest, Wang Tao was somewhat tempted. Not for any other reason but because the sister-inw was attractive. Having such a good-looking woman, both in figure and facial features, working as a maid in his house would probably make his meals much more enjoyable. So, after thinking it over, Wang Tao said: Alright, then its settled. As long as you work in my home, Ill make sure you have at least one meal a day. Dont think its too little, sister-inw. You know how much I eat, and I still need to go out and kill zombies. I barely have enough food for myself If someone helped him withundry and cooking, it would indeed save him a lot of time. Just washing his jacket and cooking took one to two hours every day. Thank you, thank you so much, Wang Tao! Seeing Wang Tao agree, Ding Yuqin immediately burst into tears of joy. She would agree even if it were one meal every two days, let alone one meal a day. Then go ahead and start cooking, sister-inw. Use the perishables first, and make arger portion. Okay! Watching Ding Yuqin head to the kitchen, Wang Tao went to the second bedroom, which was his workspace. He nned tobine the horned hammer and steel pipe he had obtained that day and then try them out on a zombie at Unit 601 tomorrow! Chapter 18 - 18 18 Dont Go Out After Dark_1 18 Chapter 18 Dont Go Out After Dark_1 Trantor: 549690339 ` Phew~ After some effort, Wang Tao slightly sawed the short wooden handle of the horned hammer, then tightly stuffed it into the steel pipe. To be on the safe side, he also applied some glue inside. After tested for a while, there was no looseness at all. Its quite heavier, but its just right for me, and the power is much greater! The difference between hammering with this hammer and with a steel pipe is significant, especially the horn of the horned hammer its power must be tremendous. Wang Tao, dinner is ready Outside the door, came the knocking of Ding Yuqin. Okay. When Wang Tao arrived at the dining table, Ding Yuqin had just served him a big bowl of rice and handed over the freshly washed bowl and chopsticks. Wang Tao took them and said with a smile: Lets eat together. Eh! Ding Yuqin had been waiting for those words. With Wang Taos permission, she immediately went into the kitchen to get a bowl and chopsticks for herself. Although she felt it was highly probable that Wang Tao would invite her to dine with him, since he hadnt said anything yet, she hadnt taken her own bowl and chopsticks to prevent him from feeling repulsed. The dinner was a simple fry-up of three dishes and a soup simple in style, but plentiful in portion. After all, whether Wang Tao was going out to kill zombies or training his body, he had to ensure he got sufficient nutrition. Ding Yuqin waited until Wang Tao started eating before she moved her chopsticks. Wang Tao tasted each of the dishes and had to admit that Ding Yuqins cooking skills were really good; it felt no less than a regr restaurant chef, far better than his own clumsy attempts. Ding Yuqin ate quietly while discreetly observing Wang Tao. Though confident in her culinary skills, she knew that everyone had different tastes. The dishes she cooked for Wang Tao yesterday were different from todays, and she couldnt guarantee he would definitely like them. Once she saw that Wang Tao seemed satisfied, she felt relieved. Since Ding Yuqin had indulged in a big meal yesterday, her hunger wasnt as intense as before, allowing her to eat more gracefully, exuding an air of refinement. When she noticed Wang Taos bowl was nearly empty, she immediately put down her chopsticks and got up. Wang Tao, let me get you some more rice! Wang Tao didnt refuse. That would be great, sis-inw. Ding Yuqin was wearing a gray professional dress today. The clothing was form-fitting, highlighting her curves beautifully, especially her legs in thin ck silk stockings not the digitally-edited kind often seen online, but full and round, smooth lines, remarkably healthy and slender legs. This made Wang Taos gaze somewhat disobedient. Pleasant things were meant to be appreciated, and Wang Tao did not try to hide it. When Ding Yuqin came back with the rice, she felt Wang Taos gaze. She paused slightly, then pretended as if she noticed nothing and handed over arge bowl of rice to Wang Tao. Wang Tao, here you go. Thank you, sis-inw. After eating for a while, Wang Tao suddenly asked: By the way, sis-inw, what did you do for a living before this? He knew that Brother Zhao was a director, but he wasnt quite clear about Brother Zhaos wifes upation. Ah? Oh, your Brother Zhao invested, and I opened a restaurant back in my hometown. Upon hearing Wang Taos question, Ding Yuqin quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and then answered. No wonder sis-inws cooking is so good. Wang Tao realized. Yeah, I thought that since I was running my own restaurant, I definitely should know the quality of the food we serve. So, I decided to learn cooking and spend over a hundred thousand on it! And then, just when the restaurant hadnt been open long, the apocalypse came Ding Yuqin said with a bitter face. ` After dinner, Ding Yuqin cleaned up the dining room and the kitchen, and then mopped Wang Taos house. Huff~ She hadnt done so much work in a long time and was feeling somewhat sore in her waist and back. So she sat on the sofa, took off her high heels, and rubbed her sore ankles. She decided she would not wear high heels tomorrow; they were too tiring. Wang Tao, what time should Ie over tomorrow morning? Wang Tao, who was studying the map, raised his head, and when he saw Ding Yuqin rubbing her ankles wrapped in ck stockings, he suddenly felt the urge to help. After waiting for a while, Wang Tao finally spoke. Six oclock, he said. Oh, then Ille over at six. Im going back now, Ding Yuqin, feeling somewhat uneasy under Wang Taos gaze, quickly put on her shoes and went home. Watching Ding Yuqin leave, Wang Tao began his daily exercises. Since waking up from a three-daya, his physical condition had not only be much stronger than before, but he could also slightly feel the improvement with every exercise session. The reason most peopleck perseverance in some matters is that they can neither see nor feel any hope of sess. Now, after exercising, Wang Tao could clearly feel some slight changes in his body. Although not much, the improvement was indeed there. Furthermore, Wang Tao was quite self-disciplined, so as long as there were no idents, exercising was something he did every day. Although killing zombies might lead to faster improvement, as killing zombies directly increases the HP bar, with the increase in the HP bar also bringing about a slight improvement in physical conditioning. However, killing zombies was too dangerous, with the possibility of an ident urring. Besides, Wang Tao was not an engine that could keep killing zombies all the time; there had to be time for rest and meals. Thus, both killing zombies and exercising were non-negotiable. Both were essential, and both had to be strong. After working out, Wang Tao took a quick shower, then turned off all the lights in the house. He went to the window and parted the thick curtains. Light could attract zombies. Although Wang Tao lived on the fifth floor, when it came to safety, he never let his guard down. The weather tonight was nice; even though the moon was not visible, the sky was filled with stars. Under the starlight, Wang Tao could roughly see the situation in the yard, where he could see the zombies wandering. Huh~ Wang Tao was not sure if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the zombies seemed to have more energy at night than during the day? After thinking for a moment, Wang Tao took a small metal fragment, took a deep breath, and threw it with all his might down to the opposite building below, where there were three zombies. ng~ Hehe Roar Instantly, the three zombies near the metal fragment went into a frenzy, emitting a series of chilling roars, and began to wildly run around near where the fragmentnded. With their agility, who would have thought they were the same zombies from during the day? If someone had said they were athletes, Wang Tao would have believed it. Other zombies in the yard began to move towards those three frenzied ones. Although their speed was not as fast as the frenzied zombies, it was still much quicker than the sluggish pace during the day. The agile zombies I sawst night were not some mutant variant; it must have been them! Perhaps zombies are different during the day and at night! They are slow and stiff during the day, but at night, they be faster, more likely to frenzy, and more agile! No wonder its said they prefer dark ces! Just not sure if there are other differences In any case, zombies are more terrifying at night! Dont go out after dark! Chapter 19 - 19 19 Power Outage_1 19 Chapter 19 Power Outage_1 Trantor: 549690339 Thud, thud, thud The next morning, while Wang Tao was still sleeping, gentle knocking sounds came from outside. He woke up instantly, quickly grabbed a steel pipe, and went to the door to peep through the peephole, only to find Ding Yuqin there. Ding Yuqins face looked somewhat panicked, but she didnt seem to be injured. Wang Tao opened the door. Whats wrong, sister-inw? Wang Tao, the powers gone out! It just went out! Ding Yuqins voice carried a hint of sobbing. The powers out? Dont panic,e in and well talk. After letting her in, Wang Tao casually pressed the living room light switch by the door, but there was no reaction. He went outside to check the electricity meter, which hadnt tripped. As expected, what was bound toe hade! When Wang Tao had found that allwork signals had disappeared, he had already anticipated the ckout. However, when the day actually arrived, he still felt somewhat saddened. He wasnt saddened by the ckout itself but by what it signified behind the scenesthe Government had probably lostplete control, and rescue might nevere! Truthfully, even though Wang Tao felt he had the ability to survive the apocalypse, he definitely still hoped to be rescued. After all, humans are sociable animals. asional solitude might be a form of enjoyment, but a lifetime of it would probably drive one mad sooner orter. Moreover, an orderly society is certainly better than a chaotic one. Aside from a few individuals, most people prefer to live in a peaceful society. Ding Yuqin obviously understood these things, which was why she was so frantic. But talking about this now was of no use. Making the most of the present was what mattered most. Wang Taoforted Ding Yuqin by saying: Were actually in a rtively good situation here. When the virus first broke out, many ces lost power immediately. Perhaps its because our area uses hydroelectric power that we were able tost seven days. Weve actually made a profit! This constion seemed to be of little use to Ding Yuqin. For her, waiting for Government rescue was the belief that kept her going. Without it, how could a frail woman like her continue to survive in the apocalypse Ding Yuqins expression was one of fear and confusion. Suddenly, Wang Tao said: Sister-inw, go to my room and check if my power banks have any charge. He had previously scoured other apartments, and the power banks he found had already been fully charged. Asking Ding Yuqin to check them was a way to divert her attention. Ah? Alright, sure! Ding Yuqin subconsciously agreed. However, as she entered the room, she suddenly turned to look at Wang Tao, with a glimmer of hope reappearing in her eyes. She wasnt alone now, and there was a chance she could surviveif Wang Tao was willing to help her Wang Tao went to the corner of the living room, where the outdoor power supply he had scavenged before was charging. He checked and saw that it was fully charged. Those small power banks were not very useful to Wang Tao for the time being. But this big power bank was quite usefulit could power the fridge and ensure the food inside wouldnt spoil. His small fridge didnt consume much power, maybe about half a kilowatt-hour a day. The outdoor power supply had five kilowatt-hours, which shouldst about a week and temporarily serve as an emergency solution. But what to do afterwards Although he had a diesel generator downstairs, he had no diesel fuel. Ill have to go out and look for supplies! Wang Tao frowned. The nearest gas station seemed to be two or three kilometers away. If he drove, he could probably get there in a few minutes. But a car made noise and would definitely attract zombies. And whether the roads were passable was another issue. He didnt know about other ces, but just the streets outside were cluttered with stationary cars, zombies, and even copsed buildings. It was impossible to drive a car in such conditions. If he walked, it would be quite far. With so many zombies along the way, it would be easy to go and never return As for electric motorcycles or bicycles, they might be an option. They were rtively quiet, demanded less of the road surface than cars, and still offered a decent speed. But this was akin to using flesh to shield against iron; if they were ever surrounded by zombies, death was the only oue. Moreover, he didnt have an electric bicycle. When the apocalypse erupted on a workday, all the working people weremuting on their electric bicycles, and it was uncertain if there were any left downstairs Wait a minute! Wang Tao suddenly remembered, before the end of the world, he saw Boss Li from the small restaurant downstairs filling up his vehicle with diesel, and his vehicle was a diesel pickup truck! Maybe, I dont have to run that far! Wang Tao felt somewhat exhrated. He decided that after clearing out all the zombies in this building, he would check out the small restaurant. If there was diesel, that would be best. If not, he could still stock up on supplies, so the trip wouldnt be wasted Wang Tao, all the power banks are fully charged! Ding Yuqin came out holding a pile of power banks. Mhm. Wang Tao nodded, then suddenly as if he thought of something, he quickly went to the bathroom and turned on the tap. Whooshthe water was still running, but who knew when it would stop. I estimate the water will stop soon. Come with me to fill up containers with water from the other rooms! He had already started storing water in his own home, but the other few rooms he had scavenged didnt have any. Water is the source of life, and while they could get by without electricity, without water, they wouldnt survive. Ah? Okay! Ding Yuqin nodded nervously. Since the apocalypse, the furthest she had walked was to Wang Taos room. Although the zombies in the corridor had been dealt with by Wang Tao, she was still somewhat scared. Wang Tao took out several packets of instant noodles and tossed one to Ding Yuqin. Theres no time for breakfast, just make do with this. It doesnt count as your pay for today. He needed to get his sister-inw to workter, so it was best to replenish her energy first. Thank you, thank you! Ding Yuqin hurriedly expressed her gratitude. After hastily eating a few bites with the boiled water, Wang Tao started to put on his gear. Although the building was temporarily safe, there were still a few rooms with zombies not yet cleared out, so he couldnt be careless. Since the books on his body, arms, and calves all needed to be strapped on with tape, the process was slow. Seeing this, Ding Yuqin quickly came over to help. During the process, Ding Yuqin unavoidably touched Wang Taos muscles, causing her to gasp in surprise. So big, so hard Could such muscles really be developed by a human? Ding Yuqin had not liked muscr men before, especially since Wang Tao had a terrifying scar on his face, making him look like a viin from the TV shows, which was frightening. But now, seeing Wang Taos tall and imposing figure standing beside her, feeling the slight warmth emanating from his body, she suddenly had an indescribable sense of security! This sense of security, she had never felt it from any other man, including her husband Whats wrong? Wang Tao, noticing Ding Yuqin staring at him, asked curiously. Ah, its nothing! Ding Yuqins face warmed up, and she quickly looked away. Then lets go to room 602 upstairs first. Then to 301 and 201 Okay! Chapter 20 - 20 20 Impotent Rage_1 20 Chapter 20 Impotent Rage_1 Trantor: 549690339 The two of them came to room 602 and searched everywhere, taking all the usable containers to gather water. There wasnt time to wait for the water to fill up, so Wang Tao took Ding Yuqin back downstairs to other rooms. He also took the opportunity to remind the bald uncle. The bald uncle was also a smart man, already collecting water, but he still expressed his gratitude for Wang Taos reminder. After being busy all morning, they finally managed to fill up all the containers in these empty apartments with water. Wang Tao was ready to take Ding Yuqin back to cook. Ah! Suddenly, I remember I havent stored water in my house Ding Yuqin suddenly pped her forehead, looking somewhat embarrassed. Then lets go to your ce first; we can cookter. Actually, Wang Tao had forgotten as well. Thank you! Coming out of 201, when they got to the fourth floor, Wang Tao suddenly heard some noise from room 401. Wang Tao didnt speak, while Ding Yuqin instinctively hid behind him, nervously clutching the corner of his clothes. She didnt know there were survivors inside; she thought they were zombies. Wang Tao made a hushing gesture and then went to the front of room 401 to listen closely. He faintly heard a mans voice inside cursing under his breath,ining about the power outage that caused him to be unable to y his games, but as he cursed, he began to cry. Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. Is electricity really the focus right now? It should be how to survive from now on! Ding Yuqin obviously heard the voice inside too but, unlike Wang Taos bafflement, she could somewhat understand why the person would be addicted to gaming. It wasnt because the games were so much fun, but because he had already given up hope. He didnt want to face this world of despair; he was escaping reality. If I didnt have Wang Tao, maybe Id be the same Ding Yuqin felt a bit relieved in her heart. Lets go. Wang Tao shook his head. After all, it was someone elses affair, and he didnt want to meddle too much. Reaching the fifth floor, Ding Yuqin invited Wang Tao into her apartment. Its a bit messy inside Ding Yuqin was slightly embarrassed. This was Wang Taos first visit to her ce. Ding Yuqins apartment had the sameyout as the one upstairs, 602, with three bedrooms and two living rooms. However, her home was decorated more cozily and felt more lived-in. The mess she referred to was the pile of filmmaking props in the living room. These are all from Brother Zhaos work; he doesnt let me tidy them up Dont mind the mess in the house. Its not much different from my ce. Wang Tao smiled and shook his head; if it werent for Ding Yuqins help, his ce would be even messier. Lets get water first. Okay. After being busy for a while and preparing all the usable containers, with all the taps open, Ding Yuqin said to Wang Tao: Wang Tao, Ill watch over it. It will take a while to fill up the bathtub with water. You can sit for a bit Alright. Wang Tao nodded in agreement, but didnt sit down; instead, he walked around her apartment. Her living room was spacious with excellent natural lighting. A huge picture frame hung on the wall above the sofa. In the photo, a woman in a white bridal gown intimately held the arm of the man beside her, her face beaming with joy. The man in formal attire gazed at the woman with deep affection, his eyes tender as water Under the bright sunshine, they seemed to be glowing. The people on top were indeed Ding Yuqin and her husband Zhao Yuan. Next to the sofa, there was a floor-standing coat rack with a pure white strapless wedding dress hanging on it. This was the same style as the one Ding Yuqin wore in her wedding photos, or perhaps it was the very same dress. It was normal for wealthy people to purchase their favorite wedding dresses. Wang Tao nced at the photo and then at the wedding dress. It was said that those with smaller busts couldnt pull off this type of wedding dress, and he always felt that some parts of Ding Yuqin in the picture had traces of photoshopping. Unfortunately, he had no way to prove it. Wang Tao, Ill get you a ss of water! Ding Yuqin came out of the bathroom; she felt it was inappropriate to invite Wang Tao into her home without offering even a ss of water. Although it was the apocalypse, it was still early days, and she retained the courtesy she had before. By the time Ding Yuqin came over with a ss of water, Wang Tao suddenly asked: Brother Zhao had contacted you earlier, hadnt he? How is he doing now? He Im afraid his chances are slim. Talking about her husband, Ding Yuqins face instantly showed a hint of sorrow. He went to the film city for work early that day. After the virus outbreak, he kept sending me messages, asking me to hold on for rescue. But the day before thework went down, he stopped messaging. No matter how I messaged him, he wouldnt reply sob sob As she spoke of her sorrow, Ding Yuqin covered her face and cried. Brother Zhao is blessed by the heavens, and perhaps he is safe now. Maybe hes not replying because his phones battery has died. Sister-inw, dont worry too much Wang Tao consoled her. Sigh, its impossible. He told me at that time that he had borrowed a power bank, look, if you dont believe me Ding Yuqin, while dabbing her tears, picked up her phone from the table. Though the inte was down now, the chat software still revealed the local chat history. However, after flipping to the chat history, she suddenly blushed and put her phone away. Ahem, the records were deleted um, Ill go check if the water is filled. Ding Yuqin wiped her tears and quickly left with her pink and white sneakers. She was obviously lying, but Wang Tao thought it might be because she had some private messages with Zhao Yuan that she didnt want outsiders to see, so he didnt mind. But in reality, in the chat history between Ding Yuqin and Zhao Yuan, Zhao Yuan had said some things about Wang Tao that werent very nice, and Ding Yuqin dared not show them to Wang Tao. Otherwise, if Wang Tao got upset and stopped looking after her, she could only wait to die When the apocalypse arrived, Zhao Yuan couldnt make it back, so all he could do wasfort Ding Yuqin while trying to figure something out. Then Zhao Yuan heard from other survivors that Wang Tao was at home. In terms of physical fitness, men definitely had an advantage over women. In a chaotic environment, having a man around was certainly more convenient, especially someone like Wang Tao who was strong and imposing. The couple, Zhao Yuan and Ding Yuqin, were neighbors with Wang Tao. Although their rtionship with Wang Tao wasnt particrly close, it was at least not bad. So, Zhao Yuan messaged Wang Tao, hoping that Wang Tao could take care of Ding Yuqin. After the chaos subsided, he would definitely thank Wang Tao. But Wang Tao didnt reply to any messages. At the time of the apocalypse, a saying was circting in some small circles: the better ones physical condition, the less likely they were to be infected with the virus; the worse ones physical condition, the more susceptible they were to infection. Wang Tao also saw this baseless im onler, and he didnt agree with it. Instead, he felt it was an excuse concocted by some people who wanted to abandon the weak and the vulnerable. But it didnt matter if he believed it or not, others did. For example, Zhao Yuan believed it. Therefore, Zhao Yuan suspected that Wang Tao was deliberately not replying to his messages and didnt want to help his wife. Of course, suspicion was just suspicion; Zhao Yuan continued to message Wang Tao courteously. But in his chats with Ding Yuqin, Zhao Yuan cursed Wang Tao,ining about all the bad things Wang Tao had done and threatening to make Wang Tao pay in the future. This was actually a disy of impotent rage. Zhao Yuan loved his wife dearly and didnt want her to get hurt. But sadly, he was powerless. Chapter 21 - 21 21 Clean-up_1 21 Chapter 21 Clean-up_1 Trantor: 549690339 Zhao Yuan hade up with an idea at the timehe called Wang Tao and then had Ding Yuqin listen for any noiseing from Wang Taos apartment. Zombies are very sensitive to sounds, and if there were zombies in Wang Taos room, they would definitely make a lot of noise! Even if Wang Taos phone was on vibrate, at such a close distance, it wouldnt escape the hearing of the zombies. At that time, the zombie in apartment 602 had not left yet, and Ding Yuqin did not know there was a zombie just outside in the corridor. She didnt dare to go out, only stealthily cracking open the door to listen, and heard indeed that there was no noiseing from Wang Taos ce. This indirectly proved Zhao Yuans guessWang Tao did not want to help her. Ding Yuqins previous impression of Wang Tao wasnt bad, but it wasnt good either. They didnt interact much, at most exchanging polite greetings when they saw each other. But under these real circumstances and Zhao Yuans exaggeration, her view of Wang Tao had turned quite negative Thus, she decided then and there to drop the idea of asking Wang Tao for help. However, it was uncertain whether it should be said that Ding Yuqin was lucky or that Zhao Yuan had saved her life. If she had actually gone to find Wang Tao at that time, and Wang Tao was unconscious and unable to open the door, Ding Yuqin would likely have attracted the zombies from upstairs. With her frail arms and legs, the oue would likely have been very grim And then, a few dayster, when she could no longer endure her hunger, and coincidentally witnessed Wang Tao leaving his apartment and killing zombies she decided to try and see if she could borrow some food from him. It turned out that Wang Tao wasnt as bad as her husband had described After waiting for a while and nearly filling up her water supply, Ding Yuqin came out of the bathroom. Wang Tao, Ive finished collecting water at my ce. Oh, and take a look here to see if theres anything you can use. If its useful to you, just take it Help should be mutual; one cant always expect others to give. Ding Yuqin knew she couldnt be of much help to Wang Tao, so she just let him see if there was anything in her home that he could use. Wang Tao didnt stand on ceremony. Zhao Yuan had quite a few gadgets, and a careful look might reveal something useful. Huh? After rummaging a bit, he actually found something good. Binocrs! It was a pair of binocrs, marked with 10*50, indicating a 50 mm diameter lens and a magnification of 10 times. Ten times magnification binocrswhat a great find! They might not be needed immediately, but could be very usefulter. I hadnt noticed his binocrs were here. You can take them if you need them, as I wont be using them anyway Ding Yuqins face showed a trace of happiness as she watched Wang Tao hold the binocrs with great affection. She wasnt afraid of Wang Tao taking her things, she was afraid that Wang Tao wouldnt find anything of interest! Alright, then I wont be polite. Wang Tao epted them right away. They didnt find anything else useful after that, so they both returned to Wang Taos apartment. Ding Yuqin started cooking, while Wang Tao lifted the curtains, took out the newly acquired binocrs, and observed the scene outside the window. This was an oldmunity with a maximum of six floors. Fortunately, there werent many tall buildings nearby, so the binocrs could still see quite far. After looking around, Wang Taos expression was very serious. He suddenly realized that his Happy Community seemed to be rtively lucky? In othermunities, either a group of zombies surrounded the buildings, with zombies entering and exiting freely, or there were small-scale explosions, leaving behind a scene of ruins But Wang Tao also noticed some patternsces that seemed to be hit harder were areas with more people, especially a za in the distance. The dense crowd was enough to make ones scalp tingle The situation in their Happy Community was not as severe as in othermunities, perhaps because there were fewer residents, and many people had gone out to work at the time. In the apocalypse, luck is also very important. The scenes outside also intensified the urgency in Wang Taos heart. Considering the zombies he had killed in room 201 earlier, zombies could be stronger too! The female zombie that had eaten people had its HP increase by 10! On top of that, if he could be stronger through training, it was not impossible that zombies might have other ways to strengthen themselves as well I need to hurry up and clear out the zombies in this building! Wang Tao nned to head to apartment 601 that afternoon to take care of those two zombies. If he could also clear the zombies in apartments 101 and 102 tomorrow, the whole building would be thoroughly secure, and he could then figure out how to look for diesel outside themunity at the small restaurant! Todays lunch was not asvish as yesterdays, but the portion was still substantial. After dinner, he rested for a while. When Ding Yuqin finished washing the dishes and had cleaned up the house, Wang Tao asked her to help him put on his gear. Wang Tao, what are you Im going up for a bit. Lock the door after you go back. Are you going to 601? A hint of worry showed on Ding Yuqins faceafter all, there were two zombies in 601! Yeah, Im going to clear out 601. Donte out. Wang Tao felt that there was a high probability he could handle the two zombies upstairs, but he didnt dismiss the possibility of a zombie running out. After all, idents happen. I understand! Be, be careful! Ding Yuqin was genuinely worried for Wang Tao; after all, he was the only one she could rely on now. I will. Wang Tao nodded. With Ding Yuqins help, he quickly got dressed in his equipment. He picked up his homemade steel pipe long-handled sheeps horn hammer and left the room with Ding Yuqin. Ding Yuqin returned to her room, and after seeing that she had locked the door, Wang Tao strode towards room 601. The room belonged to a middle-aged couple, who had surely turned. Wang Tao had even heard two roarsing from inside the room when he went upstairs before. Although there were two zombies inside, Wang Tao was not the same as he had been before. The increase in strength was secondary; it was mainly the experience that counted. Having killed several zombies face-to-face, he already had some experience. Wang Tao fiddled with his lock-picking tools for a while, and with a click, he opened the security door. He then took a deep breath, raised his horned hammer slightly with his right hand, and with a swift pull with his left hand tter The security door opened. At the doorway, there stood a contorted figure. Wang Tao didnt expect a zombie to be right at the door, and perhaps the zombie didnt anticipate someone suddenlying in either. Both were momentarily stunned. But Wang Tao reacted faster. With one hand gripping the long-handled sheeps horn hammer, he put the strength of his arm, waist, and thighs into action, swinging fiercely at the zombies head! Bang! A crisp sound. The zombies head reeled back from Wang Taos blow, stumbling two steps back, with a number [-136] popping up. [364/500] Wang Tao pressed his attack, stepping forward and swinging the hammer once more. Bang! [-127] [237/500] This hammer strike twisted its facepletely, causing it to stagger another step back. Then Wang Tao gripped the hammer with both hands, raised it high, and smashed the sheeps horn down on the zombies crown. Splurt! ck blood sshed. Wang Tao felt like he had just smashed a jar filled with soft mud. [-237] [0/500] Three hammer strikeszombie killed instantly! Chapter 22 - 22 22 Shouting Until Hoarse_1 22 Chapter 22 Shouting Until Hoarse_1 Trantor: 549690339 ` Thats it? Killed in three hits? Truth be told, Wang Tao was also somewhat surprised. With the enhancement of his own strength, increasing experience, and the amplification of his weapons It wasnt that the enemy was too weak, but that his side was too strong! There was no time to check the spoils; he quickly surveyed his surroundings, but he didnt spot any other zombies. Wheres the other one? Wang Tao frowned slightly; he was sure he had heard there were two zombies in this room before! Zombies dont usually attack each other, at least Wang Tao hadnt seen it happen so far. So, unless that zombie jumped out the window, it had to be still in the house! Wang Tao didnt rush to search; though he had seemingly wielded his hammer effortlessly three times, each strike had been with full power, draining some of his energy. Since there was no immediate danger, he could catch his breath for a moment. A few secondster, Wang Tao cautiously made his way to the bathroom. This house had the sameyout as Wang Taos own, with two bedrooms, a living room, and one bathroom. The doors to both bedrooms were open, but the bathroom door was closed. Wang Tao felt there might be something in the bathroom. He tiptoed to the door and then kicked it open abruptly. Bang! Huh? Nothing? Seeing the bathroom empty, Wang Tao was taken aback. After confirming there was nothing in the bathroom, Wang Tao then checked the kitchen, which also turned out to be empty. Could it be in one of those bedrooms? Wang Tao nced at the doorways of both bedrooms, but there were no zombies in sight. How strange He took another look at the doors and windows, which were all tightly closed, not looking like anything had gone out. There were no bloodstains or signs of struggle in the room Could I have misheard earlier? Wang Tao started to doubt himself, but quickly discarded the thought. He was someone who trusted his own senses; two zombies meant two zombies, and he most likely hadnt misheard! Lets see where youre hiding Wang Tao took a deep breath and then moved on to the second bedroom. The second bedroom, apart from a bed, had only a simple cloth wardrobe. The zipper of the wardrobe was open, obviously it couldnt hide a zombie. He then grabbed his weapon tightly and peered under the bed. Nothing was there either. After confirming that the second bedroom was clear, Wang Tao entered the master bedroom, which was also devoid of any zombie beneath the bed. Then Wang Tao stood up and turned his attention to the wardrobe in the master bedroom. The master bedroom was muchrger than the second and had a row of built-in wardrobes against the wall, with a total of more than a dozen doors. The only ce in the entire house he hadnt yet searched was thisrge wardrobe; unless the zombie had truly opened the window and jumped out, closing the window behind it, or it had been chopped up and washed down the drain, or it had been eaten by another zombie Otherwise, Wang Tao figured it was very likely in these wardrobes. But still, these wardrobes arent big; there are partitions in the middle. Would a zombie really run inside and even close the door behind it? That intelligent? Wang Tao was puzzled. His right hand gripped the weapon tightly while his left hand casually opened the first wardrobe door. Roar Fuck! The moment Wang Tao opened the first wardrobe door, a small-framed zombie, curled up inside the wardrobe, suddenly lunged out. Wang Tao was startled. He swung his hammer instinctively but missed. He was knocked down onto the floor by the zombies force, his weapon flying from his grasp. [-5] [130/135] The zombie pinned Wang Taos limbs down, rendering him immobile in the shape of a cross on the bed. Then it opened its mouth wide, emitting a stench of decay, and its saliva-dripping teeth moved towards Wang Taos neck. Get off! On the verge of an intimate encounter with the female zombie, Wang Taos forehead veins bulged, his biceps swelled rapidly, and with all his might holding back the zombies force, he swung his right fist fiercely. ` Your breath stinks! Bang! His punchnded viciously on the zombies face, snapping its head to the side. [-23 HP] [467/500 HP] The zombie seemed stunned by the blow, and its grip restraining Wang Tao weakened significantly. Wang Tao seized the moment to raise his right foot and press it against the zombies chest, then pushed with both arms and legs, flinging it towards the doorway. Bang! The zombie was smashed against the doorframe by Wang Tao. [-4 HP] [463/500 HP] The strike didnt do much damage to the zombie, but it allowed Wang Tao to finally break free from its grasp. Without even bothering to pick up his weapons, Wang Tao stepped over to the doorway, then coiled tension into his right leg and delivered a forceful kick to the zombie, which was still down on the ground and hadnt gotten up. Bang The kick sent the zombie skimming across the floor, flying from the room into the living room, shattering two wooden dining chairs in the process. Wang Tao followed up on his victory, leaping into the air near the zombie, his hair nearly grazing the ceiling before he came crashing down harshly on top of the zombie. Crack! His climbing bootsnded on the zombies knees, a crisp sound of bone snapping filling the air. The zombies knees werepletely crushed! The zombie that was attempting to rise fell to the ground once more. [-86 HP] [377/500 HP] Wang Tao had intended to stomp its head, but he wasnt sure if he could crush the zombies skull; if it was too hard and caused him to fall, that would be troublesome. So, Wang Tao changed his mind at thest moment, targeting its legs instead. As it turned out, this was effective. The zombies HP bar shrank by a noticeable amount! And that wasnt even the most important part; it appeared the zombie couldnt get up anymore! They have no sense of pain; a broken arm or leg would be a fatal injury for a normal person, but for a zombie, its not lethal. But Wang Tao wasnt counting on it to kill the zombie; he was just hoping the broken legs would hinder its mobility! And it looked like it was indeed effective! Perhaps the zombie still retained some human instincts, like bipedal walking, so when its kneecaps were shattered, it couldnt stand up at all! This oue excited Wang Tao because it meant that, in the future, targeting the limbs could be a viable method for killing zombies. After all, a zombies limbs arent as tough as its head, and while their necks are a weak spot, its not easy to hit for most people. So, if survivors were smart, they could potentially chop off the legs to restrict the movements of a zombie and then finish it offpletely! While his mind was racing with thoughts, Wang Taos actions didnt stop. With the zombie down and unable to rise, it was essentially a live target. Wang Tao showed no mercy, stomping down hard and deforming its arms. [-34 HP] [-32 HP] [311/500 HP] Looking at the zombie with all its limbs broken, yet still baring its teeth at him, a cruel smile appeared on Wang Taos face masked behind the visor. He had been quite frightened just moments before. This grudge, he had to avenge! Moreover, he wanted to take this rare opportunity to test his damage ability. Roar This female zombie seemed to sense its impending fate and let out an angry roar. Wang Tao clenched his fists and then said fiercely, Keep screaming, even if you scream your throat raw, its no use! Chapter 23 - 23 23 Stealth Potion_1 23 Chapter 23 Stealth Potion_1 Trantor: 549690339 ` Bang! Swipe! Thud! Crack! ng! Heh Looking at the sliver of HP bar above the zombies head, Wang Tao stomped down hard. St! Its head burst like a watermelon under his foot. [-35] [0/500] Phew~ Torturing zombies was also a matter of skillnot real torture, of course. It was just Wang Tao wanting to see how much damage his various attacks would inflict on a zombie. He had never had the chance to try this before, and now that he did, he certainly wasnt going to miss out. After trying for about an hour, he had finally understood many things that had previously eluded him. For instance, mutting attacks, such as severing limbs, only caused damage once. If one kept attacking parts other than the head, it wouldnt inflict any additional damage For instance, a zombies fatal weak spot was its head. Attacking any other part wouldnt kill it! Even if you chopped its neck off and it was left with just a head, that head would still be alive For instance, a zombies HP bar was rted to the hardness of its head. Wang Tao couldnt kill a full HP zombie with one stomp, but he could easily burst the head of one with a sliver of HP For instance, although zombies didnt fear pain, they were still susceptible to negative statuses like Dizziness. Of course, it might not be Dizziness, but something more akin to the rigidity found in games. Wang Tao wasnt too sure about the specifics; he just needed to know thatnding a heavy blow on a zombies head would cause it to pause briefly. Moreover, Wang Tao was thrilled to discover that zombies were afraid of fire! When he attacked zombies with other tools, they were unfazed. But when he prodded a zombie with a burning stick, it actually struggled on the ground trying to back away! When he directly burned it with fire, its HP dropped quickly. This was an important piece of news! Of course, the smaller the sample, the greater the margin of error. Wang Tao couldnt guarantee that all zombies were afraid of fire, but the mere possibility that some were was definitely exhrating news! Whether zombies killed by fire would drop items was something Wang Tao was unclear on, as he hadnt wanted to waste the chance to experiment and would have to wait for another opportunity. Besides that, Wang Tao also experimented with many things, such as the damage caused by attacks on different parts of a zombie, the approximate range of a zombies Perception, the extent to which a zombies vision had degenerated, and so on. Wang Tao now had a rough idea about these things; although not necessarily urate, they were still somewhat useful. If need be, he could always find another chance like this one to experiment more. As for this particrly crafty zombie Wang Tao spected that zombies were capable of evolutionthe zombie from room 201 had a higher HP bar than the others and must have evolved by consuming humans! However, Wang Tao also felt that zombie evolution wasnt limited to gaining HP by eating humans; it could include ordinary zombies evolving into stealthy kinds like this one. After all, when Wang Tao first arrived, he had indeed heard two zombies inside. It was highly probable that the female zombie had evolvedter on After feeling around the bodies of the two zombies in the room, Wang Tao pushed them both out the window. Bang, bang The sound of them hitting the ground attracted some zombies to surround the area, but upon realizing they were their own kind, the zombies slowly dispersed. Ignoring the ck blood all over the ground, he sat on the sofa and rested for a while before finally turning his attention to the loot from the zombies he had just killed. Both zombies had 500 drops of HP, seemingly simr in strength. But in reality, they were very different! The male zombie in this house was just an ordinary one with 500 HP. ` And this female zombie, Wang Tao suspected that she might have undergone a secondary mutation or something of the sort. Although her HP hadnt increased, she had learned to hide! Normally speaking, even if a zombie stayed in one ce without moving, it certainly wouldnt close the door, right? Yet this female zombie had learned to close the door and lie in wait for her prey. If it hadnt been for Wang Taos strength, anyone elseing here might have fallen into the trap! So you see, even though the HP was the same, this female zombie was much more dangerous than that male one! After all, a normal survivor, having killed a zombie and seeing no other zombies at home, would certainly let their guard down. When they rxed and opened the cab, they would most likely be ambushed. And indeed, the HP gained from killing these two zombies confirmed Wang Taos thoughts. The male zombie was an ordinary one, giving Wang Tao only 5 drops of HP, while the female zombie gave Wang Tao a whole 20 drops of HP! Wang Taos total HP had now reached [150/155]! Kill a few more and I can break through to 200 HP. Next goal, 200 HP! After setting a small goal for himself, Wang Tao looked at the loot from the two zombies. Ordinary loot wasnt worth mentioningjust a wallet, a lighter, a tinum ne, two watches, and two mobile phones. The focus was the items dropped by the zombies upon death. The male zombie dropped a small box of screws. [Acquired: Screw x1] [Screw: Crafting Material] It was still a crafting material, this time screws he hadnt obtained before. With this screw, Wang Tao now had four types of crafting materials. There were Gear x1, Iron Block x1, Steel Wire x1, and now Screw x1. He wondered what he could craft with these items As for what the female zombie dropped, it first made Wang Taos eyes light up, and then he felt a wave of disappointment. [Acquired: Stealth Potion (Small)] [Stealth Potion (Small): After injection, it can conceal ones presence, making it difficult for humans to detect. Duration: 1 hour, cooldown: 12 hours. Friendly Tip: For best results, use at night.] This was a pen-sized, semi-transparent disposable needle-free syringe, allowing one to see the green liquid inside, with the words Stealth Small written on the exterior. When he saw the Stealth Potion, Wang Tao was excited. Following the patterns of some games, anything with stealth in its name was a good item for avoiding detection by monsters. But after reading the exnation, Wang Tao felt his vision darken. Not easily detected by other humans? He didnt need to hide from people right now! And how could he hide from human perception? Could he avoid their hearing or vision? Humans can think and differentiate! Unless he could cover up someones eyes, ears, and so on It felt somewhat useless. There might be some special application, but for now, Wang Tao definitely couldnt use it. If only there was a Stealth Potion for hiding from zombies, that would be great, but s After a sigh, Wang Tao couldnt help but shake his head and chuckle at himself. It was good enough to have it, whats there to regret! This Stealth Potion wasbeled Small,, and perhaps there were also Medium or Large versions. Maybe there was one that could hide him from zombies. And since there was a Stealth Potion, there might be other types of potions, too! Wang Tao began to look forward even more to his ability to loot! After securing the zombies dropped loot, Wang Tao started to scour apartment 601. The couple living here had likely mutated into zombies at the same time, there were no signs of struggle in the room, so the food was rtively well preserved, probably enough for Wang Tao to eat for half a month! But a lot of it was frozen food, and now the fridge was out of power Finding diesel fuel was urgent! Chapter 24 - 24 24 Survivor Base News_1 24 Chapter 24 Survivor Base News_1 Trantor: 549690339 ` Thump, thump, thump Sister-inw, its me. Wang Tao knocked on Ding Yuqins door, intending to ask her to help move some things upstairs. With manpower avable, he didnt want to waste it. Hearing the noise, Ding Yuqin hurried to open the door and, seeing some ck blood on Wang Tao, she immediately asked with concern: Wang Tao, are you hurt? Im fine, got lucky, almost took a bad spill. The voice from under Wang Taos mask sounded a bit muffled. It was when he had been tackled by a zombie that his wrist had felt a bit sore. But he hadnt lost much blood, which indicated that there was nothing serious. Do you want me to get the first aid kit Ding Yuqin sounded somewhat worried. Wang Tao shook his head. No need, just help me move some stuff first. Okay! Ding Yuqin followed Wang Tao to room 601 and, seeing the pool of ck blood at the entrance and the marks of struggle in the living room, swallowed instinctively before asking softly, Were there two zombies here? Mhm. Wang Tao nodded. Observing Wang Taos silhouette, Ding Yuqin couldnt help but be amazedtwo zombies! He had taken care of both! These items are all packed up, lets move them. Wang Tao pointed to the stuff on the ground. Okay! Although Ding Yuqin wasnt very strong, the distance wasnt far, and together they moved everything to room 501 in one trip. As they neatly sorted and arranged these supplies, Wang Tao suddenly felt that his apartment was bing too small. Mainly because he had brought back everything that felt useful now or might be in the future, like clothes, books, electronic products, and so on. He had even started thinking about other peoples furniture. Although furniture was difficult to move, it could be disassembled and taken away. After the gas supply ran out, the wood could also be used to cook While Ding Yuqin was organizing and categorizing the items, Wang Tao took a shower. A cold ssh instantly sent shivers through him. After killing the zombies, his spirit was still somewhat tense, as being suddenly attacked by a crafty zombie had left him with a not insignificant psychological shadow. Now the cold water had sobered him considerably. It was just a pity that he hadnt wanted to use electricity to heat the water, which would have been morefortable with a hot shower. During the bath, Wang Tao checked his wrist, which had a bruise, but it wasnt serious, and he expected it to heal in a couple of days. The previous bruise on his arm had already healed. After the shower, Ding Yuqin had just finished tidying up. The bruise on Wang Taos wrist was still fairly noticeable, and Ding Yuqin spotted it immediately. Holding back her surprise this time, Ding Yuqin still asked, Wang Tao, shall I apply some medicine to your wrist? Itll heal faster with ointment! Sure. Wang Tao nodded, and Ding Yuqin immediately went home to fetch the first aid kit. ` In fact, Ding Yuqin had intended to give the medical kit to Wang Tao, but after hesitating for a moment, she refrained. It wasnt that she couldnt part with it, but she knew she didnt have much of value to offer Wang Tao. If she were to give away the medical kit as well, shed be left with truly nothing Wang Taoy on the sofa while Ding Yuqin sat beside him, applying medicine to his wounds. The ointment felt cool and soothing as it was smeared on. Ding Yuqin, observing the muscles on Wang Taos body, thought about offering to massage him to help him rx, as she had some knowledge in that area. But it felt somewhat inappropriate, so she didnt mention it. After applying the medicine for a while, Ding Yuqin suddenly asked, Ahem, Wang Tao, that Are you nning to go to the Survivor Base next? Before the inte went down, she had seen the Governments announcement and knew about arge Survivor Base organized by the Government in Huangfeng City. She certainly wanted to go, having heard that it still maintained the semnce of a normal society, with rules and order, and that each survivor even guaranteed a minimum standard of living! To those in this post-apocalyptic world, that was nothing short of paradise! But the problem was, the Survivor Base was too far from their residential area. She simply didnt have the means to make it there So she asked Wang Tao to see if he had any ns to go and if he did, whether he could take her along. Upon hearing the question, Wang Tao pondered for a moment before replying, Im considering it, but Im not sure when to go. Though at present, he was able to kill zombies and scavenge supplies, seemingly equipped to survive the apocalypse, who could predict future struggles? Moreover, Wang Tao was interested in seeing what the Survivor Base was like. If it was as good as they said, he was willing to settle there. But he certainly wouldnt go now. His current location was in Shuize County of Huangfeng City, while the Survivor Base was in Red Stone County. There was a full fifty kilometers between them. Unless he grew wings, venturing that far with his current capabilities was suicide. Ahem, if you decide to go, could you, maybe, take me with you? Ding Yuqin asked with a smile, looking tentatively at Wang Tao. Well see. Its too early to talk about this now. Wang Tao didnt directly answer. And this nonmittal response turned Ding Yuqins face pale. In the world of adults, rejections are not usually so direct, often giving the other person some face. Taking into ount the current situation, Wang Taos response was clearly a refusal. After all, she couldnt kill zombies and had little strength. To Wang Tao, she was nothing but a burden; perhaps without her, he could move faster Oh Ding Yuqin bit her lip, confused, not knowing what to say next. Wang Tao hadnt openly refused, so she couldnt very well pester him to agree; what if he was still on the fence and her insistence pushed him to decide against taking her Ding Yuqin didnt need to prepare dinner; some leftover food from lunch, just reheated, would suffice for Wang Tao. Taking into ount Ding Yuqins help in the afternoon, Wang Tao gave her a pack of instant noodles as a bonus reward. This bonus was supposed to make Ding Yuqin happy, but she just couldnt seem to find the joy in it. Once Ding Yuqin had left, Wang Tao ate a simple meal, rested for a while, and thenmenced his routine exercise. I feel like my physical condition has slightly improved after killing those two zombies today! It shouldnt be an illusion killing zombies indeed seems to incrementally enhance ones physique! While the change isnt noticeable at once or twice, I surmise that the improvement will be substantial after reaching a certain number After several hours of exercise, Wang Tao took a shower, and then suddenly realized that the water supply had stopped. Actually, he had noticed the water flow weakening during his shower, so the cutoff wasnt altogether unexpected. Still, he felt somewhat distressed about it, as it meant he had another task ahead finding water. Using his pre-stored water, he rinsed off the sweat, and didnt discard the used water, saving it forter toilet flushing. Then hey in bed, turned on the radio as usual, to see if he could pick up any signals. Zzz Zzz This is Red Stone Survivor Base Zzz Chapter 25 - 25 25 Fast Track in Three Days_1 25 Chapter 25 Fast Track in Three Days_1 Trantor: 549690339 Hmm? Wang Tao rolled over and sat up. He went to the window and slowly turned the tuning knob of the radio. Crackle Red Stone Survivor Base crackle providing water, food crackle safe crackle repeating Red Stone Survivor Base crackle Red Stone Survivor Base Wang Tao muttered to himself, rubbing the stubble on his chin. Judging by the name, it must be the Survivor Base in Red Stone County. ording to the official announcement online prior to the incident, due to the suddenness of the event, there wasnt much time to prepare, and the n was to build a Survivor Base in every city. Huangfeng Citys Survivor Base was located in Red Stone County. The reason for selecting that location was because it housed a military force and had some defensive measures in ce, which could be utilized immediately. However, during the days of the virus outbreak, there was also an infection within the military, resulting in chaos. Especially after the breakdown ofmunications, Wang Tao had no idea whether the base in Red Stone County still existed. Now that he had heard news of the base in Red Stone County through the radio, Wang Tao was quite pleased. If they were still broadcasting, it indicated that they must have managed to control the situation to some extent. But without hearing any news about a counterattack or rescue, it seemed they were only able to defend themselves, and that was about it In any case, this was good news. It also provided Wang Tao with motivation and a got least so many survivors were still alive, so how could he die first! Crackle crackle The radio yed for a while and then went silent; he couldnt tell if it was shut down intentionally or if there was some problem. Hopefully, it was the former. After a silent prayer, Wang Tao turned on the walkie-talkie. Simr to the radio, the walkie-talkie was also switched on once every night, but while the radio had transmitted a few times, the walkie-talkie had been silent up until now. It was understandable, after all, without a ry station, the range of this kind of civilian walkie-talkie was only about two or three kilometers, so it was normal not to hear anything. However, perhaps it was his luck tonight following the news he had received on the radio, his walkie-talkie finally picked up some activity! Crackle this is crackle Shuize University Survivor Base crackle if received, please respond if received, please crackle Listening to the intermittent voice inside, Wang Taos eyes lit up. Shuize University was a school nearby, about five kilometers away from his Happy Communityit seemed from the message that someone might have established a Survivor Base at Shuize University? Shuize University had only been built in recent years; it was situated in a rather remote location with sparse poption, but it was close to Huangfeng Film City, and many students went there to work part-time. Wang Tao had visited Shuize University a few times. His impression of it was neither particrly good nor bad; it was just an ordinary school. Not far from Shuize University, there was a security force of about a dozen soldiers. If these soldiers hadnt suffered arge-scale infection or deaths, then it should have been possible for them to establish a small Survivor Base Wang Tao pressed the PTT button on the walkie-talkie. I received you, I received you. Wang Tao didnt reveal any detailed information about himself since he didnt know the exact situation on the other side; it was better to be careful. But there was no response to what he said. Crackle Shuize University Base if received, please reply repeat I received you, I received you, I received you. Wang Tao repeated a few times, but after waiting a while, there was still no answer from the other side. Could it be that my walkie-talkies power is too weak? Wang Tao suddenly felt a bit depressed. The principle of walkie-talkiemunication can be simply understood as, centered around a person, the signal radiates outward. In the same terrain, the higher the power, the further the signal can be transmitted. The four walkie-talkies Wang Tao scavenged from Apartment 602 are all ordinary civilian models, with amunication distance of probably just two to three kilometers. The walkie-talkies from Shuize University, on the other hand, might be high-power ones, capable ofmunicating over five kilometers. That means their signal transmission distance is far, allowing Wang Taos walkie-talkie to receive it, so Wang Tao was able to hear them. But Wang Taos walkie-talkie signal was weak, unable to send that far, hence what he said couldnt be received by them. This was somewhat frustrating, as Wang Tao wanted to learn about the situations of other survivors. After a few more tries and confirming thatmunication was impossible, Wang Tao shook his head. Sleepy time! Although he couldntmunicate through these two signals, it was still good news, at least it meant humanity hadnt been wiped out Wang Tao had his best nights sleep in days that night. The next day. Wang Tao woke up just after six, and as soon as he finished washing up, he heard a knock on the door. Upon opening the door, it was Ding Yuqin. She came to cook breakfast for Wang Tao. After a brief workout, Ding Yuqin finished cooking. Making sure Wang Tao didnt need anything else, she went back to her ce. Wang Tao had not asked her to stay for breakfast, after all, they had agreed that she would only cook one meal for him. After breakfast, Wang Tao began to don his gear. He suddenly realised how slowly one dresses alone, but he was toozy to call Ding Yuqin back. Once dressed, he went to the second floor and knocked on Apartment 202s door. Little brother, youre here! Come in quickly! The bald uncle hurriedly opened the door for Wang Tao. Wang Tao had previously said he intended to learn all the locksmiths skills but hadnt had time the past two days, causing a dy. Now, having scavenged Apartment 601 and temporarily secured enough food, he nned to master all the locksmith skills before dealing with the zombies in Apartments 101 and 102. The principle of locksmith techniques was not difficult, especially with an old master teaching hands-on. It mainly depended on practice, the more one practiced, the more skilled one became. It seemed that Wang Tao indeed had a knack for it; he was a quick learner. Anyway, the bald uncle consistently praised Wang Tao for being talented, saying that it took him two weeks just to qualify. But at Wang Taos pace, he might be ready in another two days. And indeed, as the bald uncle had said, Wang Tao spent another two days, plus the previous learning time, for a total of three days, to learn all the locksmith techniques including key duplication he had obtained a small key duplication machine from the old master in exchange for some food. Your learning ability is too strong! I have nothing left to teach you now, its all about practice from here. Practice is more important than theory The bald uncle was somewhat emotional. Haha, thanks a lot for these two days, Uncle! Wang Taoughed and expressed his thanks. Of course, he didnt just offer verbal thanks, he also gave the bald uncle quite a bit of food, which was a fair exchange. Mutual help, my man! The bald uncle first smiled and then suddenly looked a bit mncholic, I hope my wife and kids can also meet someone as good as you In response to being given apliment, Wang Tao didnt express any specific stance. Curious, he asked: Where is your family now? The bald uncle took out a family portrait from his pocket, gently caressing it. They all went back to the countryside to visit rtives. The countryside is much safer than the city! Before the inte was cut off, my wife talked to me, she said that there were hardly any people left in their vige, naturally, there were very few zombies too, so it was safe to hide at home Sigh, I dont know if Ill ever see them again The countryside is very safe, huhWang Tao encouraged: Of course, theres a chance! Chapter 26 - 26 26 The Difference Between Zombies and Sandbags_1 26 Chapter 26 The Difference Between Zombies and Sandbags_1 Trantor: 549690339 Be careful! Ding Yuqin straightened Wang Taos clothes, then hugged the steel pipe hammer and another polished short steel pipe separately hanging on the left and right sides of Wang Taos waist. These two weapon sheaths had been handcrafted by Ding Yuqin for Wang Tao over the past two days. Mhm. Wang Tao nodded, stepping out the door together with Ding Yuqin. Ding Yuqin returned to her own room, watching Wang Tao descend the stairs and praying for his safe return. Wang Tao approached the door of apartment 101 at a steady pace, fiddled with the lock for a moment, and with a click, the lock opened. He had learned from the bald uncle that two elderly men anddies lived in room 101, and a family of three resided in 102. Although not all of them might be at home, to be safe, it was more appropriate to start with the zombies in 101. After opening the door, Wang Tao cracked it slightly and took a quick look inside. On the living room sofa, he immediately noticed two squat but swollen figures sitting side by side, their heads bowed, faces unclear. Wang Tao took a deep breath, then strode into the room. Heh~ Heh~ Stirred by the noise, the two elders slowly lifted their heads, revealing a pair of pale eyes. Roar! Perhaps drawn by the smell of flesh and blood, the two elderly zombies, as if activated, staggered to their feet and lurched towards Wang Tao, one after the other. It seemed that the zombies strength after infection and mutation might be affected by their physical condition when alive? Wang Tao wasnt sure. But at least it affected their speed. These two elderly zombies were quite slow, their walk unsteady, as if they were about to copse at any moment. Of course, Wang Tao did not underestimate them. Even when hunting a rabbit, a lion gives its all. Wang Tao kept his pace, approached in front of the elderlydy zombie, and swung the horned hammer with both hands. Bang! The hammernded solidly on the right temple of the olddy zombie. [-158] [342/500] The hit made the olddy zombies neck tilt, her body swaying. Seizing the moment, Wang Tao swung the hammer again, aiming for the olddy zombies right eye socket. Bang! The eyeball burst apart! [-164] [178/500] Two strikes had taken away two-thirds of her HP! But by then, the old man zombie had also pounced over. If Wang Tao continued to hammer the olddy zombie, he would be attacked by the old man zombie. Without a second thought, Wang Tao swiftly turned and brought the hammer down on the old man. Bang! The hammer struck the old man zombies chin, shearing off half of it, a ckened tongue wriggling in the gap. The old man zombie stumbled further, struggling to maintain bnce and falling to the floor. [-65] [435/500] Just as the olddy zombie recovered from dizziness, she shrieked and stretched her arms towards Wang Tao. Without even looking, heshed out with a kick. Before she could grab him, his foot struck hard against the olddy zombies chest. Thump The olddy zombie was kicked back, mming into the sofa. [-32] [146/500] Wang Tao quickly drew the sharpened steel pipe from the sheath on his left waist. His arm muscles bulged as he hurled the pipe from over two meters away. Thrust The steel pipe pierced directly through the forehead of the olddy zombie, pinning her against the sofa. [-146] [0/500] Seeing the opponents HP drop to zero, Wang Tao turned to face the old man zombie getting up from the floor. Now its your turn! Strictly speaking, this was the first time Wang Tao was facing two zombies at once. Combat like this, 1v2, was much tougher than 1v1. After all, this wasnt a game; although he had more than a hundred HP, he dared not let the zombies touch him. However, once he had dealt with one of the zombies, battling the other became much simpler. Wang Tao walked towards the old man zombie, wielding the horned hammer. Heh heh The old man zombie twisted as he struggled to get up from the ground, stretching out his right hand towards Wang Tao. Seeing the dark, sharp nails, Wang Tao quickly dodged to the left, avoiding the grasp while smashing his hammer towards the zombies head. Thump! [-146] The hammer struck hard on the old man zombies head, making him retreat two steps. Wang Tao closed in and swung the hammer once more. Thump! [-153] Wang Tao distinctly heard the sound of bones cracking. The old man zombie fell again! Before the old man zombie could rise, Wang Tao mustered strength in his right leg and fiercely kicked the zombies head. Thump! [-71] The old man zombies body spun on the floor and then crashed against the wall. [-33] A secondary injury appeared on the zombies head from the impact with the wall. Catching his breath for a moment, Wang Taos mouth curled up under the mask. 1v1 was indeed much easier! As the old man zombie struggled to rise once more, Wang Tao aimed at his temple and hammered down fiercely. Squish The horned hammer smashed through the skull, embedding into the head of the old man zombie. [-32] [0/500] The zombies HP dropped to zero. Chapter 27 - 27 27: Leeks and Molotov Cocktails_1 27 Chapter 27: Leeks and Molotov Cocktails_1 Trantor: 549690339 After taking care of the two zombies, it was time for the pleasant corpse-looting phase. Both elderly zombies were quite ordinary, each contributing 5 drops of HP to Wang Tao. Wang Taos total HP reached 165. Next were the items they dropped. [Obtained: Alcohol x1] [Alcohol: Crafting material] [Obtained: Alcohol x1] [Alcohol: Crafting material] They both dropped the same thing? With a thought from Wang Tao, a ss bottle appeared in his hand. Aside from the 1L marking, there were two lines of small text reading Purity 99.9%, Edible. Upon seeing the word edible, Wang Tao was at first stunned, but then quickly realized what it meant. It means the alcohol was of an edible grade, not suggesting one should drink it directly. If someone were to drink this straight, it could probably be deadly As far as crafting materials go, based on what he had seen so far, this alcohol was likely to be more useful than some of the other materials. By diluting this alcohol with water in a 3:1 ratio, he could make 75% medical alcohol. Diluting it further, it could even be used for drinking, or as a fuel, so its uses were many! He stored both bottles of alcohol in the Space Backpack, then proceeded to search the bodies of the two zombies as usual. The elderlydy zombie had two gold bracelets, two silver bracelets, three gold rings, and a gold ne. The old man zombie had a gold watch, a Large gold ring, and several Large gold teethnoticed by Wang Tao only because its jaw was broken. These two oldies were pretty wealthy! Wang Tao was somewhat astonished. As the saying goes, antiques flourish in prosperous times, and gold in times of chaos. In this apocalyptic world, Wang Tao wasnt sure what the Survivor Bases used for trade, but gold must have some value. Since these items werepact and not a nuisance, Wang Tao stored them all, including the Large gold teeth. After searching the zombie corpses, it was time to loot the house. Thanks to the two old people bing infected and mutating at the same time, the house was neat everywhere else except for the signs of battle left by Wang Tao, leaving the food intact. But frustratingly, their kitchen was filled with lots of rotting vegetables and fruits. Wang Tao had a rough understanding of the situation; older generations were more frugal, especially regarding their own food and clothing, always looking to save when possible. This had nothing to do with their wealth, but was rather a long-standing habit. Before the apocalypse struck, the two elderly people had stocked up on some not-so-fresh vegetables and fruits at low prices. Under normal circumstances, as long as the food that was about to spoil was eaten in advance, one wouldnt end up with spoiled food. But unfortunately, the apocalypse arrived. Without anyone to eat it, the food quickly went bad Dont even mention the vegetables and fruits piled in the kitchen, even those in the refrigerator had spoiled. The only edible thing left was a pack of garlic. This is distressing Wang Tao felt it was a pity to discard the spoiled food, but there was no helping it. Otherwise, if he ended up with food poisoning or something, that would spell disaster. Almost all the vegetables and fruits were aplete loss, and it seemed like the two elderly didnt eat meat, as there was none in the house. However, luckily, there was an 8-pound bag of flour, 2 pounds of eggs, and 2 pounds of dried noodles in the cupboard, which was somewhat consoling. Eh? Whats this Leaving the kitchen, Wang Tao suddenly noticed a pile of green nts beneath the balcony in the living room. Chives? Wang Tao quickly hurried over. A distorted figure suddenly appeared outside the window and started banging against the security bars. Bang, bang, bang! Shit! Wang Tao was startled. Only then did he remember that this was the first floor, and there were zombies outside. Giving the zombie outside a fierce middle finger, Wang Tao quickly pulled the curtains shut. Although they couldnt get in, it was still better to be safe. Ignoring the zombie outside, Wang Tao crouched in front of these nts, a look of joy in his eyes. This is really chives, and theyve already grown! These chives were grown in individual square pots, a total of twelve pots, which at a nce looked like they were nted in the ground. These were good stuff! Wang Tao was inwardly overjoyed. He had heard that chives could live for ten years? If he could preserve these chives well, wouldnt he be able to eat chives often in the future? Although the taste might not be good after a long time, in the post-apocalyptic world, having vegetables was great already, who cared about taste! Furthermore, there was another point. All the rotten vegetables and fruits didnt need to be thrown away, they could be used directly as fertilizer to nourish the chives! Wang Tao hated waste the most, and although he had felt a bit of regret before, now that he could make use of the rotting food, he felt much better. Since there are chives, lets see if there are any seeds or something Wang Tao immediately began rummaging around. Indeed, after spending some time, Wang Tao found 10 packets of chive seeds, 5 packets of coriander seeds, and 5 packets of white radish seeds! Although Wang Tao wasnt fond of coriander, at this time, there was no privilege of being picky with food. It was good to have anything at all. Ill look into itter; if theres a chance, I might nt these seeds He put all the seeds in his pocket, and as for the chives, he didnt rush to move them. Because while searching for the seeds, he discovered another great thing! He went into the second bedroom and saw two boxes of liquor in ss bottles. Wang Tao finally understood why the two zombies had both dropped alcohol; they liked to drink! Wang Tao wasnt very fond of drinking, but this liquor was definitely a good thing, which could be used for trade in the future. And these liquor bottles were useful too. He had already experimented before, and these zombies were somewhat afraid of fire. Thus, these liquor bottles could be used to make Molotov cocktails! The manufacturing method of Molotov cocktails is actually very simple, but the main issue is that mmable materials are not easy toe by nowadays. The forty-degree liquor was definitely not suitable; he needed alcohol or gasoline or other mmable materials. Wang Tao had just acquired two bottles of alcohol, but they were the kind that could be stored in the Space Backpack. He would definitely not be willing to use them unless absolutely necessary. The most suitable might be gasoline, since there were cars outside, and the fuel tanks would definitely have gasoline. When he went out to find diesel, he could try to get some gasoline! There were six bottles in each of these two boxes of liquor, twelve in total. If he had enough gasoline, he could make twelve Molotov cocktails! And Wang Tao suddenly remembered the condiment bottles he had scoured before, which included ss bottles. At that time, he hadnt thought of using Molotov cocktails, so he forgot, but the stuff was still there. I need to collect them all, to see how many bottles there are in total This could be a massive weapon! Chapter 28 - 28 28 Plan Ahead_1 28 Chapter 28 n Ahead_1 Trantor: 549690339 This time, scavenging in apartment 101 could be considered quite a haul. There was too much stuff, and Wang Tao couldnt carry it all by himself, so he called for Ding Yuqin to help. Chives! After Ding Yuqin arrived at 101, seeing those lush green chives, she immediately looked on with envy. Although there werent many chives, it was enough for an asional treat. She had the urge to ask Wang Tao for two pots of chives. After all, there were twelve pots; missing two wouldnt be a big deal, even one would be fine Just as Ding Yuqin was thinking about how to ask, she suddenly spotted two corpses in the corner. ! She instinctively hid behind Wang Tao and mped her hand firmly over her mouth. Ding Yuqin hadnt really seen zombies before; she had onlye across them on the inte before it went down. As for real life, there were some downstairs, but she didnt dare look. Besides, Wang Tao had already cleared those inside the building. But now, suddenly facing corpses with brains sttered, and inhaling that nauseating stench, her legs were about to give out Wang Tao turned back and saw Ding Yuqins terrified face, then exined, Theyre dead, no need to worry. The apartments on the first floor had security windows, and with zombies outside, they couldnt dispose of the two bodies, so for the time being they just had to leave them there. Hmm She quickly turned her head away, not daring to look any longer. The idea of wanting two pots of chives was instantly abandoned. She didnt think Wang Tao would just give away his spoils, obtained through life-threatening danger, for free. If she asked for it, she feared it might annoy Wang Tao and that would be more loss than gain After packing up the loot, Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin moved stuff back and forth three times before finally getting everything back to 501. On the way, a bald man who had heard themotion came out to look and watched with envy. Wang Tao gave him some food. After all, the information about the number of people in apartment 101 hade from him, and it wasnt a false tip, so giving him some benefits was fair. The door to 401 cracked open as well, but before Wang Tao could get a clear look, it was shut again. He only caught a glimpse of a young man with sses and a health bar above his head [50/100]. Wang Tao had thought about reaching out for a talk, since they were among the only four survivors in the building. But the man showed no interest inmunicating, so naturally, Wang Tao didnt bother. It was already noon, and Ding Yuqin had started cooking lunch for Wang Tao, who was somewhat worried about the twelve pots of chives. There was no space left in his apartment, and chives needed ample sunlight, but his balcony was too small. If all the pots were ced there, he wouldnt get any sunlight himself. No, I need to move. There are plenty of empty apartments in this building anyway After some thought, Wang Tao found apartment 602 above quite nice. Theyout of 602 was three bedrooms and two living rooms, muchrger than his two-bedroom ce and clean, making it suitable for living. The apartment directly below, 402, would be fine too, but Wang Tao felt that living higher up felt safer. Plus, he might be able to move the chives to the rooftop to grow The rooftop was essible, where residents would go to sun their bedding, usually locked, and you would get the key from the property management when needed now it was unclear who had it. But Wang Tao knew how to pick locks and make keys, so the absence of a key wasnt a big issue. Wang Tao, lunch is ready! By this time, Ding Yuqin had finished preparing lunch. Okay. Lunch wasnt extravagant, as most vegetables were depleted, but there was plenty of meat. Ding Yuqin served Wang Tao a small bowl of rice before sitting down and speaking: Wang Tao, when I opened the fridge just now, I noticed that the outdoor power supply is almost out of charge Almost out of charge? I understand. Wang Tao frowned. The meat at home needed to be preserved in the refrigerator; once there was a power outage, he would switch to the fully charged outdoor power supply to keep the fridge running. Although it was an energy-saving refrigerator that didnt use much electricity, only about one kilowatt-hour per day, the capacity of the outdoor power supply was limited. After using it for a few days, it was nearly depleted. Unless he could eat all the food that couldnt be stored at room temperature in the next few days, he would need to find diesel fuel to run the generator. Wang Tao had nned to clear out the zombies in room 102 tomorrow, since it was thest room in the building with zombies. The day after, he intended to see if he could move to another ce, and then look for diesel fuel the day after that. But now he had to move up his nsclean out room 102 this afternoon! Move tonight, and go searching for diesel fuel tomorrow! In fact, Wang Tao didnt expend much physical strength killing zombies; he only went out once a day not because he was scared, but as a precaution. That way, if an unforeseen crisis arose in the future, hed be able to respond immediately. But given the current circumstances, running out of electricity was a crisisa threat to his food supply. So, hed have to take a bit of a risk After the meal, Ding Yuqin took the initiative to wash the dishes, and after finishing them, she went to wash Wang Taos clothes as well. Wang Tao had previously told Ding Yuqin she didnt need to wash his clothes, but now that the washing machine was unusable, he wouldnt say much since she was willing to help. As for the water issue, although water was now very precious, water that wasnt circting would spoil if left standing for too long So, they would use it as needed and find a solution when it ran out. After finishing with the clothes, Wang Tao had also rested enough. Wang Tao, are you going out again? Ding Yuqin was somewhat surprised since she knew Wang Tao used to go out only once a day. Hmm, Ill go clean out the zombies in room 102. This was thest room in the building that still had zombies. Once room 102 was cleared, building number 4 could be consideredpletely safe. Then you must be careful! Worry was written all over Ding Yuqins face. The only time she witnessed Wang Tao fighting zombies was during his first battle, and due to the limitations of the peephole, she didnt get to see the full extent of it. So Ding Yuqin wasnt very clear about just how strong Wang Tao was. But judging by the fact that Wang Tao only went out once a day before, she thought the fight with the zombies must be tough Now that Wang Tao was going out twice, it made her even more worried. I will. Wang Tao nodded his head. With Ding Yuqins help, Wang Tao was quickly fully armed. He asked Ding Yuqin to go back home while he went to the outside of room 102. ording to the bald Uncle, room 102 contained a family of threea couple in their thirties and a child attending elementary school. Wang Tao wasnt sure how many zombies were inside, but he prepared assuming there were three. Click~ After fiddling with it for a while, Wang Tao unlocked the door to room 102. But as soon as he opened the door a crack, he was hit with a strong smell of blood and decay. In an instant, Wang Taos mind assessed that a fight had taken ce inside! Clutching the Long-handled Sheeps Horn Hammer in his hand, he then flung the door open with force! Chapter 29 - 29 29 Running Potion_1 29 Chapter 29 Running Potion_1 Trantor: 549690339 The living room was empty, with no zombies in sight. But the blood sttered all over the walls told Wang Tao that this ce was not safe. Wang Tao quickly surveyed the area, finding the doors to all three bedrooms open, with darkened bloodstains at each entrance. He approached the living room silently and looked towards the rooms, spotting his target in thest master bedroom. In the master bedroom, a thin figure in a dirty school uniform was curled up on a blood-stained bed, back facing Wang Tao. But what first drew Wang Taos attention wasnt the figure, but the two bloody skeletons lying beside it on the bed! Wang Tao felt a chill down his spine. The slender figure seemed to sense the movement and slowly turned its head, revealing a face with gray-white pupils, protruding veins, and a mouth full of ck blood. Hehe [600/600] By the looks of this zombie before its death, it was that troublesome brat who had caused trouble for Wang Tao. But it had 100 more HP than the other zombies! Wang Tao gripped his horned hammer tighter. The situation had changed; there werent three zombies here, but there was one small zombie with 600 HP! Whew Without time to think, Wang Tao took a deep breath and strode towards the zombie. Heh The small zombie stood up and staggered towards Wang Tao. About ten meters separated them, but Wang Tao suddenly realized that the small zombies speed was not quite right! Despite its smaller size and shorter legs, it moved faster than the other zombies Wang Tao had seen! Wang Tao instantly stopped in his tracks, watching it cautiously. When the small zombie was about fourrge floor tiles away, approximately three meters, it spread its arms and suddenly lunged at Wang Tao! Whoosh Although Wang Tao was caught off guard by the small zombies sprint, he had been wary of it. In the moment it approached, he stepped to the side, dodging it. The small zombie failed to grab him, but didnt stop moving and took a few more steps forward beforeing to a halt. Then, it slowly turned around and continued towards Wang Tao. Heh Just like before, once it was around fourrge floor tiles away from Wang Tao, it opened its arms and lunged at him again. This time Wang Tao didnt dodge but instead raised a foot and kicked straight into the small zombies chest. [-3] The small zombies arms, not even half the length of Wang Taos long legs, iled after being kicked in the chest, but Wang Tao had thick books strapped to his lower legs and felt no fear. But Wang Tao wasnt being careless; he was trying to gauge the small zombies strength. Feeling the force on his foot, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. For its size, its strength is almost like that of an ordinary zombie Though surprised, Wang Tao suddenly exerted force in his foot. The small zombie, being light, was kicked into the air by Wang Tao and mmed against the wall. [-26] That hit seemed to have collided with its head. Roar! The small zombie seemed a bit angry and came at Wang Tao again. It still approached quickly until it was about three meters away, then threw its arms out and lunged at Wang Tao in a sprint. Wang Tao repeated the same move, kicking out again. But this time, he didnt hold back and kicked it right in the face. Bang! [-64] He kicked it flying, and its jaw shattered from the impact. Bang! [-37] Then the back of its head hit the wall again. It seems to only know this one move Wang Tao pondered as he watched the small zombie contort its body to get up. This time, he didnt use his foot; he switched to the long-handled sheeps horn hammer instead. Heh The small zombie continued its sprint towards Wang Tao, who grasped the hammer with one hand and, as it neared, brutally smashed it down. Bang! [-236] [234/600] The hammer strike was dead on, smashing right onto the little zombies forehead, directly depleting one third of its HP! Its defense seems lower, probably because of its weaker physical constitution before Wang Tao had seen online that the stronger the physical build of a person, the stronger the zombie they would be after infection and mutation. This little zombie was different from the ordinary ones, so Wang Tao tentatively called it a special zombie. But since it was only a child before infection, with a small body, light weight, and poor physical constitution, it made sense that its defensive power wascking after the mutation. Of course, that was rtive to Wang Tao. If it were an ordinary person, whether they could even break its defense would be a question. While pondering, the little zombie tenaciously stood up again. But this time it did not sprint. Instead, like ordinary zombies, it stalked towards Wang Tao with its arms iling menacingly, although it was still faster than the regr ones. Wang Tao dodged twice and, having confirmed there were no other special attributes on the little zombie, he wound up and kicked it straight up to the ceiling! [-79] [-26] After the little zombiended, Wang Tao kicked out again. Bang! [-4] This kicknded on the little zombies stomach, causing no real damage. However, like a rubber ball, it was kicked against the wall by Wang Tao once more. [-32] [93/600] Looking at the remaining one-sixth of HP, Wang Taos mouth curled under his mask. At least three more kicks to go! This was definitely not any form of retaliation against the naughty child; he simply wanted to test how strong this special zombie was. Roar~ The little zombie, undeterred by repeated failures, got up and approached Wang Tao again. Bang! Bang! Bang! St [-2] [0/600] Looking at the little zombie whose head he had kicked open, Wang Tao somewhat disdainfully wiped his shoe on its clothes. Whew Feeling refreshed! He began to tally up the spoils of battle. First was the HP gained from killing the sprinting little zombie, which, like the one capable of stealth he had encountered before, directly added 20 HP! Wang Taos HP reached [185/185]! Next was the half-transparent bundle that the little zombie dropped. With just a thought, Wang Tao had the package zip into his body. [Obtained: Running Potion (Small) x1] [Running Potion (Small): After injection, lower limb strength increases, running speed improves by 10%-100% (the stronger the constitution, the greater the enhancement),sts for 10 minutes, cools down in 12 hours] Nice stuff! Wang Taos eyes lit up. This was an injector simr in appearance to the Stealth Potion (Small) but its effects were so much stronger than the stealth potion! The stealth potion could only be used for hiding, but this running potion could increase movement speed by 10%-100%! Moreover, the speed increase depended on ones constitution, the stronger it was, the greater the boost! Wang Taos physical constitution was definitely not weak; even a 10% increase could be a life-saving skill at critical moments! The chances of sess in finding diesel outside also went up! If it could boost speed by 100% Hiss, dare not think, dare not think! After cing the running potion into his Space Backpack, Wang Tao started to scour the room for more spoils of battle, deciding not to touch the little zombies corpse since he had kicked it to bits Chapter 30 - 30 30 Moving_1 30 Chapter 30 Moving_1 Trantor: 549690339 Upon entering the master bedroom and seeing those two skeletons that had been severely gnawed on, Wang Tao felt a surge of nausea. However, he couldnt help but wonder why the childs parents hadnt turned into zombies after being bitten andpletely devoured. Unless their luck was just too bad, and the zombie virus had too long an incubation period! It was said online that the incubation period of the zombie virus ranged from 1 minute to 24 hours. In most cases, a longer incubation period was better. This was because if you amputated the infected area before the mutation urred, as long as it wasnt a fatal part, there was still a chance of survival. But sometimes, a shorter incubation period meant less suffering. Take this family, for example. Perhaps, before they died, they had to watch their own child devour them Just thinking about that scene was chilling! All I can say is, you were just unlucky Shaking his head, Wang Tao hurriedly scavenged through the master bedroom, then dragged the small zombies body into the room, cing it between the two other corpses. Then he closed the room door with a loud bang. A family should be together,plete and orderly. The food in apartment 101 wasnt plentiful; given Wang Taos appetite, it mightst about ten days. However, there were plenty of snacks to tide him over. All the items Wang Tao deemed useful or valuable were also packed up. After he finished scavenging, Wang Tao moved the items up to the fifth floor. Since there wasnt much, he didnt call for Ding Yuqin. But because he made quite a bit of noise going upstairs, Ding Yuqin, who had been keeping an eye on Wang Tao, naturally noticed. She quickly opened the door, first asking solicitously whether Wang Tao was injured, then inquiring if she could help with any work. Wang Tao did indeed have a task for her. He handed Ding Yuqin a bunch of keys. Sister-inw, go collect all the usable ss bottles from those apartments, and see how many you can find. Here are the keys. Wang Tao had kept the keys to the rooms he had scavenged. Some were the originals left in the rooms; others he had made copies of. After all, it wasnt practical to pick the locks every time. Ah? By myself? Ding Yuqin felt the keys in her hand burning hot. Scared? Wang Tao frowned. Um Ding Yuqin nodded honestly. Theres nothing to be scared of. Ive cleared out all the zombies. As long as you dont open the entrance door to the building, its safe forget it, Ill ask the uncle downstairs for help. As he spoke, Wang Tao reached for the keys. No! Ill go! When Ding Yuqin heard that Wang Tao was going to ask someone else, she quickly clutched the keys tightly. She was a smart woman and knew that if she couldnt prove her worth, especially in this post-apocalyptic world, there was a possibility of being abandoned. She didnt dare gamble her life on Wang Taos benevolence! Wang Tao gave her a thoughtful look. Alright, go ahead. Although the zombies in Building 4 had been cleared out, the fear they had caused lingered. Not to mention Ding Yuqin, even the locksmith downstairs rarely left his home, staying inside almost constantly, especially with many apartments still having remnants of blood, smell Ding Yuqin was ready to face it head-on. Wang Tao took a pair of binocrs and weapons to the sixth floor, where he used a lock-picking tool to open the door leading to the rooftop. When the apocalypse broke out, no one had gone up to the rooftop, which aside from some permanently installed clothes racks, had nothing on it. Whew Being cooped up in the building all these days had been somewhat oppressive. Stepping out suddenly and seeing the sunset-drenched orange sky, he felt an indescribable sense of exhration. However, when Wang Tao reached the edge of the rooftop and looked down, that feeling of exhration turned instantly into urgency. Because the street below to the north was filled with zombies! From this vantage point, he could see many things that were not visible before. The zombies hidden around the corners and at the base of walls were far more numerous than Wang Tao had imagined. Still, even though the sight was somewhat horrifying, if he could kill all these zombies the rewards would be substantial! If I throw a Molotov cocktail to burn them to death, I wonder if the kills would count as mine Wang Tao then moved to the south side, where he could essentially get a clear view of all the zombies wandering in the courtyard of theplex. 1, 2, 319, 20! He could see a total of 20, and as for those inside the building that were out of sight, he was unsure. But even with just these 20, they were more than he could handle. The best course of action, he felt, was to lure the zombies to one ce and kill them one by one or to set a massive fire and burn them all to death! But it was too early to be thinking about that now; he hade to the rooftop to figure out how to break out of theplex while surrounded by zombies. Now that Building 4 had been cleared, Wang Taos next target was to fetch diesel from the Big Bite of Meat restaurant, and also to scavenge some food. The main gate of theplex was to the west, and directly opposite it was the Big Bite of Meat restaurant. One of the ss doors of the small restaurant was open, while the other was shattered, and he saw no zombies inside. The street was rather narrow and not frequently traveled, so there werent many zombies around; Wang Tao only spotted a few. As for how he would get out of theplex Wang Tao felt that the main gate was definitely not an option, as that would attract the attention of the 20 zombies. While zombies generally didnt run fast, and he could probably get through the 20 of them in theplex if he was just focused on escapingprovided his luck wasnt exceptionally badthere could be no mistakes! That n was very risky. And he was a bit worried; what if the zombies were attracted by him and followed him right into the small restaurant? So, Wang Tao felt that climbing over the wall was a more reliable option. The perimeter wall of theplex wasnt thick and was a simple brick wall. By his estimate, it was just over two meters high. With his ability, scaling this wall would naturally not be a problem. First, Ill rush out of the entrance of Building 4, make it to the wall, then climb over it, and dash into the small restaurant! If no zombies follow, thats best. If some do follow, then Ill just close the rolling door of the restaurant! I didnt see any zombies inside the restaurant, and even if there were, at most it would be Boss Li and his wife. I can deal with up to three zombies Wang Tao quickly formted his action n. However, before that, he needed to move. His home was still too small, and if everything went well on this trip out, he should be able to find quite a few supplies, which wouldnt fit in his home. Wang Tao was reluctant to throw away those supplies that were temporarily unnecessary so moving to a bigger house was the best choice. As for where to move, Wang Tao had already decided long agoit would be Room 602 upstairs. As he went downstairs, Ding Yuqin happened to be sweating profusely, carrying a box of narrow-necked ss bottles to the front door of Wang Taos house. Wait a moment, sister-inw, dont put them inside. Im moving to an upstairs room, he said. Ah? Moving? Ding Yuqin was taken aback, then seemed to think of something, and her face turned pale. Chapter 31 - 31 31 Please Take Your Sister-in-Law with You_1 31 Chapter 31 Please Take Your Sister-in-Law with You_1 Trantor: 549690339 Hes moving? Hes living just fine, why is he moving? Does he dislike me, doesnt want to live across from me anymore? Is it because I eat too much? Or because I cant be of help to him? But as a weak woman, what help can I offer Wang Tao in this post-apocalyptic world At that moment, Ding Yuqins heart was filled with panic. She was only surviving now thanks to the relief Wang Tao provided. Without him, she was certain to die! She was still young, she didnt want to die! Hmm, moving, moving right now. Wang Tao nodded his head. He hadnt gone out at night before because the zombies in Building 4 hadnt been cleared out, and he was afraid of idents; it was too dangerous in the pitch dark. But now that the zombies had been cleared out, there was nothing to worry about if he worked at night. Wang Tao was nning not just to move all the supplies to 602, but he also wanted to move those chives to the rooftop. Growing them on the balcony was obviously not as good as the rooftop. He decided to dismantle some of the furniture and use the steel pipe clothes racks on the rooftop to build a simple shed to house the diesel generator. After all, the smell was too strong; it was impossible to live with it indoors Talking about moving, in fact, there werent too many things. Items that were not immediately needed could all be left in 501. Wang Tao only needed to move daily necessities, exercise equipment, the generator, and food. As for other furniture, beds and such, he could just use those in 602. Wang Tao wasnt very picky, second-hand goods were fine for him. Ding Yuqin watched Wang Tao move bag after bag of food upstairs, which instantly gave her a sense of being abandoned Two hourster. Sister-inw, you go back to sleep, I can handle the rest, Wang Tao said, waving his hand with a hint of distaste. Ding Yuqin was too weak; her working efficiency was too low. Working together, sometimes she even got in the way. Oh After Ding Yuqin left, Wang Tao busied himself until midnight, finally settling into his new home. Then, without resting, he took a telescope to the rooftop. The weather was good that night, with stars scattered across the sky. Zombies are so active at night, but I wonder if their strength has increased Wang Tao felt an urge to have a go with the zombies at night, of course, this was just an impulse, he definitely wouldnt do it right now. Wang Tao took a dry towel, dampened it with alcohol, and then went to the edge of the rooftop, lighting the towel with a lighter. Watching the towel catch fire quickly, Wang Tao casually tossed it down. The ming towel drifted down towards the street,nding amidst a few zombies. Attracted by the light, the zombies immediately ran over, but upon feeling the heat of the mes, the surrounding zombies quickly retreated a few steps. One of the zombies stared restlessly at the mes, while the others left outright. After the towel burned out, the zombie that had remained waved its arms and came over, waiting at the ashes for a while, and then left when it found nothing. From the rooftop, Wang Tao watched all of this unfold. Then he tried another experiment, this time not with a towel but with a thick stick. After lighting the stick on fire, Wang Tao threw it towards the distance. Crack The sound of the stick hitting the ground attracted a few zombies, but after feeling the light of the fire, they, too, retreated. In the end, only two zombies remained, staring at the burning stick from afar. The stick burned longer, and after a while, those two zombies also lost patience and contorted their bodies to leave. Seeing this, Wang Tao felt a bit exhrated. If I could turn the area around thepound into a firewall, wouldnt the zombies be reluctant toe over? Then, wouldnt this at least be a rtively safe, small-scale Survivor Base? ` Of course, Wang Tao would never do that, because thismunitys location isnt great,cking tall perimeter walls, and there arent many good resources nearby. He himself had no ns to stay here for long, so there was no need to consider setting up a small Survivor Base. However, it could be turned into a temporary base The next day. Wang Tao awoke in therge bed of apartment 602. Before he could wash up, he heard a knock at the door. Upon opening it, there stood Ding Yuqin, right on time. Wang Tao, I, Ivee to make you breakfast. Today, Ding Yuqins attire was different from usual, making her look very homely. Her ck hair fell behind her, adorned with a ck butterfly-knot hairband. She wore a deep purple low-cut camisole dress, which perfectly highlighted her shapely gourd-like figure. But what was most attractive were her round, snowy, and slender legs and the rounded feet in flip-flops, stirring an urge in one to y with them. Wang Tao had just gotten out of bed, and seeing Ding Yuqins outfit, a nameless fire suddenly sparked in his heart. But his self-control was solid, after all, with so many beauties on set,cking self-restraint would be embarrassing. Wang Tao surveyed Ding Yuqin with an appreciative eye several times before stepping aside to let her in. Hmm, sister-inw,e in. Ding Yuqin, slightly stiff in her movements, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon Wang Taos invitation. She feared that once Wang Tao moved, he wouldnt need her to cook anymore. By the way, make breakfast a bit more substantial today. Wang Tao suddenly stopped walking, and Ding Yuqin, looking down, didnt notice and bumped into him. Ah! Feeling the softness behind him, Wang Tao very gentlemanly stepped aside, letting Ding Yuqin go first. Sister-inw, you should watch where youre going! With a blush on her face, Ding Yuqin replied in a low voice, Hmm. She felt that Wang Tao had done it on purpose, but she had no evidence. After watching Ding Yuqin sway her way to the kitchen, Wang Tao first went to the bathroom, then headed to the exercise area to start his workout and cool off a bit. An hourter, Ding Yuqin, who had prepared a full table of dishes, called Wang Tao to eat. Since Wang Tao had asked for a more substantial breakfast, she naturallyplied; knowing his appetite, the amount was not excessive. Sister-inw, please sit too, lets eat together. Ding Yuqin had been looking for an excuse to stay. At Wang Taos words, her face lit up with joy, and she quickly thanked him. Thank you! Wang Tao usually had her cook lunch. Does this breakfast count as an extra treat? However, Wang Taos next words dispelled Ding Yuqins hopeful thoughts. Im going out for a bitter, out of themunity, sister-inw. You just stay in your room and dont wander around. Ah? Youre leaving themunity? She subconsciously frowned, feeling scared just by the thought of stepping out of her own doorway, let alone themunity where zombies roamed outside. Could it be was Wang Tao heading to find a Survivor Base? But he hadnt agreed to take her with him yet! No wonder he didnt ask her to have breakfast and made it sovish; it turned out to be a farewell meal! Ding Yuqin became anxious at once. She instinctively grabbed Wang Taos hand with a pleading look. Wang Tao, please dont leave me behind, take me with you, Im begging you Wang Tao was startled at first, but after seeing the expression on Ding Yuqins face, he realized she might have misunderstood. So he said calmly: Its too dangerous outside, sister-inw. Its better for you to stay at home, Ill leave some food for you. ` Chapter 32 - 32: Ill Work like an Ox or a Horse to Chapter 32: Ill Work like an Ox or a Horse to Repay You_1 Trantor: 549690339 | No, I dont want it! I dont want your food! I dont want to be alone at home! I just want to go with you! Please Wang Tao! Ding Yuqin clutched Wang Taos hand tightly in her agitated state, her eyes brimming with tears. It was the first time Wang Tao had seen Ding Yuqin lose herposure like this, and he fell silent for a moment. Its not possible, its too dangerous outside. Im not afraid of danger! As long as you take me, Im not afraid of anything! Ding Yuqin quickly spoke. Wang Tao fell silent again, then said: Forgive my bluntness, but sister-inw, youre too weak physically. Going out with me, youd only be a burden. Hearing this, Ding Yuqins face turned paler and paler. Then she bit her lower lip as if making up her mind, a mix of fear and feigned seduction in her voice: As long as you take sister-inw with you, Ill do anything you ask of me please! Wang Tao continued to stay silent. But he furrowed his brow, as if in thought. Seeing that her words seemed to have an effect, Ding Yuqins hope was reignited. If one could live, nobody would choose death. But Wang Taos next words seemed to sentence her to death. Sorry, I still think its better for sister-inw to stay at your home. Lets not talk about this anymore, lets eat. Wang Tao withdrew his hand from Ding Yuqins. Not talk about it? How could they not talk about it! Ding Yuqin was not even thirty years old, she had a whole beautiful life ahead of her, she didnt want to die! Ding Yuqins face was the picture of despair. Looking at thevish spread of food before her, she simply couldnt eat Although Wang Tao had a big appetite, he ate quickly. Before Ding Yuqin could evene to her senses, he had finished eating. Then he stood up, ready to go and pack his gear. Suddenly there was a thump. Ding Yuqin knelt down in front of Wang Tao, desperately hugging his legs, her eyes welled with tears as she said: Wang Tao, I wont hold you back! Really, I swear! If theres a danger you cant handle, just leave me behind! I just hope that when you have spare strength, you can protect me for old times sake, for Brother Zhaos sake, Im begging you! Please Looking down at Ding Yuqin kneeling before him, there was indeed a perverse thrill. But Wang Tao didnt n to continue scaring her, as her HP was nearly depleted. In just this short time, her HP had dropped by twenty or thirty scaring her further might actually kill her. So, Wang Tao crouched down, intending to pat Ding Yuqin on the shoulder. But she might have misunderstood his gesture, suddenly grabbing Wang Taos hand and pressing it against her face, her voice choked: Wang Tao, as long you dont abandon sister-inw, I will repay you by working like an ox or horse in the future Feeling the softness in his hand, Wang Tao gently wiped her tears away. Looking at her frightened and even despairing gaze, Wang Tao showed a trace of confusion and said: Sister-inw, when did I say I was going to abandon you? You, you said you were going out, you said I was a burden, you wouldnt take me with you, isnt that abandoning me sob sob I said Im leaving the neighborhood to look for diesel outside, to power the homes diesel generator. Such a dangerous task, if I took you, wouldnt you be a burden? I ?n Of course, if you really wish toe with me, I will respect your decision. Get ready, and lets leave right now. Having said that, Wang Tao stood up and began to put on his gear, leaving Ding Yuqin in a daze. It seemed like a moment yet also an eternity before Ding Yuqin hurriedly got up, trotted behind Wang Tao, and started with a mix of excitement and disbelief: Wang Tao, are you serious? Youre just going out for supplies, and youlle back, right? You wont leave me behind Wang Tao twisted his body, his face showing some displeasure. Sister-inw, are you doubting my words, not believing me? NO, no, not at all, I didnt doubt you! I believe! I definitely believe you! Im just, just too excited Ding Yuqin quickly brought her hands together in prayer and bowed to Wang Tao. Alright, sister-inw, hurry up and eat. Were leaving soon. Ah, leaving? Where to? Of course, to look for diesel. Didnt you say you wanted toe with me? Hurry up, we want to leave early and return early. II II To be honest, she still wasntpletely sure whether Wang Taos words were true or if it was possible for him to just leave and nevere back. If she went with Wang Tao, then even if he really left, she wouldnt be alone here. But Wang Tao didnt seem to be deceiving her, especially since he had always been so good to her before, he probably wouldnt lie. If she really went out to look for supplies with Wang Tao, the danger would be too great, far less safe than waiting at home, and indeed she might be a burden to Wang Tao After contemting for a few seconds, Ding Yuqin, clutching the hem of her dress and looking down somewhat embarrassed, said: I, I Ill just wait for you at home Sister-inw, do you want toe out with me or wait at home? Ill wait for you toe back! Ding Yuqin didnt hesitate this time and immediately spoke up. Alright then. Make sure you stay at home and dont run around. Mmhmm! Ill help you with your gear! Ding Yuqin wiped her eyes, not minding the makeup that was slightly smeared, and hurriedly went to help Wang Tao. After they finished preparing, Wang Tao handed several packs of instant noodles to Ding Yuqin. I think I should be able toe back by tonight at thetest, but I cant be too sure. Take this food for now, in case I really get dyed, so you wont go hungry. Thank you! Ding Yuqin hurriedly took them. Alright, lets go. Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin left the house together. After watching Ding Yuqin return to her own home, Wang Tao continued downstairs. Wang Tao, you muste back safely! From behind, Ding Yuqin opened a crack in the door and called out softly with a hint of worry. She was not sure whether she was more worried about Wang Tao getting hurt or the possibility that he might not return at all. Mm. Wang Tao waved his hand. When he reached the bottom of the building, he didnt go out immediately but first went to unit 201. He cracked open a window slightly, there was no security grille here. If there was someone blocking the main entrance when he returned, he could climb in through this window. Although it was unlikely to be needed, it was better to be prepared for any eventuality. As he left, probably hearing the noise, the balding uncle also came out. He was surprised to see Wang Tao fully Armed . Young man, are you going out? Yeah. Were running low on supplies at home, need to go out and look for some. Although his home still had quite a bit of supplies, his consumption was also substantial, so saying they were running low was not far from the truth. There are two of you at home, thats a lot of consumption indeed! The balding uncle had seen Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin act together before and thought Ding Yuqin was Wang Taos girlfriend. Although they live in the same building, its not unusual for residents not to know each other well.. Chapter 33 - 33 Stealth Potion (Medium)_l Chapter 33: Stealth Potion (Medium)_l Trantor: 549690339 Be careful, young man! Youve got a delicate wife waiting for you at home, you cant afford to have an ident! The bald uncle cheered Wang Tao on. It must be said, although the bald uncle was physically weak and easily frightened, he had a kind heart. Wang Tao didnt exin much. Dont worry, Uncle, Im naturally not going to have an ident. But you, please dont go out no matter what, just move around inside the building, its too dangerous outside! Haha, rest assured, Im too scared to step outside. I have to stay alive to reunite with my wife and children! The bald uncle took out a family photo from his pocket, his eyes brimming with longing. Then Im relieved! The bald uncle did not dy Wang Tao any further and left after exchanging a few words. Wang Tao proceeded downstairs and through the security doors window, he could see several zombies roaming around outside. He waited quietly for a while and, when he saw the zombies slowly moving away from the door, Wang Tao took a deep breath and then burst through the security door. ck! The sound of the security door opening instantly attracted the attention of a few zombies. Wang Tao didnt even nce at them, he closed the door and sprinted towards themunity wall in the distance! Heh heh Roar The zombies that noticed him immediately began to twist their bodies and stagger towards Wang Tao. Although Wang Tao was running, he didnt forget to observe the zombies around him, making sure there were none that could stealth, sprint, or had other special abilities. Fortunately, for the time being, the zombies speed didnt seem fast, and as long as he wasnt surrounded, there would be no threat to his life. After a dozen seconds, Wang Tao safely sprinted to the wall and then, with a foot on the bare wall, he leaped forcefully, grabbing onto the top of the wall. Heave! Wang Taos arm muscles bulged, he eximed lightly, and used the formidable strength of his upper body to lift his entire lower body up. By the time two nearby zombies sluggishly arrived, Wang Tao was already standing atop the wall, out of their reach as they waved their arms helplessly. Wang Tao suddenly felt that if he used the one-meter-long steel pipe from behind to strike the heads of the zombies below, couldnt he slowly wear them all down? After all, the zombies couldnt reach him Perhaps its a good method, but now is not the right time, Ill let them off the hook! Wang Tao hadnt forgotten his purpose, securing diesel fuel was crucial, killing zombies was secondary for now. He looked toward the other side of the wall, the situation on this street was the same as what he had seen from the rooftop; not many zombies. A few zombies were in the distance but they had not noticed him yet. Lucky break! Wang Tao lightly jumped off the wall. The cracked ground, ck bloodstains everywhere, newspapers and government notices scattered around, cars burned down to their frames, and moss-covered mottled walls Viewing the post-apocalyptic destion on the street instilled a sudden sense of loneliness. Wang Tao took a deep breath, cast aside theseplex emotions, and stealthily made his way to the Big Mouth Meat Eating diner across the street. The ss door of the small diner was ajar, revealing a scene of disarray inside, with many chairs and tables damaged and dried blood smears on the ground and walls. Wang Tao was not surprised by this scene; gripping the one-meter-long steel wolf fang club tightly, he slowly entered. This time when he left the house, he brought all three steel pipesthe two 50cm and one 1-meter-long. He had modified each of these weapons. Of the two 50cm steel pipes, he turned one into a long-handled sheeps horn hammer, the weapon he found mostfortable to wield so far. The other one was modified by stuffing a small sharp-tipped steel bar inside to create a short spear. As for the one-meter steel pipe, he drilled several holes in it and inserted long nails, transforming it into a wolf fang club. In more open spaces, its better to use this one-meter-long steel pipe Wolf Fang Club. After entering the shop, he carefully avoided the ss shards on the floor and then quickly surveyed the hall. He mainly wanted to see if there were any zombies hiding behind the cash register. He had been ambushed by a crafty zombie before, and if he had time, he would make sure to check carefully. Fortunately, there was nothing under the cash register. Looking at the change in the drawer, Wang Tao casually grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his pocket. This trip hadnt been in vain. Wang Tao checked the street behind him and, seeing no zombies approaching, held the Wolf Fang Club and walked into the back kitchen. The kitchen was a mess, plundered bare, but thankfully there were no bloodstains. The small diner had two doors, one was the front door he had juste through, and the other was a side door next to a bedroom where staff could rest, leading out into an alley. The side door was open, and outside was a domestically made white pickup truck with its stic wrap barely torn. It belonged to Boss Li. The truck surely had fuel inside; that day Wang Tao had seen Boss Li refueling it. But this raised another issue; if Boss Lis truck was here, it meant he hadnt left Wang Tao nced at the tightly closed bedroom door. Since their store also served breakfast, Boss Li and his wife usually slept in the shop for convenience in the mornings. Wang Tao guessed that either they had been bitten by zombies that came from outside and turned into zombies, or they had be zombies inside this bedroom on the first day. Regardless, they had definitely been infected. Because their fuel-filled truck was here, and had they not been infected, they would likely have fled to the countryside in it! The bedroom door was locked, and Wang Tao prepared to pick the lock. He hade out well-prepared this time. Things like weapons, some lock-picking tools, food, binocrs, a shlight, even a small radio, mobile phone, walkie-talkie, and so on were all with him. After all, the mission was to scavenge for supplies, and having iplete tools wouldnt do. Besides, being tall and strong meant carrying these items was no hassle for him. Click- After fiddling with the door lock for a while, he sessfully unlocked it. Thankfully, the door was not bolt-locked, otherwise, even the best lock-picking skills would have been useless. Wang Tao gently pushed the door open and immediately saw a fat figure lying on its side on the bed, covered with a nket and facing away from him. Seeing that red HP bar above its head, Wang Tao didnt hesitate. He rushed in and struck its head brutally with the Wolf Fang Club. Bang! Dark blood sttered. [-156] [394/550] Heh heh The zombie let out an unpleasant hiss as it tried to turn over. Wang Tao kicked it in the waist through the nket, flipping it back again. Then Wang Tao pulled out the Wolf Fang Club and delivered three consecutive blows. St! [-142] [-143] [-109] [0/550] [Acquired: Stealth Potion (Medium) x2] Huh? Another crafty zombie? Chapter 34 - 34: Great Harvest__l Chapter 34: Great Harvest__l Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao was very surprised; he had thought that zombies capable of stealth were all hiding in dark ces, waiting tounch surprise attacks. But now it seemed that wasnt necessarily the case. Like the one in front of him-when Wang Tao came over, it didnt attack first but continued lying on the bed. If Wang Tao hadnt seen the red HP bar above its head as soon as he entered, he wouldnt have been so decisive. If someone else hade in unsuspectingly to check, they might have been in big trouble. After killing it, Wang Taos HP increased by 20, and he was now at [205/205]. Wang Tao couldnt help but feel that his physical capabilities had slightly enhanced after his HP broke through 200 But there was no time to test it now; hed study it carefully when he got back. He flipped the zombies body over, and although half of its head had been smashed by him, he could still recognize from the other half that this was the proprietress of the shop. As for where Boss Li had gone Wang Tao suddenly flipped back the quilt, only to see a bunch of bloody human bones lying in the arms of the zombie proprietress. Shua Wang Tao hurriedly covered the quilt again; he would lose HP too if he saw such scenes too much. Having confirmed there was no immediate danger in the bedroom, Wang Tao turned his attention to the spoils he had obtained from killing the zombie proprietress. [Obtained: Stealth Potion (Medium) X2] [Stealth Potion (Medium): After injection, it can hide ones scent, making it harder for zombies to detect. Duration 1 hour, cooldown time 12 hours. Friendly Reminder: Best used during daytime for maximum effect.] Great stuff! And its a double dose of potions! Wang Tao had previously guessed that there might be Medium and Large Stealth Potions, some of which might help hide from zombies, and he was right! What he wascking now was this kind of potion; potions for avoiding people werent of much use to him, at least not for the moment. But these for avoiding zombies were extremely useful! He even felt like injecting a Stealth Potion now and going to provoke some zombies But such dangerous thoughts were fleeting. Because it was clearly stated in the description that its harder to be detected by zombies, not wont be detected by zombies! Wang Tao guessed that the principle behind the Stealth Potion might be to lower his own human scent? Zombies could normally detect him from a distance, but after injecting the potion, they could only do so from close proximity? He figured that was more or less right. After storing the Stealth Potion carefully, Wang Tao started scavenging for other spoils. The bedroom wasnt big, a bed and some sundries upied the entire space. Boss Li and his wife were usually simple folks, not wearing much jewelry, so Wang Tao didnt bother searching their bodies. It was mainly the other things in the bedroom; Wang Tao immediately noticed three army-green square tin oil drums in the corner, eachbeled with a 20L mark. Wang Tao tried them out and found only one drum was full, another had only half diesel left, and thest was empty. However, this was enough for Wang Tao; apparently, one liter of diesel could generate 3 to 4 kilowatt-hours of electricity, so with roughly thirty liters, that was almost 100 kilowatt-hours! If he only used this electricity for freezing in his fridge, his fridges daily consumption was less than one kilowatt-hour, so this wouldst for quite some time. After setting aside the oil drums, Wang Tao continued his scavenging. But there wasnt much of value left in the bedroom, and he found only a wallet, a car key, and two mobile phones. Then Wang Tao went to the kitchen. Although the kitchen looked like it had been ransacked, some food was left behind. Wang Tao didnt dare take some of the dirtier food, not sure if it had been contaminated with zombie blood. After a simple selection process, he took an unopened 25kg bag of rice, a 25kg bag of flour, several bags of salt, sugar, some rice noodles, arge number 0 beverages, two bottles of beer, and a big bag of various types of takeout seasoning packets, roughly weighing 20kg. I didnt expect you, the bushy-browed Boss Li, to use seasoning packets Wang Tao slightly criticized in his mind, but it was a good thing for him, as at least these unopened seasoning packets were clean and offered a rich variety of vors, which werent too bad. After sorting these things out, they weighed a hefty one hundred and fifty kilograms! theres a bit too much to carry in one go. Wang Tao suddenly found himself with the happy problem of abundance. Fortunately, he lived close to the residential area, so he could just make a few trips. just as Wang Tao confirmed there were no zombies around and prepared to take some of the items home first, he suddenly heard a faint buzzing noise. Hmm? Whats that sound? And its getting louder! Wang Tao was instantly on guard. He put down the supplies and gripped the Wolf Fang Club in his hands tightly. The zombies outside seemed to have hear the noise too, and were getting restless. in this post-apocalyptic world, any small change could prove deadly. Without knowing exactly what was going on, Wang Tao didnt dare take the risk and head home. He continued to wait in the restaurant, but he had already hung the iron hook of the roll-up door on the door itself, ready to bring it down in an instant should zombies approach. As for the back door of the small restaurant, Wang Tao had locked it from the inside long ago. Buzz- Whoosh- The sound grew from a distance, and Wang Tao, hiding by the door, suddenly looked up. In the distant azure sky, a small ck dot appeared. Thats a ne! Wang Taos gaze sharpened, his heart suddenly filled with excitement. He quickly checked his phone in his pocket. Today is April 18th, the day the Government said they would make the airdrop! The Government is still there-at least its still operating well enough to keep its promises! Wang Taos spirits rose all at once, his eyes firmly fixed on the growing ck dot. As the roar of the turboprop engine grew louder, Wang Tao recognized it as a Government military transport ne! Could it really be an airdrop? Wang Tao was hopeful. If only the airdrop wouldnd nearby Whoosh Hehe Roar With the arrival of the ne, the zombies outside grew more frenzied and started running about wildly. Wang Tao was a bit anxious. Luckily, there werent many zombies around, so for the time being, there wasnt much risk of being exposed. Theyre dropping supplies! Suddenly, Wang Tao saw crates being released from the transport nes rear, like an animalying eggs. Some of the airdrops had parachutes unfold, whtle others didnt. As the ne drew closer, Wang Tao grew more excited. However, he quickly cursed under his breath because, as it got closer, he realized the ne was starting to turn! Forget it, thats just my luckhmm? just as Wang Tao was about toment his bad luck, he saw the ne make a turn and suddenly drop another airdrop! This one was very close to him; he could even see therge letters on the crate! And it was a parachute-equipped airdrop! Wang Tao was instantly torn. To take, or not to take. Chapter 35 - 35: Liars, all liars! 1 Chapter 35: Liars, all liars! 1 Trantor: 549690339 | Ding Yuqin had wanted to sleep at home, hoping to see Wang Tao safe and sound when she woke up. But with Wang Tao not around, she felt so insecure that she couldnt fall asleep at all. So, she watched Wang Tao from the balcony. Due to the angle, she didnt see how Wang Tao left Building No. 4 or how he avoided the zombies, but she saw him effortlessly scale the courtyard wall and dodge the zombies. This made Ding Yuqin a bit excited. Wang Tao is so strong, nothing will go wrong with him! She couldnt see what happened to Wang Tao after he climbed over the wall; she could only see part of the street. Nevertheless, she stayed on the balcony, asionally ncing toward the entrance of themunity, with her hands busy sewing a ck mask. This was a doubleyered mask, with a white skulls big mouth on it. Wang Tao had seen a garment with a skull head on it before, and he thought that cutting out the skull head and sewing it onto the mask would definitely look cool. However, Wang Tao had only mentioned this idea casually because these fancy essories that didnt increase fighting ability werent his priority. He would rather spend that time training. Moreover, his sewing skills were inadequate. But Ding Yuqin took his words to heart. Since she didnt have much to do at home, she decisively helped Wang Tao sew a handsome new mask. Just as she finished sewing the mask, she saw the zombies in themunity downstairs bing more frenzied, followed by a faint buzzing noise. She didnt know what was happening, but the sight of the frenzy outside sent her heart racing. Wang Tao, you must be okay The noise outside grew louder, the zombies downstairs became more frenzied, and Ding Yuqins anxiety and excitement intensified. It sounds like a ne She hadnt seen the cargo ne, but she had been on nes before, and the noise was simr. She guessed that it might be a ne passing by. Her nervousness was naturally for Wang Tao, while the excitement came from the thought of the governments rescue. However, after living through so many days of the apocalypse, she hadpletely lost hope in the idea of rescue. Even now, hearing the sound of a ne, she didnt dare to harbor too much hope. After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. She had now pinned all her hopes on Wang Tao. Wang Tao had promised her he wouldnt abandon her! And just as Ding Yuqin prayed for Wang Tao to return quickly, she suddenly heard another roar. But this sound wasnt from above; it was at the entrance of themunity. She quickly focused her gaze and saw a white pickup truck suddenly backing out from a small alley, then sharply swerved ny degrees, positioning the drivers side towards Happy Community. Thats Wang Tao! Ding Yuqin suddenly clenched the mask in her hands with some excitement. Although the distance was too far for her to see the drivers face clearly, she was too familiar with Wang Taos build and his head-to-toe ck armed gear! Is he nning to drive the car back to themunity? He must have gotten a lot of supplies! Thats great Ding Yuqins monologue suddenly stuttered. Because she realized that Wang Tao wasnt driving into themunity but heading directly towards another street. In the blink of an eye, she could only see the two red tail lights on the white pickup truck. He left? Ding Yuqins expression became somewhat nk. Thud The newly sewn mask fell to the ground from her hands. He promised me, if he had the strength left, he wouldnt abandon me He obviously still had the strength Liar! All liars! Sob sob Ten minutes earlier. After agonizing for a few seconds, Wang Tao decided to go for the airdrop. As the saying goes, opportunities are reserved for the prepared. The airdrop wasnt far from him, and if he failed to seize this chance, who knew when the next one wouldeif there would even be a next time. Moreover, Wang Tao desired the airdrop not just for the resources inside; he was more eager to learn the current state of the outside world and the Government; to know if there was a chance of restoring order; if the Government had any deeper understanding of the apocalypse He was certain the Government would leave information in the airdrop. So, this was an opportunity. Conveniently, there was a pickup truck outside, filled with gas. The airdrop had fallen in a less crowded area where there were rtively fewer vehicles on the road Most importantly, he had two Stealth Potionsa source of confidence! Wang Tao wasnt too fond of taking risks, but now with so many favorable conditions before him, he felt the risk was worth taking! Thus, Wang Tao picked up the car keys, opened the pickup truck door, and loaded all the supplies he had just gathered onto the vehicle. Then, with a skilled reverse and drift, he floored the elerator before the distant zombies could react. Boom The white pickup truck roared away as several zombies at the roadside choked on its exhaust. Inside the vehicle. Wang Tao felt the wind passing by his ears and watched the houses swiftly fly by, feeling a swell of pride in his heart. Who says you have to hide at home during the apocalypse? Wasnt he having fun outside? Seeing some zombies on the road, Wang Tao extended his middle finger, offering them an international friendly gesture, and courteously inquired about the health of their family members. Soon, the vehicle approached a residential square. Several abandoned vehicles blocked the entrance, and Wang Tao remembered there were quite a few zombies inside the square. He immediately reduced speed, trying to be as quiet as possible, then sought a path through. At the entrance of the square, a skinny female zombie was hanging its head low. As the pickup approached, it slowly lifted its head, revealing a gaping mouth that stretched to its ears, then it opened its mouth even wider. Then Ahh A piercing Screaming sound, like fingernails on ss, erupted from its mouth. Wang Tao, inside the truck, jumped in shock. What the hell! He looked towards the source and saw the female zombie with the wide-open mouth. Huh? It only has [200/200] HP? But before Wang Tao could express his surprise, he saw arge group of zombies in the distant square awakened by the Screaming, turning their heads one after another towards the pickup, then walking and even Running towards Wang Taos location! Damn it! Seeing at least a hundred zombies charging toward him, Wang Tao could no longer worry about finding a way through. He whipped the steering wheel around and drove straight into the Screaming zombie. Bang [-34] [-166] [0/200] The Screaming zombie was first struck and sent flying, then its head was crushed under the wheels of the truck, killing it instantly! Wang Tao, with one hand out the window, willed the Screaming zombies drop bag into his body after it diedhe had tested earlier that as long as he was within about three meters from a zombie, he could absorb the transparent bag. Without even looking at what the zombie dropped, he floored the gas pedal again, and the unrelenting pickup continued on, crashing into the back of an abandoned sedan ahead. Bang! A loud crash sounded, the abandoned vehicle was shoved aside, while the pickup shuddered violently, its body twirling uncontrobly. Wang Tao jerked the steering wheel twice in quick session, forcibly stabilizing the vehicle. ncing in the rear-view mirror at the horde of at least a hundred ferocious zombies in pursuit, Wang Tao stepped on the gas once more. Damn it, I cant afford to show off like this anymore! Chapter 36 - 36 Tap Water Plant i Chapter 36: Tap Water nt i Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao finally understood why during the ten or so days he had stayed at home, he had never seen vehicles on the streets outside nor heard any noise. On the one hand, there were few survivors left outside. More importantly, these things truly had an incredible ability to attract zombies! With a horde of zombies following the car, he couldn¡¯t stop; and the faster he went, the louder the noise became, resulting in even more zombies following behind¡­ This was a vicious cycle! If the road had been clear, the zombies definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch up with the car. But there were obstacles everywhere on the road, severely hindering the driving speed. Especially when sometimes he had to ram through roadblocks, not only affecting the speed but also creating a huge amount of noise¡­ Seeing that the car was not getting any further from the zombie horde but instead more and more zombies were piling up behind, Wang Tao realized he might have been too rash. Driving a car now, even towards less popted areas, was still too dangerous. However, the more dangerous the situation got, the calmer Wang Tao¡¯s mind became. ¡°I can only try this!¡± Aftering to a small alley, he suddenly mmed on the brakes. Then he grabbed his weapons, got out of the car, closed the door, all in one fluid motion. Looking back at the dense crowd of zombies, he immediately ducked into a small alley. These zombies had a clear target, which was Wang Tao. After Wang Tao ducked into the alley, they scrambled after him. Inside the alley, Wang Tao zigzagged left and right; after about half a minute, although he couldn¡¯t see the zombies due to the buildings blocking the view, he could hear movements all around him. In Wang Tao¡¯s right hand shed a needle-free injector. [Stealth Potion (Medium): Upon injection, it conceals one¡¯s own scent, making it difficult for zombies to detect. Duration 1 hour, cooldown 12 hours. Friendly reminder: Best used during the day.] Without any hesitation, he rolled up his sleeve, aimed the injector at his arm, and pressed the trigger. ¡°Pfft~¡± A minor sting was felt, but Wang Tao didn¡¯t even frown. He saw an icon under his HP barbeled ¡°Stealth (Medium)¡± followed by two lines of text¡ª [Duration: 59:59] [Cooldown: 11:59:59 (During cooldown, using the same type of potion is ineffective)] Soon, Wang Tao felt his body growing colder and colder, his breathing slowing down, and his limbs feeling heavier and heavier. ¡°¡­This thing shouldn¡¯t be toxic, should it?¡± Feeling the changes in his body, Wang Tao was still somewhat anxious. But fortunately, after about three to five seconds, his body temperature ceased to fall, his breathing became steady, and his limbs were only slightly numb. His movement was not greatly affected. And the biggest change was the smell of decay emanating from his body¡­ it was exactly like the scent of a zombie! ¡°To hide my own scent, it turns it into that of a zombie¡¯s? Making the zombies mistake me for one of their own? Sounds about right¡­¡± After Wang Tao injected the Stealth Potion, the zombie horde seemed to have lost their target, and the noise around decreased bit by bit, soon bing silent. Wang Tao gathered up his courage and went back to take a look. He saw arge crowd of zombies standing idly in the alley, looking somewhat confused. Wang Tao took a few steps closer, and the zombies showed no reaction. Wang Tao took a few more steps closer, and still, the zombies had no reaction. It was only when Wang Tao was about three meters away from the closest zombie that it finally turned its head, looking at Wang Tao with its cataract-clouded eyes. Wang Tao was ready to run at any moment, but the zombie just looked at him and made no move. When he was about two meters away, the zombie finally made a move. However, it wasn¡¯t an attack, but a slow approach towards Wang Tao. This didn¡¯t seem like a zombie discovering a human, but more like a zombie perceiving something and wanting toe over to check it out. Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to try again, given that there were still over a hundred zombies in the alley. He ran off immediately, deliberately making some noise as he moved. Upon hearing the sounds of footsteps, the zombies sessively turned to look at Wang Tao¡¯s retreating figure, but apart from a few that clumsily followed, the rest remained motionless. ¡°It seems that zombies do not rely on a single sense to hunt for prey, but rather abination of senses to make aprehensive judgement¡­ Now that the ¡®human scent¡¯ on me has vanished, as long as I don¡¯t make too much noise, these zombies should lose interest in me¡­¡± He emerged from another alley and returned to the vicinity of his pickup truck. Not a single zombie was around the pickup truck¡ªthey had all been lured away. Wang Tao got into the vehicle and started it. Hum- The truck gave off a buzzing sound. This time he didn¡¯t dare to drive too fast; the pickup was new, and it wasn¡¯t very loud at low speeds. Moreover, since he no longer had any human smell, he figured he probably wouldn¡¯t attract too much attention from the zombies¡­ Sure enough, after slowing down, he became a lot safer. Some zombies, even if they saw the truck pass by, would chase it for a couple of steps and then, losing interest, stop. Perhaps from their point of view, they saw a zombie driving a truck? Having wasted so much time, the air drop had alreadynded. Thankfully, afternding, the air drop would emit a red smoke, and there were no tall buildings in the vicinity to obstruct the view, making the smoke quite visible. ¡°It¡¯s in the northern direction, I can take the outer ring road!¡± Looking at the red smoke, Wang Tao immediately drove towards the outer ring. On the outer ring road, there were significantly fewer abandoned vehicles, and naturally, fewer zombies. Wang Tao slightly increased his speed and even purposefully ran over a couple of stray zombies. [Received: de xi] [de: Crafting material] [Received: Can xi] [Can: Crafting material] He acquired two new crafting materials and gained 10 HP. Once he confirmed it was temporarily safe, Wang Tao finally had time to check out the loot from the Screaming Zombie he had earlier run over. [Screaming Potion (small): After consumption, for the next 10 minutes, you can produce a piercing and prolonged scream. Cooldown: 12 hours. Friendly reminder: Screaming may cause some degree of damage to the vocal cords, it is advised not to speak for the rest of the day.] ¡°It¡¯s a great item! Zombies are sensitive to sound, and at a crucial moment, it might even lure them away! Despite some side effects, nothing too serious!¡± Wang Tao instantly thought of many scenarios where he could use the Screaming Potion, even set a trap, scream to attract the zombies and then kill them one by one¡­ But now was not the time for daydreaming, he quickly checked the position of the smoke. ¡°Over there¡­ that should be the water treatment nt location! I can turn there at the T-junction up ahead¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± However, after turning at the fork, Wang Tao suddenly heard some rustling noisesing from the forest across the road. He nced sideways and his pupils suddenly contracted. All he could see was an enormous shadow, over three meters tall, flickering in and out of the trees. He couldn¡¯t make out its specific features, but he could see those red-glowing eyes and¡­[10000/10000] Ten thousand HP! Chapter 37 - 37 Terrifying Figure 1 Chapter 37: Terrifying Figure 1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°II¡± After three seconds of stiffness in his body. Boom¡ª The pickup truck¡¯s engine roared as it quickly left the outer ring road. It wasn¡¯t until the trees in the rearview mirror were no longer visible that Wang Tao gradually slowed down and then parked behind a low building. ¡°Huff-huff-¡± Wang Tao gasped for breath, his back drenched in cold sweat. ¡°Good thing it didn¡¯t follow, what the hell was that thing!¡± The moment he had made eye contact with that thing, Wang Tao felt as if his blood had frozen. He wanted to move, but he was paralyzed! If it hadn¡¯t been for his strong will, forcefully pressing down on the elerator, he might not have lived to see tomorrow¡¯s sun! ¡°Definitely not a zombie, zombies don¡¯t have that kind of intelligent look in their eyes! And my Stealth state was useless on it! Judging by its physique, it seemed more like a four-legged beast¡­ Most importantly, it had ten thousand HP!¡± ¡°They say the city isn¡¯t safe, but it seems the wilderness isn¡¯t any better! Damn!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s face was pale. He would rather face zombies than deal with this kind of unknown creature. At least he could kill zombies, but facing this monster¡­ Just thinking about the feeling of being targeted, he didn¡¯t even have the courage to fight it! I¡¯d better hurry and get the airdrop. I¡¯m noting back here for such deadly business again!¡± Wang Tao took a deep breath, rested for a short while, and then headed for the water treatment nt. This road had been under repair before the virus outbreak and was quite empty for a long stretch, with no cars. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to drive too fast, fearing the noise would be too loud. He proceeded with extreme caution. After about ten minutes, he finally arrived outside the water treatment nt. The water treatment nt was in a remote location with few peopleing and going, and ess required a pass. Additionally, with a rtively good level of automation, it was said that there were only about twenty staff members, so the number of zombies inside should be low. ¡°I hope it hasn¡¯t been picked up by someone¡­¡± Muttering to himself, Wang Tao parked the truck in the empty space at the entrance of the water nt; it was deserted, with no cars or zombies in sight. After scouting around and seeing no issues, he finally took his weapons and got out of the truck, approaching the guardhouse. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± A silhouette in a security uniformy inside the guardhouse, and as Wang Tao approached, it slowly raiseditshead. Without a word, Wang Tao swung his Wolf Fang Club. Bang! Dark blood sttered everywhere. [-231] [179/500] The zombie that had just steadied itself was knocked back. Wang Tao stepped forward and swung two more times with his club. [-245] [-24] [0/500] The zombie¡¯s head burst open. In a one-on-one situation and well-prepared, Wang Tao found it basically effortless to kill an ordinary zombie. Moreover, when he had previously reached 200 HP, that feeling of bing stronger wasn¡¯t an illusion! His physique had indeed improved-previously, his attacks on zombie heads would register a bit over a hundred HP, not counting child zombies with their lower defense. But now, each strike dealt over two hundred HP! The maximum HP increased by 5 again, reaching [240/240] [Received: Tape xi] [Tape: Crafting material] Another new material he hadn¡¯t seen before, Wang Tao casually took it. Wang Tao searched the body of the security zombie and the guardhouse, finding a walkie-talkie with no battery, a set of keys, and a rubber baton. Having the keys meant Wang Tao didn¡¯t have to bother picking the locks. Click- tter¡ª He slowly opened the metal gate, ensuring no zombies were approaching, and then drove the pickup truck inside. The water treatment nt was vast, filled with water storage tanks. The water inside looked clean and seemed to be uncontaminated. Wang Tao also surveyed the surrounding walls, thinking that maybe this ce could be turned into a Survivor Base. But the ce was too big; without enough people to guard it, it certainly wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°There it is!¡± After wandering around the factory for a while, Wang Tao finally spotted the airdrop, located in a yard surrounded by iron fencing. In the yard, there were some machines he didn¡¯t recognize and a room with a closed door marked with ¡°High Voltage Room, No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed.¡± It seemed to be a distribution room. The no-longer-smoking airdrop was right by the door of the power distribution room. Next to the airdrop were two zombies dressed in worker uniforms, wearing hard hats. ¡°Phew- finally found you!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat excited. This airdrop was clearly unopened, and he was eager to see what was inside. But before that, he had to deal with the two zombies in the courtyard. Wang Tao looked at his HP bar below and noticed that the stealth state had half a minute left. He decided to wait for the state to expire before going in. Because being in stealth mode made his body somewhat stiff, slightly affecting his movements, and it seemed to weaken his strength a bit. Even with the stealth effect, if he got too close to the zombies, he would still be discovered. So it was better to wait and face the enemy in the best condition. After all, these two zombies had 600 HP, more than any he had encountered before. A minute passed quickly, the feeling of obstruction in his body gradually dissipated, his body temperature slowly rose, his heartbeat began to return to normal, and that rotten smell finally vanished. Thump, thump- Feeling the heartbeat and the strength in his hands, Wang Tao then got out of the car holding the Wolf Fang Club. The lock outside the courtyard was open, saving him a lot of trouble. He pushed the door open and strode into the yard. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The two zombies in the courtyard immediately came toward Wang Tao when they heard the noise. Having lost the effect of the Stealth Potion, the zombies¡¯ perception range of him was greatly increased. Seeing one of the zombies enter his attack range, Wang Tao swung the Wolf Fang Club and smashed it right into its temple. Bang! [-36] [564/600] The safety helmet burst open, but the zombie only lost a bit over thirty HP. ¡°This safety helmet is really good quality!¡± Wang Taoined in his heart, then swung his club down again. [-165] [399/600] ¡°Hiss! Its defense is much higher than ordinary zombies¡­¡± Just at the door, Wang Tao dealt over two hundred damage to an ordinary zombie, but now he was only doing a bit over one hundred. The zombie staggered backward from Wang Tao¡¯s blows but didn¡¯t give him a chance to finish it off as the other zombie stretched out its arms to grab him. Wang Tao hurriedly switched targets. [-33] First, he shattered the other zombie¡¯s safety helmet, then used the books on his arm to block a hit. Taking advantage of the zombie grabbing his armguard, Wang Tao kicked it in the stomach. [-3] Although the damage was low, it sent the zombie flying. Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother with it anymore since the first zombie had already lunged at him. [-171] [-153] Even though this worker zombie was tough, Wang Tao had fast attack speed and great strength. Two consecutive blows left it with just a sliver of HP. Looking at the zombie now dazed, Wang Tao pulled out the Homemade Short Spear from his waist and thrust it into its forehead. Squish- [-75] [0/600] Picking up its dropped loot casually, Wang Tao turned to the other zombie. He swiftly dispatched it too. Wang Tao felt these worker zombies had more HP, higher defense, and greater strength than ordinary zombies¡ªhe had taken two hits to the chest from a zombie, losing 10 HP. But each of those two zombies had added 10 HP to him, now he was at [250/260]. After collecting the loot, Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother to inspect it closely and immediately went to the green airdrop box. With eyes sparkling, he looked at the massive box. ¡°Let me see, what good stuff is inside¡­¡± Thud¡ªThud¡ª ¡°Hm? What¡¯s that noise?¡± Just as Wang Tao was about to open the box, he suddenly felt some vibrations on the ground. Bang! The iron door of the power distribution room behind him suddenly flew out, heading straight for him! Wang Tao instinctively protected his body with his arms. Bang! Crash¡ª His body mmed harshly against the iron railing. A towering figure in work clothes, holding a Reinforced Concrete Hammer, emerged from the power distribution room¡­. Chapter 38 - 38 Big Hammer Zombie_l Chapter 38: Big Hammer Zombie_l Trantor: 549690339 It hurt, a piercing pain! Wang Tao struggled to get up from the ground, his arms numb and everywhere else aching. [-80] [170/260] He nced at his HP bar, a direct loss of 80 HP! Thud¨C thud Zzzt This was a gigantic zombie, at least two meters twenty-three tall, dressed in an orange work uniform with reflective stripes, dragging a reinforced concrete hammer and walking step by step toward Wang Tao, as sparks flew when the steel bar scraped against the ground. ¡°What the hell is this!¡± Looking at the opponent¡¯s HP bar of [1000/1000] above its head, Wang Tao swallowed hard. As the Big Hammer Zombie stepped out of the house into the sunlight, it suddenly covered its eyes with its hand. This gave Wang Tao the chance to escape; he hurried over to pick up his weapon. But looking at his own ¡®toothpick¡¯ in hand and then at the opponent¡¯s massive club, Wang Tao¡¯s face turned ugly. How was he supposed to fight this? Thud¨C thud Zzzt The Big Hammer Zombie approached Wang Tao once again. Wang Tao nced at the side door, then back at the airdrop behind the Big Hammer Zombie, gritted his teeth, and instantly prepared to retreat. Airdrops are great, but one must be alive to take them. And just then, when the Big Hammer Zombie was more than three meters away from Wang Tao, it suddenly raised its hammer with both hands and then smashed it down fiercely! ¡°It¡¯s moving so slowly!¡± Wang Tao observed as he dodged. If the opponent¡¯s speed was slow, then he might stand a chance to fight! What Wang Tao didn¡¯t expect was that, although he had clearly dodged the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s attack, when the attack hit the ground, it created a visible small-range shockwave! Thud! Bang! Woosh Wang Tao was hit by the shockwave and mmed against the iron fence. He felt his vision blurring and as if all his organs had shifted, his mouth even tasted somewhat sweet. [-102] [-23] [45/260] Only less than 20% HP left! Thud¨C thud Zzzt The Big Hammer Zombie, dragging the steel bar, once again walked toward Wang Tao step by step. Now, with the Big Hammer Zombie standing at the gate, Wang Tao felt he couldn¡¯t even run if he wanted to. The iron fence wasn¡¯t high, but climbing over it also took time, and he didn¡¯t think the Big Hammer Zombie would give him that time! Plus, he felt so weak and achy all over, he doubted he could make it over. ¡°Is today the day I¡¯m going to fall here¡­¡± Wang Tao struggled to his feet, then slowly moved towards where the airdropy. The Big Hammer Zombie followed Wang Tao¡¯s movements to switch direction, but while looking at Wang Tao, it suddenly covered its eyes with its hand again, and its steps came to a halt. Despite being in grave danger, Wang Tao remained calm. ¡°The Big Hammer Zombie has blocked its eyes twice! What is it blocking?¡± Wang Tao hastily looked back, the afternoon sunlight making him squint instantly. ¡°It¡¯s blocking the sunlight! Is it afraid of light?!¡± Joy surged in Wang Tao¡¯s heart. He quickly started searching on himself. Thud¨C thud Zzzt The Big Hammer Zombie, dragging the steel bar, slowly approached. Because it was facing the sunlight, it moved very slowly this time, shielding its eyes with its hand every few steps. But it eventually got close to Wang Tao and then raised its reinforced steel hammer. Bang! This time, Wang Tao was prepared, he ducked at a greater distance and was not hit by the shockwave. However, there wasn¡¯t much space to begin with, so in order to dodge the attack, Wang Tao had no choice but to vacate the spot, which allowed the Big Hammer Zombie to see him without staring directly into the sunlight afterward. Thud¡ªThud¡ª Ssshhh¡ª As the Big Hammer Zombie approached Wang Tao again, ready to lift its hammer, Wang Tao suddenly pulled something out of his pocket and shone it at the zombie. Woosh¡ª A blinding white light emitted from the shlight in Wang Tao¡¯s hand, striking the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s eyes. Bang- The Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s freshly raised hammer instantly fell to the ground as it covered its eyes with its hands. ¡°Huff¡ª¡± Wang Tao, seeing that his shlight wasn¡¯t damaged and that it was effective against the Big Hammer Zombie, breathed a sigh of relief. It was a powerful shlight he had found while scavenging in a building. Even in broad daylight, its beam was clearly visible. Wang Tao carried many things with him for contingencies, like having to spend the night outside, and the shlight was one of these things. But he had never imagined that the first time he would use the shlight outside would be under such circumstances. Now that he had discovered the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s weakness, Wang Tao was in no hurry to run. With the shlight in his left hand continuously shining on the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s eyes, he wielded the Wolf Fang Club in his right hand, quickly got up close, and struck its head! [-34] This damage number left Wang Tao in stunned silence. But there was no time to ponder; he struck twice more. [-25] [-31] Wang Tao: ¡°Roar-¡± The Big Hammer Zombie, enduring the difort from the light, swung its other hand violently. Bang! [-141 [30/260] Wang Tao blocked the blow with the armguard on his arm, but his entire arm went numb, and he lost 14 HP. Looking at his own remaining 30 HP, Wang Tao¡¯s mouth curled under his face mask. ¡°I think I know¡­ how to kill you!¡± The Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s hammer-smashing attack was powerful and had a wide range, but its wind-up was slow. As long as he watched its movements and wasn¡¯t cornered, he could dodge with his speed. After being dazzled by the light, the Big Hammer Zombie would cover its eyes for several seconds, during which it wouldn¡¯t attack. After a few seconds, it might swing its hand, but that damage wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill Wang Tao instantly. Wang Tao focused on those precious seconds. In that time, he could deliver several blows! If one blow could deal 30 damage, he would only need tond just over thirty hits to kill it! Of course, this was an ideal scenario. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t make a single mistake. He was down to hisst 30 HP, and his body was exhausted. If he was hit even once by the Big Hammer Zombie, he might be killed instantly! So¡­ A potion suddenly appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. [Running Potion (Small): After injection, lower limb strength increases, running speed increases by io%-too% (the stronger the physique, therger the increase),sts for 10 minutes, cooldown 12 hours] ¡°I¡¯ll take a gamble, if the speed increase exceeds 30%, I can fight! If it¡¯s less than 30%, then I¡¯ll retreat!¡± Pfsst- As the potion was injected into his arm, Wang Tao felt a surge of power in his legs! Even the strength in his upper body saw a slight increase! Even his health bar disyed an [+30] sign! ¡°Is this¡­ healing some of the damage to my lower body?¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised, but what delighted him more was the effect of the Running Potion, his health bar clearly showed [Running speed increased by 50%]! Without a second thought, Wang Tao, holding the bright shlight, charged at the Big Hammer Zombie. The Big Hammer Zombie instinctively covered its eyes, and Wang Tao took the opportunity tond two heavy blows. [-3U [-331 Before the Big Hammer Zombie could swing at him, Wang Tao quickly retreated. The zombie grasped at thin air. The n¡­. was workable! Chapter 39 - 39 Design Blueprint, Crystal Core_l Chapter 39: Design Blueprint, Crystal Core_l Trantor: 549690339 [-32] [-29] [404/1000] ¡°Huff???? ¡± Wang Tao let out a long sigh of relief after seeing the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s HP bar drop to less than half. In the enhanced speed from the Running Potion, beneath the re of the shlight and the sun, it took him four minutes to grind away nearly six hundred HP from the Big Hammer Zombie. If it weren¡¯t for his superhuman physique, which had been further strengthened by killing zombies, he definitely wouldn¡¯t havested this long. ¡°I hope when you die, you¡¯ll drop something good for me¡­¡± Wang Tao quickly closed in on the zombie again and bashed its head with his club. [-27] [377/1000] Based on his four minutes ofbat experience, Wang Tao had the chance to hit it once more before retreating without it being toote. But suddenly, he noticed the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s movements were different. Previously, at this time, it would have been preparing to swing its left arm. But now, it suddenly gripped the Steel Bar Hammer with both hands. Danger! An rm went off in Wang Tao¡¯s mind. He immediately gave up the chance to attack and chose to retreat quickly. And just as he retreated, the Big Hammer Zombie suddenly swung the hammer with both hands, turning in a 360-degree windmill around itself! Whoosh Bang! The Big Hammernded heavily, and the concrete floor cracked once again. Four meters away, Wang Tao felt the brunt of the wind on his face and shuddered with fear. Lucky for him, he had retreated; otherwise, a hit from that would have killed him with his remaining HP! After the Big Hammer hit the ground, the Big Hammer Zombie seemed a bit tired, leaning over slightly with its head bowed, using the hammer as support. ¡°Good opportunity!¡± Wang Tao immediately sprinted to its side and swung his club fiercely. Bang! [-58] This strike inflicted the highest damage he had achieved so far, but the steel pipe Wolf Fang Club finally gave in under the strain, its steel studs, and even the pipe itself, bent out of shape. Bang! [-13] Without the steel studs, the damage was greatly reduced. Seeing the Big Hammer Zombie pick up the hammer again, Wang Tao hurriedly retreated and simultaneously threw away the damaged Wolf Fang Club, switching to the Long-handled Sheep¡¯s Horn Hammer at his waist. The horned hammer was half the length of the Wolf Fang Club, which put him at a slight disadvantage against such arge foe, but Wang Tao was already ustomed to the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s attack pattern. As long as he was well-prepared, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. After the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s HP dropped below 40%, its attacks became much more frenzied, asionally unleashing a 360-degree windmill. Wang Tao found himself in a difficult fight, as there were few chances to approach the zombie and get away unscathed. He was practically dancing on a steel wire, one misstep and he¡¯d be done for. However, the tenser the situation, the calmer Wang Tao became. As the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s HP neared depletion, it became even more manic, and Wang Tao couldn¡¯t approach it at all. He didn¡¯t force it, instead, he kept dodging and waited for an opportunity. Finally, after a full minute of waiting, he sessfully moved behind the Big Hammer Zombie and smashed its head with the pointed end of the Sheep¡¯s Horn Hammer. Squish [-37] [0/1000] The Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s body stiffened, then it crashed to the ground with a thud. ¡°Huff~huff~¡± Seeing it finally dead, Wang Tao sat down on the ground, heaving deep breaths. He had only 20 HP left, nearly drained of his energy. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say he had persevered solely on willpower during thest few minutes. Now if any random zombie¡ªno, even any random human¡ªcame at him, he might not win. But mere momentster, Wang Tao perked up. Because he found that he had recovered quite a bit of strength all at once! He quickly nced at his HP bar. [60/300] After killing the Big Hammer Zombie, his HP cap rose by 40 points, and he recovered 40 HP! Wang Tao felt his body getting warm; it seemed like his physical condition had improved even more! He clenched his fist tightly, feeling the power in his hands, almost bursting out withughter. ¡°Indeed, to be stronger, you have to kill zombies!¡± Wang Tao roughly estimated that for every 100 HP gained, his physical condition might improve by about 10%. However, the increment in HP from killing zombies seemed quite small, maybe one-thousandth? Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure. But no matter what, the more zombies he killed, the stronger he became! Conversely, the greater the danger. Even with his strength, he almost perished today¡­ After a brief rest, Wang Tao looked around and, seeing no zombies approaching, he began to check the spoils of battle with relief. First were the two worker zombies. [You have obtained: Purified Water (Medium) xi] [Purified Water (Medium): 25L, consumable] [You have obtained: Purified Water (Medium) xi] [Purified Water (Medium): 25L, consumable] Each of the worker zombies dropped two buckets of water, not the small 5L ones but medium-sized 25L buckets of purified water. It¡¯s no surprise they¡¯re from the water nt! All good stuff! As for the worker zombies themselves¡­ Wang Tao checked the bodies and only found two packs of cigarettes. Then there were the items dropped by the Big Hammer Zombie. ¡°A Strength Potion and¡­ a blueprint!¡± Seeing these items, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened. Besides a needleless syringebeled ¡°Strength (small),1¡® there was a blueprint. [Strength Potion (Small): After injection, overall strength increases by io¡ã/o-ioo% (the stronger the physique, the greater the increase),sts for 1 minute, 12-hour cooldown] [Strength Potion (Small) Blueprint: Once learned, you can craft five doses of Strength Potion (Small) at a time. Required materials: Strength Mushroom xi, Zombie Crystal Core xi, Purified Water 100ml, 10 kcal food] Strength Potions are precious, but they onlyst for a short duration and should be used at crucial moments. As for the form on the blueprint, aside from purified water and food, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t seen any of the other required materials; it seems impossible to craft it now. ¡°Wait a second¡ªZombie Crystal Core? What is that? Sounds like something that grows inside zombies?¡± Wang Tao was puzzled. He went over to the two worker zombies and, enduring the disgust, meticulously searched their skulls and bodies but found no crystal cores. He then approached the Big Hammer Zombie, looking at this towering figure over two meters tall, Wang Tao first frisked it indiscriminately, finding only a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Then Wang Tao picked up the horned hammer and pried open the shattered skull of the Big Hammer Zombie. ¡°Eh?¡± As Wang Tao acted, a grape-sized white transparent diamond-shaped crystal fell out, which he caught reflexively. The crystal had a gray haze inside, but there seemed to be a wave pattern moving within it, reminiscent of¡­ the Shockwave created by the Big Hammer Zombie¡¯s m? Wang Tao instinctively swallowed, feeling an urge to consume it. Yet the bloodstains also made him feel nauseated. At that moment, a line of text popped up. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Shockwave] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Light sensitivity)] Below was a detailed introduction. [Level 1: A crystal core with an energy level of 1] [Crystal Core: Humans can fuse with it to obtain the respective Ability] [Shockwave: Consumes energy when attacking, can carry a Shockwave] [Quality: The stability level of the energy within the crystal core, the higher the stability, the better the quality, and the higher the fusion sess rate] [Ordinary (20%): 20% sess rate for fusion; failure results in loss of the crystal core and leaves the individual weak for one day. Regardless of sess or failure, Internal Impurities remain] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Light sensitivity): 50% of the energy in the crystal core is usable, the rest is impurity, with the side effect of ¡°light sensitivity¡±] [Friendly reminder 1: The more internal impurities a human has, the higher the chance of turning into a zombie] [Friendly reminder 2: Humans can only fuse with a limited number of crystal core types, and each time a new type is fused, the difficulty increases exponentially. Choose carefully] [Friendly reminder 3: Multiple crystal cores of the same type and level in your backpack can be synthesized together] Chapter 40 - 40 Crystal Core Synthetic? Open Chapter 40: Crystal Core Synthetic? Open Airdropl Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the long list of introductions. ¡°Zombie Core¡­ Shockwave¡­ Ability!¡± ¡°If I fuse with this crystal core, can I acquire an ability?!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat excited, but he didn¡¯t let excitement cloud his judgment. The instructions were clear: fusing had a failure rate, and the fusion sess rate of the core he held was only 20%¡­ With such a sess rate, he might as well assume it would fail; he never believed in such probabilities. More importantly, these cores contained impurities! The impurities not only caused the side effect of ¡°sensitivity to light¡±, but if too many umted in the human body, one could turn into a zombie! Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to be a zombie; he hadn¡¯t lived long enough yet. So, was this core useless to him? No, of course not! Wang Tao quickly ced the zombie core into the Space Backpack¡ªit could go in there! The Space Backpack was simr to the grid backpacks in games, except its slots were unlimited. The same types of crafting materials were all stored in the same slot. After putting the zombie core into the Space Backpack, it naturally upied its own slot. However, a notification popped up¡ª [1/10 (Unable to synthesize at this time)] [Synthesis: Quality sums up, Purity sums up. At 100% purity, side effects are extracted.] ¡°Does this mean I need 10 level 1 shockwave crystal cores for fusion? And I can increase the sess rate to ioo%? And there won¡¯t be any impurities or side effects?¡± A gleam of excitement burst from Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. This meant, then, that he definitely could not fuse with this core! He had to collect more of the same type of crystal cores and then synthesize one with a ioo% sess rate, free of any impurities and side effects! Wang Tao now had another goal¡ª to kill zombies and gain abilities! But there was still one problem. ¡°It says to fuse, but how do I fuse this thing? Am I supposed to eat it?¡± Wang Tao took the core out again; originally covered in blood, the core was now spotless after being ced in the Space Backpack, perfectly clean. Looking at the clean core in his hand, his mouth began to salivate madly. He felt an almost irresistible urge to eat it, as if a voice inside him was saying: Eat it, and you will be stronger! But, of course, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t eat it; he could resist that much temptation. He ced the core back into the Space Backpack, and looking at the [l/io] on the core, he grinned. ¡°My future life in the apocalypse just got a bit brighter!¡± It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t know which zombies would drop crystal cores¡­ He had killed so many zombies before, apart from those hit by cars, the rest were all blown apart by his hand, and he always searched the bodies. So he knew there were no crystal cores in their heads. ¡°The crystal cores are probably only in especially strong zombies¡­¡± He shook his head, not wanting to think about it any further. All he had to remember was that if he encountered a Big Hammer Zombie again in the future, he¡¯d definitely have to find a way to hunt it down! He felt that, with enough preparation, killing this Big Hammer Zombie wouldn¡¯t be as difficult as it had been today. Wang Tao swept the area to ensure nothing was missed, then prepared to go collect the airdrop. But upon seeing the Reinforced Concrete Hammer the Big Hammer Zombie had dropped, he thought it seemed like a decent weapon, something he might be able to use himself. So, he headed towards the Big Hammer, and as he got closer, he suddenly saw a line of text appear on the hammer. [Reinforced Concrete Hammer] ¡°It has a name? Then doesn¡¯t that mean¡­¡± After Wang Tao grasped the Big Hammer, with a single thought, the hammer disappeared from his hand and appeared in his Space Backpack at the same time! [Acquired: Reinforced Concrete Hammer xi] ¡°I can put it into the Space Backpack!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat excited. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that it could be stored in the Space Backpack was enough to beat most weapons hands down! After all, weapons like his Wolf Fang Club and horned hammer could only be carried on him, and although they weren¡¯t heavy for him, they were still somewhat inconvenient. But putting them in the Space Backpack was different. It was not only convenient, but he could alsounch a surprise attack. With another thought, Wang Tao felt his hand suddenly grow heavy as the Reinforced Concrete Hammer reappeared in his grasp. ¡°So heavy!¡± This thing must weigh at least 50 pounds, and it was a full two meters long, not to mention bulky. Wang Tao tried swinging it. He could wield it with both hands, but he could forget about agility; it was only good against less agile zombies. It was very exhausting, even for someone with his physical strength, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it many times. Moreover, it was very inconvenient to carry. He could either drag it on the ground like the Big Hammer Zombie or carry it on his shoulder. Actually, it wasn¡¯t very suitable as a weapon, but because it could be put into the Space Backpack, it could serve as an unexpected trump card. After making sure once again that he hadn¡¯t missed anything, Wang Tao approached the loot crate. So much had happened tonight, all for this loot crate. ¡°I hope it won¡¯t disappoint me¡­¡± Wang Tao muttered, but he didn¡¯t immediately open the loot crate. Instead, he went out to find his car and drove it over. The water treatment nt was spacious. Aside from the zombies he had killed, he hadn¡¯t seen any others for now. Wang Tao drove the car up to the small courtyard outside, then with great effort, he moved the loot crate onto the car. ¡°Phew¡­ Find a ce to rest for the night!¡± It was now evening, and he had time to rush back, but his HP was low, only 60, which made him feel very insecure. So Wang Tao decided to rest outside tonight, recover some HP, and it would be safer to go back tomorrow. As for the ce to rest, Wang Tao had already chosen it: an old five-story building inside the water nt. The reason he chose this ce was that the door of the building was locked, and moss was climbing up the outer wall. It was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time, and it was very likely there were no zombies inside, making it rtively safe. After slowly driving the car over, Wang Tao was surprised to find that the building even had an indoor garage connected to the rooms inside. That was just perfect. Wang Tao, who had obtained the true transmission of the Locksmith, managed to open the garage door in no time, and the interior was covered in dust. He first went inside with his weapons and made sure there were no problems before driving the car in. Then he locked all the doors and windows, ate the dry food he had with him, and then he approached the loot crate. This loot crate wasn¡¯t something you could simply open; it had a lock, and what¡¯s more, it was a keypad lock. If he didn¡¯t pick the lock, even Wang Tao couldn¡¯t open it. However, there were a few lines of text written on the box. ¡°l+8=? 7-2=? 2xi=? 74-1=?¡± These questions were too simple. Probably to prevent zombies from identally opening the loot crate, they were deliberately set up like this. Wang Tao pressed down on 9, 5, 2, 7 in turn, and with a click, the lock opened.. Chapter 41 - 41 Inhibitor and Gun_l Chapter 41: Inhibitor and Gun_l Trantor: 549690339 The supply drop box wasrge, but upon opening it, the interior space wasn¡¯t as big as it looked because a lot of ck shock-absorbing material had been used. Inside, there were threepartments of varying sizes, each with its own packaging. He first opened thergestpartment-just as expected, apart from a few small radios, the rest were foods. There were self-heating meals,pressed biscuits, energy bars, chocte, sugar, powdered drinks, canned goods, and other easy-to-carry edibles. Wang Tao tried a few and couldn¡¯t tell if it was psychological, but he felt that the food here tasted better. He then opened the secondpartment. ¡°Is this all¡­ emergency supplies?¡± There were many small medical kits; he counted a total of twenty. But in addition to the medical kits, there was also a small box with a buckle lock. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡± Upon opening the small box and looking at the neatly arrayed twenty bottles of blue potion inside, Wang Tao was puzzled. However, there was a manual embossed inside the box, which he hurriedly read. ¡°Zombie Virus Inhibitor¡­ it can suppress the initial infection and mutation to a certain extent? But it has side effects¡­ Good grief! After reading the exnation, Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. ording to the documentation, this Zombie Virus Inhibitor was a product hastily developed by leading figures in the medicalmunity after the virus outbreak. It couldn¡¯tpletely solve the zombie virus, but it could suppress the outbreak of the virus! Theoretically, if a person infected with the zombie virus continued to take this inhibitor, they would never mutate. Of course, that was in theory. In practice, it was impossible. Not to mention that the supply of this inhibitor was limited, even if it could be provided in unlimited quantities, whether a person could withstand it was uncertain. Because the inhibitor had severe side effects-it affected one¡¯s health, and extensive use could even lead to death! Moreover, the use of the inhibitor was painful. To maximize the effectiveness of the inhibitor, at least one of two conditions had to be met. One was strong willpower, and the other was robust physique. If someone with weak willpower and a poor constitution took the inhibitor, they might die of pain from the inhibitor itself before they even had a chance to mutate¡­ That¡¯s why it was emphasized that one should be cautious before using the inhibitor! If an ordinary person was infected with the zombie virus, the priority would be to amputate the infected area; if amputation was not possible or ineffective, only then should the inhibitor be used¡­ After learning about the inhibitor, Wang Tao thought it was something useful yet not useful. It was useful because it could save someone¡¯s life at a critical moment. It was not useful because the conditions for its use were quite harsh, and its efficacy was not 100 percent guaranteed. Of course, for Wang Tao, it was definitely useful. Whether his own willpower was strong, was hard to say-it could sound self-ttering. However, there was no doubt about the quality of his physical strength. He could use this inhibitor! Of course, he hoped he would never need to use it. ¡°Wait a second¡ª¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao thought of something. After human beings fused with a Zombie Core, they acquired abilities but also umted impurities in their bodies. The more Crystal Cores that fused, the more impurities would umte, increasing the risk of turning into a zombie. Could this inhibitor be used for such ¡°Ability Users ? They could kill zombies to obtain Crystal Cores, ensuring their physical fitness was exceptional, and their willpower might also be very firm, so the effect of using the Inhibitor would definitely be excellent. As for the side effects of the Inhibitor that might affect their health¡­ they were on the verge of turning into zombies, so what did health matter anymore? Wang Tao felt that perhaps this was the right way to use the Inhibitor. However, that was a matter for the future; currently, it was still unknown if anyone could be an Ability User. After resealing the box containing the Inhibitor and locking it up, Wang Tao turned his attention to thest section inside the airdrop crate. Rubbing his hands together, he opened it with a face full of anticipation. ¡°Hm? There are several small boxes inside? And there are buckles and shock-absorbing materials¡­¡± He pressed the buckles and opened one of the boxes. Upon seeing what was inside, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes instantly widened. ¡°Holy shit!¡± What did he see? Guns! He saw guns! The boxes were actually filled with guns! There were a total of 10 model 400 military handguns from the gun family! There were also 20 extra magazines, 10 silencers, and 10 boxes of 5.8mm handgun bullets, each boxbeled with 100 bullets, totaling 1000 bullets! Wang Tao guessed that the reason his airdrop had a parachute, unlike some of the others, was probably because it contained weapons and ammunition. If it was just food, clearly a parachute wouldn¡¯t be necessary. Wang Tao took out a handgun to fiddle with; he had actually handled real guns before, from filming a movie to visiting a shooting range. The guns from filming were not worth mentioning; they were old and never actually fired, not even nks¡ªit was all special effects. The guns at the shooting range could be fired, but each bullet cost him 20 yuan. Wang Tao had only tried a few times; his family¡¯s financial situation didn¡¯t allow for more. He did have some understanding of guns, though. Now, getting his hands on these real guns, he couldn¡¯t hide his excitement- after all, what man doesn¡¯t like guns? ¡°With these guns, dealing with zombies shouldn¡¯t be anything less than one shot, one kill!¡± Although Wang Tao¡¯s shooting skills might be average, zombies wouldn¡¯t necessarily dodge on purpose. Within close range, a headshot should still be no problem. Zombies might withstand a few blows from him, but definitely not a bullet. However, there was a problem-the noise from firing a gun was too loud! So-called silencers only suppress the sound; they cannotpletely silence it. If the consequence of killing a few zombies was to be attacked by arge crowd of them, then Wang Tao thought that using cold weapons wasn¡¯t such a bad idea. Inside the box with the weapons was an envelope, which Wang Tao opened. Inside were three pieces of paper. The first piece of paper detailed the basic operation of handguns,plete with illustrations, and had a warning in red: Unless absolutely necessary, do not fire the gun! Gunshots will attract arge number of zombies! Silencers are not very effective! It is best to move in groups for mutual lookout and to have a quick evacuation route after firing. Otherwise, the danger of using a gun far outweighs its lethality. Wang Tao agreed with this advice. He liked the guns, but would not consider using them unless absolutely necessary. The second piece of paper outlined the Government¡¯s understanding of the apocalyptic situation. It mentioned that the apocalypse came too suddenly, without any warning signs. The Government was also unprepared, despite having many civil defense projects. The initial spread of the zombie virus was unimaginable and unstoppable. The local Governments and the Government of Qian Country had lost touch with one another. The unit behind this airdrop was not from Red Stone Base as Wang Tao had thought, but rather from Wuyang Military Base. The situation at Wuyang Military Base was also grim; they were barely able to protect themselves after the disaster and could not carry out any rescue operations. They also encouraged citizens to take up arms and defend themselves. As for whether there would be another airdrop, the letter said¡­ not to get one¡¯s hopes up.. Chapter 42 - 42 Accidental Encounter with a Survivorl Chapter 42: idental Encounter with a Survivorl Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Huff¡ª¡± After finishing the second piece of paper, Wang Tao let out a sigh. Although he knew the situation outside couldn¡¯t be good, the confirmation still left him somewhat disappointed. There was onest piece of paper in the envelope. It provided instructions on how to contact their base using radio, the specific location of their base, and a blueprint. This blueprint was not a map, but a zombie blueprint. It contained information about all the varieties of zombies encountered so far! Compared to the means ofmunication, Wang Tao was more interested in the zombie blueprint. After all, he was too far away from the military base to contact them, even if he knew how. But the information on the zombies in the blueprint would definitely be of great help to Wang Tao. There were more than twenty types of zombies detailed on the blueprint, among which Wang Tao saw a few familiar ones. The stealthy zombie he had encountered before was called ¡°The Taciturn.¡± The Taciturn would silently hide in dark ces or disguise themselves as human corpses. They made no sound and their perception was weak. They would only discover their prey when it came close and then suddenlyunch a deadly attack. The fighting capabilities of this type of zombie were actually simr to that of ordinary zombies, but because of their ambush tactics, many people were killed by The Taciturn. Inside houses, they were a very dangerous type of zombie¡­ The child zombie that Wang Tao had seen, capable of short sprints, was officially called ¡°Sprinters.¡± They moved faster than ordinary zombies and had higher attack power. When prey was within a close distance, they would activate their sprinting ability. A single Sprinter was not much of a threat, but if a Sprinter mixed in with other zombies andunched a surprise attack, then survivors would be in great danger¡­ There was also the Screaming zombie Wang Tao had encountered and run over with his car, which was called ¡°Screamers.¡± They were weaker than ordinary zombies, much weaker. An adult male with normal physical strength could easily take one on using a melee weapon. But these zombies were highly sensitive to noise, and before they spotted a human, they would prepare and, once ready, emit an ear-piercing scream that could attract nearby, especially special, zombies. If you killed a Screamer before it could scream, there was no problem. But if you let a Screamer get its scream out, the best option was to run! Otherwise, being surrounded by the horde meant only death¡­ As for the Big Hammer Zombie Wang Tao had encountered today, there was also a description, but not much. Big Hammer Zombies were called ¡°Terrorizers¡± and appeared a few days after the apocalypse began, at a time when everyone was looking out for themselves, and no one would proactively hunt them. Terrorizers were slow but could use weapons, with high attack power and defensive power. Their attacks also came with shockwaves that science couldn¡¯t exin¡­ As for the characteristic of being sensitive to light, it wasn¡¯t mentioned. It seems that no one had discovered that¡­ Wang Tao hadn¡¯t encountered some of the other zombie types yet, but hemitted the information of these zombies to memory, certain that it would be useful in the future. The material also mentioned that most zombies were afraid of fire. If one wanted to establish a Survivor Base, fire was an indispensable element. At the end of the material, the Zombie Core was also mentioned. It said that only strong zombies carried this Zombie Core thing, but its exact use was currently unknown because several volunteers who had tried to experiment with it all suffered failure and substantial side effects. They spected that the Crystal Core, once consumed, would likely enhance human physical capabilities, but with significant side effects. If anyone wanted to use it, they had to be psychologically prepared. They didn¡¯t rmend its use in principle¡­ After Wang Tao had read through all three pieces of paper, he carefully put them away and stored them in the box where the weapons were kept. As for the guns, after thinking it over, he decided to take out one and load it with to bullets. While guns might not be needed, it was best to prepare in advance, just in case they proved crucial at a critical moment. Then, Wang Tao packed up the airdrop, as all of it needed to be taken back. It was a pity that these items couldn¡¯t be put into the Space Backpack; that would have made things much easier. By this time, the sun was already setting. The sunset was beautiful, but Wang Tao was in no mood to appreciate it. He prepared for himself a simple dinner that was filling, and while he was halfway through eating, his gaze suddenly sharpened. Because he saw that a group of people had emerged in the distance! There were six of them in total, four men and two women, all covered in grime and carryingrge and small packs. They were brandishing some homemade weapons, and was that a police officer among them? ¡°There are actually survivorsing out¡­¡± Wang Tao felt somewhat surprised. It wasn¡¯t strange to find other survivors, the world was sorge, there were certainly people who had lived through the catastrophe. But for survivors toe out at this time¡­ did they think they had nine lives? It was about to get dark! Even he didn¡¯t dare to venture out at night¡­ However, Wang Tao quickly realized that he might have misunderstood. These survivors hadn¡¯t emerged in the evening, but had been out since before and had walked until dusk. Because they were hiding in a corner, pointing at the water nt and discussing it, it seemed they wanted toe over to seek shelter but were somewhat afraid to do so. Wang Tao had no intention of going out to greet them. Having dealt with all sorts of people throughout his life, he was well aware of the potential malice in human hearts. Especially now, with his abundance of supplies and being wounded, he had to be even more cautious. Though the small building where Wang Tao was staying was at a distance from the entrance, there was little to no obstruction in between, allowing him to observe the outside clearly. The group of survivors cautiously entered the water nt, and upon finding the gate unlocked, they all became excited. But a young man with dyed yellow hair got a scare when he noticed the zombie that Wang Tao had killed with a hammer in the security booth, and he ran back into the crowd in a panic. ¡°There¡¯s a zombie!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic, we outnumber it. One zombie won¡¯t be able to overpower us!¡± A woman dressed in ck police uniform drew her service pistol, aimed it at the security booth, and called out in a low voice. When the policewoman spoke, the others seemed to find their pir of strength and instantly tightened their grip on their makeshift weapons like kitchen knives, steel pipes, and table legs, encircling the security booth in a fan formation. The policewoman was about to suggest she should check it out when a skinny young man next to her suddenly spoke: ¡°Wife, why don¡¯t you take a look?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± The policewoman opened her mouth but then said nothing. She put away her pistol and then carefully took out her baton from her waist and approached the security booth cautiously. The others followed her, weapons in hand. The policewoman arrived at the security booth and took a careful look inside at the zombie. Seeing the bloody hole in its head, she instantly breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone! The zombie inside is dead!¡± Upon hearing that the zombie was dead, the crowd dared to exhale loudly. The policewoman¡¯s husband was still not entirely at ease. He went for another look, and seeing that the zombie was indeed dead, he straightened his back. ¡°However, how this zombie died, based on the wound, it looks like it hasn¡¯t been dead for long¡­¡± The policewoman furrowed her brow, looking towards the water nt. Could there be someone inside¡­? Inside the small building. Wang Tao, after watching the situation with the group of survivors outside, immediately rxed. ¡°So, they¡¯re just a bunch of rookies¡­.¡± Chapter 43 - 43 Night Walk of Hundred Corpses_l Chapter 43: Night Walk of Hundred Corpses_l Trantor: 549690339 | ¡°Do you think there might be other survivors in here? After entering the water nt, another girl, petite and covered in dust, whispered. ¡°Probably not?¡± A slightly chubby crew-cut man responded uncertainly. ¡°I hope not, hope we don¡¯t run into other survivors¡­¡± The petite girl muttered. This made everyone fall silent suddenly. Before they set out, they had hoped to encounter other survivors, for there was strength in numbers. But due to certain events, they had lost trust in survivors outside of their team. ¡°TO be precise, we hope not to run into survivors with ill intentions!¡± The female officer corrected the petite girl, then encouraged the group. ¡°Even in peaceful times, there are scumbags in society, let alone now. We can¡¯t let a few scumbags lead us to deny humanity as a whole. We must always remember, unity makes us stronger! Of course, we should still be cautious¡­¡± The previous events had been distressing for the police officer, but she still needed to boost everyone¡¯s morale, to not give up. After all, their destination was a Survivor Base. If they lostplete trust in others, they would never reach the Survivor Base. ¡°Officer Han is right! We shouldn¡¯t be too pessimistic. There are still good people in the world, like at the Survivor Base we¡¯re heading to. But there are also bad people, and that¡¯s why we need to stay alert!¡± A student-looking young man quickly pitched in. The female officer named Han gave him an approving look. in times of crisis, the pressure from the outside wasn¡¯t the scariest thing, but internal strife and loss of hope were. As long as they held onto even a sliver of hope for the future, their chances of survival would greatly increase! ¡°Right, right! We have to believe that we can make it to the Survivor Base alive!¡± The others quickly agreed, slightly more upbeat. The male student, buoyed by Officer Han¡¯s approving gaze, puffed out his chest. Officer Han¡¯s husband watched the student with a an unpleased gaze, though he didn¡¯t say anything. Officer Han carefully surveyed the surroundings, keeping to herself the thought that, judging from the wounds on that security guard turned zombie¡¯s head, it had died not long ago. There might really be people in this water nt¡­ She needed to be careful! The water nt was quite spacious and free of zombies, so the group quickly reached the small building where Wang Tao was. ¡°Officer Han, why don¡¯t we rest here for the night¡­ The petite girl spoke timidly. She was afraid of encountering zombies if they ventured further. Before Officer Han could reply, her husband immediately said: ¡°No! Haven¡¯t you noticed that this building has been abandoned for a long time7 The moss has climbed so high! The door is also locked! And we need to do more than just rest, we need to find food! We can¡¯t make it to the Survivor Base without food! Now that there are no zombies in the water nt, it¡¯s the perfect opportunity for us to scavenge.¡± Seeing the group¡¯s hesitation, he asked: -Do you want to scavenge for food now when it¡¯s safer, or would you prefer to search in more dangerous ces with zombies tomorrow? With that, everyone felt that taking some small risks now was better than facing greater dangerter. Still, the group subconsciously looked towards Officer Han, as she had saved them and protected them all the way. Officer Han¡¯s husband¡¯s face darkened instantly. He felt this was the most sensible decision right now, and anyone with a brain should agree, rather than looking to others for confirmation. ¡°A bunch of spineless creatures!¡± He cursed inwardly. ¡°I think Wei Guang is right, let¡¯s go inside the building and check it out¡­¡± After pondering for a moment, Officer Han nodded. Although she felt that if there were any survivors, they¡¯d most likely be in that building. But not all survivors were necessarily bad people; they couldmunicate with one another. On the other hand, zombies were enemies, it was a fight to the death upon encounter! So, taking some risks now was worth it. If they could really find some food, then they wouldn¡¯t need to take too many riskster on. Only after getting Officer Han¡¯s approval did everyone slowly head towards the building. Officer Han, wielding a baton, led the way at the front, with the male college student carrying a table leg right behind her. In the middle were Officer Han¡¯s unarmed husband and the petite female student, while Blondy and the slightly chubby buzz-cut man followed behind, each holding a kitchen knife and a steel pipe, respectively. The water nt¡¯s building had three floors, and the door was open. The group entered cautiously. Inside the decrepit building. Behind the curtain, Wang Tao watched the group leave and immediately frowned. ¡°Survivor Base? Could it be the Red Stone Survivor Base? No, that can¡¯t be right. Red Stone Base is fifty kilometers from here! These people couldn¡¯t possibly make it that far¡­¡± Suddenly, as if recalling something, Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°I heard on the walkie-talkie before that there¡¯s a survivor base at Shuize University, and it¡¯s not too far from here¡­ They might be heading to Shuize University!¡± Wang Tao was quite interested in the Survivor Base. If these people came from the Survivor Base to look for supplies, Wang Tao might go and ask them for details. But it was clear that these people hadn¡¯t been to the Survivor Base yet; they were just nning to go there, so they probably didn¡¯t know much, which meant Wang Tao wasn¡¯t interested anymore. Letting the curtain fall back into ce, Wang Tao checked the entire building to ensure all doors and windows were locked securely, then returned to his room and took out his radio, walkie-talkie, and cell phone. He nced at his phone. Still no signal. Carrying the phone was purely out of habit; in the past, even going to the bathroom, he always had to have his phone in hand. He then turned on his radio and walkie-talkie, still just static noises without any signal. However, Wang Tao seemed to be thoroughly entertained. The sun set. Darkness slowly engulfed thend. Wang Tao could distinctly feel that something outside was¡­ different. During the day, it was actually very quiet outside, hardly any noises at all. But at night, he could vaguely hear various growling soundsing from outside. Even without going out, just hearing these sounds was enough to send chills down anyone¡¯s spine. Wang Tao took a deep breath and, after ensuring again that the room was safe, prepared to go to bed. Before sleeping, he habitually lifted the curtain to check the scene outside the window. Then, his pupils contracted in an instant. ¡°What the hell!¡± He saw on the distant street a swathe of heads moving like a dark tide! They twisted their shapes and trudged slowly in this direction. Zombies, all of them were zombies! Chapter 44 - 44 Suzaku University Base_1 Chapter 44: Suzaku University Base_1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°What¡¯s happening!¡± Wang Tao quickly took out his binocrs. Looking at the vast expanse of ferocious figures, his scalp tingled. At a nce, there were at least tens of thousands of zombies! With so many zombies, anyone who came would die! In his heart, he even felt a moment of panic, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. Because panicking now was useless, he could only adapt to the situation as it unfolded. Wang Tao immediately went downstairs, packed up his things, and if he really was to be besieged by that many zombies, his only option would be to flee by car. Although driving at night was almost like courting death, it was still better than being torn apart by zombies here. Of course, this was a worst-case scenario. He still had a bottle of Stealth Potion in his hand, which he had intended to keep for the return trip. But if there was no other choice, he would have to use it now. After getting everything ready, Wang Tao returned to the upstairs window, and after waiting for more than ten minutes, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°They¡¯re not heading for the water nt, thank goodness! But¡ª These zombies didn¡¯t seem organized, just wandering on the streets. They came from the east side of the road and then left from the west. ¡°But damn it, so many zombies have entered the water nt!¡± Looking at the zombies in the water nt, Wang Tao felt a headacheing on. He thought he should have locked the gate of the water nt-no, wrong, even if he locked it, those survivors would definitelye and pry it open¡­ Anyway, no matter what, quite a few zombies had gotten in, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent that he felt he had to risk his life to run¡­ he could only wait for now. Wang Tao let the curtains fall, then went to the top floor to take a light nap. The rooftop was quite far from the zombies below, and his ¡°human scent¡± would definitely be much fainter there, which naturally meant it would be a lot safer. As dawn was about to break. Wang Tao, who was in the middle of sleeping, suddenly heard a scream from afar. He reflexively got up, grabbed his weapon, and then went to the window, parted the curtains, and took a peek. ¡°It¡¯sing from the water nt building¡­ Those survivors are in trouble!¡± The moonlight was good that night, and Wang Tao saw that the ss doors under the distant building had shattered, and plenty of zombies were somewhat frantically squeezing inside. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t see what was happening inside, but if those survivors were smart, there was still a chance they could survive, as the rooms inside the building weren¡¯t doorless. Or they could block the stairs with some stuff to prevent the zombies from getting up. ¡°It all depends on whether they¡¯re smart enough¡­ Wang Tao shook his head. Now that it was morning, and he no longer felt sleepy, he habitually fiddled with the radio and the walkie-talkie. Then he suddenly heard a voiceing from the walkie-talkie! ¡°Zzz¡­ This is Suzaku University Survivor Base, please respond if you receive this, please respond¡­ Zzz¡­¡± After hearing the tired female voice repeat several times, Wang Tao then pressed the PTT button on the walkie-talkie. ¡°Received, this is the water nt, this is the water nt¡­ Wang Tao also repeated several times. While pressing the PTT button on the walkie-talkie, it could only transmit one¡¯s voice, but not receive. Therefore, it had to be repeated several times to avoid missing the conversation. After a moment. ¡°Survivor, hello! Please repeat your location, I didn¡¯t hear you clearly! Please repeat¡­ Zzz¡­ It¡¯s so good to make contact¡­¡± Wang Tao repeated: ¡°I¡¯m at the water nt, I¡¯m at the water nt¡­¡± ¡°Heard you, I heard you! How is the water nt fairing, is it safe? Wang Tao nced at the zombies downstairs. ¡°It¡¯s temporarily safe, but there are zombies everywhere downstairs.¡± The other party paused for a moment and then added. ¡°Sorry, we can¡¯t offer you help at the moment, but we have established a Survivor Base at Shuize University. If you can leave the water nt safely, you cane to the Suzaku University Base. We¡¯ll provide you with safety and food, and you¡¯d only need to do some work for the construction of the base¡­¡± It sounded quite promising. -By the way, how many survivors do you have at your water nt? How long can your food supplyst?¡± Wang Tao thought for a moment and said: ¡°There are six of us in total, including one female officer.¡± ¡°Female officer¡­ Ah, I see, are you the group saved by Officer Han Rui? Han Rui? Wang Tao confirmed: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s Officer Han. But they¡¯re all asleep now, haven¡¯t woken up yet.¡± To prevent the other party from asking directly about Officer Han Rui, Wang Tao preemptively closed the topic. II II The person on the other end did indeed want to inquire whether Han Rui was present, as a professional police officer would definitely have bettermunication skills in some matters than ordinary people. But since they were asleep, it wouldn¡¯t be good to wake them up. In such times, maintaining one¡¯s condition was very important. ¡°May I ask about the situation at your Shuize University Base?¡± Wang Tao asked further. ¡°Of course, there are currently over three hundred survivors at our Shuize Base¡­¡± Upon hearing this number, Wang Tao was immediately surprised. Having over three hundred survivors was quite significant! After listening a while longer, Wang Tao also roughly understood the situation at the Suzaku University Base. Before the apocalypse struck, Shuize University was undergoing renovations, and due to the strong paint fumes, had given a two-day break. When the apocalypse hit, the university was mostly empty aside from a few staff on duty, so there weren¡¯t many zombies there. Next to the university was a Security Army squad, which had experienced arge-scale infection internally. Those of the Security Army who survived grabbed weapons and ammo and ran out. As they fled, they rescued civilians, and taking a liking to Shuize University, they established a Survivor Base there. The Security Army had thermal weapons and were physically fit. With some police officers joining them in the middle, they managed to save many people. Even Huangfeng Film City, which was some distance away from Shuize University, had many actors and actresses rescued and brought over. The current state of the Suzaku University Base wasn¡¯t just strong, but it had settled down. Every survivor in the base could find something to do, with ess to food and safety¡­ It was arguably the best Survivor Base in Shuize County. Many people nearby wanted to go there, but even a few kilometers journey involved life-threatening risks. Officer Han Rui and her group had heard of the Suzaku University Base from another location, then managed to make contact with Shuize Base. After learning more, they decided to take the risk to go there¡­ Having understood everything he needed to know, Wang Tao said: ¡°Thank you very much for the information! I must go now, the walkie-talkie is running out of battery. I hope we can meet in the future.¡± ¡°Mhm mhm, good luck to you all! Our radio frequency is¡­ We will turn it on at scheduled times every day¡­¡± The other party ryed some more information before ending the conversation. Wang Tao, stroking his chin stubble, muttered: ¡°This Suzaku University Base could be a good ce to head to. But this is only one side of the story, we can¡¯tpletely trust it until we see it with our own eyes¡­.¡± Chapter 45 - 45: Forced Suicide l Chapter 45: Forced Suicide l Trantor: 549690339 After breakfast, the sun had also risen. Wang Tao lifted a corner of the curtain to take a look outside. ¡°Crap!¡± Good news: the horde of zombies fromst night had all left. Bad news: some of the zombies had stayed behind in the water treatment nt! Moreover, the zombies that had remained seemed to have increased in number since he had gone to sleep the night before. He wasn¡¯t sure if they were attracted by the Screaming. ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t be able to return today¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at the zombies inside the water nt and then at his own HP bar[80/300], deciding that it was still too risky to venture out today. He had a car, but there was only one road out of the water nt, and it was infested with zombies. He could manage hitting a few zombies with his car, but with so many of them around¡­ he didn¡¯t dare to bet on whether the car could withstand more damage than the zombies. If the car stalled¡­ that would mean death! He couldn¡¯t be hasty today. After all, he had plenty of food here, as well as Purified Water; everything was good except for theck of electricity, so he could afford to wait a bit longer. Wang Tao nced again at the water treatment nt building, looking somewhat surprised. ¡°Are those survivors still alive?¡± He brought out his binocrs and took a closer look. He saw a group of people lying haphazardly on the rooftop of the building, covered with clothes. The female officer named Han Rui was on guard alone, wielding a baton and a pistol. Wang Tao counted carefully and saw only five people; they were six yesterday, so one was missing. Given the circumstances, the consequences of being one person short were self-evident. Wang Tao took a closer look at the situation on the rooftop and immediately understood. ¡°Pretty smart¡­¡± Inside the building, there were many staircases leading up, which they would not have been able to block offpletely. But there was only one way up to the rooftop. So they had all made it to the rooftop and blocked that single path, preventing the zombies from getting up. Soon, the sleeping survivors began to wake up one after another, and only then did Han Rui go to rest. The male college student brought some food to Han Rui, and she thanked him. Han Rui¡¯s husband was lying on the edge of the rooftop, looking down and swearing under his breath. After watching for a while, Wang Tao began his recovery exercises¡ªhe still had injuries, and moderate exercise would help the healing process. After intermittent training all morning, Wang Tao started to prepare lunch. While eating, he observed the group of survivors again. He then noticed that there seemed to be some arguments among the survivors. Han Rui¡¯s husband was loudly saying something to the petite girl, who knelt on the ground covering her face and crying. Han Rui and the male college student hurried over to mediate, while Blondy argued angrily with Han Rui¡¯s husband before tightly hugging the petite girl¡¯s shoulders. She then buried herself in Blondy¡¯s embrace and cried her heart out. Han Rui¡¯s husband, somewhat restless, went off to be by himself. Wang Tao suddenly found that observing others could be quite interesting. Since he didn¡¯t have much else to do, he considered it a way to pass the time. Night fell. Wang Tao didn¡¯t go to bed early, but instead intentionally waited at the window. Indeed, the number of zombies on the streets started to increase again. These zombies preferred to be active at night, but there weren¡¯t as many as the previous night. ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao let out a quiet exmation. He noticed that some of the zombies inside the water treatment nt had followed the others and left! Wang Tao was surprised. Early the next day, the first thing Wang Tao did upon waking was to go to the window. ¡°As expected, there are fewer zombies! Maybe they left because they couldn¡¯t find any fresh blood?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t fully understand, but it was certainly good news. Nothing happened today, survivors didn¡¯t lose anyone, and Wang Tao was very safe on his side. The second day at the water nt passed safely. At night, it was still the policewoman keeping watch over the survivors. Wang Tao observed the number of zombies in the water nt and sure enough, there were fewer of them! ¡°Looking at this situation, I estimate we can leave in another day!¡± The third day trapped in the water nt. Wang Tao was in a fairly good state of HP, he had recovered another 20 HP, now sitting at [100/300]. As the saying goes, injuries to the muscles and bones take a hundred days to heal. Many of his wounds were internal and even medical packs were of no use, there were no professional doctors around, so he could only rely on time to slowly recover. Wang Tao continued to observe the survivors on the roof not far away. Their situation seemed to be not so good, trapped on the rooftop for so long, everyone¡¯s Spirit was very poor, and it seemed they were running short on food, which led to quite a few disputes. Wang Tao felt that their little team might not be able to hold on much longer; after all, the disintegration of a team usually starts from within. But this had nothing to do with Wang Tao, they were doing well to keep themselves safe and had no capacity to care for others. However, since Wang Tao was preparing to leave tomorrow, driving would definitely cause some noise, attracting some zombies. If those survivors could seize this opportunity, they would have a good chance of escaping. At night, there were still many zombies strolling on the streets. After Wang Tao noticed another group of zombies follow the others and leave, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now there might only be around twenty zombies left in the water nt, scattered around. Only two or three were blocking the main gate; he could definitely drive out during the day! ¡°Just wait patiently one more night!¡± After routinely checking on the group of survivors, he prepared to go to sleep. Lying in bed, Wang Tao suddenly thought of Ding Yuqin. ¡°I left her food and Purified Water, as long as she stays at home obediently, she should be very safe, no need for me to worry¡­¡± Early morning. Wang Tao got up extra early. He went to the window to look out, the situation was simr tost night, most zombies had left. ¡°Have breakfast, then leave!¡± After making some simple food, Wang Tao habitually observed the group of survivors again, then his eyebrows lifted. On the rooftop today, it was the policewoman¡¯s husband and the petite woman keeping watch together, while the other few survivors were still asleep, Yet the two of them, who were apparently at odds the previous two days, somehow ended up together. Literally together. Wang Tao quickly grabbed his phone, turned on the telephoto camera, and started recording. He loved gossip. A minuteter, the two, still grubby, hurriedly got dressed. The policewoman¡¯s husband said something to the petite woman, and she looked terrified, but eventually nodded her head. Then the two approached the edge of the rooftop. A male university student was sleeping on the ground leaning against the edge, The policewoman¡¯s husband and the petite woman exchanged a nce, and then suddenly flipped him over. The male university student, still in his dream, didn¡¯t even have time to scream before plummeting down towards the ground! St¡ª Right below was the main gate, blocked by a few zombies. Blondy, lying on the ground nearby, seemed to hear the noise and woke up groggily. He got up and saw the people in front of him but was still not quiteprehending what was happening. The policewoman¡¯s husband didn¡¯t expect Blondy to wake up and seemed a bit flustered, but the petite woman suddenly pushed Blondy. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Blondy¡¯s Screaming abruptly woke the policewoman in the distance; she immediately prepared toe over and check, but her husband and the petite woman blocked her. The two seized the policewoman¡¯s arms, frantically saying something to her. The policewoman¡¯s husband was facing Wang Tao, and from the look of his lip movements, he seemed to be saying¡ª ¡°He¡­ he killed himself¡­ we¡­ take the chance to escape¡­.¡± Chapter 46 - 46 Test Subject_l Chapter 46: Test Subject_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°How could they¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s expression was somewhat nk. They had all cheered each other upst night, agreeing to hold on for two more days, wait for the zombies downstairs to leave, and then they could all go to Shuize University Base¡­ But, but why¡­ Why did theymit suicide? Just two more days would have been enough! ¡°What on earth is happening!¡± Han Rui forced herself to calm down as her gaze became a bit stern. Ou Yingying couldn¡¯t bear to look directly into Han Rui¡¯s eyes and just sobbed with her head down. Sun Weiguang said with a sad face: ¡°Wife, right after Li Cheng woke up, he seemed mentally unstable, saying he wanted to die. Wu Fei and I were preparing to talk him out of it, but he suddenly jumped off the building! Wu Fei was closer, caught Li Cheng¡¯s arm, but was dragged down with him¡­¡± ¡°Li Cheng didn¡¯t seem like someone who had lost hope¡­¡± Han Rui scratched her messy hair somewhat frantically. Sun Weiguang secretly pinched Ou Yingying. Ou Yingying¡¯s body shuddered, and then she grabbed Han Rui¡¯s arm, sobbing and pleading: ¡°Sister Han, let¡¯s, let¡¯s escape now¡­¡± Sun Weiguang immediately grabbed Han Rui¡¯s shoulder and shook it: ¡°Yes, wife, let¡¯s get out of here quickly! Li Cheng¡¯s suicide, apart from despair for the world, might also have been intended to create an opportunity for us. The zombies downstairs have all gone after him. We can¡¯t let his good intentions go to waste!¡± Han Rui hastily broke free from the two and went to the edge of the rooftop to look down. She saw Li Cheng with his head covered in blood, likely havingnded on it, probably dead on the spot. Wu Fei was still crawling on the ground, but his body was covered in blood, his blond hair dyed red. Most importantly, the zombies at the door had surrounded them both, and had even started to feast¡­ Clearly, both of them were beyond saving! ¡°I¡­ we¡¯re leaving!¡± Han Rui was not the type to dawdle. Since the situation was irreversible, there was no use saying anything further. Escaping now was the most opportune decision. She quickly led the two to pack up and go downstairs. The stairwell was free of zombies now, and the few zombies downstairs were all attracted by the two who had fallen, making Han Rui¡¯s path with her twopanions unobstructed. The zombies feasting on the two paid no attention to their meal and did not notice the people descending. Han Rui immediately signaled to Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying with hand gestures to go to the nearby wall, which wasn¡¯t high and had no zombies nearby, making it possible to climb over and escape. Several zombies were still at the main gate, and without using guns, they clearly couldn¡¯t break through. Using guns would be suicidal. Therefore, climbing the wall was the best choice. Han Rui took onest look at the two teammates surrounded by zombies in the middle, feeling very sorrowful. They had arrived as six, but now only three remained. However, this was not the time to grieve. She did her best not to make any noise and waved to the two behind her. Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying hurried to follow, but during their escape, Ou Yingying felt as though someone was watching her. She instinctively looked back and saw a pair of bloodshot eyes staring intently at her from amidst the zombies. She shivered instantly, then tightly grabbed the edge of Sun Weiguang¡¯s clothing and ran without looking back. Only when he saw the policewoman climb over the wallst, did Wang Tao stop filming the video. He was initially just interested in watching the drama unfold, which was why he had taken out his phone to record it, but it turned into a witness of human ugliness. In fact, if the group of survivors had waited a little longer, until Wang Tao drove the zombies awayter, they would have had a high chance of safely leaving without any losses. Of course, they didn¡¯t know that. And Wang Tao had no way to contact them. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t think this was his fault; it was already good enough that he could save himself, let alone others. He just felt it a pity that there were two less survivors in this world¡­ The incident also served as a reminder for him: in this apocalypse, it¡¯s fine to trust others, but it¡¯s better to trust oneself! Looking at the two survivors now surrounded and being devoured by zombies, Wang Tao picked up his weapon. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± After he was fully equipped, Wang Tao left the building and ran toward the bottom of the tall building. Today, most of the zombies in the water nt had already left, apart from a few zombies at the gate, there were only four zombies left at the entrance of the building. The four zombies were not a big problem for Wang Tao. Especially in such an open space, even if he couldn¡¯t beat them, he could always run back. Jogging up to the entrance of the tall building, the zombies, perhaps too busy feasting, did not notice Wang Tao approaching. Wang Tao, armed with a spear made from a steel pipe in one hand and a steel pipe hammer in the other, attacked the two zombies. Wu Fei was filled with hatred. He hated himself for being blind enough to fall for such a venomous-hearted woman! He worked twelve hours a day, and out of his monthly sry of six thousand, he handed over four thousand to her! He¡¯d take care of her with warmth every day, treat her to big meals on weekends, and send her various small gifts on holidays! When she was sick, he¡¯d work during the day and spend the night in her hospital room to keep herpany; when the apocalypse came, she was the first person he thought of¡­ He thought he had done well enough. In what way had he wronged her? Why did she push him off the building? ¡°Bitch! Even as a ghost, I won¡¯t let you go¡ªwait, someone¡¯sing!¡± ¡°He, he¡¯s killing zombies! He¡¯s so powerful! The zombies stand no chance against him!¡± ¡°If only I had his strength¡­¡± ¡°Save me¡ª¡± A few minutester. With a thought, Wang Tao instantly stowed away the spoils of battle. [Obtained: purified water (small) *4] [Purified water (small): 5L, suitable for drinking] All four zombies had dropped purified water (small), and Wang Tao could never have enough purified water. In keeping with the excellent tradition of frugality, Wang Tao searched the four zombies again, finding several wallets and a box of cigarettes. Then he finally turned to look at the two unlucky survivors. The college student¡¯s neck had been bitten off, his eyes wide open, dead without closing them. To Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, Blondy was not yet dead. [10/105] But he only had ten drops of HP left and was in a dying state. Wang Tao squatted down in front of Blondy, looking at the unfortunate soul whose thigh, arm, one eye, and half of his face had been eaten away, and frowned as he said, ¡°Do you have any consciousness left? If you do, blink.¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Blondy excitedly blinked his eyes like mad. ¡°Gurgle¡­¡± He tried to speak, but blood sprayed from his mouth as he opened it. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, don¡¯t talk.¡± Wang Tao stripped off a few articles of clothing from a nearby zombie, quickly wrapped Blondy¡¯s head, then grabbed his legs and dragged him back to the exterior of the small building. ¡°Wait outside.¡± After giving him that instruction, Wang Tao went inside the building, approached the air-dropped box, and took out a bottle of Inhibitor. He had been worried about not knowing the effects of the Inhibitor, and now, a test subject had presented itself! Chapter 47 - 47 Licking Dog Has Nothing Left_l Chapter 47: Licking Dog Has Nothing Left_l Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao¡¯s understanding of the inhibitor was entirely from what was written on paper. He wanted to see its effect firsthand. If he could save Blondy, that would naturally be better. If he couldn¡¯t, he didn¡¯t stand to lose anything, as he had 20 bottles of the inhibitor¡ªmissing one wouldn¡¯t matter. Holding thest bottle of inhibitor, Wang Tao walked out. in just that short time, Blondy¡¯s green HP bar was down to five dots of blood. It was unclear whether he would die first after his HP ran out or¡­ turn directly into a zombie? Wang Tao squatted next to Blondy, looking at the ck lines slowly appearing on his neck. He spected that after infection, running out of HP would likely mean direct transformation into a zombie. ¡°Still alive? If you are, blink your eyes.¡± Wang Tao asked Blondy. Blondy lifted his one eye to look at Wang Tao, his gaze somewhat vacant, but he still blinked with difficulty. Wang Tao took out a tube of the inhibitor and waved it in front of him. ¡°This is the inhibitor, something the Government developed to fight the zombie virus.¡± As soon as he said this, it was obvious that there was a glint of hope in Blondy¡¯s eyes. ¡°But it can¡¯tpletely detoxify you, it can only suppress the outbreak of the zombie virus. If I use the inhibitor on you now, you won¡¯t mutate into a zombie, but it¡¯s unclear when the virus might re up again. You would need to continue using the inhibitor.¡± Blondy showed no disappointment. In his current state, he wasn¡¯t asking for much-being able to live even one more day would be enough to make him secretly happy. ¡°However, this inhibitores with serious side effects. Plus, only those with strong physical constitutions or willpower can use it. Otherwise, even if used, it¡¯ll still be death. So, are you ready?¡± Blondy used thest of his strength to start blinking frantically. ¡°Very good.¡± Wang Tao nodded. The inhibitor could be injected or taken orally. But before pouring the inhibitor into his mouth, Wang Tao added: ¡ö¡öNow, think about the reasons you can¡¯t die. For example, your parents are still waiting for you toe to their rescue. Or, the woman who just got you tailed is still alive and well¡­¡± ¡°Mmm-¡± Blondy¡¯s one eye instantly widened, filled with a hue of resentment. So Wang Tao said no more and directly squeezed Blondy¡¯s mouth, forcing the entire bottle of the inhibitor down. Gulp- After drinking the inhibitor, Blondy¡¯s whole body started to convulse. It didn¡¯t seem like suppression, but rather like he was about to turn into a zombie. ¡°Could it be ineffective¡­¡± Wang Tao took a step back, his hand gripping the horned hammer. If he saw Blondy¡¯s HP turn red, he would not hesitate to deal a blow with the hammer. After waiting another two minutes, watching as Blondy was down to thest drop of blood, with Wang Tao already lifting the hammer, suddenly, Blondy s body stopped shaking, the ck lines on his neck began to fade, and his green HP bar surged to 20, but his HP limit dropped by 20 drops. [20/85] ¡°Are you conscious?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Blondy, with his eyes closed, responded with a nasal ¡°yeah.¡± ¡°How did it feel just now?¡± ¡°Pain¡­ my whole body hurt¡­ felt like my head was going to explode¡­¡± ¡°Good, wee¡­ back to life.¡± Wang Tao patted his shoulder, then went to get a medical kit. He administered some hemostatics and sedatives, and roughly, yet amateurishly, bandaged his wounds. Throughout this, Blondy gritted his teeth. After everything was taken care of, Blondy¡¯s HP bar increased by another 10 drops. The effects of the military medical kit were immediately apparent! ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Blondy looked at Wang Tao with a face full of gratitude. ¡°NO need to thank me, I just wanted to test the effect of the inhibitor, using you as a guinea pig,¡± Wang Tao replied. The truth really does hurt. But Blondy was still very grateful. No matter what the masked man¡¯s intentions were, the fact that he had saved him was undeniable. Especially since he had just been betrayed by someone he was close to, and then rescued by Wang Tao right after, his feelings of gratitude were beyond words¡­ ¡°Smoke?¡± Seeing Blondy¡¯s eyes light up, Wang Tao took out a cigarette, roughly stuffed it into Blondy¡¯s mouth, and lit it for him. ¡°Tell me about what happened to you guys, what exactly went down between you?¡± Wang Tao was very curious about their situation, and didn¡¯t mind getting the full story before he left. After taking a deep drag, Blondy¡¯s spirit seemed much improved, and he began to exin: ¡°I, my name is Wu Fei¡­¡± Ten minutester, Wang Tao had a rough understanding of the whole story. Before the apocalypse, Wu Fei worked at an electronics factory in the neighboring city, where he met Ou Yingying online, a fellow factory worker. To pursue Ou Yingying, he had expended a great deal of effort and resources, and only managed to win her over after half a year. During the pursuit, Wu Fei gave a lot. After getting together with her, he gave even more. He treated Ou Yingying as if she were his wife. However, the two had never progressed beyond hugging and holding each other until then. Ou Yingying said she wanted to save the best for their wedding night. Wu Fei was not only not angry when he heard this, but also very happy. Because Ou Yingying mentioned ¡°wedding night¡±! Didn¡¯t that mean she was willing to marry him? After the apocalypse hit, Wu Fei lostmunication with his parents, and with his hometown being over a thousand kilometers away, he could do nothing. Ou Yingying, on the other hand, took the initiative to call him for help, and Wu Fei agreed without a second thought. Under the power of love, he even cleverly killed a zombie to see Ou Yingying! After that, they depended on each other for survival, with Wu Fei giving most of the food to Ou Yingying. When they ran out of food, Police Officer Han Rui and her husband Sun Weiguang showed up. Officer Han Rui said they were heading to the Suzaku University Survivor Base and asked if they wanted to join. Staying where they were was a death sentence, but following Han Rui provided not only food but protection¡­ they had no choice. Then, on the road, they encountered a few more people and set off together. On their journey, they were extorted by a ruthless group of survivors. If it weren¡¯t for Han Rui, they might have all ended up as zombie fodder¡­ After that came the situation Wang Tao saw; they had arrived at the water nt. Although there were some disputes among the team, they were still rtively harmonious. But on the first night, his girlfriend was scared by the zombies outside, screamed, and attracted a lot of zombies. During the escape, one of theirpanions got bitten. Because of this incident, Sun Weiguang held a significant grudge against Ou Yingying¡ªeven not just Sun Weiguang, the faces of Han Rui and the male college student Li Cheng were also quite grim, but they didn¡¯t say much more. Wu Fei even argued with Sun Weiguang to defend his girlfriend. Afterwards, the group spent their time on the rooftop, all very agitated. This morning, while he was sleeping, he heard a noise. Just as he opened his eyes and got up, without understanding the situation, he was pushed down by Ou Yingying. Even now, he couldn¡¯t understand why Ou Yingying wanted to kill him-he didn¡¯t see the male college student fall to his death, and after he fell, he was too scared by the approaching zombies to notice the body behind him¡­ Wang Tao looked at him with a hint of pity in his eyes. Loyalty to the end, only to lose everything, Blondy. You really didn¡¯t fare well! Since Wu Fei had satisfied his curiosity, he naturally had to satisfy Wu Fei¡¯s doubts as well. Thus, Wang Tao showed Wu Fei the video he had taken. The unedited version, starting from the moment that despicable couple had hooked up. Chapter 48 - 48 Method for Purifying Water_l Chapter 48: Method for Purifying Water_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Bastards!¡± ¡°Slut!¡± nj f****** ¡± Upon seeing the video, Wu Fei¡¯s mouth suddenly turned into a Gatling gun. If words could kill, Wu Fei would have probably mowed down the whole world in these short minutes, without waiting for the apocalypse to arrive. ¡°You know why she wanted to kill you? Because you saw the evidence of themmitting murder¡ªof course, you actually didn¡¯t see it, but they thought you did.¡± With the copse of the world order, it was only a matter of time before people started harming others for their own benefit. Wang Tao had been prepared for that. The reason the two of them were afraid of their murderous acts being discovered was obviously because of Han Rui, the policewoman. Han Rui was obviously someone with a strong sense of justice, and if she discovered that they had killed a teammate, that would be problematic. Especially for Ou Yingying; she was even more afraid. After all, she and Han Rui had no familial ties¡­ she couldn¡¯t be sure that Han Rui wouldn¡¯t kill her. So, to avoid trouble, she went ahead and killed even Wu Fei. One has to admit, this woman was very decisive. Regardless of her character, just on the basis of such ruthlessness, she would probably live a long time in this apocalyptic environment. ¡°No wonder, when I saw Han Rui and her husband before, this bitch kept sneaking nces at Sun Weiguang¡­¡± Wu Fei painfully grabbed his hair. Before, he thought Ou Yingying was just stealing extra looks at a handsome guy, just as he wanted to take more nces at officer Han Rui out of in admiration, for he had no hidden intentions since they were a married couple. But who knew, Ou Yingying had already set her sights on him! And to think he had even argued with Sun Weiguang because of her¡­ turns out he was the clown! ¡°As for their desire to kill that college student Li Cheng¡­ I guess it¡¯s because Li Cheng kept showing kindness to officer Han Rui on the road, which annoyed Sun Weiguang. And Sun Weiguang wanted someone to attract the zombies, so he chose him¡­¡± After understanding all of this, the rage shooting from Wu Fei¡¯s sole eye was almost tangible. ¡°This pair of dogs, I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t die a good death!¡± ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t know if others will die, but if you keep getting this worked up, you might just die first.¡± Wang Tao pointed at the wound on Wu Fei¡¯s body that was bleeding a bit from his excessive agitation. Wang Tao nced at his watch again. ¡°Got any questions? You have ten minutes.¡± ¡°You, that thing¡ª¡± Wu Fei pointed at the empty Inhibitor bottle on the ground. ¡°This is something that the Government¡¯s organization has had arge number of experts working on¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly introduced the Inhibitor. ¡°So how can I get the Inhibitor?¡± Wu Fei hadn¡¯t forgotten that Wang Tao told him he might need the Inhibitor in the future. ¡°Currently, I only know that there are Inhibitors in the supplies drop, so you need to pay attention to the supplies drop.¡± ¡°Supplies drop!¡± Wu Fei¡¯s eyes lit up; he had obviously seen the previous airne supplies drop. ¡°Then, Big Brother, are you at the Survivor Base? Can you take me there? I¡¯ll repay you!¡± Wu Fei looked at Wang Tao with a longing gaze. Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not at the Survivor Base, I¡¯m in my own home.¡± Upon hearing this, Wu Fei¡¯s face immediately fell into disappointment. He was at his own home, which obviously meant he wouldn¡¯t take a stranger like himself. ¡°I think you¡¯re capable of getting to the Survivor Base on your own,¡± Wang Tao said, looking at the wounds on Wu Fei¡¯s body. Wang Tao didn¡¯t know if it was the side effects of using the Inhibitor or the aftereffects of Wu Fei¡¯s near infection and mutation, but he felt his body had be much stiffer, as if on the verge of turning into a zombie at any moment¡­ although his physique seemed somewhat stronger. Wang Tao estimated that once he had recovered, even if his HP had dropped by 20, his strength should still be greater than that of an Ordinary person. As long as he could handle zombies one-on-one and be extra cautious on the road, there was a decent chance he could make it to the Survivor Base, especially since it wasn¡¯t too far away. Moreover, killing zombies could increase his HP cap, the more he killed, the stronger he became¡­ Wang Tao left behind for Wu Fei the medical kit he had used, along with some food, then got into the vehicle under Wu Fei¡¯s watchful gaze. ¡°¡­This big brother actually drove out here?!¡± Wu Fei was dumbfounded. Only a real badass would dare to drive in an apocalyptic city! He suddenly regretted it, wishing he had shamelessly asked to follow this ¡°big brother¡±¡­ He didn¡¯t even know this man¡¯s name or what he looked like¡­ Wang Tao drove the pickup to the gate where four zombies were present. Since he had saved Wu Fei¡¯s life, he might as well extend his goodwill to the end and deal with these four zombies as well. In a few minutes, all the zombies were dead beneath his Horned Hammer. [Acquired: purified water (small) *4] Wang Tao discovered that zombies killed at the water nt seemed to always drop purified water! Maybe in the future, if he was short on water, he coulde here to stock up? Lost in thought, Wang Tao locked the water nt gate. Now Wu Fei inside the water nt was essentially safe. Boom¡ª The pickup¡¯s engine let out a gentle roar as it left the water nt. From the balcony, Wu Fei watched the departing vehicle, murmuring to himself: ¡°Big brother, may we meet again if fate allows. If I¡¯m still alive, I, Wu Fei, will definitely repay you!¡± In the pickup, after driving out of the water nt¡¯s range, Wang Tao immediately injected himself in the arm with the ¡°Stealth Potion (Medium)1¡®. The familiar sensation returned. His body got colder, his breathing slowed, and his limbs felt heavier. ¡°Phew¡ªthis feeling is really unpleasant!¡± Using the Stealth Potion itself wasn¡¯t too ufortable; what was ufortable was the feeling of losing strength¡ªhis strength would diminish slightly after the injection. Even though the reduction wasn¡¯t much, for Wang Tao, who was ustomed to strength, it was still somewhat ufortable. In this post-apocalyptic world, no strength meant no sense of security. After the Stealth Potion took effect, Wang Tao¡¯s vehicle speed slowed down, and some zombies noticed the vehicle but didn¡¯t go berserk, only approaching curiously. By the time they got closer, the vehicle had already departed¡­ This time, Wang Tao didn¡¯t take the outer ring road; there was a monster with 10,000 HP in the forest beside the road, and he didn¡¯t dare to take that route. The Stealth Potionsted an hour; even if he drove slowly, he could make it back. However, before going back, Wang Tao had one more thing to do: get some gasoline. As he passed a small parking lot and saw the intact vehicles, an idea struck Wang Tao. There were no zombies here; it was an excellent opportunity to scavenge for gasoline. He had previously taken three fuel barrels from a small restaurant, two of which contained fuel; the empty one would be just right for collecting gasoline. Additionally, he had drunk a barrel of purified water (small) in the past few days, and the leftover empty barrel could also be filled with gasoline. With tools in hand, he got out of the vehicle, and after some time, Wang Tao filled the 20L fuel barrel and the 5L water barrel with gasoline. ¡°Haha, now I can make Molotov cocktails! Suddenly, I¡¯m looking forward to encountering a Big Hammer Zombie again¡­¡± Happy Community. ¡°Thud, thud, thud¡ªYou damn whore, open the door, quick!¡± Hearing the knocking outside the bedroom, Ding Yuqin, pale and haggard, hugged her knees, curled up in a corner of the room, her eyes brimming with despair. ¡°Wang Tao, you really left me behind¡­ Where are you¡­ I hate you¡­ sob sob¡­.¡± Chapter 49 - 49 The Second Terrorizer_l Chapter 49: The Second Terrorizer_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Damn, could I have possibly jinxed it any worse¡­¡± Wang Tao was dumbfounded as he looked at a ¡°Terrorizer¡± zombie not far away. He had casually wished to encounter a Big Hammer Zombie, but he hadn¡¯t expected to run into one so soon! Detour? There was still time to take a detour. But to be honest, seeing the Terrorizer, he somewhat didn¡¯t want to leave. After all, this zombie could drop a Shockwave Zombie Core! ¡°What should I do?¡± Wang Tao nced at the Terrorizer in the middle of the road in the distance and then checked the remaining time of the Stealth Potion below his HP bar. ¡°The effect of the Stealth Potion still has 40 minutes, and it will take about 20 minutes for me to go back, which means, I still have 20 minutes¡­¡± After hesitating for a moment, Wang Tao steeled his heart! ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try, and if it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll retreat!¡± Wang Tao slowly parked his car in an alleyway on the side of the street which was a dead end, cluttered with a lot of rotting garbage, but no zombies. After getting out of the car, Wang Tao carefully surveyed his surroundings, then approached the door of a nearby house. The door was open, and inside was chaos, with a lot of ck bloodstains on the floor and walls. Wielding a horned hammer, Wang Tao entered cautiously, searching around. All the food and such was gone, but he found what he wanted. ¡°Two ss seasoning bottles¡­¡± The bottles were empty, saving Wang Tao the trouble of cleaning them out. He went on to rummage through the next two neighboring houses¡ªalthough he only found one ss bottle, he did find a bag ofundry detergent. ¡°So many bottles are broken, what a pity¡­ But three Molotov cocktails should be enough!¡± Wang Tao returned to his car, took out a can of gasoline, and filled each of the three ss bottles with a bit more than half but not more than two-thirds full of gasoline. The gasoline shouldn¡¯t be filled to the brim, otherwise, it might not ignite. After filling the bottles with gasoline, Wang Tao added different ingredients to each of the Molotov cocktails. The first bottle was mixed with sugar to extend the burning time. The second bottle was mixed with flour to increase the burning temperature. The third bottle was mixed withundry detergent to boost its stickiness¡­ Finally, he stuffed the mouths of the bottles as much as possible and inserted a piece of cloth as a wick. This made three simple Molotov cocktails¡ªoh, there was one more step, the bottles had to be wiped clean! Some gasoline had spilled on the bottles while pouring, and if not cleaned off, it could burn him as well. After making sure everything was ready, Wang Tao took a deep breath, grabbed all the equipment he could carry, including a handgun, and then got out of the car and headed towards the Terrorizer zombie. The effect of his Stealth Potion was still active; as long as he didn¡¯t get too close to the zombies, he would most likely not attract their attention. When he was about ten meters away from the Terrorizer, Wang Tao stopped. This Terrorizer resembled the ones he had encountered before, dressed in work clothes, towering over two meters tall, and wielding a reinforced concrete hammer as well. But this one seemed more ferocious, and it had more HP. [1200/1200] He guessed its strength might be even greater. However, strength didn¡¯t matter. After all, Wang Tao had no intention of a fair fight this time. After thoroughly scanning his surroundings, Wang Tao noticed an old two ¨C story building. The small building was directly under the sun, so if he stood on top of it and the Terrorizer tried to attack him, it would have to face the sunlight! The door to the building was locked. Looking through the broken ss of the security window revealed that the inside appeared to have been through a fierce battle, with bloodstains everywhere. Many pieces of furniture blocked the main door¡ªpicking the lock was pointless. He nced at the building¡¯s exterior walls; the windows and other protrusions offered numerous handholds for climbing. Without a second thought, Wang Tao grabbed his stuff and started climbing the wall. A few minutester, Wang Tao reached the rooftop of the second floor. Looking at the Terrorizer nearby, Wang Tao felt an itch to act, but he didn¡¯t attack immediately, instead, he took out a long rope. This rope, which was sturdy, had been in the pickup truck. He tied one end of the rope to the railing on the rooftop and threw the other end down. After ensuring that everything was in ce, Wang Tao took a deep breath. He picked up several bricks and threw them at the Terrorizer in the distance. Thwack, thwack, thwack¡ª His uracy with bricks wasn¡¯t great, only one managed to hit the Terrorizer. ¡°Roar???? ¡± After being hit, the Terrorizer immediately turned around, but he couldn¡¯t see who had thrown it. After all, Wang Tao was still under the effects of the Stealth Potion, which masked his scent. So, Wang Tao threw a few more bricks, deliberately using the noise to guide it. Sure enough, the Terrorizer followed the sound. When it reached the base of the building, it looked up at Wang Tao on the rooftop with some confusion, but the blinding sunlight made it instinctively shield its eyes with a hand. It was at this moment that Wang Tao lit the fuse of the Molotov cocktails with gasoline before sparking his lighter. Watching the Molotov cocktails ignite, Wang Tao hurled one down at the Terrorizer below. Crash The cocktail hit the Terrorizer square on the head without deviating. Boom Instantly, a fireball erupted, engulfing the Terrorizer; a string of numbers jumped out from its head. [-53] [-52] [-55] On the rooftop of the second floor, Wang Tao stepped back unconsciously from the st of heat. ¡°Roar???? ¡± The burning Terrorizer zombie let out an angry roar. It had finally located Wang Tao on the rooftop. Although it didn¡¯t understand why the rooftop zombie would attack him, and even use fire¡­ it just went with it. Amidst the mes, the Terrorizer raised its Big Hammer and mmed it into the building. Bang! A loud boom rolled out, along with a ring of Shockwave, and Wang Tao felt the building shake. ¡°Damn!¡± Seeing the Terrorizer smash arge hole in the building, revealing the red bricks inside, Wang Tao was a bit stunned. These old brick wall structures felt like they wouldn¡¯t hold up against such smashing! And such a loud noise would attract a lot of zombies! ¡°No, I must finish this quickly!¡± Wang Tao had initially nned to slowly kill it with the remaining Molotov cocktails, but now he was forced to change his mind. After gathering his belongings, Wang Tao grabbed the Rope and rappelled down from the rooftop. The Terrorizer in the sea of fire was unrecognizable, but it still had enough strength to hammer at the wall, and it seemed that it could still see Wang Tao as it brought the hammer down to the ground. The hammer missed, but the Shockwave hit Wang Tao. [-82] Wang Tao tasted something sweet in his throat. Enduring the pain in his body, he rolled to his feet and swiftly pulled out two pistols, firing at the Terrorizer. Bang bang bang After the sound of gunfire, various eerie roars echoed through the streets. Wang Tao¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he continued to pull the trigger. When several [-300] popped up above the Terrorizer¡¯s head, it fell down instantly. Braving the fire, Wang Tao hurried over to pry out a red transparent Crystal Core from the Terrorizer¡¯s skull, quickly collecting the loot, and then made a run for it. Rumble No sooner had Wang Tao left than a group of zombies arrived. The zombies saw Wang Tao from afar but didn¡¯t chase deeply. In their eyes, Wang Tao was one of their own. ¡°Phew???? ¡± Wang Tao, while running, patted the sparks off his body. Once he made it to his car and saw no zombies following, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. He quickly started the car and nced at the loot in the Space Backpack. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Shockwave] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: sensitivity to light)] Chapter 50 - 50 Ability - Shockwave_1 Chapter 50: Ability ¨C Shockwave_1 Trantor: 549690339 Vroom- The car started and turned to leave via another road. Wang Tao suddenly felt that firing his gun just now seemed to have its benefits after all; it had at least attracted the surrounding zombies, so he could speed up a bit. Not until he had left the street did Wang Tao finally breathe a sigh of relief. Then he took out a painkiller from the military medical kit and plunged it into his arm. The Terrorizer¡¯s hammer strike, although not hitting him directly, had delivered a solid shockwave to him, taking off more than eighty HP. His wounds hadn¡¯t fully healed¡­ and now his whole body was even more painfully sore. Fortunately, he was wearing thick clothes, with books on his body to block some of the damage. It was also lucky that he had dressed warmly, or he might have been burned while collecting the spoils ofbat. Looking at the burnt holes in his clothes, even on the hood and the face mask, Wang Tao felt somewhat relieved. He had narrowly avoided disfigurement again¡­ The painkiller worked well, and soon he felt much more spirited. Only then did he have the chance to check his spoils. Killing that Terrorizer had once again granted him an additional 40 HP limit. He reached [54/380], close to breaking through four hundred, but since his current HP had dropped quite a bit during the fight, he was still severely injured. Just like before, the Terrorizer¡¯s weapon was stored by Wang Tao in his Space Backpack, and the dropped parcel contained the same item, [Strength Potion (small) xl], but this time there was no blueprint. Finally, it was time for him to focus on his main objective- [ Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Shockwave] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Sensitivity to light)] This time, the Crystal Core was not a white and transparent one but a transparent red crystal! Compared to the previous Crystal Core, the Quality had changed. Thest one was ¡°Ordinary (20%)¡± and this one was ¡°Excellent (80%)!¡± Quality affects the sess rate of fusion, indicating an 80% sess rate for merging this Red Crystal Core! This sess rate was impressive; as long as one wasn¡¯t extremely unlucky, the fusion would be stable. Of course, Wang Tao was aiming for a 100% sess rate; he definitely wouldn¡¯t fuse this one now, as he intended to gather ten for synthesis¡ªwait a minute! Wang Tao suddenly paused. The first Shockwave Crystal Core had a fusion sess rate of 20%, and this second one was at 80%. Didn¡¯t that mean thebined sess rate was already 100%? He quickly looked at his Space Backpack, and noticed some changes in the cell where the Zombie Cores were stored. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Shockwave] [2/10 (Can be synthetized)] He could synthesize now! So this ¡°10¡± didn¡¯t mean that at least ten Cores were needed for one synthesis, but that up to ten Cores could be fused?! Just as Wang Tao was pondering synthesis, another prompt popped up. [The attributes after synthing ¡°Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Shockwave¡± will be:] [Quality: Ordinary (20%) + Excellent (80%) = Epic (100%)] [Purity: 50% + 50% = 100%] [Impurities: None] [Side effects: None] ¡°After synthesis, the Quality will be 100%, and the Purity will be 100% as well! Stability maxed out, no impurities, side effects extracted too! What are we waiting for!¡± Without hesitation, Wang Tao chose to synthesize. Swish¡ª The cell in the Space Backpack where the Crystal Cores were ced burst into a burst of colorful light, and an Orange Zombie Core appeared. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Shockwave] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (No side effects)] Seeing the Orange Zombie Core in the Space Backpack, Wang Tao felt his heartbeat quicken a bit. But Wang Tao still had his wits about him, he knew that merging this thing right now wasn¡¯t quite appropriate. It would be better to go back and do it. However, just as Wang Tao took the crystal core out from the space to admire it. He suddenly felt as if he hadn¡¯t eaten for days, and a delicious meal was ced in front of him. Instinctively, he bit into it. And then¡­ he swallowed the beautiful orange crystal core. ¡°Fuck!¡± It was only after swallowing it that Wang Tao realized what he had done. He quickly stopped the car, touched his body, and tried to see if there were any changes. ¡°I feel a bit hot¡­¡± Wang Tao felt his body warming up, but that was all, no other changes urred. The mild heat persisted for about three minutes. Then Wang Tao felt like he had grown a bit stronger, but not by much. He hurriedly checked his attributes. His HP limit didn¡¯t change, but his current HP increased by 10 points, turning into [64/380] Below his HP bar, a new blue bar had appeared¡ª[100/100] Seeing the blue bar, a realization suddenly dawned on Wang Tao. The blue bar represented his energy! He needed this energy to release the Shockwave! Then, next to the icon for the Space Backpack, an icon of a small fist appeared. Inside the fist icon, there was another icon with a wave pattern¡ª[Ability ¨C Shockwave] ¡°Do I really have an ability now?¡± Wang Tao felt it was somewhat surreal. Mainly because he didn¡¯t feel any major changes in his body¡­ Thinking this, Wang Tao suddenly threw a punch at the air outside the car window. Thump¡ª Although it was a punch into the air, it made a ripple as if hitting water, visible to the naked eye! The diameter of the ripple was about one meter. At the same time, his blue bar dropped by 10 points. Then he punched the air again, but this time nothing happened. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Wang Tao had understood how to use the ability. As long as he thought about using the Shockwave Ability in his mind, he could manifest it. If he didn¡¯t want to use it, it would be just a normal attack. He could also roughly control how much energy to use; he just thought about using as little energy as possible and then used 10 points of energy. He could use even less or more energy in one go. But he had a feeling that using less energy required extremely precise control, which he was not capable of yet. If he used too much energy at once, he might end up drained or damage his body, and it seemed like the maximum energy he could use at once was around 20 points¡­ Therefore, to wield this ability with ease, he had to learn and practice more! If two ability users with the same energy and skill were to fight head-on, the one more proficient in using their ability would undoubtedly win¡­ But no matter what, Wang Tao was now a genuine ability user! He couldn¡¯t wait to roar out in excitement, after all, which man hadn¡¯t dreamt of having supernatural powers when they were a child? Although he wasn¡¯t quite at the level of soaring through the skies and burrowing into the earth, he believed that as long as he continued to grow stronger, he might get there one day! With this excited mindset, Wang Tao finally returned to Happy Community a minute before the effects of the Stealth Potion wore off. ¡°Hm? What happened?¡± Wang Tao suddenly frowned. Something seemed off; where were all the zombies in the courtyard? There were clearly more than twenty zombies in the yard, and when he left, the zombies didn¡¯t chase after him. Could it be that someone came out and lured the zombies away? No, the zombies went into the building! When Wang Tao saw that the door to Building 4 was open, his face suddenly turned grim.. Chapter 51 - 51 Crazy__l Chapter 51: Crazy__l Trantor: 549690339 | The number of zombies in the courtyard of Happy Community had decreased, so Wang Tao simply parked his car inside themunity. He also locked the main gate of themunity. At that moment, the duration of the Stealth Potion had just ended, and Wang Tao felt his strength fully restored. He held a horned hammer in one hand and carried a can of oil from the car with the other. With his Ability, Wang Tao had grown bolder. However, he didn¡¯t head straight for Building No. 4; instead, he first went to Buildings No. 1, 2, and 3 to shut their lobby doors. There were obviously still zombies inside these buildings; he could hear theming downstairs as he closed the doors. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to deal with them yet, but he had to prevent them from ambushing him while he was fighting. With themunity gate locked and the doors of the three buildings shut, only the zombies in Building No. 4 remained. When Wang Tao arrived at the entrance of Building No. 4 and saw the zombies in the stairwell, he didn¡¯t go in but climbed onto the awning above the lobby door. Then he began to tap the metal oil can with the horned hammer. Dong dong¡ª As soon as the tapping sound echoed, it instantly attracted the attention of the zombies in the stairwell. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The zombies began to follow the sound ande out; after emerging, they seemed to catch Wang Tao¡¯s human scent and gradually became frenzied. But Wang Tao was now on the awning above the door, out of the zombies¡¯ reach, leaving them impotently raging below. In a short while, the number of zombies beneath him grew, forming a dense and terrifying crowd of about twenty or thirty heads. If Wang Tao fell, he would undoubtedly die. But Wang Tao was not panicked. When the timing felt right, he looked toward an open window on the second floor, about two meters away from him. It was precisely the window of apartment 201, left open when he had departed. First, Wang Tao threw the oil can inside, then he took off all his upper clothing, exposing a muscr torso covered in scars. Once stripped, the human scent of blood seemed more intense, making the zombies below even more frenzied. Wang Tao immediately threw down the bloody clothes. ¡°Heh heh¡ª¡± Following the scent, the zombies lunged at the clothes. Wang Tao then leaped toward the window and easily jumped through it. After entering, he grabbed his things and ran to the door, opening it from the inside. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The moment he opened the door, a one-armed zombie lunged at Wang Tao. Wang Tao was prepared for an attack upon opening the door; without looking, he kicked out. Bang! The zombie was sent flying into the door of apartment 202. Only then did Wang Tao take a moment to look, and cursed angrily. ¡°Shit!¡± The zombie he had just kicked away turned out to be the balding uncle! After the balding uncle climbed back up and lunged at him again, Wang Tao sidestepped to avoid the attack, pushed him into apartment 201, and quickly shut and locked the door. Then, with a flip, he jumped straight down to the first floor. The zombies outside the door might have been taken aback, not expecting someone to suddenly jump down from the corridor. Faced with a crowd of zombies, Wang Tao remained unflustered and mmed the lobby door shut with a bang. Ignoring the various roars behind him, he rushed upstairs. Inside room 401. By the door of the secondary bedroom. A young man with paleplexion, dressed in spectacles, and with a schrly appearance sat on the floor. He was holding a kitchen knife, knocking on the door while eating hisst piece of bread, then called out somewhat weakly : ¡°Beauty, open the door. I promise I won¡¯t kill you!¡± No one answered from inside. ¡°Beauty, you can trust me. I really didn¡¯t mean to kill that uncle. I was forced into a corner too!¡± Still no response. ¡°Beauty, I¡¯m giving you a chance to open the door voluntarily. Otherwise¡­ don¡¯t me me, okay!¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Waiting for your husband who¡¯s already fled on his own? Forget it, no one¡¯sing to rescue you! Just ept your fate, follow me, and I guarantee I won¡¯t let you die!¡± ¡°Damn it! Stupid bitch! I¡¯m going to make you wish you were dead! I¡¯m going to * you alive!¡± The man in sses suddenly turned vicious, looking as ferocious as a madman. As soon as he spoke, a muffled sobbing could be heard from the bedroom. Upon hearing this, the man in sses immediately changed his tune. ¡°If you open the door willingly, I promise, as long as you agree to be my wife, I won¡¯t kill you. I¡¯ll treat you well!¡± Seeing that there was still no response from inside, the man in sses didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. He propped himself up against the wall, stood up, then took a kitchen knife and began to pry at the door lock. ¡°Damn you, you stinking whore! Wait for it! When I catch you, I¡¯m going to strip you naked, chop you into pieces, throw you into the zombie horde, I¡¯m going to * you to death¡­¡± As the man in sses muttered to himself, he suddenly heard some noiseing from outside the front door. ¡°Heh, these dumb zombies, here theye again The man in sses suddenly stopped short; he noticed that the door to his house was open! Gulp- Swallowing hard, the man in sses clenched the kitchen knife tightly and hobbled along the wall towards the door. Suddenly, a tall dark shadow burst in. Before the man in sses could see clearly, he found himself lifted off the ground. ¡°Uh-uh¡ª¡± Wang Tao looked at the man he held by the neck, a cold gaze in his eyes. As he watched the man struggle to breathe, Wang Tao loosed his grip, and the man in sses fell to the ground. Wang Tao stomped hard on his stomach; after seeing that he had only a sliver of HP left, only then did Wang Tao let him be. Then Wang Tao approached the door of the secondary bedroom and knocked. ¡°Open up, it¡¯s me!¡± No answer from inside. Wang Tao didn¡¯t waste any words, he took half a step back, then suddenly kicked the door. Bang! The door was kicked open by his foot. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± A hoarse scream came from a corner of the room. Seeing the disheveled woman, Wang Tao strode over. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me¡­ don¡¯t kill me¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± Ding Yuqin, sitting on the ground, frantically waved her limbs. Wang Tao squatted down, easily grabbed Ding Yuqin¡¯s limbs, then pinched her chin, forcibly lifting her head. ¡°Sister-inw, it¡¯s me.¡± Ding Yuqin looked over in terror. Looking at the tall figure in front of her, bare-chested and muscr, covered in scars, wearing a broken mask. She was suddenly stunned, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. ¡°Wang¡­ Wang Tao?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Wang Tao! Wuuwuu! Is it really you? I thought you abandoned me! I thought I was dead! I¡¯m not dreaming¡­¡± Ding Yuqin cried tears of joy, somewhat incoherently. Wang Tao gently patted her shoulder. ¡°Sister-inw, it¡¯s me, I¡¯m back.¡± Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s hand, Ding Yuqin suddenly threw herself into his arms. ¡°Wuuwuu¡­ I thought you¡­¡± Wang Tao patted Ding Yuqin¡¯s back and helped her stand up, then asked. -What on earth happened here, how did you end up here? What¡¯s the deal with the person outside?¡± Ding Yuqin suddenly tensed up again when the matter was brought up. ¡°That man went mad! He lured the zombies here! He wanted to kill us! The bald uncle¡­ to save me¡­ wuuwuu¡­.¡± Chapter 52 - 52 Murder i Chapter 52: Murder i Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, just take your time.¡± Wang Tao, supporting Ding Yuqin, came out and saw the figure lying on the ground, Ding Yuqin instinctively clung tightly to Wang Tao¡¯s waist. ¡°He, he¡¯s gone mad! He wanted tomit suicide with us! And then¡­¡± Ding Yuqin trembled as she recounted what had happened. It turned out that the day after Wang Tao had left, the sses-wearing man from 401 took the initiative toe out and invited the bald man downstairs and Ding Yuqin to his apartment as guests. Of course, saying it was to entertain guests was an overstatement since he didn¡¯t have much to offer; it was really just to discuss what to do in the future. Ding Yuqin originally didn¡¯t want to go out, but since she thought Wang Tao had abandoned her and left alone, she felt the only way to survive was to save herself, so she went out. The bald uncle also came out, after all, the sses-wearing man seemed very normal, and both he and the bald uncle thought he truly wanted to unite everyone for self-rescue. Unexpectedly, after inviting everyone out, the sses-wearing man suddenly went to open the unit door while no one was paying attention and let the zombies in! His home had long been out of supplies, and with the power, water, and inte cut off¡­ he had been driven mad by the apocalypse! The mentally unstable sses-wearing man wanted to take everyone down with him! The sses-wearing man thought death was no big deal, but after seeing how ferocious the zombies were, he suddenly chickened out¡­ The betrayed Ding Yuqin and the bald uncle didn¡¯t have time to get back to their homes, so they had no choice but to hide in the sses-wearing man¡¯s house. In his house, the bald uncle naturally wanted to settle scores with the sses-wearing man, but after thetter¡¯s tearful apologies, iming he had been blinded by insanity, he managed to convince the kind-hearted bald uncle Although Ding Yuqin no longer trusted the sses-wearing man, she was, after all, a frail woman; if the zombies came, she would still need their protection, so she didn¡¯t say anything and just kept a close watch on the sses-wearing man. And so, the group stayed inside 401 for two days, but there was no food and very little water in his house. All three of them were struggling to hold on. At this time, most of the zombies in the corridor had left, with only one upstairs. Therefore, the bald uncle suggested going downstairs to his ce to get some things, as he still had some food Wang Tao had given him. But he was afraid that the sses-wearing man would harm Ding Yuqin, so he proposed that he go together with him and have Yuqin stay at home to keep watch. Hearing there was food, the sses-wearing man instantly perked up and agreed there was no problem. Then he and the bald uncle sneakily slipped out. But after the two left, something happened downstairs that drew a zombie and they both ran back. When Ding Yuqin opened the door, the sses-wearing man suddenly pulled her out and opened the door-he wanted to drag everyone down together again! By then, his mind had already be abnormal. As Yuqin was about to be bitten by a zombie, the bald uncle desperately charged at the sses-wearing man, pulling Yuqin back inside, but he himself got bitten¡­ In the final moments, the bald uncle forcefully shut the door to 401, and as the two men struggled, the sses-wearing man¡¯s keys got lost too. The bald uncle resolutely dragged the zombie down the stairs with him. Yuqin frantically hid in the bedroom and locked it from the inside. Since the sses-wearing man didn¡¯t have the keys, and since he hadn¡¯t eaten before, he didn¡¯t have the strength to break open the bedroom door, so the two were stuck in a standoff from yesterday until today. But when the sses-wearing man had gone down previously with the bald uncle, he had managed to get some food from the bald uncle¡¯s ce. So as long as he recovered some strength, he could probably break open the bedroom door by ramming it. By then, Yuqin would surely die. After all, she was originally not as physically Strong as the sses-wearing man and hadn¡¯t eaten for days; she had no way to resist. And just when Yuqin was at her most desperate, Wang Tao arrived like God himself, appearing right in front of her! After listening to Ding Yuqin¡¯s rough exnation, Wang Tao looked at the sses-wearing man as if he were looking at a dead man, then he said somewhat displeased: ¡°Sis-inw, didn¡¯t I tell you to hide in the house and note out! Why did you go out?¡± ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t do it again¡­¡± Ding Yuqin hung her head slightly, not daring to meet Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. Right then, Wang Tao seemed to remember something and suddenly asked: ¡°Do you think I abandoned you and left on my own?¡± When he went after the airdrop, he drove there, so if Ding Yuqin had been by the window, she could have seen it. Most people would probably assume that Wang Tao was nning to leave on his own. II II Ding Yuqin really wanted to say yes, but she didn¡¯t dare. She was afraid that her distrust would annoy Wang Tao, and only when she lost Wang Tao did she realize how much she needed him. In the few days that Wang Tao was gone, she truly understood what the apocalypse was! Seeing that Ding Yuqin remained silent, Wang Tao knew what was probably going on. ¡±Stupid woman! Even if I really had left, couldn¡¯t you have asked the bald guy to unlock the door to my room? You know I have food in there. But you chose to trust a stranger instead? Really¡ª¡± Wang Tao reproached irritably. The death of the bald man made him feel somewhat ufortable. Although they had been strangers before, the man had taught him the entire set of lock-picking skills, and he had a good personality, not one of those greedy types. Wang Tao had a good impression of him. And yet such a man had died like that¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡­ sob sob¡­¡± It was the first time Wang Tao had been so harsh to Ding Yuqin, and it instantly frightened her. Clutching the corner of her clothes, she apologized with teary eyes. ¡°Ah, okay, okay¡­ It¡¯s not your fault¡­¡± Seeing Ding Yuqin¡¯s haggard and fearful appearance, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t bear to say more. After all, she only had 10 drops of HP left. He was really afraid she might die if he continued. Wang Tao helped Ding Yuqin to sit in a chair, then took out a piece of chocte from his pocket, unwrapped it, and handed it to her. Ding Yuqin swallowed, but hesitated to take it. Wang Tao straightforwardly brushed aside Ding Yuqin¡¯s messy hair and somewhat roughly stuffed the dark chocte into her mouth. ¡°Eat!¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± After seeing that Ding Yuqin could still eat, Wang Tao then turned his attention to the sses-wearing man on the floor. The man with sses only had [5/100] HP left. He didn¡¯t have much HP to begin with and had been severely beaten by Wang Tao, now nearing a state of death. Wang Tao strode over and, grabbing the man¡¯s cor, pulled him up from the ground. ¡°Spa-spare me¡­¡± The man with sses started speaking with a tremble. Without a word, Wang Tao grabbed his throat and then forcefully squeezed. Crack! [-5] [0/100] ¡°Ugh¡ª¡± The man with sses¡¯ eyes bulged, his pupils slowly losing focus. Ding Yuqin, who had been eating the chocte with her head down, shuddered all over. Wang Tao looked back at her. ¡°Sister-inw, stay here for now. I¡¯ll be right back. Don¡¯t go running off again.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­.¡± Chapter 53 - 53 Weakness Potion_l Chapter 53: Weakness Potion_l Trantor: 549690339 I In this world, where civilization had gradually been reced by barbarism, the bespectacled man had killed the bald man, and he even wanted to kill Ding Yuqin. His fate was already sealed. Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to find out any more details or understand his mental state any further; he just wanted the bespectacled man to die. Wang Tao had thought that killing someone with his own hands might be ufortable, might make him queasy. But perhaps it was because he had killed too many zombies, after he killed the bespectacled man, he found he felt nothing at all. Not even as much as when killing zombies, after all, zombies were much more disgusting than the bespectacled man. Wang Tao dragged the bespectacled man¡¯s body to room 202, which was the bald man¡¯s home, and then threw him out of the window. Bang¡ª As the bespectacled man¡¯s body hit the ground, the group of zombies outside immediately swarmed over. Wang Tao didn¡¯t look at the disgusting scene for long; he turned his attention to the items that had dropped when he killed the bespectacled man. First thing was for sure, killing people could also result in loot drops. But killing people didn¡¯t increase the HP limit, nor was there that feeling of a slight improvement in physical condition. [Acquired: Weakness Potion (small) x2] [Weakness Potion (small): A creature contaminated with Weakness Potion will have its Attributes reduced by l%-20% (depending on the dosage),sting for to minutes, with a cooldown of 12 minutes for the same target] Killing an ordinary otaku and dropping two bottles of ¡°Weakness Potion,¡± does that make sense? This Weakness Potion wasn¡¯t like the others before; it resembled a ss bottle, not an injection. Thinking about it, who would inject themselves with a Weakness Potion? Wang Tao felt the correct way to use this thing was probably to throw it or to drug someone¡­ It might not be needed for now, but who knows, it mighte in handy one day. Moreover, ording to the description, any creature contaminated with Weakness Potion will be weakened, so zombies should count as creatures, right? After stowing the items in the Space Backpack, Wang Tao went to the door of room 201, listening to the incessant zombie roars inside. He took a deep breath, and only then did he use the key to open the door. Bang! The moment he opened the door, Wang Tao kicked it. He sent the zombie that was once the bald man flying with a kick. Then he grabbed the horned hammer and quickly ran over, pounding away at the zombie that was once the bald man. Soon, the zombie that was once the bald man was down to a sliver of HP, and looking at that familiar yet ferocious face, Wang Tao sighed deeply. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The bald man had avoided the virus outbreak, avoided the zombies, avoided the food crisis, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t avoid his own kind. If only he could havee back yesterday, he might have been able to be saved. But now, it was toote¡­ Bang! [-54] [0/500] [Obtained: Rope xl] [Rope: Crafting material] The HP limit went up another 5 points, reaching [69/385] Wang Tao searched the bald man¡¯s body and found a blood-stained photograph. It was the family portrait he had proudly shown Wang Tao before. Looking at the bright smiling faces of the family of three in the photograph, Wang Tao carefully tucked the photo away. ¡°If I ever get the chance to meet your wife and child, and I happen to be capable, I¡¯ll look after them for you.¡± Regardless, the man had taught him how to pick locks, and this infection hade while he was protecting Ding Yuqin. If Wang Tao was able, he wouldn¡¯t mind helping the man¡¯s family, but¡­ Remembering the terrifying figure he had seen on the outskirts with ten thousand HP, Wang Tao thought the chances of the man¡¯s family¡¯s survival were slim. Wang Tao sat here for a while and, after smoking a cigarette, finally tossed out the balding uncle zombie¡¯s corpse. Then he picked up the oil drum kept in this room and went upstairs to the door of 401. ¡°Open up, it¡¯s me.¡± Click- Ding Yuqin was waiting right behind the door and, hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, opened it without even a nce through the peephole. ¡°Sister-inw, next time you could at least take a look at who it is before opening the door. You don¡¯t have to hurry to let someone in.¡± Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. This Ding Yuqin wasn¡¯t foolish before, so why did it feel like she had be dull all of a sudden after his short trip outside? ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Ding Yuqin bowed her head and didn¡¯t exin, mainly because it was Wang Tao outside. If it were someone else, she definitely wouldn¡¯t open the door so trustingly. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go home.¡± Wang Tao beckoned, and Ding Yuqin hurriedly followed. Seeing the cuts and bruises on Wang Tao¡¯s back, Ding Yuqin suddenly felt a twinge of heartache. She couldn¡¯t imagine what Wang Tao must have gone through these past few days outside. Wang Tao watched as Ding Yuqin continued to follow him all the way to the sixth floor, but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower, you can drink some water, grab something to eat on your own.¡± After saying that, Wang Tao went to the bathroom. Only then did Ding Yuqin realize she hadn¡¯t returned to her own home but had followed Wang Tao to his ce instead. She drank some water, didn¡¯t take anything, and left straight away. After washing up, Wang Tao found that Ding Yuqin had left and was slightly surprised. But he didn¡¯t care too much. He nned to rest well today and also make some Molotov cocktails, so that he could take care of the zombies in the yard the next day and then bring back the stuff from the car. The gates of themunity were now locked, and all the unit doors were shut as well. There were only about twenty zombies in the yard, and they definitely wouldn¡¯t withstand his Molotov cocktails. Not to mention, he now had an Ability! However, he decided to leave it for today, since he was still at low HP. An hourter, while Wang Tao was cooking, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. Upon opening the door, Wang Tao was slightly taken aback. It was one thing for Ding Yuqin to have gone home to shower and change clothes, but she¡¯d also applied light makeup. Her hair was tied up high, revealing delicate ears and a slender snowy neck. She wore a figure-hugging dark blue pajama set, tightly wrapped around the chest but still unable to hide the prominent curves. The hem of her pajamas was above the knee, encasing her shapely lower body, but not those slim legs sheathed in flesh-toned stockings. On her feet were a pair of brown high-heeled shoes, which unexpectedly matched well with the pajamas. ¡°Wang Tao, I, I¡¯ll help you cook and doundry¡­¡± Ding Yuqin brushed a stray hair aside from her ear and said in a low voice, looking down. ¡°Okay.¡± Since Ding Yuqin was willing to cook, Wang Tao decided to take a break. After a simple lunch, Wang Tao went to make the Molotov cocktails. Gasoline was a mmable material, after all, and he didn¡¯t feelfortable letting Ding Yuqin handle it. By the time the sun set, he had managed to make all thirty Molotov cocktails. Actually, as long as the materials were fine, making Molotov cocktails was quite quick. But whether deliberately or not, Ding Yuqin often lingered around Wang Tao, causing him to lose concentration and thus wasting a lot of time. With a faint smell of gasoline on him and a bit of irritation in his mind, Wang Tao decided to take another shower. Coming out bare-chested, Wang Tao saw Ding Yuqin casually stretching her legs on the couch, gently massaging her silky stocking-d legs. She seemed a bit hot, her pajama top slightly open at the chest, revealing a deep cleavage. Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, Ding Yuqin lowered her head with an unnatural color on her face. Wang Tao walked over directly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going home, sister-inw?¡± Chapter 54 - 54: The Miraculous Blood Chapter 54: The Miraculous Blood Replenishing Ability¡ª1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Isn¡¯t sister-inw going home?¡± Wang Tao looked down at Ding Yuqin from above. There was plenty of food left over from lunch, and he could just reheat it for dinner, so he no longer needed Ding Yuqin. ¡°I want to rest for a while, I¡¯m a bit tired¡­¡± Ding Yuqin lowered her head, not daring to look into Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. ¡°Where are you tired?¡± Wang Tao took a step forward. ¡°My legs are sore¡­¡± She had been doing household chores and cooking at Wang Tao¡¯s home all along; if she had known earlier, she would not have worn high heels-it was too tiring¡­ ¡°Do you want my help, sister-inw?¡± Wang Tao suddenly said with a smile. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Ding Yuqin murmured so quietly that she could barely hear her own voice. Wang Tao heard her. Then he casually sat down next to Ding Yuqin. ¡°Sister-inw, let me give you a massage¡­¡± (614 characters omitted¡­ Even a foot massage is censored, I give up.) Suddenly, a pair of slender and pale hands grabbed Wang Tao¡¯srge one. Wang Tao looked up and saw a pair of eyes that were shy yet filled with tears. ¡°Wang Tao¡­ you, you won¡¯t ever abandon me, right? ¡°I have never left sister-inw behind at any time!¡± Wang Tao said, puzzled. ¡°I¡­ I just want to hear you say it¡­¡± Ding Yuqin did not want to experience that feeling of despair again; the only thing that might still be useful to Wang Tao now was probably herself. She was unwilling to trade herself, but she had no other choice. And it wasn¡¯t exactly a pure transaction, either; after these days of post-apocalyptic life, she had developed some fondness for Wang Tao. Especially today, when she was most desperate, the image of Wang Tao, covered in blood, bursting in front of her was something she might never forget in her lifetime¡­ ¡°Okay! As long as you are obedient, I, Wang Tao, will definitely not abandon you.¡± Wang Tao promised. Although it was just an ordinary verbal promise, Ding Yuqin still felt a surge of overwhelming joy. She let go of Wang Tao¡¯s hand and hugged him tightly on her own initiative. ¡°Wang Tao¡­ sob¡­ thank you!¡± Feeling the warmth of a fragrant embrace, Wang Tao gently wiped away her tears, and then slowly kissed her. After a while, when Ding Yuqin started to have difficulty catching her breath, Wang Tao finally released her. Still feeling the desire for more, Wang Tao licked his lips and said with a smile: ¡°Sister-inw, have you really made up your mind? After this, you¡¯ll be mine alone!¡± ¡°Can you¡­ can you stop calling me sister-inw¡­¡± Ding Yuqin, withplex emotions, buried her head in Wang Tao¡¯s chest. Wang Tao chuckled. ¡°No, I like calling you that.¡± An hourter. Wang Tao walked out of the bedroom, his face full of disbelief. ¡°I actually gained too points of HP! And my body doesn¡¯t hurt much anymore!¡± An hour before, his HP was [69/385], but now it was [169/385] This¡­ was a bit miraculous! Was it because of him, or Ding Yuqin, or thebination of the two? Wang Tao didn¡¯t quite understand. -It seems the experts are right; appropriate exercise is beneficial to one¡¯s health!¡± Looking out the window, he saw that it had already gotten dark. Wang Tao reheated the leftover food from lunch and cooked another portion of porridge. After having a few bites himself, he took the porridge to the bedroom. Ding Yuqin was already asleep. Her body had been in a state of weakness thesest few days, and her spirit was extremelynguid. Wang Tao forcefully woke Ding Yuqin up. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ding Yuqin was still a little groggy, but as she slowly recognized Wang Tao, a flush spread across her pale little face. Wang Tao pinched her cheek and said with a smile. ¡°Sister-inw,e and eat some dinner, you¡¯re too weak, you need to get more nutrition.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sleepy¡­¡± Smelling the fragrance of the food, Ding Yuqin wrinkled her little nose, but she was indeed very tired and sleepy. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll feed you today.¡± Wang Tao propped her up and then sat by the bed, spoon-feeding her the porridge. Ding Yuqin, enjoying Wang Tao¡¯s tenderness, suddenly felt her eyes moisten. After feeding Ding Yuqin, he watched her fall asleep again before Wang Tao quietly left the bedroom. Now that his HP had recovered somewhat, it was time to continue his daily exercises. Wang Tao was quite disciplined in this regard. He exercised untilte into the night, and only after feeling his body had grown stronger did he contentedly take a shower and then went to rest. Early in the morning. Upon opening her eyes, Ding Yuqin saw the burly figure lying next to her and feltplex emotions. She was a woman of loyalty; she had only ever dated once, and her partner was her husband, Zhao Yuan. If she had a choice, she certainly would not want to betray her husband, even though it was very likely that Zhao Yuan was already dead¡­ But shecked any ability to survive in a post-apocalyptic world; if she didn¡¯t choose to rely on a man, she would either die or live a life worse than death! Hence, she had no choice. She felt gratitude, admiration, and trust towards Wang Tao¡­ but no love-she believed she did not feel it yet. ¡°Awake?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice suddenly sounded. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ding Yuqin murmured somewhat unnaturally as she buried her head into Wang Tao¡¯s chest. ¡°Today I¡¯m going to clear out all the zombies in the yard, but before that, I want to try if I can replenish my blood again!¡± ¡®Hmm? Mm-¡° Chapter 55 - 55: Testing the Molotov Cocktail Chapter 55: Testing the Molotov Cocktail Again_l Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao felt a bit disappointed; this time it didn¡¯t replenish his HP. ¡°Not sure if this blood replenishing is a one-time thing or periodic¡­¡± After muttering to himself, Wang Tao looked at Ding Yuqin, who was lying on the bed like a dead fish, and patted her butt. ¡°Sister-inw, time to get up and cook!¡± ¡°¡­Mhm.¡± Ding Yuqin gave Wang Tao a blushing nce and then said softly, ¡°I, I think I¡¯ll take a shower first¡­¡± ¡°Perfect, I was thinking the same, let¡¯s go together. Wang Tao grinned. After a quick shower, Wang Tao started his morning training at home with a bare chest. Wang Tao really enjoyed working out because he could clearly feel that his daily training was improving his strength. Although the improvements were not substantial, the sensation of receiving rewards for his effort was quite exhrating. ¡°Wang Tao, it¡¯s time to eat!¡± After preparing breakfast, Ding Yuqin habitually set up Wang Tao¡¯s bowl and chopsticks first, while she herself didn¡¯t take anything, standing by waiting for Wang Tao to sit down. ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating, sister-inw?¡± After Wang Tao sat down, he looked at Ding Yuqin and asked. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ding Yuqin then happily went to grab her own bowl and chopsticks. From now on, her three meals a day should be secure. ¡°Eat more, sister-inw, you¡¯ve lost weight.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you¡­¡± Ding Yuqin had been severely frightened these past few days and hadn¡¯t eaten much. Although she had managed to eat a bit yesterday, her HP was still only a little over thirty. Since Ding Yuqin had chosen to follow Wang Tao, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be stingy; he had to at least make sure her HP was fully replenished. The two of them didn¡¯t speak again, eating silently. However, Ding Yuqin would asionally steal nces at Wang Tao, who was well aware of her looks, but he didn¡¯t mind. -I¡¯m done eating. I¡¯m going to go down for a bitter, you just stay home and don¡¯t wander off.¡± ¡°Ah? Wang Tao, you¡¯re going to¡­¡± Ding Yuqin instinctively felt a little scared whenever she heard Wang Tao was about to leave. ¡°I¡¯m going to clear out the zombies in the residential courtyard. Having so many zombies outside isn¡¯t right.¡± Wang Tao exined. With the main gate of theplex locked and all the other unit doors downstairs locked as well, the only zombies left were those in the courtyard. He definitely had to clean them out. Plus, with the zombies around, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring the stuff from the car over. ¡°Ah? So many zombies¡­ Be careful¡­¡± Ding Yuqin quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks and grabbed Wang Tao¡¯s hand, her voice tinged with nervousness. There were at least twenty zombies in the courtyard. She could hardly imagine how Wang Tao would clear them out, but she didn¡¯t doubt him; she was just very worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a secret weapon!¡± Wang Tao patted Ding Yuqin¡¯s hand and then went to put on his gear. Ding Yuqin hurried to help him. His previous clothes had been discarded, and the books were damaged, but Wang Tao still had plenty of those. He found a new set of clothes, fresh books, and then taped them all up. Ding Yuqin found other equipment for Wang Tao, and as she helped him dress, she saw the battle scars on his body. She subconsciously caressed the scabbed wounds, expressing her concern, ¡°What happened with these wounds? Do they hurt? Wang Tao just smiled indifferently. ¡°Got them on the road yesterday, but they¡¯re just minor injuries, not painful.¡± In fact, they did hurt quite a bit yesterday. However, since he had replenished his blood while with Ding Yuqin at night, the wounds had healed a lot, and naturally, they didn¡¯t hurt as much anymore. ¡°Wait for me toe back, and I¡¯ll treat your wound again¡­ Ding Yuqin said, biting her lower lip. Upon hearing that the injury was sustained yesterday on the way back, Ding Yuqin felt even more touched, after all, this was a wound Wang Tao had gotten for her¡­ ¡°Mhm.¡± Wang Tao nodded. After all preparations were done, Wang Tao left the house, carrying a box full of Molotov cocktails. With so many zombies in themunity, it was impossible for him to single-handedly take on a group. It wasn¡¯t a matter of whether he could win, but rather the risk was too great, and the potential gain was not worth the danger. Wang Tao already had an idea of the power of these Molotov cocktails. When attacking a ¡°Terrorizer¡± zombie, a single strike would cause around fifty to sixty HP of damage, while a Molotov cocktail could burn more than fifty HP in one second. Although he was unsure of the exact damage it would do to these Ordinary zombies, even if it was only around fifty, it would be enough. After all, this was a continuous area-of-effect attack! With this powerful weapon at his disposal, he didn¡¯t need to take risks. Carrying the Molotov cocktails, he arrived at apartment 201 and opened the window. The body of the bespectacled man he threw down yesterday was now only a skeleton. A few zombies were gnawing at the bones. However, it seemed the zombies¡¯ teeth hadn¡¯t evolved much, as they were still unable to gnaw on some of therger bones. Wang Tao knocked on the window, immediately attracting the attention of some zombies. He stood by the window, asionally knocking on it. Soon, four zombies had gathered beneath the window. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± ¡°Roar¡­¡± Looking at those zombies that were agitated but couldn¡¯t climb walls, Wang Tao cracked a smile. He lit a Molotov cocktail, then hurled it down at the zombies. Ssh- Boom¡ª After the Molotov cocktail shattered on the ground amidst the zombies, mes burst forth, and Wang Tao could distinctly feel a wave of heat. He looked closely and saw numbers beginning to float above the heads of the zombies engulfed in the sea of fire. [-64] [-63] [-61] [-] ¡°Molotov cocktail attacks against Ordinary zombies only do slightly more damage than against Terrorizers?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, as he had added extra ingredients to the cocktail. It was not much of an issue though, since the Molotov cocktails would burn for quite a while, and these zombies would definitely be burned to death. The roaring of these zombies attracted others, but seeing the mes, the other zombies were unwilling to approach, just roaring and watching from a distance. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t in a hurry, as he still had plenty of Molotov cocktails in his hands, enough to take out these zombies. ¡°Hm? The damage is getting lower?¡± Wang Tao noticed that as the zombies¡¯ HP dropped, the damage inflicted by the fire was also decreasing. Soon, three zombies had fallen to the ground with a sliver of HP left, but they weren¡¯t dead. The mes continued to burn; although the gasoline in the Molotov cocktails had burned up, the zombies¡¯ bodies were mmable and could continue to burn. It just didn¡¯t smell too good. Wang Tao silently waited for a while, and three of the zombies were burned to death. The one that had not died because the mes had initially only caught its arm was now spreading to its body. But the three dead zombies didn¡¯t drop any loot, nor did they increase Wang Tao¡¯s HP limit. ¡°Damn! Doesn¡¯t it count as my kill? Those I shot dead with a gun counted, why doesn¡¯t burning them to death count?¡± Wang Tao was puzzled, realizing he would have to experiment more in the future to understand the situation. However, if burning the zombies to death didn¡¯t count as his kills, he would have to change hisbat approach! ¡°I have to go down there! First, I need to burn them until they are crippled, then finish them off with a de! Otherwise, these zombies¡¯ deaths would be too wasteful!¡± Chapter 56 - 56 Clean-up of the Residential Area_l Chapter 56: Clean-up of the Residential Area_l Trantor: 549690339 The mes on the first floor hadn¡¯t been extinguished yet, and the zombies were unwilling toe over, so Wang Tao had no choice but to go to Room 202. He opened the window to attract the zombies. Once the zombies approached, he repeated his method and once again threw a Molotov cocktail, hitting four zombies. Waiting for their HP to drop to a sliver, Wang Tao grabbed his weapons and climbed out the window. There were still about a dozen zombies in the yard, so for safety, he didn¡¯t walk out the front door on the first floor but instead jumped down directly. Thud¡ª The second-floor window was about four meters from the ground of theplex, and Wang Taonded with ease. But at the same time as hended, Wang Tao silently used Shockwave. A visible ripple spread out from his feet, expanding in all directions like the ripples of a wave. [-22] [-21] [-8] [-12] The four zombies, already low on HP, were bounced up by the Shockwave and then hit the ground. By the time they bounced, they were already dead! Four semi-transparent packages appeared instantly. ¡°Haha, using Shockwave to deal the final blow seems pretty good!¡± It was Wang Tao¡¯s first time using Shockwave against enemies, and he was slightly excited. He quickly estimated that the Shockwave¡¯s range was about three meters in diameter, half of the Terrorizer¡¯s six-meter diameter Shockwave. But Wang Tao was content since he could repeatedly fuse the same type of Crystal Core, meaning the Ability was sure to grow stronger, and as he collected more Crystal Cores, his Ability would be increasingly powerful! After jumping down, Wang Tao immediately drew all the zombies¡¯ attention, and they twisted their bodies towards him. But Wang Tao had no intention of engaging them. He quickly stepped on the windowsill and climbed back up to the second floor. Then, he lit another Molotov cocktail and threw it out. St- Boom¡ª After throwing three Molotov cocktails in a row, the ground floor was engulfed in mes. Wang Tao then went back to Room 201 and, after waiting for a while, jumped down from there. With a thump, hended effortlessly. Watching the zombies chaotically dancing in the inferno, Wang Tao chuckled. Enduring the heat waves, he strode forward, picked up the horned hammer, and brought it down on the head of a burning zombie. St! [-451 [0/500] The zombie had only a sliver of HP left, an easy target for the killing blow. Simultaneously, a visible Shockwave emanated from the horned hammer. [-42] [0/500] This time it affected only one zombie, but it was still instantly killed. Soon, all the weakened zombies in the inferno were taken out by Wang Tao. Wang Tao discovered a proper way to use the Shockwave; when finishing off zombies, he didn¡¯t need to enter the inferno. He could simply hit the ground or the zombies outside the mes, and the Shockwave would kill the zombies inside! This was very convenient. However, the Ability consumed quite a bit. The three-meter range Shockwave was his most powerful attack, and each usage consumed 20 Mana. He could use it at most five times. Wang Tao took care of all the zombies in the ze with just three uses. Outside the inferno, there were still two unscathed zombies left. ¡°Perfect, you two can try out the Ability!¡± Wang Tao rushed forward and hammered hard on the head of one of the zombies. [-3431 [-2851 The zombie he hammered lost 343 HP while the zombie nearby affected by the Shockwave lost 285 HP. At the same time, both zombies were knocked to the ground by the impact. Wang Tao was satisfied with the result. He brought down the hammer again, targeting the zombie with the higher remaining HP. St! [-157] [0/500] Shockwave. [-1151 [0/500] Two hammers, instant kill. ¡°The power of the shockwave seems to be rted to the strength of my attacks¡­ but the mana cost is at most only 20 points, so there must be a limit to this power unless I can use more mana¡­ As he pondered, Wang Tao casually collected the loot dropped by the two zombies. ¡°All cleared!¡± He looked around and saw a total of 22 zombies in the courtyard of themunity, apart from the first three zombies that Wang Tao did not finish off, he had finished off the remaining 19. NOW he had obtained neen pieces of loot and a 95-point increase to his HP limit! Wang Tao nced at his attributes. HP1264/48O] Mana[o/ioo] Breaking through four hundred HP, he felt his body slightly strengthen, filled with power. That was also the reason he managed to deal over 300 damage in killing thosest two zombies. However, the depletion of his mana left Wang Tao feeling extremely exhausted. This feeling of being physically energized yet mentally exhausted made Wang Tao very ufortable. ¡°It looks like I should conserve some mana in the future, and not use it all at once unless necessary¡­¡± Wang Tao, bearing the disgusting smell, used his hammer to drag the still-burning zombies to the middle of the empty space in themunity. He worried that if the corpses happened to set the buildings on fire, it would be really bad luck. Fire safety is everyone¡¯s responsibility! He then made a round in themunity. This oldmunity had only four buildings, and was quite small in area. After confirming that there were no more zombies in the courtyard, Wang Tao then drove the pickup truck in from themunity entrance. Indistinctly, Wang Tao could feel the howling of zombies from the other buildings. ¡°There are still quite a few zombies left in the remaining three buildings, it seems there are no other survivors¡­ Maybe I should find some time to clear them out¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s HP bar was only 20 away from breaking through 500, and he was full of motivation for killing zombies. After parking the car under Building No. 4, Wang Tao went down to call for Ding Yuqin. Ding Yuqin looked at Wang Tao with a bit of surprise, as she had been watching from the building and saw the shockwave that Wang Tao unleashed. ¡°Wang Tao, you¡­¡± She opened her mouth, wanting to ask Wang Tao about it, but considering it might be Wang Tao¡¯s secret, she hesitated whether she should ask. ¡°Ability, Shockwave.¡± Wang Tao, knowing what was on her mind, replied directly. ¡°Ab-Ability!¡± Though she had already guessed, Ding Yuqin was still visibly shocked when Wang Tao confirmed it. After all, these were things from TV shows, and they had actually appeared in reality¡­ Wang Tao observed Ding Yuqin¡¯s surprised expression and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Since you have decided to follow me, sister-inw, I¡¯ll figure out a way to get an ability for you to y with in the future.¡± ¡°Ah? I can too? No no no, I can¡¯t manage it¡­¡± Ding Yuqin was initially subconsciously excited, but she quickly waved her hands in denial. Even if she had the Shockwave Ability, she wouldn¡¯t dare to kill zombies. With her petite size, she¡¯d hardly be enough for a zombie to floss its teeth with. Wang Tao didn¡¯t press the issue upon seeing her reaction. There certainly were more abilities than just the Shockwave, and perhaps there might be one suitable for Ding Yuqin. It took some time, but Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin finally managed to move everything upstairs. Seeing so much food, Ding Yuqin almost couldn¡¯t believe it was real. Especially with a government drop among them, which excited her. Could there¡­ possibly be a chance for rescue? But when Wang Tao showed Ding Yuqin the letter from the supply drop, she knew that rescue¡­ was not possible. However, she wasn¡¯t too disappointed. After all, she had ced all her hopes on Wang Tao now¡­. Chapter 57 - 57: You Wronged Me_l Chapter 57: You Wronged Me_l Trantor: 549690339 19 zombies. In addition to granting Wang Tao 95 more HP, they also dropped 19 packages for him. While Ding Yuqin was sorting out the supplies, Wang Tao was checking his spoils of war. Some crafting materials he had seen before naturally dropped again, along with a few new ones. [Gauze xi], [Cable xi], [Battery xi], [Electronic Component xl]¡­ He didn¡¯t yet know what these crafting materials were for, but they could be used on their own, like gauze for stopping bleeding or batteries for discharging electricity. However, he definitely wasn¡¯t going to use them just yet, after all, he could store them in the Space Backpack, saving time and effort. If he really needed to, then he¡¯d consider the items in the backpack. Beyond these crafting materials, there was something he had never seen before. [Security Uniform xl] [Security Uniform: Durability +1, Tear Resistance +1] Wang Tao was somewhat surprised by the security uniform. Even clothes could drop? And with attributes to boot! If he remembered correctly, this ck security uniform had the same style as the one worn by themunity security guards. But themunity guard was an old man, wearing loose-fitting security apparel, not so much protecting others as looking like he needed protection himself. With just a thought, the security uniform appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. The full set included a cap, jacket, trousers, and a pair of ck high-topbat boots. It was designed to mimic abat police uniform. Wang Tao sized it up and it seemed about his size. He didn¡¯t care about whether it was a security uniform or not; he cared about the quality. You have to say, attributes really make a difference. Normal clothes, he could tear apart directly, but not this security uniform, he couldn¡¯t rip it at all at first try. This must be because of the uniform¡¯s attributes, the durability was alright, but the tear resistance was very impressive. Wang Tao put it on and tried it out right away. The uniform fit perfectly, wasfortable to move in¡­ As long as one didn¡¯t look at the badge on the shoulder, it very much resembled a policebat suit. ¡°Nice! I¡¯ll wear you when going out from now on!¡± Afternoon. Wang Tao moved the diesel generator to the rooftop and started it after pouring the fuel. Roarrr¡ª The diesel generator was pretty loud, but since it was on the sixth-floor rooftop, and Wang Tao had set up some noise instion around it, it didn¡¯t draw the zombies¡¯ attention from the street. The diesel generator couldn¡¯t be running all the time; he just needed to fully charge the outdoor power supply. So, a bit of noise wasn¡¯t an issue; he was going to turn it off at night anyway. ¡°Now I can take a hot shower tonight!¡± It was April and still a bit cold, so a hot shower would be veryforting. ¡°Wang Tao, I¡¯m going to head back now¡­¡± After dinner, Ding Yuqin suddenly spoke. ¡°Huh? Head back for what? It¡¯s almost time to rest; you want to go back and be alone in your room?¡± Wang Tao asked, sounding a bit perplexed. ¡°I¡¯m going home to get a change of clothes¡­¡± Ding Yuqin gave Wang Tao an embarrassed re, her face red. ¡°Oh¡ª Wait, clothes? I¡¯lle with you.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes gleamed, as if he had thought of something. The two of them once again arrived at Apartment 502, and for some reason, Ding Yuqin felt somewhat nervous this time as she brought Wang Tao back to her ce. Wang Tao had clearly been here before¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll get the clothes; just wait for a moment.¡± With that, Ding Yuqin went to the master bedroom alone. Wang Tao didn¡¯t follow her immediately; instead, he looked at the wedding photo on the wall. ¡°Previously, I thought sister-inw¡¯s figure in the photo was photoshopped, but it turns out, it¡¯spletely real, no modification needed!¡± Wang Tao then nced at Zhao Yuan in the photo beside Ding Yuqin, murmuring in his mind: ¡°Brother Zhao, don¡¯t worry. I promised I¡¯d take care of sister-inw, and I will keep my word!¡± When Ding Yuqin hurried back with a few change of clothes, she saw Wang Tao looking at her wedding photo, and she suddenly felt a strange panic inside¡ª like she was doing something wrong behind her husband¡¯s back. ¡°Wang Tao, don¡¯t look!¡± Ding Yuqin hurriedly approached Wang Tao, extending her hand to block his line of sight. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, sister-inw? Feeling shy? You seemed quite proactive yesterday!¡± Wang Tao said, smiling. However, after he had spoken, he saw Ding Yuqin¡¯s face turn a mixture of red and white, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. ¡°Cough, sister-inw, I was just joking with you.¡± Wang Tao then remembered that Ding Yuqin and Zhao Yuan were very close, and that making such a joke at this time and ce was indeed inappropriate. Ding Yuqin bit her lip, looking at Wang Tao withplicated emotions, but in the end, she said nothing, only squatting on the ground with her hands covering her face, sobbing softly. Women are indeed troublesome. But soon after, Ding Yuqin stood up again; she wiped her tears, turned her head away, and said softly to Wang Tao: ¡®Tve got the clothes, let¡¯s go back.¡± Wang Tao immediately frowned. ¡°Sister-inw, are you mad at me?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wang Tao suddenly reached out, grabbed Ding Yuqin, and hugged her in his arms. Ding Yuqin instinctively tried to resist, but she was clearly unable to do so. ¡°Still say you¡¯re not mad!¡± Wang Tao pinched Ding Yuqin¡¯s cheek and, seeing she still did not react, moved his hand lower. ¡°¡­Wang Tao, please, let¡¯s go¡­ Can we go to your house¡­ please¡­¡± Ding Yuqin begged him with tear-filled eyes. ¡°Sister-inw, do you feel like you¡¯ve wronged Brother Zhao?¡± Wang Tao stopped his actions and asked. Ding Yuqin did not answer, but the tears in her eyes grew more abundant. ¡°Sister-inw, go get my phone for me; it¡¯s in my room.¡± Wang Tao suddenly released her and said. Ding Yuqin hurriedly broke free from Wang Tao¡¯s embrace, and before long, she came back with his phone. After handing the phone to Wang Tao, Ding Yuqin immediately retreated several steps, keeping her distance from him. ¡°Why are you standing so far away, sister-inw? Come sit next to me.¡± Wang Tao patted the sofa next to him, but Ding Yuqin was unmoved. This made Wang Tao frown slightly. ¡°Sister-inw, have you forgotten our agreement? You¡¯re supposed to obey,¡± he said. Reluctantly, Ding Yuqin walked over and sat down beside Wang Tao. He immediately wrapped his arm around her. Ding Yuqin did not struggle, but instead started to speak amidst sobs: ¡°Wang Tao, I beg you, please stop humiliating me, spare me please. At your house, whatever you want me to do, I¡¯ll do, but not here¡­¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t listen to her and instead started scrolling through the chat history on his phone before handing it to Ding Yuqin. ¡°See for yourself.¡± Ding Yuqin subconsciously looked. The chat was with her husband, Zhao Yuan. Zhao Yuan had written many messages asking Wang Tao to take care of Ding Yuqin. Wang Tao¡¯sst reply read: Brother Zhao, I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do my best to take care of sister-inw! The timestamp on this reply was not from after the catastrophe, but from the days when doom had just begun! After reading these messages, Ding Yuqin appeared bewildered. Wang Tao took this opportunity to speak: ¡°Sister-inw, do you think I¡¯m taking care of you for your body? Am I that shallow? I¡¯m doing it because of my promise!¡± ¡°Since I promised Brother Zhao, I will naturally follow through!¡± ¡°Plus, Brother Zhao has entrusted you to me, what does that tell you? Do I need to spell it out?¡± ¡°So, you haven¡¯t wronged Brother Zhao. You both agreed to it. On the contrary, you have wronged me¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ve provided you with food, protection, and I even gave up the chance to go to the Survivor Base because you were at home¡­. I¡¯ve done so much for you, sister-inw, and you still give me attitude? Tell me, haven¡¯t you wronged me?¡± Chapter 58 - 58 Accidental Contact_l Chapter 58: idental Contact_l Trantor: 549690339 | ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Wang Tao, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Ding Yuqin apologized in a bit of a panic. Although there seemed to be something off about what Wang Tao said, she had no mind to think about it. Because what Wang Tao said was true, he really had done a lot for her. Wang Tao clearly had the opportunity to leave, but he came back and saved her, that was an indisputable fact! ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s all my fault, I¡¯m a heartless, bad woman¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± Tears poured out of Ding Yuqin like a dam had burst. Wang Tao sneered and said: ¡°So, sister-inw, what do you think you should do?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ll definitely do as you say, whatever you tell me to do, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Ding Yuqin said hastily. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really!¡± ¡°Alright, then go change into this dress.¡± Wang Tao pointed to a white wedding dress hanging under the wedding photo. ¡°What¡¯s with that look, sister-inw? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d listen to me?¡± Ding Yuqin bit her lower lip, but eventually, she sighed. ¡°Wang Tao, I¡¯ll listen to you and put on the wedding dress, but please don¡¯t humiliate me¡­¡± ¡°Rx, sister-inw, I¡¯ll just admire from afar, I won¡¯t even touch you.¡± ¡°You, you said you wouldn¡¯t touch me¡­¡± ¡°Rest assured, sister-inw, I¡¯m just feeling the fabric of the wedding dress, I¡¯ve never touched it before in my life!¡± ¡°You, you said you¡¯d only touch the wedding dress¡­¡± ¡°Rx, sister-inw, I¡¯m just going to give you a little massage, I won¡¯t do anything to you!¡± ¡°You, you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to rub¡­¡± ¡°Mmm~¡± An hourter. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, sob sob¡­¡± Ding Yuqin, her wedding dress in disarray, cried in Wang Tao¡¯s arms. Wang Tao nced at the wedding photo on the wall, then gently brushed away the strands of hair sticking to Ding Yuqin¡¯s forehead with sweat. ¡°Sorry, I identally got your wedding dress dirty. I can wash it for you if it¡¯s really so bad!¡± ¡°You, you¡¯re shameless, a scoundrel, a bad man¡­ Ah¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m very angry, call me ¡®husband¡¯ and let me hear it, otherwise there will be no end to today.¡± ¡°Are you going to say it?¡± ¡°¡­Hu, husband¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re so good, sister-inw!¡± ¡°You must have stored a lot of water at home too, let¡¯s go clean up. We¡¯ll rest here tonight.¡± ¡°¡­You!¡± The next day. Wang Tao got up early. Seeing Ding Yuqin still asleep beside him, Wang Tao patted her. ¡°Sister-inw, the sun¡¯s shining on our butts!¡± Ding Yuqin woke up groggily and red at Wang Tao resentfully when she saw it was only six o¡¯clock by the clock on the wall. ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s mainly because the bed here is too soft, I¡¯m not used to it.¡± Wang Tao spoke with an irritating tone. ¡°Serves you right!¡± ¡°So I think, I need to sleep on it a few more times. After all, it¡¯s the apocalypse, I need to fix my bad habit of being picky about beds!¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to deal with you anymore!¡± Since she was already awake, Ding Yuqin hurried to get out of bed to cook, afraid that Wang Tao might y tricks again. Wang Tao did not stop, but instead looked at his own HP bar, his expression showing some surprise. ¡°My HP is regenerating again!¡± His current HP was [360/480], which meant that the cooldown period for this regenerative ability was one day? Being able to replenish too HP each time was quite impressive. After all, if not for this Blood Replenishing, it would be very slow to recover just with time. It was just unclear whether this Blood Replenishing ability belonged to him, Wang Tao, or Ding Yuqin¡­ It was really hard to say. After all, since the apocalypse began, he had the ability to see living creatures¡¯ HP bars and loot drops from killing monsters; perhaps Ding Yuqin had some abilities as well. However, there was no way to prove this unless he tried it out with another woman, cough. After getting up, Wang Tao unexpectedly found a skull mask in Ding Yuqin¡¯s house and took the item upstairs. ¡°Sister-inw, did you make this especially for me?¡± When Ding Yuqin saw the item in his hand, her face immediately blushed. ¡°Then thank you, sister-inw, I really like it!¡± ¡°Wang Tao, look how neatly I arranged these!¡± On the rooftop, Ding Yuqin called out to Wang Tao with a hint of seeking praise as she looked at the neatly arranged leeks. Wang Tao, who was observing zombies through a telescope, turned around and saw Ding Yuqin, dressed in a ck silk OL outfit, bending over to tend to the leeks, and he nodded immediately. ¡°Looks good!¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s so neat!¡± Ding Yuqin, looking at the lush green leeks in front of her, felt jubnt. Besides the leeks, many green nts were ced around, all collected by her inside this building. ¡°It¡¯s just a pity that it doesn¡¯t rain¡­¡± Ding Yuqin muttered while watering the leeks and green nts. Before the apocalypse, there was a heavy rainfall, but after that, it had been clear skies. If it weren¡¯t for some water stored in the building, they would have run out long ago. Moreover, the stored water was running low, as it had been more than ten days since the water stopped, and much of it had gone bad. They could only use it for washing clothes, taking baths, and watering the green nts. For drinking, they relied on the purified water provided by Wang Tao inrge barrels. Hearing Ding Yuqin¡¯s muttering, Wang Tao also looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and cloudless. But he wasn¡¯t thinking about rain; instead, he was hoping for another airdrop to happen soon. As for the water issue, besides killing zombies to obtain purified water, he could also solve it by digging a well. It was just that he didn¡¯t have the tools for drilling a well right now; if he could find a long steel pipe, he might be able to try drilling a small-diameter artesian well. His family used to live in the countryside, where everyone used artesian wells. He knew how to make one, but it required some tools and effort. ¡°Let¡¯s go, sister-inw.¡± Wang Tao came over and patted Ding Yuqin¡¯s buttocks. ¡°Ah!¡± Ding Yuqin gave Wang Tao a re and then followed behind him, asking: ¡°Wang Tao, what are we having for lunch?¡± Until a few days ago, she never imagined she could be picky about food in the post-apocalyptic world¡­ And that was all because of Wang Tao. ¡°Just see what you can make¡ªnever mind, let¡¯s eat those ready-to-cook meal packs today to change it up.¡± After their outing, the supplies at home could be considered abundant, and they now had the luxury of choice. ¡°Okay!¡± At noon, Ding Yuqin was cooking in the kitchen, while Wang Tao was fiddling with the radio and walkie-talkie. Ever since he made contact with other survivors through the walkie-talkie at the water nt, Wang Tao liked to y with the device whenever he had some free time. ¡°Sss¡­sss¡­ is there anyone who can receive¡­ sss¡­sss¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing the voice from the walkie-talkie, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. He quickly moved to the window, but the signal was still not very strong. ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯m going up to the rooftop. Call me when dinner¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°All right!¡± Wang Tao took the walkie-talkie and ran to the rooftop. ¡°Is there anyone who can receive¡­ sss¡­sss¡­¡± The rooftop was open and at a high elevation, with nothing to obstruct it, making the signal much better as soon as he got there. Wang Tao pressed the transmit button on the walkie-talkie. ¡°Who are you? Where are you? Repeat, who are you? Where are you?¡± ¡°Aaaah! Someone finally received me! My name is Ou Yingying, we¡¯re trapped, please save us¡­¡± ¡°Ou Yingying?¡± That name sounded vaguely familiar.. Chapter 59 - 59 Survivor Status_l Chapter 59: Survivor Status_l Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao remembered, this Ou Yingying was one of the survivors trapped in the water nt! He still had her and that married man¡¯s ¡°masterpiece¡± saved on his phone. He had unexpectedly made contact with them¡­ After thinking for a bit, Wang Tao spoke up. ¡°How many of you are there? What¡¯s your situation?¡± ¡°Three of us! There are three of us in total, and one of us is a police officer! But we are trapped inside a milk tea shop, and there are zombies all around us¡­ wuu wuu¡­¡± The person on the other end wept softly as they spoke. -What¡¯s the name of the milk tea shop? Are you injured? Let that police officer speak.¡± Wang Tao was quite curious about their current state, so he asked a few more questions. ¡°Si Mei Milk Tea Shop! We¡¯re at the Si Mei Milk Tea Shop on Rui Cai Commercial Street! I¡¯m not injured. Wei Guang¡ªoh, that¡¯s mypanion, he s injured, but not by a bite, he¡¯s asleep. As for Officer Han, she¡¯s trapped in a dor store nearby, I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s doing¡­ Big brother, please save us.¡± Wang Tao frowned, the policewoman wasn¡¯t with them? Then they re probably doomed! This pair of dog man and woman were indeed scheming, but in this apocalypse, strength and courage were more important. Since they had neither strength nor courage and were cowards without anyone to protect them, they were unlikely to survive. As for the Si Mei Milk Tea Shop, although Wang Tao hadn¡¯t heard of it, he did know of Rui Cai Commercial Street, which was not far from Shuize University. in other words, this group was close to the Suzaku University Survivor Base, but they got trapped before they could reach it. He didn¡¯t know whether to consider that good or bad luck. -How did you get trapped? What dangers are outside?¡± Wang Tao continued to ask. ¡°We encountered a very terrifying zombie earlier, and Officer Han fired her gun to save us! Although she seemed to have killed the zombie, the gunshot attracted arge horde of zombies, and we were forced to split up. Wei Guang got injured while running away¡­¡± A very terrifying zombie? It must have been a special zombie. Firing a gun in the streets, the consequences were obvious. The policewoman definitely knew the consequences, but she still fired her gun to save others. Wang Tao had to admit, although he wouldn¡¯t be that kind of person, he still had great respect for them. Wang Tao thought for a moment and then said: ¡°Don¡¯t you have any food in that milk tea shop? -We do¡­ but there are too many zombies outside, and they are still knocking on the door¡­ I¡¯m so scared, can you please send someone to rescue us¡­¡± Send someone? Wang Tao was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyebrows. Ou Yingying clearly had a misunderstanding. She couldn¡¯t possibly think he was from the Shuize Base, could she? Wang Tao didn¡¯t exin; he just continued to ask her many things. Ou Yingying, like grasping at a lifeline, told Wang Tao everything that had happened along the way. Of course, she didn¡¯t go into detail about what happened inside the water nt. Having heard all this, Wang Tao had a pretty good idea of their situation. After escaping from the water nt, the three of them were quite lucky not to encounter arge number of zombies. Adding to that, Han Rui was very familiar with the roads, so before entering Rui Cai Commercial Street, their journey was full of close calls but without real danger. Ou Yingying said that Han Rui initially didn¡¯t want to enter Rui Cai Commercial Street. Although it could serve as a shortcut, themercial street was bound to have many zombies. But after observing for a while, they saw that there were hardly any zombies inside themercial street. Instead, it appeared to be quite deserted. Sun Weiguang thought it was an opportunity not to be missed. They had seen wandering zombies at the water nt, so maybe the zombies in the street had moved on. Therefore, Ou Yingying agreed with Sun Weiguang. Majority rules, and the three of them entered themercial street. Actually, they could have passed through themercial street safely, but when Sun Weiguang saw the milk tea shop, he insisted on getting two cups of milk tea for thedies. At that time, the door of the milk tea shop was open, and it looked safe inside. Han Rui allowed it since there was a zombie ahead, which she nned to sneak past and take care of. Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying went to the milk tea shop together. But then Sun Weiguang made a noise in the milk tea shop, which suddenly attracted a terrifying zombie. Seeing that the two were in trouble, Han Rui decisively fired her gun from a distance, hitting the zombie. The zombie immediately switched its target and ran towards Han Rui. Ou Yingying saw the zombie follow Han Rui into a craft store, followed by a few gunshots; the zombie fell to the ground. Han Rui was temporarily safe, but the gunshots attracted arge number of zombies. Ou Yingying and Sun Weiguang frantically sought shelter in the milk tea shop, quickly pulling down the rolling shutter door under Han Rui¡¯smand¡­ That all happened yesterday. The current situation was that zombies swarmed outside, and Han Rui got separated from them; neither knew anything about the other¡¯s circumstances. As for the walkie-talkie, it was because Han Rui had earlier found a small hand-cranked generator, which she had Sun Weiguang use to charge the walkie-talkie. Therefore, the walkie-talkie was in the hands of Ou Yingying and the others¡­ After understanding these details, Wang Tao directly said: ¡°You guys hold on and wait for rescue. Hang in there!¡± Then, without giving the others a chance to respond, he promptly turned off the walkie-talkie. ¡°Wang Tao, it¡¯s time to eat!¡± Just then, Ding Yuqin came upstairs to call Wang Tao for dinner. ¡°Coming.¡± Wang Tao pped his bottom and went downstairs. At the dining table, Ding Yuqin served Wang Tao his meal, and only after Wang Tao was seated did she take her own seat. Then she asked curiously: ¡°Wang Tao, who were you just in contact with?¡± ¡°A group of survivors, I had met them before¡­ Wang Tao briefly exined and shared the story about how that despicable couple deliberately endangered others. ¡°To think they would trade their teammates¡¯ lives for a chance to escape¡­ They¡¯re really harsh!¡± Ding Yuqin felt a chill in her heart; she thought she wouldn¡¯tst a day in that kind of environment. However, the more she thought about it, the more grateful she felt toward Wang Tao. If it weren¡¯t for him, she would have been long dead¡­ ¡°It¡¯s the end of the world, what¡¯s so harsh about it? If I were pushed to the brink, I might do the same. Sister-inw, you¡¯d better be careful.¡± Wang Tao said, shaking his head with a smile. Although he spoke in jest, he knew human nature could not withstand such tests, and he couldn¡¯t guarantee he wouldn¡¯t do the same. ¡°You definitely wouldn¡¯t!¡± Ding Yuqin red at Wang Tao. Seeing that Wang Tao¡¯s bowl was almost empty, she hastily got up to serve him more rice. Wang Tao suddenly spoke up: ¡°This afternoon I¡¯m going to take a trip to Building 3; sister-inw, don¡¯t wander around the house.¡± ¡°Ah? What for?¡± Ding Yuqin quickly asked. ¡°To see if I can kill the zombies in Building 3-¡± Upon hearing this, Ding Yuqin immediately grasped Wang Tao¡¯s hand with some worry. ¡°Could you¡­ maybe not go? It¡¯s too dangerous! The zombies inside the building won¡¯t affect us anyway¡­¡± Wang Tao wrapped his hand around her pale, delicate one. ¡°We have to kill the zombies because killing them makes us stronger-111 find some disabled zombies for you to tryter, you¡¯ll understand then.¡± ¡°Ah? I can¡¯t do it¡­¡± Ding Yuqin waved her hands in refusal. Wang Tao nced at her. ¡°Sister-inw, not listening again? If I say you can, then you can! His tone brooked no argument. Ding Yuqin looked down, troubled, and fiddled with the white rice in her bowl. ¡°¡­Okay..¡± Chapter 60 - 60: Cleanup Complete, 800 HP_1 Chapter 60: Cleanup Complete, 800 HP_1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Wang Tao retracted his horned hammer, feeling the surging strength in his hands, he grinned. In the corridor of Building 3, there were only four Ordinary Zombies, and he had dispatched them without much effort. After killing these four zombies, his HP had officially broken through five hundred. With every hundred points of HP gained, he would receive a slight enhancement to his physical condition, and now with five hundred HP, he felt like his body was brimming with strength! ¡°Might as well clean out this building today¡­ The boost in his strength made Wang Tao a little ambitious. However, the reason he dared to take such a risk wasn¡¯t just because his strength had increased, but also because of Ding Yuqin-who could replenish his blood. This greatly improved his margin for error. in addition, he had many military medical kits, Inhibitors¡­ all of which were key to boosting his confidence. So, Wang Tao spent the entire afternoon cleaning out all 12 households in Building 3 of their zombies! In fact, there weren¡¯t as many zombies as Wang Tao had imagined; out of 12 households, only 8 had zombies, totaling io zombies. Together with the previous four, there were only 14 in the building. But among these 14 zombies, there were two Hiders, which dropped a bottle of ¡°Stealth Potion (Small)¡± and a bottle of ¡°Stealth Potion (Medium)¡± respectively¡ªthetter was simply a godsend for going out! As for that small Stealth Potion capable of evading human perception, Wang Tao didn¡¯t yet know its use. Perhaps it would be usefulter on. These 14 zombies brought Wang Tao an increase of 95 points to his HP limit; his total HP was just shy of breaking six hundred. But as night was about to fall, Wang Tao decided not to take any more risks. It was important to take all the essential supplies from these houses back home before darkness settled in. After spending some time, he finally managed to bring all the food back home before the nightpletely fell. ¡°So much¡­¡± Although Ding Yuqin already knew of the loot, seeing so much stuff with her own eyes, she was still very astonished. How had she never realized that Wang Tao was so capable! ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower. Sister-inw, you sort things out.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± These past two days, Ding Yuqin¡¯s mood had been very rxed. Moreover, with Wang Tao feeding her well every day and giving her some vitamins, her HP finally replenished today. She was no longer looking sickly and was able to do some heavy work. Now, Wang Tao found it more convenient to direct her. After tidying up, they had dinner together, and then Wang Tao patted Ding Yuqin on the bottom. ¡°Let¡¯s go, sister-inw.¡± ¡°Ah? Where to?¡± ¡°To your ce to rest.¡± The color rose in Ding Yuqin¡¯s cheeks, and she followed behind Wang Tao with her head down. To be fair, although she had always been against Wang Tao spending the night at her house, the guilty pleasure of each encounter was almost bing too much for her to resist. ¡°I¡¯m such a bad woman¡­¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s face was flushed with shame. The next day, Wang Tao continued clearing out zombies. Happy Community had a total of only four buildings. Building 4, where he lived, had already been cleaned up. Building 3 was cleared out yesterday, now only Buildings 1 and 2 remained. It took a day to take care of Building 2. There were more zombies in Building 2 than in Building 3, a total of 22. However, most of them were elderly zombies whose own strength was not as good as that of the younger zombies. After dealing with all the zombies in this building, Wang Tao¡¯s HP soared to [710/710]! From over five hundred to over seven hundred HP, his physical condition was enhanced slightly twice in a row! He was almost bing addicted to this exhrating sensation. ¡°We¡¯ve only got one more building left, no rush, rest well, we¡¯lle back tomorrow!¡± Wang Tao still had plenty of physical strength, but he was somewhat drained mentally and a bit fatigued. After all, he had been killing zombies inside the houses, constantly on the alert for Stealth Zombie sneak attacks, so his mind had been extremely tense, making exhaustion inevitable. That night, Wang Tao went up to the rooftop terrace to turn on the walkie-talkie for a while, trying to see if he could make contact with others. As it turned out, he made contact with Ou Yingying again, but this time Sun Weiguang was awake. Compared to Ou Yingying, who only cried and begged for help, Sun Weiguang seemed much calmer. He painted a big picture for Wang Tao, iming he had connections at the Survivor Base and if Wang Tao could save them, he would definitely get Wang Tao a good job once they arrived at the Survivor Base. It was only then that Wang Tao learned that within the Suzaku University Survivor Base, the division ofbor was very clear, even somewhat strict. To put it euphemistically, it meant every individual could make the most of their abilities. To put it bluntly, it meant everyone had to work! Only by working could one earn food and safety! There were many kinds of jobs inside the base, and the base would assign jobs ording to each person¡¯s abilities and characteristics. Jobs didn¡¯t pay a sry, but one could earn corresponding Contribution Points. These points could be exchanged for many things, including food, weapons, and even safety. in any case, as long as you worked hard, there would be bread, and there would be milk too. However, since there were many types of jobs, even tailor-made for individuals, there inevitably arose a hierarchy of prestige and remuneration within these jobs. Sun Weiguang meant that he had the ability to arrange a high-paying, low-risk job for Wang Tao. As long as Wang Tao came to rescue them, he would keep his word. Wang Tao naturally scoffed at this, thinking if Sun Weiguang really had that ability, someone would have already gone to pick him up; would he have ended up in this situation? Wang Tao gave a few nomittal responses, urging them to hang on and wait for rescue, before shutting off the walkie-talkie. ¡°This Suzaku University Survivor Base sounds quite interesting, might be worth taking a look¡­¡± An interested expression appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. The next day. Wang Tao continued with his zombie-clearing work. Between clearing and scavenging loot, it took him another day. The zombies in Building 1 were almostpletely wiped out by him. Wang Tao¡¯s HP had also reached exactly eight hundred. The reason he said ¡°almost¡± was that Wang Tao intentionally left two zombies with all limbs broken. ¡°Wang Tao, I¡ªI beg you, I can¡¯t do it¡­¡± Ding Yuqin hadn¡¯t expected that Wang Tao would actually leave her two zombies to kill. Wang Tao narrowed his eyes. ¡°Sister-inw, not following orders again, are we?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll do anything but kill zombies! I really will!¡± Ding Yuqin quickly clung to Wang Tao¡¯s arm, resorting to coquettish charms andyering on an enticing allure. Having never even killed a chicken, she dared not kill zombies, the mere thought was terrifying¡­ even quadriplegic zombies scared her¡­ Looking at the pitiful Ding Yuqin, Wang Tao remained unmoved. He had not an ounce of pity for a beauty, and without hesitation, he grabbed Ding Yuqin by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. Ding Yuqin let out a startled cry. ¡°Ah-¡± ¡°No discussion.¡± Wang Tao wanted to observe what it was like for an ordinary person to kill zombies. Moreover, this was for Ding Yuqin¡¯s own good; she would not be allowed to refuse.. Chapter 61 - 61 Hidden Attributes 1 Chapter 61: Hidden Attributes 1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡ª ¡°Whimper, whimper, whimper!¡± Ding Yuqin held the short spear, closed her eyes, and frantically stabbed at the zombie on the ground with its hands and feet severed. While stabbing, she also kept her mouth shut, humming softly. Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. After a while, Ding Yuqin finally hit the zombie¡¯s head. Squish! [-5] [0/500] The zombie died without dropping anything, as it wasn¡¯t killed by Wang Tao. Wang Tao looked at Ding Yuqin. Her HP bar increased by 5 drops, turning into [105/105] 5 But that wasn¡¯t the point, the point was that, below Ding Yuqin¡¯s HP bar, some text slowly appeared¡ª [Hidden Attribute: Blood Pack] [Blood Pack: In times of clouds and rain on Mount Wu, it can restore HP to the other person.] [Friendly Reminder 1: Some lucky individuals may carry hidden attributes, which automatically take effect and cannot be directly observed. Only during the process of HP increase or skill learning is there a certain probability that they will be revealed.] [Friendly Reminder 2: Before the hidden attributes are revealed, no enhancements can be obtained.] Wang Tao: No wonder Ding Yuqin could replenish his HP, so there was a hidden attribute? ¡°I¡­I actually killed a zombie¡­¡± Feeling like her spear really pierced through, Ding Yuqin opened her eyes, looked down, and seeing that she indeed killed the zombie, she still somewhat couldn¡¯t believe it. Although this zombie had nobat ability left, having been beaten by Wang Tao until it was down to a sliver of HP. But this was the terrifying zombie that had scared her; she had never thought she could personally kill a zombie¡­ At this moment, Wang Tao spoke: ¡°So, zombies aren¡¯t that terrifying after all.¡± Ding Yuqin quickly turned her head to look at Wang Tao, then somewhat excitedly hugged his arm. ¡°I, I¡­¡± ¡°Enough, stop stammering. There¡¯s another one!¡± With the experience from the first one, the second time was much smoother. This time, Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t close her eyes; instead, under Wang Tao¡¯s direction, she swiftly stabbed another crippled zombie to death. [-8] [0/500] Ding Yuqin¡¯s HP increased by another 5 points, now [110/110], but no text appeared below the HP bar this time. Combining the friendly reminders he had seen earlier, Wang Tao had a rough guess¡ª Due to the advent of the apocalypse, some lucky individuals developed a hidden attribute. This attribute normally wouldn¡¯t show itself, not even visible to Wang Tao. It only had a chance of appearing during HP growth and while learning skills. Like Ding Yuqin¡¯s hidden attribute, it appeared during the process of her HP increase after killing the zombie. The people, including Blondy, that he had seen before at the water nt, some of them had indeed killed zombies, but they only had HP bars with no hidden attributes. They might not have any, or they might have them but not yet revealed¡­ Wang Tao himself didn¡¯t have any hidden attributes. But Wang Tao felt that he probably did, it just hadn¡¯t revealed itself yet. After all, he had many miraculous abilities¡­ Although his HP had increased quite a lot and he had learned a skill, it was a matter of luck; he might not be as lucky as Ding Yuqin, whose hidden attribute revealed itself after killing the first zombie. Hidden attributes are different than skills. Hidden attributes should be one¡¯s ¡°talent.¡± Some people have talents; some people don¡¯t; some people have talents but are unaware of them¡­ All this is quite normal. Skills, on the other hand, are simr to abilities, which everyone can learn-as long as their bodies can withstand it. Moreover, ording to the friendly reminders, until the hidden attributes are revealed, even though they can take effect, they cannot be enhanced. So, it¡¯s like they are not fully activated? Now that Ding Yuqin¡¯s blood pack attribute had been revealed, didn¡¯t that mean that the blood regeneration effect could be enhanced in the future? It was just unclear how to enhance it, by killing zombies or through more training? Having Ding Yuqin kill more zombies was definitely out of the question now, but more practice shouldn¡¯t be a big problem. Wang Tao always had a scientific spirit, so he decided to put in the extra effort and help Ding Yuqin practice more. ¡°Hey? What are you thinking about?¡± Ding Yuqin saw Wang Tao somewhat daydreaming and waved her hand in front of him. Wang Tao suddenly grabbed Ding Yuqin¡¯s fair and delicate hand. ¡°Thinking about sister-inw.¡± ¡°¡­Tsk! Pervert!¡± Ding Yuqin quickly withdrew her hand. Wang Tao smiled faintly, then quickly groped a corpse and threw both bodies out of the window. With that, all the zombies in Happy Community had finally been cleaned up. ¡°Besides you and me, it turns out there¡¯s not a single survivor¡­¡± On the way back, Ding Yuqin sighed. ¡°After all, it¡¯s been almost a month since the apocalypse started. There were actually survivors before, but due to staying indoors for a long time, without food or water, they starved to death ormitted suicide¡­¡± Wang Tao had seen at least three dead people who hadn¡¯t turned into zombies. They had either starved to death ormitted suicide. Ding Yuqin looked back at Wang Tao and quietly moved a little closer to him. Without Wang Tao, she would have surely ended up with the same tragic fate. After returning home, Ding Yuqin went to cook, while Wang Tao took out tools like hammers, pliers, and a cutting machine. He was ready to craft a set of internal armor for himself. Previously, his defensive gear had always consisted of books. Although books could indeed block the zombies¡¯ bites, they were no match for steel. Wang Tao was determined to make himself some steel internal armor. Of course, with his crafting skills, it was definitely not possible to make full-body armor. He just wanted to insert some steel tes inside his clothing to protect vital areas. For example, the chest, back, forearms, and lower legs. To make these things, Wang Tao spent a full three days before finally deeming them passably adequate. I m really not cut out for design work¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t that Wang Tao¡¯s skills werecking; mainly, a lot of time was wasted on testing. After all, this was something he was designing for himself, so he had to test over and over again if it was suitable or not. He couldn¡¯t sacrifice his mobility for defense, or else it would be a loss. Fortunately, after three days of modifications, it was more or lessplete. After integrating all these steel tes into his clothes, Wang Tao felt their weight, which was slightly significant, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal for him. His current carrying capacity was extremely exaggerated, so this weight was trivial. These steel tes were much thinner than books, but their defensive power had increased by countless levels. Once Wang Tao put them on, one could hardly tell that his clothes concealed steel tes. Before, he would only use the parts of his body wrapped with books to make contact with zombies when forced into a tight spot. But now, he guessed he could directly stick his arm into a zombie¡¯s mouth. With the zombies¡¯ dental Strength, if they dared to bite down, they might just break all their teeth¡­ I m going out this afternoon,¡± Wang Tao said to Ding Yuqin. ¡°Where to?¡± Although Ding Yuqin trusted Wang Tao¡¯s abilities, each time he mentioned going out, she was anxious. ¡öTm going to check out North Street; there¡¯s a convenience store there. 1 saw with the binocrs, there are still supplies inside.¡± North Street was just north of the Happy Community where Wang Tao lived It was a ce withrge pedestrian traffic, many zombies, abandoned vehicles, and had experienced a gas explosion. Wang Tao had never dared travel through there when he went to collect airdrops before. But now, he had significantly increased in strength and could afford to take a look. Even though they had many supplies at home, Wang Tao was always one to prepare for the worst. After all, this was the post-apocalypse; there could never be too many supplies. Plus, Wang Tao still needed to kill zombies to increase his HP! ¡°You be careful¡­¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± After a simple lunch, Wang Tao armed himself fully, put on the skull mask made by Ding Yuqin, and left Happy Community.. Chapter 62 - 62 Fatty Zombie 1 Chapter 62: Fatty Zombie 1 Trantor: 549690339 North Street was a main artery, much wider than other streets, with a steady flow of cars and pedestrians. After the apocalypse struck, Wang Tao didn¡¯t know what had transpired here but now the scene was utterly chaotic, with a multitude of abandoned vehicle¡¯s clogging the way. Other alleys were still passable for vehicles, but here, forget cars, even motorcycles couldn¡¯t get through. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± A zombie spotted Wang Tao and immediately started staggering toward him at a quick pace. Wang Tao picked up the horned hammer in his hand, and with a ruthless swing, he smashed the zombie¡¯s head in. With a squelch, the zombie¡¯s head burst like a watermelon. [-500] [0/500] It was an instant kill with a single blow! [You¡¯ve obtained: Iron Block xl] [Iron Block: Crafting material] With Wang Tao¡¯s current strength, ordinary zombies stood no chance; targeting their heads meant almost certain death with just one hit, even without using his full force! Wang Tao initially hadn¡¯t nned on searching the bodies, considering the number of zombies on the main street. But noticing what seemed like a pack of cigarettes on this zombie, he still took it. Cigarettes were like hard currency among survivors; since he hade across them, it would be wasteful not to take them; they would definitelye in handy at the Survivor Base. After killing more than a dozen zombies, Wang Tao finally made it across the street. His target was clear as he headed straight for the convenience store. Three zombies loitered at the entrance of the store, all three fell to Wang Tao¡¯s hammer. Peering through the ss, Wang Tao saw the convenience store in disarray shelves knocked over, but there was still a decent amount of food left. He took out the woven bags he had prepared in advance and began filling them with the intact food. Soon, Wang Tao had filled an entire woven bag with food. Since the food was packaged, it wasn¡¯t very heavy. After filling two woven bags Wang Tao carried them back to Happy Community¡¯s entrance. He dumped the ¡¯ food inside and then ran back to the convenience store. In that short time, three more zombies approached the convenience store entrance. Wang Tao made short work of them and continued collecting food. After filling another two bags, Wang Tao murmured softly in surprise. Inside the store was a small door he had assumed was a back exit, but upon opening it, he discovered it was actually a basement storage. ¡°There must be plenty of food in the basement storage! I¡¯ll make another tripter!¡±?????????????????????? p All the well-packaged food and water in the convenience store were gathered by Wang Tao, leaving behind food with poor appearance, all stained with blood traces. For his own safety, Wang Tao certainly wouldn¡¯t take them. However, if there were still some in the basement, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to collect them.¡¯ Having delivered the food back to themunity, Wang Tao once again headed for the convenience store. The basement was pitch dark, Wang Tao switched on his powerful shlight, and then he gasped in shock. ¡°What the hell?¡± In the center of the basementy an incredibly obese zombie. Wang Tao shone the light on the zombie¡¯s face, which immediately elicited a furious roar from it. It seemed to want to approach, but due to its extreme obesity, it couldn¡¯t even stand, hardly able to inch forward! Gazing at the empty basement, then at the zombie with [2000/2000]HP over its head, Wang Tao had reason to suspect it had eaten all the food in the basement. Since the zombie couldn¡¯t move, Wang Tao grew bolder. He carefully illuminated the zombie¡¯s face with his shlight, then realized something. ¡°I thought his face looked familiar; isn¡¯t this the cashier from the convenience store?¡± Wang Tao had no idea how the cashier turned from a tall and skinny guy into a zombie fatter than a pig, but clearly, this must be a special zombie. With 2000 HP, this was double the health of the Big Hammer Zombies he had encountered; surely, if killed, it must drop something good? Wang Tao felt a tingling urge, especially since this zombie was different from the rest-it could hardly move! Even with all that HP, it was nothing more than a target! still, to be cautious, Wang Tao didn¡¯t go straight in; he needed to confirm whether the obese zombie possessed any long-range attack ability. Wang Tao picked up some bricks from outside, then positioned himself at the basement door and hurled them at the obese zombie inside. Thud¡ª Despite being hit by a brick, the zombie didn¡¯t lose a single drop of blood. Wang Tao waited cautiously for a while, and upon realizing that the zombie was only roaring without any sign of a ranged attack, he suddenly smirked. Since it¡¯s just a target, then¡­ my apologies!¡± Wang Tao held a shlight in one hand and the horned hammer in the other as he approached the fatty zombie. Then¡ªWang Tao discovered that due to the zombie¡¯s obesity, his little hammer simply couldn¡¯t reach its head! Feeling a bit embarrassed, Wang Tao retreated from the basement and hurried back. Ding Yuqin was huffing and puffing as she carried the food that Wang Tao had left in the courtyard of the Happy Community. When she saw Wang Tao running back quickly, she thought something had happened and was momentarily startled. She wanted to follow Wang Tao back, but she couldn¡¯t bear to leave the food behind. Wang Tao saw the panic on her face and said: ¡°Sis-inw, don¡¯t panic, there¡¯s no danger!¡± Upon hearing this, Ding Yuqin patted her trembling chest and sighed in relief. ¡°You scared me to death! But Wang Tao, what are you¡­¡± ¡°Im going to make a weapon. I¡¯ll need it shortly!¡± Wang Tao said as he went upstairs. ¡°Oh oh, let me help you!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Back home, Wang Tao found a mop handle, then strapped the steel pipe spear onto it. After securing it tightly, he swung the two-meter-long homemade spear a few times. Whoosh¡ªWhoosh¡ª ¡°Not bad at all, this will do!¡± Wang Tao took up the spear and left. His third visit to the convenience store. Two more zombies approached the entrance of the store. Armed with his new weapon, Wang Tao poked at each of the zombies from a distance without hesitation. Thrust! [-500] [0/500] Thrust! [-500] [0/500] After collecting two crafting materials, Wang Tao, with the spear in hand, entered the convenience store¡¯s basement warehouse. ¡°Heh heh¡­ roar¡ª¡± Seeing the Fatty zombie furiously roaring but unable to stand up, Wang Tao came in front of it, lifted the spear with both hands, and thrust it straight at its skull! Bang! [-112] [1888/2000] ¡°¡­Such low damage!¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal. After all, his opponent couldn¡¯t fight back. So there he was, wielding the spear and plunging it forcefully into the zombie¡¯s skull over a dozen times. All the while, Wang Tao stayed on guard, wary of the zombie possibly going into a frenzy or having some special attack. Fortunately, the Fatty zombie had none. When the zombie was down to itsst sliver of HP, Wang Tao moved away from it, positioned himself at the entrance of the basement, then clenched the spear and hurled it hard at its head. Thrust! [-45] [0/2000] Crash¡ª The moment the zombie died, a bunch of transparent wrappings burst out! Chapter 63 - 63: The Big Explosion_l Chapter 63: The Big Explosion_l Trantor: 549690339 | [Acquired: purified water (small) xio] [Acquired: purified water (medium) xio] [Acquired:pressed biscuits xio] [Acquired: canned meat xio] [Acquired: canned fruit xio] [Acquired: canned vegetables xio] [Acquired: sugar xio] [Acquired: coffee xio] [¡­] Looking at the huge pile of items, Wang Tao clenched his fists with excitement. Because this was not just food, it was food that could be put into a Space Backpack! From now on, when he¡¯s alone outside, he no longer has to worry about food shortages or carrying inconveniences! By killing that fatty zombie, Wang Tao¡¯s HP increased by 40. Adding to what he had gained from killing zombies on the street before, his HP had reached [930/930], just 70 short of a thousand! But, these were actually not the most important things. The most crucial thing was the blueprint the zombie dropped. [Acquired: Food Compressor Blueprint xl] [Food Compressor Blueprint: Can be used to craft a Food Compressor. Required materials: Zombie Crystal Core xl, Iron Block X3, Steel Wire x3, Gear x3, de X3, Nails X3, Cable X3, Battery x3, Electronic Components X3, Rubber x3, stic x31 [Food Compressor: Compresses food into a smaller volume, making it more convenient to carry and use as a nutrient liquid] ¡°A Food Compressor?¡± Having read the blueprint¡¯s description, Wang Tao felt even more excited than when he had gotten the food. He finally understood what use the ¡°crafting materials¡± dropped by zombies had. This Food Compressor was definitely a survival godsend in the apocalypse! However, he couldn¡¯t craft it yet. Although he had killed quite a few zombies and acquired many crafting materials, the ones that zombies dropped were random, and he didn¡¯t have enough yet. The blueprint showed he was still missing [Rubber xl, Electronic Components X2, de xl] and the most important ¡°Zombie Crystal Core¡±. Acquiring these crafting materials was fine; if all else fails, he could keep killing zombies, as he was nning to increase his HP by doing so anyway. For him right now, this wasn¡¯t difficult, it would just take some time. As for the Zombie Crystal Core- Wang Tao approached the already fallen Fatty zombie and fiddled inside its head with a tool. Ablue transparent diamond-shaped crystal fell out, with a phantom image inside the core that looked like a¡­ slowly wriggling stomach? [Level 1 Crystal Core-Glutton] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effects: rampant increase in appetite, excessively obese body type)] [Glutton: The more food one consumes and the fatter one gets, the stronger their defensive power bes.] Seeing the specific information of this Zombie Core, Wang Tao¡¯s expression became somewhat strange. At face value, this Ability was pretty powerful; as long as one kept eating without limit, the defensive power would be monstrously strong. But the side effects were quite apparent. The rampant increase in appetite was one thing; food was already scarce in this post-apocalyptic world, and with such a massively increased appetite, he¡¯d need a huge amount of food! The main issue was the excessively obese body type. Just reading about it might not make clear how obese one could get, but Wang Tao had just killed this obese zombie, which was so fat it could no longer walk! If he truly ate to that extent, what good would high defensive power be if he turned into a stationary target? Moreover, without an immunity to the zombie virus, arger body size meant he would be more susceptible to injuries if he encountered zombies¡­ Wang Tao felt this Zombie Core might not be very useful for the average person, unless someone could develop some clever strategies with it. For Wang Tao himself¡­ it also didn¡¯t seem very useful. Though he had the chance to remove the side effects of this core, the condition for increased defensive power was ¡°the more one eats and the fatter one gets,¡± and Wang Tao was quite content with his muscr physique- he didn¡¯t want to be a Fatty. Thus, the ability of this core wasn¡¯t useful for Wang Tao personally, but the core itself had a significant use. There were two things he could currently use the core for: crafting Strength Potions and making the Food Compressor. There was no need to craft a Strength Potion for now because the required materials were too numerous. But the Food Compressor was different. He could obtain the materials needed to create it, and it would be very useful for his current situation! After scouring the basement one more time and making sure nothing was missed, Wang Tao finally returned to the convenience store. In the short while he was busy, a few more zombies had approached outside. Wang Tao directly picked up the spear. Kill! ¡°Damn! Just onest material, and it won¡¯t drop no matter what, is it really that realistic¡­¡± Seeing that there were no more zombies near the street for the time being, Wang Tao suddenly felt an ache in the testicles. He was still missing a ¡°Cable,¡± and his HP had reached [990/990]. There was no helping it, whether it was for materials or for health points, he had to keep killing zombies. Wang Tao crossed through an alley and proceeded to the next street over. There were several zombies on the next street, and three of them, upon seeing Wang Tao, began to twist and quickly advance towards him. Wang Tao, without saying a word, raised his spear and swiftly blew the heads off of these three zombies. Pfft! [-500] Pfft! [-500] Pfft! [-500] Three consecutive headshots, the three zombies were instantly killed. [Acquired: Iron Block xl] [Acquired: Gauze xl] [Acquired: Cable xl] ¡°Finally got it!¡± Seeing that he had obtained the cable, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt that his physical fitness had improved again, and this time the increase was even more significant than before! Upon checking his HP, it had indeed reached [1000/1000]! Wait a minute¡ª Suddenly, Wang Tao felt something was wrong. Killing three zombies should have yielded at least 15 HP! His HP was just 990, which means he only gained 10 points? Where did the other 5 points go? And as Wang Tao was pondering this, he suddenly felt his head get heavy, and he wanted to sleep. ¡°Not good¡ª¡± Realizing something was amiss, Wang Tao quickly ran back, and fortunately, he had cleared out all the zombies on this street. He ran back to Happy Community without any danger. ¡°Wang Tao, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Ding Yuqin had been watching downstairs; seeing Wang Tao returning in a faltering gait, she rushed down anxiously to meet him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. Just very sleepy, I need to sleep¡­¡± Although Wang Tao was very drowsy and wanted to close his eyes, his consciousness was still rtively clear. With Ding Yuqin¡¯s strenuous support, he managed to get back to his room and fell asleep as soon as hey on the bed. Even though Wang Tao had told her not to worry, how could Ding Yuqin not worry? She struggled to take off Wang Tao¡¯s clothes, and after checking carefully that there were no injuries, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. After noticing that there were many sweat stains on his body, she brought hot water over to clean Wang Tao¡¯s body, just like a caring wife. ¡°Thirsty¡­¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the water!¡± Gulp, gulp- He took a big gulp of water in a daze, and Wang Tao finally became alert. He felt as if his body was filled with strength! After breaking through to 1000 HP, it seemed like his fitness had vastly improved! He instinctively looked towards his HP bar. ¡°Huh?¡± Chapter 64 - 64 Food Compressor :! Chapter 64: Food Compressor :! Trantor: 549690339 HP [1000/1000] Mana [100/100] There were no changes in his HP and Mana bars; they remained just as they used to be. The change was the appearance of a line of text beneath his HP bar. [Hidden Attribute: Improved Body Conditions] [Body Strengthening: Physique surpasses that of ordinary people, gains from exercise are greater, and the upper limits are higher] ¡°Sure enough, I have hidden attributes, too! No wonder I always feel like I get a lot out of each workout!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat pleased. But then again, Ding Yuqin could see her hidden attributes from killing just one zombie, while he had to wait until his HP reached 1000¡­ That¡¯s pretty unlucky! ¡°Wang Tao, are you alright?¡± Wang Tao turned his head and saw Ding Yuqin¡¯s worried face. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. By the way, how long did I sleep?¡± ¡°You slept for three hours! You didn¡¯t move at all; you scared me to death!¡± Seeing that Wang Tao was indeed fine, Ding Yuqin finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Three hours, huh¡­¡± Wang Tao nodded. As long as it wasn¡¯t likest time when he passed out for three days, it was okay. ¡°Are you hungry? It¡¯s already dark; I¡¯ll go make dinner¡­¡± As she spoke, Ding Yuqin was about to get up and leave. But Wang Tao grabbed her hand in one move and smoothly pulled her onto the bed. Then, with his arms around Ding Yuqin¡¯s waist, he looked into her watery eyes and said with a smile: ¡°Hungry, but I¡¯d like to have some dumplings first.¡± Wang Tao felt unusually energetic at the moment and needed to use up some energy. The next morning. When Wang Tao woke up, he saw Ding Yuqin in his arms, looking at him with her sparkling eyes. ¡°Truly, only a dead cow¡­¡± Last night, Ding Yuqin had been thoroughly defeated, yet this morning she was the first to wake up, looking radiant. On the contrary, it was Wang Tao himself who felt a slight soreness in his waist. ¡°Hmph!¡± Ding Yuqin gave Wang Tao a coquettish nce, then wriggled out of his arms. ¡°I¡¯m going to make breakfast!¡± ¡°Call me husband first.¡± ¡°¡­ Husband-¡± After murmuring softly like the buzz of a mosquito, Ding Yuqin took off as if escaping. ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± Once Ding Yuqin had left, Wang Tao continued to ponder the problem he hadn¡¯t figured out the day before. ¡°Where did those 5 drops of my blood go¡­ Could it be that after my HP exceeds a thousand, killing zombies no longer increases the HP limit?¡± Wang Tao was a bit distressed. If that were true, then wouldn¡¯t that mean 1000 HP was the ceiling? But he had seen zombies with 2000 HP and unknown creatures with tens of thousands of HP¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll try againter. If ordinary zombies don¡¯t increase HP, then I¡¯ll go kill special zombies! I refuse to believe¡­¡± After a simple wash, Wang Tao didn¡¯t leave his room. Instead, with a thought, a blueprint appeared in his hand. It was the [Food Compressor Blueprint], and then he took out the necessary crafting materials and Crystal Core. The words ¡°Ready to Use¡± instantly appeared on the Blueprint. Upon choosing to use it, the materials turned into streams of light and flew into the blueprint. Then, a line of text appeared on the blueprint. [Crafting in progress, remaining time 59:59] ¡°One hour? That¡¯s fine, I can wait a bit.¡± ¡°Wang Tao, time to eat!¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s voice came from outside the door. ¡°Here ites.¡± After breakfast, Wang Tao began his morning exercise. Following some simple physical tests, Wang Tao felt that his overall physical condition with 1000 HP was at least two to three times stronger than when he had only 100 HP! He now had a feeling that ¡°without any weapons, he could smash a zombie¡¯s skull with one punch¡±¡­ At a certain moment, Wang Tao¡¯s spirit perked up, and he looked at his backpack. [The Food Compressor has been manufactured] With a thought, Wang Tao prepared to take the machine out, but a prompt appeared that there was not enough space. ¡°¡­How big is this thing?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s workout area was in a corner of the living room, cluttered with many things. He moved to the center of the living room. Ding Yuqin was wearing a yoga outfit and doing her exercises. Wang Tao walked over and unceremoniously pped her on the butt. Ding Yuqin immediately turned red-faced and looked at Wang Tao. ¡°It¡¯s not really appropriate during the day¡­¡± ¡°What is sister-inw fantasizing about? I mean you¡¯re in my way, move aside.¡± Ding Yuqin instantly flushed with embarrassment. However, following a heavy thud of somethingnding, Ding Yuqin jumped in fright. ¡°Wang Tao, what¡¯s this situation? Your Ability?¡± In the living room, there was now a massive machine with a wastnd punk style. ¡°It¡¯s sort of like that. Go grab a small bag of rice.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t exin much. He himself was also baffled; how could those few small materials create such a big machine? That wasn¡¯t scientific! ¡°Okay!¡± Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t ask further, she always remembered not to do anything that might annoy Wang Tao. Soon, Ding Yuqin came over with a 2.5 kg bag of rice, and Wang Tao brought the same amount of water. After the Food Compressor was made, prompts with instructions popped up. To make the nutritional liquid, it required equal proportions of food and water, and there would be some loss during the process that would provide energy to the machine¡­ meaning that if used sparingly, the machine couldst a long time. There were three windows on the machine, two for input and one for output. After pouring the rice and water into the ¡°input¡± windows, the machine began to vibrate slightly. A momentter, the ¡°output¡± window in the middle opened, revealing four thumb-thick stic tubes filled with a yellow, viscous liquid. There was a line of text on the stic casing. ¡°2000 calories, rice vor¡­ Shelf life 1 year¡­¡± Ding Yuqin curiously read the words on it. ¡°For a normal person, 2000 calories of energy shouldst a day, right?¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t too clear on that himself; he knew it certainly wouldn¡¯t be enough for him. ¡°This is a nutritional liquid¡­¡± Wang Tao gave a brief exnation. After hearing this, Ding Yuqin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Wow! This is amazing! It¡¯s really useful for us!¡± All the food from the entireplex, the small restaurant, and the convenience store had been taken back to Wang Tao¡¯s home. Though not as much as a dedicated food storage warehouse, when added up, it was quite a lot. Many of the food items had short shelf lives and would go bad over time, and they were also inconvenient to carry. If they could be turned into this kind of nutritional liquid, that would be very convenient! ¡°Okay, go sort out the food with short shelf lives or those that are inconvenient to carry. I¡¯ll see which ones need to be turned into nutritional liquid.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ding Yuqin immediately took a notebook and pen, eagerly going to sort the food. Wang Tao focused his mind, and the four tubes of nutritional liquid were stored in his Space Backpack. ¡°Indeed, they can be put into the Space Backpack! Great stuff!¡± Wang Tao suddenly thought, since any food could be turned into nutritional liquid, could contaminated food also be made into nutrient-rich liquid? ¡°Bring back some contaminated food to try, and also kill a few zombies to check the HP situation¡­.¡± Chapter 65 - 6 5 Suicide Bombing Zombies 1 Chapter 65: Chapter 6 5 Suicide Bombing Zombies 1 Trantor: 549690999??????? ¡ã??? ¡ª ¡°Indeed, it doesn¡¯t increase the HP limit anymore¡­¡± Gazing at the three corpses on the ground, Wang Tao shook his head as he looked back at his own HP of 1000. He collected all the damaged and bloodstained food from the convenience store, then carried the bag of food back home. ¡°Humming-¡± With a buzz from the Food Compressor, the window of the machine opened to reveal the nutrient solution inside. ¡°It¡¯s useful! But¡­ the quantity is much less.¡± Wang Taopared and found that the nutrient solution made from contaminated food was several to even more than ten times less than that made from normal food, with most of it lost during the process. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a pity, but it¡¯s not inedible! It¡¯s a win as long as we can eat it!¡± Ding Yuqin consoled him at the side. ¡°True, being able to eat is already good.¡± Wang Tao nodded. Adhering to the excellent tradition of frugality, he nned to bring back all the damaged food from outside, as even the leg of a mosquito is still flesh. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll continue to scavenge for supplies. Sister-inw, you¡¯reing with ¡°Ah? I have to go out too¡­?¡± Upon hearing this, Ding Yuqin immediately felt afraid. ¡°To make you stronger.¡± Ding Yuqin really wanted to say that she didn¡¯t want to be stronger, and that she was satisfied with life as it was. But she was afraid that saying so would make Wang Tao resent her. Thus, Ding Yuqin started to use her ultimate tactic-acting coquettishly. ¡°Can I, can I not go¡­¡± Looking at his sister-inw shaking his arm while holding onto it, feeling the softness transmitted from his arm, Wang Tao expressed with a smile, ¡°No.¡± Wang Tao was not swayed by persuasion or by her soft approach, leaving Ding Yuqin with no choice but to go out with him. Of course, before going out, Wang Tao equipped Ding Yuqin with protective gear, and then the two descended the stairs together. Looking at the chaos and deadly silence outside, Ding Yuqin stayed close behind Wang Tao. ¡°The end of the world¡­¡± Having stayed at home for a long while, it was Ding Yuqin¡¯s first time stepping out of the residentialplex. Feeling the quietness and destion, it made her very ufortable. Especially when she saw zombies on the streets, she was so frightened that she quickly hid behind Wang Tao. Wang Tao, holding a hammer, walked leisurely to the zombies and tapped one on the head, not using too much force. [-469] 131/500] The zombie was knocked down and heavily injured. ¡°Attack!¡± Wang Tao urged in a low voice. Ding Yuqin swallowed and, unwilling to disobey hismand, gripped the spear and stabbed viciously towards the zombie¡¯s head. Thud! [-31] [0/500] Seeing that Ding Yuqin¡¯s HP increased by 5 points above her head, Wang Tao was instantly gratified. Since he was going to scavenge all the materials around, he naturally had to ace these zombies. But killing ordinary zombies wasn¡¯t adding to his HP anymore, making it feel somewhat wasteful. Therefore, it was better to add some HP to Ding Yuqin-mainly because Wang Tao wanted to know if the effectiveness of her blood replenishing packs would strengthen after her HP increased. Now that Wang Tao¡¯s HP had reached 1000, Ding Yuqin could only replenish 100 HP for him daily, which still felt insufficient. As for the items that Wang Tao obtained from killing zombies, he didn¡¯t have an immediate need for them, so it could wait. If neededter, he could kill zombies to collect them, as he could easily take out ordinary zombies at that point. After spending two days, Wang Tao finally scavenged clean all around the residentialplex, and all the food that could be brought back was brought back. Ding Yuqin¡¯s HP also reached a solid 300. Whether the increase in HP affected the healing ability or not, Wang Tao didn¡¯t know for the time being, as he had been at full HP recently. But he knew that Ding Yuqin¡¯s physical condition had improved a lot-many positions that she couldn¡¯t withstand before, she could now let Wang Tao go a bit wilder. Last night, there was a heavy rain. It was a bit of a surprise for Ding Yuqin, given there had been no rain for a whole month, and the air was extremely dry. The leeks and green nts on the rooftop were well watered, seeming to have grown overnight¡ªwait a second! ¡°Sister-inw, have you noticed that these green nts have gotten bigger?¡± On the rooftop patio, Wang Tao suddenly pointed to the green nts on the ground and asked. ¡°Not really¡­ I think?¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s tone was somewhat uncertain. She almost came to check on these green nts every day, so logically, if they had grown, the change should not have been so apparent to her. But now, she felt¡­ as if they really had grown a bitrger? You¡¯re not sure? Then it seems they have gotten bigger!¡± Wang Tao normally didn¡¯t pay much attention to these green nts. Today, at a nce, he felt they had grown significantlyrger! Especially the chives that were cut just two days ago, which had already grown back halfway. Could the growth rate of chives be this fast? Wang Tao looked at the drizzling rain in the sky, a bad feeling grew inside him. Could it be rted to yesterday¡¯s heavy rainfall?¡± ¡°Heavy rainfall? You¡¯re saying that the rainfall promoted the growth of the nts?¡± Ding Yuqin was surprised. ¡°There might be that possibility. Sister-inw, you surely haven¡¯t forgotten the three days of heavy rain before the apocalypse arrived.¡± How could Ding Yuqin forget such a deeply engraved event? She spoke with some concern: ¡°Could it lead to something bad¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it shouldn¡¯t affect us for the time being.¡± Wang Tao looked at his HP bar and saw no changes, nor did anything strange appear. ¡°Sister-inw, put those sorted foods into the Food Compressor to make nutrient liquid. I¡¯m going out again today.¡± Wang Tao nned to collect gasoline and diesel today. The food resources around the neighborhood had been scavenged clean, and Wang Tao felt that it might soon be time to leave, since no matter how much food he had, without replenishment it would be useless. If they were to leave, with all the supplies he had to carry, including Ding Yuqin, the blood replenishing pack, walking definitely wasn¡¯t an option; they would have to drive. If driving, then the energy source definitely needed to be prepared in advance. However, Wang Tao hoped that it would be best to drive an electric car, since it made much less noise. So today, while Wang Tao went out to look for gasoline and diesel, he also sought out electric cars. It would be ideal if he could find one. If not, he would have to make do with a pickup truck. ¡°Be careful!¡± After Ding Yuqin helped Wang Tao put on his full protective gear, he headed downstairs with some empty oil drums. Many abandoned vehicles on the street had caught fire, and naturally, their gasoline was gone. Wang Tao¡¯s destination was a small open-air parking lot on the next street, which he had scoped out with binocrs before. There were several intact cars there. But upon arriving outside the parking lot, his gaze suddenly sharpened. ¡°Is that¡­¡± Wang Tao saw a bloated, organ-exposed zombie. [1000/1000] An HP of one thousand wasn¡¯t too high. But it was the most disgusting zombie he had ever seen, bar none. ¡°Clearly, it¡¯s a special kind of zombie, but it¡¯s not recorded in the military¡¯s data¡­¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t go directly towards it. Maintaining a certain distance, he threw a brick at the zombie. Smack¡ª The sound made the zombie divert its attention, and upon spotting Wang Tao, it immediately started staggering over. Wang Tao readied himself forbat.¡¯ But before it got close to Wang Tao, the exposed organs on its body suddenly started to pulsate, then swell. Finally¡ª Bang! With a loud explosion, it blew up, turning into a cloud of blood mist! ¡°Shit! Good thing I didn¡¯t go closer!¡± Looking at the scattered limbs and body parts on the ground, Wang Tao was relieved. However, after spotting the pale blue Zombie Core among the bloodstains, Wang Tao quickly ran over to pick it up. I better leave quickly, or I¡¯ll be surrounded by zombies¡ª¡± ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Suddenly, chilling howls came from all directions. Over a dozen seemingly Ordinary Zombies sprinted over from a distance. When they encountered some low obstacles, they actually leaped over them! They were even climbing cars and walls! Fuck! They can climb walls too? Have the zombies evolved?!¡± Chapter 66 - 66 Self-Destruct Crystal Core 1 Chapter 66: Self-Destruct Crystal Core 1 Trantor: 549690990??????? J??? ¡ª ¡°Run!¡± Without any hesitation, Wang Tao turned his head and ran! The zombies¡¯ running speed was fast, and they moved fluidly, not at all stiff. If It were the old Wang Tao, he might not have been able to outrun them. But now Wang Tao¡¯s physical fitness had improved a lot, and even with the heavy load on his body, he was not slower than them. These fast-moving zombies appeared from all directions, but there was only one on Wang Tao¡¯s way home, which was good news. He charged toward the lone zombie, and as he approached, Wang Tao picked up the horned hammer in his hand and smashed it down viciously onto the creature¡¯s head. Bang! [ -432 ] [ 568/1000 ] A head-shot with the hammer only caused over four hundred damage, and as the zombies had tooo HP, it would take at least two or three more hits to kill them. The zombie was knocked flying backwards. Seizing the momentum, Wang Tao swung two more hammer blows. [ -421] [ -147 ] [ o/iooo ] The zombie was killed. Wang Tao picked up the loot drop, his feet not stopping, and continued running toward themunity. Although it took him just three hits to kill the zombie, which seemed manageable, these zombies were much faster and more troublesome to deal with than ordinary zombies. Moreover, there were too many of them. In just a short while, another dozen or so appeared around him. The sight of over thirty zombies, like athletes, sprinting furiously toward him was enough to make anyone¡¯s scalp tingle. And Wang Tao was not sure if the explosion earlier would attract other special zombies; it would be even more troublesome if other types showed up. Wang Tao ran frantically ahead, with zombies vigorously chasing after him. However, these zombies were not as fast as Wang Tao; by the time he returned to the entrance of Happy Community, most of the zombies had fallen behind, leaving only five young male zombies still in pursuit. Wang Tao didn¡¯t take the main gate but directly climbed over the fence into themunity. But the five zombies also climbed over the wall following him! Wang Tao nced at the five zombies and, instead of staying to fight, he opened the door to Building 4 and ran upstairs. ¡°Roar!¡± The five zombies roared and pounded on the door, but upon realizing it wouldn¡¯t budge, they scaled the wall with the agility of rock climbers! ¡°What happened to Wang Tao?¡± Seeing Wang Tao return, Ding Yuqin quickly opened the door and asked. She hadn¡¯t witnessed the zombies following Wang Tao, but she heard the explosion before. ¡°Zombies are chasing after me. Stay inside the house; I¡¯m going to the rooftop!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t enter the room but instead instructed her briefly and directly ran to the rooftop, then forcefully opened the door. ¡°Roar!¡± The five zombies had already climbed to the rooftop. Seeing Wang Tao, they immediately charged at him. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao took a deep breath and, when he saw all five zombies enter his attack range, he lifted his hammer and smashed it down on the closest zombie simultaneously utilizing his Shockwave ability. Bang! [ -451 ] The hammer struck the forehead of the first zombie and then a visible Shockwave spread from the zombie¡¯s head in all directions! [-324 ] [ -351] [ -332 ] [ -328 ] ( -356 ] All the zombies staggered wildly, a string of numbers jumping from their heads so fast they almost dazzled Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so strong!¡± As he marveled inwardly, Wang Tao¡¯s hands continued to move. Bang! [ -461] [-342 ] One advantage of the Shockwave was that the zombies hit by it were not only injured, but also repelled, and some even became unsteady and fell to the ground. That is to say, they had no time to counterattack. Bang! [-207] [-211] [¡­] [0/1000] [¡­] Three strikes and five zombies were wiped out instantly! ¡°Awesome!¡± Wang Tao vigorously shook the hammer, then with a thought, he collected all the loot that had burst forth. [Acquired: Can*2] [Acquired: de*3] [Acquired: Nails*2] [¡­] The items that ordinary zombies dropped were usually one or two, mostmonly one, with two being very rare. Whereas the items these zombies dropped were around two to three each. But in terms of danger level, these were far more dangerous than ordinary zombies, after all, not only were they fast, but they also appeared in groups. ¡°These zombies might be a new type that emerged after the recent heavy rain¡­¡± Wang Tao nced at his HP once again; it was still not replenished by a single point. b He was not too disappointed because judging from the items these zombies had dropped, they were probably just ordinary zombies ¨C in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes only those that yielded Crystal Cores were considered special zombies. It was a pity that he had no chance to test whether special zombies could still replenish his HP. He had just encountered one, but that thing self-destructed and it wasn¡¯t counted as his kill. Apart from the Zombie Core, nothing else dropped. Wang Tao threw the bodies of these five zombies down from the building and then looked at his Happy Community, shaking his head with a sense of helplessness. Looks like it¡¯s time to leave¡­¡± He had thought about preparing a bit more and not rushing to leave But the appearance of zombies that were as mad as crazies suddenly filled Wang Tao with a sense of urgency. The walls of hismunity couldn¡¯t hold back such zombies, let alone the crazy zombies that could even climb up the buildings¡­ Wang Tao returned home, and Ding Yuqin hurried over with worry. ¡®Wang Tao, are you alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister-inw, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what¡¯s happening outside?¡± ¡°A new type of zombie has appeared¡­¡± Wang Tao exined briefly. When Ding Yuqin heard that these zombies could not only scale the walls of themunity but also climb up to the rooftops from the exterior of the buildings her face turned pale.??????????????????????????????? ¡¯ When she was free, she liked to water the nts on the rooftop, which, in her eyes, was the safest ce in the world. If she encountered a zombie while watering the nts one day¡­ that would be certain death! What should we do? Should we take down the chives?¡± Ding Yuqin was somewhat afraid. She had just managed to livefortably for a few days under Wang Tao¡¯s protection; was fate still not willing to let her be¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister-inw. These zombies were attracted by the loud noises. As long as you don¡¯t make too much noise, it should be fine. Of course, we can¡¯t stay here much longer, we¡¯ll have to see when we can leave. Tomorrow I¡¯ll go out again¡­¡± Wang Tao reassured her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you!¡± Ding Yuqin clutched Wang Tao¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Oh right¡­¡± Wang Tao suddenly remembered he had picked up a Zombie Core but hadn¡¯t had the chance to check it yet. With a thought, a light blue transparent Crystal Core appeared in his hand. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Self-Destruct] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effects: None)] A Crystal Core without side effects? Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, but upon reading the description that followed, he understood why there were no side effects. [Self-Detonation: Consumes all energy, the body explodes instantly.. The range and power of the explosion depend on the amount of energy] Chapter 67 - 67: The Quality of the Crystal Core 1 Chapter 67: The Quality of the Crystal Core 1 Trantor: 549690239?????? J???? ¡ª Wang Tao had previously thought that all crystal cores had side effects, but it now seems that this isn¡¯t the case. Every crystal core contains impurities, but that doesn¡¯t mean they definitely have side effects-those side effects refer to the obvious ones like photophobia or excessive obesity. Impurities themselves are a kind of side effect-too much umtion poses the risk of turning into a zombie! However, this is a result of long-term umtion. They are different¡­ Furthermore, when Wang Tao saw that this crystal core had no side effects he was quite surprised. But after seeing its ability introduction, he instantly understood. No wonder the ability¡¯s name is Self Detonation. This damn thing is literally an ability for self-detonation! One can use it only once in a lifetime! For Wang Tao himself, the uselessness of this Self-Destruct Crystal Core is on par with the Glutton Crystal Core he had previously consumed as a material. After all, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t choose to integrate either of these two types of crystal cores. Of course, these two crystal cores would definitely still be of some use to others. After all, once someone bes an ability user, their physical condition would improve significantly, making it worth it even if they didn¡¯t use their abilities. Then, Wang Tao reminisced about the differences among these crystal cores. Up to now, he had obtained a total of four zombie cores. They were two Shockwave Crystal Cores, one Glutton Crystal Core, and today¡¯s Self-Destruct Crystal Core. These four crystal cores, apart from having different types, also have different qualities. Only their purity is the same, all at 50%¡­ Therefore, Wang Tao had reason to specte that the purity of Level 1 crystal cores was probably all 50%, but as for higher-level crystal cores, whether their purity would be higher or lower, Wang Tao felt that it would most likely decrease¡­ As for the quality of the crystal cores, Wang Tao¡¯s four cores are of four different quality levels, each with a different color. These are a 20% fusion sess rate White Rank, Ordinary items; 40% Blue Excellent; 60% Purple Excellent; and 80% Red Superior. Wang Tao had previously synthesized two Shockwave cores and obtained an Orange Epic with a 100% sess rate. So looking at it this way, the situation bes quite clear¡ª The quality of crystal cores should have five categories, ranked from low to high ording to the sess rate of fusion, namely: White Rank, Ordinary (20%), Blue Excellent (40%), Purple Excellent (60%) Red Superior (80%), Orange Epic (100%)! Although the Orange Epic was synthesized by him, since such a thing exists, he thinks that it should be possible to drop one. If someone were to drop an Epic Crystal Core, that would undoubtedly be incredibly lucky. Of course, even if they are not Orange Epic, Purple Excellent and Red Superior are also good, at least the fusion sess rate exceeds 50%. For Wang Tao, the most cost-effective method at the moment is to synthesize two crystal cores whosebined quality can reach 100%. Because after synthesis, the purity of crystal cores also adds up. Currently, the purity of Level 1 crystal cores is 50%; two of them add up to just 100%, so ¡¯ using three crystal cores for synthesis would be a bit of a waste of purity. ¡°Gulp¡­¡¯1 Hearing the sound of someone swallowing saliva, Wang Tao turned his head and saw Ding Yuqin looking at the zombie core with a face full of longing. ¡°Sister-inw wants to eat it?¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. ¡°I do¡­¡± Ding Yuqin replied subconsciously and then came back to her senses. She quickly became somewhat embarrassed and said. ¡°No, no, no, I won¡¯t eat! You eat!¡± Wang Tao had talked to her about the Zombie Core, but she had no idea what it looked like, and the Crystal Core in Wang Tao¡¯s hand was too clean, so she didn¡¯t know it was a Zombie Core. ¡°Sister-inw, do you know what this is? This is a Zombie Core. Eating it gives you a certain chance to obtain an Ability, you know? Aren¡¯t you tempted?¡± Wang Tao said somewhat seductively. ¡°Not tempted!¡± Although Ding Yuqin was still swallowing her saliva, she turned her head away directly. She truly wasn¡¯t tempted; she didn¡¯t care about whether she had an Ability or not. As long as Wang Tao didn¡¯t leave her behind, she was content. But her instinct kept telling her to eat that Crystal Core, so she simply turned her head away, refusing to look. Seeing that Ding Yuqin did not appear to be lying, Wang Tao was somewhat impressed. He had initially thought that Ding Yuqin was the strong, independent type But after deepmunication, he realized she was a traditional type who tended to rely on men. That kind of woman might not be expected to start a business or make money, but as a wife, she would definitely fit the bill. Alright, let me give you a rundown on Crystal Cores¡­¡± Wang Tao exined everything he knew to Ding Yuqin, so that she wouldn¡¯t bepletely in the dark if she ever encountered one in the future. Ding Yuqin was startled when she heard that this Zombie Core was a Self-Destruct Ability. ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t eat it. I really wouldn¡¯t want to self-destruct!¡± The Crystal Core was temporarily stored in the Space Backpack, not needed for the moment. However, Wang Tao had no ns to use it for himself either. After all, this wasn¡¯t a game; he had only one life. If he were ever driven to self-destruct, it would be death either way¡­ he had no intention of blowing himself up to benefit others. At night, afterpleting their daily exercise, Wang Tao noticed it was still early, so he took out the walkie-talkie. And again, he managed to get in touch with Ou Yingying. A week had passed since theirst contact, and Wang Tao was somewhat surprised that Ou Yingying was still alive ¨C although it might be a bit rude to say so, the fact that the two of them were still alive for so long meant they definitely had something special. Wang Tao inquired briefly, and Ou Yingying said that there was plenty of food in the milk tea shop for the two of them, and the roll-down shutter door was sturdy, keeping ordinary zombies out. As long as they stayed quiet in the milk tea shop, they were rtively safe. But while they were safe, both were showing signs of near mental copse. ¡°Big brother, please send someone to save us! We are really going crazy¡­¡± In the milk tea shop, a disheveled, filthy Ou Yingying whispered tearfully. She and Sun Weiguang had been in this milk tea shop for a week. The space inside the shop was very small, and they had to live their lives fully within it unable to even open the door ¨C not even a crack, because zombies would gather at the smell of anything human. So you can imagine the smell inside¡­ The interior reeked, while zombies knocked on the door from time to time outside. Especially at night, they could hear a multitude of footsteps and various eerie howls¡­ Being tortured in such conditions for a week, it was a testament to her strength that she hadn¡¯t copsed already. It was fortunate that not only she but also Sun Weiguang were in the milk tea shop so they could talk and ease the loneliness somewhat. Otherwise, she didn¡¯t know if she could have held on¡­ Wang Tao naturally had no sympathy for these two, but his thoughts went to the female police officer. He personally had a certain admiration for that kind of righteous female police officer. Although the police officer had taken refuge in a shop and seemed quite safe, the conditions Ou Yingying described were such that she too would not be able to hold out alone for long. What a pity¡­ ¡°Hold on and wait for rescue!¡± After saying that in a perfunctory manner, Wang Tao turned off the walkie-talkie.. Chapter 68 - 68 Electric Off - road Vehicle_l Chapter 68: Electric Off ¨C road Vehicle_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°It¡¯s so dangerous outside¡­¡± Ding Yuqiny on Wang Tao¡¯s chest, drawing circles with her fingers, while sighing. She had heard everything Ou Yingying said just now, and it was difficult for her to imagine how long she would survive in that kind of situation¡­ Thank goodness for Wang Tao! ¡°How could it be called the apocalypse if it weren¡¯t dangerous¡­¡± Wang Tao gently stroked Ding Yuqin¡¯s hair, then suddenly, with a mischievous smile, he whispered in her ear, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t sister-inw thank me in some way?¡± ¡°How, how should sister-inw thank you¡­ Feeling the warmth by her ear, Ding Yuqin¡¯s ears turned slightly red as she raised her head, twisting her body uneasily. Wang Tao looked at her red lips. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± It rained again today. Wang Tao was preparing to brave the rain and visit that parking lot once more. The task of collecting fuel and finding a vehicle wasn¡¯tplete yet. As Ding Yuqin watched him, Wang Tao left Happy Community with a can of fuel. He had cleared all the zombies on this road yesterday, but overnight, more zombies had appeared on the streets. Without any hesitation, Wang Tao, amidst the rain with hammer in hand, dealt with them one by one. -These zombies seem a lot more sluggish. They didn¡¯t notice me even when I was so close¡­ Could it be because of the rain?¡± Wang Tao pondered. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground and buildings was like the crackling of fireworks. Maybe these sounds interfered with the zombies¡¯ hearing, and the rainwater could also cover up scents¡­ So, it seemed logical that the zombies¡¯ senses had been weakened. After killing more than a dozen zombies, Wang Tao carefully arrived at the open-air parking lot. However, he didn¡¯t dare to go straight in. Instead, he carefully observed the surroundings to make sure there were no suicide bombing zombies like yesterday before he cautiously entered. Wang Tao nced around and saw that apart from two cars with open doors, the rest were locked. Among these locked cars, there were three that had been in idents, smashed by something. The cars from which Wang Tao collected gasoline were these few with open doors and damaged cars. Because their rms wouldn¡¯t sound. If he tried to break into the intact cars, their rms would likely go off. He did not want to end up like yesterday, being chased by a swarm of crazy zombies. Soon, Wang Tao had filled a canister with gasoline, without raising any rm. ¡°Continue!¡± The fourth car, with an open door, had a zombie lying on the steering wheel, unaware of Wang Tao¡¯s approach. Wang Tao suddenly pulled the zombie down and swung his hammer for a headshot. [-500 HP] The zombie didn¡¯t even have time to react before it was killed instantly. Only then did Wang Tao turn his attention to the car. ¡°Huh? This should be an electric car, right? Looks like it¡¯s a range extender¡­ It was a domestic brand of rugged off-road vehicle, angr and tough-looking, very impressive and domineering. Before the apocalypse, the whole world was advocating for new energy vehicles, and Qian Country was no exception. They created some pretty nice new energy vehicles. There were all kinds of models avable, including sedans, SUVs, and off-road vehicles. However,paratively speaking, the sales of SUVs were the best, followed by sedans, and the off-road vehicles had the worst sales. The reason for this, apart from personal preference, was mainly the price, which was much higher for new energy off-road vehicles than for other types of vehicles. Take this vehicle in front of me, for instance, if Wang Tao remembered correctly, it was an extended-range new-energy vehicle-it could be refueled and recharged. The engine did not directly drive the wheels but used fuel to generate electricity, which, in turn, powered the electric motor that drove the wheels. The starting price seemed to be about 600,000. It belonged to the category that people praised but did not necessarily buy, since the price wasn¡¯t exactly affordable. Wang Tao climbed in and rummaged around, finding a car key. He gently pressed it, and seeing the key light up, Wang Tao felt delighted. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s not broken?¡± He depressed the brake and held down the push-to-start button. Whirring- Wang Tao heard the faint sound of an electric motor starting up. ¡°There¡¯s power, and it still has seventy percent fuel! After making sure there were no issues with the car, Wang Tao drove it straight out of the parking lot. It had to be said, electric vehicles were quiet, especially in pure electric mode, and coupled with the rain, the sound of raindrops interfered with the zombies¡¯ judgment¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t encounter any issues on his way back to Happy Community. It was only after he had parked the car under building number 4 that Wang Tao finally let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Now that I have a car, and enough fuel, the next step is to scout out Suzaku University Survivor Base, to see if it¡¯s safe and suitable for me. If it is, then I¡¯ll go there. If not, I¡¯ll have to look elsewhere¡­¡± Wang Tao was inclined to live where there were more survivors, as there was strength in numbers. Especially in an orderly Survivor Base, he wouldn¡¯t need to handle everything personally and could focus on improving his Strength. It was too dangerous to be alone in the apocalypse. Not to mention the endless hordes of zombies, the creature he encountered in the wild with 10,000 HP wasn¡¯t something one person could take on. Even with his current Strength, he didn¡¯t stand a chance. And to put it bluntly, if any danger did arise, being among many people would provide cannon fodder to shield him. If he were alone, he¡¯d have only himself to rely on. Of course, the premise was that he wouldn¡¯t be cannon fodder himself. Wang Tao had his own judgment. If the Survivor Base really wasn¡¯t suitable, he wouldn¡¯t insist on staying. As for the idea of establishing his own Survivor Base, Wang Tao was not currently considering it. If he had the capability to manage or lead, wouldn¡¯t he be out there starting a business and making a fortune rather than hunkered down here as a small-time Martial Arts Substitute Actor? Although it was the apocalypse and personal Strength was very important, that didn¡¯t mean one could afford not to think. Otherwise, one might not even realize when they¡¯d been outsmarted. Unless one¡¯s Strength was so extraordinary that they could defy allws, but clearly, he wasn¡¯t at that level yet. For him now, the best option was to join arge official Survivor Base, followed by Ordinaryrge ones. He wasn¡¯t interested in medium-sized bases, and small ones¡­ like Happy Community, weren¡¯t necessary. Of course, his definitions ofrge, medium, and small were ording to his own understanding. ¡°However, before that, I still need to inspect and modify the car¡­¡± Wang Tao touched his chin and murmured to himself. He had already scoured the entiremunity, finding a lot of materials and tools, and nned to modify the car to deal with the harsh environment. After three days, Wang Tao reinforced many parts of the car and even fitted an additional steel te on the exterior. While this somewhat affected speed, vehicles couldn¡¯t go too fast in these conditions anyway. Sacrificing a bit of speed for stronger Defense seemed quite appropriate. It was raining again that day. Looking at the pouring rain outside the window, Wang Tao felt it was a good day to head out.. Chapter 69 - 69 Fierce Firepower_l Chapter 69: Fierce Firepower_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Sis-inw, I¡¯m heading out today, and I might be gone for a few days. Don¡¯t run around while I¡¯m not here on your own.¡± Wang Tao nced at the rain outside the window and spoke to Ding Yuqin beside him. ¡°¡­Okay!¡± Ding Yuqin felt reluctant, but she knew that Wang Tao was searching for their new home. Soon, Ding Yuqin helped Wang Tao get fully geared up. ¡°Remember, you must stay at home. There¡¯s plenty of food, enough for you. I¡¯ve also left a walkie-talkie for you, and I¡¯ll check in on you from time to time. If I find out that you¡¯re running around again, sis-inw, watch out for a spanking!¡± Wang Tao gave Ding Yuqin¡¯s bottom a firm smack. ¡°Stop it-¡± Ding Yuqin gave Wang Tao an annoyed look, then said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll wait for you at home obediently! Be careful, okay?¡± Ding Yuqin bestowed a longing kiss on Wang Tao, and then watched reluctantly as he drove away from Happy Community. Having a different car really made a difference; not only was this one morefortable, but it was also much quieter. Plus, with the heavy rain and detours, he hardly encountered any zombies along the way. Even if an asional zombie did appear, he simply ran it over. However, the slight regret he had was that he didn¡¯t encounter any special zombies on the way. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t interested in killing ordinary zombies anymore, but if he came across special ones, he definitely would want to try and take them down. After all, special zombies had Crystal Cores. ¡°At this pace, I should arrive at Shuize University in another twenty minutes¡­¡± Wang Tao ate somepressed biscuits in the car, preparing to hit the road again, but upon spotting a building in the distance, he raised an eyebrow. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that Rui Cai Commercial Street right ahead!¡± Wang Tao reviewed the map; if he cut through Rui Cai Commercial Street, Suzaku University was indeed very close. At least, it could save him ten minutes of travel. In a post-apocalyptic world, saving time was saving lives. However, considering what Ou Yingying had described over the walkie-talkie earlier, Wang Tao still felt it was better to take a detour. Time-saving on the premise of safety was one thing, but if there was danger, then it was a different story altogether. ¡°Da da da¡ª¡± All of a sudden, rhythmic gunfire came from themercial street. Even though it was raining heavily, the sound was unmistakably clear. ¡°Gunfire! From the direction of themercial street!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed, and he immediately turned off the car and got out, climbing up to the third floor of the building behind him. Rumble¡ª ¡°Roar!¡± The sound of gunfire incited countless zombies to roar; the ground seemed to tremble. ¡°Da da da¡ªda da da¡ª¡± The gunfire continued, giving the impression that it wasn¡¯t an individual, but more like a squad at work. After climbing to the rooftop of the three-story building, Wang Tao immediately took out his binocrs to observe. In the distance, Rui Cai Commercial Street was swarming with zombies, and at the entrance of the road at the forefront were three modified off-road military vehicles, reinforced with steel tes, wireting, and spikes. Each of the three vehicles had a shooting port on the roof, with three camouged soldiers emerging halfway out, pulling the triggers of the mounted machine guns, firing bursts at the horde of zombies. Rifle fire was alsoing through the shooting ports of the car windows. The ferocious, terrifying zombies were falling en masse as if they were chives being harvested. Even if they weren¡¯t shot in the head, being hit by a 12.7 caliber machine gun would pulverize half of their bodies, rendering them instantaneously incapacitated. ¡°This is the power of thermal weapons!¡± On the rooftop, Wang Tao watched this scene with a surging heart, feeling as though he was the one firing the guns. After all, which man could reject shooting a gun! ¡°With such firepower, how could zombies possibly stand a chance against humans! I wonder if there¡¯s still arge scale army surviving¡­¡± Three vehicles, more than a dozen guns, after killing arge swath of zombies, rolled straight over them and drove into themercial street. They then stopped in a triangr formation in front of a shop. Zombies continually approached from all sides but were shot dead, and asionally, a few slipped through the defensive fire but were powerless against the modified military vehicles. Inside the vehicle, someone opened the door and waved to the shop, then two figures were seen running out of the shop and diving into the van. ¡°Hmm? Those two silhouettes look familiar¡­ Ou Yingying and that Sun Weiguang?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. He had casually told Ou Yingying and the others to wait for rescue over the walkie-talkie, not really expecting them to actually wait. Yet, they had? Such good luck? Even Wang Tao was envious of this stroke of fortune. He continued to watch, and as soon as Ou Yingying and the other were on board, the convoy immediately began to retreat. At that moment, more zombies converged from all directions, swarming towards the three vehicles like a ck tide. Wang Tao also spotted at least dozens of those ¡°crazy zombies¡± that ran faster than humans and could climb over walls. The arrival of these ¡°crazy zombies¡± suddenly increased the pressure on the armed convoy! Though Wang Tao could not hear or see themunication within the vehicles, the suddenly chaotic gunfire suggested they were starting to panic. Fortunately, they had plenty of bullets and thick armor, so no matter how strong the crazy zombies were, they could not withstand the gunfire. The vehicles struggled to break free from the encirclement of zombies and reached the main road, then with a sudden eleration, the three vehicles sped away. But it was not so easy to shake off the zombies, and due to the poor road conditions, the convoy couldn¡¯t pick up much speed. The horde of zombies relentlessly followed behind, as if they could be overwhelmed at any moment. These people must be from Shuize University Base, but perhaps fearing to lead zombies there, they didn¡¯t head in that direction. Instead, they led thisrge group of zombies away via another road. After watching the three vehicles and the horde of zombies leave, Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°These people have good weapons andbat capabilities, but they seem a bit reckless! I wonder who¡¯smanding them¡­ However, they¡¯ve drawn all the zombies away, so couldn¡¯t I take a shortcut?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. He took another careful look, and sure enough, there were no longer any living zombies in themercial street¡ªjust a lot of zombie corpses lying around. ¡°Now¡¯s the chance, let¡¯s move quickly!¡± Wang Tao realized this was a good opportunity. He immediately went down and climbed into the vehicle. After starting the car, he drove towards Rui Cai Commercial Street. Reaching Rui Cai Commercial Street and seeing the pile of zombie corpses, Wang Tao felt a bit regretful. If only he had killed them, he thought, even if it didn¡¯t restore HP, at least he could have gained a lot of spoils of war. The corpses blocked the way, slowing down the car a bit. At that moment, Wang Tao suddenly heard some noiseing from a shop. ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Wang Tao immediately turned around, just as the shutter door of one of the shops deformed and then shattered, and a figure flew out of the broken doorway. Bang! The figure mmed hard onto the front of Wang Tao¡¯s car. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t driving fast, or else there could have been a risk of flipping the car. Wang Tao first looked at the car¡¯s front with some distress; thankfully, the reinforced front end was undamaged. Only then did he turn his attention to the severely injured figure on the ground. Huh? Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; the person turned out to be Han Rui. She had taken off her police uniform and changed into ordinary clothes, which caused Wang Tao not to recognize her at first. ¡°Thump, thump¡ª¡± At that moment, a burly figure walked out of the same shop.. Chapter 70 - 70 Picking Up a Leak_l Chapter 70: Picking Up a Leak_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Get away¡ªoh no, save me!¡± Han Rui flew out, her whole body aching, her head heavy. Upon seeing a figure before her eyes, her long career as a policewoman made her instinctively tell the person to get away. After all, that zombie was too terrifying, not something an ordinary person could handle. But as soon as she came to her senses and saw that the person was sitting in a car¡ªand a car that had been reinforced with steel tes at that¡ªshe immediately changed her plea, asking the person to save her. Wang Tao didn¡¯t immediately go to save Han Rui, nor did he leave. Instead, he grabbed the horned hammer and directly opened the car door to get out. Whoosh¡ª The rain outside was heavy, instantly drenching Wang Tao¡¯s clothes. ¡°You¡ª¡± Han Rui red at the sizeable man before her. If he didn¡¯t run now, it would be toote to tryter! He couldn¡¯t possibly believe he could beat that zombie, could he? With all those muscles? Unfortunately, Han Rui¡¯s entire body was in pain, rendering her unable to move. Otherwise, she would have grabbed the car to forcibly take the big man with her to leave. Wang Tao, of course, was unaware of Han Rui¡¯s thoughts. He was actually looking for a special zombie, and lo and behold, one hade to him. Most importantly, the zombie was already severely injured! [321/1500] If he let such an opportunity pass, he would be cursed with thunderous retribution! Wang Tao gripped the hammer in his hand, eyeing the zombie not too far away. This was a zombie over two meters tall, but with a deformed physique; its upper body on the right side was enormous, especially the right arm, which was almost half the size of Wang Tao. However, the left side of its body was shriveled, especially the left arm, which was smaller than that of a normal person. It was as if the nutrition from the right side was being diverted to supply the left side. The zombie¡¯s body was riddled with bullet holes, and some ck blood was oozing out from them. ¡°Attacker¡­¡± This kind of zombie was described in the military¡¯s zombie files and was named an Attacker! It was different from the Sprinters zombies. A difference of just one character in their names, but the strength of the two was absolutely more than ten times apart. When Wang Tao saw the zombie¡¯s gaze turn towards him, he decisively ran away from the car. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± From that somewhat deformed giant mouth of the Attacker, a roar emerged, and then lifting its right arm, it pushed off with its hind legs, charging straight towards Wang Tao. Boom- Watching the colossal zombie charge towards him like a raging bull at high speed, Wang Tao abruptly rolled to the right side. The Attacker almost grazed Wang Tao¡¯s body as it rushed past. Bang! The Attacker crashed head-on into the opposite building¡¯s wall. With a loud crash, it created arge hole in the wall filled with cracks, and a [-3] appeared over the head of the Attacker, who seemed somewhat dazed by the impact. The Attacker¡¯s mode of attack wasn¡¯t biting, but ramming. Anyone hit by it would either be left with only half their HP if they didn¡¯t die, and that was just for those with good physical fitness. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Wang Tao felt that with his current strength, he might be able to withstand it, but it wasn¡¯t necessary. So he dodged at an extremely fast speed. An Attacker could run straight for twenty to thirty meters in one charge, not stopping unless it hit a person or obstacle. And if it did hit an obstacle, there would be two possible oues: either it would smash the obstacle, or it would be stopped by the obstacle and suffer dizziness for a few seconds. The buildings on this street were all reinforced concrete, quite durable; they not only stopped the Attacker but also caused it to be dazed. Han Rui, leaning against the car, widened her eyes, filled with disbelief. ¡°He actually dodged it!¡± Only someone who had personally fought this zombie could understand the terror of its charge. From an observer¡¯s perspective, the trajectory of the charge was visible. But if you were the one in its path, there was almost no chance to dodge! Yet the big guy had actually managed to dodge it! She had previously thought he was done for, but it turned out he was an expert! She had misjudged! Meanwhile, Wang Tao, taking advantage of the Sprinter¡¯s moment of dizziness, hurried over and swung the hammer three times at its head. Bang! Bang! Bang! [-121] [-124] [-76] [0/1500] Is it dead just like that? Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, after all, this was a special zombie with 1500 HP. He had thought that there would be an exchange of blows between them. But then again, considering his greatly improved strength, it made sense that he could easily kill a special zombie that was already weakened. ¡°Eh?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao¡¯s face lit up with joy, because he noticed that his HP had increased! He had gained 40 points, and it was now [1040/1040]! Did this mean that killing ordinary zombies wouldn¡¯t increase his HP, but killing special zombies still did? Indeed, 1000 HP wasn¡¯t the limit! With a thought, the semi-transparent package dropped by the zombie entered Wang Tao¡¯s Space Backpack. [Acquired: Rush Right Arm Blueprint xi] Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother to look at the loot; he hurriedly used the hammer to pry out the Crystal Core from inside the Sprinter¡¯s head. It was a Purple Crystal Core named [Rush], and without time to look closer, Wang Tao stashed it away and immediately ran back to his car. Han Rui¡¯s mouth hung open the entire time, her face a picture of shock. After seeing that Wang Tao had dodged the zombie¡¯s attack, she realized she had misjudged him. But watching Wang Tao take down the zombie with just three swings of his hammer, Han Rui waspletely dumbfounded. She was aware of how formidable this particr zombie was; even when she heard the gunfire, she dared not make a sound for help. In the end, she was discovered and got knocked out cold. She tried to fight back, but it was no use! And then this man killed it with just three hammer blows¡­ What also surprised her was the efficiency with which Wang Tao extracted the Crystal Core; his actions were those of someone who had done this many times before! So, he was an Ability User! After Wang Tao returned to the car, noticing Han Rui¡¯s unusual gaze towards him, he decided not to waste words, grabbed her arm, and threw her into the back seat of the car. ¡°Uh¡­ thank you¡­¡± Han Rui grimaced in pain but didn¡¯t show any dissatisfaction; instead, she sincerely voiced her thanks. Being rescued was a great favor in itself, she had no right to ask for more. Wang Tao nced at her through the rearview mirror inside the car. ¡°Buckle up!¡± Upon hearing this, Han Rui hurriedly fumbled to buckle her seatbelt. Wang Tao forcefully stepped on the gas pedal. ¡°Whir-¡± The electric motor had strong torque, and coupled with the car being all-wheel drive, the vehicle instantly shot forward. Han Rui, inside the car, felt the powerful sensation of being pushed back against her seat, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise. ¡°No wonder he dares to drive around by himself, it¡¯s an electric car!¡± The sound of an electric car is rtively quiet, plus it was raining heavily, so their chances of safely returning to the Survivor Base were high¡ªHan Rui assumed Wang Tao was from the Shuize University Survivor Base, since it was close by. However, possibly due to the gunfire earlier, although there were no zombies on themercial street, there were many of them after passing through themercial area. For safety, Wang Tao deliberately took some detours. After spending several hours, they finally reached Shuize University in the evening. The present Shuize University waspletely different from what he remembered. The walls around the campus had been raised significantly, topped with sandbags, shooting ports, and barbed wire, while the bottom was lined with anti-tank obstacles, trenches, and big iron barrels with burn marks¡­ Just looking at all this gave one an immense sense of security. A sign hanging over the gate read ¡°Shuize Base¡± inrge characters. Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush to enter, instead parking the car in a safe corner before turning his gaze to Han Rui. ¡°Officer Han, shall we talk?¡± Chapter 71 - 71 Han Rui’ s Attributes 1 Chapter 71: Han Rui¡¯ s Attributes 1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡ª ¡°Do you know me?¡± Officer Han looked at Wang Tao, who was wrapped up tightly all over, with a mixture of caution and surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you before.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t borate. ¡°What do you¡­ want to talk about?¡± Officer Han was somewhat uncertain of Wang Tao¡¯s intentions. ¡°Is this base reliable?¡± Wang Tao gazed at the base before him. Officer Han knew what Wang Tao meant by ¡®reliable¡¯. She had encountered a group of survivors with ill intentions before, and she certainly wasn¡¯t going to easily trust other survivors now, even Wang Tao who had just saved her life, she remained somewhat wary. But in her opinion, the Suize Survivor Base really was reliable. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s reliable. My former boss is inside, and besides, this is a base established by our Security Army¡­¡± Officer Han shared some information she knew. ¡°Okay, then I can rest assured.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then looked at Officer Han again and said, ¡°I¡¯m somewhat curious about the process of Officer Haning to the Commercial Street, and what happened to Officer Han when she was trapped in the dor store. Would Officer Han be able to satisfy my curiosity?¡± ¡°¡­No problem!¡± Officer Han nodded decisively, well aware of her current situation-although she had escaped the threat of the zombies, and had been saved by this man, her life was, in effect, in this man¡¯s hands. Officer Han didn¡¯t yet know what Wang Tao was thinking; as long as Wang Tao did nothing excessive to her, she would try her best to be amodating, to avoid provoking him. ¡°I came to Rui Cai Commercial Street aboutst week-I can¡¯t remember the exact day¡­¡± Officer Han¡¯s story was simr to what Ou Yingying had described earlier, but there were some differences in the details¡ª They had arrived at Rui Cai Commercial Street without encountering any danger, and with the Suzaku University Survivor Base just in sight, the three of them were extremely excited. Officer Han suggested taking a detour around the Commercial Street even though there seemed to be no zombies inside it, she was still a bit worried. But her husband, Sun Weilong, wanted to go straight through. The Commercial Street wasn¡¯t just one street; it referred to the entire area. Detouring would mean a significantly longer route. In the post-apocalyptic world, every additional minute outside was a minute of danger. Going through would save a lot of time. They also observed that there were no zombies in the Commercial Street, which seemed visibly safe, whereas taking the detour meant facing invisible risks. Ou Yingying was indecisive, finding reason in Officer Han¡¯s words, yet agreeing with Wei Guang¡¯s argument as well. So when both turned to her for a decision she chose to support Wei Guang¡¯s idea-to pass through the Commercial Street. Officer Han was actually a very decisive person, but, in all honesty, even she wasn¡¯t sure if her judgement was right. So this time, she conformed to the majority. As they entered the Commercial Street, everything went smoothly. The three of them moved quietly, not drawing any attention from the zombies. However, as they passed in front of a milk tea shop, Ou Yingying mentioned she was thirsty and wanted some water. They hadn¡¯t had any for a whole day. Wei Guang was thirsty too, and upon hearing this, he looked at the milk tea shop nearby. The shop wasn¡¯t big, the door was open, and one could easily see there were no zombies inside. Then, Wei Guang volunteered to take Ou Yingying to the shop to look for water, figuring that a milk tea shop was likely to have clean water. Officer Han saw a zombie at the corner ahead, blocking their way, and decided to go ahead and clear it out herself. After some effort to deal with the zombie, a noise suddenly came from the milk tea shop. Before she could understand what was happening, she saw a female zombie, different from the others, charging directly into the shop. Officer Han hurried over, only to find Wei Guang and Ou Yingying hiding under a table. Just as the zombie was about to reach them, Officer Han pulled out her gun and pulled the trigger decisively. With a ¡°bang¡±, the bullet hit the zombie, sessfully diverting its attention. But it also attracted countless other zombies in the vicinity. Han Rui quickly instructed the two of them to puli down the roll-up door to hide, and then she rushed into a nearby shop. This special zombie naturally followed her, but she was a good shot. As the zombie charged in after her, she rapidly emptied her magazine. For now, even the strongest zombie was still made of flesh and blood and definitely couldn¡¯t withstand bullets. As long as you have good aim and hit the zombie¡¯s weak spots, you could easily kill it-even if it was a special zombie. Therefore, this special zombie was directly killed by Han Rui. But by then, arge horde of zombies had already appeared outside. She couldn¡¯t meet up with Sun Weiguang, so she had no choice but to lock the doors and windows and hide there. Han Rui initially thought that the zombies outside would soon leave, but unexpectedly, they seemed to stay on the street without wandering off. Fortunately, there was some food in the shop, so she wouldn¡¯t starve to death. What she didn¡¯t expect was that a burly special zombie had made its way into the house next door at some point. With no bullets left, she couldn¡¯t possibly fight a special zombie with her bare hands. Her only option was to stay hidden and wait until today. When she heard the gunfire outside today, she was thrilled, thinking she might be rescued. But with a terrifying special zombie nearby, she didn¡¯t dare make a sound. She had hoped the special zombie would be lured away. Unexpectedly, it seemed that the special zombie was injured or something because it didn¡¯t leave. Instead, it hid inside the house. This left Han Rui in a bit of a predicament. Even as the gunfire gradually faded into the distance, she never found a suitable opportunity-she didn¡¯t dare to open the door or call out, as she might get bitten by the zombie before anyone came to her rescue. However, there was some good news. The group outside had drawn away therge wave of zombies. If she could avoid the special zombie next door, she would be able toe out. But she didn¡¯t manage to avoid it and was discovered by the zombie. Then came the situation Wang Tao saw. She had no time to dodge and was directly rammed by the ¡°Attacker¡± zombie, even smashing through the roll-up door andnding on Wang Tao¡¯s car. ¡°¡­That¡¯s what happened.¡± After exining her previous experiences in one breath, Han Rui licked her dry lips. Han Rui¡¯s story provided a few more details than Ou Yingying¡¯s did, and there was one discrepancy¡ª Ou Yingying imed that it was Sun Weiguang who took the initiative to get them milk tea, but ording to Han Rui, it was Ou Yingying who wanted water, and that¡¯s why Sun Weiguang went to look for water in the milk tea shop. Based on his understanding of their character and his own spections, Wang Tao felt that Han Rui¡¯s story was likely more credible. Ou Yingying clearly intended to shift the me away from herself. Of course, none of that mattered now, as the events had already urred. And¡­ Han Rui hadn¡¯t told the whole truth either! Wang Tao looked at Han Rui and chuckled softly: ¡°Officer Han, it seems you¡¯ve left out some details!¡± The things you got from killing the special zombie and your Ability, you didn¡¯t mention them!¡± Han Rui¡¯s mouth opened slightly, and she fell silent. When she saw Wang Tao skillfully pry the Crystal Core from a zombie¡¯s head, she knew Wang Tao must be aware of certain things, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to be so knowledgeable, even guessing that she had an Ability! She didn¡¯t know how she had exposed herself. She wasn¡¯t very keen on telling others about her Ability. But, considering Wang Tao was her lifesaver, she felt conflicted. Wang Tao just silently watched Han Rui without speaking. The reason he knew about Han Rui¡¯s Ability was simple-her Attributes were different from ordinary people¡¯s¡ª HP [85/231] Mana [30/100] [Hidden attribute: Arrest] [Internal Impurity: o%] Chapter 72: Entering Survivor Base_1 Chapter 72: Entering Survivor Base_1 Trantor: 549690339 Aside from Han Rui¡¯s Ability, Wang Tao was also very interested in her Hidden Attributes. He remembered clearly that when he saw Han Rui at the water nt before, she didn¡¯t have any Hidden Attributes. At that time, Han Rui¡¯s HP had already broken through a hundred, indicating that she had killed zombies. It seems her luck wasn¡¯t that good. Han Rui¡¯s Hidden Attribute was quite interesting. [Arrest: More likely to capture criminal suspects] This Hidden Attribute looks pretty awesome, but now, in the post-apocalyptic world, it seems pretty useless, no? And how exactly is a ¡®criminal suspect defined? Wang Tao himself has killed someone, although that person was a harmful lunatic, but ording to thews of peacetime, he would also be a suspect. But the problem is, there are nows now¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t understand, but if he had the chance in the future, he could observe it. After all, it was a Hidden Attribute. As for the one at the bottom, [Internal Impurity: O%], that should be taken literally. The Purity of a Level 1 Zombie Core is only 50%, the remaining 50% is impurities. Therefore, after fusing a Crystal Core, impurities will umte in the body, whether the fusion is sessful or not. ¡ö¡öO%¡± doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t any, it¡¯s probably rounded off. After all, after Wang Tao learned his Ability, he didn¡¯t have the ¡°Internal Impurity¡± attribute on his stats. If Internal Impurity reaches 100%, one would probablypletely turn into a zombie! ¡°¡­Okay, here¡¯s what happened¡­¡± After hesitating for a while, Han Rui still decided to speak up. She felt that Wang Tao was most likely an Ability User himself, and she was still quite confused about this Ability thing. If she couldmunicate with a fellow Ability User, that would be quite nice. ¡°The female zombie that my husband and Ou Yingying disturbed before was obviously different from the other zombies. It was a head taller than ordinary zombies, and its appearance was particrly ferocious, its face was like that of a devil¡­¡± ¡°Most importantly, it walked without making a sound, and its senses were extremely sharp! I didn¡¯t notice when it appeared at all. And when I took just one quiet step towards it, it discovered me! However, its target was very clear, aimed at the two people in the milk tea shop. If I hadn¡¯t fired a shot, it might not have chased after me¡­¡± ¡°When it chased me, its speed wasn¡¯t slow, but it didn¡¯t know to dodge. After it followed me into the shop, I shot it in the head a few times, and then I blew its head off¡­ But when it fell to the ground, a diamond-shaped red crystal fell from its shattered head and rolled to my feet. I didn¡¯t know what was happening at the time, and when I saw the red crystal, I felt an urge to eat it, but it was covered in blood and looked disgusting¡­ ¡°So, I washed it with water. After that, my body seemed to act on its own, and by the time I realized it, I had already swallowed the crystal¡­ I didn¡¯t even know if the crystal was cleaned properly, especially after I ate the crystal, I felt a blur before my eyes, and drowsiness hit me. At that time, I thought I was infected¡­ In thest moments of consciousness, I was still regretting why I couldn¡¯t control my own mouth¡­¡± ¡°Turns out, I wasn¡¯t infected, I just fell asleep. But I slept for quite a long time, probably for about two or three days, and I didn¡¯t feel any hunger either, then Han Rui took a deep breath, a look of excitement on her face. ¡°Then I discovered that I had obtained a miraculous ability¡ªI could vaguely sense the presence of several zombies outside the house!¡± -I don¡¯t know how to describe it to you, that feeling can¡¯t be put into words, but I could just sense that there were zombies outside and even discern their approximate numbers!¡± At this point, Han Rui¡¯s eyes sparkled brilliantly. She had been quite desperate about the apocalypse, always forcibly supporting herself with her conviction. But now that she had acquired this Ability, she felt like she truly saw hope! ¡°The hefty zombie you killed seems to have appeared while I was asleep. After waking up, I could vaguely feel that it was next door to me, with only a thin brick wall between us¡­ So I didn¡¯t dare to make any rash moves, especially given its huge size. It¡¯s a pity that I was ultimately discovered, even though I was cautious and always keeping an eye on it. But when it smashed through the wall, I couldn¡¯t react in time and was sent flying¡­¡± At this, Han Rui still seemed somewhat scared. Her ability andbat capabilities were unrted; it was a purely supportive power. Moreover, she was already injured, and her pistol was out of bullets, leaving her essentially powerless inbat. Had it not been for Wang Tao, another hit from a zombie would have sealed her fate. ¡°Thank you for saving me! I don¡¯t have anything to give you in return right now, but once we get to the Survivor Base, I will find a way to repay you!¡± Han Rui said to Wang Tao with utmost seriousness. Wang Tao graciously epted Han Rui¡¯s thanks. As for repayment¡­ was Wang Tao the kind of person who soughtpensation? ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± ¡°I definitely won¡¯t go back on my word!¡± After Han Rui made her promise, she asked curiously: ¡°What¡¯s your name? To repay you, I should at least know your name and what you look like, right?¡± Wang Tao took off his sses and face mask, revealing his face. ¡°My name is Wang Tao.¡± Han Rui was slightly surprised. Given Wang Tao¡¯s sturdy build, she had thought he was a burly uncle with a rough face, but she didn¡¯t expect him to have such delicate features. ¡°Hello, my name is Han Rui, as you know. So, can we go in now?¡± The two had already been waiting outside of the Survivor Base for a while, which made Han Rui feel insecure. ¡°Of course.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then restarted the car and slowly drove toward Shuize University. At the entrance of Shuize University, there was a simple wooden watchtower, which promptly drew attention to Wang Tao¡¯s car as it came into view. Soon, four soldiers dressed in camougebat suits and fully armed came out of a small door. The four soldiers held their guns downward but kept their eyes firmly on Wang Tao¡¯s car. One of them approached Wang Tao¡¯s car and said: ¡°Hello, survivor. This is the Suzaku University Survivor Base. If you¡¯d like to enter the base, pleasee here and cooperate with our inspection! Wang Tao extended his hand out of the window and made an ¡®OK gesture. The soldier spoke into a walkie-talkie, and soon after, the modified school gate opened. However, it was a double gate, inside which stood two people in grey protective suits holding shlights, waiting for them. Wang Tao slowly drove into the gate and, when he reached the soldiers¡¯ side, took off his sses and asked: ¡°May I know what the inspection involves?¡± The soldier looked into Wang Tao¡¯s eyes for a moment, then smiled and said: ¡°We¡¯ll check your car for hidden zombies and examine your pupils-those infected with the zombie virus have different pupils than normal people. I can see you¡¯re fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Wang Tao was somewhat taken aback. Could one truly tell by looking at the pupils? He would have to learn more about that.. Chapter 73 - 73 Zombie Virus_l Chapter 73: Zombie Virus_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Nice car! It¡¯s rare to see an electric one!¡± As Wang Tao was driving slowly into the base, a soldier following outside the car struck up a conversation. ¡°It¡¯S passable, but I have to stick to less crowded areas, otherwise the electric car is useless.¡± Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s true! If you really run into a big wave of zombies, no car would suffice¡­¡± The soldier nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the sentiment. ¡°Smoke?¡± Wang Tao took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to the soldier. Upon seeing the cigarettes, the soldier seemed tempted, but he still shook his head and declined. ¡°Are your rules that strict?¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised. In the post-apocalyptic world, they still abided by rules so strictly? The soldier scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that, you guys have to pass an inspection first, to make sure the people and things in your car are all right after¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I get it!¡± Wang Tao suddenly realized. It wasn¡¯t about strict rules, but cautiousness; they were wary of strangers. Wang Tao could understand, so he put the cigarettes away. Soon, the car entered the checkpoint within the base. ¡°Hello, survivor. Please get out of the car for inspection. Wang Tao and Han Rui both got out of the car, and two people in white protective suits approached them with shlights. ¡°Take off the face mask and look at me.¡± Wang Tao removed his face mask and looked at the person in front of him. The person took out a shlight, shined it in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, looked carefully for a moment, and then gave an okay sign to someone behind. Han Rui¡¯s inspection was done as well, and there were no issues. Then the inspectors asked Wang Tao and Han Rui to wait while they checked the car. Curiously, Wang Tao asked: ¡°Can you really tell if someone¡¯s infected with the zombie virus just by looking at their eyes?¡± One of the people in the white protective suits exined: -A person infected with the zombie virus will have white pupils and some ck blood vessels in the whites of their eyes. The more severe the symptoms, the deeper the infection. If youe across such people in the future, you must stay vignt.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Wang Tao had never encountered an infected person during the incubation period, so he had no chance to notice these details. ¡°Huh?¡± At that moment, the person checking the trunk of the car suddenly let out a surprised gasp. The others and the surrounding soldiers all gathered around, curious- if there were danger, they wouldn¡¯t make such a sound, but would shout ¡°danger¡± or ¡°suspicious item.¡± Wang Tao was puzzled about what they had found; he remembered that other than some food, he hadn¡¯t ced anything else in his car. ¡°Damn, so much food, and there¡¯s even cigarettes! All of a sudden, a soldier blurted out impulsively. Wang Tao took a couple of steps and now he too saw the things that had surprised everyone. It was just some food with a short shelf life from a convenience store, perhaps a bit much, but his appetite was big and it wasn¡¯t so shocking to warrant such a fuss. As for the cigarettes, he didn¡¯t smoke, and many of these were spoils from looting corpses. He was thinking of trying to trade them for other goods after entering the Survivor Base. Han Rui also spotted the food and subconsciously swallowed. She hadn¡¯t eaten for two days. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°No problem! I¡¯m just a bit surprised you brought so much food, and all these cigarettes¡­ Cigarettes are valuable stuff!¡± The soldier spoke somewhat sheepishly. ¡°That so, haha, I just got lucky, found them on the way.¡± Hearing this, a few soldiers rolled their eyes. Given Wang Tao¡¯s burly stature and the blood-stained weapons in his vehicle, saying he just happened upon these items? Who would believe that! Of course, luck yed a part, but he had surely killed plenty of zombies. Particrly, some of the cigarette packs were stained with blood. ¡°Would anyone want these kinds of cigarettes? Wang Tao picked up a blood-stained pack of cigarettes. The cigarette pack was smeared with blood, but the inside was clean. Adhering to the principle of not wasting, Wang Tao naturally took the cigarettes with him. However, he didn¡¯t deliberately clean the exterior of the cigarette packs, instead keeping those with an unsightly appearance separate. ¡°Of course, these cigarettes are in high demand in the base! Are you worried they might be contaminated with the zombie virus? If so, you don¡¯t need to worry. The Government conducted experiments that showed the zombie virus loses its viability 72 hours after leaving its host, which means they be non-toxic. If you¡¯re concerned, just leave the cigarettes for more than three days¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± Wang Tao was surprised. ¡°These are the findings of experts after conducting experiments. However, the inte had gone down by that time, and there was no way to spread the word to every survivor¡­¡± A soldier exined. ¡°That¡¯s better than I expected¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat pleased, knowing that in the future he could also collect items stained with blood. Of course, not for his own use since it was somewhat revolting, but useful for trading with others. Considering their behavior, there must be some kind of marketce within the Survivor Base where he shouldn¡¯t have trouble selling his goods. The inspection of the vehicle was also swiftlypleted. The check wasn¡¯t as thorough as Wang Tao had imagined; they mainly just verified that his eyes looked normal and that there were no zombies hidden in the car. There wasn¡¯t any scrutiny of bloodstains, weapons, or simr items. They didn¡¯t even notice the handgun in the car. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re both clear to enter. But you need to register, and right now you¡¯re on temporary status. If you want to get a permanent ID, head to the administrative building¡­¡± The soldier informed them and then let them pass. Next to him, Han Rui finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been deceived by survivors before. Although she had great faith in the Shuize Survivor Base, she hadn¡¯t fully entered it yet. Now, reassured by theck of any hassle, shepletely rxed. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hurry off but took out a few packs of blood-stained cigarettes and handed them to the soldiers and inspectors. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°First meeting, I look forward to your care in the future.¡± The individuals quietly epted the items without a sound. ¡°Haha, we¡¯re all survivors struggling in the apocalypse; looking after one another is natural!¡± At that moment, the soldier who first chatted with Wang Tao leaned in close and whispered: ¡°1 can see you¡¯re a capable guy, brother, so here¡¯s a tip: you should get a permanent residency. The base is recruiting now, and it¡¯s quite easy to get qualified, and this statuses with many benefits. Also, as you probably know, everyone at Shuize Base has to work. I¡¯d personally rmend you apply for a role as a base guard or a Hunter, especially thetter¡­.¡± Chapter 74: Hunter_l Chapter 74: Hunter_l Trantor: 549690339 The soldier suggested that Wang Tao get a permanent identity, saying it would make things much more convenient for him. Then he also suggested that after getting his identity, Wang Tao could apply for a job as a base guard or a hunter, remarking that both jobs were very good. ¡°¡­I get the idea of a base guard, but what is a hunter?¡¯1 Wang Tao was curious. ¡°A hunter is usually understood as someone who goes out hunting, right? Our base¡¯s hunters mean the same thing¡ªthey are the ones who go out to find resources. Hunters hold a high status in our base, and they are treated well,¡± the soldier exined, as Han Rui also pricked up her ears to listen. After listening to the exnation, Wang Tao roughly understood. Within Suzaku University Survivor Base, those who dared to go out and look for materials were treated very generously by the base, and the survivors respected them greatly. And the base wouldn¡¯t force anyone to hand over materials¡ªit was up to you. However, the base had created a contribution system, where handing over materials could earn you contribution points, which could be exchanged for many things, including food and weapons. Of course, there are various types of hunters, some of whom sign contracts with the base. For example, promising to bring back a certain amount of materials to the base every week, in return, the base would provide you with the best welfare and treatment. In any case, the system was very flexible, it all depended on your own choice. To be honest, it sounded quite good to Wang Tao. ¡°Thanks!¡± Wang Tao expressed his gratitude. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re all survivors, helping each other is the right thing to do.¡± After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the base¡¯s inner gate opened, Wang Tao called to Han Rui to get into the car, and then waved goodbye to everyone. The first thing that came into view upon entering Suzaku University were the hand-painted slogans on both sides of the road. On the left was written, ¡°The end of the world is not scary, zombies fear fire and headshots!¡± On the right was written, ¡°Many hands make light work, united we create the future!¡± The ground was also spray-painted with slogans like, ¡°Unity and love, mutual help,¡± and ¡°United we stand, to ovee all difficulties!¡± If he had seen these slogans before the apocalypse, Wang Tao would have found them tacky. But now, he felt an inexplicable sense of kinship. It wasn¡¯t just him, Han Rui next to him felt the same way. Looking at everything, Han Rui felt as if the air had be much fresher. Suzaku University hadpletely changedpared to what Wang Tao remembered. The university used to have a lot of ornamental nts,wns, sculptures, and the like. They were impractical but did look nice. Now, those obstructive things had almost all been removed, and reced withrge sheds made of color steel tes. Inside the sheds, some people were refitting vehicles; others were setting up stalls; some were sharpening tools¡­ Bloodstains, burn marks, and bullet holes were all over the campus grounds and walls¡­ It seemed that establishing the base hadn¡¯t been easy. Buzz- Wang Tao¡¯s car instantly attracted the attention of the people inside the sheds. They were often here and recognized at a nce that Wang Tao was new, and looked at him curiously. Especially seeing Wang Tao¡¯s modified electric car, many of them showed looks of envy. ¡°I¡¯m going to the administrative building. How about you?¡± Wang Tao looked towards Han Rui, who was sitting in the passenger seat. ¡°I¡¯m going too. Trouble you to take me there.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao had been here before, and with the direction signs around, he quickly found the administrative building. It was a three-story structure, with a few survivors going in and out asionally. Wang Tao parked the car and entered with Han Rui. In the lobby on the first floor, a slightly overweight middle-aged woman was surrounded by several emaciated people. The middle-aged woman was writing on a piece of paper and working on aptop by her side. Wang Tao, being tall, easily squeezed in, and Han Rui quickly followed behind him. Although she disliked cutting in line in the past, at this time, niceties were of little concern. ¡°Hello, new survivor. Are you applying for a temporary or permanent residency?¡± The middle-aged woman had naturally noticed Wang Tao and hispanion, her gaze lingering on him for a moment. Wang Tao asked, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between temporary and permanent residency, and what are the requirements?¡± ¡°Temporary residents do not enjoy the various benefits of our base, nor do they umte Contribution Points. Permanent residents, on the other hand, can enjoy all sorts of benefits and umte Contribution Points¡­¡± The middle-aged woman handed Wang Tao a piece of paper. On the paper were listed the various advantages of permanent residency at Suzaku University Base. Skipping over the trivial benefits, the important thing was that permanent residents could enjoy the protection of the base, umte Contribution Points, and be allocated work and housing for free. As for food, those who work could get Ration Tickets¡ªthis old-fashioned thing had made aeback. As long as you work hard, you could receive one or two Ration Tickets a day. Though the food you could get with a single Ration Ticket might not be filling, it was enough to keep you from starving. ¡°As for the conditions, there are none for temporary residency; just register with me directly. For permanent residency, there are two options, and you can choose one of them. The first is to exchange too Contribution Points or submit items worth too Contribution Points; the second is to work unpaid for a week¡ª of course, we provide basic living security.¡± These two conditions were quite interesting. For most ordinary survivors who were new, they would not have any Contribution Points, and they likely wouldn¡¯t have anything valuable on them either. Therefore, if these people wanted to obtain permanent residency, they had no choice but to opt for the second condition. The second condition was much simplerpared to the first; although it meant working for free for a week, the base would provide the minimum sustenance every day during this time. Moreover, during this week, the base wouldn¡¯t have survivors do any particrly hazardous tasks. Mainly, it involved safe work such as construction, digging, and transporting. If you were lucky, you might even get to do something like standing guard or reception. Wang Tao felt that this wasn¡¯t so much the base trying to exploit a week¡¯s worth ofbor for free because, from his own experience recently, most survivors were living in hardship. As long as you could provide them with food and safety, working was not an issue at all. Wang Tao leaned more towards the idea that the week was a period for the base to observe the survivors, for instance, if they found someone being sneaky or having impure intentions, the base could simply choose not to ept them. Although it was the post-apocalyptic era, and people were important, one couldn¡¯t let one wrong person spoil the whole batch, especially since this would affect the lives of hundreds, if not thousands. ¡°I¡¯ll submit items.¡± Wang Tao spoke up directly. The middle-aged woman¡¯s eyes lit up. A hundred Contribution Points was not a small number, and previously, almost no one chose to submit items directly. ¡°All right, sir, please wait a moment.¡± She then looked at Han Rui. After giving Wang Tao a nce, Han Rui said, ¡°I¡¯d also like a permanent residency, but I choose to work unpaid for a week.¡± ¡°All right, please follow me¡­.¡± Chapter 75 - 75 Contribution Points, Ration Chapter 75: Contribution Points, Ration Tickets_l Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao had thought that Han Rui would ask to borrow some food to hand over, but he didn¡¯t expect Han Rui to choose work directly. This made Wang Tao look at her with new respect; he liked this kind of independent woman. An middle-aged woman called a young girl over to receive other people, and she took the two of them to the next room. She then took out a small booklet and handed it to Wang Tao. ¡°This is our Contribution Points system, take a look¡­¡± Then she turned to Han Rui and said: ¡°May I ask Miss Han Rui, what did you do for a living before? I need to know your skill set so we can assign the appropriate job.¡± ¡°Police officer, detective.¡± ¡°Police officer? A detective! Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier! The middle-aged woman pped her thigh, her expression filled with excitement as she motioned for Han Rui to sit down. ¡°Officer Han, our base always has preferential treatment for people withbat abilities like you! You don¡¯t have to work withoutpensation, you can join our base right away if you¡¯re willing! ¡°Okay!¡± Although Han Rui was somewhat surprised, she wasn¡¯t a stickler, and she agreed immediately. ¡°All right, wait a moment, please!¡± The middle-aged woman brought over a form for Han Rui to fill out. It was just basic information, quicklypleted. The middle-aged woman then called over a young girl and instructed her. ¡°You take Officer Han to find Officer Feng¡­¡± Upon hearing this, a trace of happiness appeared on Han Rui¡¯s face. Officer Feng was a friend of her old boss. ¡°Officer Han, you follow her. All the survivors with a police upation are managed by Officer Feng¡­¡± ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± After thanking her, Han Rui nodded to Wang Tao and then left with the young girl. It was only then that the middle-aged woman turned back to Wang Tao and asked: ¡°Mr. Wang, what do you n to hand over?¡± ¡°Electronics, I guess,¡± Wang Tao considered. The items listed in this small booklet were diverse, including food, medicine, tools, vehicles, electronic products, and more, all of which could be handed over in exchange for Contribution Points. He had killed zombies and looted in the residentialplex, obtaining a lot of mobile phones,puters, and other electronic products. These items were useless to him, but he had kept them on the off chance that they might be usefulter. Now, they could indeed be put to use. Some electronics were in his vehicle, part brought when he left, and others acquired along the way from searching corpses. Although he did not know why the base needed these electronics, since they wanted them and he did not, it was a good opportunity to earn Contribution Points. ¡°Okay, when do you want to¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re in the vehicle outside,e with me to get them,¡± ¡°You came here driving? Great!¡± Wang Tao led the middle-aged woman to his vehicle. The woman was taken aback upon seeing the modified vehicle. The base hadn¡¯t had any neers for two days, and now they were all strong individuals! There was no need to mention the female police officer; someone with her level ofbat experience was exactly the kind of talent the base was currentlycking. And this Mr. Wang Tao seemed quite extraordinary as well. He was robust and arrived in a vehicle, clearly also possessing impressivebat ability and experience! Wang Tao took out several mobile phones, tablets, andptops from the trunk, some of which could still be powered on. He handed them to the middle-aged woman and asked: ¡°Is this enough?¡± ¡°It should be enough! I will calcte your Contribution Points for you, the excess will be saved up¡­¡± The middle-aged woman hastily said. Shuize University was located in a rtively secluded area, and the houses nearby had been looted early on. Now, to loot items, one had to go farther away, which significantly increased the danger. Therefore, the Contribution Points received for handing over these items were not low. The middle-aged woman escorted Wang Tao inside to do some calctions. ¡°That¡¯S a total of 140 Contribution Points. After deducting too, you have 40 Contribution Points left¡­ Mr. Wang, do you have a mobile phone yourself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wang Tao took out his phone and unlocked it. The middle-aged woman brought out a data cable and connected Wang Tao¡¯s phone to theputer. In no time at all, an APP appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s phone. The middle-aged woman exined: ¡°Mr. Wang, you can register an ount here, and your Contribution Points are all in it.¡± ¡°You have inte here?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat curious. Wang Tao had thought that the Contribution Points would be primitive handwritten records, or reced by other items. He didn¡¯t expect them to exist on the inte and to even have a dedicated APP. This gave Wang Tao a feeling of high technology in an instant. ¡°This is a local areawork, avable only in certain fixed areas within the university. Our base has talented individuals in the field ofworking, and that¡¯s why we have such a thing.¡± The middle-aged woman exined. ¡°I see.¡± After fiddling with his phone for a bit, Wang Tao quicklypleted the registration. There were only four pieces of information on the APP: Name, upation, Contribution Points, and Assets. His Contribution Points were now 40/140, with both upation and Assets listed as ¡°None.¡± It seemed that the Contribution Points were also a total cumtive count. ¡°Alright, Mr. Wang is now a formal member of our base! Wee! Here is a gift for you as a token of our meeting,¡± the middle-aged woman said, pping her hands, and then handed Wang Tao a green Ration Ticket. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hesitate to ept it, as it could be exchanged for a meal. The middle-aged woman then called over a round-faced girl. ¡°If Mr. Wang has any other questions, he can ask Dong Li. My suggestion is that you first apply for a position, and after securing employment, you can apply for amodation¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao nodded and then left with the girl. ¡°Hello Mr. Wang Tao, my name is Dong Li. You can ask me anything you want to know!¡± The round-faced girl hastily said. ¡°First, take me to apply for a job.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The job application site was right across from the administrative building, manned by a police officer in uniform. Looking at the list of job vacancies he provided, Wang Tao chose the one at the very top, Hunter. Seeing Wang Tao choose Hunter didn¡¯t surprise the police officer. After all, given Wang Tao¡¯s physique here, he didn¡¯t look like an ordinary person. Wang Tao then underwent a simple physical test, which he easily passed without any issues. ¡°Wee, Mr. Wang Tao, to be a Hunter for the base¡­¡± The police officer smiled and told Wang Tao about the Hunter¡¯s scope of work. It was simr to what Wang Tao had previously heard from the soldiers. It was an encouragement to go outside and find various resources, then hand them over to the base to earn Contribution Points. Of course, this was not mandatory. It was entirely voluntary. The officer also mentioned that Hunters had a lot of freedom, and Wang Tao could arrange his time reasonably. Having be a Hunter, Wang Tao then let Dong Li take him to his amodation. ¡°Wow! You actually have a car, and you drove here!¡± After getting into the car with Wang Tao, Dong Li was somewhat amazed. Wang Tao smiled. ¡°Lead the way.¡± ¡°Okay, turn left here¡­¡± A few minutester, Wang Tao arrived at his amodation. It was a teachers¡¯ apartment building. ¡°You can pick any of these unupied rooms,¡± said Dong Li. Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush in and instead asked suddenly: ¡°No hurry, can you tell me how our base was established? Chapter 76: The Committee, Rush Crystal Chapter 76: The Committee, Rush Crystal Core_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Of course there¡¯s no problem!¡± When Wang Tao asked about this, the round-faced girl exined excitedly. ¡°Our base was established with the lead of our Security Army Shuize squadron, alongside the assistance of Shuize University, the Shuize County Police Department, and other government departments. At the beginning of its establishment, we encountered many difficulties, and many sacrifices were made. Being able toe this far is the result of the Security Army¡¯s efforts¡­ Looking at the admiration in the round-faced girl¡¯s eyes, Wang Tao asked again: ¡°Then who is in charge of our base now?¡± The round-faced girl quickly replied: ¡°Our base operates under amittee system. For some of the major issues concerning the base, it requires the consent of more than half or even two-thirds of the members for a decision to pass¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Amittee system?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. He had thought that the Security Army had full control over the area, but it turned out that this was not the case. ¡°So, who are themittee members? What did they do before? The round-faced girl counted on her fingers and said: ¡°Currently, there are a total of sevenmittee members in our base. Three are from the Security Army, two from the Police Department, one from the government, and thest one is a survivor who joined the baseter¡­¡± ¡°Huh? A survivor who joinedter can also be amittee member? Wang Tao was a bit puzzled. The first six individuals obviously contributed to the base¡¯s founding, so it was normal for them to bemittee members. However, this survivor who joinedter¡­ ¡°Yes, our base is rtively fair. As long as one has the ability, everyone has the chance to be amittee member,¡± said the girl earnestly, clenching her small fist. ¡°So, what abilities does thisst survivor have?¡± ¡°The intr within our base and the Contribution Points system were all set up by Mr. Liu! I even heard¡­¡± she whispered, ¡°that he knows how to make timed explosives!¡± ¡°Hisss, no wonder¡­¡± It suddenly dawned on Wang Tao. He had wondered how an ordinary survivor could be amittee member of the base, and now he knew the reason. ¡°So, aside from the highest authority, the Base Committee, do we have any other departments here?¡± The girl recited from memory: ¡°Currently, there are five departments under themittee. They are the Finance Department, the Resources Department, the Personnel Department, the Medical Department, and the Defense Department.¡± ¡°The Finance Department is responsible for ration tickets and Contribution Points, with Mr. Liu serving concurrently as the department head¡­ ¡°The Resource Department manages all the resources within the base and their allocation, such as food,nd and housing, vehicles, electricity, water, and other materials¡­¡± ¡°The Personnel Department takes care of all residents¡¯ information and work arrangements within the base¡­¡± ¡°The Medical Department naturally deals with treating the sick and injured, but currently there are very few people in the Medical Department, only three doctors for the entire base¡­¡± ¡°The Defense Department is responsible for the security of the base, acting as the guardian spirit of the base! Everyone who joins the Defense Department is equipped with thermal weapons! However, this is also the most stringent department to join, currently only recruiting soldiers, militiamen, police, and others withbat experience¡­¡± After listening to the girl¡¯s introduction, Wang Tao was still very surprised. Beforeing to the Shuize University Base, he thought that the situation here would be just a group of survivors gathering to live a primitive life. But now it appeared that this was not the case. Although the base was small, it was well-equipped, with clear divisions ofbor amongst departments, and power wasn¡¯t concentrated in the hands of any single person. From what I¡¯ve seen and heard so far, this ce seems decent. As to whether it¡¯s truly good, only time will tell after living here for a while. After getting a rough idea, Wang Tao headed to the faculty apartments. They had a very standard one-room apartmentyout and they were fully furnished, much nicer than the student dormitories. Having arbitrarily chosen room 302, the round-faced girl left. Before she departed, she gave Wang Tao a copy of the ¡°Shuize Base Survivors¡¯ Convention,¡± and informed him that the base was holding a short wee ceremony for new survivors who had arrived in thest week. The ceremony would be tomorrow evening. Though his attendance wasn¡¯t mandatory, there would be a free meal, and it was highly likely that some of the base¡¯s leaders would be present. If Wang Tao wasn¡¯t busy, he could attend the event. Even if he didn¡¯t care about the food, it was at least an opportunity to get to know people at the base and make himself known. Wang Tao said that would be fine. He wasn¡¯t too concerned about the meal, his primary interest was in getting to know the leaders of the Shuize Base. If he chose to reside at Shuize Base, it was crucial to thoroughly understand it. The furnishings wereplete in room 302, though ayer of dust suggested it had been inhabited before the apocalypse. These rooms were free to live in-just requiring an application. After all, there weren¡¯t many people in the base, just over five hundred survivors, nowhere near enough to fill up the Survivor Base. Many buildings were still sealed, with ns to open them only when the poption increased. However, while the amodation was free, utilities like water and electricity were not; they had to be exchanged for Contribution Points. Inside Shuize University, there were diesel and gasoline generators that supplied electricity to the survivors. Since fuel consumption was involved, it was impossible to provide free power, so it cost Contribution Points¡ªand wasn¡¯t cheap. As for water, the base had drilled a well previously, allowing survivors to use groundwater. This too required Contribution Points and was rationed. Wang Tao quickly cleaned his new home, then grabbed some food for a simple meal, and finally took out the spoils of hisst scavenging loot¡ªa blueprint and that purple Crystal Core. [Rush Right Arm Blueprint: Can be used to craft a right arm guard. Required materials: Iron Block*2, Steel Wire*2, Screw*2, de*2, Nails*2, Rubber*2, stic*2, Cable*2, Electronic Components*2, Battery*2] [Rush Right Arm; Sturdy in texture, can block de and gunfire. Durability+10, defensive power+10] ¡°The materials needed are fewer than the Food Compressor, and it doesn¡¯t require a Zombie Core!¡± Wang Tao was curious about what the crafted arm guard would look like, but hecked materials at the moment, needing one more stic and one more nail. He would have to go out and kill a few zombies to gather what he needed. Then Wang Tao turned his attention to the purple Crystal Core. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Rush] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Stiff limbs)] [Rush: Can consume a certain amount of energy to perform a rush.] The Core seemed pretty good. If he could master the same Rush Ability as the Charger Zombies, it would certainly be convenient not just for fighting but also for escaping. What he didn¡¯t know was how significant the ¡°stiff limbs¡± side effect would be. If it caused the same stiffness as the zombies, then it might not be worth the trade-off-that was, of course, for others. For Wang Tao himself, side effects were not an issue. If he could collect one or two more Rush Crystal Cores and synthesize a Core without side effects, then this skill would definitely be an asset, on par with Shockwave! ¡°Hopefully, I¡¯ll run into more special zombies in the future¡­¡± Wang Tao silently wished. He then tried to contact Ding Yuqin using the walkie-talkie, but couldn¡¯t get through. Clearly, the walkie-talkie¡¯s power was insufficient. Wang Tao switched to other civilian public channels, asionally hearing someone speak, probably people from this base. There wasn¡¯t any useful information. The walkie-talkies he had were ordinary civilian ones, only operable on civilian frequencies. The soldiers and higher-ups at the base definitely had professional walkie-talkies, and Wang Tao couldn¡¯t receive their messages. ¡°Contribution Points can be exchanged for many things. They should have high-power walkie-talkies, right? I¡¯ll check it out tomorrow¡­.¡± Chapter 77 - 77 Exchange List_l Chapter 77 - 77 Exchange List_l Chapter 77: Exchange List_l Trantor: 549690339 The next morning, Wang Tao went to the Resource Department. All five departments of the Shuize Base were located in the Comprehensive Building, including themittee meeting rooms. Although they were referred to by their individual department names, in reality, there weren¡¯t many people, so everything was housed together. The Resource Department controlled all the resources of the Survivor Base and was also responsible for issuing tasks to find emergency supplies. These tasks came with a high amount of Contribution Points. When Hunters found supplies outside, they generally kept what they could use and handed over what they couldn¡¯t to the Resource Department in exchange for Contribution Points. Contribution Points could not be directly traded, but the items obtained with Contribution Points could be traded. Regarding trade, the Base didn¡¯t have any strict requirements-not just for trade but also, other than prohibiting infighting, harming other survivors, and simr conventions, there weren¡¯t many stringent rules. It was rtively free. The Resource Department was on the first floor, and a young, chubby man was surrounded by a crowd. Wang Tao did not approach them; instead, he looked at the papers posted on the wall, which listed the Contribution Points awarded for recycling certain resources. The highest Contribution Points were given for medicines and some medical equipment. It was evident that the Base¡¯s medical resources were scarce. Wang Tao only had a few medical kits, which weren¡¯t even sufficient for his use, so naturally, he wouldn¡¯t hand them over. As for other items, such as electronic products, various tools, and some food, Wang Tao had some to spare and could exchange them for Contribution Points. However, these items were at his home and couldn¡¯t be brought over right away. In addition to recycling materials, the Resource Department also allowed for the exchange of other items with Contribution Points. After Wang Tao carefully examined the exchange list, he was quite surprised. ¡°They even let you exchange for guns?¡± The list stated that a handgun could be exchanged for ten thousand Contribution Points, bullets not included. However, earning ten thousand Contribution Points was difficult; ordinary people certainly had no chance. This must have been intended especially for Hunters. Moreover, Wang Tao not only saw guns on the exchange list but also bulletproof vests, high-power walkie-talkies¡­ even Inhibitors! Below the Inhibitor, there was a detailed description of its effect, with a special note emphasizing: With an Inhibitor, it¡¯s like having an extra half-life! Of course, the Contribution Points needed to exchange for an Inhibitor were the highest, at a whopping one hundred thousand Contribution Points for one bottle! Wang Tao was curious about the origin of these Inhibitors-whether they were from airdrops or obtained through other channels. Withmittee membersprising the Security Army, police, and Government officials, it made him wonder¡­ But regardless of the source, as long as these Inhibitors were avable, a lot of people would be willing to save up Contribution Points at the Base. After all, an Inhibitor could temporarily prevent the outbreak of the zombie virus, so saying it was like having an extra half-life was quite reasonable. Wang Tao made a mental note of some items he was interested in, nning toe backter and exchange his unnecessary items for Contribution Points. Even though he had Inhibitors and guns, no one wouldin about having more. He would definitely take the opportunity to acquire them if he could. And items like bulletproof and stab-proof vests interested him as well-they must be morefortable than wearing a steel te. As for the high-power walkie-talkies, priced at one hundred Contribution Points each, Wang Tao didn¡¯t have enough Points for now, so he nned to exchange for them in a few days. By then, the young chubby man had finally finished his work. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he came up to Wang Tao. ¡ö¡¯Good day, sir. My name is Guo Chao. Would you like to exchange items for Contribution Points, or would you like to use Contribution Points to exchange for items?¡± Guo Chao looked at Wang Tao, who was tall and strapping with a horned hammer stained with HP fastened to his waist, and treated him with great respect. One could tell at a nce that he was a Hunter; everyone in the Base held Hunters in high regard. After all, much of their living supplies were brought back by Hunters from the outside. The Base often promoted the merits of these Hunters. ¡ö¡öHello, I¡¯d like to exchange for a few Firefighter Axes.¡± The Firefighter Axes were ten Contribution Points each, and their quality should be decent-time for the horned hammer to retire. Then, Wei Zhenguo curiously inquired, ¡°By the way, how many Hunters do we have at our Base?¡± While reaching for the axes, Guo Chao replied to Wang Tao: ¡°Currently, there are about fifty people. This number is always changing, as it is a high-risk job. New people join from time to time, and some of the old ones leave¡­¡± Out of the five hundred people at the Base, only about fifty were Hunters who ventured out to search for supplies. This ratio was lower than what Wang Tao had imagined. But that¡¯s normal. Many survivors join the base seeking a stable environment to live in. As long as they don¡¯t have to face the zombies outside, they are willing to do any hard and exhausting work. ¡°Mr. Wang, you¡¯ve just arrived at our base, right? It looks like you¡¯re alone. Personally, I¡¯d suggest that if you go out to scavenge for supplies, it¡¯s better to form a team. After all, it¡¯s too dangerous to go alone¡­¡± Guo Chao said as he pulled out a document. ¡°Take a look. These are the Hunters who have recently been looking to form teams. Maybe there¡¯s someonepatible with you¡­¡± Wang Tao took it. The document listed about a dozen names and their brief introductions. However, these introductions were not detailed and were very subjective, simply stating who was strong, who was fast, and who had good eyesight, among other things. Wang Tao naturally wasn¡¯t interested in these. If they were all ordinary people, they were likely to hold him back. His only interest was in Han Rui, because her Ability to sense zombies was quite remarkable. Paired with his own strength¡­ it was unrealistic to say he could dominate the post-apocalyptic world, but at least it would make scavenging for supplies in the city much more convenient. Buzz~Roar~ Suddenly, a roaring engine sound came from outside. ¡°Is it the same group of soldiers who came back earlier? Wang Tao instinctively looked out the window. ¡°Hmm? It doesn¡¯t seem to be the same people we saw earlier¡­¡± ¡°Quick, quick, move aside!¡± Arge and a small vehicle came to a stop at the entrance. Though both vehicles were modified, they looked different from the ones seen before. Five soldiers dressed in camouge and fully armed got out of the vehicles. Among them, two were carrying a stretcher with a burly man in his thirties, also d in camouge, on it. At that moment, the burly man¡¯s thigh was wrapped in a bandage that had turned red. But he grinned, chatting andughing with the soldiers beside him. ¡°It¡¯s Squad Leader Wei! Squad Leader Wei is injured! Guo Chao eximed in shock and hurried over. ¡°Squad Leader Wei¡­ Wei Zhenguo?¡± Wang Tao had read the ¡°Shuize Base Survivors¡¯ Covenant,¡± which contained information on key personnel within the base. There was only one Squad Leader Wei, the cofounder of Shuize Base, former captain of the Shuize Security Army, and now one of the sevenmittee members of the base: Wei Zhenguo. As one of the top leaders of the base, he personally went out to scour for supplies? Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; this differed from what he had expected. ¡°Squad Leader Wei, how did you get hurt!¡± At this moment, a slim male doctor in a whiteb coat hurried over from next door. ¡°Ha ha, just got knocked flying by a special zombie. Hiss- Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing serious!¡± Wei Zhenguo, lying on the stretcher, said with a grin.. Chapter 78 - 78 Wei Zhenguo_1 Chapter 78 - 78 Wei Zhenguo_1 Chapter 78: Wei Zhenguo_1 Trantor: 549690339 | ¡°Let me see¡ªthis isn¡¯t too serious?! It¡¯s quite severe!¡± After briefly examining the wound, the doctor eximed in shock. Wang Tao saw that not only did Wei Zhen Guo have an injury on his thigh, but he also had many other wounds on his body. His face was pale, and his HP was badly depleted, only at [132/635]. He didn¡¯t have any mana, but he did have a hidden attribute. [Hidden Attribute: Sacrificial Dedication] [Sacrificial Dedication: The more people who are sacrificed, the more one¡¯s potential is stimted] Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s high HP limit of over six hundred took Wang Tao by surprise, since he himself only had just over a thousand. Moreover, his hidden attribute was quite interesting-a battle-rted attribute, but it required the sacrifice of teammates¡­ As for the other soldiers, they all had around 300 HP, with no mana and no hidden attributes. The doctor, following by Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s side, spoke with some concern: ¡°Squad Leader Wei, we¡¯ve run out of anesthesia, you¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Who needs anesthesia? Just give me a cigarette and that¡¯s fine!¡± Wei Zhen Guo said with an assertive tone. ¡°Alright! Who has a cigarette?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, do any of you have cigarettes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t either¡­¡± Several soldiers shook their heads. ¡°Who has a cigarette? I¡¯ll borrow two and pay you backter!¡± The doctor called out to the others in the hall. Cigarettes were a prizedmodity in the base, and nobody had any to spare. If they had them, they¡¯d be smoked already. ¡°Forget it, forget it. No cigarettes, it¡¯s fine¡ªhiss¡ª¡± Wei Zhen Guo quickly gestured with his hand but winced as he inadvertently aggravated his wound, causing his face to turn even whiter. just then, Wang Tao stepped forward through the crowd and pulled out a brand new, unopened pack of cigarettes from his pocket. ¡°I have some, want them?¡± Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of the cigarettes. Then he looked at Wang Tao, and his gaze intensified. Since the apocalypse began, it was the first time he had seen someone even more robust than himself. Upon seeing that Wang Tao had cigarettes, the doctor quickly said: ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I¡¯ll pay you backter!¡± As Wang Tao was about to toss the cigarettes to him, the stretcher-bound Wei Zhen Guo suddenly said: ¡°Comrade, care to have a chat?¡± After a brief moment of thought, Wang Tao agreed. ¡°Okay.¡± He followed the crowd into the medical room, while two soldiers stayed at the door to stand guard. The medical room wasrge, with more than ten beds, but there wasn¡¯t much in the way of medical equipment. It didn¡¯t look very professional. ¡°Comrade, are you new here?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Wang Tao tossed the cigarettes to a soldier by Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s side. The soldier caught it and noticed that the pack was brand new and unopened-not a trace of blood, not even dust on it. The soldier quickly tore it open, took a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and then ced it into Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s mouth. ¡°Hiss¡ªrefreshing!¡± Wei Zhen Guo took a deep drag, and his paleplexion seemed to regain a bit of color. He looked at Wang Tao, coughed, andughed heartily. ¡°Cough cough, my name is Wei Zhen Guo, wee to Suize Survivor Base!¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao nodded calmly and confidently. Spurred by curiosity, Wei Zhen Guo asked. ¡°Comrade, where do youe from? You must not be from nearby, right?¡± Ever since the apocalypse began, Wei Zhen Guo had been active in this area and had seen many survivors. If he had seen someone with Wang Tao¡¯s build before, he would certainly remember. ¡°Happy Community.¡± Since they were about to leave Happy Community anyway, Wang Tao did not hide it. ¡°Happy Community is five or six kilometers from here! It must not have been easying all this way, right?¡± In the post-apocalyptic world, even a single kilometer could be an insurmountable distance for many people. Five or six kilometers was often enough to cost them their lives several times over. ¡°It was indeed no easy feat, and we even encountered a special zombie¡­¡± Wang Tao spoke as if casually bringing it up. Hearing this, Wei Zhenguo¡¯s eyes widened abruptly. ¡°A special zombie? What kind of special zombie?¡± The few soldiers immediately turned their gaze to Wang Tao, and even the doctor treating Wei Zhenguo unconsciously looked up at Wang Tao. Wang Tao instantly understood. It seemed that these people had likely encountered special zombies, and perhaps even seen a Zombie Core. ¡°It was a misshapen one, an Attacker that could rush¡­ Wang Tao described the appearance of the Attacker simply. As a result, the soldiers exchanged nces, looking at each other in dismay. Wei Zhenguo¡¯s face immediately showed anger. ¡°I was sent flying by a zombie like that one, maybe it was even the same one we came across!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, yet it seemed to make sense to him. The Attacker he encountered had numerous bullet wounds, which could have been inflicted by Wei Zhenguo and his team. ¡°That thing was really tough¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo sighed and then recounted what had happened to them earlier. Wei Zhenguo and his team set out yesterday morning to scavenge for supplies, proceeding with extreme caution and without encountering any danger. But during a supermarket raid, they suddenly ran into that Attacker. If they had been prepared in advance, they weren¡¯t afraid of an Attacker, because after all, how could a zombie be stronger than a bullet? However, the Attacker burst through a wall, charging in from the adjoining room. Wei Zhenguo was unlucky and got hit head-on by the Attacker, being knocked away. Direct frontal assaults from the Attacker, something even Wang Tao with his HP wouldn¡¯t dare to withstand, let alone Wei Zhenguo who had even less HP than him. If it weren¡¯t for Wei Zhenguo having killed many zombies, substantially enhancing his physical abilities, plus the Attacker having shattered a wall, diminishing its charging force¡­ If it had been someone else, they¡¯d likely have met their demise. Although Wei Zhenguo withstood the charge, the space was too confined; he got cornered by the zombies, and the other soldiers dared not fire indiscriminately. He got hammered by the zombies a few times, losing half his life in an instant¡­ At the crucial moment, Wei Zhenguo, enduring the pain, drew his pistol at his waist and hit the Attacker¡¯s head. The Attacker subconsciously used its thick arm to block the bullets, releasing its grip on him. Wei Zhenguo seized the opportunity to hide to the side, and then the soldiers began to unleash a barrage of fire. The Attacker, possessing some wisdom or perhaps retaining human instincts, chose to flee in the face of such firepower. The soldiers couldn¡¯t see the HP bar; they didn¡¯t know how much HP the Attacker had left. And with Wei Zhenguo lying on the side, they gave up the chase, hurriedly carrying Wei Zhenguo, preparing to evacuate, especially with such loud gunshots! Who would have thought that outside, a group of zombies capable of running and climbing walls suddenly appeared! The threat posed by these zombies, which they named ¡°mad demons,¡± was even greater than the Attacker. The Attacker was just one, which could be ? eliminated with concentrated fire. But there were too many ¡°mad demons,¡± and with ordinary zombies closing in, they dared not engage. They had to retreat quickly. The way back was blocked by zombies, and they didn¡¯t dare lead so many zombies to the base, so they ran to a small, previously built backup camp to hide for a night. However, the zombies outside didn¡¯t really disperse, and it wasn¡¯t until this afternoon that they finally found a chance to leave¡­ ¡°Ah, what a pity. It would have been great to kill that Attacker-the name for that type of zombie. There are some good things inside a zombie!¡± Wei Zhenguo smacked his lips, his face full of regret. ¡°What good things?¡± Wang Tao asked knowingly. Wei Zhenguo nced at Wang Tao, took a deep breath of his cigarette, and then said: ¡°Zombie Cores, these special zombies carry a Zombie Core inside! If a human consumes this thing, they gain an Ability and be an Ability User!¡± ¡°An Ability User?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The very kind of Ability User you¡¯re thinking of! Wei Zhenguo affirmed immediately, as if knowing what Wang Tao was thinking. ¡°DO we have any Ability Users at our base? What¡¯s the treatment for Ability Users?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. ¡°We currently don¡¯t have any Ability Users at our base, but I¡¯ve seen one! As for the treatment¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo paused for a moment, then said earnestly. ¡°If someone bes an Ability User, they can be directly promoted to be the eighth member of themittee-that¡¯s something the seven of us on themittee discussed!¡± Wang Tao was taken aback and then decisively said. ¡°I am an Ability User..¡± Chapter 79: Shelf Speech l Chapter 79: Shelf Speech l Trantor: 549690339 The book will go online at 12 PM tomorrow, thank you all for your support these days! On the first day of going online, there will be an update of 2 chapters, each chapter being arge chapter with 5,000 words, which is a io,ooo-word update. Note that these arerge chapters, and 2 chapters are equivalent to 5 chapters before going online, so please don¡¯t say they are too short anymore¡­. After going online, there will be two updates every day, each being arge chapter with over 3,000 words, with update times at 12 PM and 6 PM. After going online, the chapter pricing will be determined by Qidian based on the word count. Chapters with a higher word count have a higher fee, while chapters with fewer words have a lesser fee. There¡¯s no situation where the author intentionally scams money, please be informed. Now about the plot, quite a few people have criticized the Crystal Core synthetic issue, thinking that a fusion sess rate of 80% plus 20% equals 100% is unreasonable. This was my mistake, as I didn¡¯t make it clear, so I¡¯ll provide an additional exnation now: [Quality is the degree of energy stability within the Crystal Core, and the stability degree will affect the fusion sess rate] The energy within the same level and type of Crystal Cores is basically the same. Whether it be Ordinary Cores or Epic Crystal Cores, their energy is the same. There is no difference in hierarchy. Only between Level 1 and Level Two can there be a distinction in hierarchy. The Quality of a Crystal Core indicates the degree of energy stability within the Core. That is to say, an Ordinary (20%) Core is very unstable, thus the fusion sess rate is low. An Excellent (80%) Core is rtively stable, hence the fusion sess rate is high. And the synthesis process is about adding stable energies together, while excluding unstable energies, that¡¯s why there can be a case of [80% sess rate plus 20% sess rate equals 100% sess rate]. In the earlier 39th chapter, the exnation for the degree of stability was added, and now I¡¯m exining it to everyone again. Also, some have criticized the protagonist¡¯s push-up issue, saying that doing several hundred push-ups in one go is not reasonable. emmm¡­ If everyone carefully reads it, the situation where the protagonist does several hundred push-ups was after being electrocuted and unconscious for three days, and by then, the protagonist¡¯s cheat had arrived, greatly enhancing his physical fitness. Comparing what¡¯s reasonable to someone with a cheat doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ If cheats were reasonable, they wouldn¡¯t be called cheats. Lastly, please subscribe when the book goes online! Thank you all for your support once again! Chapter 80 - 79 I am an Ability User_l Chapter 80 - 79 I am an Ability User_l Chapter 80: Chapter 79 I am an Ability User_l Trantor: 549690339 | ¡°You¡¯re an Ability User?!¡± The crowd couldn¡¯t help but exim in shock, with Wei Zhenguo even attempting to rise from his bed, though luckily others held him down. ¡°I am.¡± Wang Tao nodded again. As he spoke, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. ¡°Snap-¡± A ripple visible to the naked eye spread out from Wang Tao¡¯s fingertips, lifting and then shredding an old poster hanging on the nearby wall. ¡°Ability ¨C Shockwave.¡± Wang Tao spoke indifferently. Everyone around widened their eyes in shock and excitement, staring at Wang Tao after a while. ¡°He really is an Ability User!¡± ¡°Can we really be Ability Users?!¡± ¡°This Ability seems even better than a gun! It makes no noise, whereas gunshots are too loud¡­¡± Several soldiers also started to murmur excitedly among themselves, unable to maintain discipline. Doctor Chen looked at Wang Tao with an excited and expectant face. ¡°Mr. Wang, if you don¡¯t mind, may I study¡ª oh no, observe you for a while? Rest assured, I won¡¯t harm you!¡± ¡°I do mind.¡± ¡°Treat your patients!¡± Wei Zhenguo turned and scolded, as if the person needing medical attention wasn¡¯t him, then turned back with a smile toward Wang Tao: ¡°Comrade Wang, I wasn¡¯t lying to you. As long as an Ability User is willing to stay at our base, they can be directly promoted to a Committee Member!¡± Wei Zhenguo first confirmed his previous statement, then said solemnly: ¡°But since ancient times, rights and obligations have been equivalent. While enjoying rights, one must also fulfill corresponding obligations. Without this ideological awareness¡­ it¡¯s impossible to be a Committee Member!¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t surprised by Wei Zhenguo¡¯s words since he was from the Security Army and his ideological awareness was bound to be much higher than that of Ordinary people. Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind helping other survivors when he had the ability to, but this help was voluntary, not an obligation to act as a babysitter for others. Therefore, Wang Tao directly asked: ¡°What are the rights? And what are the obligations?¡± Wei Zhenguo took a deep drag on his cigarette, then replied: ¡°Committee Members can use all the resources within the base! For some important resources, just notify the other members before use, and as long as there isn¡¯t too much opposition, it¡¯s fine. These are the rights of a Committee Member. As for the obligations¡­ they¡¯re actually quite simple. Our base won¡¯t force anyone to do anything. Everything we do is based on Contribution Points, including for Committee Members!¡± ¡°So, the obligation of a Committee Member is this: every month, you must provide the base with a minimum of ten thousand Contribution Points! Whether it¡¯s guarding the base, scavenging for supplies outside, or finding new survivors, as long as you can provide ten thousand Contribution Points to the base each month, it¡¯s sufficient. If one cannot meet this condition, it means stepping down from the Committee position automatically¡­¡± Ten thousand Contribution Points per month wasn¡¯t considered high, at least Wang Tao didn¡¯t think it was too demanding, as he could achieve it without much effort. However, these Contribution Points were calcted on a monthly basis, and since the apocalypse had arrived just about a month ago¡­how many times had they actually implemented this? As if knowing what Wang Tao was thinking, Wei Zhenguo said: ¡°The Committee system, Contribution Points, all these were only recently discussed and are currently in a trial operation. There may be some issues and shorings. But I believe while this may not be the perfect system, it is most definitely suitable for Shuize Base!¡± Seeing Wei Zhenguo¡¯s somewhat impassioned state, Wang Tao did notment. The system seemed reasonable, but this was the post-apocalypse. There were too many uncertainties, including zombies, unknown monsters, and even people. Thus, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t say whether it was good or bad; he could only take one step at a time. ¡°What do you think? If you can ept this, once they all return, we¡¯ll officially promote you to a Committee Member and rify any details,¡± Wei Zhenguo said with a hint of eagerness in his voice, seeing Wang Tao¡¯sck of reaction. ¡°No problem.¡± Wang Tao agreed straightaway. Revealing his status as an Ability User was precisely to secure this position on the Committee. Hide his strength? Of course, he had to, as keeping a card up one¡¯s sleeve was always wise. But therees a time when one must show their muscles. Just like now, Wang Tao was preparing to live in Shuize Base, where Ability Users were highly valued, even offered positions as Committee Members outright. If he didn¡¯t seize this opportunity while there were few Ability Users and secure his position, the conditions could be more stringent once more Ability Users emerged. Wang Tao was not particrly passionate about power¡ªat least not right now. He just wanted to increase his strength, scavenge more supplies, and thereby increase his capital to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. But if there was an opportunity to live better, there was no need for him to be overly modest or secretive. For instance, by securing a position on the Committee¡­ he definitely couldn¡¯t stay in the base perpetually; he needed to go out and kill zombies, he needed Crystal Cores, he needed to be stronger. While doing so, casually gathering some supplies in exchange for Contribution Points wouldn¡¯t be an issue. Wang Tao had another brief conversation with Wei Zhenguo, but as the medication started to take effect, Wei Zhenguo grew increasingly sleepy. Wang Tao then took the initiative to end their conversation. ¡°I can¡¯t, I¡¯m too tired, I need to sleep for a bit¡­¡± Chapter 81 - 79:1 Am the Ability User_2 Chapter 81 - 79:1 Am the Ability User_2 Chapter 81: Chapter 79:1 Am the Ability User_2 Trantor: 549690339 I Wei Zhen Guo had smoked half of his fourth cigarette when hey down on the hospital bed and fell asleep. The soldier beside him considerately extinguished Zhen Guo¡¯s cigarette and ced it back into the pack. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Doctor Chen turned to the soldier and said, ¡°He¡¯s stable for now. Squad Leader Wei isn¡¯t in any life-threatening danger, but he will need to recuperate for a while and can¡¯t go out anymore.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Chen.¡± The soldier saluted. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just what I¡¯m supposed to do!¡± After washing his hands briefly, the doctor approached Wang Tao and extended his hand. ¡°Hello, my name is Chen Zhuang. Chen as in the ear of grain, and Zhuang as in strong.¡± Wang Tao hesitated for a moment at the slender figure before him before shaking hands with him. ¡°Nice to meet you, Doctor Chen.¡± ¡°Wang Tao, I¡¯ve never seen a living Ability User before! Are you sure you won¡¯t consider letting me observe you for a while? After all, Ability is a novel phenomenon. There are many things that you might not know yourself, but if we observe and discuss together, we might just figure it out!¡± Chen Zhuang still seemed somewhat reluctant to give up. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Wang Tao quickly shook his head, thinking if you were a beautiful woman, maybe it¡¯d be different. But a big guy wanting to observe him all day¡­ what for? ¡°By the way, you mentioned you¡¯ve never seen an Ability User before? Then who was the Ability User that Squad Leader Wei met?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. ¡°Indeed, I haven¡¯t met one. It was Squad Leader Wei who encountered them outside. He said he saw a very powerful individual wielding a steel rod, powerful enough to deal with many zombies all by himself¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ Didn¡¯t you invite him to the base?¡± Wang Tao asked again. ¡°Squad Leader Wei said he invited him, but Ability Users can roam freely in the post-apocalyptic world. Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t want toe here and be restricted¡­¡± Chen Zhuang¡¯s tone was somewhat sour. II II Not wanting to be constrained might be true. After all, suddenly gaining superpowers, who wouldn¡¯t get a bit inted? If Wang Tao hadn¡¯t encountered many special zombies and that terrifying monster with ten thousand HP, he might have gotten a bit full of himself too. But the idea of roaming freely in the apocalypse was just Chen Zhuang¡¯s fancy, especially with the recent emergence of the ¡°Mad Demon¡± zombies. Even Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t dare say he could handle them confidently. ¡°Ah, right, could you tell me how you obtained your Ability? Was it from eating a Zombie Core?¡± Chen Zhuang didn¡¯t dwell on the others, quickly asking the question that concerned him the most. The soldiers standing near the bed perked up their ears. Wang Tao did not answer directly but instead looked puzzled as he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Squad Leader Wei just say that humans be Ability Users by eating Zombie Cores? Howe you¡­¡± ¡°Ahem, well, that conclusion is just our guess. We¡¯ve conducted some experiments, but¡­ none of them have been sessful¡­¡± Chen Zhuang looked embarrassed. II II So, Squad Leader Wei¡¯s assertive talk just now was just bluffing, huh? However, Wang Tao also picked up on an important piece of information from Chen Zhuang¡¯s statement. ¡°You¡¯ve conducted some experiments? Does that mean you have many Zombie Cores?¡± Wang Tao looked at Chen Zhuang. ¡°Not many, but our base has some firepower and personnel, and we¡¯ve managed to kill a few special zombies¡­ Why? Are you interested in Zombie Cores?¡± Chen Zhuang was perceptive and noticed that Wang Tao was particrly interested in these Crystal Cores. ¡°Of course,¡± Wang Tao admitted openly and then added, ¡°My Ability came from eating these Zombie Cores. Ability Users who continue to consume Cores of the same type will grow even stronger¡­¡± ¡°So it is the Crystal Cores! And they actually make you stronger!¡± A look of longing appeared on Chen Zhuang¡¯s and the soldiers¡¯ faces. ¡°But there are side effects,¡± Wang Tao suddenly added. ¡°Ah? Side effects? What kind of side effects?¡± Chen Zhuang seemed confused, clearly unaware of this issue. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure, but you can think of it like this: Eating Zombie Cores indeed grants Abilities, and the more you eat, the stronger your Ability bes. However, at the same time, impurities umte in your body. Too many of these impurities can harm your body and even turn you into a zombie!¡± Eating Zombie Cores to gain Abilities was not something Wang Tao needed to hide. Once Zombie Cores appeared, people would bepelled to eat them, making them hard to conceal. However, while Wang Tao mentioned the benefits, he also shared the drawbacks of Zombie Cores. Whether to eat them or not was up to others; he had no right to intervene. At most, he could only remind them to be cautious during the fusion process. ¡°That serious, huh¡­¡± Chen Zhuang was taken aback. ¡°That¡¯s the price of bing stronger,¡± Wang Tao said, looking out the window with a somewhat world-weary tone. Though he didn¡¯t have to pay that price, it didn¡¯t stop him from putting on an act. The soldiers nearby suddenly felt a sense of respect. ¡°So, whether or not to seek power through an Ability should really be given some thought,¡± Chen Zhuang muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily so. If there¡¯s a chance, bing an Ability User is generally good. What I want to say is, you should always be aware that strengthes at a cost. Also, Abilities aren¡¯t something you can have just because you want them. Haven¡¯t you tried experimenting and all failed?¡± ¡°Uh, you have a point¡­¡± ¡°Oh right, I forgot to say. Even if you fail to integrate with a Zombie Core, impurities will still umte in your body..¡± Chapter 82 - 79:1 Am the Ability User 3 Chapter 82: Chapter 79:1 Am the Ability User 3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡¯ ¡°Goodness, lucky I didn¡¯t use it! But might those who did be in danger? They consumed zombie cores but didn¡¯t acquire any abilities¡­¡± Chen Zhuang and the few soldiers looked at each other, their eyes filled with concern. Wang Tao exined: ¡°There¡¯s no immediate danger, but eating too many could cause problems.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Chen Zhuang sighed, then added, ¡°But it seems the probability of acquiring abilities from zombie cores is quite low! We had three people conduct experiments, but not once did they seed¡­¡± Wang Tao had reason to suspect that the cores these three unfortunate souls had merged with all had sess rates below 50%. But the fact that they could produce three cores for experimentation suggested they had plenty more! After bing amittee member, he should be able to use these cores right? Wang Tao thought to himself sneakily. Regarding Wang Tao¡¯s potentialmittee membership, Wei Zhenguo had woken up once in the middle and mentioned that severalmittee members were currently out and about; he couldn¡¯t make the decision alone. When everyone returned, they would discuss some of the details with Wang Tao, and if there were no issues, he would be a member of the base¡¯smittee right away. Only then did Wang Tao learn that, out of the base¡¯s sevenmittee members, aside from Commissioner Liu, who was knowledgeable in electronics, and Commissioner Zhou, who managed personnel, the other five members were out scavenging for resources. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean they werepletely selfless in their actions. Wei Zhenguo told Wang Tao straight out that their choice to scavenge for resources, on one hand, was indeed for the betterment of the base. On the other hand, it was to umte contribution points, but there was another reason: killing zombies could enhance their strength! Even though they couldn¡¯t see HP bars, killing zombies also increased their own, particrly when their HP reached whole hundreds. The sensation of their physical condition improving was quite distinct. They might not actively seek out zombies to kill, but they would definitely take action against any that blocked their path. Bing stronger and bringing benefits to the base could go hand in hand. Moreover, Wei Zhenguo was very clear in his mind that in this post-apocalyptic world, strength was the fundamental key to survival; without strength, one couldn¡¯tmand respect. They had guns, but bullets would run out one day. If the time came when they were out of bullets and theycked substantial personal strength, he was certain that there would be people wishing to overthrow him and take his ce. So, improving their own strength was crucial. Whether he was a member of themittee or not, Wei Zhenguo would go out to scavenge for resources and, while at it, hunt down zombies. Wang Tao deeply agreed with this sentiment: in a post-apocalyptic world, strength was everything. Everything else was secondary. After Wei Zhenguo fell asleep again, Wang Tao chatted with Chen Zhuang for a while longer before leaving. In truth, he wanted to scoop up more information, but Doctor Chen was always thinking about studying him, which made Wang Tao rather ufortable, so he decided to leave sooner. Before Wang Tao left, Chen Zhuang reminded him to attend the wee ceremony that evening, saying he would definitely be popr with the girls in the base and, if he was single, he might consider looking for a partner. Wang Tao shook his head in speechless amusement. Was he that kind of person? However, he still nned to go in the evening, not so much to meet girls but to get acquainted with other residents of the base. That afternoon, Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush out to farm materials but wandered around the base instead. He took in the atmosphere of the Survivor Base and used ration tickets to exchange for a meal, which¡­ was edible, to say the least. In the evening, the rain stopped. In the square outside the multipurpose building, over two hundred people gathered together, which was quite a sight. Especially for Wang Tao, who hadn¡¯t seen so many people in a month, the sight of such a crowd brought back a sense of ¡°humanity.¡± However, Wang Tao¡¯s gaze did not linger on these people for long; he looked at the fires on the perimeter of the base and immediately clicked his tongue in wonder. He had considered before that if he were to establish a Survivor Base, how would he prevent zombies from entering. The simplest method would probably be to build perimeter walls. At the very beginning of the apocalypse, walls indeed could stop the zombies. But a month into the apocalypse, walls were not very effective anymore, or rather, the low walls were ineffective because zombies that could climb appeared. Building taller and stronger walls should be able to hold them off, but constructing such walls needed a lot of people. Ordinary Survivor Bases, including this Shuize Base, didn¡¯t have enoughbor for infrastructure construction. Then, Wang Tao thought, since zombies were afraid of fire, if the surroundings of the Survivor Base were set aze, wouldn¡¯t the zombies stay away? Wang Tao felt this idea should be feasible, but he never had the chance to test it. And now, he saw that Shuize Base was doing exactly that. When Wang Tao arrived, he saw many iron barrels with burn marks at the entrance of Shuize Base. Now that it was night, mes were lit inside these barrels, including on some walls-seeming to engulf the entire base in mes. Outside the base, some zombies, upon sensing the light, subconsciously wanted to approach, but the heat of the mes made them hesitate and not dare toe closer. They could only roar from a distance. ¡°Hey!¡± Chen Zhuang patted Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°These fires, pretty good, right? When we identally discovered that zombies were afraid of fire, we thought of the method to surround the base with it. Turns out, it was a very wise decision! You might think that the light from the mes would attract zombies-and indeed, it does attract some-but they dare note close. They naturally leave by day. You probably know that zombies are particrly active at night, and if we didn¡¯t do this, our walls might not hold them off, not to mention the ¡®crazy demon¡¯ zombies that can climb have now appeared¡­¡± Watching Chen Zhuang¡¯s somewhat self-satisfied demeanor, Wang Tao did not want to burst his bubble by saying that he had already known zombies were afraid of fire and had thought of using fire to keep them at bay. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s impressive.¡± Wang Tao praised. His praise made Chen Zhuang quite pleased. At that moment, a woman dressed in a ck police uniform appeared beside Wang Tao. ¡°Huh? Are you¡­ new here today?¡± Chen Zhuang was somewhat surprised upon seeing Han Rui. He did not recall the base having such a policewoman. ¡°Hello, my name is Han Rui. I came to our base today with Mr. Wang Tao.¡± Han Rui shook hands with Chen Zhuang forthrightly. ¡°You came here together? Are you husband and wife?¡± Chen Zhuang looked at Wang Tao and Han Rui, thinking they made a good match. ¡®You¡¯ve misunderstood; we met on the way here. Han Rui¡¯s husband is also a member of our base, right?¡± Wang Tao took the initiative to exin. ¡°Oh, sorry about that!¡± Realizing his blunder, Chen Zhuang quickly apologized. Han Rui first gave Wang Tao an apologetic smile and then her face showed a worried expression. ¡°My husband¡­ he hasn¡¯te back yet¡­.¡± Chapter 83 - 80 News from the Film and Television City_l Chapter 83: Chapter 80 News from the Film and Television City_l Trantor: 549690339 Two days ago, when she arrived at the base, Han Rui asked Wang Tao if he had seen her husband. Wang Tao said he had, that a squad of soldiers had rescued her husband, but they hadn¡¯t headed in the direction of the base. Han Rui could understand that, the squad certainly didn¡¯t want to draw zombies to the base. So, after she met her old leader¡¯s friend yesterday and settled down, she had been waiting for her husband to return. But after waiting a day and a night, her husband and the squad hadn¡¯te back. Although she knew that the squad was likely hiding from zombies somewhere, and her husband should be safe with them, they weren¡¯t in the base after all, and she couldn¡¯t help but worry¡­ Seeing Han Rui¡¯s worried face, Wang Tao shook his head. From his previous observations at the water nt and the recent interactions, he found Han Rui to be a decent person with a certainbat power. But her husband was just the opposite, not only useless but also of poor character. He wasn¡¯t worthy of her. Of course, it was someone else¡¯s business, and Wang Tao didn¡¯t care to get involved. But no matter what, Han Rui was an ability user and possessed quite a useful support ability, so Wang Tao was still willing to be on good terms with her. ¡°Should I tell her about her husband? Let her see his true colors?¡± Wang Tao hesitated slightly. Because he knew very well that some people¡¯s thought processes were different from others¡­ If it were Wang Tao himself, he couldn¡¯t tolerate anyone who stabbed him in the back, no matter who it was. Having such a person by your side was like having a ticking time bomb. But others might not think the same way. For instance, from Han Rui¡¯s perspective, what her husband Sun Weiguang did was indeed despicable, but he did end up helping her, and furthermore, it was her own husband! If she decided to brainwash herself into forgiving her husband, even to speak on his behalf, then Wang Tao would end up looking bad from both sides. Although Wang Tao felt that Han Rui was probably not that kind of person, such things can¡¯t be judged on feelings alone¡­ ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Han Rui saw Wang Tao spacing out and poked his arm. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just thinking about some stuff,¡± Wang Tao replied with a smile. He had made up his mind¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t tell her directly, but he could anonymously show Han Rui the video. As for what she would do after that, it was none of his concern. Wang Tao introduced Chen Zhuang to Han Rui, the two nodded politely, and then the three of them began to converse in hushed tones. They weren¡¯t too familiar with each other, so the conversation didn¡¯t go very deep. Chen Zhuang wanted to talk to Wang Tao about ability users, but he wasn¡¯t sure whether Wang Tao was willing to reveal his status as an ability user, so he didn¡¯t say much. Standing out in the crowd due to his physique, many new survivors instinctively kept their distance when they saw Wang Tao. However, there were also some women who wanted to get to know Wang Tao, his stature conveying a sense of security. Unfortunately, Han Rui was always by his side, which made it awkward for some to approach him. At this moment, Chen Zhuang poked Wang Tao¡¯s arm. ¡°Themissioner is here!¡± he said. Wang Tao and Han Rui both turned their heads and saw a group of people walking over, with three individuals walking side by side at the forefront. On the left was a young man in a id shirt, with thinning hair and thick sses; the one in the center was a frail-looking old man with a faint smile on his face; on the right was a somewhat overweight middle-aged man in a police uniform. Their arrival instantly became the focus of the entire ce. ¡°The one on the left is Commissioner Liu He, aputer whiz. He set up our base¡¯s localwork, Contribution Points, the personal information APP, and all that¡­¡± Chen Zhuang began introducing them to Wang Tao, starting from the left. Wang Tao nodded; with that sparse hair, Liu He certainly looked like a powerful figure. ¡°The one in the middle is our former Shuize County Deputy County Head Ren Jie, also the honorary president of Shuize University. He¡¯s in charge of the base¡¯s personnel management¡­¡± Wang Tao nced at the small elder, who seemed amiable, but Wang Tao got the impression he was a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. Having knocked about in the world for so many years, Wang Tao had seen quite a few such characters, and his instincts were usually urate. ¡°The one on the far right is Police Officer Feng Ming¡¯an, the former deputy chief of our Shuize County police station. Don¡¯t be fooled by his plump appearance; he is remarkable, easily handling zombies with just a steel pipe¡­¡± Single-handedly defeating zombies wasn¡¯t a big deal, but Wang Tao took a longer look. Because the HP of both Liu He and Ren Jie was 100, indicating they hadn¡¯t personally killed any zombies, whereas Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s HP was over three hundred, meaning he had killed at least thirty to forty zombies himself. None of the three had any hidden attributes or abilities. Judging from their individual strengths, Wang Tao rated them as average. ¡°Do you know each other?¡± Wang Tao noticed Feng Ming¡¯an nodding at Han Rui and asked out of curiosity. ¡°He¡¯s a friend of my old leader. My old leader is still outside. I managed to contact him by ident before and came to Shuize Base following his instructions¡­¡± Han Rui briefly exined. ¡°I see.¡± Meeting someone you have a good rtionship with in the post-apocalypse must feel quite nice. The arrival of the threemissioners didn¡¯t feature any grand speeches; they simply made a brief self-introduction in front of all the neers. They also introduced some matters rted to the base, assuring everyone that as long as they worked hard, the base wouldn¡¯t let them starve to death.. Chapter 84 - 80 News from the Film and Television City_2 Chapter 84: Chapter 80 News from the Film and Television City_2 Trantor: 549690339 They particrly introduced the hunters who ventured out to scavenge for supplies, encouraging everyone with the capability to consider applying for the hunter role. However, there were very few takers, as after all, these survivors had barely made it to a safe haven. They were content to work hard in exchange for a meal and had no desire to risk their lives scavenging for supplies. The trio wasn¡¯t surprised; if there were really that many willing to go out and scavenge, the base wouldn¡¯t be in such need of hunters. Ren Jie announced the start of the wee banquet, and then people began wheeling in the food. Wang Tao nced at it and noticed that the food wasn¡¯t much different from what he got from the cafeteria using his ration tickets: they were all some sort of mush of unidentifiable ingredients, only now there was more of it. The new survivors were overjoyed at the sight. Most of them could only earn one ration ticket for a day¡¯s work, and the meager food that bought was hardly enough to fill them, only enough to stave off starvation. Now, seeing the vast amount of food, they couldn¡¯t contain their excitement¡ªfinally, they could have a full meal! Wang Tao wasn¡¯t too interested in the food, but since it was provided, he symbolically took a couple of bites from his small bowl. Chen Zhuang and Han Rui, on the other hand, weren¡¯t nearly as ¡°reserved¡± as Wang Tao. They each grabbed arge bowl and ate heartily, almost with abandon. While eating, Chen Zhuang exined that not everyone was entitled to partake in this weing ritual; ordinary people could only attend twice¡ªthe first being weed, and then they could freeload another meal. That¡¯s why, in a base of over five hundred people, only more than two hundred attended¡ªit wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t want toe, but rather they couldn¡¯t. As one of the few doctors in the base, Chen Zhuang enjoyed certain privileges, like attending these kinds of food-grabbing events as much as he pleased. The food was concocted by several of the base¡¯s chefs, who would throw various kinds of food into a pot to stew together before blending them into a paste. Normally, inedible things like bones became edible once processed this way, thus saving a lot of food. Essentially, they used whatever food was avable in the base. Despite the mush being a daily staple, its taste could vary from day to day. As for whether the food actually tasted good, seeing how everyone, including Chen Zhuang and Han Rui, seemed to be enjoying it greatly, Wang Tao wisely chose not to inquire further. At that moment, the threemittee members walked in Wang Tao¡¯s direction. ¡°Hello, you must be Wang Tao. Wee to the base as a hunter!¡± The older gentleman, Ren Jie, offered a hand with a warm smile. At the mention of a hunter, the people around them couldn¡¯t help but exim in surprise. In the base, a hunter represented someone capable of dealing with zombies and finding supplies¡ªa real heavy hitter! ¡°Hello.¡± Wang Tao shook hands with the man diplomatically, neither humble nor arrogant. He had assumed the other party hade to discuss the matters of Ability Users andmittee membership, but instead, after a few encouraging words and a metaphoric shot in the arm, the man left. Wang Tao looked at Chen Zhuang in confusion, and Chen Zhuang quietly said in his ear: ¡°Captain Wei of the squad spent most of his day sleeping and hasn¡¯t had the chance to tell them about you. We didn¡¯t want to overstep our bounds, so they¡¯re unaware of your strength. Of course, if you want to show it, I can speak for you.¡± ¡°Let it be for now, we¡¯ll wait,¡± replied Wang Tao, shaking his head nonchntly. Not only did Ren Jie chat with Wang Tao for a while, but he also interacted with others, appearing very approachable and devoid of any sense of superiority. The tech guru, Liu He, followed Ren Jie around, not saying much, either disinterested in such affairs or somewhat slow on the uptake. As for Feng Ming¡¯an, he took Han Rui aside and spoke to her with a smile, though far enough away from the crowd. Wang Tao didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop on other people¡¯s conversations, but his hearing was too good, and he identally overheard Feng Ming¡¯an mention something about appointing Han Rui as some sort of department head. Wang Tao was quite taken aback. It was not that he found it unexpected that Han Rui would use her connections, especially in these times when it was silly not to take advantage of them. What surprised him was that Han Rui seemed not to have told Feng Ming¡¯an about her Ability, or else she wouldn¡¯t just be a department head¡ªshe¡¯d be straight on themittee. Wang Tao didn¡¯t know how Han Rui was weighing her options, but since she chose not to disclose, he saw no reason to speak up. After Han Rui left Wang Tao¡¯s side, several women approached, expressing a desire to get to know Wang Tao. Chen Zhuang gave Wang Tao a knowing look that all men understand, then quietly slipped away, leaving the space to Wang Tao. ¡°You, you¡¯re Wang Tao?¡± Suddenly, a voice rang out, filled with surprise. Wang Tao turned, facing the attractive woman before him, and furrowed his brow. She looked familiar, but for the moment, he couldn¡¯t ce her. ¡°Wang Tao, it¡¯s me, Huo Ziyi! The scar on your face is gone! I almost didn¡¯t recognize you¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± Wang Tao recalled who she was upon hearing the name. Huo Ziyi was a minor celebrity who had worked with Wang Tao on several dramas. Of course, ¡°worked with¡± might be overstating it since their interactions were minimal. Wang Tao was a Martial Arts Substitute, the kind who never even showed his face on camera, whereas Huo Ziyi, however minor, was a celebrity who could. They were not in the same league.. Chapter 85 - 80 News from the Film and Television Chapter 85: Chapter 80 News from the Film and Television City_3 Trantor: 549690339 | Whenever he happened to bump into Huo Ziyi, she was not exactly disdainful, but her expression was always indifferent and she hardly spoke, appearing very aloof. At most, she would take an extra nce at his physique, and that was all. Wang Tao naturally wouldn¡¯t be eager to cozy up to someone who was cold to him, so he didn¡¯t go out of his way to be friends¡­ When HUO Ziyi saw that Wang Tao remembered her, she immediately grabbed his hand, somewhat moved, and said: ¡®¡öWang Tao, it¡¯s great to see you still alive! We¡¯re both still alive!¡± Wang Tao raised his eyebrows, Huo Ziyi was more enthusiastic than he ever remembered her being. ¡°Yeah, being alive is great.¡± Wang Tao casually agreed and withdrew his hand. Huo Ziyi¡¯s heart tightened at once; she could clearly sense that Wang Tao didn¡¯t seem interested in conversing with her. If this were before the apocalypse, she would have definitely taken the opportunity to leave. But now, this was the apocalypse¡­ She poked the muscles on Wang Tao¡¯s arm, somewhat admiringly, and eximed: ¡°Eh, Wang Tao, I feel like you¡¯ve gotten even stronger than before! I bet you could take on zombies by yourself now, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I guess.¡± Wang Tao replied half-heartedly. He wasn¡¯t one to boast, and even if he told Huo Ziyi that he was an Awakener, so what? Plus, he wasn¡¯t interested in her, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to borate. HUO Ziyi Picked up on Wang Tao¡¯s perfunctory response but she still didn¡¯t give up She wanted totch onto someone with influence because she had witnessed a female makeup artist being violently abused to death by a group of red-eyed security guards before arriving at the base, and she didn¡¯t want to be next. ¡°That¡¯s really amazing! You can kill zombies by yourself! Oh, right, you weren¡¯t in the Film City when it happened, were you? I don¡¯t remember seeing you among the survivors from the Film City¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I was at home resting.¡± ¡°NO wonder! It¡¯s a good thing you weren¡¯t at the Film City. You probably don¡¯t know how terrible it was there; it¡¯s hard to imagine we survived that¡­¡± HUO Ziyi Wiped her tears, looking pitiful. The other people around her seemed to be reminded of some tragic events as well, as tears welled up in their eyes. Wang Tao, hearing this, suddenly became interested. After all, the Film Ci y was a ce where he had worked for a long time, and he had some attachmen to it. He was curious about what had happened there. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, you could tell me about it.¡± ¡°Ah? I don¡¯t mind at all!¡± Huo Ziyi had intended to y the sympathy card to get on Wang Tao¡¯s good side, but she didn¡¯t expect him to take an interest in what happened at the Film City. Her goal was to establish a good rtionship with Wang Tao, so she quickly pulled him aside to sit down and exined the situation in detail. ¡°You have no idea, back then¡­¡± As Huo Ziyi vividly recounted the events, a look of surprise appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re saying a military force passed by and saved some of the survivors from the Film City¡­ Are you sure they weren¡¯t soldiers from Shuize Base?¡± ¡°No, that military force had many more people! They even had tanks! They crushed the zombies¡­ Although it seems they were just passing by. It¡¯s a shame I was trapped back then; I called out to those soldiers for help but they didn¡¯t hear me, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have been in such a bad state. And I¡¯ve heard that¡­¡± At this point, Huo Ziyi whispered mysteriously into Wang Tao¡¯s ear: ¡°That military force seems to have been gathering soldiers on the road, and their destination was Red Stone County. The soldiers from Shuize Base wanted to join that military force, but they missed them and got left behind¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. There was no reason for Huo Ziyi to lie to him about this. The military force must have been heading to Red Stone Survivor Base, and rescuing people was probably not their main mission; their main objective might have been to gather at Red Stone Base to establish arge survivor base or something of the sort. The survivors who were rescued were just lucky. Of course, Wang Tao didn¡¯t envy them. He was thinking that the Red Stone Base must be pretty good, especially since they had so many soldiers and weapons. He thought that he might visit and check it out if he had the chance. -The rest of those unlucky ones, like me, were trapped in the Film City, but luckily, we were stuck near a convenience store with water and food, so we didn¡¯t starve to death. Later, we heard gunshots, the noise attracted all the zombies away, and we took the chance to escape. Then we ran into people from Shuize Base¡­ I can¡¯t forget the sight of our director being torn apart by the zombies¡­ sob¡­¡± Wang Tao patted Huo Ziyi¡¯s shoulder, then briefly chatted with a few other people around her. They were all lucky survivors from Huangfeng Film City, including two celebrities not as famous as Huo Ziyi and others who worked in the film industry. Noticing it was gettingte, Wang Tao stood up. ¡°You guys keep talking, I¡¯m a bit tired, I¡¯m going to head back.¡± ¡°Mr. Wang, take care!¡± Huo Ziyi and the others quickly stood up, politely saying goodbye to Wang Tao. Once Wang Tao¡¯s figure had disappeared from sight, Huo Ziyi clenched her fists tightly. ¡°Yes!¡± Although she had only had a simple chat with Wang Tao today, she felt it was a good start. Everyone was at the same base now, bound to see each other 0 ten, she didn¡¯t believe she couldn¡¯t be friends with Wang Tao, or perhaps even more¡­ After all, Wang Tao was a Hunter, and if she could stick by him, at the very least she could ensure she wouldn¡¯t starve! The next day, in the early morning. Wang Tao saw it was raining outside again. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll go out and kill a few zombies, gather the materials needed for the blueprint, and then get in touch with Ding Yuqin¡­ After nning out his tasks for the day, Wang Tao headed to the office building. He wanted to ask Chen Zhuang how Wei Zhenguo¡¯s injury was; he was waiting for his promotion. After arriving at the office building, Wang Tao suddenly saw an announcement. A new arbitration department had been established in the base, with Han Rui as the head of the department. Chapter 86 - 81 Rush Right Arm l Chapter 86 - 81 Rush Right Arm l Chapter 86: Chapter 81 Rush Right Arm l Trantor: 549690339 With an increase in poption, conflicts inevitably arise. Back when there were fewer survivors at Shuize Base, small disputes were easily resolved with a little mediation. But now, with over five hundred survivors, it became necessary to designate specific individuals to manage these issues. As a police officer, although Han Rui¡¯s background was in criminal investigation, she still had considerable experience in mediating disputes, which made her well-suited for managing such matters. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if Han Rui was aware that Ability Users could automatically bemittee members, he guessed she wasn¡¯t; otherwise, he felt there was no reason for her to keep it a secret¡ªafter all, no one was going to capture her and slice her up¡­ Of course, since it was someone else¡¯s business, if she didn¡¯t mention it, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t going to say anything more. As one of the few doctors at the base, Chen Zhuang was often busy. Even in the mornings, there would be many people lining up for medical consultation. Though Chen Zhuang had the freedom to choose whether to see them or not, he was ultimately kind-hearted by nature and would typically examine anyone who came seeking his help and provide a diagnosis. ¡°Most people aren¡¯t actually sick, or they just have minor issues. But they are anxious and under mental stress. While my words can¡¯t cure their illnesses, they can help put their minds at ease.¡± Once he was temporarily free, Chen Zhuang wiped his hands and exined with a smile to Wang Tao. ¡°Impressive!¡± Wang Tao gave Chen Zhuang a thumbs up and then asked, ¡°How is Squad Leader Wei doing? He¡¯s not in any life-threatening condition, is he?¡± ¡°The guy¡¯s tough, nothing serious. But he¡¯s broken two ribs and his thigh bone is injured as well, so he¡¯ll need some time to recover.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± After confirming that Wei Zhenguo was okay, Wang Tao waved his hand toward Chen Zhuang, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be heading off.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going out? Not taking a couple of days to rest?¡± Chen Zhuang, seeing Wang Tao fully armed, was taken aback. Though the Hunters of the base scavenged outside for supplies, they didn¡¯t make the trips daily. Usually, they ventured out only once a week, spending the rest of their time resting at the base, unless they¡¯d exhausted all supplies¡­ after all, it was about risking one¡¯s life! Yet Wang Tao, who had arrived at the base just the afternoon before yesterday, had only rested for a day and was nning to go out again? ¡°Yeah.¡± Wang Tao nodded, not offering much of an exnation. His intent to go out was to gather materials needed for crafting the armguard and to get in touch with Ding Yuqin. ¡°Impressive!¡± Chen Zhuang too held up a thumbs-up for Wang Tao. Then he seemed to remember something and scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. ¡°Uh¡­ if it¡¯s on your way, could you stop by the Borui Clinic¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Borui Clinic¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned in thought; the ce seemed vaguely familiar to him. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s at¡­¡± Chen Zhuang provided the specific location and continued, ¡°Mainly because there isn¡¯t much medication left at the base, and a lot of the medication in the clinic could be useful¡­¡± ¡°What kind of medication specifically? I¡¯m not familiar with these things.¡± Chen Zhuang quickly exined, ¡°Things like hormones, antibiotics, painkillers, etc. They work fast for minor ailments, especially if you increase the dosage¡­ Right now, we don¡¯t have the conditions to consult specialized doctors for specific illnesses and get the precise medication, so we have to resort to these crude methods¡­¡± Wang Tao first nodded, then expressed his doubt, ¡°But why hasn¡¯t anyone from the base gone to scavenge our county¡¯s main hospital? The medical supplies there are even richer, and we have the people and guns. Scavenging the hospital shouldn¡¯t be hard, right?¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s question, Chen Zhuang shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°Ah, the hospital is indeed stocked, but there are also many zombies there! And¡­ there are many special infected in the hospital! Our base did consider raiding the hospital, but after losing a small team on the first attempt, no one has mentioned going there again¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Lots of special infected!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes brightened at this information. Right now, it was only by killing special infected that he could increase his HP limit. If the hospital had many special infected, it couldn¡¯t be better for him! Not to mention, special infected might drop Zombie Cores! Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s reaction, Chen Zhuang knew he was interested in the Crystal Cores of the special infected and quickly spoke up, ¡°Wang Tao, please don¡¯t head to the main hospital! Even fully armed squads were annihted; no matter how strong you are, you can¡¯t stand against so many zombies! Even if those special infected carry Zombie Cores, you still need to be alive to get them!¡± Noticing the concern in Chen Zhuang¡¯s eyes, Wang Tao replied with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m definitely not going now; I won¡¯t act recklessly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief!¡± Chen Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief. If Wang Tao were to risk his life at the hospital because of his words, he would feel very guilty. ¡°As for the clinic, I¡¯ll assess the situation. If it¡¯s on my way and safe, I can take a look.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you! Just do what you can; don¡¯t take any risks! And I won¡¯t let you help for nothing: if you do get the medication, just hand it in for Contribution Points, and I¡¯ll make sure to exchange with you!¡± In Shuize Base, seeing a doctor doesn¡¯t cost money, as long as the doctors are willing to provide care. However, medication requires Contribution Points. Doctors also need Contribution Points to exchange for medication but receive a discount, and can earn Contribution Points through the price difference. Whether before or after the apocalypse, being a doctor has always been a coveted profession. ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Tao nodded; if it was something he could do without going out of his way, he didn¡¯t mind lending Chen Zhuang a hand, and if there indeed were many medications, he could also keep some on hand for himself.. Chapter 87 - 81 Rush Right Arm_2 Chapter 87 - 81 Rush Right Arm_2 Chapter 87: Chapter 81 Rush Right Arm_2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Ah, right¡ª¡± Just as Wang Tao turned to leave, Chen Zhuang suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Wang Tao turned his head. ¡°Never mind, never mind, it¡¯s nothing! You go ahead with your business¡­¡± Chen Zhuang hastily waved his hands, his expression somewhat dejected. Seeing that he was unwilling to borate, Wang Tao did not inquire further. As he left the building, he ran into Han Rui, wearing her ck police uniform, just about to enter. ¡°Wang Tao? Are you heading out?¡± Han Rui seemed surprised. Wang Tao had only rested for one day before going out again? She was still in pain, wanting to lie in bed and not move a muscle¡­ ¡°Yeah. Together? If we work together, we¡¯ll definitely be able to scavenge a lot of supplies!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Truth be told, Han Rui looked really good in her police uniform, especially this kind of pure ck officer¡¯s standard dress, gant and imposing. But this outfit seemed a size too small? The police badge on her left and the six-digit police number on her right were both bulging. ¡°No, no, no¡ª¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Han Rui quickly waved her hands. Perhaps realizing she had refused too hastily, she exined, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m scared, it¡¯s just that my injury hasn¡¯t healed yet, and I would only be a burden to you if I went out¡­ Next time, let¡¯s go together when there¡¯s a chance!¡± If it had been about scavenging supplies, she would have definitely liked to apany Wang Tao. After all, she knew all too well how strong Wang Tao was. But her injuries hadn¡¯t healed yet, and going out would just mean being a burden. ¡°Hehe, alright then. I¡¯ll be off.¡± Wang Tao had mentioned it casually; he could clearly see that Han Rui was still low on HP. Waving his hand, Wang Tao got into his car and drove toward the gate. Watching Wang Tao¡¯s retreating figure as he drove away, Han Rui shook her head. If only her husband, Sun Weiguang, had half, or even a third, of Wang Tao¡¯s strength, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much. ¡°Wei Guang¡­ you mustn¡¯t let anything happen to you!¡± ¡°Hey, buddy, you¡¯re going out today?¡± The soldiers on duty at the gate were still the same few from before. ¡°Yeah, heading out to scavenge some supplies.¡± Wang Tao rolled down the window and said with a smile. ¡°Let me register you first¡­¡± The other party brought over a form, and Wang Tao wrote down his name and date. Then he looked at the rifles on the soldiers and suddenly asked: ¡°Is there a way for ordinary folks to get their hands on rifles?¡± The list of exchange items you could get for Contribution Points at the base only included pistols and pistol bullets, not rifles. ¡°For now, that¡¯s not possible. Currently, only we in the Security Army are assigned rifles, and even the police only have pistols. Ordinary people? That¡¯s even less likely. Besides¡­ having a gun isn¡¯t always a good thing!¡± The soldier¡¯s expression was somewhat mncholic. ¡°When I see zombies outside, my first instinct is to shoot, but I have to restrain myself. Because I know that firing a gun can kill a zombie, but it will attract even more of them! It¡¯s better to use long knives or spears¡­ Being armed with a gun but not daring to use it is really frustrating!¡± Wang Tao understood this feeling because he himself had a pistol, even equipped with a silencer. But he had only used it once, which was when he had no choice but to kill a Big Hammer Zombie. Under normal circumstances, he definitely wouldn¡¯t use a gun, since he was alone without teammates. Attracting too many zombies was something he couldn¡¯t handle, particrly with the recent emergence of ¡°Mad Demon¡± zombies posing too much of a threat to him alone. Wang Tao wanted a rifle not necessarily to use it but also as a collector¡¯s item. After all, which man doesn¡¯t like guns? ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite envious of you. With your build¡­ I reckon you could chop down zombies in just a few hits, right?¡± The soldier looked at Wang Tao¡¯s muscles and said enviously. ¡°Haha, more or less.¡± Wang Tao smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯m heading out.¡± ¡°Stay safe!¡± The soldier waved, and the base¡¯s gate slowly opened. Wang Tao gave a thumbs-up in response. Once the vehicle left the base, whether it was psychological or not, he immediately felt an inexplicable pressure. After discerning his direction, Wang Tao set off toward the clinic. He could go anywhere to kill zombies and gather materials, so taking a trip to the clinic was not a problem. Humming- After turning a corner, he encountered a zombie ahead. Wang Tao floored the elerator and drove straight towards the zombie. Bang- The zombie was first knocked down and then had its head crushed by the car¡¯s wheel, killed instantly, and a bundle burst forth. With a thought, Wang Tao picked up the spoils. [Obtained: Rope xi] Without stopping the car, Wang Tao continued forward. Seeing the head-exploded corpse in the rearview mirror, Wang Tao suddenly thought of something. The zombies he crushed with his car or shot dead counted as his kills. But the ones he burned to death with Molotov cocktails did not count as his kills¡­ ¡°I wonder what the difference is¡­ I¡¯ll take this opportunity to gather materials and study it a bit¡­¡± Zombies seemed endless, and the road Wang Tao traveled was the same one he had taken the day before yesterday, by which time there had been no zombies. But now¡­ Looking at therge mass of zombies staggering in the rain on the street, Wang Tao shook his head, nning to take a different route. ¡°Hmm?¡± However, before leaving, Wang Tao suddenly spotted a Suicide Bombing Zombie in the midst of the group, its chest organs exposed! ¡°Hiss¡ªShould I make a move¡­¡± Wang Tao was tempted.. Chapter 88 - 81 Rush Right Arm_3 Chapter 88: Chapter 81 Rush Right Arm_3 Trantor: 549690339 Suicide Bombing Zombies are easy to deal with; you don¡¯t even need to get close to them. As long as you can attract their attention from a distance, they¡¯ll self-detonate within a few seconds. Though this won¡¯t increase my HP limit, having a Zombie Core is enough! However, after pondering for over ten seconds, Wang Tao still shook his head. ¡°Forget it, there are too many zombies around. Even if it self-detonates, I might not have a chance to pick up its Crystal Core. Forcing my way to get it would be too dangerous and not worth the risk, especially since there could be Crazy Zombies hiding somewhere¡­¡± Whirr- The moment Wang Tao stepped on the elerator, he decisively left the area. After circling around two streets, Wang Tao found a more suitable ce. It was a small za with dozens of zombies roaming about, all of them elderly zombies. Wang Tao parked the car outside the za and then got out with a Firefighter Axe in hand. Bang! [-500] Bang! [-500] It must be said that the axe is more energy-efficient than a hammer. When he used the hammer, it was all about smashing open the zombies¡¯ skulls with brute force, but with the axe, he didn¡¯t need as much power to still blow their heads off. These Ordinary Zombies were no match for Wang Tao, especially since the rain had greatly affected their senses, and some didn¡¯t even notice Wang Tao approaching. Soon, Wang Tao had dealt with all the dozens of zombies on the za. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Wang Tao took a deep breath; swinging the axe so many times was somewhat exhausting. Looking at the corpses of zombies scattered all around, a smile appeared beneath Wang Tao¡¯s skull mask. This time his luck was neither good nor bad. After killing so many zombies, he finally had all the materials he needed. Wang Tao looked up and surveyed the surrounding buildings. ¡°Hm? This is a shopping mall¡­¡± He hadn¡¯t paid much attention before, but now he realized there was an old three-story shopping mall next to the za. ¡°Since I¡¯m here, I might as well take a look. Just the first floor, I won¡¯t go up¡­¡± Wang Tao remembered that this mall seemed to focus on selling clothes, and since he always bought his clothes online, he had never visited this ce. However, a mall is still a mall, and besides clothes, there are bound to be some restaurants and supermarkets. There should be quite a bit of food inside. Scavenging resources wasn¡¯t the main objective today, but since he was here, he might as well take advantage of the opportunity. He could also make this Rush Arm Guard and then contact Ding Yuqin. On the top floor of the mall, inside a room, a young man peering out through the Vian blinds immediately turned around and addressed three people ying cards: ¡°Boss, that big guy is heading our way!¡± The one he called Boss was a burly man with a bald head inked with a ck dragon tattoo, his upper body bare. The tattooed bald man turned his head upon hearing the subordinate¡¯s words, his face covered with meaty folds. ¡°He¡¯s actuallying over¡­¡± He furrowed his sparse eyebrows, feeling inexplicably irritable. ¡°Boss, do you think he¡¯s discovered us?¡± Anotherckey quickly asked. ¡°Impossible, we¡¯ve blocked all the windows tightly, he can¡¯t possibly see us!¡± The tattooed bald man shook his head. ¡°So, should we¡­?¡± Anotherckey made a throat-slitting gesture. The bald man hadn¡¯t spoken when the thirdckey quickly objected. ¡°Did you not see how powerful that guy is? He can kill zombies in seconds! All of usbined aren¡¯t a match for him!¡¯ ¡°But¡­ but we have guns¡ª¡± Bang! Theckey hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when the bald man kicked him. tter¡ª Theckey was sent flying, scattering cards all over the table. The bald man emotionlessly tossed aside the ¡°3, 4, 6¡± in his hand and then red fiercely at theckey. ¡°You fucking stupid, you dare to use a gun here? Have you forgotten what happened here before? Are you itching to die that quickly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry boss!¡± The sent flyingckey, as if remembering something terrifying, quickly knelt in front of the bald man, holding his stomach and apologizing. The otherckeys instantly fell silent as if they were struck by frost. The bald man stood up and snorted coldly, ¡°You guys go and hide our stuff; in case this guyes up, don¡¯t let him find it¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Theckeys hurried away. The bald man pulled out the pistol tucked behind his back; he had intended to store it in a cab but changed his mind and kept it at his waist, though he covered it with a jacket. ¡°I hope you¡¯re a sensible man; otherwise¡­ don¡¯t me me for not being polite!¡± A ruthless expression appeared on the bald man s face. Wang Tao entered the mall cautiously. Although it was an old mall and looked dpidated, the lighting was surprisingly good. Even on a rainy day, it was possible to clearly see the condition inside the mall. But after seeing the situation inside, Wang Tao frowned. It was too messy! This kind of chaos didn¡¯t seem like the disorder caused by humans due to a disaster, but rather as if a monster hade, bringing massive destruction to the mall. The shops on the first floor were basically all damaged; either copsed or blocked by debris, and Wang Tao even saw several damaged stone bords in the center of the mall. If he remembered correctly, those were used in squares to separate pedestrians from traffic, weighing two to three hundred pounds each. Even in a panicked escape, those bords wouldn¡¯t normally end up inside a mall, would they? ¡°Could there have been some special zombie here¡­ Wang Tao felt somewhat nervous. He suddenly thought that it would be nice to have Han Rui here to help scout for hidden zombies in the vicinity. After a brief check, Wang Tao didn¡¯t find any danger, but he remained vignt. ¡°The stairs to the upper floors are intact, but forget it, I¡¯ll just stay on the first floor.¡± Wang Tao decided not to go up. Although messy, the first floorcked resources to scavenge, but at least he would be able to run in case of danger. If something hazardous urred upstairs, it would be difficult to escape. In the end, Wang Tao found a rtively intact small room filled with various clothes. There were no blood stains or signs of struggle; it seemed rtively safe. After entering and checking the room again, confirming there was no danger, Wang Tao finally took out the Rush Right Arm Blueprint and the necessary materials. [Rush Right Arm Blueprint (Forgeable)] Confirm creation! With a thought, the materials turned into streams of light and melded into the blueprint. But this time there was no countdown. In the blink of an eye, a ck arm guard appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. [Right Arm Rush Sessfully Made] Chapter 89 - 82: Survivor in the Shopping Mall i Chapter 89: Chapter 82: Survivor in the Shopping Mall i Trantor: 549690339 ¡°So fast?¡± Wang Tao was quite surprised. He thought it would take some time to make, like how it was with the Food Compressor. He didn¡¯t expect it to bepleted in an instant. [Rush Right Arm: Made of resilient material, able to block des and bullets. Durability +10, defensive power +10] This was a ck, asymmetrical, hard arm guard worn on the forearm. It had a metallic feel to it but was very light. The size of the guard was adjustable. After making some minor adjustments, Wang Tao removed the steel te from his right arm and put on the arm guard. ¡°Huh?¡± The sensation after putting it on took Wang Tao by surprise. Whether he tied books or a steel te to his arm, he could always clearly feel their presence. No matter how well they were tied or how ergonomically they were designed, they still somewhat hindered his movements. But this arm guard felt barely noticeable once on, yet he could still feel that he was wearing it. More importantly, the guard didn¡¯t restrict his movements at all! The ergonomic design was simply amazing! No wonder it¡¯s called the ¡°Rush Right Arm¡± ¡ª it seemed tailor-made for his right arm. If it were ced on his left arm, it wouldn¡¯t have the same effect. ¡°Just don¡¯t know about the defensive power¡­¡± Wang Tao took out a dagger and gently scraped it against the arm guard. There was no mark on the guard. He increased his force, but still no mark appeared. Even when he directly chopped the guard with the dagger, it remainedpletely unscathed. He hardly even felt the impact. ¡°Not bad¡­¡± After some thought, Wang Tao took off the guard and put it on the ground, then picked up the Firefighter Axe and chopped down hard on it. Bang! Ayer of dust flew up from the ground, but the arm guard was still fine, without even a scratch on it. ¡°Nice piece of gear!¡± Wang Tao was delighted. The defensive power of the Rush Right Arm felt even stronger than the steel te! And in terms of the experience of using it, it was much better than the te! Wang Tao quickly put the arm guard back on, then put on his security guard jacket over it, disguising it so that it looked as if he wasn¡¯t wearing anything on his forearm. ¡°The defensive power is definitely not a problem, let¡¯s see how it performs in actualbat¡­¡± There were no zombies in the mall, but practicalbat didn¡¯t necessarily mean killing zombies. Right outside his shop was a round stone pier, and he swung the axe at it, mimicking an attacking motion. Whoosh¡ªBang! Arge chunk was chopped right off the stone pier. Feeling the slight numbness in his palm, Wang Tao was stunned. Hold on, he had just swung the axe without actually intending to chop anything. What was going on? Wang Tao quickly hid in the room and waited a while, to make sure the noise didn¡¯t attract any zombies. Then he touched the Rush Right Arm again and hastily swung the axe a few more times, this time not at the pier but at some clothes in the room. Whoosh¡ªBang! After a few minutes of experimentation, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I think I understand now¡­ No wonder it¡¯s called Rush Right Arm!¡± Wang Tao realized that after putting on the Rush Right Arm, if he made any quick movements like swinging his fist or axe, the arm guard would enhance the speed and strength of that motion! He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how much of a bonus it provided, but it was definitely much more than his own abilities. For instance, if he used to chop a zombie for 500 HP, now he might chop for 600, 700, or even 800 HP! Wang Tao examined the Rush Right Arm more closely and discovered a small mechanism inside the guard that opened to reveal a battery ¨C the kind that looked very high-tech and was found on zombies he had killed. ¡°So it runs on electricity, no wonder the materials needed included cables, electronicponents, and batteries¡­ What kind of ck technology is this!¡± He happily put the arm guard back on. It felt a bit like a Mechanical Exoskeleton to him. If he could get other parts besides this right arm, like a left arm, leg guards, a chest guard, wouldn¡¯t that be practically a full exoskeleton? ¡°What am I thinking¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head. Even if those things existed, they were far out of reach for him at the moment, so there was no point in dwelling on them. After calming down his excitement a bit, Wang Tao took out a walkie-talkie to try and contact Ding Yuqin. The mall was about three kilometers from Happy Community. In theory,munication should be possible ¨C it all depended on the quality of the walkie-talkie he had. ¡°It¡¯s me, can you hear me? It¡¯s me¡­¡± ¡°Ssszzz¡­ Ssszzz¡­¡± After a burst of static, a voice with electronic interference suddenly came through. ¡°Wang Tao¡­ is that you, Wang Tao¡­ ssszzz¡­¡± Although the voice was somewhat distorted, Wang Tao could tell it was Ding Yuqin. So he walked out of the room and adjusted his position until he could hear a reasonably clear conversation by a window. ¡°Wang Tao, how is it on your end, are you safe?¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s voice was full of worry; after Wang Tao had left, she didn¡¯t turn off the walkie-talkie, always waiting for news from him. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s very safe here. What about you? Is everything okay at home?¡± Just by Ding Yuqin¡¯s voice, Wang Tao could tell she must be quite safe. Indeed, Ding Yuqin said she was perfectly safe at home, no zombies and no food crisis ¨C she was just a bit scared to be alone. In truth, she was frightened that Wang Tao had abandoned her, but she didn¡¯t dare to say that outright.. Chapter 90 - 82: Survivor in the Shopping Mall_2 Chapter 90: Chapter 82: Survivor in the Shopping Mall_2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry,¡± he said. ¡°Probably¡­ in a day or two, I¡¯lle back and take you to the Suize Survivor Base.¡± After observing for a couple of days, Wang Tao felt the Shuize Base was alright. At least he had no problem living there. Once his status as amittee member was secured and he became one of the top people of the base, he would go and bring Ding Yuqin over. Of course, even without that status, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t be greatly affected, as he had always relied on his own strength. But certainly, the status would make things much more convenient, so he decided to wait another couple of days. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you at home!¡± After chatting a few more words with Ding Yuqin, Wang Tao took the initiative to end the call. ¡°The Rush Right Arm is ready, and I¡¯ve got an update on the situation with Yu Qin; I might as well take a trip to the Borui Clinic while I¡¯m at it¡ªit¡¯s not far from here. Hopefully, I¡¯ll encounter a lone special zombie on the way¡­¡± Mapping out his next steps, Wang Tao picked up his weapon and prepared to leave. Suddenly, his ears twitched. ¡°There¡¯s noise upstairs!¡± Wang Tao quickly hid in a corner, eyeing the mail¡¯s staircase intently. About a dozen secondster, a sneaky-looking figure emerged from the top of the stairs. In his hand, he held a baseball bat with nails sticking out, cautiously making his way to the first floor. Above his head, a green HP bar read [115/115]. ¡°A survivor?¡± Wang Tao frowned. He had thought it was a zombie at first, but to his surprise, it was a human. Seeing the man clutching the spiked baseball bat and searching around, Wang Tao got the feeling the man was up to no good. ¡°His behavior makes it clear he¡¯s seen me. Since I haven¡¯t left the mall, he must either have cameras, or he saw me killing zombies in the square earlier¡­¡± Wang Tao nced at the first floor ceiling of the mall¡ªthere were some cameras, but in some areas, the wires were cut, and there was no electricity in the mall, so it was highly unlikely that the surveince was working. Wang Tao guessed the man must have seen him killing the zombies. If this person meant him no harm, Wang Tao thought, he should have called out to him aftering down, not stealthily seeking him with a weapon in hand. ¡°Who knows what he wants to do¡ªcapturing him will tell!¡± Wang Tao never minded assuming the worst about others, especially in this post-apocalyptic world. It¡¯s always better to be too cautious. As the man inched towards him, Wang Tao ced a small mirror on the ground. Then, he stood behind the wall, unmoving. Through the mirror, Wang Tao watched the man approach closer and closer, until he was just around the corner from him. Suddenly, Wang Tao burst out from his hiding spot behind the man, grasped his neck, and snatched his weapon away. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The man¡¯s eyes bulged in shock and fear. He tried to reach for Wang Tao¡¯s arms, his body iling wildly, feet kicking in panic. But he felt as if he were mped in a vice¡ªno form of struggle helped; the more he thrashed, the tighter the hold. Just as his vision began to darken, the grip on his neck vanished. ¡°Cough cough¡­ hah¡­ cough cough¡­¡± With no support, the man instantly copsed to his knees, retching while holding his throat. However, before he could catch his breath, arge hand suddenly appeared, grabbed his cor, and hoisted him up. Confronted by a man dressed in a ck Combat Suit, his face hidden behind a skull mask and yellow sses, towering over one meter eighty and built like a tank, the terrified man almost wet himself. ¡°Cough cough¡­ don¡¯t kill me¡­ cough cough¡­ I¡­¡± Wang Tao, with his other hand, waved the man¡¯s baseball bat in front of him and said in an indifferent tone, ¡°What were you trying to do? Ambush me?¡± ¡°No¡­ not at all! I didn¡¯t even know there was someone here¡­¡± The man hastily exined. However, Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned grim upon hearing this. The man had clearly spotted him yet tried to hide it? This person was definitely up to no good! Wang Tao prodded the man¡¯s chest with the bottom of the baseball bat. ¡°Uh¡ªah¡ª¡± The man¡¯s face turned ghastly pale instantly, tears streaming uncontrobly. Back when Wang Tao was a Martial Arts Substitute, he met masters skilled in cold weapons, which naturally included sticks and batons. One master said that in realbat, swinging a bat is not the best move for beginners. The bat is generally long and thus slow to swing, easy to dodge, and given limited human strength, a hit wouldn¡¯t cause much damage. But ¡°jabbing¡± was different. A hard jab to an enemy¡¯s chest, unless they¡¯re professionally trained or protected by gear, could leave few people standing. Wang Tao had never actually fought before, and his actions in films were all choreographed, so he had no realbat experience. Now, trying it out, he could only say that the master was indeed a master; even a slight jab proved unbearable for his opponent. ¡°I¡¯m asking you one more time, why did you try to ambush me?¡± Wang Tao parked his car outside the square¡ªthe mail¡¯s location shouldn¡¯t allow visibility of his car. When he came to kill zombies, he didn¡¯t carry much else. So, to any survivors inside the mall, he must have looked like an ordinary person with little supplies. There seemed to be no reason for anyone to ambush him¡­ Wang Tao was puzzled, so he wanted answers. ¡°I, I really didn¡¯t¡­ didn¡¯t intend to ambush you¡­.¡± Chapter 91 - 82: Survivor in the Shopping Mall 2 Chapter 91: Chapter 82: Survivor in the Shopping Mall 2 Trantor: 549690339 0 ¡ªD The person still wouldn¡¯t admit it. So stubborn? Wang Tao had thought he was just being tough-mouthed and prepared to poke further, but after seeing the frightened expression on his face, which seemed to carry a hint of grievance, Wang Tao temporarily stopped and let him go. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I, *cough cough*¡ªmy name is Seventh Brother Yang¡­ I really wasn¡¯t sneak attacking¡­¡± Seventh Brother Yang knelt on the ground again, covering his chest and coughing. He felt so wronged! Previously, he had clearly seen from upstairs how Wang Tao had decapitated a zombie with an axe-Wang Tao dealt with the zombies in the square like ying Whack-A-Mole! Only those who had truly fought with zombies couldprehend how strong Wang Tao was! Wang Tao alone could probably easily take on their whole group! In the face of such a powerful figure, he wouldn¡¯t darey a finger on him even if he had ten times the courage! The reason he had sneaked down was that he had clearly seen Wang Tao enter the mall from upstairs but hadn¡¯t gone up. Their boss had no idea what Wang Tao was doing down there, or even if he had left from somewhere else, so he was sent to check things out. But before he could even see anyone, he was taken down, and he wasn¡¯t even given a chance to plead his case. During that brief minute, Seventh Brother Yang felt like he had died several times over. The devil, this man was simply the devil! ¡°Really not sneak attacking me?¡± Wang Tao said, somewhat speechless, but without the slightest hint of an apology. After all, this man was lying-that was a fact. Even if he wasn¡¯t sneak attacking, he definitely was up to no good. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to exin. If I¡¯m not satisfied with the reason, well, sorry¡­¡± Wang Tao swung the steel spiked baseball bat in his hand, his tone indifferent. ¡°*Cough cough*¡ª¡± Seventh Brother Yang felt a sense of urgency. Although Wang Tao hadn¡¯t specified what he meant by ¡°sorry,¡± he didn¡¯t dare to gamble. Moreover, after a minute of interaction, he knew this person was definitely not someone to trifle with. Buting up with a reason was not so straightforward-he couldn¡¯t possibly say that his boss was purposely wary of the other party! The boss¡­ That¡¯s right! Seventh Brother Yang suddenly had an idea. *Cough cough*, it¡¯s like this. Our boss saw youing and wanted me to invite you toe up! Yes, it¡¯s an invitation; I¡¯m here to invite you!¡± Seventh Brother Yang was quite satisfied with his own excuse. He wasn¡¯t here to sneak attack, but to extend an invitation! This big guy had misunderstood! Under these circumstances, he also didn¡¯t expect the other party to apologize; he just hoped he wouldn¡¯t be tormented. ¡°Oh? The boss? To invite? How many people do you have?¡± Wang Tao asked directly. ¡°Our boss is Cao Xin. He used to run a clothing business here; I¡¯m his employee. There are four of us in total, on the top floor! Our boss would like to invite you upstairs for a chat¡­¡± Seventh Brother Yang dared not hide anything and quickly disclosed this information. The invitation was fake, though, and he felt that Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t dare go¡­ Wang Tao knew this man wasn¡¯t telling the truth. But now, with over one thousand HP, an Ability, steel te armor, a Rush Right Arm, and a gun loaded with bullets at his waist¡­ With his strength, if he couldn¡¯t beat certain zombie monsters, well that¡¯s one thing, but he couldn¡¯t beat a few people? Wang Tao also wanted to know what was really going on at the first floor of the mall, whether any special zombies had been there¡­ Of course, if it was all a misunderstanding and the survivors really were decent folks, then he could recruit them to the base. Getting a survivor would indeed increase a lot of Contribution Points. ¡°Lead the way!¡± Wang Tao stated simply. ¡°Ah? Oh, okay¡­¡± Seventh Brother Yang felt somewhat miserable, as he hadn¡¯t expected the big man would actually want to go up! If he went back, he feared he might be skinned by his boss, but when it came to resisting Wang Tao, hecked the courage, so he could only lead the way upstairs, feeling aggrieved. Wang Tao followed Seventh Brother Yang in a rxed manner, yet his Spirit was highly tensed. Although he felt he could handle these survivors, he wouldn¡¯t be careless. The stairs of the old mall were wide, with good visibility. It didn¡¯t take many steps before Wang Tao saw the people upstairs. There were three people in total, matching the number Seventh Brother Yang mentioned. They were all holding sticks, steel pipes, and such Weapons. Seeing Wang Taoe up, these people appeared somewhat surprised. They all looked at the bald man in the middle. The bald man red at Seventh Brother Yang sternly and then an extremely polite smile spread across his meaty face. ¡°Hello! My name is Cao Xin. I used to do some clothing business here¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t until Wang Tao got closer that he saw the tattoos on some of the exposed areas of Cao Xin¡¯s skin. Wang Tao didn¡¯t discriminate against tattoos, but for someone in business to have such mboyant tattoos-it raised the question if he was really into legitimate business. ¡°Hello, my name is Chen Zhuang,¡± Wang Tao bluffed. ¡°Wee, wee!¡± The bald man extended his hands from a distance, and Wang Tao gave him the courtesy of shaking them. Once the bald man was close to Wang Tao, he immediately felt an oppressive aurae over him, especially from the blood-stained axe at his waist-he felt he might not withstand a single blow from it¡­ The others felt it even more acutely. In their eyes, their boss was already a muscr, imposing man, who usually looked quite intimidating. Butpared to Wang Tao, he was utterly outssed. The boss¡¯s stature was at least two sizes smaller than Wang Tao¡¯s. Especially with Wang Tao¡¯s skull mask and the bloody axes at his waist¡­ he looked just like a fearsome viin straight out of the TV! ¡°Come, right this way!¡± The bald man led Wang Tao energetically to the open doors of a room in the hall. Wang Tao carefully surveyed his surroundings, especially the few men present. Not a single one was an Ability User, nor did they have Hidden Attributes. However, they had all killed zombies to some extent, with their HP mostly just over a hundred. The boss had the most HP, boasting [205/205]. He must have killed around twenty zombies or so. Theyout of the third floor of the mall was simr to the first floor, divided into sections. However, other areas were blocked by debris. Only the areas to the left and right were passable. The right side was where the bald man and his group were in the hall. The left side had a small iron gate locked with rusty chains, which appeared to be a storage room. Wang Tao nced at the iron gate and then followed the bald man towards the hall.. Chapter 92 - 83 She is my fiancee_l Chapter 92 - 83 She is my fiancee_l Chapter 92: Chapter 83 She is my fiancee_l Trantor: 549690339 The hall had an unpleasant disinfectant smell that Wang Tao couldn¡¯t avoid even with a mask on. ¡°Mr. Chen, would you like a drink of water?¡± Cao Xin held a chipped kettle and a cup that was hard to tell whether it was yellow or white, asking Wang Tao. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Wang Tao looked around the hall. The hall¡¯s decor was very old-fashioned, resembling a style from thirty years ago, with clothes piled up everywhere, seeming to make beds that the four of them slept on. The hall was rectangr, with everyone situated at the end where the light was better, while the other end was dark and hard to see. ¡°You guys are pretty amazing, managing to live sofortably in the post-apocalypse.¡± Wang Tao said with a hint of indifference. These four, including Seventh Brother Yang who had been taught a lesson earlier, were all at full HP, which was rather good for the post-apocalyptic world. After all, even within Shuize Base, there were many who were not at full HP. ¡°Ahaha, just good luck, just good luck! But all our food is gone, and I have been worrying about where to find more food¡­¡± Cao Xin rubbed his bald head, looking very troubled. Wang Tao gave Cao Xin a deep look. Was he afraid Wang Tao would take his food? That meant they probably still had plenty of food, right? Suddenly, Cao Xin stiffened. Even though Wang Tao¡¯s eyes behind the yellow-tinted sses were a bit blurry and not very clear, Cao Xin felt as if he were being eyed by a predator, his blood almost freezing in his veins! That feeling¡­ it was like the zombie he had encountered earlier! Cao Xin had survived this long in the post-apocalyptic world thanksrgely to his sixth sense. He could feel that the person in front of him was very dangerous¡ªperhaps even more so than any he had encountered before! Wang Tao withdrew his gaze. He walked over to the window and parted the blinds. From here, he could see part of the square where the zombies he killed earlier were still lying. ¡°Cough, I happened to see Mr. Chen in action earlier, and I must say, it was a sight to behold! At that moment, I thought it would be a great honor to have Mr. Chen visit us. And look at this coincidence!¡± Cao Xin hastily started to tter. Upon hearing this, Seventh Brother Yang nearly imed it was he who had brought Mr. Chen up. But when he saw their leader suddenly turn and re fiercely at him, a chill ran down his spine. Oh no, the boss was lying! Seventh Brother Yang inwardlymented, knowing he¡¯d have a rough time once Mr. Chen left. Wang Tao, fully aware that the man was buttering him up, couldn¡¯t deny that it felt good. He had never experienced this before. No wonder there were always one or two sycophants around those in high positions on television. Of course, no matter what he thought internally, Wang Tao¡¯s expression remained unchanged. After years of fighting his way through the world, he had mastered the art ofposure. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take a look around here, if you don¡¯t mind?¡± Wang Tao suddenly said. ¡°¡­ Of course not! I¡¯ll show you around!¡± Cao Xin¡¯s face twisted into a smile more pained than crying, and then he personally led the way. Wang Tao followed behind Cao Xin at a leisurely pace, observing the surroundings while asking somewhat casually: ¡°What happened downstairs? Why is it so destroyed?¡± Mentioning this, a sh of terror crossed Cao Xin¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Chen, you don¡¯t know, but half a month ago, a super terrifying zombie appeared in the mall! That thing, it seemed about three or four meters tall, all muscle! It smashed whatever it saw, nearly bringing down the entire mall! If it hadn¡¯t been lured away by something it saw, we would have been done for¡­¡± ¡°Three or four meters tall¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s expression suddenly became serious. A zombie of that size was frightening; the biggest he had encountered before was a Terrorizer, also known as Big Hammer Zombie. They were just over two meters tall and already quite imposing to Wang Tao. A zombie three or four meters tall¡­ Wang Tao couldn¡¯t even imagine how big that was. Wang Tao nced at Cao Xin again. His terrified look didn¡¯t seem feigned, and there was no need to lie about such things, especially with the obvious destruction on the first floor. ¡°Well, you guys are pretty lucky then,¡± Wang Tao remarked. ¡°That we are, our luck has been pretty good to have survived until now,¡± Cao Xin said with a hint of pride. But when he noticed where Wang Tao¡¯s gaze was focused, his expression became awkward once more. ¡°You four have quite the appetite, huh? iming your food is running out when you have so much left?¡± Looking at the dirty piles of rice, snacks, and other food items, Wang Tao spoke with a hint of mockery. ¡°Cough cough, it¡¯s just being prepared, just being prepared!¡± Cao Xin, seeing that Wang Tao kept eyeing his food, had a pained expression but tried to sound magnanimous: ¡°Mr. Chen,ing across each other is fate, and meeting in the post-apocalypse is a great kismet! I see you didn¡¯t bring much with you, so you must be out scavenging for supplies, right? Let¡¯s not talk about anything else, just pick a bag and take it! Consider it a token of my friendship, from Cao Xin to you!¡± Wang Tao looked at him with some surprise. This man, he knew how to act appropriately! Since he was being so sensible, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t refuse his kindness. ¡°You, pick a bag.¡± Wang Tao directed Seventh Brother Yang. Seventh Brother Yang immediately felt a murderous gaze turn towards him.. Chapter 93 - 83 She is my fiancee_2 Chapter 93 - 83 She is my fiancee_2 Chapter 93: Chapter 83 She is my fiancee_2 Trantor: 549690339 | He dared not meet the boss¡¯s eyes and could only stiffen his scalp and walk up to the food to make his selection. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t interested in the food, his eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, and he began to look around. Wang Tao could clearly feel that there were many signs of battle here. There was also some ck blood; he wondered if it belonged to zombies. Moreover, there was a strange smell that even the scent of disinfectant couldn¡¯tpletely suppress. At this end of the hall, there were several hollow disy cabs, which should have contained decorative items, but now were cluttered with various things-like toilet paper, screwdrivers, and tattered clothes. The toilet paper was even stained with ck blood, which Wang Tao found distasteful. Cao Xin, seeing that Wang Tao was somewhat interested in these small items, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Then, taking advantage of Wang Tao¡¯s distraction, he kicked Seventh Brother Yang hard in the butt and gave him a fierce re, as if to say, ¡°Just scrounge up anything, do you actually have to pick out the best bag for him?¡± Seventh Brother Yang looked aggrieved: The one who got beaten just now wasn¡¯t you¡­ Wang Tao was just looking around casually. He came up here for two reasons: one was to see what this person really wanted to do and whether he intended to harm him. The other was to see if any of these people were worth recruiting to the Survivor Base to earn Contribution Points. But after this brief interaction, Wang Tao had already ruled out both options. None of these people seemed to be truthful, and they didn¡¯t look like good folks. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t possibly take them back to the base. ¡°Hmm?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao felt a small metal te on the shelf, with a series of six digits on it, somewhat familiar to him. ¡°Mr. Chen! I¡¯ve selected it for you!¡± The trembling voice of Seventh Brother Yang came from the corner. Wang Tao turned his head, and Cao Xin, who had been ring at Seventh Brother Yang, immediately put on a smiling face. ¡°Mr. Chen, this is a little something from me, please ept it!¡± Wang Tao looked at the bag of neatly packaged 10kg rice, didn¡¯t hesitate to ept it, and then headed straight for the exit. ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t disturb you any further.¡± Seeing that Wang Tao was about to leave, Cao Xin totally rxed. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again if fate allows it, Mr. Chen!¡± Wang Tao nced back at him, said nothing, and went straight downstairs. It wasn¡¯t until Wang Tao left the mall and stepped into the rain that Cao Xin and the others seemed to rxpletely, breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± ¡°This guy puts too much pressure on me! I dare not even breathe when he¡¯s standing there!¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me, I didn¡¯t dare meet his gaze¡­¡± The three underlings whispered to each other. -What¡¯s there to be scared of just because he¡¯s a bit taller? A bunch of useless things!¡± Cao Xin cursed angrily. The underlings immediately stopped talking, but Seventh Brother Yang really wanted to say, your attitude wasn¡¯t like this just now, boss. ¡°Forget it, since the guy¡¯s been sent away, let¡¯s not bother with him anymore. Damn it, go get one of our merchandise up here! I need to let off some steam, I was almost scared to death¡ªhurry up! The three underlings quickly went towards the door next to the staircase secured with rusted iron chains and unlocked the door with a key. ng tter¡ª The iron door made a grating noise, with darkness lurking within. One of the underlings entered with a shlight, followed by the other two. ¡°Mmmhmm¡ª¡± From inside the warehouse, a humming noise suddenly emerged, followed by the sight of a naked woman with numerous wounds all over her body, bound with iron chains, her mouth sealed with tape, and her face numb as she was dragged out. ¡°Boss, another one¡¯s dead¡­¡± One of the underlings said, somewhat frantically. ¡°Damn, really useless!¡± Cao Xin uttered darkly, then scolded the underlings, ¡°Hurry up!¡± The underlings quickly took the two women to where they stored the food. Seeing the food, a flicker of emotion appeared in the women¡¯s eyes. One of the underlings secured the iron chains on the woman¡¯s limbs to the ground, then ced a small bowl of white flour in front of her. Immediately seeing the food, the woman got down on the floor like a dog and began to lick it with her tongue. Cao Xin unbuckled his belt, walked behind the woman with a cruel look on his face, and then instructed the underlings: ¡°Bring me a few wooden sticks with barbs! In the heavy rain, Wang Tao turned to take a long, hard look at the third floor of the mall. Then he returned to his car. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with these people¡­¡± Wang Tao pondered over everything that had happened upstairs. Clearly, these people were hiding something from him. Initially, Wang Tao thought it was the food, but then he realized it might not be the case. Wang Tao took out a metal te from his pocket with six digits on it. He had found it in Cao Xin¡¯s ce and taken it without much thought. It wasn¡¯t that Wang Tao liked taking others¡¯ belongings, but he had seen this object before. Apart from the different numbers, it was identical to Han Rui¡¯s badge in terms of color and size. It was a badge! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know if Cao Xin had found it or¡­ Regardless of the possibility, Cao Xin might have a gun! Even though Wang Tao was powerful, he never thought he was bulletproof; bullets were still a significant threat to him. Of course, if he could take them by surprise, Wang Tao felt that he could subdue them instantly with a Shockwave. But there was another important reason: Cao Xin had mentioned a zombie that had been here before, three to four meters tall! Seeing the Destruction caused by this zombie, Wang Tao believed he was no match for it. If the gunfire attracted that zombie, he would be in trouble.. Chapter 94 - 83 She is my fiancee 3 Chapter 94 - 83 She is my fiancee 3 Chapter 94: Chapter 83 She is my fiancee 3 Trantor: 549690339 | ¡ª So upon discovering the rm, for safety¡¯s sake, Wang Tao decisively retreated. Even Wang Tao felt that his recent action of following Seventh Brother Yang upstairs was perhaps a little rash. ¡°Still not cautious enough! Got a bit arrogant with a little power¡­ I¡¯ll have to be more careful next time!¡± Humming- The car circled around the shopping mall, heading for Borui Clinic. Considering there might be a terrifying zombie here, Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to go too fast; he even took a long detour. By dusk, he finally caught sight of Borui Clinic. The location of Borui Clinic was pretty good, next to a small intersection. And this area didn¡¯t have many cars, so the road was rtively open. The clinic¡¯s roller shutter door was closed, and it was unknown what the situation was like inside, but there were about a dozen zombies blocking the street outside. Wang Tao had intended to dispatch them to the afterlife right away, but after a moment of hesitation, he took several Molotov cocktails out from the storage box inside the car. He had always been perplexed as to why zombies burned to death didn¡¯t count as his kill, but those shot to death did, so Wang Tao prepared to experiment now. At a crossroads, with convenient traffic, if some irresistible danger arose he could always drive away at any moment, and since he had temporarily looted all he could, he could use these zombies for his experiment. Half an hourter, Wang Tao killed thest zombie with his axe, then collected the spoils of war. ¡°It should be like this¡­¡± After the experiment, Wang Tao had some revtions. Put simply, only the zombies that were instantly killed by him counted as his kills. The Molotov cocktails took too long to kill the zombies, so they didn¡¯t count as his kills. As for how long this ¡°instant¡± was, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t tested it yet, but it was definitely a very short period of time. In the future when using Molotov cocktails, he would try his best to kill the zombies before they were burned to death. Of course, if there really was no chance then it was fine, after all, fire does not differentiate between friend and foe. After dealing with the zombies on the street, Wang Tao took his weapons and came to Borui Clinic. The roller shutter door of the clinic was halfway open, which saved Wang Tao some effort. After all, the sound of opening the roller shutter door was loud, he shone his shlight inside to make sure there were no zombies, and then he slipped in. The situation inside the clinic was worse than Wang Tao had expected; some shelves and empty boxes were scattered around, and there weren¡¯t many medicines. Obviously, this ce had already been looted. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t surprised; the clinic¡¯s location was so obvious, and now that more than a month had passed since the apocalypse began, it was normal for survivors to have scavenged it. Wang Tao picked up all the medicines on the floor, now any medicine was precious, and couldn¡¯t be wasted. The clinic wasn¡¯trge, with a lobby, a bathroom, and a small room with a few sickbeds on the first floor. The second floor seemed to be for storage and resting. After Wang Tao looted the first floor and made sure there was nothing overlooked, he then went up to the second floor. ¡°Hmm? The door is locked¡­¡± He pushed the door without being able to open it. Wang Tao took out the lock-picking tools he carried with him and after fiddling with the lock, there was a click, and the lock opened. The room upstairs was much brighter than the corridor. Wang Tao immediately saw on an office chair not far away, sitting a zombie wearing a whiteb coat, a surgical mask, and with a voluptuous figure¡­ a female zombie! [500/500] ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Upon seeing Wang Tao, the female zombie immediately rose, twisting her body to stand up. Just an ordinary zombie, Wang Tao quickly approached, raised his axe, and chopped down. Thwack! [-500] [0/500] He swiftly killed her and casually gathered the loot. [Received: medical packxi] [Medical pack: Can restore too HP within to seconds (cannot regenerate lost limbs)] ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t expect that killing this female doctor zombie would actually yield a medical pack. What he found even more unexpected was that this medical pack was different from the ones he picked up from airdrops; this one could actually restore too HP in 10 seconds! HP represented health, so restoring 100 HP meant recovering one¡¯s own health! Although it was stated that lost limbs can¡¯t regenerate, this is already quite amazing. Normally, to recover HP, one could only rely on treatment, eating, resting, and sleeping with Ding Yuqin, the blood replenishing pack. These methods are very slow and inconvenient. But this medical kit not only takes ten seconds, it can also be ced in the Space Backpack! This thing is too convenient! In some ways, it¡¯s like the inhibitor, it¡¯s like having half a life! ¡°So, killing doctor zombies might drop medical kits? I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a guaranteed drop, but even if there¡¯s a chance, it¡¯s worth the risk¡­¡± Chen Zhuang once told Wang Tao that Shuize County First Hospital had many zombies. Although it was very dangerous with many special zombies, there surely were a lot of doctor zombies! These are all medical kits! ¡®Til have to make a trip to the First Hospitalter, to see if there¡¯s a chance¡­¡± There was a small office on the second floor of the clinic, a bedroom, and a storeroom. Apart from aptop and a mobile phone in the office, there wasn¡¯t anything of value. The bedroom only had some clothes and nothing else. The small warehouse was locked, but after easily unlocking the door, seeing the medicine boxes and some medical tools inside, Wang Tao chuckled and took everything. It took Wang Tao more than twenty minutes to load everything into the car. However, by then the sun had already set, and for safety¡¯s sake, Wang Tao decided to rest there for the night and leave the next morning. The night passed without incident. Upon waking up, after simply consuming a few bottles of nutrient solution, Wang Tao left the clinic. The rain outside had not stopped, though it was light, it was still suitable for travel. It was already ten o¡¯clock when he saw Shuize University. Before entering the base, Wang Tao specifically checked the location of the suicide bombing zombie from yesterday, to see if it was still there. ¡°Huh? Gone?¡± Only some scattered zombies remained on the street, the suicide bombing zombie was no longer there. ¡°Forget it, if it¡¯s gone then it¡¯s gone.¡± After all, he found killing that suicide bombing zombie to be quite troublesome. After returning to the base, Wang Tao didn¡¯t hurry to hand over supplies but went to see Chen Zhuang first. He wanted to see what medicine Chen Zhuang needed, then hand over some, and nned to keep the rest for himself. ¡°Seeing you return safely puts my mind at ease!¡± Chen Zhuang greeted Wang Tao with a thump on his chest the moment he saw him. ¡°You check what medicine you need, and I¡¯ll give you a list.¡± Wang Tao handed the pre-prepared list to Chen Zhuang. ¡°Wow, you actually went to Borui Clinic? Impressive! I¡¯ve mentioned it to other hunters before, but they were too scared to go¡­¡± Chen Zhuang¡¯s face showed surprise. ¡°It was on the way and I got lucky. There weren¡¯t many zombies there.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t exin much. ¡°I need these, this medicine is¡­¡± Chen Zhuang began exining the uses of some medicines to Wang Tao while asking, ¡°By the way, how was it inside Borui Clinic?¡± ¡°It was a mess, all piged. But¡­ upstairs there was a female doctor with a hot figure.¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow, ready to tease him. ¡°Ah? A female doctor? Where is she?¡± Chen Zhuang quickly asked. ¡°I shot her in the head¡ª¡¯1 Wang Tao deliberately paused, then continued, ¡°She was a zombie.¡± Chen Zhuang opened his mouth and then fell silent. He looked at Wang Tao and said in a low voice: ¡°She¡­ was my fiancee, we got engaged a week before the apocalypse¡­¡± Chapter 95 - 84 Xiang Hongbin_l Chapter 95 - 84 Xiang Hongbin_l Chapter 95: Chapter 84 Xiang Hongbin_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Sorry.¡± Wang Tao felt somewhat embarrassed. He had just intended to tease Chen Zhuang, but who knew the female zombie he had killed would turn out to be Chen Zhuang¡¯s fiancee¡­ Wang Tao took out a cigarette, offered one to Chen Zhuang, and lit it for him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Ever since I lost contact with her, I had been preparing myself¡­ Haha, actually, we didn¡¯t have much feeling for each other, we met through a blind date before the New Year.¡± Chen Zhuang took the cigarette, and drew a deep breath from it. ¡°We really didn¡¯t have much feeling, really. It was just that I was 33, she was 30, both of us were single, and neither of us disliked the other, so we just went ahead with it, that¡¯s all. We had nned to get married next month, in June. She said she wanted a daughter since it gets harder to have children as you get older, and I liked the idea of a daughter, but I preferred to have two children, ideally a boy and a girl. Of course, I would have respected her wish if she didn¡¯t want to¡­ Before the apocalypse struck, I was at the hospital and she was at the clinic. After a morning call, the zombie virus broke out, and I couldn¡¯t contact her again¡­¡± At this point, Chen Zhuang suddenly turned and said to Wang Tao with his back facing him: ¡°I just remembered I have something to do, go ahead and exchange for Contribution Points.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Wang Tao stood up, patted Chen Zhuang on the shoulder from behind, and then left directly. Once Wang Tao had left, Chen Zhuang slowly sat down on the ground, his eyes red. ¡°Little Rong, it¡¯s my fault¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at the list of medicines, recalled what Chen Zhuang had exined about their uses, and then decided to keep the ones he thought useful for himself and opted to exchange the rest for Contribution Points. ¡°Mr. Wang, you¡¯re back!¡± The Resources Department¡¯s Guo Chao saw Wang Tao carrying a Snake Skin Bag and immediately rushed over with respectful eagerness. Apart from Wang Tao, there were a few other people there, dressed in a way that suggested they were also Hunters. They were somewhat surprised to see Wang Tao. After all, Wang Tao¡¯s stature was visually striking. He stood at the entrance, blocking the indoor lightpletely. Wang Tao ced the sack on the ground and said with a smile: ¡°Let¡¯s see how many Contribution Points it¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± Guo Chao hurriedly opened the bag, expecting it to be a bag full of food. But when he saw what was inside, he eximed in surprise. ¡°Wow! So much medicine!¡± The others, hearing his voice, also turned to look and were incredulous at the sight of the sack full of medicine. ¡°Damn, bro, you¡¯re awesome! Getting your hands on so much medicine!¡± One of them blurted out involuntarily. ¡°Ah? Is this a lot?¡± Wang Tao was genuinely puzzled. A clinic was supposed to have a lot of medicine, and he had just picked up what was left over, which wasn¡¯t much. Not to mention, he had kept some for himself. The others were silenced by Wang Tao, uncertain if he was just showing off. Guo Chao, who was still counting the medicine, hurriedly said: ¡°Mr. Wang Tao is new to our base, having just arrived three days ago; he¡¯s not very familiar with many things yet.¡± ¡°No wonder, I thought I hadn¡¯t seen you around the base!¡± The few people then realized the situation, and one of them exined: ¡°That¡¯s a lot of medicine! When we go out scavenging for supplies, we do so in circles expanding outwards from the base. The closest clinics and pharmacies were scavenged long ago; it¡¯s impossible to still find so much medicine. You must have gone to stores and clinics farther away, right?¡± Only then did Wang Tao understand that other people scavenged in expanding circles. He had approached it differently; he had simply chosen a ce and driven straight to it¡­ ¡°Right, I got these from the Borui Clinic.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide it. ¡°Man, you went that far!¡± ¡°The Borui Clinic is like two or three kilometers away from our base, right?¡± ¡°Impressive!¡± The group was thoroughly astonished. They wouldn¡¯t dare venture so far out. The men quickly introduced themselves. ¡°Hey mate! Let¡¯s get acquainted, my name is Fan Yuangong¡­¡± People would always pursue those with capability, no matter the time. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Wang Tao.¡± After brief introductions, the group left. They had just spent a day outside and needed to rest up. Wang Tao waited a bit more, and Guo Chao finally gestured to him with a calctor: ¡°Mr. Wang, the medicine you¡¯ve handed in can be exchanged for a total of 31,230 Contribution Points¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Over thirty thousand?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. The number was more than he expected. ¡°The value of items in exchange for Contribution Points at our base changes all the time; the Contribution Points required are higher for items in demand. Some of the medicine you brought in is currently what we need the most¡­ Would you like to exchange all these supplies for Contribution Points?¡± Guo Chao hurriedly borated. ¡°Sure, go ahead and exchange them.¡± Wang Tao nodded. Guo Chao immediately leaped into action and started the operation. ¡°Mr. Wang, please wait a moment, once the system confirms, the Contribution Points will be credited to your ount.¡± About ten minutester, Wang Tao¡¯s phone vibrated. He opened the app called ¡°Shuize Base,¡± which disyed the credit of Points. His total was now ¡°31,240/31,370¡± Contribution Points. With Contribution Points in hand, Wang Tao naturally began to use them; keeping them had no purpose. Other than guns and Inhibitors, which couldn¡¯t be exchanged, everything else could be. However, the exchangeable items listed weren¡¯t many, and Guo Chao told him that was all they had for now, though there might be more toe in the future.. Chapter 96 - 84 Xiang Hongbin_2 Chapter 96 - 84 Xiang Hongbin_2 Chapter 96: Chapter 84 Xiang Hongbin_2 Trantor: 549690339 Thus, Wang Tao exchanged for three sets of bulletproof vests with ceramic tes, high-powered walkie-talkies, and several firefighter axes. The bulletproof vests were able to withstand some attacks, let alone sniper fire. Although no one was hostile towards Wang Tao at the moment, he could not guarantee that this would never happen, so it was always better to be safe. The high-powered walkie-talkies were naturally for his own use, as the ones he currently had were all low-powered. As for the firefighter axes, there was no need to mention how important they were. Wang Tao had not been able to scavenge any previously, and the ones he was using now had been exchanged for at the base. Seeing that there were so many axes avable, he decided to swap for all of them. To Wang Tao, these were consumables, and it was good to have backups in case one broke. Moreover, Wang Tao wanted to practice the ¡°Flying Axe¡±; with his current strength, it would be a waste not to learn some throwing techniques. Actually, if there were ranged weapons like crossbows or bows avable, that would have been even better. Even if Wang Tao wasn¡¯t familiar with them, he could learn. After all, these weapons were quieter, making them more suitable for small-scale battles than guns. Unfortunately, there was nothing like that on the exchange list. It made sense, though. If Hunters scavenged such items, they would surely use them themselves rather than turning them in. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out. Thisrge Shuize County should have these items¡­¡± As Wang Tao was preparing to leave with the items, suddenly¡ª Boom! Boom! Sounds vaguely reached them from outside the base. Wang Tao turned to Guo Chao and asked, ¡°Did you hear that noise outside?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Guo Chao paused. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything. I only heard the rain¡­¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t say anything more but took the items and ran out. Theprehensive building was some distance from the main gate, so Wang Tao drove there directly. When he arrived at the gate, he saw a group of soldiers with serious expressions lying prone at their shooting positions, guns at the ready. Braving the rain, Wang Tao got out of his car and hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s happening outside?¡± Seeing that it was Wang Tao, one of the soldiers replied loudly, ¡°There was an explosion outside the base! We are not yet clear about the situation!¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Tao knew he hadn¡¯t misheard; there indeed had been a sound! ¡°Da da da¡ªda da da¡ªboom!¡± At that moment, a burst of gunshots and another explosion sounded from outside. One of the soldiers quickly said, ¡°It might be our own people!¡± Currently, among those here who had guns, only the soldiers of the Shuize Base had rifles and submachine guns. Wang Tao reached the wall of the courtyard and looked through the shooting port; outside, there were no zombies, only the pitter-patter of heavy rain. Soon, others rushed over as well, mostly Hunters and soldiers. Han Rui was there, too. She arrived next to Wang Tao under an umbre. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°There was an explosion outside just now, followed by gunshots¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly exined. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be them, could it¡­¡± Anxiety crossed Han Rui¡¯s face. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Xiang Hongbin and the squad he¡¯s leading.¡± ¡°It¡¯s him¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin was one of the sevenmittee members of the base, and Wang Tao naturally knew the name. Thest time at themercial street when he used his gun to mow down zombies and save Han Rui¡¯s husband, it was Xiang Hongbin¡¯s squad¡ªWang Tao had learned of this recently. ¡°My husband might be with them¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s fists were clenched tight. Suddenly, Wang Tao asked softly, ¡°Can you sense what¡¯s happening over there?¡± He was naturally referring to Han Rui¡¯s Ability. ¡°No, it¡¯s too far!¡± Han Rui shook her head; she had already tried. She hesitated, wondering whether she should go out to see for herself. Although it was definitely dangerous outside now, after all, her husband could very well be there¡­ At that moment, a soldier ran over and said to everyone, ¡°We just made contact. It¡¯s Captain Xiang¡¯s squad outside. He told us not to go out there as it¡¯s too dangerous. They can break through the encirclement on their own!¡± Hearing this, Han Rui slightly rxed. The other Hunters also appeared slightly relieved. Normally, if someone was trapped, they would call for help. Since Captain Xiang was advising againsting to their aid, it meant the situation probably wasn¡¯t too serious. Perhaps they were already preparing to escape, and anyone going out now might end up causing more harm than good. Wang Tao and the other Hunters did not leave but continued to wait at the main gate. Before long, the soldiers in the watchtower were the first to spot movement. ¡°Captain Xiang ising back!¡± After a short wait, they saw three military vehicles speeding towards the base, with a dozen Mad Demon Zombies hot on their heels. There was an unwritten rule within Survivor Base: if you had arge number of zombies chasing you, don¡¯t lead them to the base. Instead, try to throw them off your trail first. Of course, if the number of zombies wasn¡¯trge, it didn¡¯t matter as much, given that the base¡¯s firepower was not to be underestimated. With only about a dozen Mad Demon Zombies behind the three vehicles, returning directly to the base posed no issue. Those dozen Mad Demon Zombies, even Wang Tao wasn¡¯t confident he could defeat them all. However, under the hail of bullets, these zombies simply couldn¡¯t withstand the onught. With abined attack from Xiang Hongbin¡¯s squad and the soldiers inside the base, nearly all of the Mad Demon Zombies were wiped out, with only three managing to escape. While the others were vigorously pumping their fists, Wang Tao frowned. Previously, when Han Rui encountered the Charger Zombies, they deliberately hid, and now these three Mad Demon Zombies were even fleeing¡­ Zombies were frightening, but thinking zombies were even more terrifying! Whoosh¡ª The main gate swiftly opened, and the three vehicles charged into the base without slowing down much, then executed a sharp brake,ing to a steady halt under the rain shed.. Chapter 97 - 84 Xiang Hongbin 3 Chapter 97 - 84 Xiang Hongbin 3 Chapter 97: Chapter 84 Xiang Hongbin 3 Trantor: 549690339 The gates closed again, and soldiers and staff inside the base rushed to inspect the vehicles and personnel. Even if it was amittee member returning, the vehicles had to be checked for hidden zombies. It wasn¡¯t a matter of distrust, but a single unnoticed zombie hidden in a vehicle would be an absolute disaster for the base. Therefore, on this matter, everyone had to undergo inspection. The only difference was that ordinary people had to be checked outside the gate, while those with status could be inspected inside. At this moment, the door of the leading vehicle opened, and a man about thirty or forty years old, one meter seventy tall but with a burly figure fully armed got out. ¡¯ ¡°Damn!¡± He frantically scratched his buzz cut and then fiercely kicked a piece of gravel on the ground. ¡°That¡¯s Xiang Hongbin.¡± Han Rui introduced from the side. Wang Tao nodded, somewhat surprised by Xiang Hongbin¡¯s attributes. HP(721/815] [Hidden Attributes: Valiant] [Valiant: Fearless of danger, the more you fight, the stronger you be] [Internal Impurity: o%] Wang Tao felt that Xiang Hongbin might be the strongest person he had seen so far. With over eight hundred HP, he must have killed at least a hundred zombies, not too far from Wang Tao¡¯s ¡°104.0¡±. Although Wang Tao had more HP, he purposely sought out zombies to kill- he would look for zombies to kill even when there were none left. That was because Wang Tao knew that killing zombies could increase his HP limit, and he could also scavenge materials from their bodies. Xiang Hongbin, or other people in the base, although they also felt stronger after killing zombies, they probably wouldn¡¯t deliberately seek out zombies to kill. After all, they couldn¡¯t scavenge materials. Their main purpose for going out was to scavenge supplies and rescue survivors¡­ So Wang Tao was very surprised to see this HP. Of course, he was not only surprised by the HP but also by his hidden attributes and internal impurity. Wang Tao felt that his ¡°Valiant¡± hidden attribute was quite good; it must directly increasebat power, which might exin why he had over eight hundred HP. As for thest point about internal impurity, it showed that he had fused with a Zombie Core but had failed as he didn¡¯t have a blue bar¡­ He¡¯s quite a formidable character, indeed! Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but sigh. People in white protective suits quickly went over with umbres to inspect Xiang Hongbin¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t take his frustration out on the staff. The others also got out of the vehicles one after another, ignoring the heavy rain outside, bowing their heads slightly and silent. Wang Tao felt their morale was very low. ¡°My husband!¡± Han Rui, upon seeing a figure get out of the vehicle, immediately ran over excitedly. Wang Tao nced over and saw that it was indeed Han Rui¡¯s husband, Sun Weiguang, apanied by Ou Yingying. Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying helped each other out of the vehicle, both looking somewhat trepidatious as if they had been quite frightened. ¡°Wei Guang!¡± Han Rui suddenly shouted at that moment. Startled by the shout, Sun Weiguang quickly followed the sound and saw Han Rui in her police uniform. Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying were stunned. They rubbed their eyes, somewhat in disbelief. They had never expected to see Han Rui at Shuize Base. Han Rui¡­ Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be dead? Subconsciously, Sun Weiguang let go of Ou Yingying, nearly causing her to stumble. Ou Yingying didn¡¯t dare get angry, after all, she still vividly remembered how Han Rui had led them through all kinds of difficulties, and she was somewhat afraid of Han Rui. ¡°You, you¡¯re actually not dead!¡± Sun Weiguang blurted out instinctively However, feeling that his words were inappropriate, he quickly corrected himself, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s great to see you¡¯re alive!¡± Han Rui didn¡¯t care about these details; in fact, she even felt a bit reproachful when she saw Sun Weiguang let go of Ou Yingying: ¡°Wei Guang, could you please be more careful? You almost knocked Ou Yingying over!¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Sun Weiguang stretched out his hand, momentarily uncertain whether he should help Ou Yingying, and she didn¡¯t know if she should ept his support either. Wang Tao, watching their awkward expressions from the side, found the scene rather amusing. Both Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying seemed to have something to hide, and the sudden appearance of Han Rui left them somewhat at a loss. Fortunately, after seeing Sun Weiguang wasn¡¯t badly hurt, Han Rui steadied Ou Yingying. ¡°We set out with six people, and now that we¡¯ve arrived at Shuize Base, only the three of us are left¡­ It¡¯s good that both of you are alive, or I would have been left all alone¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s tone was filled withment. Both Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying lowered their heads,psing into silence. Han Rui thought they were just scared and didn¡¯t think too much of it. A staff member came over and checked Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying¡¯s eyes. ¡°Both of you are fine!¡± Upon hearing this, Han Rui finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then she led the two to Wang Tao and introduced them to each other. ¡°Wang Tao, this is my husband Sun Weiguang, and this is my friend Ou Yingying.¡± ¡°Wei Guang, Yingying, this is Wang Tao. She¡¯s the one who saved me and brought me to Shuize Base.¡± Upon seeing Wang Tao¡¯s physique, which was so strong it seemed inhuman, Sun Weiguang instinctively wanted to stand behind Han Rui. Ymgying, on the other hand, stared at the bulging muscles on Wang Tao¡¯s body with widened eyes. Could someone be as muscr as they were in the movies? ¡°Hello.¡± Wang Tao spoke indifferently. The HP of these two was [50/100] and [47/100], respectively. It looked like they had managed quite well, without serious injuries. ¡°Hello, hello!¡± Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying quickly responded. At that moment, Xiang Hongbin and the others had also finished their check-ups, when a staff member asked subconsciously: ¡°Where¡¯s Little Wu?¡± The soldiers remained silent. Xiang Hongbin looked up at the sky, his tone harsh: ¡°Dead.¡± It was then that Wang Tao understood why their morale seemed so low. Han Rui tugged at Sun Weiguang¡¯s clothes and quietly asked: ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Sun Weiguang moved his lips but then nced at Xiang Hongbin, whose mood was clearly not good, and dared not speak. It was Ou Yingying who leaned in and whispered in Han Rui¡¯s ear: ¡°On our way back, we encountered a special zombie and then¡­ then Captain Xiang tried to hunt it down, but the zombie self-detonated¡­ The soldier named Little Wu was killed in the explosion¡­¡± Wang Tao raised his eyebrow. Suicide bombing zombies? Could it be the one he saw yesterday? But he had seen suicide bombing zombies before, and their explosive power wasn¡¯t that strong. He even faintly heard the explosion back at the base. At this time, Sun Weiguangined quietly: ¡°Captain Xiang used a homemade bomb to avenge that soldier, almost getting us killed as well¡­¡± Wang Tao: Chapter 98 - 85 Commissioner Wang Tao (Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month)_1 Chapter 98: Chapter 85 Commissioner Wang Tao (Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month)_1 Trantor: 549690339 Although there were more than five hundred survivors in Shuize Base, not many of them werebatants, barely a hundred at best. Among these one hundred, including 3missioners, the Security Army only numbered 18 people, who were also the 18 strongest in the base. The soldier who sacrificed his life today was a member of the Security Army. Whether on a personal level or in terms of the overall strength of the base, the loss of a member of the Security Army was intolerable, especially since this sacrifice could have beenpletely avoided¡­ Main building lobby. Xiang Hongbin, Wang Tao, and others were all present, and severalmissioners, including Wei Zhenguo, were also there. Guo Chao and the other staff members were silently cleaning up the spoils of war, while Xiang Hongbin stood by the window, fiercely smoking a blood-stained cigarette. ¡°Not talking won¡¯t solve the problem, will it?¡± Wei Zhenguo sat in a makeshift wheelchair, his face looking very grim. The soldiers hung their heads in silence. Wei Zhenguo looked up at Xiang Hongbin and said sternly, ¡°Xiang Hongbin, what exactly happened! Why is Little Wu gone!¡± Xiang Hongbin punched the wall furiously, then turned around and red at Wei Zhenguo. ¡°Gone means gone, what¡¯s with all the whys!¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s chest heaved violently with anger. ¡°Xiang Hongbin! What kind of attitude is that! As amissioner of the base, and the leader of your squad, it¡¯s your responsibility when your team member is gone! You owe it to your team members, and you owe it to the base!¡± Undaunted by Wei Zhenguo¡¯s outburst, Xiang Hongbin met his gaze without flinching. ¡°It¡¯s me, I killed him, are you satisfied with that answer? Huh!¡± Bang! Xiang Hongbin kicked the wall fiercely. Wei Zhenguo took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. ¡°I need to know the specifics!¡± Xiang Hongbin red at Wei Zhenguo again and then pointed to one of his team members, saying, ¡°You, tell him!¡± The soldier hesitated for a moment but still reported the specific situation loudly. This morning, Xiang Hongbin and his team finally found an opportunity to return¡ªthey had been trapped before. The way back was rtively safe, with no incidents. But as they neared Shuize Base, they suddenly spotted a special zombie with its internal organs exposed. This was the first time they¡¯d seen such a zombie; they didn¡¯t know its ability. But at first nce, it was clear that it was a special zombie, and special zombies drop Zombie Cores! Xiang Hongbin had merged with several Zombie Cores before, and he had also seen the Ability User that Wei Zhenguo had mentioned. Although there was no concrete evidence, Xiang Hongbin knew that merging Zombie Cores must be key to obtaining abilities! So, encountering a special zombie on the way, he saw no reason to let it go! Especially since some of them were armed, and they were notcking in strength. However, this special zombie was in the middle of arge group, and after being out for so long, their ammunition was almost used up; a frontal assault was unlikely. Besides, the gunfire would attract more zombies, and their remaining bullets surely wouldn¡¯t suffice. So Xiang Hongbin decided to wait. The zombies were constantly moving, and he wanted to wait for an opportunity when the special zombie was isted. If the special zombie were alone, they could swarm it, resolve the situation quickly, and then retreat. They might not even need to use guns. With six of them together, taking advantage of the heavy rain and the reduced sensory abilities of the zombies, a surprise attack would be possible. A few shes each, would that not kill the zombie? After waiting for a while, Xiang Hongbin was thrilled to see that the special zombie did indeed leave the group, slowly moving into an alley. Xiang Hongbin knew his chance hade. He prepared his people and waited for themand to strike. Little Wu, the soldier, was closest to the Zombie. Upon Xiang Hongbin¡¯s order, Little Wu, with his bay-ready rifle, charged first. He stabbed viciously from behind the zombie, but the strike did not go deep, only halfway through. The bay nearly got stuck. Little Wu was astounded by the zombie¡¯s defensive power, but he didn¡¯t panic since they had encountered special zombies with strong defense before. Despite their observation, those special zombies still ended up dead. What he needed to do now was wait for his teammates to join in. Unexpectedly for him and the other teammates, after this special zombie was stabbed, it did not show any intention to attack. Instead, the exposed organs on its chest pulsated violently, as if enraged, and its chest swelled increasingly bigger. Then¡­ boom! The zombie exploded! Everyone was shocked, not to mention the loudness of the explosion; Little Wu was right beside the zombie! Looking again, both the special zombie and Little Wu were gone, leaving nothing but a mess of flesh and a rifle with its bay stuck in the ground. There was no time for mourning as the explosion instantly attracted the nearby zombies, and the fast-moving Mad Demon Zombies appeared upon hearing it. Xiang Hongbin had people collect Little Wu¡¯s weapons and equipment and a shining Zombie Core amid a pile of decaying flesh. They could have run then, as they still had a good chance because they had cars. But looking at the zombies, Xiang Hongbin didn¡¯t run away. Instead, he pulled out three homemade bombs. He wanted to kill all these zombies to give Little Wu a proper send-off! The homemade bombs were much more powerful than Hand Grenades. After setting a countdown of a dozen seconds, the soldiers hurled them into the zombie crowd.. Chapter 99 - 85 Commissioner Wang Tao (Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month)_2 Chapter 99: Chapter 85 Commissioner Wang Tao (Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month)_2 Trantor: 549690339 | The result was that only two of the three bombs detonated, leaving one undetonated. This significantly reduced the intended lethality. There was no choice, everyone had to resort to firearms to deal with the remaining zombies. Fortunately, they still had some bullets left, and they quickly cleared all the zombies on the road. Xiang Hongbin urged the driver to rush through immediately. At that moment, the previously undetonated bomb exploded! Coincidentally, the bomb was right beside their vehicles. The three vehicles were almost flipped over. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that these were explosion-proof military vehicles and they were some distance away from the bomb, the squad might have beenpletely wiped out there¡­ The sound of the bomb naturally attracted more zombies, but they had already cleared up the surrounding ones, and those from farther away would take some time to arrive. Xiang Hongbin and the others, enduring their dizziness, quickly retreated. Ultimately, they made it back near the base before more zombies could swarm in. Only a dozen or so faster Mad Demon Zombies were following them, but the soldiers inside the base provided fire support and quickly dispatched them. ¡°¡­That¡¯s the situation in detail.¡± The soldier spoke with a hint of sadness in his voice. After hearing the report, Wei Zhenguo pointed at Xiang Hongbin, his body trembling with anger. ¡°You, you¡ª¡± This was a tragedy that could have been avoided. They were already at their doorstep; why couldn¡¯t they just hold out a bit longer instead of courting trouble? Not only did they get Little Wu killed, but they nearly caused the death of the entire squad! If it hadn¡¯t been for the public setting, he would have already started scolding vociferously. Commissioner Liu He, standing next to Wei Zhenguo, felt a mix of sadness and embarrassment. He had manufactured the custom bombs, and although he had mentioned they weren¡¯t 100% reliable, one of the three had failed, and this probability was somewhat uneptable. Ren lie and Feng Ming¡¯an, the two Commissioners, didn¡¯t say much. Although this was a base matter, it was also an internal issue of the Security Army, and they felt it was inappropriate to intervene. But both looked deeply saddened, acknowledging each warrior who survived from the beginning of the apocalypse as a precious asset¡­ ¡°Captain Xiang, everything has been ounted for¡­ Guo Chao cautiously handed a list to Xiang Hongbin for him to see. Xiang Hongbin gave it a quick nce, swiftly signed his name, and then walked away into the rain without looking back. ¡°You all, go and get some rest!¡± Wei Zhenguo looked at the other four soldiers and sighed. ¡°Yes Sir!¡± The soldiers promptly saluted Wei Zhenguo, with one of them taking out a Zombie Core wrapped in a cloth from his backpack and handing it to Wei Zhenguo. ¡°Squad Leader Wei, this is the Zombie Core¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo took it, feeling its heavy weight, heavier than any Zombie Core he had seen before. ¡°Disperse!¡± Wei Zhenguo waved his hand, and the onlookers hurriedly left. Wang Tao was also preparing to leave, but Wei Zhenguo stopped him. ¡°Wang Tao, wait a moment.¡± Wei Zhenguo gave him a look. Wang Tao paused. Han Rui nodded to Wang Tao and then left with Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying. As they left, Wang Tao faintly heard Sun Weiguangining: ¡®¡öDarling, did youe out looking for me? No? You¡­ you don¡¯t care about me! And here I was so worried about you¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head, then turned to Wei Zhenguo. ¡°Let¡¯s go find Xiang Hongbin. We can¡¯t forget about the serious business.¡± The ¡°serious business¡± he was referring to was naturally the matter of Wang Tao bing a Commissioner. Commissioners Liu He, Ren Jie, and Feng Ming¡¯an all looked curiously at Wang Tao; they had heard from Wei Zhenguo that Wang Tao was an Ability User. They had never seen an Ability User before¡­ ¡°Would now be a good time to approach him? Wang Tao frowned slightly. just moments ago, the tension between Xiang Hongbin and Wei Zhenguo had been palpable. Xiang Hongbin was likely still angry or grieving, and it didn¡¯t seem like the right time to approach. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s even more keen to see an Ability User than I am! Since Wei Zhenguo assured it was fine, Wang Tao didn¡¯t object, but he still expressed concern. ¡°Are you sure your injuries are okay?¡± ¡°Just scratches. Let¡¯s go!¡± Liu He pushed Wei Zhenguo¡¯s wheelchair as they, along with Wang Tao, entered another building. Upon entering, they saw Xiang Hongbin smoking in a corner. ¡°What are you doing here? Do you want to continue to criticize me, or are you just here tough at my misery?¡± Xiang Hongbin looked irritated. Wei Zhenguo did not directly answer his question but instead pointed at Wang Tao and said: ¡°An Ability User, to be our base¡¯s eighth Commissioner. Do you have any objections?¡± ¡°An Ability User?¡± Xiang Hongbin was initially startled, then immediately ran over with excitement, staring intently at Wang Tao. ¡°Are you really an Ability User?¡± Without any fuss, Wang Tao demonstrated his Ability. Just like before, with a snap of his fingers, a visible Shockwave expanded from his fingertips. The range was notrge, and it didn¡¯t seem very powerful, but it was indeed a genuine Ability. Wang Tao had many ways to invoke his Ability, but he thought this looked the coolest. However, to his and everyone else¡¯s surprise, Xiang Hongbin suddenly reached out, attempting to grab the Shockwave that Wang Tao had generated. ¡°Stop¡ª¡± Before Wang Tao¡¯s shout could be fully voiced, Xiang Hongbin seemed to have caught some explosive material, as he was suddenly blown backwards. Bang¡ª He sat on the ground with a thud, his face a picture of shock, and a trickle of blood escaped from his mouth.. Chapter 100 - 85 Commissioner Wang Tao (Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month)_3 Chapter 100: Chapter 85 Commissioner Wang Tao (Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month)_3 Trantor: 549690339 | [-115] [606/815] Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. This guy was really reckless! Not even asking, he just caught the Ability with his hand? The Shockwave might look little, yet the power was genuine. After all, he wasn¡¯t too adept yet. This was the weakest state he could control. Even so, Xiang Hongbin still lost over a hundred HP, resulting in internal injuries. Fortunately, it was a Shockwave. If it had been a Cutting type of Ability, Xiang Hongbin¡¯s hand might have been gone¡­ ¡°Are you okay!¡± Ren Jie hurriedly helped Xiang Hongbin up. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ *cough cough*¡­ tui¡± Xiang Hongbin spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, then looked at Wang Tao with fiery eyes.???????????????????????????????? ¡ã ¡°A real Ability User! Did you eat a Zombie Core? What does it feel like to be an Ability User? How do you know if you have an Ability?¡± Xiang Hongbin fired off questions like a machine gun. Wang Tao was somewhat speechless, but Wei Zhenguo intervened on his behalf. ¡°You can ask him any questionster. Now, we have amon issue-for Comrade Wang Tao bing the eighth member of the Base, do you have any objections?¡± ¡°No objections, of course, no objections! We had agreed from the beginning, Ability Users within the base can directly be promoted to Committee members!¡± Xiang Hongbin nodded hurriedly. ¡°Good.¡± Wei Zhenguo nodded and then looked towards Liu He, Ren Jie, and Feng Ming¡¯an at his side. ¡°We have no objections either!11 The three of them spoke in session. ¡°Excellent!¡± Wei Zhenguo said to Wang Tao: ording to our Base Committee¡¯s rules, for major decisions, if over two- thirds agree, that¡¯s enough. There are seven of usmittee members now, and the agreement of five is sufficient. The other two members are outside, and there are only five of us here, but that¡¯s enough. Now, all five of us here agree with you bing a member of the Base Committee. Do you agree? Of course, don¡¯t hurry to respond. I need to exin the responsibilities of amittee member first¡­¡± After Wei Zhenguo spoke about some rights and obligations, everyone looked toward Wang Tao. ¡°I agree.¡± p p p! Several people pped eagerly. Congrattions, Comrade Wang Tao¡ªoh no, from now on, we¡¯ll call you Commissioner Wang Tao!¡± Ren Jie warmly shook hands with Wang Tao. He used to be the Deputy County Head of Shuize County, but he was not quite used to the word ¡°deputy¡±; he preferred the title of Commissioner. He believed Wang Tao would like it too. Sure enough, Wang Tao immediately responded with a smile: I will have to trouble Commissioner Ren for more guidance in the future!¡± After exchanging polite words, they took Wang Tao to the top floor of theprehensive building. This was the exclusive office area for themittee members, where they could overlook the entire Shuize Base. However, it was rare for everyone to be present under normal circumstances Because they were either out searching for supplies, resting at home, or too tired andzy to climb the stairs¡­ After all, it was the post-apocalypse; there were no idle jobs that merely involved sitting in an office. Everyone had to y their part, including themittee members. There was a round table in the great hall on the top floor, with seven chairs in front of it, representing the seven highest-ranking people of Shuize Base. Ren Jie brought another chair and invited Wang Tao to sit down. Truth be told, sitting here felt different. But Wang Tao did not forget that in this post-apocalyptic world, what allowed him to survive was the Strength in his hands. The feeling of superiority was to be experienced only briefly; it was not something to be indulged in. ¡°Have the other two members not returned yet?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. With him included, there were now eight members in the Shuize Base Committee: Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, and Lu Gang from the original Security Army; Feng Ming¡¯an and Song Jinghong from the former Police Department; Ren Jie, the former Deputy County Head; the electronics guru, Liu He; and Wang Tao himself. He had met five out of the eight members, leaving only Lu Gang and Song Jinghong. He had heard that Lu Gang was a young man about Wang Tao¡¯s age. Both Xiang Hongbin and Wei Zhenguo were considered his superiors. He earned hismittee membership because of his marksmanship, which was the best in the entire base. Song Jinghong was an older police officer and Han Rui¡¯s former superior. ording to Han Rui, he was a good man who liked to nurture his juniors. He himself was known for his integrity; both within the industry and outside, he had an excellent reputation. Wang Tao wanted to get to know these two. ¡®Lu Gang left on the morning of the day you arrived. He went to hunt special zombies and hasn¡¯t returned for several days.¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. Hunt special zombies? He had not dared to say he could hunt special zombies; he only dealt with them when encountered. But the other man directly went out to hunt? That¡¯s seriously impressive! Wei Zhenguo, as if knowing what Wang Tao was thinking, chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Hey, he said he¡¯s hunting special zombies, but really, it¡¯s also about luck. While scavenging for supplies, he¡¯d see if he could encounter any. His marksmanship is excellent, the only sniper in our base, so he can snipe special zombies from a distance. Most of our Zombie Corese from him¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s still pretty impressive!¡± Wang Tao felt somewhat envious. A sniper rifle, he wanted one too¡­ As for Song Jinghong, he went on a rescue mission for survivors. The survivors from Sunshine Community made contact with us via walkie-talkie as they were trapped. The danger there wasn¡¯t very great, so Song Jinghong personally led people over there. But considering the time, he should be back already¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo looked slightly puzzled. ¡°Haven¡¯tyou contacted him?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°Generally, the base doesn¡¯t proactively contact those who go out. After all, their walkie-talkies can¡¯t be on all the time¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo exined. ¡°Makes sense.¡± Just then, Ren Jie, with a smile, spoke up: ¡°Never mind others, Commissioner Wang, when do you n to make an appearance before all base personnel? Themittee members definitely need to be known by everyone.¡± ¡°Anytime is fine.¡± ¡°Great, let me check the schedule¡­¡± Ren Jie hadn¡¯ t finished speaking when they suddenly heard a knock on the door. ¡°Reporting!¡± ¡°Come in.¡± A soldier jogged up to Wei Zhenguo. ¡°Captain Wei, the survivors from Sunshine Community have arrived at our base, but Commissioner Song Jinghong hasn¡¯t returned¡­¡± Chapter 101 - 86: Three Special Zombies (Requesting Monthly Pass at the End of the Month)_l Chapter 101: Chapter 86: Three Special Zombies (Requesting Monthly Pass at the End of the Month)_l Trantor: 549690339 ) ¡°We didn¡¯t see anyoneing, we watched the surrounding zombies leave before we mustered the courage to walk out¡­ We lost three people on the way, and finally, we made it to our base, sob sob¡­ In the lobby downstairs, a gaunt and sallow survivor began to speak amidst sobs and tears. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to get something to eat first.¡± A staff member gestured with a wave of her hand. ¡°Thankyou so much!¡± The four survivors immediately followed. After they left, Wei Zhenguo furrowed his brow. ¡°Old Song was supposed to lead the rescue team for them! But they say Old Song never showed up¡­ These people don¡¯t seem to be lying either. Did they take a wrong turn? Or did something happen that trapped them?¡± Ren Jie¡¯s expression seemed grim. ¡°We¡­ must prepare for the worst.¡± Everyone fell silent. Everyone had been in high spirits with the addition of Wang Tao, an Ability User, to their group. But now with Song Jinghong¡¯s problem, that joy immediately vanished from their hearts. ¡°Old Song, you can¡¯t be in trouble¡­¡± Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s face turned bitter; he had the best rtionship with Song Jinghong. Wei Zhenguo thought for a moment and said: ¡°Ah, let¡¯s wait one more day. If there¡¯s still no news, we¡¯ll send someone to check¡­ For now, let¡¯s get Wang Tao¡¯s matter settled first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The next day, everyone in the base received a notice. Shuize Base Committee had added a new member named Wang Tao. There would be a meeting in the afternoon for everyone to get acquainted with him. Most people didn¡¯t know much about Wang Tao and were somewhat puzzled. However, some were surprised; hadn¡¯t WangTao just arrived at the base. And now he was immediately amittee member? Of course, whether they were puzzled or not, such decisions were not theirs to make They just needed to familiarize themselves with the newmittee member so as not to make a fool of themselves in future encounters. In the afternoon, outside theprehensive building, in the za, all survivors of the base who weren¡¯t on guard duty or out on missions gathered. After Ren Jie gave everyone a motivational speech, Wang Tao took the stage and presented himself. There was no denying the fact that Wang Taomanded a presence that none of the othermittee members could match, just by standing there. Especially given his new status as amittee member, the glint in the female survivors¡¯ eyes was almost as bright as if they were lighting up like light bulbs. Below the stage, Huo Ziyi felt both joy and worry. She was happy because her judgment had been correct, Wang Tao indeed had great potential. But her concern stemmed from the fact that it hadn¡¯t been long since she had a conversation with Wang Tao, and now she felt as though she could no longer speak with him¡­ She was anxious, eager to cling to Wang Tao, a strong support, but the gap in their status was growing ever wider¡­ Han Rui looked at Wang Tao on the stage, somewhat surprised but not entirely. After all, she had seen how strong Wang Tao¡¯s abilities were, and as an Ability User, it was no surprise he became amittee member. She felt happy for Wang Tao. Sun Weiguang, standing beside her, looked at WangTao with a face full of envy. ¡°Wife, can¡¯t you find a way to get me a job? You are a minister, after all- Sun Weiguang asked, somewhat discontent. Hearing this, Han Rui replied with some helplessness: ¡°Wei Guang, it¡¯s not like the peaceful times anymore. How many people do we have in our base? My so-called ministerial position is just a title; I only have two people under me. Besides, the positions at our base are like carrots in holes, I neither have the power nor the possibility to arrange one for you. Just work honestly. Isn¡¯t it good that you¡¯re safe and have food as long as you work in the base?¡± ¡°Fine, fine, fine!¡± Sun Weiguang was tired of hearing that kind of talk. He felt Han Rui had changed. Ever since they arrived at Shuize Base and she became the head of the arbitration department, she wasn¡¯t the Han Rui he used to know. The old Han Rui, although very determined, would also yield to him in many matters, unlike now, where she outright refused him. Sun Weiguang remembered clearly that Han Rui¡¯s old boss was named Song Jinghong, and there was amittee member in the base with the same name. It was obviously the same person! If not for this Song Jinghong, Han Rui wouldn¡¯t be some minister! If she could pull strings for herself, couldn¡¯t she also find a way for him to benefit as well. Sun Weiguang nced at Han Rui, then at Ou Yingying beside him, and suddenly he had an rming thought. ¡°She couldn¡¯t have found out about my rtionship with Ou Yingying, could she¡­¡± Sun Weiguang¡¯s face became troubled; he really didn¡¯t want to end his rtionship with Ou Yingying! Even though both in looks and capability Han Rui was much better than Ou Yingying, theoretically, he should like Han Rui more. But Ou Yingying was so sweet with her words! When he was with Han Rui, he always felt overshadowed by her. She neverplimented him like Ou Yingying did. Ou Yingying always found ways to praise him; sometimes he himself was unaware of so many virtues he possessed. With Ou Yingying, he regained a man¡¯s confidence! His rtionship with Ou Yingying had gone beyond the physical; they werepletely entwined in both body and soul! Just sitting together and listening to Ou Yingying talk was enough to make him feel content. This kind of feeling was something he could never get with Han Rui! Not to mention, when his life was in danger, it was Ou Yingying who stayed by his side, while Han Rui hade to the base to enjoy herself earlier¡­ Chapter 102 - 86: Three Special Zombies (Requesting Monthly Pass at the End of the Month)_2 Chapter 102: Chapter 86: Three Special Zombies (Requesting Monthly Pass at the End of the Month)_2 Trantor: 549690339 | So he could never break up with Ou Yingying! But he also knew his own situation, he didn¡¯t even have a minor official position within the base. He could barely survive on his own but was unable to take care of anyone else. Therefore, he wanted Han Rui to arrange a better job for him so that he would have the capacity to take care of Ou Yingying. Unfortunately, Han Rui refused no matter what¡­ that meant she did not want him to be with Ou Yingying! The more Sun Weiguang thought about it, the angrier he became, looking at Han Rui with eyes full of resentment. Han Rui was watching Wang Tao on the stage and did not notice the change in Sun Weiguang1 s expression. But Ou Yingying, who had been paying close attention to Sun Weiguang, did notice. She quickly tugged at Sun Weiguang¡¯s sleeve, and the two quietly moved away from Han Rui, then Ou Yingying whispered to him: ¡°Brother Sun, don¡¯t be mad at Sister Han. It¡¯s not easy for her either. She doesn¡¯t refuse to help you because she is unwilling, but perhaps because she truly has no way to help¡­ Otherwise, let¡¯s just work honestly. After all, you have Sister Han; you¡¯re definitely not going to worry about food and drink. As for me¡­ eh, I won¡¯t starve to death, so it doesn¡¯t matter how I fare.¡± As she spoke, tears welled up in Ou Yingying¡¯s eyes as she looked at Sun Weiguang. ¡°Brother Sun, from now on¡­ let¡¯s not stay in touch anymore, otherwise Sister Han will get angry if she finds out¡­¡± The one thing Sun Weiguang couldn¡¯t stand was Ou Yingying¡¯s pitiful look, which made his protective instincts surge. If he weren¡¯t still somewhat rational, he would have almost reached out to hold her in his arms. This feeling was something he could never experience with Han Rui. In fact, as far as he could remember, he had never seen Han Rui cry. ¡°Rest assured! I could never leave you! Even if Han Rui doesn¡¯t help me, I¡¯ll still find a way!¡± Sun Weiguang whispered in Ou Yingying¡¯s ear. ¡°Brother Sun, you¡­ you¡¯re simply too manly!¡± Stars twinkled in Ou Yingying¡¯s eyes. Instantly, Sun Weiguang felt much taller. He gave Ou Yingying a wait-a- moment gesture, and then he approached Han Rui, pretending to ask casually: Wife, are you very familiar with our Commissioner Wang?¡± Han Rui turned around, a bit puzzled as she spoke: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? He saved me on the road; he¡¯s my lifesaver. As for our rtionship, we are just friends¡­¡± ¡°Oh, look at my memory, I forgot!¡± Sun Weiguang pped his forehead, then added, ¡°How about this, after a while I¡¯ll take something to thank him? We¡¯re after all a family, and he saved your life; I should express my gratitude shouldn¡¯t I?¡± Hearing this, Han Rui hesitated a bit. She had actually told Wang Tao before that she would repay him. But she hadn¡¯t yet figured out how to do that, especially now that Wang Tao had be amissioner and probablycked nothing¡­ However, since Sun Weiguang had this intention, it was still good. She thought letting Sun Weiguang express his thanks first was eptable. So Han Rui said: ¡°Okay, you decide.¡± ¡°Alright! But¡­ I don¡¯t really have anything with me¡­¡± Sun Weiguang¡¯s face turned somewhat embarrassed. Han Rui gave him a helpless nce and then took out some Ration Tickets from her pocket. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else for the moment, just this¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯ll do!¡± Sun Weiguang¡¯s eyes brightened, and he quickly took them. Han Rui shook her head and said: Just don t talk nonsense, after all, he¡¯s amissioner now¡­¡± Don¡¯t worry, I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m just simply thanking him for saving my wife!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Wang Tao made an appearance on stage and then, following the short script provided by Ren Jie, he spoke some motivational words to the survivors in the base before stepping down. Although Wang Tao felt he wasn¡¯t someone keen on power, the feeling of standing on stage and seeing the respectful looks from the audience below was indeed very exhrating. The meeting ended quickly, and Wang Tao began to move. Now that he was amissioner, it was naturally impossible for him to continue living in the faculty apartments with everyone else. Wang Tao moved into a two-story house. This was the amodation prepared by Shuize University for the school¡¯s leaders, consisting of ten two-story houses, each equipped with a garage and a garden. Now, eachmissioner had their own house, and with Wang Tao ounted for, two were still vacant. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have much stuff in the faculty apartments, mostly food, which was moved in one car trip. Wang Tao moved into house number 8, where everyday items were all prepared, and he could move in immediately. He wasn¡¯t picky; a shelter from the weather would suffice. ¡°It¡¯s just missing someone to warm the bed¡­¡± Wang Tao stroked his chin, thinking now that he had established himself at Shuize Base, it was time to bring his sister-inw over, he was looking forward to ¡°Blood Replenishing¡± after all. That night. Han Rui returned to her apartment feeling exhausted. Sun Weiguang was not there, and she didn¡¯t know whether he had gone to find Wang Tao or not. She sat on the sofa, rubbing her sore neck, feeling somewhat helpless. Her work at the arbitration department was proving to be far more troublesome than she had imagined. With over five hundred people in the base, conflicts arose almost daily, and wherever there was a conflict, there she was. Sometimes, she truly could not understand, why even in the apocalypse, people still quarreled over such trivial matters! Ultimately, she somewhat evilly concluded the reason-they were not working hard enough; they should be made to work more! Of course, grumbling was one thing, but work had to be done. However, she harbored the thought of changing her job. Sigh, I¡¯ll see how it goes for a while longer¡­ Why isn¡¯t Weiguang back yet?¡± Shaking her head, Han Rui went to take a shower-this was one of her own perks: the water was free. Chapter 103 - 86: Three Special Zombies (Requesting Monthly Pass at the End of the Month)_3 Chapter 103: Chapter 86: Three Special Zombies (Requesting Monthly Pass at the End of the Month)_3 Trantor: 549690339 After she finished her shower andy in bed, Sun Weiguang finally came back. When Sun Weiguang alsoy down in bed, Han Rui subconsciously tried to wrap her arms around him, but he pushed her away. ¡°I¡¯m tired, let¡¯s sleep.¡± In the darkness, Han Rui¡¯s face turned red. She didn¡¯t want to do anything; she just wanted to hold something while she slept, yet Sun Weiguang looked at her with such disdain, as if she were about to do something improper. Hmph! Han Rui hmphed and turned over, her back facing Sun Weiguang. Soon, Sun Weiguang¡¯s gentle snoring sounds could be heard. But Han Rui found herself wide awake. These past few days, she had been worrying about Sun Weiguang. Now that she saw him back, she felt relieved. She wanted to let out some steam and rx, but clearly, Sun Weiguang had no such intention, and she, Han Rui, wasn¡¯t the kind of woman to be clingy¡­ After letting her mind run wild for a while, Han Rui¡¯s face burned with embarrassment as she slipped her hand inside her clothes¡­ In the morning, after Wang Tao had his breakfast, he brewed himself a cup of tea. The tea was a fine one gifted by Ren Jie, who said he found it in the school. It was probably from some school leader, and now it was theirs to enjoy. At that moment, a guard suddenly reported from outside the door. Someone was always on duty 24 hours a day at the residence of themissioners. Nonmissioners and their family members needed to apply for entry. The guard informed Wang Tao that a man named Sun Weiguang was requesting to see him. Wang Tao was immediately surprised. What did he want with him? Speaking of this Sun Weiguang, Wang Tao had been meaning to give Han Rui a heads-up about him, but with the recent flurry of events, he had forgotten. ¡°I should find a way to remind her today¡­¡± As he thought this to himself, Wang Tao said to the guard: ¡°Let him in.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before Sun Weiguang entered, looking very respectful. ¡°Good day, Commissioner Wang! I am Han Rui¡¯s husband, Sun Weiguang¡­ Sun Weiguang hurriedly introduced himself. Although he had met Wang Tao before, important people are often forgetful. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to introduce himself again. ¡°Oh, what brings you here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this. You saved my wife, and I don¡¯t have much with which to thank you¡­¡± As he spoke, Sun Weiguang took out a stack of ration tickets and handed them over. Wang Tao was somewhat stunned. Sun Weiguang hade to give a gift, and what a gift he offered! He couldn¡¯t have brought anything worse than ration tickets! The ration ticket system was created by themittee. Although it¡¯s stated that these tickets are limited in number and evenmissioners should use them sparingly, that¡¯s just lip service. Anybody who truly believes that is a fool. As for ration tickets, Wang Tao had as many as he wanted right now! Andmissioners didn¡¯t even need ration tickets to eat¡­ ¡°It was nothing, no need for thanks,¡± Wang Tao pushed the ration tickets back. If the othermissioners found out that Wang Tao had received ration tickets as a gift, they mightugh at him for an entire day. Sun Weiguang was taken aback as well. Wasn¡¯t it said that any gift would do? He had nothing on him at the moment, and surely Wang Tao would understand that. The gift was meant more as a gesture; he wanted to establish good rtions with Wang Tao¡­ but Wang Tao tly refused the gift, and now things became awkward! ¡°But, but we haven¡¯t thanked you yet¡­¡± Sun Weiguang was persistent. Wang Tao spoke up directly: ¡°Han Rui has already said she¡¯d repay me; you don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°Ah? She¡­¡± Sun Weiguang was somewhat surprised. Had Han Rui already mentioned it? Then why did she agree to let hime over, and why didn¡¯t she have anything with her? How did she n to repay him? Sun Weiguang¡¯s gaze flickered. ¡°All right, if there¡¯s nothing else, you should head back first.¡± Wang Tao took a sip of his tea. Sun Weiguang left. He had wanted to see if he could talk Wang Tao into giving him a position, but the other man wouldn¡¯t even ept a gift! However, Sun Weiguang hadn¡¯t given up. He felt the potential of the base was significant and that if he didn¡¯t secure a job now, it would be even harder once the base grew stronger! He had to think of another way to break through with Wang Tao, especially since he didn¡¯t know any of the othermissioners¡­ For Wang Tao, Sun Weiguang was just a minor episode; he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. Looking out the window, it was raining again today-a great day to go out. But speaking of which, it had been raining on and off for so many days¡­ ¡°I should go and bring Ding Yuqin over today.¡± Since Wang Tao had promised not to abandon her, he would keep his word-he was always a man of his word, certainly not because he was lusting after Ding Yuqin¡¯sbody. But before going, Wang Tao nned to remind Han Rui. Wang Tao went to the resources department to get a usable cell phone and sent the video he had taken at the water nt of ¡°Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying conspiring against other survivors¡± via Bluetooth. Then he made another trip to where Han Rui worked. The ce was usually staffed by only three people, and often empty; it was deserted now. Wang Tao slid the cell phone into a drawer at Han Rui¡¯s workstation. There was no lock on the phone, and to ensure Han Rui would see the video immediately, Wang Tao even set it as a live wallpaper, so it would y as soon as the phone was turned on. Having arranged everything, Wang Tao left, concealing his abilities and achievements. The rain outside wasn¡¯t heavy and didn¡¯t cause too much water umtion on the road, but its sound was loud, pitter-pattering, just right for going out. After driving cautiously for a while, Wang Tao unexpectedly came across special zombies¡ªtwo of them. ¡°Terrorizer and Self-exploder¡­ Together, they make a tricky pair¡­¡± This time the Terrorizer wasn¡¯t wielding a Reinforced Concrete Hammer but a thick streemp. Apart from the weapon, it looked simr to the other Terrorizers, likely the same type of zombie. This Terrorizer had 2000 HP, and though he had only 1040 HP left, he wasn¡¯t scared. However, next to the Terrorizer was a Self-exploder with its chest organs exposed, and it had 1000 HP. Self-exploders attracted other zombies too easily. Unless they separated, Wang Tao had no way of dealing with the Terrorizer alone. Wang Tao waited in the rain for a while, but no good opportunity arose. In the end, he decided to give up for now, but he made a mental note of the ce. ¡°Let¡¯s head back first, then think about what to do¡­¡± Wang Tao took a slight detour and then headed towards Happy Community. On the way, Wang Tao turned on his walkie-talkie to get in touch with Ding Yuqin. Ding Yuqin¡¯s walkie-talkie was always on. When she heard Wang Tao wasing back for her, she was so overwhelmed with joy that she wept and said she would wait obediently at home for him. After wasting some time, Wang Tao finally saw Happy Community, but he frowned. ¡°What kind of day is it today, running into special zombies again¡­¡± Outside Happy Community was a zombie, not tall but very strong, moving slowly with bare torso and dark skin-someone might think it was Brother Ni in another scenario. And its HP was the highest Wang Tao had ever seen: [3000/3000]! Chapter 104 - 87: Stubborn Zombie (Seeking Chapter 104: Chapter 87: Stubborn Zombie (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Votes)_i Trantor: 549690339 1 Yet another special zombie, but upon seeing this one, Wang Tao was not nervous at all; on the contrary, he was eager to try his hand. Because this zombie was described in the military-provided Zombie Guide it was known as the Stalwart. It had high defense but moved slowly, and its attack was weak. It was as if¡­ in a game, all its attribute points had been allocated to defense. If there were many zombies around, dealing with this type would be somewhat troublesome. But with not many zombies at the entrance of the residential area, even with its high defense, Wang Tao could grind it down to death! After parking the car, Wang Tao contacted Ding Yuqin. ¡°Wang Tao, have you¡­ have youe back?¡± ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯m downstairs. There are a few zombies down here; I will deal with them first. Don¡¯te out.¡± ¡°Okay, be careful¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± After closing the walkie-talkie, Wang Tao took the firefighter axe and walked into the rain. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The zombies¡¯ senses werergely reduced in the heavy rain. It wasn¡¯t until Wang Tao approached an ordinary zombie that it raised its head. Pu-cha! [-500] [0/500] The firefighter axe cleaved its head open, instantly killing it. [Obtained: Rope xi] Wang Tao didn¡¯t stop moving, continuing towards other ordinary zombies. Before fighting this special zombie, he certainly had to clear out the surrounding ordinary ones. There were only six zombies in total, and they were quickly dealt with. Only then did the ¡°Stalwart¡± zombie btedly notice Wang Tao. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The zombie groaned as it walked towards Wang Tao, but its movements were slow and rigid, like a puppet. Wang Tao strode over and brought his axe down on its head. Bang! [-23] [2977/3000] ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing this number, Wang Tao was a bit stunned. Could it be that the axe was broken? But even a simple smash wouldn¡¯t reduce its HP by so little, surely? Wang Tao, undeterred, chopped with the axe again. [-24] [2953/3000] [-22] [2931/3000] Wang Tao confirmed it; the Stalwart indeed had ridiculously high defense! With his current strength plus the firefighter axe and Rush Right Arm, one chop only reduced about twenty-plus HP, which was almost like not piercing its defense at all¡ªand indeed, it barely did, as the Stalwart¡¯s head only showed some white marks without any actual wounds. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Stalwart zombie swung its arms at Wang Tao, who easily dodged away. Although the Stalwart¡¯s attack power was low, Wang Tao had no intention of testing it. After all, a zombie¡¯s attack always carried the virus, and it was better to be safe unless absolutely necessary. However, since the Stalwart was slow both in terms of speed and attack, Wang Tao decided he was not going to fight fair. He took another axe from his waist with his left hand, and wielding one firefighter axe in each, he began frantically chopping at the Stalwart¡¯s head. [-25] [-12] [-23] [-11] [-24] [-13] Since the left hand was inherently weaker than the right, and since it didn¡¯t have the Rush Arm Guard, the damage it dealt was only half that of the right hand. Against the zombie¡¯s 2000 HP, it was nothing more than scratching the surface. But even scratching could lead to its demise! Since the Stalwart¡¯s attack was weak and slow, and Wang Tao could dodge easily, plus there were no other zombies around to interfere, Wang Tao could fully unleash his attack. Wang Tao considered using a Molotov cocktail, but with the heavy rain, its effectiveness would surely bepromised, and he would have to go back to the car to prepare it. He decided against it. He tried using his shockwave ability and was pleasantly surprised to find that it could inflict thirty to forty damage on the Stalwart! That was even higher than the damage from his two axesbined. However, his mana was limited, and there was no need to expend so much at the moment. Keeping more mana on hand also felt safer. Wang Tao also tried chopping at the Stalwart¡¯s neck, but it was just as tough as its head¡­ or rather, its entire body was stiff; chopping anywhere else would be even less effective than aiming for the head. Finally, after a couple of minutes of scratching, with a sound of pu-cha, both axes simultaneously buried into the Stalwart¡¯s head. [-53] [0/3000] Phew¡ª Wang Tao let out a sigh of relief. This Stalwart was the zombie with the highest HP he had encountered so far and the toughest to kill, but it was also the least dangerous-at least for him, it was even less dangerous than ordinary zombies. Wang Tao nced at his HP, adding 60 points, which brought his HP ceiling to [1100/1100]! He picked up the Stalwart¡¯s dropped loot without rushing to inspect it, and quickly scooped up the zombie¡¯s Faint Red Crystal Core, inside which was a silhouette of a tiny, pitch-ck figure. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¡ö Toughness] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Skin darkening, body stiffening)] [Toughness: During the duration, defensive power and hardness of the entire body are enhanced] ¡°Eh? A Continuous Ability?¡± This was the first time Wang Tao hade across a zombie crystal core like this, and he felt that the ability suited him-though the increased hardness part¡­ was it practical orughable? As he pondered, Wang Tao hurried to open the gate of the residential area and drove his car under the awning in front of building number four. He had just stepped out when the door to the building opened. Dressed in light makeup, wearing a ck form-fitting skirt, flesh-colored Chapter 105 - 87: Stubborn Zombie (Please Support with Monthly Tickets)_2 Chapter 105: Chapter 87: Stubborn Zombie (Please Support with Monthly Tickets)_2 Trantor: 549690339 | Wang Tao¡¯s gaze lingered on Ding Yuqin for a moment. It had to be said that Ding Yuqin understood him, knowing what he liked to see. in Shuize Base, although there were quite a few women, they were all slovenly, as being well-fed was the priority at this time. Even the little celebrity Huo Ziyi had no time to dress up and looked like a vige girl. Only Han Rui was still alright, her beauty intact, dressed in a police uniform and looking dashing, with a charm all her own. But Wang Tao preferred women with feminine charm like Ding Yuqin. ¡°I, I came down only after seeing you were safe¡­ Ding Yuqin, afraid that Wang Tao would say she was disobedient, hurriedly exined. Wang Tao didn¡¯t speak, but rather took off his mask and gloves and walked over, gently caressing Ding Yuqin¡¯s cheek as he said, ¡°Sis-inw, have you been well these past days? ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I, I missed you¡­¡± Ding Yuqin rested her face on Wang Tao¡¯s hand and gently rubbed against it, her eyes somewhat infatuated. Wang Tao smiled gently, then kissed Ding Yuqin on the lips, and then took the opportunity to loop his arms around her waist and head upstairs. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± in the five days Wang Tao had been away, there hadn¡¯t been much change at home, except that the water he had stored was almost all used up. The food, however, was still plentiful-after all, Ding Yuqin¡¯s appetite was small. After helping Wang Tao take off his equipment, Ding Yuqin immediately hugged his waist from behind. Although Wang Tao had said he woulde back, and had even contacted her with the walkie-talkie, she was still worried when she couldn¡¯t see him. She wasn¡¯t sure if she had a ce in Wang Tao¡¯s heart, or if he simply wanted to have some fun with her¡­ Now that she saw Wang Tao, she could finally rx. Wang Tao turned around to look at Ding Yuqin and asked, ¡°Sis-inw, did you miss me while at home? ¡°Missed you!¡± Ding Yuqin blurted out without thinking, but her cheeks flushed. Mainly because Wang Tao kept calling her ¡°sis-inw¡± and never changed it, giving her an inexplicable sense of shame. ¡°How much did you miss me?¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. ¡°I missed you a lot!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; he saw Ding Yuqin as quite conservative. Usually, at most, she would wear silk stockings. But now, she was without anything underneath. Ding Yuqin looked at Wang Tao with watery eyes, biting her lip and saying, ¡°This is to¡­ make it convenient for you¡­¡± An hourter, Wang Tao smoked a cigarette. He actually didn¡¯t smoke, but he did it for the feeling. Ding Yuqin nestled against Wang Tao, clinging tightly as if she wanted to merge into his body. ¡°Sis-inw, I never realized before how clingy you are! Wang Tao brushed aside the hair stuck to Ding Yuqin¡¯s cheek, teasing her. Ding Yuqin was somewhat shy, but still looked directly at Wang Tao. ¡°I, I¡¯m scared¡­¡± p¡ª Wang Tao pped her softly on the flesh and then asked, ¡°I¡¯m here now, what are you still afraid of, sis-inw? ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll leave me¡­¡± Ding Yuqin was candid. Upon hearing this, Wang Tao offered no assurances but simply smiled and said, ¡°Call me ¡®husband¡¯ and let¡¯s hear how it sounds. ¡°Husband-¡± ¡°Sis-inw, you¡¯re so good!¡± ¡°¡­Could you please stop calling me ¡®sis-inw¡¯!¡± Ding Yuqin, blushing,ined. Every time WangTao called her ¡°sis-inw,¡± especially during their activities, she waspletely defenseless. ¡°We each have our own names, you call me husband, and I call you sis-inw; it¡¯s quite reasonable.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re so bad!¡± Ding Yuqiny on Wang Tao¡¯s chest and bit his shoulder. Of course, she didn¡¯t really bite hard, it was more like a cat¡¯s lick. Wang Tao stroked Ding Yuqin¡¯s hair like petting a cat, but his mind was on the Space Backpack. The loot that had burst out from the stubborn zombie he had killed earlier had not yet been checked. He had said he would look at it when he got back, but after returning, he had a three-hundred-round battle with Ding Yuqin and had been dyed. But it wasn¡¯t toote to look now. Not counting the Zombie Core, the stubborn zombie had dropped a total of three items. They were [Defense Potion (small) X2], [Defense Potion (small) blueprint xi], and [Stubborn Armor Blueprint xl]. There was a detailed introduction below. [Defense Potion (small): After injection, defense is increased for 1 minute, with a cooldown of 12 hours.] This item seemed to correspond to the Strength Potion. If one were to inject both Strength Potion and Defense Potion at the same time, wouldn¡¯t one have both high attack and strong defense? However, it was a pity that, whether it was the Strength Potion or the Defense Potion, the duration was only 1 minute. It would have been better if itsted longer. [Defense Potion (small) Blueprint: Once learned, one can make five [Defense Potion (small)) each time. Required materials: Defense Mushroom xl, Zombie Crystal Core xl, Purified Water 100ml, 10 kilocalories of food] This blueprint was simr to the blueprint for the Strength Potion, only recing ¡°Strength Mushroom¡± with ¡°Defense Mushroom¡±. It¡¯s unclear where these mushrooms are to be found. Wang Tao guessed there was a good chance they were in the suburbs. But he couldn¡¯t possibly go to the suburbs yet; it was too dangerous. These two potion blueprints differed from the earlier Rush Right Arm Blueprint and Food Compressor Blueprint. Even without materials, one could learn the potion blueprints directly. Once learned, it¡¯s like acquiring a skill¡ªthis he discovered a few days ago, although he hadn¡¯t paid it much attention initially. So now he had learned the [Strength Potion (small)] recipe and, as long as he had the materials, he could make it directly. Then, with a thought, he instantly learned the [Defense Potion (small)] recipe. Now, he had mastered the method for making two kinds of potions. Too bad hecked materials¡­ Chapter 106 - 87: Stubborn Zombie (Seeking Chapter 106: Chapter 87: Stubborn Zombie (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Tickets)¡ª3 Trantor: 549690339 1 But the Rush Right Arm and the Food Compressor blueprints are different, as using them consumes the blueprint. Each blueprint can only create one item. In other words, once the item is crafted, the blueprint is gone. The third thing that the stubborn armor zombie dropped also belongs to this kind¡ª [Stubborn Armor Blueprint: Forgeable: a double-sided chest armor, materials needed: Iron Block*2, Steel Wire*2, Screw*2, Rope*2, Nails*2, Rubber*2, stic*2, Cable*2, Electronic Components*2, Battery*2] [Stubborn Armor: Very resilient and can withstand des and gunfire. Durability+20, defensive power+20] Wang Tao felt that the materials required for this piece of armor blueprint were roughly the same as those for the Rush Right Arm and even the description was simr. However, its attributes were twice that of the Rush Right Arm. Wang Tao checked the materials in his Space Backpack. The zombies he had previously killed had just provided enough. So with a thought from Wang Tao, the Stubborn Armor Blueprint along with various materials appeared in his hand. ¡°Forgeable¡± also appeared on the Stubborn Armor Blueprint. Confirm crafting! All materials instantly turned into streams of light and entered the blueprint. With a sh of light, a matte ck double-sided chest armor appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this?¡± Ding Yuqin, who was lying on top of Wang Tao, suddenly felt a sh of light. She turned her head and saw the pitch-ck armor in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. ¡°Nice stuff.¡± Wang Tao patted Ding Yuqin, signaling her to get up. Then, he put on the armor. Like the Rush Right Arm, the armor was adjustable. Wang Tao made some minor adjustments, and it fit his body very well. The material of the armor was a bit different from that of the arm guards; it wasn¡¯t as hard but had some flexibility to it. It didn¡¯t hinder his movements much after he put it on. ¡°Not bad at all!¡± Wang Tao was very satisfied with this item. As for its defensive power, there was no need for testing¡ªhe was certain it would be better than a bulletproof vest. This Stubborn Armor would now be his go-to gear. As for the bulletproof vest he was wearing, Wang Tao directly handed it to Ding Yuqin. ¡°Put the bulletproof vest onter.¡± If Wang Tao wore bothyers, it would hinder his movements too much, which made the vest perfect for Ding Yuqin. ¡°Okay!¡± Ding Yuqin happily epted it. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower; sis,e scrub my back.¡± Wang Tao took off the armor and headed to the bathroom. ¡°Oh, oh!¡± Ding Yuqin hurriedly followed him. After showering, the two ate something simple and then started packing up. Wang Tao nned to leave early the next morning, so he had to get everything ready in advance. ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of stuff¡­¡± Looking at the list of items sorted out, Wang Tao felt a bit of a headache. In this post-apocalyptic world, many things have be worthless, like real estate and finance. But there were also many items no longer producible, and even if he didn¡¯t need them now, they were still valuable. These were the things Wang Tao had collected with great effort, and he was reluctant to throw them away. But with so much, his car could not amodate them all¡­ After some thought, Wang Tao decided to take the pickup truck as well. Both vehicles could almost carry all these items. As for the noise issue with the pickup truck, it wasn¡¯t too bad. The rain outside was heavy, and if he was careful, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. After all, some people from Shuize Base went out in gasoline vehicles. Picking and choosing, he kept sorting things out until nightfall, finally managing to fill both vehicles. ¡°We are leaving now; suddenly feeling a bit reluctant¡­ Wang Tao looked out at the rain and felt a pang of regret. Ding Yuqin snuggled up to Wang Tao without a word. She did not feel any reluctance; in fact, she wanted to leave as soon as possible to start a new life with Wang Tao. ¡°But home is safe for now. To just walk away from here seems wasteful¡­ Maybe it should be transformed a little, into a temporary safe house!¡± After all, Happy Community had been the ce where Wang Tao managed to survive for a month after the apocalypse began. Leaving it behind now seemed a waste. Shuize Base people would set up temporary safe houses outside the base. In case of danger or needing to spend the night somewhere, they would rather stay in these safe houses than in an unfamiliar ce. No sooner had he thought this than Wang Tao began nning with Ding Yuqin how to transform the ce into a temporary safe house. After all no one else would be living here from now on, so Wang Tao needed to ensure that zombies couldn¡¯t get in, and he had to prevent other survivors from taking over the ce. After all, it was his own house, and he was not that generous to share with others. After some discussion, they decided to turn Building No. 4 into a temporary safe house. The wholemunity was too big for him to handle, and there was no need. Not to mention that themunity¡¯s walls couldn¡¯t keep out the mad demon zombies that could climb. Wang Tao originally nned to leave the next morning, but because of the work on the temporary safe house, he was dyed another day. After a whole day¡¯s work, he finallypleted the temporary safe house. Almost all the windows of Building No. 4 were sealed from the inside, except for two that looked almost sealed. These were left as an exit for Wang Tao- only essible through there, as he had sealed the doors to the building¡¯s units from the inside as well. If he could pick locks, so could others; by sealing the door, no amount of skill could open it. Then there was the rooftop. He ced things like metal barrels and some wood up there. If mad demon zombies climbed up, he could light a fire and drive them back. As for the interior, naturally, he left behind some supplies that were a waste to eat but too good to discard¡­ On the third day, at noon. ¡°Let¡¯s go, time to set off.¡± Chapter 107 - 88 The Murderer (Please support with a monthly ticket) _1 Chapter 107: Chapter 88 The Murderer (Please support with a monthly ticket) _1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°I, I¡¯m a little scared¡­¡± Ding Yuqin sat in the driver¡¯s seat of the pickup truck, looking somewhat afraid. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, just follow me. Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao smacked her on the buttocks firmly. With two vehicles to manage, Ding Yuqin had to drive one of them. Wang Tao had made some modifications to this pickup truck, adding steel tes to the outside and iron wire to the windows. As long as they didn¡¯t run into any particrly formidable special infected zombies, the safety was not an issue. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Although Ding Yuqin was scared, she also knew that it was just the two of them, and someone had to drive. Leading the way was more dangerous, so her following in the other car was rtively safe. Wang Tao led the way in the off-road vehicle, with Ding Yuqin closely following behind, slowly leaving Happy Community. Wang Tao had originally nned to think of a way to deal with the two special infected zombies they encountered on their way back, but now with an extra vehicle, he thought better of it. He decided to deal with themter. Nevertheless, Wang Tao still passed by the area where they had seen the special infected zombies, taking a look to see how these two zombies were doing. ¡°Eh? They¡¯ve split up!¡± Through his binocrs, Wang Tao observed that the Self-exploder and the Terrorizer were no longer together; the two were tens of meters apart. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao¡¯s sharp eyesight, he might have missed them. ¡°To do it or not to do it¡­ Let¡¯s do it!¡± Seeing a rare opportunity, Wang Tao decided to give it a try. Otherwise, he didn¡¯t know when he would next encounter a Terrorizer. ¡°Sister-inw, wait in the car for me. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Wang Tao instructed Ding Yuqin over the walkie-talkie. ¡°Ah? Oh¡­ okay!¡± Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t dare to ask more questions. Wang Tao, carrying a firefighter axe, braved the heavy rain and approached the tall Terrorizer on the street. Even though the Self-exploder zombies were easier to deal with, they were too noisy. It was better to deal with the Terrorizer first; as for the Self-exploder, he would ignore it for now. Just as when he hunted down stubborn zombies before, Wang Tao first dealt with the ordinary zombies surrounding the area before taking on the Terrorizer in a one-on-one fight. However, this Terrorizer¡¯s senses were sharper than those of the stubborn zombies, and it quickly detected Wang Tao. Handling the Terrorizer was something Wang Tao was getting quite good at. While dodging its attacks, he took the opportunity to kill all the ordinary zombies in the vicinity. Bang! The Terrorizer¡¯s hammer swing missed once more, and the shockwave didn¡¯t hit Wang Tao either. Wang Tao looked at the zombie, with the corner of his mouth slightly raised. Now that he had improved in all aspects of his strength, he wondered how much of an advantage he had over this Terrorizer! Taking advantage of the Terrorizer¡¯s momentary stiffness after its attack, Wang Tao surged forward, swinging the firefighter axe in his right hand viciously toward the Terrorizer¡¯s head. [-311] [1689/2000] The power behind that strike surprised Wang Tao. He was not clear at the moment how high his damage was. He had wanted to test it on the stubborn zombie, but its defensive power was too high. He could hardly make a dent, so there was no way to test it. As for the ordinary zombies, they were all killed with one axe swing, so there was no way to test on them either. Now, hitting this Terrorizer, Wang Tao finally had a rough idea of his own lethality ¡ª in the past, his pistol would cause 300 damage attacking the Terrorizer¡¯s head, and now, one swing of his axe also dealt roughly 300 damage! That meant, his full-power strike was nowparable to the power of a bullet from his pistol, possibly even higher. After all, this Terrorizer had more HP, and its defensive power might be stronger¡­ While pondering this in his mind, Wang Tao didn¡¯t stop his movements. He dodged its attacks and struck its head vigorously with his axe. In less than thirty seconds, while dodging the attacks, Wang Tao sessfully struck six axe blows to its head. Sputter! [-410] [0/2000] The Rioters zombie fell to its knees, and a purple zombie crystal core popped out from its skull. Wang Tao caught it casually and then picked up the spoils dropped by the Terrorizer, as well as the weapon that fell. Wang Tao nced at his HP, adding 50, now showing [1150/1150]. [Received: 2 small Strength Potions] [Received: 1 Reinforced Concrete Street Light] The two strength potions were quite good. This street light, like the Reinforced Concrete Hammer, could also be stored in the Space Backpack. Then came the crystal core. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¡ö Shockwave] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: sensitivity to light)] The luck wasn¡¯t bad¡ªit was an excellent quality crystal core. Wang Tao felt around the zombie¡¯s body, and finding nothing but a crushed box of cigarettes, there was nothing else. At this moment, the Self-exploder zombie seemed to have heard something and started to move slowly towards Wang Tao¡¯s location. Wang Tao decisively retreated. Having dealt with the Terrorizer, there was no need to confront the Self-exploder. If it attracted a swarm of zombies, it would be impossible to leave. Quickly getting back to his vehicle, Wang Tao said to Ding Yuqin over the walkie-talkie: ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two vehicles hit the road again, this time without stopping, they smoothly arrived at Shuize Base. Seeing the fence surrounded by barbed wire, the soldiers fully armed on the watchtowers, and the sturdy gates, Ding Yuqin felt a surge of excitement. Atst, they had arrived at the Survivor Base! As their vehicle approached the gate, the doors of the base slowly opened. A few fully armed soldiers saluted Wang Tao¡¯s vehicle. Having be a member of the base¡¯smittee, everyone was sure to remember things associated with him, like his vehicle. However, the necessary inspection still had to be done, which was indeed essential. After all, if there were zombies hiding under the car, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t be able to see them. Although zombies didn¡¯t have such intelligence yet, it was better to be cautious. Chapter 108 - 88: The Murderer (Please Support with Monthly Votes)_2 Chapter 108: Chapter 88: The Murderer (Please Support with Monthly Votes)_2 Trantor: 549690339 Two cars drove under the canopy, and Wang Tao called out to Ding Yuqin to get out of the car. Ding Yuqin hurried over and stood closely by Wang Tao¡¯s side, curiously taking in her surroundings. ¡°Commissioner Wang, good to see you!¡± A few soldiers saluted Wang Tao, which surprised Ding Yuqin. She was still unaware of Wang Tao¡¯s status at the base. Little did she know the soldiers were just as surprised; they thought Commissioner Wang was impressive, managing to bring back such a beautiful woman after just one trip! ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then took out a pack of cigarettes and offered them to the men. Although he was now a member of the base¡¯smittee, Wang Tao was still quite approachable. After all, these soldiers were the backbone of the base, and it was necessary to show them respect. ¡°Thanks, Commissioner Wang!¡± The soldiers epted the cigarettes, but their expressions were not very joyful. ¡°Has something happened at the base?¡± Wang Tao asked, puzzled. ¡°Themittee just announced that Commissioner Song Jinghong has encountered an unforeseen event¡­¡± One of the soldiers began to exin. ¡°Hmm?¡± Wang Tao was taken aback. Previously, everyone had suspected that something had happened to Song Jinghong, but there had been no proof. And it was also possible that he was just hiding somewhere, not necessarily in trouble. But now that it was announced, it meant that evidence of Song Jinghong¡¯s death had been found. The death of amittee member, especially one so well-regarded, saddened everyone for Song Jinghong¡¯s passing. ¡°Commissioner Wang, we¡¯ve finished checking everything. There are no zombies hidden in or around your vehicle! Neither you nor yourpanion have any issues with your eyes.¡± The inspecting soldier hastened to report. ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then gestured for Ding Yuqin to get back in the car. Soon, the two vehicles arrived at themittee members¡¯ living area, stopping in front of Building 8. After getting out, Wang Tao called over a few guards to help him move things. Wang Tao was an approachable person, but he saw no reason to spurn the power at his disposal. The guards were shocked and envious when they saw the fresh green chives on the pickup truck; it was just like Commissioner Wang to manage to find such good stuff on an outing! They, the ordinary folk, eating gruel every day, had almost forgotten what vegetables tasted like¡­ While the guards were busy moving things, Ding Yuqin approached Wang Tao and asked softly with curiosity: ¡°Wang Tao, what is your status at the base? Why do they all respect you so much? I see they all address you as Commissioner Wang. What is amissioner?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, just one of the eight highest-ranking people in the entire base.¡± Wang Tao replied with a somewhat boastful smile. ¡°Wow!¡± eximed Ding Yuqin, both surprised and then finding it reasonable. After all, she knew how powerful Wang Tao was. Plus, Wang Tao was an Ability User, so it was not surprising for him to be one of the leaders of a Survivor Base. Once everything had been moved into the house, Wang Tao said to Ding Yuqin: ¡°See how you can arrange these thingster; I¡¯m heading to the main building.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ding Yuqin happily began nning their small home while Wang Tao drove to the main building. In arge conference room on the second floor, Wang Tao joined Wei Zhenguo and others, including Han Rui and some officials in key positions. Everyone¡¯s expression was rather somber, with a mix of sadness and anger. Especially Han Rui¡ªher eyes were swollen, as if she had cried a long time. ¡°WangTao, you¡¯ve returned!¡± Wei Zhenguo, sitting in a wheelchair, waved him over. Beside him was a seat reserved for Wang Tao. On his other side sat a young man in a military uniform, whom Wang Tao didn¡¯t recognize. He was certainly one of themittee members, Lu Gang. His HP bar read! 535/535], no Hidden Attributes, no mana bar, and no impurities. ¡°This is Lu Gang, who just returned this morning.¡± ¡°This is Wang Tao, the new member of our base¡¯smittee.¡± Wei Zhenguo introduced Wang Tao and Lu Gang to each other. ¡°Hello!¡± The two shook hands, and Wang Tao could clearly feel the calluses on Lu Gang¡¯s hands¡ªmarked by a life fed with bullets. Lu Gang, on the other hand, gave Wang Tao¡¯s physique an extra nce, with a hint of envy in his eyes. ¡°Is there confirmed news about Commissioner Song Jinghong¡¯s situation?¡± Wang Tao asked Wei Zhenguo. ¡°There is¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo looked toward Lu Gang, who spoke with a sad tone: ¡°I sawOld Song¡¯s body yesterday¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? A body?¡± Wang Tao frowned. In this post-apocalyptic world, the dead typically turned into zombies or became zombie fodder. Encountering a mere body¡­ was rather rare. ¡°Yes, a body. Old Song was dismembered; I could only find his head and one arm¡­¡± Lu Gang clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with fury. ¡°What!¡± Wang Tao was shocked and his face also showed anger. Zombies wouldn¡¯t dismember victims; this was definitely the work of a survivor! ¡°His head was hanging from a telephone pole, surrounded by zombies, so I couldn¡¯t take it with me. I found his hand on a rooftop¡­¡± ¡°Wuuu¡­¡± Han Rui covered her mouth, weeping. Song Jinghong had been more than just her senior leader¡ªhe was her teacher, her family. With her parents already dead, her closest teacher had also died, and not just any death but a brutal one¡­ Even the usually strong-willed her couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. Bang! Xiang Hongbin mmed his hand on the table, his gaze fierce. ¡°Damn it, if I find out who did this, I¡¯ll y them alive!¡± The others also had faces full of anger. If it had been an attack by zombies, it would have been a matter of being outmatched and they could only take out their anger on zombies. But an attack by survivors? That was utterly uneptable! Chapter 109 - 88 The Murderer (Please support with a monthly ticket) 3 Chapter 109: Chapter 88 The Murderer (Please support with a monthly ticket) 3 Trantor: 549690339 Especially Song Jinghong, he was unlike the others, revered both before and after the apocalypse. It was impossible for him to have offended anyone. His recent outing was solely to save survivors! He could have stayed back, but he chose to go anyway. To think that such a man was murdered, even dismembered and hung on a utility pole¡­ This is the work of a beast! ¡°Whether for Old Song himself or for us at the Suize Survivor Base, this is unforgivable!¡± Ren Jie rapped on the table, his tone chilling. Song Jinghong was amissioner of the Shuize Base, representing not just himself but the entire base. Such an act was a provocation¡ªno, it was a deration of war against the Shuize Base! We must avenge Song Jinghong; blood for blood! ¡°When do we act? I certainly won¡¯t be absent!¡± Wang Tao clenched his fists. Now that he was amissioner of the Shuize Base, it was natural for him to take action. Although he had no personal connection with Song Jinghong, even never having met him, he couldn¡¯t tolerate such acts. If he didn¡¯t show some resolve now, people might think the Shuize Base was afraid! However, after Wang Tao said this, he discovered a hint of embarrassment on everyone¡¯s faces. Lu Gang shook his head. ¡°But we don¡¯t know who killed Old Song, and we haven¡¯t found any survivor camps nearby¡­¡± Indeed, it was the apocalypse now. Zombies were everywhere, and survivors were scarce, let alone murderers. Unless someone witnessed the act, it would be tough to find them. This is likely to be an unsolved case. Everyone was frustrated, knowing full well that Song Jinghong was murdered, yet they couldn¡¯t even find the culprit. ¡°Where did you find Commissioner Song¡¯s body?¡± Wang Tao asked, frowning. ¡°Right at the intersection of Evergreen Road and Xingguo Road¡­¡± Lu Gang pointed at a spot on the map ced on the table. ¡°Here?¡± Wang Tao suddenly paused, then as if remembering something, asked urgently, ¡°What was Commissioner Song¡¯s badge number?¡± Everyone seemed confused; no one had made a point to remember it. But Han Rui and Feng Ming¡¯an spoke up simultaneously: ¡°8¡­¡± Upon hearing the number, Wang Tao fished into his pocket, pulled out a metal number tag, andid it on the table. Everyone¡¯s breath hitched. Because the number on the metal tag matched the number Han Rui and Feng Ming¡¯an had said! ¡°Is this Old Song¡¯s badge?!¡± Wei Zhenguo looked urgently at Wang Tao, ¡°How did it end up with you? Where did you find this¡­¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze shifted nervously toward Wang Tao. It wasn¡¯t that they suspected Wang Tao of being the murderer; after all, the timing and his motive didn¡¯t align. What they wanted to know was whether the badge had been found somewhere. If so, that could provide a lead to the murderer! ¡°So it seems¡­ it must be them!¡± Wang Tao tapped on the table, then exined to everyone, ¡°In an old mall¡­¡± He roughly recounted his visit to the mall, omitting the gory details of his zombie-killing but covering everything else that happened there. That included his chance sighting of the badge number, his suspicion that the other party had a gun, and that the mall was ravaged by a special zombie. After hearing this, Xiang Hongbin mmed his hand on the table. ¡°It has to be them! Old Song¡¯sbadge was with them, and from what you said, they also seemed to be hiding something¡­ They¡¯re clearly guilty!¡± The others were also filled with anger. This was a group Wang Tao had encountered a few days ago, and the old mall was near Evergreen Road, and that group surely wasn¡¯t up to any good. They now had the time, the location, and even a motive¡ªthey might have coveted Song Jinghong¡¯s gun or his supplies¡ª which was enough to make them prime suspects! ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m going to take them out right now!¡± Xiang Hongbin was impulsive. He rose to leave but was stopped by Wei Zhenguo. ¡°Wait! Didn¡¯t Wang Tao just mention that there was a huge zombie, three or four meters tall, that nearly destroyed the building? What if you startle the zombies there, do you think you can handle them?¡± Xiang Hongbin hesitated, having momentarily forgotten about that. If he indeed encountered this unknown zombie, he wasn¡¯t confident in his ability to defeat it. ¡°We must n carefully. After all, they likely have guns, and there¡¯s a terrifying zombie lurking there¡­ We have already lost two main fighters in just a few days; we can¡¯t afford any more injuries!¡± This made Xiang Hongbin¡¯s expression darken even more since one of those losses had a direct connection to him. He wanted to vent his anger! ¡°Alright, you all can leave now. We need to discuss this among ourselves.¡± Ren Jie waved his hand. ¡°Yes!¡± The others promptly stood up and left. They had summoned so many people in hopes of gleaning any clues. Now that they had one, it was time to formte a n of action, and themissioners alone were enough for that. After rising, Han Rui did not leave immediately but approached Wang Tao, her expression a mix of anger and pleading: ¡°Wang Tao, Commissioner Wang, please let me join the mission. I want to avenge Old Song with my own hands! Please!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Wang Tao nodded, neither agreeing nor outright refusing. ¡°Thank you!¡± Han Rui brought her hands together in gratitude toward Wang Tao. Once everyone left, only the sevenmissioners remained in the meeting room. Lu Gang spoke without hesitation: ¡± I can lead this mission. As long as we know their exact location, I can snipe them directly!¡± ¡°Noway!¡± Wei Zhenguo shook his head firmly, ¡°It¡¯s too risky! You were just saying this morning how dangerous it is to fire a gun outside, as it could attract Mad Demon Zombies¡­ Besides, they may not be near the windows, and you may not have a shot for a clean kill.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Lu Gang¡¯s face contorted with discontent. Wei Zhenguo turned to Wang Tao to exin: ¡°Lu Gang reported this morning that sniping special zombies has be much more difficult. Wherever he shoots, Mad Demon Zombies appear, so the idea of sniping the murderer¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem suitable¡­¡± ¡°Snipe them? That would be letting them off easy! If you ask me, I should lead the assault, storm in directly!¡± Wang Tao sneered coldly. ¡°What?¡± The others were somewhat shocked. The adversaries had the high ground and were armed. Wasn¡¯t Wang Tao being too reckless? Life isn¡¯t a game; you only have one! ¡°Although¡­ my strength stillcks somewhat.¡± Wang Tao shook his head regretfully, ¡°If only I had some more Zombie Cores to enhance my strength¡­ that would be more reassuring!¡± Chapter 110 - 89: Merging Two Epic Crystal Cores 1 Chapter 110: Chapter 89: Merging Two Epic Crystal Cores 1 Trantor: 549690339 , ¡°Zombie Cores enhance strength? We have Zombie Cores?¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Lu Gang blurted out without thinking. ¡°Can I use them?¡± Wang Tao looked towards the other few people. Themittee members exchanged nces with each other, and Wei Zhengu opened his mouth to say: ¡°You¡¯re also amittee member, so naturally, you can use them, as long as most people agree. However¡­¡± Ren Jie continued: ¡°However, these Zombie Cores were not obtained easily. We can¡¯t waste them and we can¡¯t let a single person use them all. So¡­ ahem, please be a bit more ¡¯ conservative.¡± The othermittee members also expressed their opinions. The use of the Zombie Cores could currently only be decided by themittee, but they shouldn¡¯t be used haphazardly. Wang Tao could certainly use them, after all he was amittee member. But he couldn¡¯t take them all for himself. Even if he was the only Ability User right now, the cores couldn¡¯t be given to him exclusively. ¡°Haha, rest assured on that matter!¡± Seeing that everyone had no objections, Wang Tao felt somewhat happy and he exined with a smile: ¡°Even as an Ability User, not all Zombie Cores can be used; it¡¯s best to use the same type. One person might be able to merge many cores of the same type, but definitely can¡¯t merge too many of different types. So even if I wanted to use many cores, I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Everyone suddenly understood. Wang Tao took the opportunity to tell them about the situation with Zombie Cores and Ability Users. In the future, if they became Ability Users, they would definitely discover these things. Wang Tao was just offering them a favor. After all, they had agreed to let him use the Zombie Cores, so he should at least show some gratitude. Themittee members all pricked up their ears to listen to WangTao¡¯s popr science lesson, as it was a rare opportunity. ¡°I want to be an Ability User too! Even if there are side effects, it¡¯s still better than being an ordinary person!¡± Feng Ming¡¯an clenched his fists. ¡°That¡¯s only natural.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°You guys discuss first, I¡¯ll go get the Zombie Cores.¡± Lu Gang stood up and left the meeting room. In Shuize Base, most of the Zombie Cores had been hunted by Lu Gang given that he had always specifically hunted special zombies. Thus, he managed the cores. It had to be said, the trust everyone ced in Lu Gang was substantial, which also proved that his integrity wasmendable. Moreover, WangTao noticed that there were no impurities in his body! This meant that despite having hunted so many special zombies, he had never merged even a single Crystal Core! One had to say, such self-restraint was really impressive! Soon, Lu Gang came back carrying a backpack. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s very difficult to collect Zombie Cores now¡­ All the cores of our base are here¡­¡± Lu Gang sighed. Before the emergence of Mad Demon Zombies, he could snipe special zombies from a distance and retreat before zombies arrived. As long as the escape route was prepared in advance, there would be no problem. But now, that was no longer possible. Mad Demon Zombies were simply everywhere! If you prepared in advance, you could also retreat, but the risk was still too great. Yesterday, after he sniped a special zombie, he was surrounded by arriving Mad Demons, and if not for his two assistants, he might have already been done for¡­ Wang Tao took the backpack and opened it in front of everyone. Gurgle- Upon seeing the Zombie Cores in the backpack, everyone instinctively swallowed. As an Ability User who had seen many Zombie Cores, Wang Tao appeared much calmer than them. However, upon seeing the Cores inside, Wang Tao became slightly agitated. Good lord, no wonder their fusion experiments failed several times-all seven Zombie Cores here were of White Ordinary Quality. The fusion sess rate of White Ordinary Crystal Cores was 20%, so it made sense that not a single attempt had seeded. ¡°Oh right, I got another Crystal Core yesterday, I forgot to take it out of the car but that one is blue¡­¡±??????? ¡¯ Lu Gang went out again, and before long, he walked in with a blue Crystal Core. Wang Tao really looked at Lu Gang with new respect. To hold a Crystal Core in his hands and have the discipline not to use it¡­ Wang Tao himself hadn¡¯t been able to resist. ¡°You really are impressive, to be able to hold out like that¡­¡± Wang Tao gave a thumbs up. Upon hearing this, Lu Gang smiled and shook his head. ¡°Back when I carried out missions, I could lie in one spot for 24 hours without moving much. The temptation of a Zombie Core really isn¡¯t that big a deal for me.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± No wonder everyone agreed to let Lu Gang manage the Zombie Cores-his self-discipline was strong. When Wang Tao saw the Crystal Core in Lu Gang¡¯s hand, his face lit up with joy. It was a Shockwave Crystal Core! [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Shockwave] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Sensitivity to light)] Today, Wang Tao had killed a Terrorizer Zombie on his way back, obtaining an [Excellent (60%)] Quality Core! Didn¡¯t this mean he could merge an Epic Crystal Core without any side effects! ¡°I need this Core!¡± Wang Tao spoke up directly. ¡°Sure.¡± Lu Gang handed over the Shockwave Crystal Core to Wang Tao, then he asked curiously: Why is this Crystal Core blue, while the others are white?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯ t hide anything, exining: Because the blue one has a higher fusion sess rate.¡± ¡°How much higher?¡± The others looked somewhat excited, if the sess rate was high, didn¡¯t it mean they too had a chance of bing Ability Users? However, WangTao¡¯s next words left them somewhat disappointed. Chapter 111 - 89: Merging Two Epic Crystal Cores 2 Chapter 111: Chapter 89: Merging Two Epic Crystal Cores 2 Trantor: 549690339 The sess rate of fusing White Zombie Cores is roughly 20%, and these are the lowest quality cores. For blue ones, it¡¯s 40%¡­ Don¡¯t ask howl know, once you be Ability Users, you¡¯ll just sense it.¡± Wang Tao certainly couldn¡¯t exin his special ability, so he attributed everything to being an Ability User. If others couldn¡¯ t discover it after bing Ability Users themselves, then it could only be said that people are different¡­ ¡°Only 40%!¡± Ren Jie shook his head. A probability of less than 50% didn¡¯t seem high. Of course, that was still much better than the 20% for White ones. It was only then that everyone understood why Wang Tao¡¯s expression had been a bit strange just now. It turned out that all the Zombie Cores they had were of the lowest quality¡­ There are even higher-quality cores, with Purple ones at 60%, Red at 80% and Orange at 100%!¡± *Hiss¡ª* ¡°So you¡¯re saying, if I can get an Orange Zombie Core, my chances of bing an Ability User are 100%?¡± Lu Gang was somewhat excited. Although he had strong self-control, this didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t want to be an Ability User. The main reason for his self-control was that he wasn¡¯t sure if there were any downsides to eating these Zombie Cores-fortunately, he hadn¡¯t eaten any, as he had learned from Wei Zhenguo that the cores all contained impurities which would umte whether the fusion was sessful or not! ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Tao nodded, then added, ¡°So I suggest, if you all really want to try fusing with Zombie Cores to be Ability Users, it¡¯s best to choose Purple Red, or Orange ones.¡±? ¡¯ ¡°What kind of core did you fuse with when you gained your ability?¡± Wei Zhenguo asked curiously. ¡°Orange.¡± Wang Tao had indeed fused with an Orange core, albeit through the synthesis of two cores. ¡°No wonder!¡± The crowd suddenly realized why none of them had gained an ability from their experiments while Wang Tao had-turns out he used a core with a 100% fusion sess rate! So, do you ail still agree to let me use this core?¡± Wang Tao disyed the Blue Crystal Core in his hand. Everyone nodded in agreement. Although the sess rate of Blue Crystal Cores was higher than that of White ones, a probability of 40% was still low. An unsessful fusion with a Zombie Core could lead to umtion of impurities in the body, which could eventually turn someone into a zombie! It was a bit risky, and even Xiang Hongbin, who had already fused with a Zombie Core, wanted to y it safe this time. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take it then.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then cast his gaze once more upon the other Zombie Cores which he had not yet had the chance to properly examine. There were a total of seven Zombie Cores, including three [Level 1 Crystal Cores ¨C Self Detonation], one [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Glutton], one [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Toughness], one [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Self-healing], and one [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Rush]. Apart from ¡°Self-healing,¡± Wang Tao had seen all of the others. And it seemed that, except for Self Detonation and Glutton, he could use the rest! ¡°Cough, to be honest with you guys, I¡¯ve found that these cores seem to be useful to me¡­¡± Everyone: Zem all? S¡ãme th6m? Wang Ta¡ã thinking ¡ãf taking Even though these were just White Rank, Ordinary Zombie Cores, it still wasn¡¯t right to take them all away. Besides, everyone would definitely not agree to it. However, Wang Tao quickly added: ¡°Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be right for me to take all of them, so how about I take two more? What do you think?¡± *Phew¡ª* Upon hearing that Wang Tao would take only two more, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Sure!¡± Wei Zhenguo was the first to nod, and the others also expressed their agreement. Counting the Blue Crystal Core from before, that made a total of eight cores Wang Tao would be taking three-he was taking many, but for them, it was still eptable. It was better than Wang Tao taking them all. Wang Tao naturally chose [Iron Skin] and [Self-healing] as the two additional cores. He had obtained an ¡°Excellent (80%)¡± Toughness core the day before. Coupled wtth this ¡°Ordinary (20%)¡± one, he could now create an Epic Crystal Core. Getting two Epic Crystal Cores in one day felt great! As for the [Self-healing], while Wang Tao didn¡¯t need it immediately, it represented a significant Ability! [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Self-healing] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Reduced tactile sensation)] [Self-healing: Over a duration, allows slow recovery from certain injuries] If he gamed the Self-healing ability,bined with Iron Skin, wouldn¡¯t he be an indestructible cockroach? But the specifics would only be known after gaining the ability. For now, he¡¯d keep the core, which mighte in handyter. As for the [Rush] Crystal Core, although Wang Tao could use it, his current Rush Crystal Core was of ¡°Excellent (60%)¡± Quality. Even adding this Core would only make it 80%, not the 100% Epic Quality. Naturally, he would not use it. He didn¡¯t want to umte impurities within his body. After taking the two Zombie Cores, Wang Tao asked about the specifics of this Self-healing zombie, in case he had the chance to encounter it in the future and needed to be cautious. Lu Gang told him it was an obese zombie. When he had sniped it before, he thought he had killed it each time, but it didn¡¯t die. It took several shots to finally kill it¡­ Wang Tao mentally noted the appearance of this particr zombie to be wary in the future. Of course, Wang Tao also inquired about the origin of the Iron Skin Zombie Core. They had encountered arge horde of zombies half a month ago and killed them just by spraying them with gunfire. The Defense was high on the tough ones, but they couldn¡¯t withstand a barrage of bullets. Chapter 112 - 89: Merging Two Epic Crystal Chapter 112: Chapter 89: Merging Two Epic Crystal Cores 3 Trantor: 549690339 As for the Self-Destruct Crystal Core, these were obtained in recent days, and Lu Gang hasn¡¯t yet remembered to inform the base about the information on Suicide Bombing Zombies. Otherwise, Xiang Hongbin wouldn¡¯t have been so unlucky. Wang Tao, you have to tell us, what are the functions of these Zombie Cores?¡± Feng Ming¡¯an suddenly said. Everyone turned their gaze to Wang Tao, as they had some guesses about the abilities of these Zombie Cores, but after all, they were not very certain. Alright. First, I¡¯ll talk about the three Crystal Cores I took, which are Shockwave, Toughness, and Self-healing¡­¡± Wang Tao gave a brief exnation. Besides a more detailed exnation of Shockwave, he didn¡¯t say much about Toughness and Self-healing, since he hadn¡¯t learned them himself. Moreover, he said these were deductions made from the Zombie Cores¡¯ characteristics, which might not be urate. Everyone was a bit bewildered because aside from the Shockwave Crystal Core, which clearly had a moving ripple inside, the Toughness Crystal Core had a small ck figure inside, and the Self-healing Crystal Core had a green seed inside¡­ How could one deduce their uses from that? However, Wang Tao was an Ability User, and they were not, so what Wang Tao said was taken as authoritative, and they couldn¡¯t refute it. ¡°As for the remaining few Crystal Cores, they are Self-Destruct, Rush and Glutton¡­¡± After listening to Wang Tao¡¯s exnation for these three Crystal Cores, several people looked at each other with uncertainty. Rush was understandable, as this Ability seemed simr to Wang Tao¡¯s Shockwave and was an offensive ability. But Glutton and Self-Destruct were just absurd. Especially Self-Destruct, even if one learned this ability, one could only use it once in a lifetime¡­ ¡°Could we consider creating some suicide bombers?¡± Xiang Hongbin suddenly spoke up. Everyone was taken aback for a moment, and Wei Zhenguo red at Xiang Hongbin. ¡°Impossible, we¡¯re losing soldiers as it is! They¡¯re precious!¡± ¡°Cough, I wasn¡¯t talking about our soldiers¡­¡± Everyone fell into silence. ¡°If we encounter insurmountable difficulties, having suicide bombers might change the oue¡­ I¡¯ve seen the power of Suicide Bombing Zombies, they¡¯reparable to a small bomb¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin noticed nobody was speaking and shook his head. ¡®???Forget it, it¡¯s impractical. Nobody wants to be a suicide bomber it has to be voluntary. Survivors don¡¯t have that awareness, although we do¡­ but we don¡¯t have enough people, sigh!¡± Wang Tao wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. Good grief, they were actually considering suicide bombers? He¡¯d thought that the Self-Destruct Crystal Core was useless¡­ Indeed, he had been thinking too small! ¡°As for Glutton, it could also be a good ability. If someone could gain this ability, couldn¡¯t they be like a human shield?¡± But it can¡¯t defend against the zombie virus, and to sustain a Glutton, our base¡¯s food might not be sufficient¡­¡± ¡°¡­Alright then, they all seem powerful, but also have big limitations!¡± Xiang Hongbin sighed. The information I have on Zombie Cores is just as I¡¯ve said. If you get any Zombie Cores in the future and want to fuse them, I suggest you show them to me first so I can give you some advice¡­¡± Wang Tao spread his hands. ¡°Of course!¡± Everyone nodded. Even if Wang Tao hadn¡¯t mentioned it, they would¡¯ve done the same. After all, having a living Ability User amongst them, it was natural to seek his counsel on issues. ¡°Alright then, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be on my way. I¡¯ll see if I can fuse with this Shockwave Crystal Core; if I can, my strength should increase substantially¡­¡± ¡°Great! We¡¯ll wait for your good news!¡± Everyone nodded. After Wang Tao left, they all looked at the Zombie Cores on the table, swallowing hard. Xiang Hongbin looked at Wei Zhenguo and said: ¡°Old Wei, do you think we should start focusing on hunting special zombies? I want to be an Ability User too!¡± Wei Zhenguo was conflicted. ¡°Killing special zombies is too risky¡­ but we do need to enhance our strength! Who knows if there will be other freaky zombies showing up¡­¡± The zombies outside now, I feel, have already gotten stronger! In the past, when I hunted special zombies, one shot to the head would do it, but now it¡¯ takes two or three shots! Not to mention those Mad Demon Zombies, which make it so I can¡¯t even snipe properly¡­¡± ¡°I should discuss this with Wang Taoter¡­¡± On his way home, Wang Tao synthesized the [Iron Skin] and [Shockwave] zombie cores he had ced in his Space Backpack. A momentter, he obtained two orange Epic Crystal Cores! [Level 1 Crystal Core-Shockwave] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (no side effects)] [Level 1 Crystal Core-Iron Skin] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (no side effects)] Looking at these two orange crystal cores, Wang Tao felt ted. Joining Shuize Base was indeed the right decision; otherwise, it would have taken him much more time to collect the crystal cores on his own. He returned to Building 8, where Ding Yuqin was wearing an apron and cooking dinner. ¡°Wang Tao, dinner will be ready soon!¡± ¡°Okay. But I¡¯m going to merge with a zombie core, so don¡¯t disturb me.¡± ¡°Ah? Okay!¡± Wang Tao went back to his room, then took out the Orange Shockwave Crystal Core and, without any hesitation, tossed it into his mouth. Instantly, a warm sensation emerged in his body and then disappeared, simr to thest time. Wang Tao checked his attributes. There were no changes elsewhere, just that his mana increased by 100, now totaling 200. Merger with a single zombie core increases mana by too?¡± As for whether the Shockwave ability had strengthened, he would have to test it. Wang Tao didn¡¯t go to test it right away but instead took out another Orange Toughness Crystal Core and threw it into his mouth. ¡°Whew¡ª so hot¡­¡± Wang Tao felt his body getting a tad warm, but it wasn¡¯t too ufortable. He stripped off all his clothes andy down on the bed for a while. Inwardly, Wang Tao felt that with his current strength, he could probably merge with only one or two more different types of zombie cores at most, otherwise there might be trouble! However, continuing to merge with the same types of cores that he had already merged with seemed to pose no problem; it felt like he could merge with many more of the same type¡­ Who knows how many minutes passed, but Wang Tao felt the heat on his body slowly dissipate, and he quickly checked his attributes again. His mana had increased by another 100, reaching 300. And a new skill ¡°Iron Skin¡± appeared in his abilities. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any change so far¡­¡± With a thought, Wang Tao activated the Iron Skin ability. Then, he found that the skin on his body suddenly became very hard, feeling cool and stonelike to the touch, but he still had sensation; it wasn¡¯t as if he had actually turned to stone. Moreover, his agility wasn¡¯t affected at all! And of course, he didn¡¯t turn ck. Wang Tao observed his mana; it was depleting by 1 point every second. In other words, his 300 mana couldst for 5 minutes! Of course, that¡¯s assuming he didn¡¯t use any other abilities. ¡°This ability is interesting¡­¡± But soon, Wang Tao discovered something even more interesting. His Iron Skin could not only affect his entire body, but he could also localize it to specific body parts. After deactivating Iron Skin from his entire body, Wang Tao looked at a specific part of his body and thought. It became hard, his finger became hard. Chapter 113 - 90 Assault_l Chapter 113: Chapter 90 Assault_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Wang Tao, are you alright?¡± When Wang Tao came out of the bedroom, Ding Yuqin hurriedly ran over and grabbed his hand, asking with some concern. ¡°Of course I¡¯m fine,¡± Wang Tao replied with a smile. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this? Why is it so hard?¡± Ding Yuqin was taken aback, then she held Wang Tao¡¯s hand, a curious look on her face, ¡°Your hand¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve learned a new Ability that can make some parts of the body hard. Let¡¯s try it out tonight.¡± Wang Tao poked Ding Yuqin¡¯s cheek with his rigid fingers. ¡°Ah? How are we going to try it ¡ª Hey! You¡¯re so bad! Ding Yuqin¡¯s face suddenly reddened, perhaps thinking of something. She lightly punched Wang Tao¡¯s chest. ¡°I haven¡¯t even said anything yet! Sister-inw, you sure know a lot, huh?¡± ¡°¡­You pervert! Time to eat!¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s face was still red as she pulled Wang Tao to the dining table. After a simple meal, Wang Tao said to Ding Yuqin. ¡°I have something else to do; you tidy up the house. If you need help, just call the guards outside.¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯ve got to get all these leeks nted¡­¡± In the afternoon, Wang Tao went to the main building again. Only Wei Zhenguo and Ren Jie were there. ¡°You¡¯re done already? Did it go smoothly?¡± Wei Zhenguo was somewhat surprised. ¡°It¡¯s done, everything went smoothly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Then let¡¯s discuss how we¡¯re going to deal with the survivors at the old mall!¡± Wei Zhenguo used the walkie-talkie to call over the othermittee members. After discussing, they decided to have Wang Tao lead the team. Wang Tao would take the lead, with the others supporting him. With Shuize Base¡¯s strength, they could easily deal with those survivors. However, the problem was that there was a particrly powerful zombie there. Judging by the way the first floor of the mall was destroyed, this zombie was too strong, and they might not be able to defeat it. Zombies don¡¯t fight with honor; theye inrge groups¡­ For safety¡¯s sake, it¡¯s better not to use guns. After all, they were going for revenge, not a mutual destruction. Of course, if they didn¡¯t use guns, they had to try not to let the other side use guns as well. So, they could only have Wang Tao lead the team. Given the current situation, without the use of thermal weapons, Wang Tao was likely the strongest person in the base. He was an Ability User withbat Abilities. If he couldn¡¯t handle it, then no one else could. ¡°Wang Tao, how many people are you going to bring with you? Ren Jie asked. ¡°Just one person. The rest of you just need to back me up from the outside. Wang Tao shook his head. Going by himself or with one other person, the adversaries probably wouldn t be too vignt. But if there were more people, it might threaten them, and that could cause them to open fire. ¡°Just two people¡­ Okay!¡± Wei Zhenguo was a bit worried, but he remembered having seen an Ability User, whosebat strength was much stronger than that of an ordinary person. Without guns, ordinary people had no chance against Ability Users. Although he had not seen Wang Tao¡¯s true strength, Wang Tao obviously wouldn¡¯t be worse than the Ability User he had seen before. ¡°Who are you bringing? Old Xiang? Little Lu?¡± Wei Zhenguo asked again. Xiang Hongbin and Lu Gang both looked at Wang Tao eagerly, wanting to try their luck. They had not yet had a chance to watch an Ability User fight; they wanted to witness it firsthand. But Wang Tao shook his head and named someone else. ¡°Han Rui.¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone was taken aback. ¡°You¡¯re taking Han Rui? Is she a strong fighter?¡± Ren Jie was puzzled. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just that I promised her the opportunity to take revenge with her own hands. You know, I knew her before and we had some ties.¡± ¡°I see¡­ No problem! As long as she doesn¡¯t object to it.¡± Wei Zhenguo nodded. Han Rui, being a detective, was capable of fighting and wouldn¡¯t slow Wang Tao down. After discussing a few more details, they decided to go the next day. The current rain made it easier to move out. If they waited for clear weather, it would be much more dangerous to go out. After confirming the n, Wang Tao went downstairs to look for Han Rui. She was there just in time. ¡°Tomorrow, youe with me. The two of us are going to the old mall together.¡± ¡°Thankyou!¡± Han Rui wiped her swollen eyes and gratefully responded to Wang Tao before asking, ¡°Do I need to make any preparations? ¡°Just rest well and be in your best shape.¡± Wang Tao patted Han Rui¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Okay!¡± After confirming there were no issues with Han Rui, Wang Tao went back. He wasn¡¯t bringing Han Rui because she had asked for his help, but because of her Perception Ability. As the saying goes, even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength. Wang Tao knew that Cao Xin and his four men were no match for him, but he wasn¡¯t going to let his guard down. Therefore, it was necessary to bring Han Rui. At the very least, she could sense if the opponents were hiding people ready to ambush him. That night, Wang Tao didn¡¯t fulfill his promise to ¡®try it out¡¯ with Ding Yuqin. After all, there was a battle tomorrow, and it was better to conserve energy. This caused Ding Yuqin to cast somewhat resentful nces toward Wang Tao. She had been ready to receive Wang Tao¡¯s ¡¯whip¡¯, but he didn te¡­ Wang Tao¡¯s self-control was still quite good. After exercising at night, he washed up and went to bed, rising early the next day. After finishing the breakfast carefully prepared by Ding Yuqin, Wang Tao left the house fully armed. The rain still hadn¡¯t stopped. Looking at the rain outside, Wang Tao furrowed his brow. This on-and-off rain hadsted for over a week. Although it wasn¡¯t pouring, such persistent rain had caused puddles on the road. Chapter 114 - 90 Assault_2 Chapter 114: Chapter 90 Assault_2 Trantor: 549690339 In some poorly drained areas of the base, it looked just like a river at first nce. Although the rain reduces the zombies¡¯ perception, too much of a good thing isn¡¯t always better¡ªconstant rain doesn¡¯t seem to be a good thing¡­ Arriving at theprehensive building, severalmissioners had already gathered. Han Rui happened to walk in with Wang Tao. Today, she wasn¡¯t wearing her police uniform but a body-hugging, deep blue dress that ended just above the knees, paired with skin-colored stockings and a pair of white sneakers. Han Rui had also styled her hair intorge waves, wore light makeup, and had her lips painted a bright red¡­ Wang Tao¡¯s eyes shone bright. The old Han Rui was valiant; the current Han Rui was enchantingly attractive. Having grown used to seeing Han Rui in a police uniform, the sudden sight of her dressed up made her seem especially alluring. Han Rui confidently disyed herself in front of Wang Tao, then asked expectantly, ¡°Commissioner Wang, what do you think of my outfit today?¡± ¡°Very pretty, very feminine!¡± Wang Tao responded without hesitation. Han Rui blushed and quickly said, ¡°¡­Ahem, what I meant to ask was, if I wear this to the old shopping mall, they shouldn¡¯t suspect me, right? It wasn¡¯t easy finding these clothes¡­ If I wore my police uniform, they might just open fire¡­¡± It turned out Han Rui was talking about official business. After looking her over again, Wang Tao nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll work, you can pretend to be a survivor who just stepped out of their home and then either I rescue you, or I take you hostage. That would be usible.¡± Actually, Wang Tao felt it wasn¡¯t reasonable at all¡ªafter all, who would still dress up so meticulously at the end of the world? However, the heavy rain outside continued, and by the time he brought Han Rui into the mall, Ding Yuqin would surely be drenched, making any meticulous dress meaningless. So whatever the attire didn¡¯t matter. Of course, he did find the current look very pleasing to the eye and quite liked it. The two went upstairs, exchanged information with Wei Zhenguo and the rest to confirm there were no issues, and everyone immediately set into motion. This time, besides Wang Tao, Xiang Hongbin, Lu Gang, and Feng Ming¡¯an also joined; they were to provide support for Wang Tao from outside in case of unexpected situations. Wei Zhenguo was still wheelchair-bound, naturally unable to join, and the othersckedbat strength, so they just waited at the base for news. In total, there were three military-modified off-road vehicles carrying twelve fully armed individuals, including Wang Tao. The rain outside grew heavier, but it didn¡¯ t pose much of an issue for the military vehicles. After avoiding zombies along the way, they finally saw the old shopping mall two hourster. Wang Tao and his people didn¡¯t n to approach the old shopping mall but instead arrived near the electric pole that hung the severed head of Song Jinghong. Seeing the head hanging high, Han Rui¡¯s tears instantly welled up in her eyes. The others also wore expressions of rage, but everyone remained rational, as below the electric pole were more than a dozen zombies attracted by the head and unwilling to leave. ¡°You stay in the car; I¡¯ll take care of the zombies.¡± To save time, Wang Tao spoke up directly. ¡°By yourself?¡± Xiang Hongbin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I alone am enough.¡± Besides saving time, Wang Tao also wanted to test his current strength. After all, he had fused with three Zombie Cores and didn¡¯t even know how strong he was now. ¡°Alright!¡± This mission was led by Wang Tao, and everyone had to cooperate with him, so there was no objection. They also took this opportunity to see just how powerful an Ability User could be. Apart from Han Rui, none of the others had seen an Ability User¡¯s power. Han Rui also looked at Wang Tao with some anticipation; she felt that thest time she saw Wang Tao in action, that wasn¡¯t his full strength¡ªWang Tao must be even stronger! Wang Tao, holding a firefighter axe, walked casually towards the group of zombies. The rest readied their guns in case of any unforeseen circumstances. It wasn¡¯t until he got about a meter close to one of the zombies that it btedly became aware of Wang Tao. ¡°Grrrr¡­¡± The zombie turned around and lunged at Wang Tao. Without a word, Wang Tao lifted the firefighter axe, chopping at the zombie¡¯s head. At the same time, he quietly used his Shockwave Ability. Squelch! [-500] A swing of the axe killed the zombie easily, and from its head, the Shockwave rippled outward. Bang! [-500] [-500] 1-500] The dozen or so zombies were almost simultaneously headshot, falling slowly to the ground, leaving only Wang Tao standing. ¡°Huh? The power really increased a lot! The range of the Shockwave expanded too!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; the improvement was even greater than he had imagined. With a thought, he collected all the drops from the zombies, then cut the rope on the electric pole. Swish¡ª The severed head dropped instantly, and Wang Tao caught it with a bag he had prepared in advance. Then he headed back to the convoy. Inside the vehicle, everyone was somewhat dumbfounded. They hadn¡¯t even had time to react; in their eyes, Wang Tao just exited the car, walked up, swung his axe at one zombie, and then all the zombies had their heads blown off¡­ Some saw the shockwave, while others hadn¡¯t seen anything clearly at all. This is an Ability User? Isn¡¯t that a bit too strong? If it were them trying to kill these zombies, even a full clip of bullets might not suffice, but Wang Tao had headshot them all with just one swing! The few soldiers also then understood why Wang Tao had be amissioner. With such strength, his position as amissioner was well deserved! Chapter 115 - 90 Assault 3 Chapter 115: Chapter 90 Assault 3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao got in the car and handed over the prepared head to one of the soldiers. The car started, but Xiang Hongbin and the others remained silent for a long time. Not until they arrived outside the old mall did Xiang Hongbin hammer the seat fiercely. ¡°Damn it! I want to be an Ability User too!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± The others immediately echoed. Han Rui really wanted to say, not all Ability Users are so powerful; she is a counterexample¡­ ¡°Yeah, you guys keep it up!¡± Wang Tao smiled and then said seriously, ¡°Take action.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao got out of the car, and Han Rui hurriedly followed, with the others quickly finding cover. Wang Tao, fully armed, was not afraid of getting wet from the rain. As Wang Tao had predicted, Han Rui was instantly drenched like a drowned rat. But you have to admit, there¡¯s a special beauty to Han Rui like this. Especially when her dress clung to her body. Although it wasn¡¯t see-through, the barely- there allure was even more lethal. Of course, Wang Tao was a decent man. After stealing several nces, he then entered the mall with Han Rui. Looking at the first floor of the mall, which had been heavily damaged, Han Rui was shocked. How powerful must a zombie be to cause such massive destruction! No wonder even the strong Wang Tao was still so cautious! ¡°Can you sense any people?¡± Wang Tao asked in a low voice. ¡°There¡¯s one person at the stair entrance, not far from us. I can¡¯t sense anyone else for the time being¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then headed straight for the stairs with Han Rui closely following behind him. The person hiding in the dark did not avoid them. When Wang Tao approached, he came out. Seeing Han Rui, a tinge of greed shed in the depths of his eyes. ¡°Brother Chen, what is this¡­?¡± Wang Tao paused for a moment before he realized that he had previously introduced himself as Chen Zhuang, so the address of Brother Chen was for him. ¡°Haven¡¯t eaten for a day, just passing by your ce, borrowing something to eat shouldn¡¯t be too much, right?¡± Wang Tao spoke indifferently. ¡°¡­I, I can¡¯t decide that, I have to ask our boss.¡± The underling looked troubled. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go up and find your boss.¡± Wang Tao directly took Han Rui¡¯s hand and started to walk upstairs, with Han Rui keeping her head down as if she was afraid, but in reality, she was quietly using her Ability to sense her surroundings. The underling only made a symbolic attempt to stop them, thinking that Wang Tao, being out and about with a beautiful woman, probably just came to ask for something. If Wang Tao wanted to harm them, why would he bring a cumbersome woman along? The underling followed behind Wang Tao, looking at Han Rui, he licked his lips and said: ¡°Brother Chen, this beauty is¡­¡± ¡°Picked her up along the way, nning to take her home to be my wife,¡± Wang Tao said without looking back. ¡°Picked up?¡± The underling was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized, immediately showing an ¡®I understand¡¯ expression. Why pretend, clearly he must have captured a survivor and taken the person hostage! But that said or not, this woman is really something! Much better than those women upstairs! When they arrived on the second floor, Han Rui suddenly staggered a bit. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wang Tao looked at Han Rui with a hint of impatience in his voice. ¡°I, I¡¯m so hungry, I have no strength left¡­¡± Han Rui pretended to be extremely weak and directly leaned on Wang Tao¡¯s body as if she couldn¡¯t walk anymore. Seeing this, Wang Tao wrapped his arm around Han Rui¡¯s waist, allowing her to cling to him. Seizing the opportunity, Han Rui tiptoed and whispered nervously into Wang Tao¡¯s ear, ¡°There are so many people and zombies upstairs!¡± ¡°???¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. So many people? Had their team expanded in the few days he hadn¡¯t seen them? But what about the zombies? Could people really live together with zombies? Wang Tao also became somewhat nervous; after all, the unknown was the most terrifying thing. But havinge this far, it was impossible not to go upstairs. Pretending to have discovered nothing, Wang Tao supported Han Rui¡¯s waist and strode upstairs. Upstairs, Cao Xin and ackey were waiting for him. Wang Tao¡¯s original n had been to quickly take down Cao Xin and his people upon sight. But with Han Rui mentioning that there were many people here, and even zombies, he had to change his n on the fly. Moreover, Wang Tao noticed that Cao Xin had gained a considerable amount of weight since theirst meeting, especially around the belly. But that wasn¡¯t the focus; the important thing was that Cao Xin now had a blue bar, meaning he had be an Ability User! However, his HP was still low, only ¡°220,¡± and he would likely not withstand a single axe blow from himself. Cao Xin, upon seeing Wang Tao, couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit scared, as the impression of Wang Tao ughtering zombies like chopping vegetables was deeply etched in his mind. But upon remembering his own new-found Ability, he instantly straightened his back. No matter how strong brute force might be, it couldn¡¯tpare to even a hair of an Ability! Especially upon seeing the pitiful Han Rui in Wang Tao¡¯s embrace, a glint of greed shed in Cao Xin¡¯s eyes. Even though he couldn¡¯t see Han Rui¡¯s face clearly, he knew she was definitely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in reality! He wanted that woman! Cao Xin¡¯s face revealed a beaming smile. ¡°Brother Chen, what brings you here¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten for a day, I was hoping to borrow some food from you.¡± At these words, a look of difficulty crossed Cao Xin¡¯s face. ¡°But we don¡¯t have much food left either¡ªtruly, we¡¯re out¡­ Ah, forget it, who makes me such a sociable person! I¡¯ll get it for you!¡± Cao Xin immediately headed towards the other end of the hall; to the unknowing observer, he may really seem like a friend to Wang Tao. Wang Tao, still holding Han Rui by the waist, nonchntly sat on the sofa. He noticed that Seventh Brother Yang whom he had met before was nowhere to be seen. Now, there were only Cao Xin and his twockeys in the hall. Han Rui, seemingly very scared, leaned against Wang Tao¡¯s chest and then whispered quietly, ¡°Cao Xin has a handgun at the back of his waist. The other people and zombies are all behind the iron door on the left. But I have this hunch that those people and zombies are weak. It seems like¡­ they have been locked up? Yes, they must be locked up, the zombies are shuffling in ce!¡± ¡°Hmm? Locked up¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s main concern was confirming whether these people were Cao Xin¡¯s aplices. If they were locked up, that clearly indicated they were not on Cao Xin¡¯s side! In that case¡­ things were getting simpler! ¡°Here you go! Brother Chen, I have a pack of bread here for you just in case¡­¡± Cao Xin came over with a pack of bread that had been opened and some condiments added to it. Wang Tao stood up to take the bread, with a coffee table separating the two men. Suddenly, Wang Tao grabbed Cao Xin¡¯s hand! In that instant, Cao Xin hadn¡¯t yet reacted when he saw Wang Tao yank forcefully. Crash¡ª Cao Xin stumbled andnded harshly on the coffee table, which split under his weight, making him grimace in pain. Han Rui quickly got up, snatching the handgun tucked at Cao Xin¡¯s back, and at the same time, she pulled out another handgun from Wang Tao¡¯s waist, pointing both guns at the twockeys. ¡°Hands on your heads, squat down!¡± Chapter 116 - 91: Capture_1 Chapter 116: Chapter 91: Capture_1 Trantor: 549690339 1 This all happened too quickly, and the two underlings were somewhat dumbfounded. Looking at the dark muzzles of the guns, neither dared to move. Cao Xin hadn¡¯t expected Wang Tao to make a move, but now he was an Ability User! Wang Tao, just an Ordinary with a bit more strength, how could he possibly be his match! ¡°Looking for death¡ªugh!¡± Bang! Cao Xin suddenly felt a huge force stepping on his back, the entire wooden coffee table shattered, and his chest and back immediately suffered excruciating pain. ¡°You-¡± Cao Xin tried to turn his head, but Wang Tao had firmly grabbed his head, rendering him immobile. Feeling the powerful force on his body, Cao Xin knew he temporarily couldn¡¯t resist, and he immediately started to beg for mercy, his voice raw. Cough cough¡ªBrother Chen, we have no grudges, why¡­¡± ¡°Why? You know why.¡± Wang Tao kept pressing down on him firmly, preventing him from turning over, and took out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and handcuffed his hands behind his back. Wang Tao guessed that Cao Xin¡¯s Ability must be rted to his body size, which had clearly gained a lot of weightpared to a few days ago, his belly also muchrger. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t know what the other¡¯s Ability specifically was, he could only handcuff him first. If he showed any sign of wrongdoing, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t leave a survivor. After feeling the handcuffs on his back, Cao Xin immediately understood everything, his tone somewhat panicked. ¡°You, you are a police officer!¡± Many people have a natural sense of awe towards police officers, especially those with a shady background like him. Even if it were the apocalypse, even though he had personally killed a police officer, he was still instinctively afraid. ¡°It seems you have realized.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice was somewhat cold. No, it snot me! I didn¡¯t kill the cop, I picked up this gun!¡± Cao Xin hurriedly argued, but Wang Tao didn¡¯t pay attention to him; instead, he looked at the two underlings who dared not move. ¡°Cao Xin¡¯s Ability, what is it? Spill it, and I¡¯ll spare your lives.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± The two underlings squatting on the ground were stunned, lifting their heads instinctively. ¡°How does he know his own boss has an Ability?¡± Cao Xm was also stunned for a moment, he quickly spoke up: ¡°What Ability? I don¡¯t have any¡ªmmph!¡± He hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Wang Tao pressed him fiercely to the ground, his mouth against the shattered coffee table, unable to speak. ¡°We, we don¡¯t know¡­¡± The two underlings shook their heads frantically. They felt that as long as they didn¡¯t reveal their boss¡¯s Ability, there was still a chance for him to turn the tables, so they dared not say a word. Wang Tao didn ¡®t speak again, instead, he directly took out a Firefighter Axe and flung it at one of the underlings. Whoosh- Bang! The Firefighter Axended directly between the legs of the underling, who only then btedly looked down. ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat myself, his Ability¡­ what is it.¡± Wang Tao held another Firefighter Axe in his hand and then stared at the underling. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± The underling was scared and subconsciously about to speak. The other underling quickly spoke up. ¡°Brother Chen, you¡¯ve really got it wrong! Our boss really doesn¡¯t have anv Ability!¡± ¡°Truly courting death.¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected this underling to be so loyal; he hurled another Flying Axe. ¡°Ah-¡± The underling couldn¡¯t see Wang Tao¡¯s action clearly before he felt his entire body topple backward, mming directly into the wall, and then he felt an excruciating pain in his right palm. ¡°My hand¡ª¡± He turned his head and saw, to his horror, an axe had pierced through the center of his right hand and was firmly embedded in the wall. His hand was ruined! ¡°Cryingout again?¡± Wang Tao held yet another Firefighter Axe in his hand. The underling quickly covered his mouth with his other hand, his eyes streaming with tears, his body trembling uncontrobly. Wang Tao then nodded in satisfaction. He actually had aimed at the floor in front of the underling, but threw it off course, hitting his palm instead. However, it was a minor issue, no harm done. Wang Tao looked again at the previous underling, who hurriedly spoke: ¡°Our boss¡¯s Ability is to spit out white sticky fluid that can stick people in ce, making them unable to move¡­¡± ¡°Mmph mmph¡ª¡± Cao Xm, pressed under Wang Tao¡¯s foot, trembled wildly. ¡°So that¡¯s it.¡± Wang Tao realized, it made sense why Cao Xin had tried to turn his head to look at him all this time. Good thing he was prepared-Cao Xin wanted to do something, and he would not let him. Wang Tao had ¡°tape¡± among the crafting materials in his Space Backpack, which could be used both as a crafting material and for practical use. Wang Tao pretended to take out a roll of tape from his pocket and then wrapped Cao Xin¡¯s mouth with manyyers. After making sure Cao Xin couldn¡¯t open his mouth, Wang Tao didn¡¯t stop there; he also wrapped his legs together. Soon, Cao Xin was almost entirely immobile. Wang Tao gestured to Han Rui, who immediately went over to handcuff the two underlings. When pulling out the axe, one of the underlings nearly fainted from the pain. However, neither Wang Tao nor Han Rui had any intention of showing mercy to their captives. Wang Tao didn¡¯t catch these three people to send them back forbor reform; he wanted them to face retribution in front of the base¡¯s inhabitants¡­ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. After Han Rui had subdued the two underlings, Wang Tao punched Cao Xin in the back of the head. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Cao Xin instantly stopped struggling. Wang Tao checked his HP, it was just a knockout, not a death. Then Wang Tao asked Han Rui to watch these people while he himself went to the iron gate on the other side of the stairway. ¡°What¡¯s in here?¡± Wang Tao asked the two underlings. ¡°¡­It¡¯s, it¡¯s female ves collected by the boss! Yes, all of this was the boss¡¯s doing, it has nothing to do with us!¡± On hearing this, fury immediately appeared in Han Rui¡¯s eyes. Chapter 117 - 91: Capture_2 Chapter 117: Chapter 91: Capture_2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°What else?¡± Wang Tao asked again. ¡°There¡¯s more¡­ Zombies! Two female zombies! These were brought back by the boss after he stuck the zombies¡­ Both zombies were chained up with iron chains¡­¡± Two zombies, female zombies at that¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t know what Cao Xin was up to. Wang Tao nced at Han Rui, who came over and said to Wang Tao: ¡°The people inside are walking on the left, the two zombies are on the right.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Wang Tao nodded and then took the keys from Cao Xin¡¯s body, unlocking the iron chain of the iron gate. ng¡ª The iron gate opened, and a nauseating smell hit them. Even with a mask on, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t block it out. It was pitch-ck inside, so Wang Tao used his shlight to look inside. He saw a group of naked women crouched in the corner on the left, shivering with the light causing them to instinctively cover their eyes. But Wang Tao could still see the numb, empty look in their eyes. On the right, there were two zombies with their arms chopped off, chained to the wall. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The two zombies desperately tried to move forward, wanting to gnaw on these women, but the iron chains prevented them from going too far. ¡°Do you have another guy? Seems his name is Seventh Brother Yang?¡± Wang Tao turned and asked. ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s gone to see the big boss¡­¡± One of the underlings quickly answered. ¡°The big boss?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss Cao Xin¡¯s boss¡­ The big boss is very powerful, an Ability User¡­¡± The underling didn¡¯t know much, only that such a person existed. Wang Tao frowned and thought it was time to interrogate Cao Xin properly. He took out his axe and walked into the warehouse, directly blowing the heads off the two zombies. The women looked at Wang Tao, their expressions numb, but fear could still be felt. Wang Tao squatted in front of the group of women. ¡°You¡¯re all safe now. Just don¡¯t scream, and I¡¯ll let you go in a bit.¡± Upon hearing this, a flicker of emotion passed through the hollow eyes of the women. After confirming all five women were alive, Wang Tao took out his walkie-talkie. ¡°This is Wang Tao, you cane up now!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Soon after, Xiang Hongbin and the others came up, guns at the ready. Seeing these fully armed soldiers, the two underlings were shocked; they had no idea whom they had provoked¡­ Wang Tao briefly recounted what had happened, and upon seeing the women, everyone became furious. Han Rui especially looked like she wanted to y these men alive. The two underlings stood there, trembling and keeping their heads down, afraid to speak. The women, seeing so many people appear at the door, instinctively retreated and huddled together. Han Rui looked at them with pity and turned to Wang Tao: ¡°Can we take these poor women back to the base?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Wang Tao nodded, and then looked towards Xiang Hongbin and the others, who also nodded in agreement. Shuize Base was short on people; as long as they weren¡¯t heinous viins, they were needed, let alone these poor women. They might not be able to do heavy work, but they could still wash clothes and the like. Wang Tao asked Han Rui to take two soldiers to release the women¡¯s chains, get them dressed, and then he and his men ransacked the ce. In addition to food, they found a police badge and a set of police uniforms. ¡°Old Song, sigh¡­¡± Everyone sighed. They had to go back and properly interrogate this Cao Xin, at the very least, peel off ayer of his skin! Wang Tao asked Han Rui to check if there was anything they had missed, and after confirming there were no problems, Wang Tao waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡ª¡± Rumble¡ª Suddenly, a rumbling noise came from outside. ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Wang Tao quickly went to the window, and then cursed in disbelief. There was a zombie outside with [5000/5000] HP! The others were just as taken aback as Wang Tao. ¡°Shit!¡± In the heavy rain below, a giant zombie around three to four meters tall with muscr limbs on the ground like a gori, had just punched a discarded car, sending it flying into the mall. Boom¡ª ¡°Is this the zombie they referred to? Its destructive power is too terrifying!¡± The zombie seemed to go mad, anything in its path¡ªcars, streetlights, bords¡ªwas fiercely thrown. It didn¡¯t spare anything. A bord it threw hit a giant billboard on the wall. The billboard slowly fell, smashing onto it, but it didn¡¯t seem to be affected at all¡­ ¡°This is really a destruction freak!¡± ¡°Thank goodness our vehicle was parked on the other side, or we would¡¯ve been in trouble¡­¡± ¡°It seems it hasn¡¯t noticed us¡­¡± The zombie appeared to be focused solely on destruction. It hadn¡¯t noticed Wang Tao and the others upstairs. The noise it caused attracted many zombies, even Mad Demon Zombies. But the behemoth didn¡¯t discriminate between friends and foes; it crushed several ordinary zombies underfoot¡­ After about a minute of rampaging in the za, it finally left. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back; it¡¯s too dangerous out here!¡± Wang Tao motioned with his hand, leading his group quickly downstairs. This creature had a full 5000 HP, and its high-attack high-defense style was apparent; Wang Tao didn¡¯t think they could defeat it. Bullets might kill it, but that would attract even more zombies, at a loss not worth the gain. ¡°Quick, quick, quick!¡± Everyone hurriedly got into the vehicle. In the afternoon, Wang Tao and the others returned to Shuize Base without incident. ¡°Phew¡ª Finally back!¡± Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The terrifying zombie, dubbed ¡°Gori¡± by the group on the road, exerted too much pressure on them! Chapter 118 - 91: Capture_3 Chapter 118: Chapter 91: Capture_3 Trantor: 549690339 | Wang Tao felt that if this thing made it to the base, the walls probably wouldn¡¯t hold¡­ He shook his head; now was not the time to think about this. He was only responsible forbat and scavenging for supplies. Base defense was Ren Jie¡¯s responsibility. A few people dragged Cao Xin and his twockeys out of the vehicle. On the way, Cao Xin regained consciousness once but was ruthlessly knocked out again by Xiang Hongbin. ¡°How are we going to deal with him?¡± Han Rui asked beside Wang Tao. ¡°First, we¡¯ll force out his ount and motives for killing Commissioner Song, then execute him in front of all the survivors!¡± Wang Tao exined. This was a decision he had discussed with the othermissioners. In times of chaos, harsh measures were justified. Since Cao Xin had chosen to oppose Shuize Base and even killed amissioner, there was no way he was leaving alive. Moreover, this would show the survivors in the base what happens to those who oppose it! It could strengthen unity, while also setting an example. However, Wang Tao would not participate in the interrogation; he was not good at it. He heard that Feng Ming¡¯an had some expertise in this area, so he would leave it to them. ¡°Fine1.¡± Han Rui¡¯s eyes were red. This was her way of avenging Song Jinghong. ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t sit idle either, those women could use some guidance from you¡­¡± Wang Tao pointed to the group of pitiful women who had gotten off the truck and were now curled up in the corner. ¡°I understand!¡± Han Rui nodded and then took the women and left. Wang Tao intended to rest, but Feng Ming¡¯an called him back. They had never interrogated an Ability User before and were uncertain about gauging the strength of Ability Users, so they wanted Wang Tao¡¯s assistance. Helping was naturally fine; Wang Tao joined them in a basement. The group first interrogated Cao Xin¡¯s twockeys, who had no backbone at all and confessed everything. Wang Tao cross-referenced the ounts, and they were nearly identical, likely the truth. Then Feng Ming¡¯an woke up Cao Xin and started the interrogation. In an unexpected turn, Cao Xin proved to be a coward; before Feng Ming¡¯an could even begin the torture, Cao Xin spilled everything. This irked Feng Ming¡¯an, so after confirming the truth of Cao Xin¡¯s story, he tormented him for a long time. Wang Tao did not enjoy torture; he preferred a swift end for people. However, considering that Cao Xin was an Ability User, Wang Tao forced Cao Xin to use his Ability many times until his energy was fully depleted. Cao Xin¡¯s Ability was to vomit a white, sticky substance from his stomach that possessed powerful adherent properties, binding many things for varying durations. After the allotted time, the substance would harden and then fall off automatically as it transitioned from liquid to solid. Finding this Ability somewhat interesting, Wang Tao decided to be the executioner himself; he wanted to see if Cao Xin would burst out with something¡­ Before long, Wei Zhen Guo and the others arrived. Feng Ming¡¯an shared the results of his interrogation with everyone. A few days before, Song Jinghong had driven a car with two Hunters to pick up survivors from the Sunshine Community. However, they might have encountered zombies on the way and needed to take a detour, or some other issue urred. Regardless, Song Jinghong did not follow the original path and ended up near the old shopping mall. There, they encountered a special zombie. Gunfire attracted arge horde of other zombies, and the three had to abandon their vehicle and run. Two of the Hunters were bitten to death by zombies, only Song Jinghong managed to escape, fleeing into the old shopping mall. All of this was clearly seen by Cao Xin, who was upstairs. He coveted the gun in Song Jinghong¡¯s hand! So he came down from the upper floor, pretending to be enthusiastic and offering to help Song Jinghong hide upstairs. With Song Jinghong injured and zombies outside, and with no door on the first floor of the mall, he had no choice but to follow him up. Then, Song Jinghong fell into Cao Xin¡¯s trap. Cao Xin¡¯s group totaled six, and as Song Jinghong died, he took two of them with him. However, he was overpowered and ultimately met his demise on the spot. Having lost twockeys and nearly getting shot himself made Cao Xin furious. So, to vent his anger, he dismembered Song Jinghong and spitefully hung his head on amppost. Cao Xin was unaware that Song Jinghong came from Shuize Base, and he didn¡¯t even know the base existed, as he had barely spoken to Song Jinghong before attacking. If Cao Xin had known about the strength of Shuize Base, his cowardly nature would have stopped him from making a move, but s for Song Jinghong¡­ As for the women enved by him, they were originally employees of the old shopping mall. After the zombie virus outbreak, Cao Xin escaped the initial chaos and soon gathered a group-not as a clothing seller but as a cargo handler with many underlings-thus recruiting manpower and scavenging supplies. Cao Xin was also a lecher. He only offered protection to the women of the mall; the men could go wherever they wished. His reasoning was sound-the men might steal his food, but the women couldn¡¯t. Some women, desperate to survive, chose to ept Cao Xin¡¯s protection, initially, they might have thought he had some conscience, but Cao Xin soon showed his true colors. He locked up these women and subjected them to inhumane abuse¡­ ¡°He really deserves to die!¡± Xiang Hongbin fiercely kicked the unconscious Cao Xin, and everyone else¡¯s face was filled with anger. Although everyone understood that the end of the world magnified the evil in people¡¯s hearts in the absence ofw, seeing this person and his deeds firsthand still triggered uncontroble fury. After all, most still had a sense of right and wrong. ¡°And Cao Xin revealed another important piece of information¡­¡± Feng Ming¡¯an nced at Wang Tao, who continued where Feng Ming¡¯an left off: ¡°Cao Xin imed he had acknowledged a boss, an Ability User! He originally had ten women, and he offered five of them as a gift to this boss. The reason why Cao Xin could be an Ability User was because the boss gave him a Zombie Core. Surprisingly, he seeded on his first try¡­ Chapter 119 - 92 Execution_l Chapter 119: Chapter 92 Execution_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°This damn luck!¡± Xiang Hongbin cursed. He had fused with two Zombie Cores, but both attempts failed. Now, Cao Xin, that bastard, seeded on his first try, which irritated him greatly. Wei Zhenguo, however, was concerned about another aspect. ¡°What kind of strength does Cao Xin¡¯s boss have?¡± Feng Ming¡¯an answered: ¡°Cao Xin couldn¡¯t give a clear exnation, only that the guy is very strong and specializes in throwing weapons. He often carries a bundle of polished steel bars, capable of killing zombies from a great distance without making much noise. It¡¯s ridiculously powerful¡­¡± ¡°Using steel bars to kill zombies?¡± Wei Zhenguo was taken aback for a moment, then asked again: ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°Cao Xin isn¡¯t sure, he only knows others call him Boss Shao, and he refers to him the same way.¡± ¡°Boss Shao¡­ Shao Yong?¡± Wei Zhenguo frowned. ¡°Huh? Old Wei, you know him?¡± Ren Jie asked curiously. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, I saw an Ability User before. He managed to take on a group of zombies with just two steel bars. I invited him to join the Survivor Base, but he tly refused¡­ And this person is named Shao Yong!¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s frown deepened. If it really was Shao Yong, it meant the other man¡¯s strength had increased a great deal! Moreover, when he met Shao Yong at first, although the man was arrogant, he was decent, even asking Wei if he needed help. But now, ording to Cao Xin¡¯s description, this Boss Shao was recruiting men like Cao Xin as his underlings and demanded Cao Xin to offer women to him¡­ this Boss Shao didn¡¯t seem like a good person at all! Of course, it was the apocalypse now, there probably weren¡¯t many good people left. He wouldn¡¯t hold others to the standards of a good person¡¯s behavior. But the current issue was whether Shao Yong would seek vengeance for Cao Xin. No matter the rtionship between Shao Yong and Cao Xin, Cao Xin had acknowledged Shao Yong as his Boss. If a subordinate was bullied, the Boss had to make a statement, right? Otherwise, how could hemand respect? Just like when Song Jinghong was killed, everyone risked danger to avenge him. The purpose wasn¡¯t only vengeance but also to establish authority and solidify the cohesion among the Survivor Base¡¯s members. Wei Zhenguo wasn¡¯t scared, but in the early days of the apocalypse, self-preservation was a problem. If it could be helped, people definitely did not want to make enemies or be on someone¡¯s radar, especially since people from Shuize Base went out to scavenge for resources every day¡­ Wei Zhenguo briefly shared with everyone the encounter with Shao Yong, and the looks on their faces were not good. They did not wish to be enemies with an Ability User, especially one who was clearly building his own force. Although Ability Users might still likely be at a disadvantage against bullets, everyone could see the greater potential of Ability Users. What the future held for them, no one could be sure¡­ ¡°This Shao Yong, he probably doesn¡¯t know it was us who kidnapped Cao Xin, right?¡± Ren Jie asked with a furrowed brow. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say because one of Cao Xin¡¯s underlings has seen me, and he was with Shao Yong today. He might suspect me,¡± Wang Tao said straightforwardly. ¡°Then, this Cao Xin, how should we deal with him¡­¡± Technician Liu He hesitated. ¡°Kill!¡± Xiang Hongbin spoke out directly. Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin usually didn¡¯t get along, always taking jabs at each other, but this time Wei agreed with Xiang Hongbin. ¡°Kill!¡± Not just them, including Feng Ming¡¯an and Ren Jie, all nodded fiercely. ¡°Kill!¡± ¡°Not only must we kill him, we must execute him in front of all the survivors!¡± Ren Jie added. Wang Tao looked at Ren Jie somewhat surprised; he didn¡¯t expect the former deputy magistrate to be so resolute. As if knowing what Wang Tao was thinking, Ren Jie smiled and said: ¡°In times of chaos, heavy punishments are needed! Our ancestors wouldn¡¯t deceive us.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± Wang Tao nodded. He naturally also supported executing Cao Xin. He wasn¡¯t the type to be threatened; after all, who wasn¡¯t an Ability User? Wang Tao even thought of striking first¡­ After all, it¡¯s not the theft that you fear, but the thief who keeps thinking about it! Seeing everyone felt the same, Liu He didn¡¯t have more to say. Being a tech guy, he knew he had little experience in these matters and decided to go along with the others. ¡°As for that Shao Yong¡­ we don¡¯t need to be afraid. No matter how high the upper limit for Ability Users in the future, he definitely can¡¯t stop a bullet right now. As long as we find the right opportunity, a Lu Gang alone can easily kill him, not to mention we also have Wang Tao. At most, we just need to caution the Hunters who go outter¡­¡± After everyone agreed, they decided on Cao Xin¡¯s death sentence. Cao Xin had already woken up by this time. After hearing the judgment from everyone, he hummed frantically, but his mouth was sealed shut, unable to speak. Xiang Hongbin ripped off the tape abruptly, and despite the pain of tearing off sweat hairs and beards, Cao Xin quickly began to plead with tears: ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me! I really didn¡¯t know that was your person¡ªah!¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence before Xiang Hongbin viciously kicked him, causing him to arch his back in pain. ¡°I didn¡¯t let you talk to hear you beg for mercy, but to hear your screams!¡± Xiang Hongbin gave another fierce kick. ¡°Ah¡ªmy boss, he won¡¯t¡ªah!¡± Wang Tao, not liking such scenes, left first. The main reason was that he and Feng Ming¡¯an had already tortured the guy- no, more precisely, Feng Ming¡¯an did the torturing, he just assisted. So, he wasn¡¯t interested anymore. The execution of Cao Xin was scheduled for noon. At that time, all the survivors in the base would be called to watch. They had to let them know that Shuize Base never leaves its debts unpaid and that it was not to be trifled with, deterring anyone from nurturing crooked ideas.. Chapter 120 - 92 Execution_2 Chapter 120 -92 Execution_2 Wang Tao left the building, it was already dark outside. Just as he got into his car to head home, he saw a figure holding an umbre sprinting toward him. "Commissioner Wang, wait!" "Han Rui? What''s the matter?" Wang Tao rolled down the window. "Well... I have something I want to talk to you about, I''m not sure if it''s convenient for you..." "Sure, get in." Han Rui quickly closed her umbre and took the passenger seat. The dress that Han Rui had worn when she went out with Wang Tao was drenched, and now she had changed back into her police uniform. She looked very smart and impressive. "Thank you for helping Officer Song take revenge today..." As soon as Song Jinghong was mentioned, Han Rui''s eyes were still a bit red. "It''s only right, after all, I am amissioner!" Wang Tao smiled. "I said before that I wanted to repay you for saving my life, but now you''re amissioner, and I don''t know how to repay you¡ªof course, I won''t forget, rest assured..." Han Rui started speaking somewhat embarrassedly. "Haha, don''t worry about it," Wang Tao shook his head, then added, "Just say what you want to say, we''ve been through life and death together, no need to beat around the bush." "Cough..." Han Rui felt a bit awkward being put on the spot, but she wasn''t the type to dawdle. "Well, I would like to ask you for a favor, to help me find out who came to my office the day before yesterday. I don''t have the authority to investigate..." "Oh? Why?" Wang Tao''s brows raised, as what Han Rui referred to must be the video of her husband betraying his teammate; after all, only Wang Tao had visited Han Rui''s office the day before yesterday. "I... I can''t tell you yet, it''s a personal matter..." Han Rui had trouble meeting Wang Tao''s gaze. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The main reason was her guilty conscience, after all, that was her husband! When she saw that video, she felt as if she had been struck by a bolt from the blue. She never imagined her husband would betray their marriage, and even more so with Ou Yingying! She couldn''t understand what sheckedpared to Ou Yingying, why her husband would be attracted to that woman! If that was all there was to it, she wouldn''t have copsed, for she was a strong woman. What truly devastated her was that, as the video showed, the two survivors she had personally saved were actually killed by her husband and Ou Yingying working together! And she herself benefited from it! She thought of herself as a just police officer! Even though this happened without her knowledge, she still couldn''t forgive herself, as others had indeed paid with their lives for her survival! Fortunately, she had work to do when she saw the video, which numbed her to the event, and she forced herself to forget it. It was only after the work was done that she found a ce where she could be alone and cry loudly. However, she also knew that crying wouldn''t solve anything. She needed to find out what the person who gave her the video intended to do! As for turning in her own husband... she couldn''t do it. She thought she was a selfless person, but only now did she realize she was incredibly selfish... "A personal matter? That''s a bit difficult to handle..." A look of difficulty appeared on Wang Tao''s face. "Please, Wang Tao, Commissioner Wang!" Han Rui immediately put her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Fine, I''ll ask around. I''m doing this because of our rtionship; I definitely wouldn''t bother for anyone else." "Thank you, thank you so much!" Han Rui quickly expressed her gratitude. At this moment, Wang Tao asked: "What exactly is this personal matter? If you spell it out for me, I can better help you investigate!" "...It really is a private matter I''d rather not discuss, it''s about me personally, truly, I''m not lying to you!" Han Rui lied, probably for the first time in her life. "Alright, I won''t pry any further. Is there anything else? If not, I''ll be on my way." Wang Tao feigned resignation as he shook his head. "No, that''s all, go ahead!" Han Rui hurriedly got out of the car. Wang Tao started the car, and as he watched Han Rui re-enter the building through the rearview mirror, he lifted the corner of his mouth. He had originally thought Han Rui was quite selfless, that she might distance herself or even report her own husband. But he had been incorrect. The reason Han Rui wanted his help in investigating was simply to find out who had recorded the video. She then sought to negotiate with them, to keep them from publicizing the video, in order to protect her husband. After all, all the survivors in Shuize Base were innocent people¡ªat least on the surface, none of them had records. As for what they did behind the scenes, that wasn''t clear, but as long as nothing came out, everyone was a good person. By the same logic, once it was exposed, they would undoubtedly be despised by everyone. Shuize Base couldn''t tolerate the existence of a bad person. If the video of Sun Weiguang betraying his teammates was leaked, he would be a target of universal scorn. Even if they spared him for Han Rui''s sake, the base couldn''t keep him, and considering his survival skills in a post-apocalyptic world... going out there meant certain death. Thus, expelling him was as good as killing him. To save her husband''s life, Han Rui had begun to betray the beliefs she had held for so many years! ... When Wang Tao''s car arrived back at Building No. 8, before he could get out, he saw Ding Yuqin wearing an aproning out to meet him. "Wang Tao, are you hurt?" Ding Yuqin grabbed Wang Tao''s hand, asking with a worried look on her face. "Who do you think I am? How could I possibly get hurt!" Wang Tao said, smiling as he pinched Ding Yuqin''s hand. "That''s a relief! I''ve already made dinner, just give me a moment, I''ll go and reheat it..." Chapter 121 - 92 Execution_3 Chapter 121: Chapter 92 Execution_3 Trantor: 549690339 As Ding Yuqin spoke, she took the jacket Wang Tao had removed. When she entered the door, she even knelt down to help Wang Tao change his shoes. Looking down, Wang Tao found the angle of Ding Yuqin particrly tempting. After changing shoes, Ding Yuqin quickly ran to the kitchen. Wang Tao sat on the sofa, the kitchen door was open, so he could see Ding Yuqin¡¯s busy figure. Today, Ding Yuqin was dressedfortably for home, wearing a little camisole and slippers. Her hair was casually tied up, revealing her snow-white, delicate neck, and a ne of some kind was deeply buried in her cleavage. The pale yellow camisole dress wasn¡¯t long, ending above the knees, her smooth, straight calves swayed in front of Wang Tao. Ding Yuqin usually liked to wear stockings, mostly flesh-colored or thin ck ones; it was rare to see her bare-legged. Nheless, her legs were wless and even bare, they were beautiful, stirring an urge to y with them. After quietly admiring for a while, Wang Tao suddenly walked over and hugged Ding Yuqin¡¯s waist from behind. ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s hot breath was on Ding Yuqin¡¯s neck, which tickled her and quickly turned her face red. ¡°You, you stop messing around, I¡¯m still busy¡­¡± Ding Yuqin said coquettishly. Although she was a bit shy, she also enjoyed Wang Tao¡¯s embrace. His arms were a ce offort for her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You do your thing, and I¡¯ll do mine.¡± As Wang Tao spoke, he rolled up Ding Yuqin¡¯s shirt. ¡°¡­Mmm~¡± Before dinner, Wang Tao indulged in a little appetizer. ¡°Are you full?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°Mmm- I¡¯m full-¡± Ding Yuqin hummed. ¡°Sister-inw, that¡¯s all it takes to fill you up? There¡¯s a bigger meal waiting for us tonight!¡± Wang Tao raised his eyebrows. ¡°Ah? There¡¯s more¡­ I can¡¯t eat anymore¡­¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s face showed both anticipation and fear. ¡°No worries, no rush, just rest for a bit first.¡± Wang Tao spoke considerately. He had said before that he wanted to try out Toughness but never found the time. Now that he had the time, shouldn¡¯t he thoroughly explore it? ¡°Mmm- I¡¯ll listen to you¡­¡± The fact proved that Toughness was indeed a valuable skill. The next day, early morning. Wang Tao was refreshed, and Ding Yuqin too, was glowing. Wang Tao was amazed at Ding Yuqin¡¯s recovery ability. She had been pleading for mercy the day before, but after a night¡¯s sleep, she was like nothing had happened. Perhaps, this was due to the properties of the blood replenishing pack. ¡°What are you thinking about¡­¡± Ding Yuqin waved her hand in front of Wang Tao. ¡°I was just thinking, why does sister-inw look so pretty!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°Stop it-¡± Ding Yuqin immediately felt joy in her heart. Wang Tao rarelyplimented her, but each time he did, it gave her the feeling of being in love. After breakfast, Wang Tao didn¡¯t go out but insteady on the sofa, letting Ding Yuqin give him a full body massage. He was scheduled to attend Cao Xin¡¯s execution at noon, so having nothing else to do in the morning, he rested and exercised at home. Noon. Wang Tao donned his all-ck security uniform, while Ding Yuqin wore a ck cheongsam with makeup in a cool and morous style. Then, Wang Tao drove Ding Yuqin to the za outside theprehensive building. By then, aside from the personnel on duty, all other members of the base had gathered. This was the first public execution since the establishment of the base, and even if themittee hadn¡¯t mandated attendance, curiosity and the like had drawn the crowd. Although it was still raining, a throng of people huddled on the za, either wearing raincoats or holding umbres, their attention fixed on the three figures at the center, bound and hooded. ¡°Commissioner Wang has arrived!¡± As soon as Wang Tao got out of the car, sharp-eyed survivors immediately cleared a path. With a solemn expression, he nodded slightly to the crowd and then headed toward the center of the za. Ding Yuqin, half a step behind Wang Tao holding an umbre for him, also carried a in, elongated wooden box in her arms. In the center of the throng, a makeshift tform had been erected. The othermissioners and some soldiers were already on it and nodded slightly upon seeing Wang Tao. Ren Jie stepped forward and spoke aloud to the survivors: ¡°My friends! Just a few days ago, Commissioner Song Jinghong was vilely assassinated, dismembered, and his head hung on a power pole! We were deeply grieved when we heard the news¡­¡± Ren Jie recounted the murder of Song Jinghong with more details this time. It was only now that the survivors learned that Commissioner Song Jinghong had been dismembered! In an instant, the crowd buzzed with discussion, and it was clear that everyone was angry. Ren Jie gave everyone time to talk, then continued: ¡°And just yesterday, our very own Commissioner Wang Tao, Commissioner Xiang Hongbin, Commissioner Feng Ming¡¯an, Minister Han Rui, and others risked their lives to go outside and captured the murderer who killed Commissioner Song Jinghong¡­¡± Below, there was a frenzy of apuse, and when it finally abated, Ren Jie asked: ¡°What do you think we should do with them?¡± ¡°Kill them!¡± ¡°Execute them!¡± Survivors immediately responded, and others were gradually swept up in the emotion, shouting ¡°Execute them!¡± and ¡°Blood for blood!¡± Ren Jie was pleased with the survivors¡¯ reactions. He turned back and nodded to two soldiers in the rain. One soldier immediately removed the hoods from Cao Xin and his two henchmen. Cao Xin, having already been beaten to near death by Xiang Hongbin, was extremely weak andcked the strength to resist. Seeing the oppressive crowd below, he looked terrified and desperate. His two henchmen felt the same. Another soldier drew a rifle and attached the bay, ready to pierce Cao Xin¡¯s heart at themissioner¡¯smand! Ren Jie was about to give the order, but Wang Tao stopped him. ¡°Wait, let me do it.¡± ¡°Ah? Commissioner Wang, you want to do it yourself?¡± Ren Jie was puzzled; such dirty work was typically left to subordinates. However, seeing Wang Tao¡¯s affirming nod, he immediately conceded, ¡°Alright!¡± Wang Tao walked over to Cao Xin, with Ding Yuqin following with the umbre and the wooden box. Cao Xin¡¯s eyes widened with terror upon seeing Wang Tao. Wang Tao didn¡¯t even look at him but turned to Ding Yuqin. Diplomatically, she opened the box to reveal a broad-ded knife within. The tall Wang Tao gripped the knife handle with one hand. Standing next to Wang Tao in her ck cheongsam, the morous Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t dare to watch the execution and instead focused her gaze on Wang Tao. The survivors below held their breath, keeping their eyes fixed on the scene above of the hero, beauty, and criminals. Then, Wang Tao raised the knife, and it fell. Schtick! Schtick! Schtick! Blood sttered as three heads rolled onto the ground one by one.. Chapter 122 - 93 Ability: Slime Spitter 1 Chapter 122: Chapter 93 Ability: Slime Spitter 1 Trantor: 549690339 I??? ¡ª This Crafted Mountain-Opening Knife was specially prepared by Wang Tao yesterday. It was merely a sharpened ordinary craft item, far inferior in quality to a Firefighter Axe. It was not suitable as Wang Tao¡¯s weapon, but¡­ it had no problem chopping off a neck. Wang Tao felt almost no resistance and easily severed the heads of Cao Xin and his twopanions. The survivors below the stage were taken aback for a moment, as this was a scene they could only witness on television. However, it didn¡¯t take long for everyone to start apuding. Of course, there were those who couldn¡¯t stand the sight of blood and covered their mouths feeling nauseous. ¡°So cool!¡± Huo Ziyi, who was in the crowd below, dared not look at Cao Xin¡¯s body. Her attention was mainly on Wang Tao, who she thought looked incredibly cool, especially when he stood next to the beautiful woman. It gave off the vibe of a hero paired with a beauty. Yet, seeing Ding Yuqin, she felt an inexplicable sense of urgency ¨C she, too, wanted to cling to Wang Tao¡¯s ¡°coattails¡± just like that beautiful woman! Although she was a minor celebrity, she felt ashamed whenparing herself to Dmg Yuqm. After all, she had just managed to solve the problem of not starving to death and was worried every day about earning just one more Ration Ticket. Ding Yuqin, on the other hand, looked well-fed and even had time to dress up and apply makeup¡­ Comparison is the thief of joy! ¡°When can I be a person like that¡­¡± Sun Weiguang also couldn¡¯t bear the bloody scene, but he was envious and wanted to be someone with power¡­ He needed to seize the opportunity to break through with Wang Tao¡¯s help! Once the execution was over, Ren Jie organized the crowd to leave the scene. After everyone had left, Wang Tao suddenly struck Cao Xin¡¯s head with his knife. Squish! The head was instantly cleaved by Wang Tao, but the head was much harder than the neck, and the Crafted Mountain-Opening Knife¡¯s de became instantly blunted. While some of themittee members were still in shock, a green Crystal Core suddenly burst forth, which Wang Tao caught in his hand. ¡°Ah? He had a Zombie Core?¡± Wei Zhenguo spoke in surprise, and the others quickly gathered around. ¡°It¡¯s somewhat unexpected, yet it seems logical¡­¡± Wang Tao muttered to himself while looking at the Core in his hand. The reason he suspected Cao Xin might have a Crystal Core was because after he killed Cao Xin, not only did he receive a package, but he also gained an increase in his maximum HP! And it was a substantial addition of 50 HP, bringing Wang Tao¡¯s HP to [1200/1200] now. He only gamed HP from killing special zombies that dropped Cores, so Wang Tao had reason to believe that Ability Users might also drop Crystal Cores upon death. And his guess was indeed correct. However, this Crystal Core was slightly different from the other Zombie Cores. [Level 1 Crystal CoreSlime Spitter] [Quality: Rare (50%)] [Purity: 50% (Side Effects: None)] [Slime Spitter: Consumes energy to vomit arge amount of white slime. The slime can stick to most objects, and the adhesion duration varies depending on the situation] This green Core was something Wang Tao had never seen before, with a 50% rare quality. Wang Tao thought this might be a unique quality exclusive to human Ability Users. Of course, he wasn¡¯t certain yet and would have the opportunity to experiment more in the future. However, the focus of this Crystal Core was not its quality but itsck of side effects ¨C it had no side effects at all! Wang Tao hade across many Crystal Cores by now, and he had only seen theck of side effects in the Self-Destruct Crystal Cores. But since Self-Destruct Cores were one-time-use, it made sense for them tock side effects. However, the Slime Spitter was not one-time-use. Theoretically, it should have side effects. Wang Tao had reason to suspect that this might be rted to the drop from an Ability User. He immediately had a bold guess ¨C because the Ability User absorbed the side effects of this Core, the Crystal Core dropped without any side effects! If this was true, then that would be interesting ¨C conflicts between Ability Users were inevitable! Of course, the absence of side effects did not mean there were no impurities. This Core still contained 50% Internal Impurity, so Wang Tao certainly would not undergo synthesis. After all, too much Internal Impurity could turn one into a zombie. Wang Tao, what¡¯s the sess rate of merging with this Crystal Core? When you briefed us before, you didn¡¯t mention green Cores, did you?¡± Xiang Hongbm asked curiously, and the others all turned to Wang Tao as well. After thinking for a moment, Wang Tao replied: ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the sess rate of merging with this Crystal Core should be around 50%¡­¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a fifty-fifty chance of sess or failure!¡± The rest of the group looked somewhat disappointed. Wang Tao had already educated them that Zombie Cores could have sess rates of 60%, 80%, or even 100%. Although the best they had obtained was only 40%, this 50% didn¡¯t seem high. For those with bad luck, a 50% sess rate wasn¡¯t fundamentally different from a 20% sess rate. Especially for someone like Xiang Hongbin, who had undergone several unsessful Core mergers¡­ Seeing the group¡¯s disappointment, Wang Tao smiled and said: ¡°But this Crystal Core¡ªoh no, I should drop the word ¡®zombie¡¯¡ªthis Crystal Core seems to have no side effects¡­¡± ¡°Ah? No side effects? No more worries about turning into a zombie?¡± Lu Gang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No, no, no, turning into a zombie is influenced by Internal Impurity, and this Core still has impurities. What I mean by ¡®side effects¡¯ are things like the Glutton Crystal Core causing excessive obesity.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­ well, that¡¯s still pretty good!¡± Everyone¡¯s hopes were lifted once again. They had a Glutton Crystal Core in their possession, but they dared not use it. It wasn¡¯t the umtion of impurities they feared, but rather the terrible side effect of the Glutton; it would make one¡¯s body increasingly obese, and the appetite would grow more and more¡­ If there really were a Glutton Ability User, it was uncertain whether the base could even sustain them.. Chapter 123 - 93 Ability: Slime Spitter_2 Chapter 123: Chapter 93 Ability: Slime Spitter_2 Trantor: 549690339 And without that side effect, isn¡¯t it safe to say that fusion could be carried out with ease? As for impurities and the like, they would only be a concern after a great number of crystal cores have been fused, so there¡¯s no need to worry for now. Wang Tao tossed the crystal core to Lu Gang. ¡°You guys decide how to handle this crystal core. I won¡¯t get involved, anyway, since there¡¯s a limited variety of crystal cores everyone can fuse with, even if I wanted to I couldn¡¯t fuse anymore.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Indeed, he felt that at most he could only fuse with one or two different types of crystal cores, and he needed to be cautious with this opportunity. For instance, a self-healing crystal core wouldn¡¯t be half bad, or some other powerful ones. As for this ¡°Slime Spitter¡± crystal core¡­ well, Wang Tao found it somewhat beneath him. Previously, when interrogating Cao Xin, Wang Tao had forced him to use this ability. Wang Tao saw clearly that the ability was just like vomiting out the contents of one¡¯s stomach¡ªutterly disgusting and not even spraying very far. Moreover, Cao Xin also confessed that he felt as ufortable as when vomiting every time he used the ability. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t without options; he could pursue better ones. So he didn¡¯t need this ¡°Slime Spitter.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want it?¡± Hong Bin stared at Wang Tao, his interest in the zombie core evident. ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s all help Wang Tao keep an eye out for the specific types of zombies he needs. If wee across any crystal cores that Wang Tao needs, we give him priority. What do you think?¡± Zhen Guo looked around at everyone and said. ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it should be.¡± Everyone immediately agreed. Each person could only fuse with a limited variety of zombie crystal cores, and there¡¯s no need for anyone to hoard too many, so a reasonable allocation was the best solution at the moment. ¡°As for this crystal core¡­ let¡¯s discuss it properly and decide who gets to use it. Of course, no matter who it goes to, the rest shouldn¡¯t be disheartened; there will be plenty more opportunities in the future!¡± Zhen Guo spoke with a serious expression. ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone nodded. ¡°After we decide who gets to use it, we¡¯ll need your help, Wang Tao, to take a look since we don¡¯t have the experience of sessful fusion.¡± Zhen Guo said to Wang Tao. ¡°Of course, no problem.¡± Wang Tao agreed with a smile, curious to see what it looked like for others to fuse with crystal cores. His own experience had just been a sense of warmth throughout his body. However, Han Rui had told him that she slept for a long time when she fused with her crystal core. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if Han Rui¡¯s experience was an isted case or if he was the one who was different. So, if there was a chance, they definitely wanted to observe other people fusing with zombie crystal cores. Zhen Guo and the others left, leaving the soldiers to take care of the bodies on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao called for Yu Qin to follow. After getting into the car, Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush back. Instead, he looked at the spoils of war from Cao Xin and his two subordinates. Killing ordinary people would also yield loot, and naturally, so would killing ability users. The two subordinates of Cao Xin dropped two ordinary crafting materials, but what Cao Xin dropped was something Wang Tao had never seen before. [Received: Slime Grenade x5] [Slime Grenade: Detonating it produces arge amount of white slime within a certain range.] A total of five slime grenades. Despite being called grenades, they didn¡¯t resemble traditional ones, but rather looked like blobs of greenish-yellow vomit, which somehow seemed rather disgusting. From the description, the effect of these slime grenades appeared to be simr to the ¡°Slime Spitter¡± ability. Did that not mean having the equivalent of five uses of the Slime Spitter Ability? Even if it was disgusting, as long as it was useful, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t fussy about appearances¡ªhe did not mind. After returning home, Wang Tao brought out some targets and started practicing his throwing technique in the yard. As for his throwing technique¡­ well, he had no technique. It was pure brute force. These slime grenades coulde in handyter on but only if he could throw them urately. Therefore, learning how to throw properly was essential. And it wasn¡¯t just grenades he wanted to practice with; he also intended to practice throwing firefighter axes. Before bing amittee member, he had exchanged all his Contribution Points for firefighter axes at the resource department¡ªa total of ten. Now that he was amittee member with increased authority, he secured another ten firefighter axes using his power. Aside from the hunter¡¯s personal axes, he reckoned that he must have acquired nearly all of the firefighter axes in the entire base. The reason for amassing so many axes was naturally because they were effective. For someone like him with great strength, an axe was perfect for hacking at zombies, so having several spares was prudent. Another reason was his desire to master the Flying Axe technique. After all, the ability to attack from a distance was much safer than close-rangebat. Firearms were too loud, so silent ranged attacks were the best. Especially when he heard that an ability user named Shao Yong could easily use a steel bar like a javelin to snipe zombies from a distance. Wang Tao felt that if others could do it, there was no reason he couldn¡¯t. So for his daily training regimen, learning to throw would be crucial. He had great strength, which should give him an advantage in this area. He wasn¡¯t too demanding; he wasn¡¯t aiming to throw very far or with great precision¡ªjust to ensure his Flying Axe could hit a target at a distance of about ten meters with one hundred percent uracy. In the evening. After finishing his training and dinner, Zhen Guo contacted him, asking him toe over for matters rted to zombie core fusion. Wang Tao drove to the top floor of theprehensive building, where the other sixmittee members were already waiting. ¡°We¡¯vee to a decision. This crystal core will go to Feng Ming¡¯an. What do you think?¡± Chapter 124 - 93 Ability: Slime Spitter_3 Chapter 124: Chapter 93 Ability: Slime Spitter_3 Trantor: 549690339 Wei Zhenguo saw Wang Taoing and immediately spoke up. ¡°I certainly don¡¯t have a problem with it.¡± Wang Tao nodded with a smile. ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s decided!¡± Although ording to the rules, such matters only require the agreement of five people, and Wang Tao had expressed no interest in participating, Wang Tao was still there, so it was only proper to show him some respect. If Wang Tao had any opinions, they would take them into ount. ¡°But I still have to tell you about the specifics we¡¯ve discussed.¡± ¡°First of all, as you mentioned before, we will try not to use White Crystal Cores when fusing in the future, since the sess rate is too low. We have to start with at least Blue Crystal Cores, and save the white ones forter¡­¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s the issue of who gets to use the Crystal Cores. There¡¯s no question about it, wemittee members definitely have the highest priority. After all, in these apocalyptic times, strength is everything; without it, you can¡¯tmand respect¡­¡± ¡°As for the order in which wemittee members use the Crystal Cores, the result of our discussion is that those who go out to scavenge for supplies will use them first, followed by those who stay inside the base. The outside world is very dangerous, so self-protection abilities are necessary.¡± ¡°This means that you, Wang Tao, me, Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, Lu Gang, and Feng Ming¡¯an have the highest priority. Ren Jie and Liu He are a little lower on the list, as they basically don¡¯t leave the base and are exposed to less danger¡­¡± ¡°Now the situation is that you don¡¯t need this Crystal Core. And I¡¯m injured and still in a wheelchair; Xiang Hongbin finds vomiting too disgusting¡ªthough I suspect it¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t trust his own luck; Lu Gang wants a Zombie Core that can directly increasebat capability¡­ As for Feng Ming¡¯an, he doesn¡¯t mind. So, in the end, we¡¯ve decided to let Feng Ming¡¯an use it.¡± After listening to Wei Zhenguo¡¯s exnation, Wang Tao nodded, finding it reasonable. Lu Gang took out the green Slime Spitter Crystal Core, which had been cleaned and had no traces of filth on it, with a mass of white slime slowly wriggling inside. Aside from Wang Tao, everybody else subconsciously swallowed their saliva. ¡°Can I just eat it directly?¡± Feng Ming¡¯an was a bit nervous and excited. Although they had all experimented with Zombie Cores before, this was after all a Crystal Core with a 50% chance of sess without any side effects, so he was still nervous, afraid that he might mess something up. ¡°Just eat it directly.¡± Wang Tao nodded. After getting the affirmation from Wang Tao, the Ability User, Feng Ming¡¯an didn¡¯t dawdle, picked up the Crystal Core, and directly popped it into his mouth. Glug- You don¡¯t need to chew Crystal Cores; they melt as soon as they enter the mouth. ¡°So sleepy¡­¡± After eating the Crystal Core, Feng Ming¡¯an felt his eyelids start to fight each other. Everyone turned to look at Wang Tao, who pped his hands with a smile and then exined. ¡°Looks like Commissioner Feng got lucky, with a 50% chance and he won the gamble. If you experience symptoms like body heat or sleepiness after fusion, then it means it was sessful. If there¡¯s no reaction, then it¡¯s a failure.¡± Wang Tao had actually never seen what a failed fusion looked like, but there were people in the base like Xiang Hongbin who had used Zombie Cores, but he had no reaction at the time. So using him as a negative example would suffice. ¡°Whew¡ª¡± Drifting in and out of consciousness, Feng Ming¡¯an heard Wang Tao¡¯s words and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and then promptly flopped down onto the table and began snoring. The othermittee members also pped enthusiastically. ¡°Haha! To actually seed, this is a good start!¡± Xiang Hongbinughed loudly. Just as Wei Zhenguo had said, he didn¡¯t trust his own luck, so it was a great relief that Feng Ming¡¯an seeded; next time, he wanted to get a Core with a higher sess rate! ¡°Exactly, this is indeed a good start. I hope each of us can be an Ability User!¡± Ren Jie added with a smile. ¡°So how long does Commissioner Feng need to sleep?¡± Liu He looked at the sleeping Feng Ming¡¯an, slightly concerned. Wang Tao thought for a moment and said: ¡°It¡¯s hard to say exactly how long, but even if he sleeps for several days, there¡¯s no need to worry about him starving to death. There¡¯s plenty of energy in this Core.¡± Han Rui had slept for a long time when she fused with a Core, and she didn¡¯t face any physical issues. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Liu He was relieved. Next, Lu Gang and Ren Jie carried Feng Ming¡¯an back to his home, and then arranged for someone to watch over him. They were to report if there was any movement. Feng Ming¡¯an woke up sooner than Wang Tao had expected, the next morning, just as if he had had a normal night¡¯s sleep. Wang Tao and the others went to Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s house and Wang Tao noticed he now had a 100-point Mana bar. ¡°Do you feel anything special?¡± Wei Zhenguo asked with some concern. Feng Ming¡¯an touched his slightly potbellied stomach and said: ¡°I always feel like there¡¯s something in my stomach, like I could vomit it out at any time, just like this¡ªrgh!¡± Arge puddle of white vomit came out of Feng Ming¡¯an, instantly covering the floor beneath his feet. A chair was directly covered in white slime. Wang Tao and the others sidestepped with some disgust, while Lu Gang quickly grabbed a broom from the corner and poked the chair, only to find it unmoved; instead, the broom also got a bit stuck. ¡°This is like super glue!¡± Lu Gang was astonished. Wang Tao, on the other hand, was looking at Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s Attributes; the act of vomiting had cost him 20 Mana, meaning he could vomit up to five times in a short period. ¡°Cough¡ªcough cough¡ªthat¡¯s a bit ufortable.¡± Feng Ming¡¯an covered his mouth, looking a bit distressed. The taste of vomit was unpleasant. Still, seeing the effect he had caused, he got excited again. ¡°I am finally an Ability User, too!¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± Wang Tao congratted him, then added: ¡°How about we go test your Ability¡¯s range and area of effect?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The group went to the entrance, and Feng Ming¡¯an exerted himself to his utmost and vomited fiercely towards the outside. ¡°rgh¡ª¡± Seeing the vomit reach a distance of about three to four meters and form a puddle about two meters in diameter on the ground, Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Looks good! With this ability, you could specifically hunt special zombies!¡± Chapter 125 - 941 Killed Someone_l Chapter 125: Chapter 941 Killed Someone_l Trantor: 549690339 | Feng Ming¡¯an wasn¡¯t highly skilled at using his Slime Spitter ability, and he also had to figure out how to ovee the ufortable feeling that came with vomiting, so he decided to practice more within the base before going out to hunt special zombies. But others were a bit more impatient, such as Lu Gang and Xiang Hong Bin, who went straight out. Watching Feng Ming¡¯an be an Ability User, they were quite envious! Wang Tao was training at home and didn¡¯t join them. However, Wang Tao said if they encountered any special zombies that they couldn¡¯t handle, they could contact him directly. After all, those special zombies with Crystal Cores weren¡¯t so easy toe across. While Wang Tao was practicing with his Flying Axe at home, Sun Weiguang showed up again. Wang Tao was curious about his visit; hadn¡¯t Han Rui told him about the video issue? Outside the Commissioner¡¯s area. Sun Weiguang stood at the base of the wall sheltering from the rain, feeling uneasy in case Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t meet with him. Fortunately, after waiting for more than half an hour, a guard finally told him he could go in. ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± Sun Weiguang quickly expressed his gratitude. Arriving outside Building No. 8, Sun Weiguang straightened his clothes before knocking on the door. Click- The door opened, and the face of a beautiful woman appeared. ¡°Sun Weiguang, right? Pleasee in.¡± Ding Yuqin stepped aside very politely to let him through. ¡°Thank you!¡± Sun Weiguang knew she was Commissioner Wang¡¯s woman; he didn¡¯t dare to look too much and quickly entered with his head down. After bringing Sun Weiguang inside, Ding Yuqin went upstairs, and Wang Tao was waiting for him in the living room. ¡°Good morning, Commissioner Wang!¡± Sun Weiguang hurriedly greeted him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Wang Tao asked indifferently. ¡°Ahem, you saved my wife, and I¡¯ve always been at a loss for how to thank you properly¡­ However, yesterday, something urred to me. I have a friend who¡¯s a bow and arrows enthusiast¡­ He has a lot of bows and arrows at home, and there¡¯s even a bow worth thousands of dors¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Bow and arrows?¡± Upon hearing about bow and arrows, Wang Tao became interested. In certain situations, bow and arrows can be much more useful than guns. Of course, they also have a higher learning curve¡­ Was Sun Weiguang offering him bow and arrows? ¡°Yes, bow and arrows! I think you would need them! And only someone like you would be worthy of using such weapons¡­¡± Sun Weiguang immediately ttered him. ¡°Where are the bow and arrows?¡± ¡°Er¡­ the bow and arrows are at his ce¡­¡± Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s expression turn sour in an instant, Sun Weiguang hurriedly continued: ¡°Cough, Commissioner Wang, I know his address! I¡¯m not capable of going there myself, but with your strength, it would definitely be no problem!¡± ¡°If you have nothing else, you can leave now.¡± Wang Tao waved his hand with some impatience. Good grief, this Sun Weiguang actually dared to offer him pie in the sky? He had seen too many of these tricks in society and was already immune to them. Even if there really was such a bow and arrows, wouldn¡¯t the owner use them himself? Would he really just leave them at home waiting for Wang Tao toe and get them? Fearing that Wang Tao might kick him out, Sun Weiguang hurriedly exined anxiously: ¡°No, Commissioner Wang, there might be a misunderstanding! My friend got infected! We talked on the phone during the virus outbreak. By that time, he was already infected, and his bow and arrows are all at his ce. He told me he was about to die and asked me to take his things to use! But I didn¡¯t dare to go¡­¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s frown rxed a little. If what Sun Weiguang said was true, then it might indeed be something to look forward to. ¡°Where¡¯s the address?¡± ¡°It¡¯s at¡­¡± Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t dare to hide anything and quickly gave a specific address. Wang Tao memorized the address silently and then spoke: ¡°Alright, I got it. Is there anything else?¡± Although it was the second time he asked Sun Weiguang if there was anything else, this time Wang Tao¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t as stern as before, though he still wasn¡¯t smiling. Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s attitude softening a bit, Sun Weiguang eagerly took the opportunity. ¡°Ahem, there¡¯s one more small favor I¡¯d like to ask of you¡­¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°That is, I want to change my job. Personally, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m quite cut out for farming¡­¡± Sun Weiguang looked somewhat pained. In Shuize Base, everyone had to work, and his job was digging and farming. That job was secured for him by Han Rui. Although it was tiring, the work was safe, and importantly, it provided two to three Ration Tickets per day! Many jobs only yield one Ration Ticket a day, so work that gives more than two tickets definitely counted as well-paid. But Sun Weiguang was finding it hard to cope. He had never farmed in his life, let alone done heavy manualbor. Having him farm was asking too much of him! Had it been before he arrived at the base, he would have been willing to do anything, even shovel manure, if it meant getting security. But now that he had arrived at the base and attained safety, he felt that he wasn¡¯t suited for farming, or rather, he wasn¡¯t suited for any kind of physicalbor; he was better suited for work that required using his brain! Unfortunately, Han Rui refused to change his job. She imed she didn¡¯t have the authority, but Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t believe her, thinking it was just her excuse. He was convinced that Han Rui must have found out about his affair with Ou Yingying! Especially these past two days, Han Rui¡¯s mental state seemed off, sometimes staring into space.. Sun Weiguang asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn¡¯t say, and herplexion looked very grim, especially the way she looked at him; it was a sad and disappointed gaze! Chapter 126 - 941 Killed Someone_2 Chapter 126: Chapter 941 Killed Someone_2 Trantor: 549690339 | Sun Weiguang was now certain that Han Rui had definitely discovered his affair with Ou Yingying. After all, ever since he arrived at the base, he had rushed to see Ou Yingying whenever he had the chance and had never once sought out Han Rui. It was no surprise that Han Rui had found out something. Although Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t know why Han Rui didn¡¯t just confront him directly, he knew he could no longer rely on her. And with Han Rui¡¯s old leader dead, her current power probably wasn¡¯t as great as before¡­ Moreover, Han Rui still had a pretty good rtionship with Wang Tao, so before Han Rui confronted him, he had to cling to Wang Tao¡¯s coattails as soon as possible! Otherwise, if Han Rui confronted him, or even abandoned him, he would truly be without any support! Sun Weiguang also knew that Wang Tao was amissioner with plenty of resources, so it was extremely difficult to forge a rtionship with him. He racked his brains and finally remembered the matter of bow and arrows. The reason it only urred to him now was that he had previously known he had no ability to obtain the bow and arrows and had subconsciously ignored this matter. Over the past few days, he heard that the soldiers venturing outside were afraid to fire their guns, mentioning some extremely fast zombies outside. He felt that Wang Tao would probably need these bows and arrows. So he came today to try his luck and see if Wang Tao was interested. When Wang Tao asked him to leave the address, it indicated at least that he was interested. At that moment, Wang Tao asked him if there was anything else, and he hurriedly brought up the matter of changing jobs. If he wasn¡¯t thick-skinned now, he wouldn¡¯t have any chanceter! ¡°Changing jobs isn¡¯t something I¡¯m responsible for. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you.¡± Wang Tao shrugged his shoulders. Sun Weiguang¡¯s face suddenly stiffened. He knew this wasn¡¯t Wang Tao¡¯s responsibility, it was Member Ren Jie¡¯s. But Wang Tao was also amissioner, so a simple greeting should suffice! It seemed the information about the bows wasn¡¯t enough to get him a new job! Sun Weiguang was very disappointed in his heart. Wang Tao gave him the feeling simr to those he had encountered before the apocalypse, who took money without getting the job done. Of course, he also knew his news was unverified and therefore not highly valuable¡­ Sun Weiguang dared not show any hint of disappointment on his face, for he still had a chance and couldn¡¯t afford to offend Wang Tao at this point. ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± This was the third time Wang Tao had asked him. Sun Weiguang quickly got up. ¡°I have nothing else, so I won¡¯t disturb Commissioner Wang any longer!¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded lightly. After leaving themissioner¡¯s area, Sun Weiguang pondered all the way what to offer Wang Tao next time¡­ Clinging to powerful legs wasn¡¯t so easy after all! ¡°Ouch!¡± Walking with his head down, Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t notice his umbre colliding with another, drenching the other person with the water from his umbre. ¡°Can¡¯t you watch where you¡¯re going¡ª oh, sorry, sorry!¡± Sun Weiguang instinctively wanted to curse, but when he looked up, he saw that there were five people, all women, and he was alone without Han Rui by his side¡­ so he immediately chickened out. ¡°Really, some people just don¡¯t watch where they go!¡± The woman he bumped into was voluptuous and red at Sun Weiguang with malice. She was holding onto another woman who looked even more attractive. Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t recognize the voluptuous woman, but he had some impression of the more attractive woman next to her¡ªshe seemed to be a minor celebrity, called Huo¡­ Huo Ziyi? If it had been peacetime, Sun Weiguang would have argued back no matter what. But now, in the post-apocalyptic world, not to mention the possibility of being beaten, Han Rui was responsible for managing such disputes. If she came over, it would be very embarrassing for him. ¡°My mistake, my mistake!¡± A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him, so Sun Weiguang hastily apologized again. ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry on,¡± Huo Ziyi pulled herpanion. ¡°Hmph!¡± After a snort, thepanion didn¡¯t continue to make trouble and quickly walked away with Huo Ziyi. Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t care too much initially, but the words they said as they left suddenly made him pause. ¡°Ziyi sister, you just need to be bold! What man doesn¡¯t like a beauty, unless he¡¯s a eunuch? And Commissioner Wang is clearly not one, he¡¯s too macho! If you dress up and throw yourself at him, do you think Commissioner Wang would refuse? Definitely not! Then you¡¯ll have sessfully clung to themissioner¡¯s coattails! We¡¯re all waiting to live the good life with you!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re too shy¡­ Sister will go with you! I guarantee we¡¯ll sweep Commissioner Wang off his feet¡­¡± Hearing their voices fade away, Sun Weiguang felt disdainful. ¡°Heh, a bunch of cheap women, so shameless!¡± But he quickly shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s the advantage of women, especially pretty women¡­ pity, I¡¯m not a woman¡ªwait, pretty women?¡± Sun Weiguang¡¯s expression suddenly changed as he seemed to think of something. ¡°Commissioner Wang, Han Rui requests to see you.¡± Hearing the voice from the inte, Wang Tao felt a bit speechless. Had Sun Weiguang and Han Rui coordinated this? She arrived right after his front foot stepped out. But Han Rui was definitely not the same as Sun Weiguang. To him, Sun Weiguang was useless, but Han Rui was a capable Ability User that Wang Tao was also willing to befriend. ¡°Let her in.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before Han Rui, holding an umbre, entered. She looked worsepared to two days before, with red eyes and faint dark circles.. Chapter 127 - 941 Killed Someone_3 Chapter 127: Chapter 941 Killed Someone_3 Trantor: 549690339 After exchanging pleasantries, Han Rui asked somewhat anxiously: ¡°Wang Tao, that¡­ have you found out who went to my office that day¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­ I did find out, I¡¯ve even approached the person¡­¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± Hope appeared on Han Rui¡¯s face. No matter what, Sun Weiguang was her husband, and she really did not want Sun Weiguang to be cast out! ¡°But the person has asked me not to tell you who it is. They said that unless you tell me what exactly is going on¡­ It¡¯s difficult for me since both parties are acquaintances¡­ Speaking of which, what exactly is going on with you? Is there something you can¡¯t tell?¡± A look of difficulty, mixed with curiosity, crossed Wang Tao¡¯s face. ¡°What?¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Han Rui was a bit stunned. Then she shook her head repeatedly, ¡°I can¡¯t say, I cannot say!¡± If she said it, Sun Weiguang would be finished! ¡°Then I can¡¯t help you. We¡¯re all friends, I can¡¯t betray someone else for you, can I?¡± Wang Tao spoke with a hint of helplessness. He admitted, he was somewhat enjoying teasing her. But hey, teasing people was pretty interesting. The hesitation was apparent on Han Rui¡¯s face as she hung her head, her gaze flickering. After a moment, she lifted her head again as if she had made a significant decision. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you, I hope you¡ªoh, forget it.¡± Han Rui shook her head, then lowered it slightly, and said in a heavy tone: ¡°Before I came to the base, I once saved a few survivors. During one operation, we were cornered by zombies upstairs. To escape the zombies¡¯ attack, I¡­ I pushed two survivors off the building! They sessfully drew the zombies¡¯ attention, and then we managed to escape¡­ I¡¯m sorry for them! Wuu wuu¡­ And all this was recorded on video by a hidden survivor¡­¡± II II Wang Tao looked at Han Rui with some shock. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was the one who had taken the video, he might have believed her! This Han Rui actually took the me for abandoning herrades upon herself! Was her rtionship with her husband really that good? So good that she¡¯d be willing to die for him? Wang Tao felt that Sun Weiguang¡¯s attitude towards Han Rui wasn¡¯t very good¡­ As for Han Rui¡¯s feelings towards Sun Weiguang, it was hard for him to tell. Could she be a pathetic admirer of her husband? ¡°I intended to keep it hidden, but¡­ I suppose that person wants to negotiate with me. I reckon I can no longer stay in the base, I just want to meet that person and ask them to delete the video. As for me¡­ considering the hard work I¡¯ve put in for the base, if not merits then at least efforts, I hope you can let me off, and I will leave the base on my own¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s tone was very downcast. This was the best solution she could think of¡ªshe took the me upon herself, then begged Wang Tao for mercy, asking themittee not to punish her. After that, she would leave the base and nevere back¡­ After all, no matter what, Sun Weiguang was herwful husband. Even if their rtionship had soured, she didn¡¯t want Sun Weiguang to die¡­ As a wife, she would at least have done her duty to Sun Weiguang. If Sun Weiguang were to leave, he would face certain death. But if she went out, she still had a good chance of surviving¡­ Of course, there was another problem, which was whether the person who recorded the video would make it public! Han Rui had no control over this, she could only take it one step at a time¡­ After his initial shock, Wang Tao spoke yfully: ¡°Han Rui, are you sure you betrayed tworades? If this is true and someone has evidence, even if I speak up for you, you won¡¯t be able to stay in the base.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Han Rui dared not look into Wang Tao¡¯s eyes; she wasn¡¯t someone who was good at lying, and she feared Wang Tao would see through her. ¡°It¡¯s your business, and I don¡¯t want to meddle too much¡­ How about this, I¡¯ll schedule a time for you,e to me tomorrow night. The two of you can meet and talk.¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you, thank you!¡± Han Rui instantly expressed her gratitude to Wang Tao with a relieved face. Watching Han Rui¡¯s despondent departure, Wang Tao felt somewhat troubled. It was a shame that someone so utterly devoted to Sun Weiguang couldn¡¯t be part of his team. But soon, Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll confront her tomorrow night. As for what she does, that¡¯s her business.¡± The reason Wang Tao didn¡¯t directly talk to Han Rui about this matter was that he didn¡¯t want their rtionship to turn sour. After all, Han Rui¡¯s Ability was very impressive and could be a significant help to Wang Tao when hunting zombies in the future. But since Han Rui was so frustrating, let it be. Could he, Wang Tao, reallyck just one team member? It was just a Zombie Core with Perception Ability; he was sure toe across it eventually. That evening. Right after having dinner, Sun Weiguang came over again. This made Wang Tao frown slightly; were this couple teaming up to bother him? Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to deal with Sun Weiguang; he was nning to discuss life with his sister-inw. However, Sun Weiguang sent a message through the Guard, saying he had something good to offer Wang Tao, even better than what he had mentioned in the morning! Better than the news about the Bow and Arrows? This piqued Wang Tao¡¯s interest. Well then, let¡¯s meet and see; it won¡¯t waste more than a few minutes. Upon meeting Sun Weiguang again, he had still nothing in his hands. He spoke to Wang Tao with a bit of secrecy: ¡°Commissioner Wang, I have prepared the item for you! Come with me!¡± ¡°¡­Alright, I¡¯m curious to see what you have. If it doesn¡¯t satisfy me¡­¡± ¡°You will definitely be satisfied!¡± Wang Tao followed Sun Weiguang out and then drove with him to an apartmentplex. After getting out of the car, Sun Weiguang led Wang Tao back to his home. Wang Tao was somewhat puzzled, what good thing did Sun Weiguang have that he couldn¡¯t bring out and had to keep at home? Sun Weiguang opened the bedroom door. ¡°Commissioner Wang, this is the gift I have prepared for you!¡± Seeing the scene inside, Wang Tao was dumbfounded. On therge bed in the bedroomy a woman in pajamas on her side. The woman¡¯s eyes were closed, her face flushed, her forehead slightly sweaty, and her body twisted unnaturally as if she was ufortable¡­ This woman was none other than Sun Weiguang¡¯s wife, Han Rui.. Chapter 128 - 95 Superiority ! Chapter 128: Chapter 95 Superiority ! Trantor: 549690339 ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. ¡°Ahem, Commissioner Wang, you saved my wife. I don¡¯t have much to thank you with¡­ If you don¡¯t mind, feel free to rest here¡­¡± After Sun Weiguang said this, his old face also blushed. But then he thought, Han Rui must have already found out about him and Ou Yingying, and he couldn¡¯t rely on Han Rui for a living anymore. So why not take advantage of the fact that he and Han Rui were still living under the same roof and have Han Rui help him onest time? Han Rui loved her so much, she would surely fulfill his wish! Wang Tao had only seen the plot of offering one¡¯s wife in literary works; this was his first encounter with it in reality, and he was somewhat at a loss. After all, he was a decent man! ¡°Are you sure¡­ you want your wife to sleep with me?¡± Wang Tao frowned and asked. ¡°Sure!¡± Sun Weiguang nodded vigorously. ¡°You won¡¯t even ask your wife¡¯s opinion?¡± Wang Tao asked again. ¡°No need to ask, I¡¯m the head of the household!¡± Sun Weiguang said, lifting his head high. ¡°What if your wife resists?¡± ¡°Impossible, I drugged her! She won¡¯t be able to resist, and she won¡¯t remember anything when she wakes up! You just use her with peace of mind!¡± This was what he exchanged for with many of Han Rui¡¯s Ration Tickets from other survivors. Wang Tao was utterly speechless, meeting such a scumbag for the first time. Han Rui really should have seen better. Luckily the person who came today was him; if it were someone with impure intentions, Han Rui¡¯s innocence would have been ruined. ¡°Mmm~¡± Han Rui suddenly let out a pained moan from the bed. Seeing this, Sun Weiguang hurriedly said: ¡°Ahem, Commissioner Wang, the drug I used was a bit strong! You¡¯d better hurry up, otherwise she¡¯ll hurt her body! I¡¯ll wait outside!¡± Without giving Wang Tao the chance to refuse, Sun Weiguang quickly ran out the door, and thoughtfully closed it behind him. Wang Tao shook his head speechlessly, then walked to the bedside. He was not the kind of person to take advantage of others in difficulty; he just wanted to see how Han Rui really was. But seeing Han Rui¡¯s expression, Wang Tao paused. Because Han Rui¡¯s eyes were open, her face flushed, yet filled with tears. ¡°Han Rui? Can you hear me? If you can, blink once.¡± Wang Tao whispered. Han Rui stared intently at Wang Tao, eyes brimming with tears, then she blinked once. ¡°So it seems you heard everything?¡± Han Rui blinked again. Wang Tao shrugged. ¡°Good that you heard it, this has nothing to do with me, it¡¯s all your husband¡¯s doing.¡± Han Rui blinked once more. ¡°These so-called drugs, should be okay after a while, right? If not, shall we see a doctor?¡± Wang Tao tentatively asked. Han Rui did not blink this time, but after a long wait, she finally opened her mouth. Wang Tao leaned closer to hear what she was trying to say. Suddenly, Han Rui reached out and weakly embraced Wang Tao¡¯s neck. In despair, she closed her eyes, and tears fell from the corners. ¡°I¡­ feel terrible¡­¡± ¡°Help me¡­¡± An hourter. Han Rui, with disheveled hair,y on Wang Tao¡¯s chest, her eyes swollen and her gaze hollow and confused. The helpful Wang Tao clutched a cigarette for after the act, but didn¡¯t light it. He didn¡¯t smoke; he just wanted the feeling. Then Wang Tao gently brushed Han Rui¡¯s hair from her forehead, revealing her pale, pitiful little face. ¡°What do you n to do?¡± After a long silence, Han Rui finally murmured, ¡°I want to die, but I survived with so much difficulty, I can¡¯t die¡­ I don¡¯t hate you, I hate him¡­ but I, I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know? Then leave it to me to take care of it¡ª¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Han Rui interrupted him. ¡°No! I, I¡¯ll deal with it myself¡­¡± Seeing Han Rui¡¯s confused look, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure she could handle it well. However, he chose to respect her decision. ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then stood up to get dressed. Han Rui just watched Wang Tao, without saying a word. After dressing, Wang Tao considerately covered Han Rui with the nket, gently wiped away the tear stains from the corners of her eyes, and then pushed the door open and left the room. As soon as Wang Tao left, Han Rui buried her head in the nket and cried bitterly, but her tears were all dried up, and she couldn¡¯t cry anymore¡­ Outside, seeing Wang Tao finallye out, Sun Weiguang heaved a sigh of relief. More than an hour, is that a normal amount of time? Could his wife endure such a toll¡­ ¡°Ahem, Commissioner Wang, are you satisfied with my wife?¡± Sun Weiguang asked softly. At this moment, he himself felt a bit shameless, but thinking that Han Rui would abandon him anyway, and that he used her to exchange for his ¡°position,¡± he felt it was worth it. Wang Tao nced at him and said nothing. He was very satisfied; Han Rui and Ding Yuqin werepletely different styles. But such matters were better kept to oneself, no need to share with others. It¡¯s not like he could tell Sun Weiguang that his wife was great ¡ª ahem, seems like it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that? Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s silence, Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t mind. If Wang Tao wasn¡¯t satisfied, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have stayed inside for more than an hour. ¡°I¡¯ll be going back now. As for the matter of changing jobs¡­ I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Wang Tao left with big strides, showing no signs of longing. ¡°Take care, do visit whenever you¡¯re free!¡± Sun Weiguang beamed with joy as he saw Wang Tao downstairs, then hurried back home. Seeing that Han Rui was still sleeping soundly in the bedroom, he withdrew, then left the house directly.. Chapter 129 - 95 Superiority ! Chapter 129: Chapter 95 Superiority ! Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Go to Yingying¡¯s ce!¡± Only in Ou Yingying¡¯spany could he find the self-confidence of being a man. The next day. Wang Tao looked at his visibly improved Flying Axe Throwing Technique and was quite satisfied with himself. His Body Strengthening had a Hidden Ability that wasn¡¯t limited to ordinary exercises; practices like throwing objects also received certain enhancements. After training for this period, he wouldn¡¯t im to hit the mark every time, but at least his mid and short-range throws were urate. Gone were the embarrassing moments when he aimed for the leg but hit the hand instead. Now he could barely im to know how to use the Flying Axe. ¡°However, as good as the Flying Axe is, I feel like it still falls shortpared to Bow and Arrows¡­¡± He had a limited number of Firefighter Axes, and he couldn¡¯t possibly carry too many at once. But with Bow and Arrows, it was different ¨C at least he could carry a quiver of arrows, and it should be more energy-efficient. As for the lethality, modern Bow and Arrows should not becking. Especially the one Sun Weiguang mentioned that his friend had, which was quite expensive; it should be of good quality. ¡°I¡¯ll see when I have time to go there in the next couple of days¡­¡± Wang Tao mused, stroking his chin. The ce Sun Weiguang had talked about was slightly far from the base, but it was only about five or six kilometers. The distance from Happy Community to Shuize Base was about the same, and he had arrived sessfully. For him, this distance was certainly dangerous, but where wasn¡¯t dangerous in this post-apocalyptic world? As long as it wasn¡¯t some particrly lethal danger, it would be fine. Wang Tao continued to practice the Flying Axe at home; he nned to train for one more day. Tomorrow, he could go out and test his skill. Evening. Han Rui arrived at Wang Tao¡¯s ce as promised. She actually didn¡¯t want toe because she didn¡¯t know how to face Wang Tao. Even though it was all Sun Weiguang¡¯s doing and Wang Tao didn¡¯t do it intentionally, the fact was that it had happened. She and Wang Tao had indeed be intimate, and her husband was listening right outside the door¡­ Every time she thought about it, she felt so ashamed she wished she could crawl into a hole! But she wanted to know who had taken those videos. As for the thought of taking the me for Sun Weiguang, Han Rui was suddenly wavering again. She had always known Sun Weiguang¡¯s ws but had still been willing to amodate him. After all, everyone has ws; she had hers too. They were unavoidable. And they were husband and wife, meant to spend the rest of their lives together. If she couldn¡¯t tolerate each other¡¯s ws, their future together wouldn¡¯t work out. But she never expected that after doing so much for Sun Weiguang, even being willing to leave the base to give him a better life, he would offer her up to another man for the sake of his own future! Han Rui was truly disappointed and angry, yet she didn¡¯t know how to deal with Sun Weiguang. She had always been doing good deeds and the right things for so many years, but she had never encountered such betrayal by someone so close, and she didn¡¯t know how to resolve it¡­ ¡°You¡¯re here, take a seat.¡± Wang Tao invited Han Rui to sit opposite him. Han Rui had always been a very confident person, not dodging eye contact even in front of council members, but now, let alone meeting Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, she hardly dared to voluntarily look at him. Her feelings for Wang Tao wereplicated. He had first been her savior, for which she felt profound gratitude;ter, fighting alongside him, she saw him as a teammate she could rely on with her back turned; now, after their unexpected intimate encounter, she¡­ really didn¡¯t know what to do, but strangely, she didn¡¯t dislike Wang Tao¡­ ¡°How did you resolve it?¡± Wang Tao asked with some curiosity. His question about resolution naturally referred to the incident of Sun Weiguang drugging her. ¡°I, I haven¡¯t spoken to him at all¡­¡± Han Rui started, somewhat awkwardly. She had never run away from anything before, thinking evasion was shameful. But now, she had chosen to evade, and although evasion might be shameful, it really worked¡­ ¡°Not speaking to him? That¡¯s it?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. Was this her n for handling it herself? ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s counter-question made Han Rui feel even more awkward. In an attempt to alleviate the awkwardness, she quickly changed the subject, ¡°That person¡­ did theye?¡± Instead of answering directly, Wang Tao said, ¡°Is what you told me yesterday true? Did you really frame two teammates and then it was caught on camera?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Han Rui replied, her head lowered. ¡°Look up at me.¡± Wang Taomanded abruptly. Han Rui instinctively lifted her head, and those slightly swollen eyes looked at Wang Tao. Then, unexpectedly, she noticed that Wang Tao seemed handsomer than she remembered. But after barely three seconds, Han Rui avoided his gaze again. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you again, is everything you told me yesterday true? Don¡¯t rush your answer, take your time to think about what has happened recently¡­ then look into my eyes and answer me. We¡¯ve been through life and death together, and I don¡¯t want to be deceived.¡± Han Rui seemed torn, clenching and unclenching her small fists. Meanwhile, Wang Tao waited quietly, not urging her in any way. After what seemed like a long time, Han Rui suddenly took a deep breath, seeming to copse inward, but feeling much more rxed at the same time. She lifted her head, bravely met Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, and then began apologetically: Chapter 130 - 95 Superiority_3 Chapter 130: Chapter 95 Superiority_3 Trantor: 549690339 | ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I deceived you; the truth is, I didn¡¯t murder our teammates-it was Sun Weiguang¡­¡± Han Rui narrated the events exactly as they had happened, even taking out her phone to show the video to Wang Tao. Wang Tao didn¡¯t look at the phone; instead, he nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Very good; that¡¯s the Han Rui I know!¡± ¡°You¡­ You believe me?¡± Han Rui was somewhat incredulous. Her exnation sounded like she was trying to pass the buck. Normally, the listener would ask detailed questions or want to see her phone. But Wang Tao did none of that; he just believed her. Han Rui suddenly felt touched, although her husband was reluctant to believe her, there were still people who did! But the feeling of being moved came and went quickly, because she then heard Wang Tao say: ¡°Of course I believe you, since I was the one who took the video. ti 11 Han Rui was stunned, and then quickly said: ¡°Wait, what you just said¡­ it wasn¡¯t that you saw the video, but that you took it yourself?¡± Wang Tao nodded, confessing. ¡°Yes, I took it. I was there at the water nt, hiding in the highest crumbling building.¡± ¡öI 11 If it were Sun Weiguang hearing this, he probably would haveined why Wang Tao didn¡¯t help them. But Han Rui wasn¡¯t her useless husband; she was silent for a moment, then she spoke with a hint of surprise: ¡°We almost went to that building¡­ maybe we could¡¯ve met earlier-¡± Han Rui cut off mid-sentence as if she had just thought of something and hurriedly added, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean, you knew me already? So, when we met for the second time at themercial street, the reason you saved me¡­ ¡°Exactly, it was because I had seen you before and knew of your character. I thought you were worth saving, so I saved you. If it had been your useless husband, I wouldn¡¯t have saved him.¡¯¡¯ Wang Tao lied without even a blush. When he saved Han Rui, her good character was indeed a reason, but another was that she was an Ability User, and he was curious about what other Ability Users were like. Moreover, it was convenient for him at the time¡­ But these were all white lies, harmless. Hearing this, Han Rui flushed slightly, not with shyness, but embarrassment. Because before today, she had lied to Wang Tao¡­ As for Wang Tao calling her husband a waste, Han Rui instinctively ignored it, for she had alreadye to terms with that fact. ¡°How did you leave then?¡± Han Rui asked, curious. ¡°I had a car. I just drove away; a small number of zombies couldn¡¯t catch me. If you had waited a bit longer, until I lured the zombies away with my car, you wouldn¡¯t have had to pay the price of two teammates¡¯ lives to survive,¡± Wang Tao answered, somewhat painfully. ¡öI 11 Returning to the subject made Han Rui feel miserable. What was more agonizing was that Wang Tao clearly knew everything but pretended not to, leaving her feeling like a clown. Han Rui¡¯s gaze at Wang Tao carried a trace of reproach. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell me directly¡­ You even made up a person¡­¡± ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t sure whether you would cover for Sun Weiguang or not. Telling the truth might have worsened our rtionship. It turns out, I was right. Indeed, you protected Sun Weiguang.¡± ¡öI 11 Han Rui felt so awkward she could almost dig out a three-bedroom apartment with her foot in embarrassment. ¡°So what do you¡­ What do you want to do with Sun Weiguang?¡± Han Rui now directly referred to her husband by his name. ¡°This matter is only known to you, me, and the two Sun Weiguangs. It doesn¡¯t affect me, as long as you don¡¯t speak of it, as long as they don¡¯t cause troubleter, then I can pretend I don¡¯t know.¡± Wang Tao spoke indifferently. The Survivor Base needed stability. As long as there was stability, there wasn¡¯t much problem. There were surely more things like what Sun Weiguang did, they just hadn¡¯t been exposed. Wang Tao had seen the files managed by Ren Jie, which listed some of the bad things some people at the base had done. As long as it wasn¡¯t rted to the base, as long as it didn¡¯t harm the interests of the base, and as long as it didn¡¯t get exposed, there was no great issue. After all, the base was in dire need of workers. If we only ept ¡°good people without a single blemish,¡± then there¡¯s no point in keeping this base open. We might as well shut it down because we can hardly gather a few people. In the apocalypse, where can you find absolutely good people? ¡°¡­Thank you!¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s response, Han Rui expressed her gratitude. Although she no longer wanted to deal with Sun Weiguang¡¯s affairs and even wanted to draw a clear line with him, Wang Tao¡¯s reluctance to get involved was partly out of consideration for her, so it was only proper for her to thank him. ¡°Do you have any other business? If not,e and have dinner at my ce.¡± Wang Tao got up and sat down next to Han Rui, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he spoke. Han Rui, however, jumped up as if she had been electrocuted. ¡°Wang Tao, please¡­ please behave yourself!¡± Watching Han Rui¡¯s face flush red as blood in an instant, Wang Tao was taken aback. ¡°Last night was out of necessity; can we just pretend that nothing happened¡­?¡± Seeing Wang Tao staring at her, Han Rui quickly added. ¡°Pretend nothing happened? I can¡¯t forget how you insisted on being on top.¡± Wang Tao teased somewhat. ¡°You, you stop it!¡± Seeing Han Rui¡¯s embarrassed face, even with tears sparkling in her eyes, Wang Tao shook his head with a smile. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s pretend nothing happened.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Then Wang Tao spoke again: ¡°By the way, I need to go out tomorrow, and you shoulde with me.¡± ¡°Ah? To scavenge for supplies?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± Han Rui felt tempted; she truly didn¡¯t want to deal with the trivialities of the base anymore. The outside world was dangerous, but if she were with Wang Tao, the risk would definitely be much lower! Yet, her rtionship with Wang Tao was currently rather ambiguous¡­ Han Rui was torn. Since she didn¡¯t refuse right away, it meant she wanted to go. So Wang Tao spoke again: ¡°Let¡¯s settle on that, then. Wait for me at theprehensive building tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± In the end, Han Rui nodded. ¡°Stay for dinner?¡± Wang Tao invited her again. ¡°No, no! I still have things to do, so I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± Han Rui waved her hands in refusal. It wasn¡¯t that she minded getting a free meal, but mainly because there was another woman in Wang Tao¡¯s house. Although she was unclear about this woman¡¯s status, it was apparent that she was very close to Wang Tao. Staying there would be awkward. Watching Han Rui¡¯s retreating figure, Wang Tao¡¯s face broke into a smile as he perhaps thought of something. ¡°Han Rui left? Weren¡¯t you going to ask her to stay for dinner¡­?¡± At that moment, Ding Yuqin walked over. She never disturbed Wang Tao when he was discussing matters. She had seen Han Rui leave from upstairs beforeing down. ¡°Yes, she had some business and left first.¡± Wang Tao briefly exined, then suddenly looked at Ding Yuqin and said: ¡°I think Han Rui is quite a decent person. Sister-inw, when you¡¯re free, you could try interacting with her. I think you two could be friends.¡± ¡°Ah? No problem!¡± Ding Yuqin was slightly startled but then nodded eagerly. Wang Tao seldom praised people. His praise for Han Rui meant she must have had some exceptional qualities. Chapter 131 - 96 Corrosive Acid Rain_l Chapter 131: Chapter 96 Corrosive Acid Rain_l Trantor: 549690339 | Wang Tao had nned to go out with Han Rui today, but because a torrential downpour had startedst night, he decided to cancel the trip. Although the rain could interfere with the zombies¡¯ perception, heavy rain could also affect people¡¯s movements and senses. It could even pose a life-threatening risk, as excessive rain might lead to flooding disasters. So for the sake of safety, Wang Tao decided to postpone for a day. After Han Rui received the message from Wang Tao, she also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She was really notfortable being alone with Wang Tao, although she knew he would likely invite her againter. But for now, dying it by a day was one less day to worry about¡­ As amittee member, Wang Tao didn¡¯t have specific duties, and he wasn¡¯t inclined to worry about the development of the base, so he had quite a bit of free time when he was there. His ns for today consisted of eating, exercising, sleeping, and ying games with his sister-inw. He wouldn¡¯t even need to leave the house, living the life of a post-apocalyptic homebody. However, as Wang Tao was exercising, Ding Yuqin¡¯s exmation suddenly came from upstairs. ¡°Wang Tao,e quick and look!¡± Wang Tao went to the second floor. Ding Yuqin was behind the sliding door to the balcony, pointing at something on the balcony. Following her gaze, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes narrowed instantly. ¡°Is that¡­ Green Vine?¡± On the balcony, several pots of Green Vine were ced, as the nt enjoyed the rain, so Ding Yuqin hadn¡¯t brought them inside. But now, the vines had grown significantly, their leaves as big as lotus leaves! ¡°It is Green Vine¡­ but how did it get so big¡­¡± Ding Yuqin said incredulously. The nts had grownrger before but at a slower pace, nothing as noticeable as this. These Green Vines had grown so much overnight! And it wasn¡¯t just the vines, looking outside, Wang Tao noticed the chives in the yard had also grownrger, about two or three times their previous size! Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows knitted tightly together. In these apocalyptic times, such urrences weren¡¯t necessarily good news¡­ He slid open the ss door and stretched his hand into the rain. After a moment of keen sensation, Wang Tao quickly withdrew his hand, his expression somewhat grim. ¡°This rain is strange! It feels very ufortable!¡± It wasn¡¯t just a psychological difort, most importantly, Wang Tao noticed that he was losing HP! About one drop per minute! ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Wang Tao?¡± Ding Yuqin, seeing Wang Tao¡¯s troubled expression, immediately asked with concern. ¡°This rain, it¡¯s toxic!¡± Wang Tao could not exin in detail, mainly because he was unsure of the cause himself, so he offered a simple exnation. ¡°Toxic?¡± Ding Yuqin was startled, and quickly tugged at Wang Tao¡¯s arm, pulling him back into the room, ¡°Then don¡¯t touch the rain!¡± Feeling Ding Yuqin¡¯s concern, Wang Tao shook his head: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, sister-inw. The toxicity isn¡¯t severe, we just need to avoid prolonged contact.¡± Wang Tao looked at his hand again, but saw no signs of wounds or other problems. ¡°Don¡¯t go out until the rain stops, sister-inw.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin closed all doors and windows in the house, and then he contacted the othermittee members to inform them that the rain was toxic. Wang Tao had no idea what the situation with the rain causing HP loss was all about, whether it was a fixed rate of one drop per minute, whether the HP loss would start slowly and increase over time, or if the HP loss only urred upon initial contact but then stopped. All these possibilities existed, so without further testing, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t say how toxic the rain was. Aftermunicating with the othermittee members, he discovered that the rain wasn¡¯t just toxic! ¡°This rain seems to be corrosive; after my car was left out over night, the exterior has rusted!¡± ¡°The flowers and nts I nted in front of my door, some have grownrger, but others have withered as if they were sprayed with pesticide¡­ ¡°A soldier reported to me that the zombies outside seem to be rotting even more¡­¡± After exchanging information for a while, everyone couldn¡¯t decide whether the rain was a blessing or a curse. They could only wait and see after it stopped. Then Ren Jie began broadcasting throughout the base¡ªsome fixed areas within the base were equipped with loudspeakers used to receive information from themittee. The volume of the loudspeakers wasn¡¯t loud, but with people nearby who could ry the messages to others, a base-wide broadcast could be achieved. Ren Jie notified all survivors to stay indoors and not to go out, to try not to get rained on, as the rain seemed problematic. As for the specifics, such as it being toxic or corrosive, Ren Jie didn¡¯t mention these guesses. Wang Tao thought Ren Jie had forgotten to mention the details, but soon realized he had underestimated the situation- the rain was getting heavier, and water was beginning to umte in the base. To drain this water, they needed to organize a workforce. Ren Jie then began instructing survivors to put on raincoats and start draining the water! ¡°We can¡¯t tell them the rain is toxic for the moment. If they refuse to drain the water out of fear, our base might be at risk of flooding¡­ Ren Jie exined. Everyone, including Wang Tao, fell silent. Though it might sound hical, as the saying goes, ¡°a kind man cannot be a good official,¡± Ren Jie made this decision considering the overall welfare of the base, so there was nothing wrong with it. When organizing hands for draining the water, someone needed to supervise, and Wang Tao himself, d in a raincoat, took charge. Considering the rain¡¯s corrosive nature, Wang Tao didn¡¯t drive his own car. He owned two vehicles, an electric SUV and a diesel pickup, but both were parked in an indoor garage and had not been exposed to the rain.. Chapter 132 - 96 Corrosive Acid Rain 2 Chapter 132: Chapter 96 Corrosive Acid Rain 2 Trantor: 549690339????? ¡ª There were actually quite a few vehicles inside the base, and Wang Tao directly requisitioned an off-road vehicle from a staff member on duty. The othermittee members had gone ahead, and before Wang Tao set off he first went to the teachers¡¯ apartments. When Wang Tao entered the teachers¡¯ apartment building, he happened to see Sun Weiguang holding a walkie-talkie and talking to someone. Wang Tao called out to him. ¡°Sun Weiguang, where is your wife, Han Rui?¡± Startled by the shout, Sun Weiguang saw Wang Tao and subconsciously replied: ¡°She, she¡¯s at home¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Without another word, Wang Tao headed up. Sun Weiguang opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know whether he should go home or not. Although he was still living with Han Rui, they had been sleeping separately for some time. Han Rui hardly talked to him and was very indifferent, treating him like an ordinary roommate. At times, Sun Weiguang still felt a bit upset. After all, Han Rui was his wife and they had lived together for some time, but now they were like strangers¡­ They had agreed on a medicine that would leave no memory of their affair but everything backfired when Han Rui found out everything! Fake drugs hurt¡¯ people! However, most of the time, Sun Weiguang enjoyed the peace and quiet If he hadn¡¯t been unable to apply for a house, he might have already moved out and lived with Ou Yingying. Han Rui, hearing the door open, thought it was Sun Weiguang, so she didn¡¯t pay much attention. Not until she felt a tall shadow block the light from the window. Han Rui looked up, and was startled. You¡­ what are you doing here!¡± Wang Tao frowned immediately. ¡°What kind of attitude is that, Han Rui? As a member of the basemittee, I personally arranged work for you, and you¡¯re not weing me?¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­¡± Han Rui wanted to exin, but couldn¡¯t seem to find the right words. She just sighed, head lowered. ¡°Commissioner Wang, just order me whatever task you have¡­¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t really angry, he was just teasing her. So, he said with a smile: ¡°You¡¯ll apany me to supervise others in draining water, and I need you to use your Perception Ability for something.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After Han Rui put on her raincoat, they both left. As Wang Tao opened the door, Sun Weiguang, who had been leaning against it, almost fell headlong. ¡°¡­ What are you doing?¡± Wang Tao was exasperated. ¡°Cough cough, I just lost my footing¡­¡± Sun Weiguang hurriedly exined in embarrassment. Han Rui didn¡¯t even nce at Sun Weiguang and walked straight out. After Han Rui had gone downstairs, Wang Tao followed her, but not without giving Sun Weiguang a look and saying: ¡°You have some unique hobbies¡­¡± Once they both had left, Sun Weiguang quickly went inside and sniffed the air in the room. ¡°Really did nothing?¡± Sun Weiguang couldn¡¯t understand why he felt inexplicably disappointed¡­ After Wang Tao and Han Rui got into the vehicle, he turned to her and said: ¡°I want you to Perception-sense those overgrown nts¡­¡± ¡°Overgrown nts?¡± Han Rui was a bit puzzled as she hadn¡¯t noticed any food nts growing unusuallyrge, but when Wang Tao deliberately drove next to some overgrown nts, Han Rui¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This¡­ they¡¯re so big!¡± Looking at the bushes that had obviously grown muchrger, Han Rui eximed in disbelief. ¡°Use your Ability and sense if there is anything special about these nts.¡± Han Rui closed her eyes and concentrated. After feeling around for a while she shook her head. ¡°Nothing, I don¡¯t sense anything¡­¡± Hearing Han Rui say she felt nothing, Wang Tao sighed in relief. He was afraid these nts had mutated into the kind of man-eating nts seen in movies. It seemed fine for now, as long as Han Rui couldn¡¯t sense anything, there probably wasn¡¯t any danger, at least not for the moment. When they arrived at a ce where the water was particrly deep, Wang Tao sat in the car, watching survivors in raincoats, digging through the drains with shovels, in silent observation. He was here to prevent any potential danger to the survivors¡¯ lives, and to figure out what was going on with the acid rain¡¯s HP depletion. The raincoats couldn¡¯t cover all of the survivors¡¯ bodies, especially since they were working, and soon, the survivors started to show ?-i? above their heads. Wang Tao observed that it was the same as with himself, starting to lose HP about every minute. However, only those with full HP were dropping in HP, while those with lesser HP weren¡¯t. Han Rui, watching these survivors working in the rain, instinctively reached to open the door, but Wang Tao locked it. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± he asked, somewhat puzzled. I m going to help¡­¡± Han Rui quickly responded. Hearing this, Wang Tao looked at Han Rui in disbelief and told her to stay put. Han Rui¡¯s expression stiffened, feeling Wang Tao was too indifferent. Suddenly, Wang Tao added: ¡°This rain is toxic.¡± Han Rui was stunned for a moment. Was Wang Tao showing concern for her? But soon she was worried again, ¡°Then what about them¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m keeping an eye on them, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡± After hesitating for a bit, Han Rui still wished to go down. ¡°I can¡¯t just sit here and watch them work in the rain¡­¡± Her previous job had instilled in her a lead-by-example attitude. Wang Tao said the rain was toxic but not very dangerous, so she felt she should help out. This time, Wang Tao didn¡¯t stop her and let Han Rui go down. He couldn¡¯t bring imself to do the same, but he admired people like that. Besides, he could also take the opportunity to observe how an Ability User fared in the rain. The survivors generally had an HP around one hundred, and those who came out to work all had full health. Initially, there was no danger.. Chapter 133 - 96 Corrosive Acid Rain 3 Chapter 133: Chapter 96 Corrosive Acid Rain 3 Trantor: 549690339???????? ¡® By the time about ten minutes had psed, Wang Tao saw a negative status appear below the HP bars of these people. [Corrosive Acid Rain: The body is slightly corroded; resting for a certain period of time will return it to normal] whether they were at full HP or at reduced HP, almost all survivors began to show this condition at this point. Those who hadn¡¯t yet were usually those who were covered up more thoroughly. Twenty minutes in, there were survivors expressing difort and wishing to rest for a while. Wang Tao naturally permitted it. However, some people persisted. After all, this was an extra task; the more they worked, the more ration tickets they would receive. At thirty minutes, another group of people wanted to rest. By the forty-minute mark, most people indicated a desire to rest feeling somewhat ill. When fifty minutes arrived, everyone present, except for Han Rui, stated they needed to rest, exining they felt short of breath and extremely ufortable. At this time, their HP had just dropped by half. The negative status above their heads also changed. [Corrosive Acid Rain: The body is moderately corroded; resting for an extended period of time will return it to normal] Wang Tao sent this group home to rest and then switched to the next batch of people. He felt for ordinary people, this was already their limit; if it reached severe corrosion¡­ it might either be very difficult to recover, or they might just drop But Han Rui was different from them; she also had a corrosion status appear above her head, but she had an HP of 240. So, after deducting 5o HP, she still had 190 remaining, currently still in a ¡°slight corrosion¡± state. Wang Tao conjectured that perhaps when the HP decreased by 10% due to the corrosive acid rain, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems, just a mere deduction of some HP. Once the HP fell by more than 10% of the total amount, a state of slight corrosion would ur, and at that point, the body would start to feel ufortable. When the HP dropped to 50% of the total, it would turn into moderate corrosion, and at this stage, it would be too ufortable to work. As for how much HP severe corrosion would be, Wang Tao was not certain. After all, he couldn¡¯t actually use the lives of the base¡¯s survivors for experimentation. But now he had a rough understanding that a 50% decrease in HP was a warning line. At this point, one couldn¡¯t stay out in the rain any longer or it might pose a risk to life. Regarding the principle of this ¡°corrosive acid rain,¡± Wang Tao spected that when the acid rain fell on a person, it would umte inside the body; once it umted to a certain level, it would cause HP to drop. The more umtion, the more obvious the negative condition. If it exceeded the body¡¯s limits, it might lead to death. That¡¯s also why, when they first encountered corrosive acid rain, only those at full HP would lose HP, while those at reduced HP would not-the decrease was based on the upper limit of HP, not the current HP level. It felt somewhat simr to the impurities within the body after fusing with a Zombie Crystal Core¡­ ¡°Han Rui,e over!¡± After changing the people outside, Wang Tao called Han Rui over. Han Rui obediently got into the vehicle. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Wang Tao asked: ¡°A bit ufortable, I feel some irregrities in my heartbeat, but I can bear Han Rui held her chest, herplexion somewhat pale. ¡°Let me feel.¡± Wang Tao reached out directly, but Han Rui dodged him quickly. ¡°There are so many people outside!¡± Han Rui instinctively covered her chest, her face turning red. ¡°Do you mean it¡¯s okay when there¡¯s no one around?¡± ¡°Not okay when there¡¯s no one either! Wang Tao, didn¡¯t we agree, just pretend nothing happened¡­¡± Han Rui was somewhat unable to look directly into Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. Wang Tao, however, replied with an innocent face: ¡°Hmm? What you¡¯re referring to¡­ the incident that night when you took the initiative to hug me? I almost forgot about it, why are you bringing it up again?¡± b Han Rui had never met someone so shameless. She decided to ignore Wang Tao from then on. Wang Tao smiled and didn¡¯t mind; he was just teasing Han Rui a little, but serious business awaited. The drainage system of Shuize University was actually quite good; aside from a few ces that would collect water, the rest could flow toward the river north of the university. Shuize County had several rivers, which is where the county¡¯s name came from. One of the longest rivers was located behind Shuize University, but that river didn¡¯t have much water and had shown signs of drying up before Now was a good opportunity to divert the torrential rain into this river. After a full day¡¯s work, the survivors finally managed to sort out the drainage system¡ªessentially, some drainage pipes and ditches had been blocked, and they just needed to clear them out. Under Wang Tao¡¯s supervision, there were no dangers to any survivors- at most, some experienced moderate corrosion and could recover after some rest. When Wang Tao distributed the ration tickets to these people, the survivors were all very happy. Though they were a bit tired and ufortable today the day¡¯s earnings were equivalent to a normal week¡¯s! It was worth the fatigue! Once Wang Tao saw that Han Rui really wasn¡¯t having any problems, he sent her home. Then Wang Tao headed to the top floor of theprehensive building to discuss the issue of corrosive acid rain with several othermittee members. Wang Tao shared everything he had observed, of course, after some modification; he definitely wouldn¡¯t disclose his ability to see HP bars. Everyone found this corrosive acid rain to be quite vexing. If future rains were to also be corrosive like this, wouldn¡¯t that mean they couldn¡¯t go out on rainy days? It was bad enough the sunny days were dangerous, but rainy days too, dammit! Although they could wrap themselves up more securely to avoid exposing their skin, it was ultimately still quite risky! Of course, that was for ordinary people. For someone with a lot of HP, they would still have a huge advantage For example, Wang Tao, with his HP of 1200, could stay out in the rain for ten hours without any issue¡­ The group couldn¡¯t figure out any solutions for the time being and could only wait until the rain stopped. But this torrential rainsted longer than anyone had anticipated, a full three days.. Chapter 134 - 97 The Second Airdrop After the Chapter 134: Chapter 97 The Second Airdrop After the Rain_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°The rain has stopped¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned a little as he got up in the morning and saw the clear sky outside. This was the longest rain he had experienced in his lifetime. It had been raining since he set out to find Shuize Base until it stopped yesterday,sting a full half month. Fortunately, the previous rain wasn¡¯t heavy; if it had been as torrential as thest three days, Shuize County might have beenpletely flooded by now. Ding Yuqin had already gotten up and prepared breakfast for Wang Tao. ¡°Sister-inw, how much food do we have left at home?¡± Wang Tao asked as he ate. ¡°Not counting the nutrients, there¡¯s still¡­¡± Ding Yuqin took out a list and exined it to Wang Tao in an orderly manner. After listening, Wang Tao tapped the table. ¡°We don¡¯t have much food left; it¡¯s a good time to go out and scavenge¡­¡± Although he had previously collected a lot of food, he ate a lot, his portion equating to several people¡¯s. Thus, the food was consumed rapidly. Of course, they could still make do with the food for a while, but since Wang Tao was capable, there was no need to be too frugal. After all, how could he have the strength to kill zombies if he wasn¡¯t well-fed? After breakfast, with Ding Yuqin¡¯s help, Wang Tao put on his full gear and then went to the garage to drive out his electric off-road vehicle. As soon as he stepped outside, he could clearly feel that things were different. The exterior wall¡¯s coating had almost entirely peeled off, covered with climbing ivy, and the base of the wall was riddled with green moss. In the yard, the chives and green nts had grown significantly longer. Several cars belonging to the guard personnel were parked outside the yard, all with visible rust; some road signs also rusted, with some bing illegible¡­ Wang Tao suddenly had the feeling that time had elerated, as if at least three months or half a year had passed! ¡°Have you had any issues with your cars?¡± Wang Tao rolled down the car window and asked the guards. The guards¡¯ expressions were not very good. ¡°Commissioner Wang, the cars have developed many minor problems, and many parts have rusted inside¡­ But mine is still okay, at least it can start. Some other cars can¡¯t be started at all¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned. To some survivors, there is no shortage of cars. There are plenty of cars on the streets, and if you have the skill to unlock one and aren¡¯t afraid to attract zombies with the noise, then you can have a car of your own in the post-apocalyptic world. But with the corrosive acid rain, even cars were starting to fail! So many unprotected cars on the streets were likely rendered unusable. In the future, these cars and the like would probably be high-value products¡­ Leaving themissioner district, Wang Tao drove leisurely to the main building. The campus buildings had also seemed to age rapidly with time, with nts growing wildly and creeping up the walls. ¡°Commissioner Wang, hello!¡± Other survivors greeted Wang Tao as soon as he arrived at the main building. ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded slightly and then went upstairs to meet with Wei Zhenguo and the others. After so many days of recuperation, Wei Zhenguo was finally able to walk without a wheelchair. However, since it takes a hundred days to recover from serious injury, his condition hadn¡¯t healed easily, and he was still in an HP-deficient state. Wang Tao suddenly thought, could the medical kit that he obtained from killing the doctor zombie be used for Wei Zhenguo¡¯s injuries to regenerate HP? It should be possible, right? He decided to try it when he had the chance. Wei Zhenguo nodded at Wang Tao. ¡°Everyone is here, let¡¯s talk. As everyone has seen in the past few days, the corrosive torrential rain has brought significant changes to our area. Everything outside, including cars and buildings, has been corroded¡­ And this is just the situation inside the base. We don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like outside the base yet. But I always feel that it might be more dangerous outside¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s face showed concern. In the post-apocalypse, any unknown represented danger. Everyone had be somewhat ustomed to life at the end of the world, but after the heavy rain, they felt a sense of unfamiliarity with the apocalypse again¡­ ¡°Forget about it! We deal with soldiers when theye, cover water with soil when it flows; we¡¯ve survived for over a month, and it shouldn¡¯t be a big problem to survive another month!¡± Xiang Hongbin spoke up nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that if the nts outside have also grownrge, zombies might be able to hide more easily¡­¡± Ren Jie frowned. Although he rarely left the base, he was still worried about the Hunters and people like Xiang Hongbin who often went out. ¡°If nts continue to grow this crazily, it might not only be a problem of zombies hiding more easily¡­ Haven¡¯t you ever seen those man-eating nts in movies before?¡± Liu He murmured. Everyone fell silent. Zombies were scary enough; if man-eating nts were to appear, human survival would be even more difficult! ¡°Hey! Let¡¯s worry about the futureter and focus on our current situation!¡± Wei Zhenguo waved his hand. What the future holds is uncertain; they were already fortunate to have survived this far with no time or energy to consider too many what-ifs. ¡°We haven¡¯t gone out to look for supplies these past few days, and we¡¯re running out of food in the base¡­¡± Most of the base¡¯s supplies were collected from the outside, especially food. Though they could grow their own food, the cycle was too long. The base was prepared for this aspect, but it would take time to see results, so they mainly relied on scavenging outside. With so many people in Shuize County turned into zombies, there was still a lot of leftover food.. Chapter 135 - 97 The Second Airdrop After the Chapter 135: Chapter 97 The Second Airdrop After the Rain_2 Trantor: 549690339 | The rain has stopped, so we need to go out and collect supplies now because no one knows when it will rain again. If it¡¯s more of this corrosive acid rain, then we won¡¯t be able to step outside¡­ After the meeting, Wang Tao and the others decided to take advantage of the sunny days to increase the Contribution Points for purchasing supplies at the base, encouraging the Hunters to scavenge more actively. Of course, thosemittee members withbat abilities would personally lead teams while collecting supplies and look out for any special infected. The fact that Feng Ming¡¯an had be an Ability User made everyone quite envious. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s how it is, prioritizing supply scavenging for the next few days! Xiang Hongbin will take the Security Army squad, Feng Ming¡¯an will lead the police Hunter Team, and Lu Gang, you¡¯ll take your sniper squad¡­ As for Wang Tao, will you lead a team or operate solo?¡± Wei Zhenguo looked at Wang Tao. When scavenging for supplies in the post-apocalyptic world, more people doesn¡¯t necessarily mean better. In fact, arger group can increase the risk of exposure, especially for those with weakermand abilities. Whether Wang Tao had strongmand abilities was up for debate, as they hadn¡¯t had many chances to see him in action, but Wang Tao had always been a loner, so Wei Zhenguo asked. After thinking for a while, Wang Tao spoke up: ¡®Til just bring Han Rui.¡± If they were specifically hunting special infected, it would make sense to bring more people, but for scavenging supplies, it wasn¡¯t necessary. The others looked at Wang Tao with a strange expression. Why was Wang Tao always with someone else¡¯s wife? Could he have that kind of fetish? But it wasn¡¯t a big deal. It was the end of the world, after all. Wang Tao had the ability, and it¡¯s not like he was doing anything wrong, so naturally, no one said anything. ¡°Okay! Then that¡¯s settled!¡± Wei Zhenguo confirmed the n. He actually really wanted to go out as well, but his injury hadn¡¯t healed yet, and he would only be a burden if he went now. After the meeting, just as Wang Tao stood up, his ears twitched suddenly. ¡°What¡¯s that sound¡­ A ne!¡± He hurried to the window while the others were somewhat puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Wang Tao?¡± Wang Tao closed his eyes to determine the direction of the sound more urately, then suddenly looked up at a spot in the sky and said: ¡°Look up there!¡± The enhancement of his physical condition also meant Wang Tao¡¯s senses had be sharper. Among the people present, he had the strongest constitution and the keenest senses. The others followed where Wang Tao was pointing, and after a few seconds, Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, and Lu Gang all perked up in spirit. ¡°It¡¯s a ne! Could it be an airdrop?¡± They were all too familiar with the humming sound of an airne! Momentster, they saw a small ck dot appear in the sky. Those with binocrs brought them out to take a look. ¡°It¡¯s a military transport ne! It is an airdrop! The group felt a surge of excitement ¨C airdrops could contain good stuff! Seeing their reaction, Wang Tao knew that they must havee across airdrops before. Wei Zhenguo, thinking Wang Tao wasn¡¯t aware of airdrops, exined it to him. ¡°The airdrop has a lot of good things inside, like food, bullets, medical kits, and some even have Inhibitors!¡± ¡°Are all the Inhibitors in our base from the airdrops?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. He had wanted to know where the base got its Inhibitors but had forgotten to ask. Now the question came up naturally. Wei Zhenguo nodded and said: ¡°That¡¯s right, the Inhibitors onlye from the airdrops¡­¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao felt a tinge of disappointment. He had hoped that Wei Zhenguo and the Government had some contact and that they acquired the Inhibitors through special channels, which would at least prove that the Government still had some power¡­ but now it seemed that Wei Zhenguo and his group hadpletely lost contact with the Government¡­ ¡°Back then, we got a total of six airdrop crates, two of which contained Inhibitors ¨C a total of forty bottles. We haven¡¯t used a single one to date¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s tone was somewhat wistful. Because many people who were infected by zombies were consumed before they had the chance to use an Inhibitor. Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. He had risked his life just to get one airdrop crate and had only dared to take one, while Shuize Base had managed to get six! Indeed, there¡¯s strength in numbers! Xiang Hongbin chimed in: ¡°At that time, a lot of people from our base died to get those airdrops¡­ Themittee hadn¡¯t been established yet. Little Liu, Old Song, and Old Wei hadn¡¯t arrived¡­ Ah, such a pain!¡± Wang Tao shook his head. Clearly, one should be prepared to pay a price for trying to secure airdrops. ¡°So now¡­¡± Liu He looked expectantly at everyone, as he hadn¡¯t seen a real airdrop before. ¡°We go for the airdrop first!¡± Wei Zhenguo decisively said. Although going for an airdrop was dangerous, the potential rewards and risks went hand in hand. The airdrop¡¯s medical packs, bullets, Inhibitors, and more were all valuable items. Plus, he was eager to find out the current state of the military base since they were still able to send airdrops ¨C did it mean that the situation at the base had improved? If that was the case, it would be great news. Not to mention active military support or anything like that, even if they just sent an airdrop sporadically, it would be enough for many people! ¡°Alright!¡± No one had any objections, as securing an airdrop would be equivalent to finding a lot of supplies. ¡°Remember, if you have the chance, prioritize the airdrops with parachutes ¨C those might contain ammunition and Inhibitors! Airdrops without parachutes usually contain food and clothing¡­.¡± Chapter 136 - 97 The Second Airdrop After the Rain 3 Chapter 136: Chapter 97 The Second Airdrop After the Rain 3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Understood.¡± The group nodded, then immediately set off to prepare. Ren Jie also broadcasted throughout the base, informing everyone about the appearance of the airdrop and ambiguously mentioned that there were valuable items inside. He encouraged anyone who was capable to retrieve it, whether for personal use or to exchange for Contribution Points at the base. Not disclosing to these people that the airdrop contained inhibitors was partially a secretive move; after all, the base¡¯s Contribution System relied on the allure of inhibitors to attract people. This was akin to a trump card for the base. On the other hand, it was because he feared the Hunters would be too greedy. After all, a single bottle of inhibitor was worth one hundred thousand Contribution Points and was practically worth half a life. If they were too eager to get the airdrop and decided to go for it despite knowing the dangers, they could very likely end up as zombie lunch. There were not many survivors left in the base, and even fewer Hunters The death of a Hunter was a loss for the base, and naturally, Ren Jie did not wish for anyone to perish. The news of the airdrop instantly sent the base into an uproar. When the first airdrop happened, many had heard the sound of the ne, but it was just the sound; many had not seen an airdrop. Now, hearing that an airdrop had appeared again, the survivors were all very curious and wanted to know what an airdrop looked like and what valuable items it contained. The Hunters, in contrast, were eager to try their luck. They stood in the open square outside, their eyes glued to the ne in the sky, watching to see where the airdrop wouldnd. Wang Tao called over Han Rui, who had already changed into abat-ready uniform in advance, with steel tes inserted in certain areas of her clothing. ¡°Followme to retrieve the airdrop.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± Han Rui was slightly excited; this was her first time going for an airdrop. Although she felt it would be awkward to be with Wang Tao, she couldn¡¯t deny that when she was with him¡­she felt an overwhelming sense of security. The sound of the military transport ne overhead grew louder, and soon, one could see airdrops falling from the sky like eggs beingid. ¡°Let¡¯s go, go, go!¡± Xiang Hongbin¡¯s figure emerged from the shooting port on top of the military vehicle, holding a rifle and shouting loudly to the others, leading the way out of the base. The rest followed closely behind. Wang Tao looked at several parachuted airdrops and then started the vehicle, driving towards the gate with Han Rui. The situation outside the base was much like the inside: one could see greenery everywhere, roads and buildings looked worn, and vehicles had rusted¡­ But these were not the most important; what mattered was that the zombies were different now! Those zombies in the distance¡­they look even more decayed!¡± Han Rui was surprised as she looked at a few zombies not far from the base gate. Before, although the zombies looked terrifying, one could still discern what they had looked like in life. But now, after the corrosive acid rain, it was impossible to make out the faces of these zombies. Their hair had fallen out, their facial skin decayed, their teeth exposed¡­they looked even more ghastly! It wasn¡¯t only their appearance that had changed-the zombies genuinely had be stronger since ordinary zombies now had HP bars showing [1000/1000]! If they hadn¡¯t fed before, their HP used to be 500, but now it had doubled! ¡°These zombies have grown stronger; I¡¯ll test their strength.¡± Wang Tao stopped the car, grabbed his firefighter axe, and walked toward four zombies nearby. Han Rui, wielding a short spear, also got out of the car and followed. There were four ordinary zombies in total, each more fearsome in appearance and all with 1000 HP. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Now that the heavy rain had ceased, the zombies¡¯ senses became much sharper. They spotted Wang Tao from a distance of about ten meters and twisted their bodies as they moved towards him. ¡°Hmm?¡± However, Wang Tao suddenly paused. These zombies¡¯ speed seemed to have slowed? Wang Tao was familiar with zombies, including their attack power, defensive power, and speed. He could tell that the bodies of these zombies had be stifferpared to before and were significantly slower. Instead of immediately engaging, Wang Tao waited for the zombies toe close and reach out to grab him. He raised his steel-ted left arm and took the hit from a zombie directly. Bang! ¡°Their strength has increased!¡± Although Wang Tao didn¡¯t lose any HP, he could clearly feel that the zombies were much stronger. ¡°Heh¡­¡± The other few zombies also gradually approached Wang Tao, who, confident in his own strength, continued to experiment a few times, causing Han Rui, hidden to the side, to be extremely anxious. After ascertaining the zombies¡¯ attack power and speed, Wang Tao swung his axe towards one of the zombies¡¯ heads. Squish! [-1000] [0/1000] Even though the zombies¡¯ HP had doubled, to Wang Tao they were still one-axe kills. However, Wang Tao frowned as he looked at the wound he inflicted. Previously when he killed ordinary zombies, one axe blow would almost st their heads apart. But now, one axe blow merely caused a crack in the zombie¡¯s skull¡­ ¡°The zombies¡¯ defensive power has increased too!¡± Wang Tao then nced at his own HP, which remained unchanged. As for the loot dropped by the zombies, it was still an ordinary crafting material. [Received: Nails xi] While he pondered this, Wang Tao¡¯s actions didn¡¯t stop. He swung his firefighter axe at the heads of the remaining zombies. Squish! [-1000] Squish! [-1000] Squish! [-1000] All four ordinary zombies were instantly killed. Han Rui was somewhat astonished to the side. Though she had seen Wang Tao kill zombies with one strike before, watching it now still felt shocking. After all, this was something she couldn¡¯t achieve herself. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao got back in the car and turned on the inte. ¡°Attention everyone! The overall strength of the zombies has increased after the heavy rain! But their bodies are stiffer, and their speed has slowed down¡­¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Chapter 137 - 98: Picking Air Drops, Fishing_l Chapter 137: Chapter 98: Picking Air Drops, Fishing_l Trantor: 549690339 | Buzz- An electric off-road vehicle, armed to the teeth, weaved through the abandoned streets. A sprawled zombie on the ground heard the noise, instantly lifted its head, slowly got up, and then wed its way towards the vehicle. The speed of the off-road vehicle did not decrease. Suddenly, the passenger window rolled down, and a short spear extended out. Thud! The spear pierced the zombie¡¯s eye socket with precision, exiting the back of its skull. Bang! The zombie was flung into the air,nding in a pile of garbage at the corner. The vehicle continued on. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Inside, Han Rui retracted the short spear, massaging her slightly sore arm. Leveraging the vehicle¡¯s formidable power, she enjoyed the thrill of an instant kill, but the power was too overwhelming for her physical condition. Wang Tao turned to nce at her, and Han Rui quickly said, ¡°Pm fine!¡± She did not want to leave an impression on Wang Tao that she was useless. Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much; in fact, he was checking Han Rui¡¯s HP. Her HP bar had been 240, but now after killing the zombie, it had increased to 250¡ªthe ordinary zombie had added ten points to her HP. Before the heavy rain, an ordinary zombie typically added five points of HP, and if they encountered ones who had devoured many humans or were in special circumstances, they would give more, like 10,15, and so on. The one Han Rui had just killed was clearly as ordinary as theye, yet it gave her ten points of HP¡­ After ordinary zombies had strengthened, the HP they contributed after being killed increased too! This could be considered good news, after all, those ordinary zombies had slowed down, and an average survivor, if prepared, should still be able to handle them. Now, killing an ordinary zombie was the equivalent to killing two ordinary zombies before¡­ ¡°Which way at this intersection?¡± Wang Tao asked, looking at the fork in the road ahead. Han Rui quickly pointed to the road on the far left. ¡°Go this way!¡± Wang Tao turned the steering wheel sharply, making the turn. Since they were teaming up, it was natural to divide the work and cooperate. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t afford to carry a dead weight. For the time being, Han Rui¡¯s ability wasn¡¯t needed, so she helped keep an eye on the airdrop location and navigated for Wang Tao. This saved him a lot of trouble. In no time, Wang Tao spotted the first airdrop with a parachute. It hadnded on the rooftop of a two-story building on the street. Below, a group of zombies milled about¡ªprobably attracted by the noise of the airdrop¡ªabout fifteen to twenty in number. ¡°The airdrop on this rooftop is a bit hard to retrieve¡­¡± Han Rui frowned. In his view, to get the airdrop, you¡¯d have to deal with all the zombies below first, then go up. Wang Tao parked the car not too far from the two-story building and, after a brief moment of contemtion, got out of the vehicle. ¡°I¡¯ll get the airdrop, you drive the car, and be ready to pick me up.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui quickly crawled from the passenger seat to the driver¡¯s seat, not daring to ask too many questions. Wang Tao cautiously approached the building, observing the group of zombies, then the building, silently calcting for a while before suddenly charging towards them. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The dull zombies, spotting a living person, immediately groaned at Wang Tao and moved toward him. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t dodge or retreat. He swung his firefighter axe with his right hand at one zombie, shattering its skull, while with his left hand he pushed another zombie, sending it crashing to the ground and knocking down several others in the process. A small vacuum appeared in front of Wang Tao, but three meters ahead was another standing zombie. At that moment, Wang Tao sheathed his firefighter axe, suddenly jumped, and stepped on the zombie¡¯s head, reaching out with both hands to grasp the second ¨C floor window ledge. Wang Tao¡¯s arm muscles bulged, and his hands powered up, climbing up the exterior wall to the rooftop like a gecko. Han Rui, watching all this from a distance, was astounded. She had imagined several ways to get in but never expected Wang Tao to be so straightforward and brutal, simply climbing up the exterior wall! ¡°His upper body strength is too strong¡­¡± But his lower body strength seems even stronger¡­ Han Rui quickly shook her head. How could she be thinking of such nonsense at such a crucial moment! Once Wang Tao reached the rooftop, he hurried to the airdrop. This airdrop did not seem different from the previous one he had found¡ªit looked and was the same size. However, when Wang Tao inputted a password hinted by addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to open it, he foundpletely different contents inside. This airdrop contained no guns or bullets, no food or medkits, only an inhibitor and an updated Zombie Guide! Wang Tao took the guide and inhibitor, stuffing them into the backpack he¡¯ d prepared earlier. Then he nced at the group of zombies below and opened his walkie-talkie. ¡°Bring the car here, now!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Although Han Rui did not know what n Wang Tao had, she obeyed his orders unconditionally, which was agreed upon before going out. Han Rui knew she was less experienced and capable than Wang Tao, so she harbored no resistance. Buzz- As Wang Tao watched Han Rui drive the car towards the building, he immediately pulled out the firefighter axe from his waist and jumped straight down from the rooftop! Mid-jump, he raised the firefighter axe, and in his heart, he silently activated his Shockwave Ability. Boom! The moment Wang Taonded among the zombies, a white shockwave radiated outward from him, spreading in all directions! Chapter 138 - 98: Picking Air Drops, Fishing_2 Chapter 138: Chapter 98: Picking Air Drops, Fishing_2 Trantor: 549690339 Thud! [-1000 HP] [-1000 HP] [-1000 HP] [-1000 HP] [¡­] A series of eye-catching damage floated up, and all the zombies fell to the ground in an instant. Three secondster, Han Rui drove the car up to Wang Tao and opened the passenger door. Wang Tao rushed into the vehicle. ¡°Next supply drop location.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui, too, was an old hand at driving, her skills somewhat better than Wang Tao1 s. She swiftly drove away from the area with Wang Tao. Wang Tao opened the walkie-talkie again and informed the other members at the base that he had taken the supplies from this drop. Before heading out, everyone had agreed to report on the public channel each time they collected a drop, to avoid others making a needless trip. On the road, Han Rui nced at Wang Tao from time to time; her expression was slightly excited. Wang Tao¡¯s descent from the sky and immediate massacre of those zombies was downright cool! But Wang Tao appeared very calm, and it didn¡¯t seem feigned. This left Han Rui feeling slightly discouraged; the gap between her and Wang Tao seemed to be growing everrger¡­ Wang Tao indeed felt calm, even though the zombies¡¯ HP had doubled. He could still kill them instantly, so there was nothing surprising. Han Rui continued to drive while Wang Tao took out the inhibitors. There were a total of five boxes of inhibitors, with twenty vials per box, meaning a hundred vials of inhibitor in all! What a bountiful harvest! ¡°This is¡­¡± Han Rui looked at the small vials with some curiosity. ¡°Inhibitors,¡± Wang Tao nced at her. ¡°Ah? These are inhibitors?There¡¯s¡­ so many!¡± Han Rui was shocked. Of course, she knew about inhibitors, but she had never seen them before, as the base wouldn¡¯t just put them on disy. Only those who umted a hundred thousand Contribution Points could redeem an inhibitor, but so far, no one had reached such a high number. So it wasn¡¯t just her¡ªmany others in the base knew of inhibitors only by name and hadn¡¯t seen them. In her understanding, since an inhibitor required a hundred thousand Contribution Points to redeem, it must be incredibly valuable! There likely weren¡¯t many in the entire base. But there in Wang Tao¡¯ s hands were five boxes, with twenty vials in each. Wasn¡¯t that a hundred vials? Converted into Contribution Points¡­ that would be ten million Contribution Points! However, if there were many inhibitors, the Contribution Points required should decrease, right? Moreover, for Wang Tao, who was already amittee member, having so many Contribution Points seemed somewhat unnecessary¡­ Han Rui sneaked a nce at Wang Tao; she was unsure what he intended to do with these inhibitors. Wang Tao seemed to know what Han Rui was thinking and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll keep a portion for myself and put the rest in the base.¡± Since he was a part of the base and one of the highest-ranked individuals, it was only right to contribute to the base. He had no immediate use for so many inhibitors. Han Rui moved her lips; she actually wanted an inhibitor too, as it was something that could save lives in a critical moment. But since Wang Tao had taken the risks to obtain them, she felt embarrassed to ask. They encountered a few more zombies on the road, all of which were easily dealt with by Wang Tao. About half an hourter, the two spotted the second supply drop. This one hadnded in the middle of a big road, but the box had been opened. There were several zombies with their heads blown off nearby, and boxes that once contained inhibitors were scattered on the ground¡ªall empty. Judging by their scattered arrangement, they led toward a red house with its door ajar. ¡°Someone got here first¡­ There probably were inhibitors inside, all gone now.¡± Wang Tao lowered his binocrs. Throughout their journey, those from Shuize Base who imed the drops had reported through the walkie-talkies. The drop in the street hadn¡¯t been reported. This meant that those who took it weren¡¯t from Shuize Base. There were other survivors! Han Rui immediately drew her pistol and grew vignt. Sometimes, survivors could be even more dangerous than zombies. But it also pained her heart; if the quantity of inhibitors here was the same as in the drop Wang Tao had just picked up, then that would mean a hundred vials of inhibitors! To let others profit so easily, what a heartache! Wang Tao was about to go check it out when he suddenly turned to Han Rui, ¡°Use your Perception to check if there are zombies or survivors nearby. With Han Rui as a human radar, it was best to make use of her abilities. ¡°Hmm? There are people! Inside that red house!¡± Han Rui closed her eyes, then her face suddenly changed. ¡°Five humans! Among them, two give me a very strong feeling, like they are Ability Users¡­ ¡°Well, well! Looks like they¡¯re fishing!¡± Wang Tao frowned at the trajectory of the empty boxes from a distance. He had originally wondered if the survivor who came across this drop had been sloppy, discarding the shock-proof boxes meant for the inhibitors and simply running off with the vials, caring not if they identally broke. But the fact they were in the house exined it¡ªthey had created this scene on purpose, fishing for others! If anyone followed the trail of the fallen boxes out of curiosity and entered the red house, they would meet two Ability Users and three survivors waiting for them! Of course, it could also be a coincidence, like the other party was just resting inside the house. But in this post-apocalyptic world, Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind assuming the worst in others! Thinking of Cao Xin¡¯s boss, Shao Yong, rumored to be a strong Ability User who was also building his power, Wang Tao¡¯s mind raced. Shuize County wasn¡¯t that big, and apart from Shuize Base, it seemed that only Shao Yong and his followers held any significant influence. Chapter 139 - 98: Picking Air Drops, Fishing 3 Chapter 139: Chapter 98: Picking Air Drops, Fishing 3 Trantor: 549690339????????? G ¡® Among the five people, two were Ability Users. Unless it was a very lucky small group, it probably indicated a certain number of people from a certain force. Wang Tao had reason to suspect that these were Shao Yong¡¯s people¡­ ¡°So what do we do¡­¡± Knowing that someone was intentionally hiding inside and seeing traces of deliberate preparation at the scene, Han Rui no longer wanted to go over. Who knew if there were dangers lurking inside? ¡°Just go.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s main mission today was to retrieve the airdrop; everything else was secondary. Moreover, if he already suspected something was off with the other party, going over now would be stupid. ¡°Mm!¡± Han Rut quickly nodded and then drove away from the area. Wang Tao reported the situation here over the walkie-talkie. Meanwhile, inside the red house. ¡°Damn it, they left!¡± ¡°Motherfucker, they¡¯re noting this way? So cautious?¡± ¡°All that preparation for the trap for nothing.¡± ¡°Shit! I said we should have set up our traps further forward. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to just ce them right at the airdrop?¡± ¡°Stupid, do you think this is a game? They¡¯re not blind; how could they not see such a big trap?¡± ¡°Ah, forget it, let¡¯s go back¡­¡± ¡°These two people should be from Shuize Base, right? Our boss offered a hefty sum to catch them, what a pity¡­¡± The electric off-road vehicle arrived in front of another airdrop crate, but this time their luck didn¡¯t seem too good. This airdrop hadnded in the middle of a group of zombies on the street, which included three special zombies. Two of them were Self-exploders with 1500 HP each, and the third was a 2000 HP zombie that Wang Tao had never seen before-it wore a police uniform, was tall and muscr, and most eye- catching of all, it was holding a handgun! ¡°That police zombie, could it actually use a gun?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. If zombies could use guns, then what was left for the survivors? Han Rut also got a fright, a gun-wielding zombie? How were the survivors supposed to live! ¡°Retreat!¡± Wang Tao decisively left the area. If there was only one police zombie, he might have thought of a way to deal with it. But with two Self-exploders by its side, there was no need to ask for trouble. Han Rui was a bit cowed as well, mainly because the gun-toting police zombie was too intimidating! Wang Tao opened the walkie-talkie and informed everyone that this airdrop was extremely dangerous and that no one shoulde here. ¡°On to the next location.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Han Rui drove the vehicle away. Wang Tao looked back, his desire to hunt down that police zombie growing because he wanted to know what it might drop. But unfortunately, now was not the right time¡­ He silently took note of this ce, intending toe backter. However, thinking of those two Suicide Bombing Zombies, Wang Tao frowned again. I need to find a way to deal with these Self-exploding zombies¡­¡± He didn¡¯t have a perfect method to solve the problem of Self-exploding zombies yet, and every time he encountered one, he chose to avoid it. The true terror of the suicide bombing zombies wasn¡¯t the explosion itself, but the fact that it would attract other zombies. If he hadn¡¯t been worried about making too much noise, he could have simply thrown something over to distract the self-exploder, who would likely detonate within three seconds upon discovering him. Unless Wang Tao could deal with it within those three seconds -no, Wang Tao even suspected that once it began its self-detonation, even if it was killed at that moment, it would still explode! ording to what Lu Gang had said, his previous method of killing a suicide bombing zombie was to snipe its head from a distance, a one-shot kill! Then it wouldn¡¯t detonate. So, in other words, for Wang Tao to safely kill a suicide bombing zombie, it would be best to one-shot kill it before it even became aware of him! But this was extremely difficult because Wang Tao didn¡¯t have any abilities for ranged attacks¡­ His only skill was the Flying Axe, which was for mid-to-close rangebat, and he wasn¡¯t sure how much damage the Flying Axe could do to a suicide bombing zombie¡­ The fourth supply dropnded in a residential area. Seeing the name of the neighborhood, Wang Tao let out a slight exmation. Eh? Isn¡¯t this exactly the neighborhood where Sun Weiguang¡¯s friend with the bow and arrows used to live?¡± He asked Han Rui to park the car not far from the neighborhood. The entrance gate to themunity was open, and there were quite a few zombies inside. The supply drop had fallen on the za between several tall buildings, but there were no special zombies this time. However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t in a rush to head over. It was noon, and he hadn¡¯t eaten since the busy morning. ¡°Let¡¯s have something to eat before we go over.¡± Wang Tao took some dry noodles and bottled water out of the car. It wasn¡¯t convenient to do more outdoors, so he made do with a simple meal. ¡°Gurgle-¡± Upon seeing the food, Han Rui instinctively swallowed her saliva. Since she had arrived at Shuize Base, she hadn¡¯t eaten any proper food like this; the ration tickets at the base could only be exchanged for porridge. Although they imed the ingredients were different every day, and so were the vors, its unpleasant taste remained consistently the same¡­ Of course, Han Rui wasn¡¯t picky. Having a warm meal in the apocalypse was already good fortune, so she wasn¡¯t in a position to be choosy. But still, she longed for some normal food¡­ Inside the resource department, you could exchange contribution points for some food, but it was rather expensive, and Han Rui was too thrifty to buy it. Now that she saw Wang Tao take out this food, she could hardly control her saliva. Wang Tao threw three packets of instant noodles and a bottle of water to Han Rui. Those with strong physiques typically hadrger appetites. ¡°Just eat it dry, make do with it.¡± You call this making do? Han Rui opened her mouth to speak, but she didn¡¯t have the time toin. She carefully opened a packet, fearing that she might spill some. Then, taking a gentle bite of the noodle brick, savoring its aroma, she almost teared up. Wang Tao was much less delicate, wolfing down three packets of instant noodles and still feeling a bit hungry. But no matter whether eaten dry or soaked, instant noodles always seemed to taste best with the first bite and got worse the more he ate. So, Wang Tao simply chugged another bottle of nutritional liquid. Han Rut didn¡¯t indulge herself too much and only ate one packet while drinking some water. She nned to bring the remaining two packets back to eatter since they were given to her by Wang Tao, they should be hers now, right? Seeing this, Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much. Once he was sure Han Rui had finished eating, they both got out of the car and walked towards the upscale residential area. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t n on going for the supply drop first; he wanted to check out the room with the bow and arrows. Sun Weiguang probably wouldn¡¯t lie to him about something like this. The two didn¡¯t take the main entrance but climbed over another part of thepound wall instead. Then they ignored the supply drop and the zombies in the courtyard and headed straight for Vi No. 3 in the vi area. At this moment, No. 3 Vi, overgrown with weeds and with peeling wall paint. Behind the curtains of the master bedroom on the third floor, a somewhat stiff figure held a bow. A gust of wind revealed the pair of pallid pupils. Chapter 140 - 99 Archer Zombie l Chapter 140: Chapter 99 Archer Zombie l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Aren¡¯t we going for the airdrop first?¡± Han Rui asked curiously in a low voice beside Wang Tao. Although there were many zombies near the airdrop, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for Wang Tao to kill these zombies, right? ¡°No rush, I¡¯m going to get something first.¡± Wang Tao looked at the vi No. 3 in front of him and a smile appeared on his face. If he really could get the bow and arrows, he could also practice with the zombies in the residential area. If not, at worst, it would only be a waste of some time. ¡°The vi¡¯s gate is open¡­¡± There were no zombies at the gate of the vi, but since the door was open, it was probably as Sun Weiguang had described. Just as Wang Tao was about to move forward, Han Rui suddenly said: ¡°There is a zombie, on the upper floor!¡± Without waiting for Wang Tao¡¯s reminder, she had already activated her Perception Ability and just detected a zombie. Wang Tao halted his steps and looked up. He could only see a half-open window on the second floor, but the curtains inside obscured his view of the details. ¡°It¡¯s likely the owner of the house???? huh?¡± Before Wang Tao could speak, he saw something stick-like parting the curtains. This immediately set off rm bells in his head. Wang Tao gave Han Rui a fierce shove, sending her tumbling to the ground in a sprawl, while he himself leapt to the other side. Whiz An arrow suddenly appeared at the spot where the two had just been standing. ¡°Find cover!¡± Wang Tao yelled in a low voice, hiding behind the courtyard wall near the gate. Han Rui, with her excellentbat skills, didn¡¯t need Wang Tao to tell her what to do and had already taken cover behind the wall on the other side of the gate. Seeing the arrow on the ground, she felt a chill run down her spine. Her Perception hadn¡¯t been wrong! There was only one zombie upstairs! Could that arrow have been shot by a zombie? If zombies could conduct ranged attacks now, how were human survivors supposed to live? And if this zombie could shoot arrows, did that mean the police zombie they had seen before could really shoot¡­ Han Rui felt a coldness settling in her heart. Wang Tao shouted to Han Rui: ¡°Are there any other zombies inside?¡± Han Rui closed her eyes and concentrated, then quickly replied: ¡°No, I can only sense this one zombie!¡± The range of her Ability just covered the entire vi, and she really didn¡¯t detect any other disturbances. ¡°Good!¡± Wang Tao nodded, then picked up a firefighter axe and threw it at the gate. Whiz Another arrow flew in, and although it didn¡¯t hit the firefighter axe, itnded about ten centimeters from the axe. If a person had been shooting the arrow, the uracy would have been deemed inadequate, but if it was a zombie, this was rather frightening. And regardless of the precision, Wang Tao had no intention of taking the hit; he wasn¡¯t about to gamble with his life. After Wang Tao took out another firefighter axe, he said to Han Rui: ¡°I¡¯ll go around the back. You distract it from here!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui quickly took off her hat, then hid behind the wall, extending only the hat out. Soon, a third arrow flew over. The arrow struck next to the hat, embedding itself deeply at an angle into the ground. Han Rui swallowed hard and continued to use the hat as a lure. Wang Tao, meanwhile, quietly made his way around to the other side and vaulted over the courtyard wall. After estimating the position of the room where the zombie was, he climbed in through a window. None of the doors and windows in the vi were locked; it seemed that the owner had been infected suddenly and had no chance to resist. Having found the staircase, Wang Tao slowly went upstairs to the master bedroom. The door was closed but not locked. He didn¡¯t rush in but instead quietly contacted Han Rui with the walkie-talkie. ¡°Tell me when it shoots an arrow!¡± After a moment, Han Rui¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie. ¡°It shot!¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s body began to harden as he activated his ¡°Toughness¡± Ability, and then he suddenly pushed open the bedroom door. At the window of the bedroom was a zombie carrying a quiver and holding a recurve bow, stiffly pulling the string. This zombie hadn¡¯t been out in the rain and was not as dposed as the ones outside, making it look rtively ¡°clean-cut¡± inparison. It had [15OO/15OO]HP. The noise of Wang Tao entering immediately caught the zombie¡¯s attention, and it directed the bow and arrows toward him. But it had just grasped the arrow in its hand, and there were a few seconds before it could actually shoot. Wang Tao decisively threw the firefighter axe he was holding. Swoosh¡ªBang! [-25] The firefighter axe hit the zombie squarely in the chest with great force, causing it to wobble and the arrow in its hand to fall to the ground. It reached into the quiver on its back to grab another arrow, but Wang Tao didn¡¯t give it the chance. Wang Tao took out another firefighter axe from behind his back¡ªafter all, he always carried four when he was out. He had used two just now, leaving him with two more. This time, Wang Tao didn¡¯t throw it but charged forward and brutally hacked the axe down on the zombie¡¯s head. Splurch! [-841] The blow made the zombie¡¯s body tilt, and it looked unsteady. Wang Tao grabbed its shoulder with his left hand and delivered another axe blow. Splurch! [-634] [0/1500] The zombie¡¯s head was cleaved open. A shimmering Red Crystal Core popped out. Wang Tao casually caught it, and then picked up the loot dropped by the zombie. The Defense of this Archer Zombie was weaker than Wang Tao had expected, or perhaps his Attack power was just too strong. However, this zombie¡¯s added HP limit was decent, giving Wang Tao an extra 50 HP, raising his total to ¡°1250¡±.. Chapter 141 - 99 Archer Zombie 2 Chapter 141: Chapter 99 Archer Zombie 2 Trantor: 549690339 | ¡ª Wang Tao pressed the inte. ¡°You cane up now, and close the gate behind you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After closing the gate, Han Rui hurried inside, her mind somewhat amazed. Although she hadn¡¯t seen how Wang Tao had killed the zombies, through her perception, she could ¡°see¡± that Wang Tao had killed the zombies instantly after bursting into the room, without giving them any chance to fight back! She really wished she had that kind of strength! After Han Rui reached the upstairs, she saw Wang Tao scavenging through the room. Hmm? Where are the bow and arrows? Han Rui noticed the zombie¡¯s body was empty-handed, and Wang Tao didn¡¯t have the bow and arrows either¡­ but there was a bow hanging on the wall, and Wang Tao had hung the zombie¡¯s bow back up? Han Rui found it a little strange but didn¡¯t ask further. The small vi was quiterge, and it took Wang Tao and Han Rui a while to scavenge through it. ¡°There are three bows and one crossbow in total, 55 crossbow arrows, 150 bow and arrows, not much food, most have gone bad, only a few bags of rice are edible¡­ and some electronic products that should be usable¡­¡± After taking an inventory, Han Rui spoke to Wang Tao. Her eyes asionally drifted towards the hand crossbow with a scope, more urately a sniper crossbow. ¡°What? You want it?¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. ¡°Um¡­¡± Han Rui nodded honestly. She really wanted that crossbow; her shooting skills were actually not bad, but unfortunately, there were no opportunities for her to show them. However, with a crossbow, herbat ability would definitely get a big boost! It was apound crossbow with a matte ck body but a red crossbow String, equipped with an optical scope and a quiver that could hold four spare arrows¡­ Wang Tao wasn¡¯t very familiar with crossbows and bows, but even he could tell that this crossbow was expensive. And it wasn¡¯t just about the expense, but such crossbows were rare, impossible to buy through regr channels in the country. It¡¯s legal to own bows. But owning a crossbow is illegal. The origins of this crossbow were definitely not legitimate. For most people, the lethality of a crossbow far exceeds that of a bow After all archery requires practice, both skill, and strength. But a crossbow is different; ¡¯ Its lethality depends on the crossbow, not the person. Even a child wielding it ¡¯ could cause substantial harm! So to some extent, the value of this crossbow was much higher than that of the three bows. After admiring the crossbow for a while, Wang Tao handed it directly to Han Rui. ¡°I¡¯m lending it to you.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Han Rui instinctively caught it but was somewhat incredulous. She believed Wang Tao must be aware of the value of the crossbow, yet he just lent it to her?????????????????????????????? 1 ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to use it?¡± Wang Tao frowned slightly. ¡°I do!¡± Han Rui quickly hugged thepound crossbow close. She was very proficient with the sniper crossbow; after all, the police department had crossbows, and she used them when carrying out certain tasks. The crossbow was also one of her assessment items and, without considering the firing rate, she was just as good with a crossbow as with a gun. ¡°Good then,¡± Wang Tao said. Wang Tao didn¡¯t say more. The crossbow was indeed a good piece of equipment, but he had just acquired something even better! So lending the crossbow to Han Rui was quite appropriate. After all, they would be scavenging for supplies together in the future, and having a teammate who could provide long-range support would make things much easier for Wang Tao. After receiving the crossbow, Han Rui quickly operated it to get a feel for it. Whoosh¡ª There was a target in the living room, and Han Rui tested it; she was hitting the target almost every time within a medium distance. Wang Tao looked at the three bows, which were also modernpound bows and seemed quite good. But they definitely weren¡¯t as expensive as the crossbow, and they were more challenging to master; not as convenient as a crossbow. Wang Tao tried using them briefly; they were passable at close range, but anything further was a no-go. This was because he had learned archery-once dreaming of bing a film and television protagonist, he had dabbled in things like archery and horse riding. Leaving aside his level of skill, at least he knew how to use them. During shooting, he could genuinely ride a horse and shoot arrows. After scavenging through the small vi, Wang Tao was ready to retrieve the airdrop, and then take the opportunity to scavenge through the other vis. The residential area was quiterge, roughly divided into three parts: a vi district, an apartment block area, and an artificialke. Wang Tao felt this ce could be developed into a Survivor Base, but it would require a lot of manpower to transform. And they would need to clear out the zombies in these apartment blocks, which was not an easy task. There were more than a dozen buildings, each with two units, and each around ten to twenty stories tail¡­ Wang Tao was unsure how many zombies were inside, but they couldn¡¯t be cleared out in a short time, and it was very dangerous. The location of the airdrop was in the square in front of several tall buildings. ¡°Do you think there are any survivors inside?¡± Han Rui suddenly asked, looking at the tall buildings. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Wang Tao nced at the high-rise buildings. Even if there were survivors it was out of his hands to save them. Because nobody knew how many zombies were inside these buildings and even with Wang Tao¡¯s strength, he couldn¡¯t guarantee his own safety. ¡¯ Unless they could find their way out on their own, or inform Wang Tao of the specific situation inside, and then arrange tactics ordingly. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Han Rui shook her head, not dwelling on it further. Of course, she hoped to rescue survivors, but she also knew that their primary mission was to ensure their own safety; only on the premise of their own safety could they rescue others¡­ The two took all the items they found in Vi No. 3 back to the car, and only then did they enter the residential area through the main gate.. Chapter 142 - 99 Archer Zombie_3 Chapter 142: Chapter 99 Archer Zombie_3 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao hung the firefighter axe at his waist and held apound bow, while Han Rui wielded apound crossbow. Both were eager to try out their new weapons. As they approached the entrance, still dozens of meters away, Han Rui raised her crossbow. Whoosh¡ª A crossbow arrow flew out, piercing directly into the eye socket of a zombie at the door. [-1000] [o/iooo] It was an instant kill, and apart from the sound of the zombie hitting the ground, there were no other sounds; the surrounding zombies did not even notice Wang Tao and Han Rui. Wang Tao nced at Han Rui, somewhat surprised. The power of the crossbow arrow was higher than he had anticipated, capable of one-shotting an Ordinary Zombie! If Han Rui had used a spear to attack a zombie, she would normally deal about two hundred HP worth of damage. Previously, it took two or three stabs to kill a zombie. As zombies gained more HP, it could take four or five stabs to do the job. But now, using the sniper crossbow, she could easily kill them instantly. However, on second thought, it made sense. After all, the power of a crossbow cannot be underestimated, especially a modernpound crossbow like this, which could be more powerful than some guns. Except for its slower firing rate, it could be considered a divine artifact in this apocalyptic world. Han Rui was thrilled; she finally had the ability to kill Ordinary Zombies in one shot! Although it was with the help of a powerful tool, the kills were indeed made by her own hands, and she could even feel a slight warmth in her body¡­ that was the sensation of growing stronger! However, the crossbow¡¯s firing rate was slow, and it was arge sniper crossbow which she had to cock with her foot. It somewhat affected her performance. After seeing Han Rui¡¯s sess, Wang Tao did not hurry to take action. Since his Arrow Technique was very average, he was unlikely to hit if the zombies were not at close range. ¡°It¡¯s up to you,¡± Wang Tao said to Han Rui. ¡°Yes!¡± Han Rui nodded a little excitedly. This modernpound crossbow had a very long shooting range, said to reach four or five hundred meters. Of course, hitting a target at that distance would depend on luck, since the crossbow arrows were heavy, flew slow, and had a significant drop in trajectory, making them more susceptible to environmental factors. Let alone a crossbow, even using a gun, hitting a target two hundred meters away could earn someone the title of sniper. Normally, snipers like Han Rui from the police force would have an uracy of about one hundred meters. So for Han Rui, as long as she could ensure effective hits within a thirty to fifty meters range, she would be more than satisfied. Currently, they were only about twenty to thirty meters away from the zombies at the gate. Han Rui calmed her mind and could almost achieve a hundred percent uracy. Soon, all seven zombies at the gate were taken out by Han Rui¡¯s sniping, without attracting any attention from other zombies. Han Rui¡¯s HP also broke three hundred, reaching [330/330]. ¡°Awesome!¡± Han Rui silently cheered inside her heart. Every time her HP increased by a hundred, there was a minor but noticeable enhancement to her physical attributes. Han Rui had only experienced this twice before, and both times under dangerous circumstances without time to savor the sensation. Now it was utterly different, dispatching zombies with such ease! Han Rui looked at Wang Tao with eyes full of gratitude. Without Wang Tao, she would never have had this opportunity. He had given up his own chance for improvement to her! ¡°Thank you!¡± Han Rui expressed her gratitude sincerely. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao watched Han Rui snipe at a distance, feeling a bit envious. But at this range, he simply couldn¡¯t hit the mark. He had tried firing two arrows: one hit a pir and the other hit a zombie¡¯s leg¡­ The two reached the gate and collected all the arrows stuck in the zombies, as they could be reused. Hehe¡­ Upon arrival, they discovered a security guard zombie in the guardhouse. Wang Tao quickly drew his bow and arrow, took aim, and released. Whoosh¡ª [-1000] [0/1000] Finally killing a zombie with a bow and arrow, Wang Tao felt quite pleased. Though it was only at a distance of three meters, he might¡¯ve killed it faster with his axe¡­ The two entered the housingplex through the main gate and could see about thirty zombies around the airdrop in the square. It was an airdrop with a parachute. They stopped about twenty meters from the zombies and then each picked targets to shoot. A few minutester, all thirty-plus zombiesy on the ground. Han Rui ounted for twenty-seven of them, while Wang Tao only six. It wasn¡¯t that Wang Tao¡¯s aim was off, but he purposely gave Han Rui the opportunity since killing these Ordinary Zombies didn¡¯t increase his HP limit anymore. The two walked over, and after Han Rui collected her crossbow arrows, she helped Wang Tao collect his arrows as well. She looked at the bundle of arrows sticking out from the zombies¡¯ chests, thighs, and even buttocks, pretending not to notice anything. Wang Tao opened the airdrop box, which contained what he had expected ¨C Inhibitors. There were five boxes in total, each one with twenty tubes. After securing all the Inhibitors, they were about to leave. Suddenly, Wang Tao felt a light shining on his feet. He looked up to see a man in the 12th-floor window of building number 1 waving a mirror at him. ¡°There are survivors!¡± Han Rui¡¯s gaze sharpened. But looking at the man¡¯s position, she shook her head. She didn¡¯t have the capability, and while Wang Tao might, there was no need for him to take the risk. ¡°Our mission today is to discover airdrops. We¡¯ll report the survivors¡¯ presence to the base, and let theme up with a n.¡± Wang Tao shook his head; he still had a few more airdrops to collect. Frankly, rescuing these survivors was not as valuable as collecting airdrops. At that moment, the man upstairs became frantic, waving the mirror wildly, thinking Wang Tao had not seen him. But neither Wang Tao nor Han Rui were moved and were about to leave. Just then, a sharp female cry came from upstairs. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go, save us!¡± The voice pierced the sky. ¡°¡­Stupid!¡± Wang Tao cursed under his breath. ¡°Run!¡± Before the pair could leave theplex, they saw arge swarm of Mad Demon Zombies drawn by the noise. Observing the horde crowned with 2000 HP Mad Demons, Wang Tao decisively pulled Han Rui to run back. ¡°To the vi district! Chapter 143 - 100 Li Qiuyu, War Spoils l Chapter 143: Chapter 100 Li Qiuyu, War Spoils l Trantor: 549690339 With Wang Tao¡¯s current strength, even if the HP of the Mad Demon Zombies were to double, he could deal with them. But the problem was that there were too many of them! Wang Tao hadn¡¯t even had the time to count; with a rough nce, there were at least thirty or forty! If there had been a car, it would have been good to drive away. But for safety, Wang Tao had parked his car a bit farther from the entrance of the residential area, and now it was definitely toote to run there. So, he simply ran towards the vi area. When scavenging Vi No. 3 before, Wang Tao had felt that the vi was quite good¡ªfeaturing anti-theft doors and windows, it should hold against these zombies. Although he still had a Stealth Potion that could hide him from zombies, he wasn¡¯t sure whether it would work on Mad Demon Zombies, and besides, there were two of them but only one Stealth Potion. He disdained to betray his teammate, and it wasn¡¯t like hecked the strength¡­ At this moment, on the 12th floor of Building No. 1. A few gaunt people were all peering out of the window, looking down. ¡°Ah, those two people have left!¡± One of the skinny young men spoke with a tone of disappointment. ¡°It¡¯s all Gao Hua¡¯s fault, what were you waving that mirror for, they couldn¡¯t even see it! If I had shouted earlier, maybe they would havee¡­¡± A somewhat chubby womanined. The one named Gao Hua, a man wearing a dirty suit and gold-rimmed sses, put down the binocrs without attending to the woman but rather muttered with a troubled look: ¡°It¡¯s over, we are going to get them killed¡­¡± ¡°Eh? They¡¯re back?¡± At this point, a young woman spoke up, sounding somewhat surprised. Everyone hurriedly looked. ¡°Really, they¡¯re back!¡± Seeing this, the big woman was instantly smug. ¡°I told you to let me shout! See, they havee back, haven¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Wait, behind them¡­ Fuck!¡± The skinny young man¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Dozens of zombies are chasing them! Those zombies are running too fast! It¡¯s over, those two are done for! You guys got them killed!¡± Some people looked troubled. The stout woman herself was startled to see so many zombies running crazily towards them, her legs growing a bit weak, but her mouth remained as indomitable as ever. ¡°That, that¡¯s not my fault! The zombies must have been outside already, and they just happened to bump into them when they went out! Could my shouting attract so many zombies? Impossible! It¡¯s just their bad luck, yes! It¡¯s their bad luck. If they¡¯de to save us earlier, they wouldn¡¯t have run into these zombies!¡± At that moment, Gao Hua took a deep breath before speaking: ¡°These types of zombies should be very sensitive to noise. If you shout again, you will definitely attract more. You can try if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Whether she believed it or not, the woman dared not try again. She red at Gao Hua with an ugly expression. ¡°Hmph, it wasn¡¯t me anyway! And if they¡¯re dead, what does it have to do with us? They snatched our airdrop, which could have had a lot of food in it! Those were life-saving items from the state! They took them away and didn¡¯te to save us! They deserve to die if they¡¯re dead!¡± The more the woman talked, the angrier she got, as if Wang Tao had owed her something. The others didn¡¯t say anything further, seemingly also harboring some grudges concerning the airdrop. Gao Hua sighed; he didn¡¯t want to deal with these fools. But no matter what was said now, their rare chance had already been wasted. He wondered how many more days they couldst¡­ ¡°Hmm? Look! Those zombies are climbing the walls! They¡¯reing towards us!¡± Suddenly, someone eximed in rm. The people craned their necks to look out and were startled to see those zombies climbing up the wall. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Fasten the anti-theft window! Lock the window!¡± The anti-theft window grills of high-rise buildings are installed from the inside and can be quickly dismantled. This isn¡¯t for theft prevention¡ªit¡¯s to prevent things from falling down. Just now, Gao Hua had removed an anti-theft grill to make using the mirror more convenient. Seeing this situation, he hurriedly reinstalled the grill and locked the window. However, still feeling uneasy, he drew the curtains as well. But whether it was because these zombies couldn¡¯t climb so high, they saw nothinging in and saw no shadows outside the window. This allowed everyone a temporary sigh of relief. Then, instinctively, everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards the stout woman, with more than a little me in their eyes. Now it could be confirmed that the zombies had been attracted by the stout woman; otherwise, from such a distance, how could the zombies possibly see them? ¡°Why are you all looking at me? You think I wanted this?¡± The stout woman sternly red back at everyone, and, cowed by her domineering demeanor, they all averted their eyes. And the more they did that, the more emboldened she became. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me gathering you all together, making¡ªletting us n our food rationing, do you think you¡¯d still be alive? Not only are you not thankful, but you also want to me me? How ungrateful!¡± ¡°Xie Xia, you woke your grandson up with your yelling!¡± Just then, someone suddenly cut in. ¡°Oh, my dear grandson!¡± Upon hearing this, the woman ceased her harangue and quickly headed back into a room, only to see a chubby middle schooler in uniform rubbing his eyes. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get some treats for my darling grandson!¡± Gao Hua watched the woman¡¯s retreating figure, then nced at the rest, whocked strong opinions of their own. He closed his eyes.. Chapter 144 - 100 Li Qiuyu, Spoils of War_2 Chapter 144: Chapter 100 Li Qiuyu, Spoils of War_2 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao noticed Han Rui wasn¡¯t fast enough, so he grabbed Han Rui¡¯s wrist and practically dragged her as they ran. Han Rui couldn¡¯t understand how Wang Tao, with hisrge frame, could move so quickly¡­ It was outrageous! As she marveled, Han Rui quickly activated her Ability to carefully scout their surroundings, to avoid running headlong into a nest of zombies. Before long, they reached the vi district. However, just as Wang Tao pulled Han Rui up to the outside of Vi No. 3, Han Rui suddenly cried out in rm. ¡°There are five zombies inside, and one special zombie!¡± Wang Tao nearly barged in; he quickly stopped in his tracks and peered inside. ¡°Shit!¡± Inside the vi yard, a Suicide Bombing Zombie and several Ordinary Zombies were roaming around. And it was a Self-exploder with [2500/2500] HP! Luckily Han Rui had called out in time. If they had bumped into the arms of a Suicide Bombing Zombie, that would have been quite the disaster! Wolves in front and tigers behind. As Wang Tao hesitated between eliminating the lesser threat of the Suicide Bombing Zombie and seeking other vis, someone suddenly appeared on the rooftop of the neighboring Vi No. 2. ¡°Come here!¡± Wang Tao looked towards the voice. [80/100] A green HP bar, indeed a human, not a zombie. He decisively pulled Han Rui towards Building No. 2. Along the way, he calmly said to Han Rui: ¡°Check how many people are in Building No. 2!¡± When they reached the courtyard wall of Building No. 2, Han Rui immediately said: ¡°There¡¯s only one person!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, but he didn¡¯t stop moving. ¡°You go first.¡± Wang Tao extended his hand and Han Rui immediately jumped, stepping on Wang Tao¡¯s hand. With an upward push, Wang Tao boosted Han Rui over into the courtyard of the Vi N0.2, then he took a standing leap, grabbed the edge of the courtyard wall, his arm muscles bulged, and he powerfully pulled himself over. The door of the Vi No. 2 was open, and a woman was waving at Wang Tao and Han Rui from inside. The two rushed in and locked the door behind them. Not long after they entered, they saw Mad Demon Zombies climbing over the courtyard wall, but all the doors and windows of the vi were locked¡ªthey couldn¡¯t get in, and they didn¡¯t notice the people inside. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Both Wang Tao and Han Rui breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you!¡±. Han Rui expressed her gratitude promptly. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, we are all survivors¡ªnone of this is easy¡­.¡± Wang Tao looked at the woman who spoke. She was a woman in her thirties, with an elegant and gentle demeanor. She wasn¡¯t wearing makeup, but her natural beauty outshone any celebrity¡¯s. Especially her proud figure, which the ordinary white homewear couldn¡¯t conceal; even Ding Yuqin couldn¡¯tpare to her. Wang Tao always felt that this woman looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. ¡°Thank you very much, my name is Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao expressed his gratitude. ¡°I¡¯m Han Rui.¡± The woman smiled and said: ¡°My name is Li Qiuyu.¡± At the mention of this name, Wang Tao suddenly realized. So it was her, no wonder she seemed so familiar. Li Qiuyu was somewhat of a senior to Wang Tao. She had been a celebrity, not incredibly famous, but with great potential and many held high hopes for her. Then, right at her career peak, she had suddenly retired from the circle. It was said she quit because she got married. Her fans were extremely regretful, but at that time she didn¡¯t have too many fans, so it didn¡¯t cause much of a stir. Wang Tao knew this because Li Qiuyu had started her career at Huangfeng Film City. So while fans elsewhere might forget her, people here still remembered her asionally. Whenever she was mentioned, everyone would feel a sense of loss. But now it seemed she had been living afortable life, residing in a vi, and taking good care of herself like a youngdy; it wasn¡¯t their ce to worry about her. Of course, that was before the apocalypse. Now in this doomsday, everyone was equal. ¡°I saw you two before, but there were zombies outside, and I didn¡¯t dare to call out¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you toe back,¡± Li Qiuyu said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a hint of embarrassment. ¡°We ran into Mad Demon Zombies, the kind that run very fast outside¡­¡± Han Rui briefly exined and also shared the incident with the olddy who had caused a ruckus that attracted the zombies. ¡°No wonder I heard a shout just now; I thought I was hearing things¡­¡± Li Qiuyu looked incredulous, not expecting an encounter with someone from hermunity who was so troublesome. ¡°Are you here alone?¡± Han Rui asked curiously. ¡°Yeah, alone. I was living here with my husband, my daughter, and the nanny. But my daughter isn¡¯t here and our nanny had taken leave to go home when the virus broke out¡­ I don¡¯t eat much on my own, and although the food isn¡¯t plentiful, it¡¯s been barely enough to sustain me so far¡­¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao was surprised. She had a daughter? She maintained herself very well. But he didn¡¯t know how old her daughter was, and it seemed likely she¡¯d encounter more peril outside than safety¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs to talk, watching these zombies is quite unsettling¡­¡± Li Qiuyu said, shivering subconsciously as she nced at the shadows lingering outside the door. ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao and Han Rui followed Li Qiuyu upstairs. Since the new acquaintance was a woman, Wang Tao kept quiet, allowing Han Rui to chat with her, as women might find moremon topics between them. He, on the other hand, checked all the vi¡¯s doors and windows meticulously, ensuring there were no issues. Upon his return, Li Qiuyu kindly asked: ¡°Do you want some water? We have a well at home, it¡¯s clean fresh water..¡± Chapter 145 - 100 Li Qiuyu, Spoils of War 3 Chapter 145: Chapter 100 Li Qiuyu, Spoils of War 3 Trantor: 549690339??????????????? ¨C ¡°No, thank you!¡± Han Rui quickly waved her hands. It wasn¡¯t that she was being polite, but rather cautious of strangers. Ever since she had been smitten by her husband, she had been extremely careful with these things. Are you hungry? I still have some food, but not much left¡­¡± Li Qiuyu felt a bit embarrassed. ¡°Thank you, we have our own food.¡± Wang Tao spoke up at this time. Han Rui was somewhat surprised. When had Wang Tao brought food? But having food was good; being hungry wouldpromise their fighting strength. Seeing that Wang Tao and she even refused food, Li Qiuyu suddenly had a realization, as if she understood that the two still harbored caution towards her, a stranger. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll eat something first. I¡¯ve just woken up not long ago and haven¡¯t had lunch yet¡­¡± Li Qiuyu said this and went to the kitchen to cook a small bowl of noodle soup, sprinkling a few green onion pieces in it, then started eating at the bar. Han Rui nced over and subconsciously swallowed her saliva. She had thought she wasn¡¯t hungry, but now she felt hungry again. At this moment, Wang Tao suddenly handed her a transparent stic tube. ¡°Eat this.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Han Rui asked curiously. ¡°Nutritional supplement.¡± As Wang Tao said this, he took another bottle from his chest, opened it, and poured it directly into his mouth. This bottle was apple-vored, not bad at all. Han Rui, imitating Wang Tao, opened hers and then smelled a faint scent of white rice. ¡°So fragrant!¡± Han Rui¡¯s eyes lit up, she had almost forgotten what white rice tasted like! Mimicking Wang Tao, she poured the entire bottle into her mouth. Momentster, she felt a warm sensation in her stomach, which quickly spread throughout her body. She not only felt that her hunger had vanished but also felt full of strength! This nutritional supplement is amazing!¡± Han Rui eximed in astonishment. Wang Tao did not reply; he took out another bottle of the supplement and, like drinking water, downed it into his stomach. This time it was noodle-vored, not as tasty as the apple one before. Han Rui swallowed again. Her mouth wanted more, but her stomach told her she was full. After Li Qiuyu finished her simple meal, she came back to chat with Han Rui Probably because she hadn¡¯t seen people for a long time, she was very talkative. ¡°Are you from the Survivor Base?¡± Li Qiuyu was somewhat surprised to hear Han Rui reveal her identity. She hadn¡¯t expected there to be a Survivor Base in Shuize County; she only knew about the one in Red Stone County because the Government had broadcasted it citywide initially. ¡°Once the zombies outside leave, well be heading back. Do you want toe with us? Ill try my best to ensure your safety,¡± Han Rui asked. But Li Qiuyu shook her head. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Han Rui asked, somewhat puzzled. Li Qiuyu¡¯s face showed a trace of concern. ¡°I have to wait for my Little Xue toe back; she¡¯s my daughter.¡± ¡°Your daughter? Where is she? If youe back to the base with us, we¡¯ll also keep a lookout for news about your daughter. That¡¯s surely better than you waiting here alone.¡± Han Rui continued to persuade her. As a lone woman, it was too dangerous for her to be left behind. ¡°Little Xue is a student at Shuize University. If I leave, she won¡¯t be able to find me¡­ Beforemunication was cut off, she called me and asked me to wait for her at home¡­¡± ¡°Ah? A student at Shuize University?¡± Han Rui was somewhat surprised, and Wang Tao nced at Li Qiuyu. ¡°Our base is at Shuize University, but there isn¡¯t a single student there. Where was she when she spoke to you?¡± ¡°Ah, your base is at Shuize University?¡± Li Qiuyu was a bit surprised, and then frowned as she said, ¡°She told me that some areas of the school were being renovated, and because the smell hadn¡¯t dispersed yet, they had given the students a few days off. She was participating in a sketching trip organized by the school and was on Shuizhe Mountain¡­¡± Behind Shuize University, there was a river, and not far from the river was a mountain known as Shuizhe Mountain. Shuizhe Mountain wasn¡¯t very tall, but the scenery was quite nice. Wang Tao had been there a few times, and he had also seen many students sketching and painting on the mountain. Every year, Shuizhe Mountain would host arge number of Shuize University¡¯s students, with many amodation facilities avable. Wang Tao felt there might be a shady deal between this tourist area of Shuizhe Mountain and the university. It was so close to the university, yet students needed to stay on the mountain? It seemed to cost several hundred yuan for one night. If Li Qiuyu¡¯s daughter was on Shuizhe Mountain, the odds were probably not in her favor. It wasn¡¯t just because there were many people on the mountain, hence lots of zombies. More importantly, the wilderness had those nameless monsters with massive amounts of HP! ¡°I hope your daughter Little Xue is safe¡­¡± Han Rui sighed, but she didn¡¯t speak any words of despair. Perhaps the reason Li Qiuyu had managed to hold on was because of her daughter. If she told her that her daughter was likely dead, it would be extremely insensitive. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you a walkie-talkie so you can contact Shuize Base if you need to in the future.¡± Han Rui handed her a walkie-talkie. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Li Qiuyu quickly took it, and then the two of them started chatting again The zombies outside hadn¡¯t left, so chatting was the only way to pass the time. Wang Tao could clearly feel that the rtionship between the two women had grown closer, but it was mostly Li Qiuyu talking and Han Rui listening. Wang Tao didn¡¯t join in the women¡¯s conversation, resting with his eyes closed. Of course, he wasn¡¯t really resting, but rather checking his Space Backpack. After killing the Archer Zombie, there wasn¡¯t much time to inspect the spoils, so Wang Tao had only nced at them briefly and hadn¡¯t looked at them in detail. Now, while he had some time, it was a good opportunity to take a closer look. First was the Zombie Core-a Red Crystal Core with a circr mini-target inside. [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Precision Shooting] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Blindness in one eye)] [Precision Shooting: During the effect duration, the user¡¯s shooting uracy is greatly enhanced.] This was a sustained ability Crystal Core, simr to Toughness, and its attributes nearly made Wang Tao drool. Wang Tao was currentlycking such long-ranged attack capabilities, and learning to use a bow wasn¡¯t something he could master overnight-it would take time. If he fused with this core, he would shortcut a lot of detours! But the side effect of this Crystal Core was a bit frightening, causing blindness in one eye¡­ Fortunately, Wang Tao could create Synthetic Crystal Cores, so it was a matter of when he could get another core of the same type. For the time being, it was definitely not an option to fuse with it. Wang Tao then looked at the other spoils of war. [Precision Hand Crossbow Blueprint xi] [Crossbow Arrow Blueprint xi] [Alloy Recurve Bow xi] [Quiver xi] [Arrows X30] Chapter 146 - 101 Hand Crossbow Blueprint, Classification of Zombies_1 Chapter 101 Hand Crossbow Blueprint, ssification of Zombies_1 Trantor: 549690339 [Precision Hand Crossbow Blueprint: This blueprint allows you to craft a Precise Crossbow. Required materials: any Bow xi or Crossbow xi, de x3, Steel Wire x3, Screws x3, Nails x3, Rubber x3] [Precise Crossbow: Durability +20, Attack Power +10, uracy +10] The first blueprint was for crafting a hand crossbow. To make this crossbow, he would need either a bow or a crossbow; fortunately, he had three bows at hand, which was more than enough. Although the description of the crossbow was brief and he didn¡¯t know how it would perform yet, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t picky because items crafted from blueprints and items dropped from monsters could all be stored in the Space Backpack! This portability was even more important than the properties of the hand crossbow itself. Next came the apanying blueprint for crossbow arrows. [Crossbow Arrow Blueprint: This blueprint allows you to craft loo Crossbow Arrows. Required materials: de xio, Iron Block xio, stic xio] This blueprint would enable him to instantly create 100 crossbow arrows, and the required materials were simple, only three types. However, he would need arger quantity of each, ten in total. Wang Tao checked the spoils in his backpack. He had enough materials to craft the hand crossbow, but not enough for the arrows; he was short by three des. Thus, he couldn¡¯t craft them yet and would have to kill a few more zombies first. The above two spoils of war were blueprints, while thest three items were actual objects dropped from zombies! Zombies that could wield weapons would drop them upon death, and these weapons could also be stored in the Space Backpack. Therefore, after killing an Archer Zombie, Wang Tao immediately stored the bow, arrows, and quiver in his Space Backpack. However, these weapons didn¡¯t disy any attributes. They were just like the Reinforced Concrete Hammer, only showing a name¡ª [Alloy Recurve Bow xi][Quiver xi][Arrows X30] The Alloy Recurve Bow waspletely decked in matte ck, looking very cool. A certain famous person once said that in military equipment, aesthetics are a form of strength. Powerful weapons usually don¡¯t disappoint in terms of looks. This bow was surely no exception. Not just the bow, but the 30 arrows could also be put inside the Space Backpack. While 30 might seem a bit low, they were recoverable; with some care, they couldst a long time. However, the fact that even the quiver could be put into the backpack was somewhat unexpected for Wang Tao. To him, the quiver didn¡¯t seem that useful¡­ after all, he could store arrows in the backpack and retrieve them from the Space Backpack when needed. Wang Tao thought the only purpose of the quiver seemed to be to deceive others¡ªif in the future he could gain more arrows and carry this quiver on his back. In front of others, he could pretend to take arrows from the quiver, when in fact, he was getting them from the Space Backpack¡­ then he could perform a trick called ¡°infinite arrows¡±! These were future considerations, though. As cool as the recurve bow was, Wang Tao¡¯s archery skills were rather poor. He would have to gradually improve his bow and arrow techniques. For now, the hand crossbow seemed more suitable for him, and he was very much looking forward to seeing the final product once crafted. ¡°The Mad Demon Zombies outside haven¡¯t left yet¡­¡± Han Rui said somewhat helplessly as she looked at the zombies outside the window. These zombies seemed to have not noticed them inside the house, but they still hadn¡¯t left. Li Qiuyu didn¡¯t look too good either. If these zombies didn¡¯t leave, it would be a significant danger for her as well¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as we don¡¯t make too much noise, we can deal with these zombies slowly,¡± Wang Tao suddenly said. His reluctance to confront the Mad Demon Zombies was mainly due to the fear that fighting could attract more, and if he were attacked by arge group, even the strongest defenses would be worn down. But if there was no additional reinforcement for these zombies, just the ones that had climbed into the yard, then Wang Tao could take them on one group at a time. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Han Rui immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She didn¡¯t have the power to deal with so many zombies and had to rely on Wang Tao. Nheless, the two of them didn¡¯t leave in the end. Because Han Rui suddenly perceived three special infected zombies around the house, two of which were Self-exploders. The other zombie made Wang Tao frown. ¡°A Screamer¡­ It has be a special infected zombie too?¡± Wang Tao had encountered Screamers before, but back then, a Screamer had only 200 HP, and he had simply run it over with his car. This Screamer below had 1,000 HP! And a Screamer¡¯s 1,000 HP wasn¡¯t even the main point; the key issue was that it had be a ¡°special infected zombie¡±. The term ¡°special infected zombies¡± is a conventional moniker agreed upon by survivors. They refer to any zombie that¡¯s different from Ordinary zombies as special infected zombies. For example, the Zombie Guide provided by the military forces lists special infected zombies that are confirmed. However, there¡¯s a difference between special infected zombies. Zombies like the Screamers, Hiders, and Sprinters that Wang Tao previously encountered were also special infected, but their HP wasn¡¯t high, and their abilities weren¡¯t too strong, so they were rtively easy to deal with. On the other hand, zombies like Terrorizers, Self-exploders, and Attackers were discernibly harder to cope with; they had higher HP, and their capabilities were stronger. Another important distinctiony in the drops¡ª The less formidable special infected zombies would not drop a Crystal Core when killed, and they had a high probability of dropping potions when defeated by Wang Tao. But these formidable special infected zombies would drop a Zombie Core upon death. When Wang Tao killed them, not only might they drop potions, but they could also drop Blueprints. Chapter 147 - 101 Hand Crossbow Blueprint, Classification of Zombies_2 Chapter 101 Hand Crossbow Blueprint, ssification of Zombies_2 Trantor: 549690339 So now, everyone including Wang Tao hase to a consensus that only the zombies which can explode into Zombie Cores are called special zombies, while those that can¡¯t are all referred to as Ordinary zombies. And the Screamer outside is such a special zombie that can explode into a Zombie Core! Wang Tao naturally can¡¯t see whether the other party has a Crystal Core, but Han Rui can. Han Rui¡¯s Perception Ability allows her to distinguish between ordinary people, Ability Users, Ordinary zombies, and special zombies. The reason she could perceive so clearly is that what she ¡°saw¡± in her perception was a ¡°gray human-shaped silhouette.¡± She distinguished people from zombies by ¡°seeing.¡± The form of humans and the form of zombies are different. The bodies of zombies are twisted, and they usually make some abnormal movements. Moreover, some zombies are deformed or have missing limbs. So, she just needs to look for whichever silhouette is awkward or abnormally deformed, then it¡¯s very likely a zombie. Of course, this method of distinguishing is not always 100% urate ¡ª Wang Tao¡¯s method of looking at the HP bar color is 100% urate ¡ª but it is enough since this ability is used like a radar. To differentiate Ability Users and special zombies, Han Rui relies on color. If the entity has energy, then the silhouette will have some blue in it. The stronger the energy, the more intense the blue. If there is no energy, then it¡¯s just ordinary gray. So her view is like this now ¡ª in a pitch-ck world, some distorted gray silhouettes appear, among which three carry a bit of blue. These three zombies are the special zombies with Zombie Cores, and they are two Self-exploders and one Screamer. What surprised Wang Tao was that these zombies could not only improve themselves like humans but could even evolve from zombies without Crystal Cores into zombies with them! This is just like ordinary people turning into Ability Users! Wang Tao felt somewhat heavy-hearted. With so many zombies in the world, what if they evolved inrge numbers in the future? Then what would be of them survivors¡­ ¡°What¡¯s a Screamer?¡± Han Rui and the person beside her, Li Qiuyu, both asked curiously. Upon hearing the question, Wang Tao came back to his senses and searched himself, finding the Zombie Guide he had gotten from an airdrop box earlier in the day. He had nced at it briefly before and just knew that there were more types of zombies in the guide, but he wasn¡¯t sure exactly how many more there were or what their characteristics were. So he opened the guide and invited Han Rui and Li Qiuyu to look at it with him. Han Rui had never seen this thing before, and as she looked at its content, her eyes widened from time to time. She couldn¡¯t believe there were so many kinds of zombies, and this was only what the military had discovered; there was no telling how many they hadn¡¯t. When she saw the Screamer, she opened her mouth, and her expression turned helpless in an instant. ¡°This Screamer can attract arge number of zombies just like the Self-exploders¡­ That¡¯s so annoying! At least the Self-exploders will detonate themselves, attracting zombies only once, but this Screamer seems to be able to keep screaming¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯splexion immediately turned bitter. With three such zombies outside, how were they supposed to go out? Li Qiuyu felt a wave of fear after seeing the Screamer and other special zombies in the Zombie Guide. ¡°Is it already so dangerous outside¡­¡± While Wang Tao momentarily skipped over the zombie introductions and looked directly at the text written below. The military didn¡¯t mention anything about their base this time; instead, they detailed further subdivisions of zombie types. They currently divided zombies into three levels: Ordinary Level, Elite Level, and Lord Rank. Ordinary zombies are the ones mostmonly seen and represent the weakest presence within the zombie faction. Elite Zombies are clearly different from Ordinary zombies; they generally each have their own distinct characteristics. However, more importantly, they explode into Zombie Cores ¡ª these Elite Zombies are actually special zombies that can explode into Crystal Cores. Previously, those special zombies that didn¡¯t explode into Zombie Cores would, after growing to a certain stage, develop Zombie Cores. Wang Tao had killed several hundred HP special zombies before without any of them dropping a Zombie Core. But this Screamer had a thousand HP, so Wang Tao had reason to guess that this type of zombie could develop a Zombie Core once they reached 1000 HP. Of course, this was just his spection, and he would have to observe moreter on. As for the third type, the Zombie Lords, the military described them as zombies with a sense of territory, an enhanced version of Elite Zombies. The difference is that they treat certain areas as their own turf and patrol their domains; some Zombie Lords even lead minions! Zombie Lords are the most terrifying type of zombies discovered by the military so far. However, Zombie Lords are rare, and not many have been found. They advise that if you encounter a Zombie Lord and are lucky enough to escape, it¡¯s best not to stay there. The farther you run, the better, because the area might very well be the Zombie Lord¡¯s territory, and it mighte back! The worst-case scenario is a Zombie Lord appearing near the Survivor Base. The Survivor Base can¡¯t run away, so that leaves only two options: to abandon the base or take care of the Zombie Lord. Otherwise, there will be endless trouble in the future. ¡°Patrolling territory¡­¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao remembered the Gori zombie he had encountered at the old mallst time; he felt its behavior was somewhat like patrolling its territory. It hade to the old mall once before and had returned again to wreak destruction ¡ª and even crushed many Ordinary zombies underfoot¡­. Chapter 148 - 101 Hand Crossbow Blueprint, Classification of Zombies_3 Chapter 101 Hand Crossbow Blueprint, ssification of Zombies_3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°If the Gori Zombie really is a Zombie Lord, then wouldn¡¯t we be facing the worst possible situation¡­¡± Wang Tao felt somewhat vexed. If the Gori Zombie believed that Shuize Base was also within its territory, that would be troublesome. ¡°We need to quickly enhance our strength and take that Gori Zombie down!¡± Wang Tao clenched his fist. Having looked through the Zombie Guide, he felt an intense sense of urgency¡­ Soon, Han Rui and Li Qiuyu also finished reading these contents. Han Rui was still okay. Although the zombies made her feel urgent, she knew that if she could grow stronger, her probability of survival would increase greatly. The expression on Li Qiuyu¡¯s face, however, was one of despair. She truly hadn¡¯t expected the outside world to be so dangerous. Since the virus outbreak, she had been staying at home without stepping out, and after the inte was cut off, she lost all contact with the outside world. She had thought that the outside was filled with only Ordinary Zombies, but she never imagined that the zombies had evolved¡­ ¡°Qiu Yu, you shoulde back to the base with us. It¡¯s too dangerous here, you can¡¯t stay,¡± seized the opportunity to persuade her. ¡°I¡­¡± Li Qiuyu appeared to be moved but eventually shook her head, ¡°No, I have to wait for Little Xue toe back¡­¡± Seeing Li Qiuyu still stubbornly deluded, Han Rui became somewhat angry. But before she could speak, she heard Li Qiuyu suddenly say in a low voice: ¡°My husband is dead, my brother is dead, my parents are dead, my inws are dead, I only have Little Xue left as family¡­¡± Han Rui opened her mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°How do you know they¡¯re dead? Maybe they¡¯re still alive.¡± Wang Tao tried tofort her with these words. But when Li Qiuyu heard what Wang Tao said, she looked up at him, her face calm but her eyes filled with pain. ¡°The day the virus broke out, my husband was outside, and my inws and my parents weren¡¯t here either, but they were all nning toe over, because it was Little Xue¡¯s birthday, they had even bought the gifts. We started a group video call, discussing how we were going to celebrate today. Then¡­¡± ¡°I saw with my own eyes, my husband was attacked by his subordinate who turned into a zombie, he met a horrific death; on the expressway, my father-inw turned into a zombie and bit my mother-inw to death; my brother was killed by his girlfriend, whom he was nning to get engaged to; my neighbor broke into my parents¡¯ house next door and killed them¡­ I saw it all with my own eyes, I witnessed it!¡± Two silent streams of tears slid down Li Qiuyu¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Only Little Xue was able to avoid the first wave of the zombie attack with the help of the police. She told me not to run around, to wait for her at home¡­¡± ¡°Sister Qiu Yu¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s eyes reddened slightly, and she quickly wiped away Li Qiuyu¡¯s tears. Her own parents had died too, but at least she hadn¡¯t witnessed such a bloody scene. For a woman to witness all this, it was too cruel for Li Qiuyu. Han Rui felt a great deal ofpassion for her. Although her own situation was also not good, that didn¡¯t prevent her from feeling sympathy for Li Qiuyu. Wang Tao sighed silently in his heart. Although it was cruel, there was nothing to be said; this was the apocalypse. ¡°So, stop persuading me. I will keep waiting at home for Little Xue to return because I promised her¡­¡± Li Qiuyu¡¯s gaze was resolute. Rather than saying she was waiting for her daughter to return, it was more like she was waiting for death. Wang Tao and Han Rui didn¡¯t try to persuade her further. Some people might be alive, but inside, they were already dead, their hearts had died. Li Qiuyu, having lost the desire to talk, sat down alone at the bar, took out a half-bottle of red wine, and poured herself a ss. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have the luxury to brood; he was looking at the zombies outside, contemting how to deal with them. But now it was already dark, and they couldn¡¯t leave today. After Li Qiuyu took a sip of wine, she turned to Wang Tao and asked: ¡°You can¡¯t leave today, can you? Do you want to rest at my ce?¡± ¡°That would be really kind of you!¡± Han Rui quickly said. ¡°No problem.¡± Li Qiuyu smiled and then added, ¡°How many rooms should I prepare for you? I will tidy up a bit. Except for my room, the other rooms haven¡¯t been cleaned in a while.¡± ¡°Two¡ª¡± Just as Han Rui was about to speak, she was interrupted by Wang Tao. ¡°One is enough, to save you the trouble.¡± Then, Wang Tao whispered in a somewhat confused Han Rui¡¯s ear: ¡°When you¡¯re out and about, you should never let your guard down. Having two people in one room allows us to take care of each other. What if this woman has ill intentions towards me, and I can¡¯t defeat her?¡± Li Qiuyu didn¡¯t immediately agree but instead tilted her head and looked at Han Rui. Han Rui lowered her head, her glistening earlobes blushing a shade of red. ¡°Then, then one room it is¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, okay!¡± Li Qiuyu went to tidy the room, and soon only Wang Tao and Han Rui were left. ¡°Let¡¯s get something straight. We sleep on our own sides tonight!¡± Han Rui spoke, her face flushed. Hearing this, Wang Tao looked at Han Rui with a puzzled expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a given? Why emphasize it? Do you have some inappropriate thoughts about me?¡± Wang Tao was shameless, so Han Rui decided not to deal with him anymore. She ran to the window to observe the zombies. After teasing Han Rui a little, Wang Tao found a cutting board and nailed it to the wall. Then he took out the bow and arrows and started practicing archery. He had acquired three bows and a crossbow from vi number 3. The crossbow was for Han Rui¡¯s use, and he left two bows in the car; he currently still had one bow in his hand. Of course, this didn¡¯t include the Alloy Recurve Bow dropped by the Archer Zombie, which was still in the Space Backpack. There was no need to take it out for the time being; using the current bow and arrows for practice was good enough. Before long, Li Qiuyu came back, saying she had tidied the room. There was water in the room, but no electricity. If you wanted to wash up, you should hurry while there was still some light outside. Wang Tao nced at Han Rui, who instinctively stepped back. ¡°You go first!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Wang Tao finished washing up, Han Rui reluctantly headed to the bathroom. By the time Han Rui came out fully dressed, she saw Wang Tao lying bare-chested on the bed, his eyes closed, and it was unclear whether he was asleep or not. The bedroom was quiterge, with a leisure sofa on the balcony. Han Rui silently ran to the sofa, and then watched Wang Tao with a vignt expression. Only after she was sure that Wang Tao was not moving did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. But for some reason, why did she feel a pang of disappointment? The next day, early morning. ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re lying on my hair¡­¡± PS: The ¡®sses guy¡¯ ¡®Ren Hua¡¯ from the previous chapter has been renamed to ¡®Gao Hua.¡¯ There¡¯s amittee member at the base named Ren Jie, and their names are a bit simr, which led me to keep mistyping¡­. Chapter 149 - 102 I’ve Tolerated You for a Long Time 1 Chapter 102 I¡¯ve Tolerated You for a Long Time 1 Trantor: 549690339??? ¡ã?? ¡ª Watching the annoyed expression on the person in his arms, Wang Tao raised his arm and then said with an innocent face: It¡¯s not my fault, who told you to always crawl into my arms when you sleep, I can¡¯t even push you away¡ª¡± ¡°Stop talking!¡± Han Rut¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment as she covered Wang Tao¡¯s mouth. She just liked to hug something when she slept- in the past, she had a pillow at home, now she simply treated Wang Tao as her pillow, nothing more. Wang Tao chuckled and, after Han Rui had smoothed her hair, he suddenly embraced her. Han Rui struggled symbolically a couple of times, then gave up as if resigned to her fate and stopped moving. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t do anything either; he just wanted to hold her. Han Rui, with a red face,y on Wang Tao¡¯s chest, not speaking. The two of them just quietlyzed in bed for a while. Wang Tao, just like Han Rui, liked to hold something when he slept, a habit that had developed recently. So it made sense for two people who both liked to hug something while sleeping to hold each other in the dark. ¡°We should get up¡­ or Qiu Yu willugh at us!¡± Han Rui was the first to get up, and Wang Tao didn¡¯t stop her. After admiring Han Rui¡¯s back as she dressed for a while, Wang Tao finally got up. After exiting the room, they saw Li Qiuyu was already up, and she asked if Wang Tao and Han Rui wanted breakfast. ¡°No need, we brought our own.¡± Wang Tao waved his hand, then took out several bottles of nutrition drinks from his clothes. Han Rui was puzzled by these nutrition drinks; she didn¡¯t remember feeling them when she was helping Wang Tao get dressed¡­ ¡°What are these?¡± Li Qiuyu asked curiously. She hadn¡¯t seen them drinking the nutrition drinks the day before. ¡°Nutrition drinks, want to try?¡± Wang Tao handed over a bottle. ¡°Sure!¡± Li Qiuyu didn¡¯t hesitate, nor was she as cautious as Wang Tao; she directly opened it and took a small sip. ¡°Mmm- Chocte vor! Tastes really good!¡± Li Qiuyu¡¯s eyes widened, as she hadn¡¯t tasted chocte in a long time. And it wasn¡¯t just that it tasted good-after drinking the nutrition drink, she felt warmlyfortable all over, as if she had endless strength! ¡°No wonder they don¡¯t need my food¡­¡± Li Qiuyu was somewhat impressed; it was much tastier than her vorless noodles. Of course, she felt this way because she had grown tired of the stored food at home. Wang Tao, having drunk plenty of nutrition drinks, still thought regr food tasted better. However, it was no longer possible to get normal food now. Han Rui was full after one bottle of nutrition drink, Li Qiuyu only drank half a bottle because she had a small appetite and felt full after sipping slowly, and Wang Tao chugged two bottles, barely feeling three-quarters full. ¡°The Mad Demon Zombies outside aren¡¯t leaving, and the two Self-exploders are gone, but that Screamer Zombie is still there¡­¡± Han Rui observed for a while and after sensing with her ability, she turned and said to Wang Tao. ¡°There¡¯s only that one zombie left, huh¡­¡± If it was left alone, then it couldn¡¯t me Wang Tao for not being polite. Seeing the position of the Screamer Zombie, Wang Tao decided to act! The Screamer Zombie was a very fragile kind of zombie; its defensive power was even lower than an Ordinary Zombie. Wang Tao could one-shot an Ordinary Zombie with 1000 HP, so killing this Screamer Zombie with 1000 HP was definitely not going to be a problem. But to be on the safe side, Wang Tao still made some preparations. Once he was fully armed, he said to Li Qiuyu: ¡°I¡¯m going out to hunt a zombie. If all goes well, we will leave after the hunt. If something unexpected happens, we might need to trouble you to shelter us again.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Li Qiuyu smiled. That Screamer Zombie was now sitting on the ground by the wall, looking somewhat like an Ordinary Zombie. To ensure a one-hit kill, Wang Tao chose the most reliable method. ¡°You keep watch for me, and let me know if any other zombiese this way.¡± On the rooftop of the vi, Wang Tao said to Han Rui. ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui nodded. Wang Tao, holding a Firefighter Axe, climbed from the rooftop terrace to the roof. He could have used a bow, a crossbow, or even a Flying Axe to kill the Screamer, but because this Screamer Zombie was rather special and could easily attract other zombies, Wang Tao chose the most reliable method-skydiving! After arriving at the top of the building, he found where the Screamer was staying and peered down to see the zombie right below. Taking a deep breath, Wang Tao gripped the Firefighter Axe tightly and then resolutely jumped down towards the zombie. Whoosh- St! [-1000] [0/1000] The Screamer Zombie didn¡¯t even see the personing, as it was directly cleaved in the head by Wang Tao, who descended from the sky. He even split its chest in half. All around the vi was grass, so there wasn¡¯t much noise when hended. ¡°As expected, its defensive power is really low.¡± Wang Tao picked up a purple Zombie Crystal Core from the ground and then collected the loot that exploded out of it. [Received: Screaming Potion Recipe (small) xi] [Screaming Potion Recipe (small): After learning, you can make five Screaming Potion (small) each time. Required materials: Screaming Fish Gall xi, Zombie Crystal Core xi, 100ml Purified Water, 10 kcal of food] [Received: Screaming Potion (small) x2] [Screaming Potion (small): After consumption, you can emit a piercing and long scream for 10 minutes. Cooldown time is 12 hours. Friendly reminder: Screaming can cause damage to the vocal cords, it¡¯s rmended not to talk within a day after the scream] Wang Tao learned another potion recipe; he now knew how to make three different potions, namely ¡°Strength Potion (small)¡±, ¡°Defense Potion (small)¡± and this ¡°Screaming Potion (small)¡±, it was a shame, however, that he didn¡¯t ¡¯ have the key ingredients to make them. Chapter 150 - 102 I’ve Tolerated You for a Long Time_2 Chapter 102 I¡¯ve Tolerated You for a Long Time_2 Trantor: 549690339 | The effects of this Screaming Potion are definitely not as good as the other two, but having it is better than nothing, perhaps it coulde in handy in the future. After putting away the spoils of war, Wang Tao circled around to the other side of the vi¡¯s outer wall and climbed over it. Inside, Han Rui was waiting for him. As soon as she saw Wang Tao rush in, she quickly shut the door. Everything went smoothly without a hitch. Wang Tao checked his HP, having regained 40 HP. Now it stood at [1290/1290], not too shabby. Then he took out the Crystal Core that the Screamer zombie had dropped and id it before the two women. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Screaming] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: inability to speak softly)] [Screaming: Can emit a piercing scream by consuming energy] Looking at the attributes of the Crystal Core, although Wang Tao had anticipated it somewhat, he was still somewhat speechless. It felt like another ability that was more trouble than it was worth. Setting aside the fact that the Screaming ability seemed to have little use in a world filled with zombies, where screaming was tantamount to suicide, just the ¡°inability to speak softly¡± side effect was a serious pitfall! If someone learned this Ability, wouldn¡¯t they be constrained to staying at the base all the time? Unless they stayed silent outside, speaking could potentially attract zombies¡­ ¡°This¡­ is a Zombie Core? Gulp-¡± Observing the beautiful Purple Crystal Core, Li Qiu Yu subconsciously swallowed. Saliva was frantically secreting in her mouth, and she felt a strong desire to eat it. The Zombie Core, which Wang Tao had taken out of the Space Backpack, was devoid of any bloodstains, very clean, and didn¡¯t provoke disgust or nausea. ¡°Yes, this is the Zombie Core that you eat to potentially be an Ability User,¡± Han Rui exined with a smile. She had already briefly exined to Li Qiu Yu about Zombie Cores; Li Qiu Yu was amazed at how fast the world was changing. She¡¯d been in the vi for too long and knew nothing¡­ ¡°Do you want to eat it? We have many Zombie Cores at our base, and joining our base would give you a chance to be an Ability User!¡± Wang Tao said, purposefully tempting her. But although Li Qiu Yu was staring fixedly at the Crystal Core, she just gave a bitter smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to persuade me.¡± Wang Tao shrugged. Han Rui then asked, -But you don¡¯t have enough food either, and you won¡¯tst much longer¡­¡± ¡°Cough, actually I lied to you,¡± Li Qiu Yu said somewhat sheepishly, tucking her hair behind her ear. ¡°There is still quite a bit of food stored in my house¡¯s basement. Our family has always had the habit of storing food. I did a big shopping trip for my daughter¡¯s birthday. I¡¯ve eaten all the food that could spoil easily, but I still have some grains and such that store well. I canst quite some time. I also have some medicine, vitamins¡­ and there¡¯s a very small sr generator in my house¡­¡± After her interactions with Wang Tao, Li Qiu Yu felt that these two people were not so bad, and she probably wouldn¡¯t be targeted by them, so speaking out wasn¡¯t a big issue. If Wang Tao had intended to use force against her, he would have done so already. Whether she spoke or not really made no difference¡­ Wang Tao, however, was very surprised. Well then, no wonder she was able to survive for so long after the virus outbreak. ¡°Since you can still hold on, I won¡¯t say more. I hope you¡¯ll contact me if you change your mind.¡± Han Rui had given Li Qiu Yu a walkie-talkie the day before; as long as it was operational, they could be contacted. ¡°Alright, thank you! Be careful on your way¡­¡± Before leaving, Wang Tao helped Li Qiu Yu check her house to make sure all doors and windows were secure, only then did he wave goodbye to her. ¡°Ah, what a pity¡­¡± Han Rui shook her head. She found Li Qiu Yu quite agreeable. Although older than herself, she got along well with her. If she could bring her back to the base, they might even be good friends. It was unfortunate that the other person had her own resolve. One couldn¡¯t force someone against their will. Wang Tao shook his head and said nothing more. The two of them cautiously left the vi area, killing a few ordinary zombies along the way and not encountering any other special zombies¡ªoh no, ording to the military¡¯s terminology, these zombies that dropped Crystal Cores should be called Elite Zombies. However, as they exited the vi area, they found a Self-exploder zombie at the entrance of themunity. [1200/1200] This must be one of the Self-exploders from outside the vi yesterday, with only 1200 HP¡­ Wang Tao was a bit tempted. Until now, he still wasn¡¯t clear on how strong a Self-exploder¡¯s defensive power was, because he¡¯d never had the chance to engage one before it exploded¡­ But Wang Tao felt that this Self-exploder¡¯s defense might not be very strong; after all, its organs were exposed on its exterior, and it exploded at the slightest touch, hardly indicative of a high-defense zombie. And Lu Gang had said earlier that he had killed a Self-exploder with a single shot. While he used a sniper rifle, Wang Tao now possessed bows and crossbows, which were also quite powerful! ¡°Are you confident you can hit its head? Wang Tao pointed to the Self-exploder zombie that was slowly shuffling around the entrance to themunity. ¡°At its speed, I can guarantee a hit within a 20-meter range! Han Rui stated confidently. ¡°Then let¡¯s hunt it down in a bit!¡± Wang Tao was rubbing his hands together in anticipation; a 20-meter distance was enough to mitigate a lot of risks. Even if they couldn¡¯t kill it, they could still flee. After all, they were using crossbows, not guns. Crossbows made little noise when shooting, which wouldn¡¯t attract other zombies; only those near the Self-exploder would be drawn.. Chapter 151 - 102 I’ve Tolerated You for a Long Time_3 Chapter 102 I¡¯ve Tolerated You for a Long Time_3 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao was preparing to detour and climb over the residentialpound wall. At that moment, Han Rui suddenly poked Wang Tao. ¡°Look!¡± Wang Tao looked up, following Han Rui¡¯s gaze. ¡°Hm?¡± They saw on the 12th floor of Building No. 1, arge cardboard sign with some words written on it. Wang Tao took out his binocrs for a closer look. It read¡ª ¡°We are a group of seven, not too many zombies in the hallway, but there¡¯s a zombie with a big hammer, we dare not go down! Save my life, and I¡¯ll be your ox and horse!¡± A zombie with a big hammer? A Terrorizer? Wang Tao suddenly became interested, as he was justcking a shockwave crystal core. If it really was a Terrorizer, he might take the risk, but that was if the other side was telling the truth. Moreover, there was definitely at least one idiot among that group who had made Wang Tao fall into a dangerous situation yesterday. He would definitely not rescue that kind of person¡ªif the person even dared to show up in front of him, he would definitely cleave them with an axe like a zombie! As for the person who wrote the message, Wang Tao thought it must be the smart one who used the mirror to signal him yesterday. Stupid people would only shout nonsense and would never think of this method. ¡°Did they see us?¡± Han Rui was curious. She could see the big characters on the cardboard through the scope attached to her sniper crossbow, but the curtains of that room were drawn and she couldn¡¯t see the specifics inside. ¡°Probably not; maybe they¡¯re just trying their luck? It¡¯s even possible that it¡¯s not meant for us¡­¡± Wang Tao figured that, from the angle of the I2th-floor apartment, they must have been visible during yesterday¡¯s chase by the Mad Demon Zombie. Chased by so many zombies, those people probably thought he and Han Rui were dead¡­ ¡°Shall we, go take a look?¡± Wang Tao said while stroking his chin. If it really was a Terrorizer, he should be able to deal with it quickly. If not, he could always take some potion¡ªhe still had some strength potions and the like that he had been reluctant to use. However, if the hallway was full of ordinary zombies, then there would be no need for him to kill them all. He would simply leave. It was not because he couldn¡¯t handle ordinary zombies, but rather he hated being deceived. ¡°Okay.¡± Han Rui nodded. With the sniper crossbow in hand, she felt much more confident now. However, just as they were about to head over, they saw the curtain of that window open. A head peeked out. Wang Tao frowned, worried that if it was the idiot from yesterday, he might end up dragging Han Rui back to the vi in Building No. 2 again. He swore, if they got shouted at again, once they were safe, he would definitely carry his axe upstairs and chop that person! Fortunately, it was not the woman who had screamed yesterday. The person didn¡¯t dare to speak but was frantically waving at Wang Tao. Wang Tao looked through his binocrs and saw it was a man who looked quite schrly, wearing gold-rimmed sses. Gao Hua had just pulled back the curtain out of habit to take a look and ended up seeing Wang Tao and Han Rui downstairs. ¡°Are they the two people from yesterday?!¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t die! Chased by so many crazy zombies and still alive, they¡¯re too strong!¡± Gao Hua was excited. He had been trapped here for over a month and, aside from them, hadn¡¯t seen another survivor. He had already nned if he couldn¡¯t find a way out soon, he would either take a risk and go out or climb down from the twelfth floor! Although both methods were likely to lead to death, he really had no other options¡ªif he didn¡¯t leave soon, he would starve to death! If it weren¡¯t for that Big Hammer Zombie in the hallway, he would¡¯ve risked it. But that zombie was too terrifying! Itpletely blocked any escape! He had witnessed with his own eyes the scene where three survivors tried to take advantage of the situation to slip away, only to be smashed to pieces with one blow from the hammer. It was the nightmare of his lifetime¡­ Gao Hua really hoped to see other survivors, so when he saw Wang Tao and Han Rui, he thought there might be a chance for rescue. After all, he had seen those zombies being easily shot dead by Wang Tao. These were clearly no ordinary people! Unfortunately, this opportunity had been wasted by that idiot, Xie Xia. She had even gotten them killed. Gao Hua felt both self-reproach and helplessness but still did not give up. The arrival of Wang Tao had given him hope¡ªthere were still survivors outside! So early this morning, while everyone else was still asleep, he put up a sign outside, hoping someone would notice. After all, he had nothing else to do in the room and would just asionally stick his head out to look around. He didn¡¯t expect to actually see survivors! And it was the two people from yesterday! He frantically waved his hands but didn¡¯t dare to make any sound. However, Gao Hua¡¯s heart was very nervous. Xie Xia had screwed them over yesterday; they¡¯d be lucky not to seek revenge, much less rescue them¡­ Sure enough, he saw the woman write four big characters in the dust on the ground¡ªNot Saving Idiots. Seeing these characters, Gao Hua was annoyed at the missed opportunity. But then, he saw the female survivor erase the words on the ground and rewrite a line. ¡°No noise, and we¡¯lle.¡± Seeing this line, Gao Hua wept with joy. He hastily pressed his hands together in thanks, bowing to Wang Tao. But he didn¡¯t promise right away. Instead, he made a pause gesture and then withdrew his head. ¡°Hm? Why did he leave?¡± Han Rui was puzzled. Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly. ¡°He¡¯s probably going to find a way to shut some people up¡­¡± About ten minutester, Gao Hua stuck his head out again and made an okay gesture. Chapter 152 - 102 I’ve Tolerated You for a Long Time_4 Chapter 102 I¡¯ve Tolerated You for a Long Time_4 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°What do you say?¡± Han Rui looked toward Wang Tao. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡± Wang Tao, carrying his bow and arrows, walked ahead, with Han Rui hurrying to catch up. The entryway of Building No. 1 was open; they took a nce but didn¡¯t spot any zombies. Wang Tao cautiously entered and approached the stairwell, still no sign of any zombies. As the two ascended the stairs and reached the fifth floor, they encountered a massive figure standing there. It was indeed a Terrorizer! Upon seeing the HP bar above its head, the corner of Wang Tao¡¯s mouth immediately curled into a smirk. [1000/1000] Just 1000 HP, even less than his own HP! The corridor was only so long; when Wang Tao saw the Terrorizer, it saw him too. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The Terrorizer dragged its Big Hammer, ready toe down. Whoosh- Han Rui fired an arrow, hitting the Terrorizer squarely in the head, though it didn¡¯t prate fully. [-319] Wang Tao bent his bow, firing three sessive arrows, but only one hit its target, striking its face. [-73] Wang Tao decisively ditched the bow for an axe and charged forward. [-426] [-182] [0/1000] Boom- The Terrorizer crashed to the ground. ¡°The axe it is!¡± With a sigh, Wang Tao saw his HP increase by 40 to [1330/1330]. After collecting a Blue Shockwave Crystal Core and two small Strength Potions, he and Han Rui continued upstairs. Soon, they arrived at the 12th floor, where the stairway door was locked. Wang Tao gently knocked. Before long, through the door¡¯s small ss pane, they saw a man in a dirty suit and gold-rimmed sses approach excitedly. He hurriedly opened the door and, before he could speak, Wang Tao asked: ¡°Are you sure that idiot won¡¯t scream anymore?¡± Gao Hua paused for a moment, then his expression hardened. ¡°Please follow me!¡± Wang Tao followed him into a room, where several people were watching them with excited and nervous faces. Especially Wang Tao, his stature was so intimidating, it felt hardly less threatening than the zombie in the corridor¡­ In the middle of this group, a woman was bound up and tossed to the floor¡ª This was Xie Xia, who had been shouting the day before. ¡°Wuu wuu¡ª¡± Upon seeing Wang Tao, her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. She wanted to say something, but her mouth was wrapped in tape and she couldn¡¯t speak. That¡¯s when Gao Hua walked over to her, suddenly pulling out a dagger. Before anyone, including Wang Tao and Han Rui, could react, he swung viciously! St! The dagger sliced through the trachea, blood spraying and sshing onto Gao Hua¡¯s face. Everyone was stunned. Gao Hua turned around, his face serious, and said to Wang Tao: ¡°She won¡¯t scream anymore.¡± ¡°???¡± Wang Tao was confused; that wasn¡¯t what he meant at all! The other survivors were so frightened they quickly covered their mouths, trembling and with tears swirling in their eyes. They had never imagined that, just as rescue seemed at hand, someone would die¡ªand killed by apanion, no less! Even though they also disliked the woman, death seemed too severe a punishment. Without their own immediate interests being affected, most people tend to be quite magnanimous. At that moment, a young voice suddenly rang out from the room. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m hungry. Grandma¡­¡± ¡°Oh, almost forgot, there¡¯s another one¡­¡± Face smeared with blood, Gao Hua entered with the dagger in hand. ¡°Grandma, I¡ªugh¡ª¡± A momentter, Gao Hua walked out covered in blood. ¡°Big brother, no one will scream anymore!¡± Gao Hua spoke respectfully to Wang Tao, then he turned around, casting a fierce nce around the room. ¡°You all won¡¯t make any noise, right?¡± ¡°Wuu wuu¡ª¡± Everyone quickly shook their heads while covering their mouths, two of them already frightened to the core; now, with his threatening gesture, they were utterly terrified. Seeing their reactions, Gao Hua sneered with contempt. He took a deep breath and then muttered to himself: ¡°A bunch of useless garbage, I¡¯ve put up with you for too long!¡± Chapter 153 - 103: Ruthless Person, Familiar Person l Chapter 103: Ruthless Person, Familiar Person l Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao just wanted to ask Gao Hua whether he had managed to stop that shouting woman, to prevent her from yelling again. But Gao Hua went straight over and killed her! The other survivors all covered their mouths with horrified faces, not daring to speak. A few of them were even scared to the point of losing control of their dder and bowels¡­ They had been imagining what the Survivor Base would be like; who would have thought that before they even got there, two people would be gone, killed by the hands of Gao Hua himself! Han Rui gripped her crossbow tightly. If Wang Tao hadn¡¯t given themand, she would have aimed it at Gao Hua. As for the bloodiness of the scene, Wang Tao frowned but didn¡¯t say much. If that woman was the one who had been shouting earlier, then she indeed deserved to die. But the fact that Gao Hua went on to kill another person puzzled Wang Tao. ¡°Who¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°Xie Xia¡¯s grandson,¡± Gao Hua pointed to the old woman whose throat had been slit. ¡°If her grandson lived, he would surely have sought revenge against me. I couldn¡¯t leave him alive!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re too ruthless. Our base doesn¡¯t like people like you!¡± Wang Tao shook his head. If Gao Hua had killed the woman before his arrival, Wang Tao would have turned a blind eye. The survivors who settle in Shuize Base usually don¡¯t talk about their pasts unless it¡¯s dug up by someone else. So Wang Tao could overlook it. But Gao Hua had killed these two survivors right in front of him. It was one thing to kill the old woman, but another to kill an innocent person¡­ This put him in a difficult position, as he was amissioner who always valued fairness and justice. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Gao Hua suddenly threw the bloody dagger onto the ground. Then he kneeled on one knee before Wang Tao, clenching his fists in a salute: ¡°Big Brother! I said before, if you could save me, I¡¯d be your ox and horse for life! Since I¡¯ve said so, I, Gao Hua, keep my word! It doesn¡¯t matter whether the Survivor Base epts me or not, I just want to follow you!¡± Looking at the sincere face of Gao Hua, Wang Tao suddenly realized. This Gao Hua¡­ he killed people in front of him on purpose! He was presenting a pledge of allegiance! Gao Hua knew that Xie Xia had set up Wang Tao, making her an enemy to Wang Tao. By killing Wang Tao¡¯s enemy and not dirtying Wang Tao¡¯s hands, while also offering a pledge of allegiance to him¡­ it made sense. Moreover, he didn¡¯t kill from behind, but made his move in front of many people and Wang Tao, thus bearing the identity of a murderer forever. In times of peace, this would have be leverage against him, a handle that could lead him to his death. Now, even though it was the apocalypse and thew no longer existed, being known as someone who kills hispanions was not a good reputation. Put yourself in their shoes; who would want to be with such a person? So he would definitely be ostracized. For Gao Hua, this was also fatal. Unless he wanted to be the Apocalypse Lone Ranger, but it seemed he didn¡¯t possess the ability for that currently. So after killing these two people, Gao Hua only had one path left¡ªto follow Wang Tao. This Gao Hua, quite ruthless! Not just ruthless to others, but also to himself. He¡¯d effectively burned his bridges. If Wang Tao took a disliking to him, then even if he was brought to the Survivor Base, he¡¯d likely be isted anyway, as the murder was something that couldn¡¯t be hidden. Unless he killed the other several survivors there¡­ But if Wang Tao took a liking to him, then he could cling tightly to Wang Tao¡¯s coattails. It wouldn¡¯t matter whether others liked him then. So, Gao Hua had delivered this choice straight into Wang Tao¡¯s hands. Gao Hua, looking at the man before him, fully armed to the extent his eyes weren¡¯t even visible, felt extremely anxious. The purpose of his pledge was clear: he wanted to follow Wang Tao. Ever since he had seen Wang Tao and Han Rui together yesterday, he had wanted to be friends with Wang Tao. Unfortunately, all of it was ruined by that old woman, Xie Xia. Gao Hua was very angry, but he couldn¡¯t do anything, so he chose to keep silent. He thought perhaps it was heaven¡¯s will for him to die. But today, when he saw that Wang Tao and hispanion had not died and were still alive and well, he realized that his time hadn¡¯te yet! Especially when Wang Tao showed he was considering saving him, yet clearly disliked Granny Xie Xia, Gao Hua knew his opportunity had arrived! He wanted not just to be saved; he wanted to follow this strong man! Because he was really fed up with those idiots¡ªif only they hadn¡¯t been so cowardly back then, listening to his advice to leave earlier before the Big Hammer Zombie arrived. Even if they¡¯d just gone to the vi area, just steps away, they wouldn¡¯t have ended up trapped here! Even if Gao Hua really got saved, he didn¡¯t want to be neighbors with such idiots anymore. Because he didn¡¯t know when he might be killed by such people. Therefore, Gao Hua chose the most ruthless method¡ªa pledge of allegiance! That Xie Xia had put Wang Tao in a tough spot; thus, her death was certain. Whether or not Wang Tao would have killed her, Gao Hua would have chosen to act! After all, by doing so, he was indeed helping Wang Tao get even. Unless Wang Tao was a saint, there was no reason for him to dislike Gao Hua¡ªeven if he verbally expressed disdain, deep down, it would be satisfying. As for killing Xie Xia¡¯s grandson, the reason was the same as he had said, to rid himself of future trouble. He didn¡¯t want to risk revenge, even if he felt that with the capabilities of Xie Xia¡¯s worthless grandson, there was no way he could truly seek vengeance, he didn¡¯t want to take that chance. Of course, his intentions were good, but he couldn¡¯t be sure of Wang Tao¡¯s thoughts.. Chapter 154 - 103: Ruthless Person, Familiar Person_2 Chapter 103: Ruthless Person, Familiar Person_2 Trantor: 549690339 If Wang Tao had any quirks, disliked such ruthless people, or if Wang Tao was an absolute justice seeker who couldn¡¯t tolerate even a speck of dust in his eyes, then his life might even be at risk. But Gao Hua gambled anyway. Because only those who have truly experienced despair can understand the importance of one¡¯s own strength¡ªhe didn¡¯t want to team up with these losers anymore! ¡°What did you do before? Have you ever killed anyone?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. The man looked neat and tidy, and didn¡¯t seem to be from the ck Society! ¡°I used to work in the finance industry, and of course I haven¡¯t killed anyone; I haven¡¯t even killed a chicken,¡± Gao Hua quickly responded. ¡°Oh?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. Someone from the financial sector? They should all be capable people, right? Understanding what Wang Tao was thinking, Gao Hua gave a wry smile and shook his head: ¡°In the financial industry, individual ability isn¡¯t actually important; what¡¯s important are power and connections. So, I didn¡¯t do too well¡­¡± He was barely making a million a year. But he didn¡¯t dare to say that, fearing Wang Tao might think he was showing off¡­ Wang Tao shook his head and didn¡¯t say much more, instead turning to the others and said: ¡°We are from Suzaku University Survivor Base. Do you want to stay here or go to the base?¡± ¡°Suzaku University Base?¡± The others exchanged looks, then quickly nodded, ¡°We, we¡¯ll go to the Survivor Base with you!¡± They had run out of food, and staying here meant waiting for death. Everyone agreed to go to the Survivor Base. No one asked what the situation was like inside the base, nor did anyone speak up for Xie Xia and her grandson. Seeing that they all agreed, Wang Tao then looked at Gao Hua. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, big brother!¡± Gao Hua said without hesitation. ¡°Okay. Then you guys just wait here. Someone wille to pick you upter.¡± After saying that, Wang Tao prepared to leave. ¡°Ah? Aren¡¯t we leaving with you?¡± ¡°What about us if you leave¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t leave us behind¡­¡± The other survivors were startled, then nearly all showed panic on their faces. Wang Tao said indifferently: ¡°My car can¡¯t fit so many people. Unless someone is willing to volunteer to stay behind and give their spot to someone else, then I can take a few people with me first.¡± Upon hearing this, everyone immediately fell silent, as none of them were willing to sacrifice themselves for the others. ¡°Since you¡¯re not willing, then just wait here patiently.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to personally take these people back, mainly because a few of them had been so scared they had soiled themselves. That would contaminate his car. Gao Hua saw that Wang Tao was getting a little unhappy, and inwardly cursed them as fools, then quickly said: ¡°Alright, big brother, we won¡¯t go anywhere, just wait here for rescue!¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Wang Tao looked at Gao Hua and then nodded in satisfaction. He then told the other survivors: ¡°Before rescue arrives, just listen to¡­¡± Wang Tao suddenly remembered that he didn¡¯t know the name of the man with sses. ¡°My name is Gao Hua!¡± Seeing Wang Tao looking at him, Gao Hua quickly said. ¡°Right, listen to Gao Hua. Secure the doors and windows and wait for rescue.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± The people hurriedly nodded. Wang Tao nodded to Han Rui, and then the two of them left. After watching Wang Tao and the other person leave, Gao Hua quickly locked the door. ¡°Whew¡ªrescued atst!¡± Gao Hua¡¯s heart surged with excitement; he knew he had made the right bet, clinging to a mighty thigh! Although he didn¡¯t know what status this ¡®big brother¡¯ held within the Survivor Base, it didn¡¯t matter as long as ¡®big brother¡¯ had strength! In a post-apocalyptic world, one¡¯s own strength was the fundamental! ¡°Are you really going to bring that Gao Hua into the base?¡± The two had just left the building when Han Rui asked softly, curious. She probably felt it was a bit rude to question like that and quickly added: ¡°I¡¯m not doubting your decision-making, I just think, with so many survivors having seen Gao Hua kill someone, bringing him into the base may cause some negative impact¡­¡± ¡°Later on, I¡¯ll have Gao Hua warn these people not to talk nonsense. Of course, it doesn¡¯t matter if they do talk. I¡¯m amittee member; what I say goes.¡± II II Han Rui rolled her eyes at Wang Tao. Wang Tao thought that Gao Hua was quite capable and a talent¡ªbeing ruthless was also a kind of ability. And, as he said, he was amittee member, one of the highest-ranking individuals in the base; his actions required no exnation to others. The two proceeded cautiously to the entrance of themunity, where the Self-exploder zombie still lingered. First, Wang Tao and Han Rui climbed out over the courtyard wall, then they approached the car, ensuring everything was secure. Wang Tao said to Han Rui: ¡°Let¡¯s check that house over there first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao drove to a house on the street with the doors closed. After Han Rui used her Ability to check and ensure there was no danger, Wang Tao used lock picking tools to open the door. ¡°This ce is decent, can be used for temporary shelter.¡± Then Wang Tao drove the car slowly towards the entrance of themunity, stopping at a spot where the shooting distance and angle were perfect for Han Rui. ¡°I¡¯ll drive the car, and you take out that Self-exploder from a distance in the car.¡± Wang Tao told Han Rui. He nned to let Han Rui deal with the Self-exploder, to test its defensive power. Given the special nature of the Self-exploder zombie, either kill it with one hit, or fail to kill it and the Self-exploder detonates¡­ Since his Arrow Technique was pretty rubbish, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to hit the Self-exploder at this distance. Therefore, Han Rui only had one chance to attack, and he had no opportunity to intervene. Chapter 155 - 103: Ruthless Person, Familiar Person_3 Chapter 103: Ruthless Person, Familiar Person_3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Alright!¡± Han Rui entered the cockpit, opened the window, set the sniper crossbow on the sill, and aimed at the Self-exploder. Meanwhile, Wang Tao started the car and drove slowly towards the entrance of the residential area. Upon reaching the ideal position, Wang Tao whispered, ¡°Go!¡± Han Rui had been keeping her sights on the Suicide Bombing Zombie, and upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯smand, she decisively pulled the trigger! Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao could barely make out the trajectory of the crossbow arrow, then he saw an arrow lodged in the Self-exploder¡¯s skull. At the same time, a damage number floated up. [-1200] [0/1200] The Self-exploder died instantly. ¡°Huh?¡± The damage was higher than Wang Tao had expected. ¡°The Self-exploder¡¯s defense really is mediocre! However, upon death, the exposed organs on the Self-exploder¡¯s body continued to swell, albeit not as quickly as when it was alive. Yet, judging by the increasingly bloated appearance of its corpse, it was still going to explode. ¡°Damn, the corpse really is going to explode! Wang Tao cursed softly upon seeing this from inside the car. He had anticipated that the Self-exploder¡¯s corpse might explode, which was why he didn¡¯t approach and only had Han Rui shoot from a distance. Previously, Lu Gang had told Wang Tao that when he shot a Self-exploder, even if he killed it, it would still explode. Lu Gang had no reason to lie to Wang Tao, but Wang Tao wanted to try for himself. After all, there was still a possibility that Lu Gang hadn¡¯t been able to kill the Self-exploder with a single shot, thus triggering its self-detonation. After all, Lu Gang couldn¡¯t see the Self-exploder¡¯s HP. But now it seemed that whether or not one could kill with a single shot, Suicide Bombing Zombies would still explode! However, the explosion timing when a Self-exploder was alive differed from after its death¡­ When Wang Tao drove the car to a temporary hiding spot they had prepared in advance, the Self-exploder¡¯s corpse finally exploded with a st. Boom! Wang Tao hurriedly closed the door. Momentster, terrifying roars echoed through the streets as the Mad Demon Zombies appeared again. Both of them were far enough from the location of the Suicide Bombing Zombie and hidden inside the house, so they weren¡¯t in any danger. This was the advantage of the crossbow; its quiet firing sound didn¡¯t attract zombies. While observing the Mad Demon Zombies outside, Wang Tao pondered the timing of the Self-exploder¡¯s explosion. If a Self-exploder was alive and disturbed, it would explode within three seconds. But now, Wang Tao checked and found that about ten seconds had passed before its corpse exploded. Three seconds was too short to do much, but ten seconds opened up more possibilities; if one was skilled enough, it was enough time to extract a Zombie Core and escape¡­ The two waited in the room for about a few minutes until the Mad Demon Zombies left. It seemed they couldn¡¯t detect any ¡°human scent,¡± so they didn¡¯t linger and moved on. After all, Han Rui had killed from a distance, and no one had approached the scene. Once they were sure there was no danger, Wang Tao drove the car to the explosion site, where a Red Crystal Core was glittering on the ground. Han Rui opened the car door and instantly picked up the Crystal Core, while Wang Tao¡¯s car didn¡¯t stop and continued forward. ¡°Here.¡± In the car, Han Rui handed the Red Crystal Core to Wang Tao. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Self Detonation] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effects: None)] Lucky, it was an Excellent Quality Crystal Core, but unfortunately, it was a Self-Destruct Crystal Core, which didn¡¯t seem useful at the moment. He already had two Self-Destruct Crystal Cores in his possession, one Purple Excellent (60%), and now this Red Excellent. He wondered whether he should get an ordinary white Self-Destruct Crystal Core from themittee when he got back and then synthesize an Epic Quality (100%) Self-Destruct Crystal Core? Although it seemed of little use, an Orange Crystal Core would certainly look nice¡­ Shaking his head, Wang Tao stored the Crystal Core and said to Han Rui beside him, ¡°Let¡¯s go search for thest airdrop; we¡¯ll look for an hour. Whether we find it or not, we¡¯ll have to head back.¡± Speaking of which, Han Rui¡¯s kill on the Suicide Bombing Zombies just now added 40 HP, and her HP had reached [640/640], which already made her one of the strong ones in the base. ¡°Alright!¡± Han Rui pulled out the map. Beforeing, they had marked the approximate location of the airdropnding spots on the map. Although it wasn¡¯t certain they would find it, it was better than iling around aimlessly. About half an hourter, Wang Tao received both good and bad news. The good news was they found the airdrop on the roof of a building. The bad news was that the airdrop box contained only one box of Inhibitor- clearly a battle had taken ce here, and although there were no bodies, there was fresh blood¡­ It felt like the battle hadn¡¯t happened long ago. Looking at the box brimming with 20 vials of Inhibitor, Wang Tao felt puzzled. Since the airdrop had been found, why wasn¡¯t it takenpletely? Why leave one box behind? This could only mean one thing-those who had arrived before them must have been in an extremely dangerous situation, without even time to take thest box of Inhibitor. Wang Tao guessed they had probably encountered a formidable special zombie. After having Han Rui carefully sense the surroundings and confirm that there were no special zombies nearby, he took the box of Inhibitor and left. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Though they only obtained one box, it was still better than nothing; the trip hadn¡¯t been in vain. Wang Tao drove the car toward the direction of the third airdrop he had spotted earlier, which coincidentally was also on their way back. If luck was on their side, perhaps they could im that airdrop too. However, when they reached another alley, Wang Tao suddenly stopped the car. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Han Rui was puzzled. ¡°I saw an acquaintance¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s expression was somewhat strange. Han Rui followed his gaze but saw nothing in the alley. ¡°1¡¯11 go check it out. You drive and be ready to back me up at any moment.¡± After telling Han Rui his n, Wang Tao got out of the car and walked towards the alley. He had indeed seen an acquaintance in the alley just now, not someone else, but Blondy Wu Fei, whom he had encountered before at the water nt! Chapter 156 - 104 Obsession, This Works?_l Chapter 104 Obsession, This Works?_l Trantor: 549690339 In the alley, Wang Tao was holding a firefighter axe, following the trail of blood on the ground. On the road, he encountered several zombies licking the bloodstains on the ground, all of which Wang Tao took care of with his axe, one by one. After a few minutes, Wang Tao saw something¡­ a kindergarten? Looking at the sign corroded by acid rain, it indeed read ¡°Sunshine Kindergarten.¡± The outer wall of the kindergarten was already quite high, and now it had been heightened even more. It also had barbed wire with spikes, and in the middle of the wire were some torches that had been burned. The main gate of the kindergarten was locked as if it had been bolted shut. At the entrance to the kindergarten, there were some wooden stakes. Spikes adorned these stakes, all covered in ck blood. There was a certain distance between these stakes, which definitely couldn¡¯t stop humans; they must be intended to block zombies. Zombies wouldn¡¯t dodge, and if they got caught on these spikes, they might be immobilized. Besides the spikes, there were also some at the base of the walls of the kindergarten¡­ It felt as though the kindergarten was like a hedgehog. This was a very small survivor base, with the area of the kindergarten being even smaller than the Happy Community where he used to live. It might only cover the area of a single building. Calling it a base didn¡¯t seem appropriate; it should rather be called a camp. Wang Tao was somewhat interested, wondering who had established this base. ¡°Is it that Shao Yong? Probably not. That Shao Yong is clearly an ambitious person, and he would definitely not establish such a small base. I wonder if there are even ten people inside¡­¡± After pondering for a moment, Wang Tao found a three-story building nearby and climbed to the top. From here, he could see the inside of the kindergarten clearly. Inside the kindergarten, he saw some emaciated survivors rummaging through something resembling a pile of garbage. They would asionally find something and then hand it to others for sorting and cement. This naturally wasn¡¯t a pile of garbage, but rather supplies that the survivors had found outside. They were likely bringing back whatever they could use or not. Apart from these working survivors, there were a few others with notably stronger builds. They were armed with steel pipes, axes, and other cold weapons, patrolling inside the kindergarten. Wang Tao¡¯s gaze swept over them and thennded on a man with a crew cut, who was throwing his backpack to others and then took out a bandage to stop the bleeding on his arm. As Wang Tao watched him, the man seemed to sense Wang Tao¡¯s gaze and suddenly turned around. He just caught sight of Wang Tao standing on the roof of the building. The man looked alert and quietly gestured to the others, but then he seemed to realize something and his eyes widened in an instant. After arguing with a few others, the man immediately ran towards the outskirts of the kindergarten and then flipped out directly from a part of the exterior wall. Only then did Wang Tao realize that the spot the man had climbed over had no barbed wire and was justrge enough for a person to pass through¡ªthey had modified it to be an entrance and exit. Not bad, Wang Tao thought, that idea was quite simr to his own past strategy. Wang Tao had previously locked the entrance door of Happy Community Building 4. from the inside. Only by climbing through a second-floor window could one get inside. This setup could keep out most zombies as well as some survivors. The kindergarten had clearly followed the same concept. After the man climbed out, he immediately ran towards Wang Tao¡¯s location, while the other several survivors didn¡¯te out, but all watched Wang Tao with vignt faces. Wang Tao waited there for a while until he heard footstepsing from behind him. Turning around, Wang Tao saw the person approaching¡ªit was Blondy, Wu Fei, whom he had met and treated before. ¡°Brother! It really is you!¡± Seeing Wang Tao, Blondy¡¯s face showed a flush of excitement. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to still be alive, that¡¯s great!¡± Wang Tao smiled and nodded. Blondy had changed a lot since they¡¯dst met. He had lost a lot of weight, several scars now marked his face¡­ and especially, his signature blond hair was gone. Now he sported a ck buzz cut. Wu Fei¡¯s current look was fierce, somewhat resembling the way Wang Tao had looked when he was disfigured. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to the Suzaku University Base? Didn¡¯t make it?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. ¡°Something dangerous happened on the way, and I couldn¡¯t get there. Then I identally ended up here and have been staying here ever since¡­¡± Wu Fei sighed helplessly, then added: ¡°And you, brother, you¡¯re with¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the Suzaku University Base.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide it. ¡°I knew it, I knew with your capabilities, you would definitely make it there!¡± Wu Fei was delighted, happy for Wang Tao¡¯s sessful arrival at the survivor base. The two weren¡¯t actually very acquainted; they had only met once at the water nt, but since Wang Tao had saved Wu Fei¡¯s life, he certainly hoped Wang Tao was doing well. ¡°Brother, why don¡¯t youe inside and have a seat? I¡¯m really happy to see you¡¯re still alive!¡± Wu Fei¡¯s expression was genuinely joyous, a happiness that came from the heart. ¡°No need, mypanions are waiting for me. I just saw you and wasn¡¯t quite sure it was you, so I came over to check.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s expression became a bit strange; thepanions waiting for him outside were once Wu Fei¡¯spanions too¡­ ¡°Just now? I was just fighting over the airdrop! Dammit¡­¡± Upon mentioning this, Wu Fei¡¯splexion suddenly turned sour.. He didn¡¯t hold back, and shared the incident that had just urred¡ª Chapter 157 - 104 Obsession, This Works?_2 Chapter 104 Obsession, This Works?_2 Trantor: 549690339 | Three small survivor forces had their eyes on that airdrop, none of them wanted to give up, so they decided to settle it by thew of the post-apocalyptic world, by force. In the midst of the fight, suddenly an elite jumping zombie appeared, it leapt upon the building and killed two survivors! Everyone had to scatter and didn¡¯t even have the time to grab thest box of inhibitors. After killing the survivors, the zombie didn¡¯t chase after the others but dragged the bodies away to enjoy its meal, otherwise Wu Fei might not have made it back. ¡°Zombies that can jump very high¡­¡± It was another new breed, Wang Tao silently noted. ¡°It¡¯s a pity about thest box of inhibitors¡­ s!¡± Wu Fei looked pained. Wang Tao didn¡¯t mention that he had gotten the box of inhibitors. Looking at Wu Fei, or more precisely, at Wu Fei¡¯s HP, he asked with some curiosity, ¡°Since you left the water nt, have you had any¡­ um, special changes?¡± The reason Wang Tao had gotten out of the car to find Wu Fei, besides being an old acquaintance, was also an important one ¨C Wu Fei¡¯s data was different from others. [220/260] [100/100] [Internal Impurity: 28%] An increase in Wu Fei¡¯s HP was normal; after all, he had survived this long in the post-apocalyptic world, it wasn¡¯t possible that he hadn¡¯t killed any zombies. But the increase in Mana was beyond Wang Tao¡¯s expectations; Wu Fei was an Ability User! Of course, Ability Users were not that unusual, if you were lucky enough to get amon Zombie Core, you could seed. What Wang Tao was more curious about was the level of internal impurity in Wu Fei, which had reached 28%! He had seen others with internal impurity before, all at 0%, which must have been rounded from a fraction, indicating very little impurity. But the amount of impurity inside Wu Fei was frightening! How many Zombie Cores did he have to fuse? Was Wu Fei that wealthy? He didn¡¯t seem like it, given he only had 100 Mana. It couldn¡¯t be that he was so unlucky that he failed to fuse the cores every time, could it? Wang Tao needed to rify how exactly Wu Fei got so much impurity inside him because too much impurity could turn one into a zombie! ¡°Special changes¡­ I don¡¯t think I have any special changes!¡± Wu Fei frowned. ¡°But the zombie virus inside me has acted up a few times¡­¡± Speaking of the zombie virus, Wu Fei¡¯s eyes showed some fear. ¡°Hmm? Did you get inhibitors at that time?¡± Wang Tao was surprised. But Wu Fei shook his head. ¡°No, I toughed it out.¡± Good grief, he had toughed out the virus outbreak? Seeing the shock in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, Wu Fei somewhat sheepishly scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to exin, but ever since I took the inhibitor you gave me, I felt like I could withstand the zombie virus outbreaks¡­ and you know what, every time I got through it, I felt that I got stronger!¡± Wu Fei somewhat intentionally flexed his biceps, but he was thin, and there weren¡¯t any noticeable muscles on his arms. ¡°You mean, every time you toughed it out, you got stronger?¡± ¡°Yeah, it feels just like getting stronger from killing zombies! I even thought about toughing it out a few more times to boost my strength¡­¡± As he said this, Wu Fei shook his head again, a look of deep fear crossing his face. ¡°But¡­ that feeling is indeed very painful! Ten times more painful than taking inhibitors! Each time, I felt like I was going to die¡­ If I didn¡¯t have reasons for not dying, I really think I might have turned into a zombie! After arriving at Sunshine Kindergarten, I found out that they had inhibitors, and the principal kindly gave me a few bottles, so I didn¡¯t have to tough it out anymore¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at Wu Fei, a hint of pity in his gaze. If Wang Tao guessed it right, the reason Wu Fei felt stronger was that he had moved one step closer to bing a zombie! How could a zombie¡¯s strength not be strong? The virus was so terrifying, it definitely wasn¡¯t possible to just tough it out, and even if one did, there would be a corresponding price to pay. Wu Fei¡¯s price might be the gradual zombification of his body! Although it wasn¡¯t apparent just from looking at his appearance, inside, he might have already started changing. After all, the attribute of internal impurity couldn¡¯t be faked. ¡°Do you know why you feel stronger after toughing out the zombie virus?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. He thought Wu Fei hadn¡¯t considered this, but to his surprise, Wu Fei nodded, nonchntly saying, ¡°I know, it¡¯s because I¡¯ve gotten a step closer to bing a zombie¡­¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m afraid of the process of turning into a zombie¡ªbecause the outbreak is just too painful. But I¡¯m not afraid of bing a zombie. It¡¯s just¡­ sigh, I still have some unfulfilled wishes, and I don¡¯t want to turn into a zombie like this!¡± Wu Fei gazed down at Sunshine Kindergarten below, his expression showing signs of weariness. After a moment of silence, Wang Tao said, ¡°Your wish is¡­ revenge?¡± Wu Fei nodded. ¡°Yes, revenge. It was Ou Yingying who made me like this, despite how well I treated her before¡­ This vengeance, I must exact myself!¡± His eyes were filled with deep hatred. ¡°Perhaps, I can help you,¡± Wang Tao suggested again. To him, both Wu Fei and Ou Yingying were strangers. He had no personal connections to either of them. But he disliked Ou Yingying¡¯s actions and felt some sympathy for Wu Fei, so he was willing to lend a hand to Wu Fei. But Wu Fei refused. ¡°Your help? You mean to say that bitch is in Shuize Base, right? That¡¯s important information for me! But no need to help. She pushed me over with her own hands; I must take my revenge personally..¡± Chapter 158 - 104 Obsession, This Works? 3 Chapter 104 Obsession, This Works? 3 Trantor: 549690339 | ¡® ¡ªJ ¡°Do you really not need my help? It¡¯s actually quite simple for me and won¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± Wang Tao furrowed his brows and said. ¡°Heh, I appreciate your kindness, big brother, but it¡¯s really not necessary. I know my own condition¡ªI won¡¯t live much longer. Even though I have inhibitors now, I can still feel my strength increasing after taking them. You should understand what that means¡ªI¡¯m still alive because I want vengeance. Wang Tao fell silent again. ¡°Big brother, why don¡¯t you try testing my strength? Back in kindergarten, none of them could beat me in arm-wrestling!¡± Wu Fei suddenly said with a smile. ¡°¡­Alright!¡± Wang Tao was genuinely curious about Wu Fei¡¯s strength. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± After a simple test, both of them were a bit shocked. ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re really strong!¡± Wu Fei said with a shocked expression; they had tried five times, and he hadn¡¯t won once. Although Wang Tao¡¯s body was muscr and looked strong, only he knew how powerful he was, and yet he still wasn¡¯t a match for Wang Tao. ¡°You¡¯re not weak yourself!¡± Wang Tao was also shocked by Wu Fei¡¯s strength. In activities like arm-wrestling, he hadpeted with others at the base too. But neither Xiang Hongbin nor Lu Gang had the strength that Wu Fei did! You should know, those two had much more HP than Wu Fei. Wu Fei must be the strongest person Wang Tao had encountered! Suddenly, Wang Tao felt that if Wu Fei really turned into a zombie, he would at least be an elite one¡­ Wang Tao patted Wu Fei on the shoulder. ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t need help, I won¡¯t say more. But I¡¯m usually at Shuize Base, so if you need anything, you can find me.¡± ¡°Haha, thanks, big brother! I will definitely go to Shuize Base. I¡¯m going for vengeance! But not now¡­¡± Wu Fei nced at the Sunshine Kindergarten below. ¡°The headmaster saved my life and has been providing me with food, shelter, and inhibitors. I owe him a great deal. I must repay him first before heading to Shuize Base.¡± Having said that, Wu Fei looked at Wang Tao earnestly: ¡°Of course, I haven¡¯t forgotten the life-saving grace you¡¯ve shown me! I don¡¯t have much to offer right now, but rest assured, I will repay you. I, Wu Fei, am a man who keeps his promises!¡± ¡°Good, then I¡¯ll be waiting!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily. He wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about being repaid; his decision to save others was entirely based on his needs and mood at the time. He didn¡¯t expect a reward, as long as there was no betrayal in return. Wang Tao then discussed with Wu Fei about what happens when the virus acts up and the use of inhibitors, as it was a rare case study. Wu Fei didn¡¯t hide anything, sharing everything that had happened to him. He also told Wang Tao that the Zombie Core he had fused with was a Self-Destruct Crystal Core. This wasn¡¯t something he did on purpose; he had identally found a white Self-Destruct Crystal Core and couldn¡¯t control himself from consuming it, and it actually seeded¡­ He felt quite helpless about it¡ªhe was now an Ability User, but a one-time-only one¡­ He must be the weakest Ability User in the world, right? Seeing this, Wang Tao suddenly paused. A Self-Destruct Crystal Core could also increase Mana? The Self-Destruct Crystal Core had no side effects, and at present, it was the easiest Core to obtain. The number of Suicide Bombing Zombies was also the highest among all Elite Zombies! Doesn¡¯t that mean Ability Users could potentially use Self-Destruct Crystal Cores as a tool to increase their Mana? Take Wang Tao, for example. His Mana was only at 300. If he fused with 10 Self-Destruct Crystal Cores and they all seeded, wouldn¡¯t his Mana increase If he had that much Mana, there would be no need to hold back when using his Ability! Starting with a Shockwave, no need to conserve! This might be a very good direction to explore! He could discuss this with Wei Zhenguo and the others when he gets back. After gathering the information he needed, Wang Tao said to Wu Fei: ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. I can¡¯t keep mypanions waiting. Hope to see you again.¡± ¡°Sure, big brother, take care on the road! We¡¯ll definitely meet again!¡¯ ¡°Wang Tao, where did you go? It¡¯s been so long¡­¡± Inside the car, Han Rui looked at Wang Tao with curiosity. ¡°Caught up with an acquaintance. It took a bit of time. Let¡¯s go.¡± Seeing Wang Tao reluctant to borate, Han Rui didn¡¯t press further. She drove towards the base. Of course, they also nned to check out the third airdrop on the way. ¡°Huh? Those two elite zombies are gone?¡± The third airdrop was still there, without signs of being tampered with. A group of ordinary zombies surrounded it, but the police zombie with the handgun and the self-exploder were nowhere to be seen. After carefully perceiving the area and confirming there were no elite zombies, Wang Tao took his ax and charged in. Thwack! [-1000] [-1000] [-1000] [¡­] After the Shockwave effortlessly wiped out more than a dozen ordinary zombies, Wang Tao quickly opened the airdrop box and took the five boxes of inhibitors before leaving. ¡°Yes!¡± Han Rui was also very happy to see so many inhibitors. ¡°Let¡¯s go. This airdrop retrieval went pretty smoothly!¡± Wang Tao smiled. ¡°Okay!¡± They hadn¡¯t gone far when, upon taking a corner, Han Rui suddenly mmed on the brakes! ¡°A self-exploder!¡± Just around the corner, there was a self-exploder! And next to the self-exploder was a police zombie¡ªweren¡¯t these the two zombies they had seen near the airdrop earlier? Han Rui couldn¡¯t always use her Ability, for the consumption was too great and would leave her exhausted, so she saved it for critical moments. She hadn¡¯t expected to run into love around the corner. Retreat! Han Rui quickly reversed the car, but both the suicide bombing zombies and the police zombie had already noticed the vehicle. The police zombie slowly raised his right hand holding the pistol, while the body of the suicide bombing zombie began to swell. Then- Boom! The suicide bombing zombie exploded! At the moment of the explosion, both Wang Tao and Han Rui ducked their heads. Wang Tao also took the opportunity to embrace Han Rui, protecting her upper body. The front of the SUV was smeared with blood and flesh, and there were some dirty substances on the ss, but not much. Thankfully, Han Rui reversed in time, and the vehicle wasn¡¯t hit by the explosion. After the explosion, Wang Tao straightened up. He let go of Han Rui, who was in his arms and then looked somewhat stunned. What did he see? The police zombie had been blown to bits by the suicide bombing zombie, leaving behind only a head, half a shoulder, and a left hand still attached. The suicide bombing zombie had blown the police zombie to half-death! Could that even happen? Seeing a thread of blood on the half-head of the police zombie, Wang Tao didn¡¯t hesitate, immediately got out of the car, and finished it off with an ax. Thwack! [-219] [0/2000] Then Wang Tao grabbed the spoils from the two zombies and ran. ¡°Drive, drive fast!¡± Chapter 159 - 105: Inventorying the Spoils of War, Fusing the Chapter 105: Inventorying the Spoils of War, Fusing the Crystal Core Again 1 Trantor: 549690339 Buzz! Buzz! A blood-spattered electric off-road vehicle sped along, closely followed by arge group of swiftly moving Mad Demon Zombies. From time to time, new zombies joined the chasing horde, which grewrger andrger. Fortunately, after modifications, the off-road vehicle was now very sturdy; small obstacles encountered along the way could be directly rammed through. If they came acrossrge obstacles, they could be avoided in advance, and Han Rut¡¯s driving skills were quite good. Plus, Han Rui was familiar with these roads, and with her Perception Ability, the vehicle managed to avoid being besieged by zombies. As long as they weren¡¯t surrounded, the danger was temporarily not significant. Wang Tao kept a tight watch on the surroundings, guarding against any Elite Zombies that might appear. It would be troublesome if they encountered another Self-exploder blocking the path. After more than ten minutes, Wang Tao finally let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, they had managed to shake off therge army of zombies behind them. They did encounter several Elite Zombies on their way, but none stood in the middle of the road, which could have been problematic. At this moment, the vehicle stopped behind a house on the street, and Wang Tao switched ces with Han Rui. Up until now, Han Rui had been driving. Her spirit had been highly focused, and using her Ability had drained her considerably. She now urgently needed to rest. ¡°Are you okay?¡± After taking the driver¡¯s seat, Wang Tao asked with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little tired¡­¡± Han Rui wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, herplexion somewhat pale. Wang Tao handed her a bottle of nutrient solution. Although it could only replenish Physical strength and not Spirit, her condition did also deplete Physical strength, so drinking some nutrient solution would definitely make her feel much morefortable. Gulp- Han Rui poured the entire bottle of nutrient solution into her mouth and indeed felt much morefortable. Wang Tao started the vehicle, heading towards Shuize Base. They had taken a big detour just now to avoid the zombies, and now they needed to rush back to the base before dark. After resting for a while with her eyes closed, Han Rui finally opened her eyes and sneakily nced at Wang Tao. Her mind was in disarray, not because of the sudden encounter with two Elite Zombies or the tense and thrilling chase that had just taken ce, but because of the previous moment when they came across a Suicide Bombing Zombie at a corner and Wang Tao instinctively protected her in his arms- At the moment of the explosion, both of themy down, but Wang Tao had shielded her head in his embrace. Han Rui¡¯s mind was now filled with a ¡°thump, thump, thump¡± sound-Wang Tao¡¯s heartbeat. Wang Tao¡­ why did he protect her just now? Although she and Wang Tao had a somewhat ambiguous rtionship, she knew they hadn¡¯t reached a very intimate level. They were just Ordinary friends, or rather, slightly closer friends; bluntly speaking¡­ they were just friends with benefits. Given their rtionship, Han Rui couldn¡¯t understand why Wang Tao instinctively protected her¡­ Especially whenpared with her husband, Sun Weiguang, who instinctively hid behind her at any sign of danger when they were together. Only once he was sure there was no danger would Sun Weiguang venture out, pretending to be brave. So, far from being protected by Sun Weiguang, he never even contemted facing danger together with her. But Wang Tao had actively protected her¡­ Though, to be fair, thanks to her quick reaction, the vehicle didn¡¯t hit the Self-exploder, and they were barely affected by the st. Regardless of being protected or not, she would not have been in any danger. But that was still an instinctive action by Wang Tao. What does instinctive mean? It means that Wang Tao had already considered protecting her in his heart¡­ Han Rui was very proud. She had never wished to ept anyone¡¯s protection in the past-of course, apart from her parents, no one had offered to protect her, as everyone treated her like a tomboy. Especially after bing a police officer, she almost never experienced the feeling of being protected. She used to think she didn¡¯t need it. But now, after being protected by Wang Tao, she felt very secure. It was a sensation she had only experienced in the embrace of her parents when she was a child¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wang Tao suddenly turned his head, looking at Han Rui with a bit of surprise. He felt that in just this short period, Han Rui had nced at him several times. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Han Rui quickly turned her head away. Wang Tao thought she was just too tired and didn¡¯t pay much attention to it When Ability energy was exhausted, this kind of mental trance wasmon. Wang Tao focused on driving. After waiting a little longer, Han Rui suddenly spoke: ¡°Thank you for protecting me just now¡­¡± She was a person of clear debts and grudges; since Wang Tao had protected her, she had to say thank you. ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Tao was momentarily stunned, at first failing toprehend what Han Rm was talking about. It took him a few seconds to realize she was referring to the incident with the Suicide Bombing Zombie when he had held her in his arms. Wang Tao¡¯s mouth twitched into a half-smile: ¡°In such a situation, shouldn¡¯t you be saying something like ¡®As a weak woman with nothing to offer in return, I can only pledge myself to you¡¯? Just saying ¡®thank you¡¯ seems insincere!¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not talking to you anymore!¡± Han Rui leaned back in her seat, her head slightly turned towards the window as she closed her eyes. Wang Tao shook his head, amused internally. During the explosion of the Suicide Bombing Zombie, he had instantaneously activated his Toughness Ability, greatly increasing his defensive power, and he was also wearing Stubborn Armor, which further enhanced his defense. In such circumstances, as a warrior, it was perfectly logical for him to protect a shooter, right? Of course, the fact that Han Rui was attractive was also a reason. Wang Tao admitted he was indeed infatuated with Han Rui¡¯s body.. Chapter 160 - 105: Inventorying the Spoils of War, Fusing the Chapter 105: Inventorying the Spoils of War, Fusing the Crystal Core Again_2 Trantor: 549690339 If someone else hade over, like Wei Zhen Guo or Chen Zhuang, then it would be every man for himself. Before the sun set, they finally saw the gates of Shuize Base. Wang Tao looked at Han Rui and found that she had fallen asleep. ¡°Wake up, we¡¯re home.¡± Wang Tao patted Han Rui¡¯s face. ¡°Mm¡ª¡± Han Rui woke up groggily. She was still a bit confused about her surroundings and murmured subconsciously: ¡°¡­hubby?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao was startled for a moment, then promptly responded. Hearing this familiar voice, Han Rui became fully awake and her face immediately turned red with embarrassment. Wang Tao found this amusing, but since the vehicle was about to be inspected, he didn¡¯t tease her. After the two got out of the car and a brief inspection waspleted, Wang Tao told someone to go clean his car. The front of the vehicle was covered with zombie gore, which looked pretty disgusting. ¡°You¡¯ve had a long day; go back and get some good rest. As for the spoils from these past two days, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not one to hog it all. I¡¯ll sort it out and share some with you,¡± Wang Tao turned around and said to Han Rui behind him. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Han Rui, with her head down, quickly left. Wang Tao found it strange, sensing that Han Rui was acting a bit odd, with her face still flushed. Once Han Rui entered her office in theprehensive building, she immediately leaned against the wall, touching her hot cheeks, her eyes filled with shyness. When she had woken up just now, she had subconsciously called out ¡®hubby¡¯, but what made her feel shy was that although she had said ¡®hubby¡¯, the image that had appeared in her mind was of Wang Tao¡­ ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Ding Yuqin, seeing Wang Tao return safely, hurriedly wanted to rush over and hug him, but was blocked by Wang Tao cing a hand on her forehead. After all, he was quite dirty and needed to wash up first. Ding Yuqin gave Wang Tao a look, but she was ultimately relieved. Wang Tao was supposed to return yesterday, but everyone else hade back except him. Even though Wang Tao had contacted the base through the walkie-talkie to say he was not in danger, spending the night outside was still too risky. Ding Yuqin had not slept wellst night, feeling that she was now emotionally and physically unable to part with Wang Tao¡­ After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, Wang Tao came out to see Ding Yuqin had made several dishes and was waiting for him at the dining table. Seeing Wang Taoe out, she immediately got up to serve him rice. Wang Tao was surprised and asked: ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t these dishes absent from the house?¡± ¡°I exchanged them today at the Resource Department with Contribution Points,¡± Ding Yuqin briefly exined. In the past two days, those who had left the base had generallye back with great yields. Some people found some vegetables and meat. Not wanting to eat them for themselves, they exchanged for Contribution Points. Using these points, you could buy more Ration Tickets, and for the sake of feeling full, the food exchanged with Ration Tickets was more cost-effective. Before Wang Tao returned, he hadmunicated with Ding Yuqin, and she went to purchase these foods and prepared a sumptuous dinner. ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯ve gone to the trouble,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile, then he asked, ¡°Sister-inw, how many Contribution Points do you have left?¡± ¡°Uh, none left¡­¡± Ding Yuqin said somewhat embarrassedly. ¡°Then next time you want to exchange for something, just use my Contribution Points.¡± ¡°Ah? Is that okay? Aren¡¯t Contribution Points non-tradable?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem? I¡¯ll just say I¡¯m exchanging for myself; nobody dares say anything, and I could exchange them myself anyway, I¡¯m just toozy to go.¡± Wang Taoughed and shook his head. As a family member of amittee member, shouldn¡¯t he have some privileges? He had so many Contribution Points that he didn¡¯t know how to spend them all. ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± A hint of joy appeared on Ding Yuqin¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted to use Wang Tao¡¯s Contribution Points; it was that Wang Tao¡¯s gesture gave her a strong sense of security. She worried that she was not attractive enough to Wang Tao, but now it seemed that Wang Tao did like her. After enjoying a hearty dinner, Ding Yuqin sat on Wang Tao¡¯sp, wrapping her arms around his neck, her cheeks blushing as she looked lovingly into Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wang Tao~¡± Seeing that look in her eyes, Wang Tao knew what she wanted. Wang Tao wanted it too. He had been injured and lost some HP that day when facing a Self-exploder. Tonight, he¡¯d need to properly replenish his blood with Ding Yuqin. Before that, though, Wang Tao still had an important task, and that was to tally some of the spoils from his recent outing. Wang Tao had been away for two days and found five airdrops, all with parachutes. He had taken everything from the first, third, and fourth airdrops. The second airdrop was empty, and there were people fishing nearby, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t go there. From the fifth airdrop, the one Wu Fei and others had fought over, only a box of Inhibitors was left. So Wang Tao had managed to get 16 boxes of Inhibitors in total, each box containing 20 bottles, making 320 bottles in all. Adding to the 19 bottles he already had, he now had a total of 339 bottles of Inhibitors! But having so many Inhibitors on hand was currently of no use to him. As a member of the base¡¯smittee, he had to make some contributions to the base. Therefore, apart from the share for Han Rui, Wang Tao decided to set aside a portion for the base¡¯s warehouse, as a way to motivate Hunters to earn Contribution Points. Of course, Wang Tao estimated that others had also gathered quite a few Inhibitors, so the base¡¯s supply would definitely increase, and it would be inappropriate to continue exchanging them for 100,000 Contribution Points. The price might drop. But, that was for Ren Jie and the others to consider. Wang Tao didn¡¯t need to worry about it.. Chapter 161 - 105: Inventorying the Spoils of War, Fusing the Chapter 105: Inventorying the Spoils of War, Fusing the Crystal Core Again_3 Trantor: 549690339 I In addition to the inhibitor, Wang Tao also found some food, but not much since he only scoured Vi No. 3- Besides giving some to Han Rui, he kept the rest. The food at home was running low too, so it was a good time for replenishment. Then came the focus of this expedition¡¯s gains-the spoils from killing several elite zombies! An excellent-quality Screaming Crystal Core and a Screaming Potion Recipe, two bottles of Screaming Potion; an outstanding-quality Precision Shooting Crystal Core, an Alloy Recurve Bow with matching arrows, a Precise Crossbow and a Crossbow Arrow Blueprint; an excellent-quality Shockwave Crystal Core, two bottles of Strength Potion; and an excellent self-detonation crystal core¡­ These were all acquired before he returned. On his way back, Wang Tao turned a corner and encountered a Suicide Bombing Zombie and a Police Zombie. Surprisingly, the Suicide Bombing Zombie sted the Police Zombie nearly to death. Wang Tao had been wondering how he would deal with the Police Zombie, but he hadn¡¯t expected this turn of events. Wang Tao immediately got out of the car and finished off the Police Zombie with a knife. He also collected the spoils from both zombies. The Suicide Bombing Zombie, of course, only left behind a Crystal Core, and unfortunately, this time it was a blue one. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Self Detonation] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 50% (no side effects)] Counting this core, Wang Tao now had three Self-Destruct Crystal Cores in his possession, with quality being excellent (40%), excellent (60%), and outstanding (80%). Originally, Wang Tao thought these Self-Detonation Crystal Cores were useless to him, but when he saw Wu Fei seed in fusing with one and even gained 100 mana as a result¡­ Wang Tao suddenly felt like he had discovered the correct usage of the Self-Detonation Crystal Cores. That was to use the Self-Detonation Crystal Core as a tool for increasing mana. Self-Detonation Zombies were the mostmonly encountered among elite zombies, and rtively speaking, the easiest elite zombies to kill. Therefore, the yield of Self-Detonation Crystal Cores should not be low. Wang Tao felt that once everyone else discovered this clever strategy, quite a few people might be willing to fuse with Self-Detonation Crystal Cores. So, these cores were still valuable. Of course, Wang Tao definitely would not fuse with them. After all, each person could only fuse with a limited number of zombie cores, and Wang Tao felt that he could only afford to fuse with two more types at most. Good steel must be used on the de¡¯s edge. And that de¡¯s edge¡­ was the spoils that Wang Tao had picked from the gun-wielding Police Zombie! What Wang Tao didn¡¯t expect was that the Crystal Core dropped by the gun-wielding Police Zombie was also ¡°Precision Shooting¡±! [Level 1 Crystal Core-Precision Shooting] [Quality: Outstanding (40%)] [Purity: 50% (side effects: blindness in one eye)] [Precision Shooting: During its duration, the shooter¡¯s uracy is significantly enhanced] Although this core was only a blue excellent-quality one, with a 40% chance of sessful fusion, Wang Tao had also retrieved a Precision Shooting Crystal Core from an Archer Zombie he had killed earlier. That one was red, of outstanding quality, with an 80% chance of sessful fusion! Which means he could now fuse into a gold, epic, 100% sess rate and 100% purity, and without any side effects, ¡°Precision Shooting¡± Crystal Core! Wang Tao had thought it would take some time to get the next Precision Shooting Crystal Core, especially since Archer Zombies would surely be rare, but unexpectedly, just on the second day, he had collected another one! Both Policemen and Archers could shoot, and importantly, they also both possessed ranged weapons, so it made sense for them to drop the same type of Crystal Core! While thrilled inside, Wang Tao fused the two Precision Shooting Crystal Cores in his Space Backpack! Although ¡°Excellent 40%¡± added to ¡°Outstanding 80%¡± added up to more than 100% which seemed somewhat wasteful, such cores were too rare, and Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to wait. Fusing them now to boost his fighting power was the best choice. A burst of colorful light shed in the Space Backpack, and then a brand-new Orange Crystal Core appeared! [Level 1 Crystal Core-Precision Shooting] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (no side effects)] [Precision Shooting: During its duration, the shooter¡¯s uracy is significantly enhanced] Seeing this Epic Crystal Core, Wang Tao was ted. The biggest drawback of Precision Shooting was blindness in one eye, which was a terrifying side effect. If people knew about this side effect, they probably wouldn¡¯t dare fuse with the core even if they obtained it. Luckily, Wang Tao was able to perform a synthesis, which eliminated the blind eye side effect. Wang Tao felt that the ability produced by this crystal core might be his strongest ability¡­ ¡°Sister-inw, I¡¯m going to fuse with a crystal core, please keep an eye on me,¡± he said. ¡°Okay-¡± The two went to the bathroom together and filled the bathtub with water. Then Wang Tao took a deep breath and swallowed the Epic Crystal Core in one gulp- ¡°Phew¡ªHot!¡± After swallowing the Crystal Core, Wang Tao felt his body heat up, ufortably so. Thankfully, Wang Tao was prepared; he quickly stripped off his clothes and jumped into the bathtub. ¡°Wang Tao, how are you feeling?¡± Ding Yuqin asked worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a bit hot¡­ Bring me the thermometer!¡± Ding Yuqin hurried to fetch a thermometer and handed it to Wang Tao. ¡°You¡¯re so hot¡­¡± Wang Tao did not speak; he took the thermometer in his mouth and then submerged his body in the water. After a few minutes, Wang Tao asked Ding Yuqin to take the thermometer. ¡°My goodness! You¡¯re over 50 degrees¡­ Ding Yuqin was startled; such a high temperature could be damaging! She quickly grabbed Wang Tao¡¯srge hand, looking very anxious. Wang Tao was also startled, but he felt quite lucid and assumed there was no danger. After about ten more minutes, Wang Tao felt the heat in his body diminishing, and the haziness that had settled over his brain began to clear. Wang Tao checked his attributes. His HP hadn¡¯t changed and was 1340, building on the 50 HP he had gained from killing the Police Zombie. His mana had increased by another 100, reaching 400, and he had acquired a new ability: ¡°Precision Shooting.¡± Sess! Chapter 162 - 106: A Little Opening is Not Really an Opening i Chapter 106: A Little Opening is Not Really an Opening i Trantor: 549690339 Although the fusion was sessful this time, Wang Tao felt a bit frightened afterward. He had a premonition that with his current strength, he could only fuse one or two more different types of crystal cores before he couldn¡¯t continue. Otherwise, it would definitely lead to disaster. Now he finally understood what that feeling meant. The first time he fused with a Zombie Core, he hardly felt anything; it was done in the blink of an eye. When fusing the second type of crystal core, he just felt a bit of heat in his body, but it wasn¡¯t ufortable, and he felt fine after lying in bed for a while. But this time, when fusing the third type of crystal core, his body felt very hot, and he was somewhat dizzy, just like having a high fever¡ªin fact, his body temperature really was very high, having reached over 50 degrees Celsius. If he were to fuse a fourth crystal core, he estimated his body temperature would be even higher. He didn¡¯t dare to imagine just how high. As for fusing a fifth different type of crystal core¡­ Wang Tao felt there was no need to court death. He was certain that even if he managed to sessfully fuse a fourth core, the fifth would definitely fail. Maybe he wouldbust on the spot during the attempt¡­ Wang Tao thought it was better to be cautious, improve his strength first, and then try fusing different types of crystal cores. As for the same type of cores, there were no issues. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he didn¡¯t have any suitable cores on hand, he would have fused one already. However, Wang Tao was curious about how many different types of cores other people could fuse. He wondered if anyone could fuse more than him. ¡°Wang Tao, are you alright¡­¡± Looking at Ding Yuqin, who was clutching him tightly, Wang Tao smiled and said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°Huuuh¡ªYour body was so hot just now, and you didn¡¯t respond when I talked to you¡­ You scared me to death!¡± Ding Yuqin looked visibly relieved; had it not been for Wang Tao¡¯s prior cautioning, she probably would have called for a doctor immediately. Looking at the beads of sweat on Ding Yuqin¡¯s forehead, Wang Tao suddenly extended his hand and pulled her into the bathtub. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯ve sweated so much, let¡¯s take a good wash together!¡± After fusing the crystal cores, Wang Tao felt his vitality was excessively robust and needed to be expended. ¡°¡­You¡¯re so naughty-¡± The next day. After Wang Tao got up, Ding Yuqin had just finished making breakfast. ¡°Wang Tao, it¡¯s time to eat!¡± Wang Tao loved Ding Yuqin¡¯s diligent attitude. While having breakfast, Wang Tao nced at his Space Backpack. After the fusion yesterday, having excessive energy, he and Ding Yuqin went to have an in-depth discussion about life. After their discussion, he slept until morning and hadn¡¯t had time to take a good look at it yet. The armed police zombie he had managed to kill had dropped not only a Zombie Crystal Core but also a package and the handgun it held. [Police Handgun xi][9mm Bullet xio] The handgun dropped by the police zombie contained 10 bullets. But this handgun was loaded with a 15-round magazine, which means the zombie had fired 5 shots¡ªit really could shoot! It¡¯s just unknown how urate the zombie was. If it was on par with the Archer Zombie, that would be terrifying! After all, guns have not only long-range killing power, but they¡¯re also very loud¡­ Although there are only 10 bullets, Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind. Because these bullets can be ced inside the Space Backpack. In other words, like the bow and arrows, he can take them out anytime, anywhere! At critical moments, it might be a trump card. This thing is more concealed than a bow and arrows, and it can be used right after being drawn. Apart from these two items, the police zombie Wang Tao had killed also dropped schematics and a potion¡ª [9mm Bullet Blueprint xi] [Eyesight Potion (Small) Recipe xi] [Eyesight Potion (Small) x2] Wang Tao was surprised to have gotten a bullet blueprint; it was a good item because items made from blueprints can be stored in the Space Backpack. [9mm Bullet Blueprints: Allows the creation of 100 bullets, required materials: de xio, Iron Block xio, Chemicals xio] With 100 bullets, all of which could be stored in the Space Backpack, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about running out. Although under current circumstances, he probably wouldn¡¯t need to use a gun. But while he may not need to use it, he couldn¡¯t afford to be without it! The Eyesight Potion is a potion that enhances vision. [Eyesight Potion (Small) Recipe: Once learned, you can make 5 Eyesight Potions (Small) each time. Required materials: Eyesight Carrot, Zombie Crystal Core xi, Purified Water 100ml, 10 kilocalories of food] This Eyesight Potion recipe was simr to the previous ones; Wang Tao could only learn it, but he couldn¡¯t make it since he didn¡¯t have the key ingredients. [Eyesight Potion (Small): Upon injection, vision increases by 3-10 times (enhancement effect rted to the health of the eyes),sting for 1 minute with a cooldown of 12 hours] The introduction of the Eyesight Potion sounded pretty good, but it was unclear exactly what aspect of vision was improved¡ªwhether it was to see further limits or to see more details within a certain range, or an all-around enhancement? If he had the chance, Wang Tao could give it a try, but he currently only had two bottles of Eyesight Potion, so there was no need to waste them. However, Wang Tao felt it was quite unfriendly to people with myopia, because the enhancement effect was rted to the health of the eyes¡­ Fortunately, he had no issues with his own eyes. After breakfast, Ding Yuqin went to wash the dishes. Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush out but instead took out materials and used all the blueprints he had. No need to mention the Eyesight Potion Recipe, that could be learned directly. He had already learnt it.. Chapter 163 - 106: A Little Opening is Not Really an Opening ! Chapter 106: A Little Opening is Not Really an Opening ! Trantor: 549690339 It was mainly about the blueprints for making hand crossbows, crossbow bolts, and bullets. [Precise Crossbow Blueprint (Forgeable) xi] [Crossbow Bolt Blueprint (Forgeable) xi] [9mm Bullet Blueprint (Forgeable) xi] After taking out their respective materials, a burst of light shed, and three items appeared in front of Wang Tao. The 100 bullets looked the same as ordinary bullets, but they could be put into the Space Backpack. Wang Tao filled up his handgun¡¯s magazine first, then ced the rest into the Space Backpack. The highlight was this precise hand crossbow. This was something crafted using a bow and arrows. [Precise Crossbow: Durability +20, Attack power +10, Precision +10] It was a matte ck crossbow, very simr in color to the one Han Rui held. But this crossbow was smaller and didn¡¯t have a scope on it. Wang Tao felt that in terms of power and range, this precise hand crossbow might not be as good as Han Rui¡¯s sniper crossbow, but it was more convenient. At home, Wang Tao had targets he used for practicing his Flying Axe, and he ced one in the yard to test. Not to mention power and precision, just the firing speed alone, this hand crossbow in his hands was incredibly fast¡ªWang Tao¡¯s strength allowed him to quickly pull the crossbow string to reload after firing a bolt. The whole process took only about five or six seconds! It might even be shorter once he got practiced. Wang Tao was very satisfied with the firing rate. Although it was far from that of firearms, it was much quieter and therefore much safer. Just like yesterday, when Han Rui killed zombies from a distance, as long as no sound was made, even if they killed all ordinary zombies, the others still wouldn¡¯t notice who was attacking. One of the divine tools for survival in the post-apocalypse! Wang Tao took out his bow and arrows for aparison, to feel the difference. Then he activated his new ability¡ªPrecision Shooting! Instantly, Wang Tao felt as if the whole world had changed! His eyes were like abination of a telescope and a magnifying ss, clear vision no matter the distance! His ears could pick up all kinds of subtle sounds, but they were not noisy; rather, they were clear and distinct. His skin could feel any slight breeze and was extremely sensitive to changes in temperature. In his mind, there were iprehensible yet somehow usable pieces of knowledge¡­ Wang Tao picked up the hand crossbow, and despite having not used it much, it felt strangely familiar. Whoosh- Bullseye! Whoosh¡ª Another bullseye! Wang Tao put down the hand crossbow and picked up thepound bow he used for skill practice. Whoosh¡ª Bullseye! Bullseye! Bullseye! Wang Tao put the bow down and took out the Alloy Recurve Bow from his Space Backpack. Once he pulled the string, he could feel that this bow required more strength to draw. Nocking an arrow. Whoosh- Bullseye! ¡°Awesome!¡± Exhrated by the feeling of hitting the bullseye every time, Wang Tao suddenly felt a bit inted with pride. What Elite Zombies, what Zombie Lords? Just ask if they could withstand his natural lock-on ability¡ªno, this wasn¡¯t a cheat; it was part of his strength! After all, a small cheat doesn¡¯t count as cheating. However, suddenly, Wang Tao felt drowsy. He nced at his mana¡ªso scared that he immediately exited the state of Precision Shooting. Good heavens, in just a short while, 400 mana was down to 30, consuming a total of 370! Then Wang Tao calcted the time. He came to a painful conclusion¡ªthis Precision Shooting consumed 10 energy per second! His 400 mana could onlyst for 40 seconds¡­ 40 seconds was way too short! This consumed 10 times more than his other ability, Toughness! He had thought that he could rely on this ability to dominate in battles¡­ Now it seemed that it could only be used in critical moments, or when trying to quickly kill a target in a short period of time. Practicing his archery skills was the true path to power. Of course, this ability had great potential, and increasing mana was synonymous with enhancing the ability. He would have to find ways to increase his mana in the future. As for the range of this Precision Shooting, it was still unclear at the moment. Mainly because Wang Tao hadn¡¯t had time to test the distance and range before his mana was used up¡­ Wang Tao yed with the bow and crossbow for a while longer, then stowed the bow and strapped the precise hand crossbow to his waist. There was no other intention than to show off a bitter on. As for the 100 crossbow bolts, of course, most of them went into the Space Backpack, and he only carried a few on him. He asked Ding Yuqin to make him a bag for crossbow bolts, which he would simply hang on his waistter. Ding Yuqin¡¯s craft was quite good. Wang Tao packed some inhibitors and a bow into a woven bag, then shouldered it and headed to the integrated building. At the top floor, in themittee meeting room. ¡°Haha, I said Wang Tao would be fine! Look at him, he seems to be in high spirits!¡± Seeing Wang Tao arrive, Wei Zhenguoughed heartily at everyone. Looking at the smiling faces of the others, Wang Tao guessed they had also had a fruitful couple of days! ¡°Eh?¡± Lu Gang, a sniper with good eyesight, immediately spotted the hand crossbow hanging on Wang Tao¡¯s waist. ¡°A crossbow? That¡¯s a nice piece! May I have a look?¡± His words drew the attention of the others. Wang Tao generously handed the hand crossbow to Lu Gang. Lu Gang became somewhat attached to it immediately. As a sniper, he made his living with guns, but it was a pity that now there were too many Mad Demon Zombies outside, and he didn¡¯t dare to shoot recklessly. This essentially negated much of his strength. If he had a crossbow though¡­ Still, crossbows were easy to master and useful to everyone. Even though he wanted one, he felt too embarrassed to ask. Chapter 164 - 106: A Little Opening is Not Really an Opening_3 Chapter 106: A Little Opening is Not Really an Opening_3 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao of course saw the desire in Lu Gang¡¯s eyes and said with a smile, ¡°You really like this thing?¡± ¡°Of course! Who doesn¡¯t like crossbows? Not to mention a professional sniper like me; even ordinary people can go hunting zombies with this crossbow!¡± Lu Gang didn¡¯t hide his envy as he spoke. ¡°If you like it¡­¡± Wang Tao deliberately drew out his words. Lu Gang¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. Could it be that Wang Tao was going to gift it to him? That would be really embarrassing! But obviously, he thought too much. ¡°I can give you something simr. Though not as instantly ready as a crossbow, I guess you shouldn¡¯t have much problem with it.¡± As he spoke, Wang Tao pulled out a bow from the bag he was holding and handed it to Lu Gang. ¡°My goodness, a huntingpound bow!¡± Lu Gang eximed in surprise. Wang Tao raised an eyebrow, impressed that Lu Gang knew his stuff! Modernpound bows generally fall into two categories by functionality: hunting bows andpetition bows. As the names suggest, one is for hunting, the other forpeting. Competition bows mainly focus on precision; they can sacrifice everything else for the sake of uracy. This type of bow isn¡¯t very suitable for actualbat. Hunting bows are different. They seek a bnce in precision, arrow speed, portability, and various other aspects. They¡¯re more suited for realbat. In the apocalypse, if there¡¯s a choice to make, one would definitely go for the hunting bow. Wang Tao got four bows from vi number 3, including three hunting bows and the alloy recurve bow dropped by the zombies. There was only onepetition bow. Obviously, the owner of the vi wasn¡¯t just intopetitive archery, he preferred hunting, given that he also had a specially made hunting crossbow. When Wang Tao just made the precise hand crossbow, he had used thepetition bow for parts. The alloy recurve bow was in his Space Backpack. He still had two huntingpound bows in his hand, one which he would keep for himself to practice, and the other he nned to give to Lu Gang. Lu Gang was an excellent sniper; he certainly should know how to use a bow and arrows. Even if not, he could learn. But Lu Gang apparently knew more than Wang Tao had anticipated. ¡°You know arrow technique? Then it¡¯s settled, this bow is for you. I¡¯m not really good at archery, so I¡¯ll keep the hand crossbow for myself,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Lu Gang excitedly took thepound bow and shook his head, ¡°Hey! What arrow techniques or what not, I don¡¯t understand any of that. I just know that our unit used to have archerypetitions, and I¡¯ve won first ce several times, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Impressive!¡± Wang Tao gave a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re really giving it to me? This is quality gear! I bet it wasn¡¯t cheap before the apocalypse; it¡¯s the kind I wouldn¡¯t even dare look at¡­¡± Lu Gang looked at Wang Tao again. He really liked it, but he didn¡¯t want to take something that others cherished. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have another bow at home that¡¯s simr to this. I have both bows and crossbows, I won¡¯t miss this one.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s settled!¡± Hearing this, the smile on Lu Gang¡¯s face grew even brighter. ¡°With this, my strength won¡¯t be diminished, and I can go hunting zombies again! Shall we go out and give it a tryter? I¡¯m not bragging, but my archery skills are just as urate as when I use a sniper rifle!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Wang Tao replied with augh, eager to see just how strong Lu Gang could be with a bow and arrows as a genuine sniper, whose shooting ability was much more formidable than Han Rui¡¯s. The othermittee members also looked happy when they saw Lu Gang get the bow and arrows. After all, an enhancement in Lu Gang¡¯s strength was an increase in strength for the whole base. ¡°You¡¯ve really had a bountiful haul this time, Wang Tao! To get all these bows and crossbows¡­¡± Ren Jie said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s passable,¡± replied Wang Tao, lifting the woven bag and cing it on the conference room table. Xiang Hongbin peeked inside and immediately inhaled sharply. ¡°Sss¡ªso many inhibitors!¡± Wang Tao had a total of 339 inhibitor bottles; he directly took out 100 of them. Keeping too many of these things wasn¡¯t useful; better to put them to work. After all, Wang Tao also wanted the Crystal Cores from other people¡¯s hands; it would not be right for him to keep taking without giving in return. Furthermore, this did not mean that Wang Tao was giving these inhibitors away for free to the survivors in the base. The items he had presented nominally belonged to the whole base, but others had to apply to use them, and whether or not they got approval was up to Wang Tao to say¡ªpreviously, the inhibitors brought back by Wei Zhenguo were managed this way, with Wei Zhenguo retaining usage rights. Of course, Wang Tao most likely wouldn¡¯t bother with such trivial matters. He would have Ren Jie handle it, and then all Ren Jie had to do was keep him informed. ¡°With so many inhibitors, we can certainly rally everyone¡¯s motivation again!¡± Ren Jie said with some joy. ¡°Didn¡¯t you all get some inhibitors in the airdrops before?¡± Wang Tao asked, puzzled. ¡°We did, but we only got a total of 300 bottles, and here you are, a single person bringing in 100 bottles¡­¡± Feng Ming¡¯an shrugged. When this matter came up, Xiang Hongbin felt a bit ufortable. ¡°Damn it! Normally, you wouldn¡¯t think there were so many survivors in Shuize County, right? But when we went for the airdrops, it felt like there were people everywhere!¡± Lu Gang exined that they had split into several squads and ran around for two days, but only found three airdrop boxes containing inhibitors. The other boxes either had food and other supplies or had already been scavenged by others. Although 300 bottles wasn¡¯t small, they encountered quite a few airdrop boxes, so everyone felt a bit regretful. Xiang Hongbin and his group kept 200 bottles for themselves and took out the remaining 100 bottles, plus Wang Tao¡¯s too bottles and the 40 bottles the base had previously obtained; now, they had a total of 240 inhibitor bottles! Ren Jie was already thinking about how to use these inhibitors to enhance the base¡¯s strength¡ªmany people were afraid to go out looking for supplies, but with inhibitors as a backup, the number of survivors who became Hunters could increase significantly¡­ Besides the inhibitors, the base members also scavenged a lot of supplies during their outing and brought back some survivors. Overall, it could be said that their gains were quite substantial. And speaking of survivors, Wang Tao took the opportunity to arrange for people to bring over Gao Hua and his group.. Chapter 165 - 107: New Crystal Core, Kidnapping—1 Chapter 107: New Crystal Core, Kidnapping¡ª1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Going to pick up a group of survivors? No problem. I¡¯ll arrange it, but I¡¯m not sure when we can go. After all, you know there are too many uncertainties in the post-apocalyptic world,¡± Feng Ming¡¯an immediately said when Wang Tao mentioned arranging for someone to pick up survivors. Each of the sevenmittee members had their own division ofbor. Feng Ming¡¯an was responsible for going out to fetch survivors, and after bringing them back, it was Ren Jie¡¯s job to take over. ¡°Okay. They should be able to hold on for a few more days; if they really can¡¯t, then it¡¯s just their bad luck.¡± Wang Tao nodded. He felt that with Gao Hua¡¯s smarts, they would definitelyst another two days. If they couldn¡¯t, it would be just a matter of bad luck. After settling the survivor matter, it was time for the main event of the meeting¡ªZombie Cores! Going out to pick up airdrops would definitely encounter Elite Zombies. Given the chance to hunt them, no one would miss out. Even people like Lu Gang and Xiang Hongbin went out of their way to hunt Elite Zombies. So, aside from Inhibitors, Zombie Cores were also a significant gain from this post-rain expedition! Zombie Cores were valuable, but they¡¯re not suitable for everyone. Only the ones that best suited one¡¯s own abilities were considered the best. Thus, after waiting for Wang Tao¡¯s return, everyone took out the Zombie Cores they had in hand. Those in need could exchange with each other. Wang Tao currently had seven Crystal Cores, but only three were useful to him: Shockwave, Rush, and Self-healing. No need to mention Shockwave, it was his main Skill. He would try his best to collect as many shockwave crystal cores as possible. So far, he felt that his body could handle a lot of them with no problems. Rush was also a good Ability, and Wang Tao was considering learning it, but he could only fuse with one other type of Crystal Core at this moment, so he needed to be cautious. He kept Rush as a backup option. As for the Self-healing Crystal Core, it was the one Wang Tao wanted the most. If he could master Self-healing,bined with Thoughness¡­ he would be nearly indestructible during the duration of his Skills, provided he wasn¡¯t infected, of course. The Self-healing Crystal Core was what Wang Tao wanted most at the moment. If he couldn¡¯t find a Self-healing Crystal Core, then he would consider other Crystal Cores. So, he decided to keep these three Crystal Cores for himself, while the remaining four were put up for exchange. These were the Blue Self-explode Crystal Core, Purple Self-destruct Crystal Core, Red Self-destruct Crystal Core, and Purple Screaming Crystal Core. Three self-explosive cores, Wang Tao was somewhat helpless about that. However, he had discovered another use for the self-explosive cores, so it was not as vexing as before. ¡°Wow, Wang Tao, you are really lucky!¡± When everyone saw the Zombie Cores Wang Tao brought out, they were all surprised. Regardless of whether they were self-destructive or not, the quality of the Crystal Cores in Wang Tao¡¯s hands was high! There was even a Red one (80% quality)! The others were also Purple, Blue, with not a single White one. In contrast to their own cores¡­ everyone shook their heads helplessly. Their own Crystal Cores were mostly White, with an asional Blue, and together they had only one Purple Core. None had a Red Core¡­ This was really a case of parisons are odious¡¯! As for the types of Cores, Suicide Bombing Cores were the majority. Suicide Bombing Zombies were the mostmon Elite Zombies and also the easiest to deal with¡ªsimply startling them would trigger their self-detonation after three seconds. So it was understandable to end up with so many Self-Destruct Crystal Cores. Seeing everyone¡¯s resigned expressions, Wang Tao suddenly said with a smile: ¡°Actually, these Self-Destruct Crystal Cores have uses beyond just self-detonation. They have another significant use!¡± ¡°Hmm? What use?¡± The others immediately looked at Wang Tao upon hearing this. ¡°After sessful fusion with a Self-Destruct Crystal Core, there are no side effects, but it still increases the energy inside the body¡­¡± With just a hint from Wang Tao, the others¡¯ eyes lit up. Especially Feng Ming¡¯an, who pped his thigh and then stared at Wang Tao with eager eyes. ¡°You mean we can fuse with the Self-Destruct Crystal Core to increase the energy levels inside our bodies and then release more of our other Abilities?¡± Although he couldn¡¯t see the blue bar, he could feel the amount of energy inside his body, so once Wang Tao spoke, he understood what it meant. ¡°Right.¡± Feng Ming¡¯an appeared annoyed when Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Ah, if I had known, I¡¯d have fused with more Self-Destruct Crystal Cores! This time out was smooth, but it wasn¡¯t without danger. During one fight, I wasn¡¯t paying attention and overused my Ability. I suddenly felt exhausted, my mental state started to falter, and I nearly got bitten by a zombie¡­¡± Wang Tao responded with a smile, shaking his head, ¡°I only recently found out about this and got confirmation. I too thought Self-Destruct Crystal Cores had limited use¡­¡± ¡°So can I fuse with the Self-Destruct Zombie Cores now?¡± Feng Ming¡¯an looked at the Self-Destruct Crystal Cores, somewhat excited. ¡°In theory, yes, but people¡¯s constitutions vary. Some can fuse with several Crystal Cores, while others can only fuse with one type. So we need to see if you can handle the fusion¡­¡± Wang Tao added some more exnation. ¡°Ah? How can you tell?¡± Feng Ming¡¯an was a bit confused. ¡°You have to rely on your feelings. Set your mind at ease, then think about fusing with these cores; you¡¯ll get a sense inside¡­¡± The concept sounded somewhat far-fetched, but it was exactly how Wang Tao hade to understand it. Moreover, when he went out with Han Rui, he had her try it out. Han Rui did indeed get some sensations¡ªthough she couldn¡¯t sense exactly how many types of Crystal Cores she could fuse with like Wang Tao, she could feel that she was capable of further fusions.. Chapter 166 - 107: New Crystal Core, Kidnapping__2 Chapter 107: New Crystal Core, Kidnapping__2 Trantor: 549690339 | So although this thing is quite spective, it is indeed effective. Following Wang Tao¡¯s instructions, Feng Ming¡¯an closed his eyes and quietly focused for a moment, then suddenly startled. ¡°I feel¡­ if I merge with another type of crystal core, something bad is going to happen¡­¡± Wang Tao opened his mouth, then shook his head with a hint of regret. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s regrettable that you can¡¯t merge with the Self-Detonation Crystal Core anymore. You can only continue to merge with the Slime Spitter Crystal Core¡­¡± ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± The others also felt somewhat helpless. It was so unfortunate for Feng Ming¡¯an; he turned out to be one of those people who could only merge with one type of crystal core¡­ Seeing Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s disappointed look, Wang Tao suddenly added: ¡°But I have a feeling that the issue of how many types of crystal cores one can merge with seems rted to one¡¯s own strength. If your strength increases, it seems you can increase the limit of merging¡­ Of course, this is just a spection of mine, yet to be validated.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t speak too confidently. Although he could indeed feel that after growing stronger, he was able to merge with more crystal cores, he wasn¡¯t sure if this was because he was somewhat special¡­ Upon hearing this, Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s expression improved significantly. He shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°Hey! Having one ability is already good, many people want to be ability users but don¡¯t even have the chance!¡± Xiang Hongbin then joined in the conversation: ¡°However, Old Feng¡¯s luck is really not that great. This time we went out, we didn¡¯t encounter a single Slime Spitting Zombie¡­¡± ¡°No rush, there will always be opportunities in the future!¡± Feng Ming¡¯an said helplessly. ¡°Wang Tao, can you see if there are any uses for these other crystal cores?¡± Wei Zhenguo spoke up at this point. This time, they had gotten more than a dozen crystal cores altogether. After all, they had arge group consisting of over fifty people, so it was normal for them to obtain so many crystal cores. Aside from the Self-Detonation Crystal Core, there were also some that they had seen before and some they had not. The ones they had seen included: A blue (40%) Rush Crystal Core, a white (20%) Shockwave Crystal Core, a blue (40%) Glutton Crystal Core, and a white (20%) Toughness Crystal Core. Out of these four crystal cores, aside from the Glutton Crystal Core, Wang Tao wanted the other three. He had a purple Rush Crystal Core in his hand, and ifbined with this blue one, he could perfectly obtain an Orange Rush Crystal Core! Although he really wanted to get an Orange Self-Healing Crystal Core, if he couldn¡¯t wait, merging with the Rush Ability wouldn¡¯t be bad either. As for the Shockwave and Toughness, there was no need to mention them; they were his two main abilities. Wang Tao took these three crystal cores. Although they were all white and blue, he could synthesize them, so he didn¡¯t mind the lower quality. The others didn¡¯t oppose it either, as they had already epted Wang Tao s advice-zombie crystal cores below purple should not be used. White and blue cores had too low of a probability and could easily umte impurities in the body. Then came the zombie crystal cores they had never seen before, a total of three. Wang Tao looked at these three crystal cores. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Sprint] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: feet berger)] [Sprint: Consumes energy, dashes forward a short distance] The first one was a Sprint Crystal Core, with a shadow of a pair of feet inside the core. This crystal core differed from the Rush Core by only one word, but the effects were entirely different. Because Xiang Hongbin told Wang Tao that this Sprint Core came from a Sprinting Zombie. And the ¡°Sprint¡± ability of the Sprinting Zombie was to dash forward a few meters momentarily, without any lethality in the sprint itself. Unlike Rush, which could directly knock a person dead. But then again, the side effect of Sprint was very minor. The side effect of Rush was limb stiffness. But the side effect of Sprint was onlyrger feet. Feet bingrger can also be a side effect? Xiang Hongbin had told Wang Tao that the Sprint Zombie he saw, though it hadrger feet than ordinary zombies, wasn¡¯t uneptablyrge. At most, it meant that normal shoes wouldn¡¯t fit, and custom ones would be needed. Wang Tao thought that perhaps the stronger the ability in the core, the greater the side effect. So to judge whether an ability is strong or not, one might look at the severity of its side effects¡­ The second crystal core was a bit bizarre. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Mud Swamp] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: body continuously produces mud)] [Mud Swamp: Consumes energy, creates a mud swamp around oneself] This core had a shadow of a mud swamp inside. Wang Tao found it hard to imagine what the scene would be like if someone merged with this core, when they used their ability. No, not just when using the ability, ording to the side effect description, even when not using the ability, the body would still produce mud¡­ This is practically a cleanliness helper! just by the literal meaning, it feels like this core might be like the Glutton Core, seeming alright but not being particrly useful. Finally, there was thest crystal core. Inside this core, there was a semi-transparent figure of a small person. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Stealth] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: actions consume double physical strength)] [Stealth: During its duration, conceals own scent, making it less likely to be discovered by other creatures] Seeing the attributes of this core, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. This ability seems pretty good! If he¡¯s not mistaken, this core should havee from a Stealth Zombie. The Stealth Zombie that Wang Tao had killed earlier didn¡¯t have much HP, nor did it have a crystal core. But it did produce Stealth Potions.. Chapter 167 - 107: New Crystal Core, Kidnapping s Chapter 107: New Crystal Core, Kidnapping s Trantor: 549690339 The effect of the Stealth Potion (Medium) can hide one from zombies. As long as you don¡¯t get too close to the zombies, they won¡¯t be able to detect you! He had used the Stealth Potion to avoid several crises. The effect of the Stealth Zombie Crystal Core doesn¡¯t vary betweenrge, medium, or small sizes; it¡¯s described as not easily perceivable by other creatures, which should mean it¡¯s capable of evading zombies. In the post-apocalyptic world,bat ability is certainly important. But so is the ability to survive! For the time being, this Stealth Ability is definitely one of the top abilities for survival! Wang Tao was somewhat tempted. If he learned it, wouldn¡¯t he be able to move freely through the streets just like when he used the Stealth Potion before? As long as he didn¡¯t bump into a horde, he would be basically safe from danger! However, this Stealth Ability, like his Precision Shooting and Toughness, was a sustained Ability, so he wasn¡¯t clear on how much it would deplete his energy¡­ As for the side effects of Stealth, they were quite severe indeed. Moving consumed twice the physical strength, which meant this ability could not be used bybat personnel. After all, if throwing a punch felt as exerting as throwing two, that would be ufortable. It¡¯s as if the endurance was cut in half. Of course, for Wang Tao, if he could synthesize a Crystal Core without side effects, then the side effect would be irrelevant. Wang Tao described the general functions and side effects of these three Zombie Cores. After listening, the others had some strange expressions on their faces. The Sprint Crystal Core was standard. Its ability wasn¡¯t strong, but the side effects weren¡¯t significant either, and since it was purple, it might be worth trying to fuse. The Mud Swamp one was a bit hard to understand, whether it¡¯s strong or not could only be determined by seeing it in action. Judging from the single Mud Swamp Zombie encountered by Hong Bin, it didn¡¯t seem too strong¡ªhe got stuck in a small mud swamp, but he stabbed the zombie to death with a spear,ing out uninjured. As for this Stealth Crystal Core, everyone¡¯s eyes lit up a bit. The Stealth Ability¡¯s not bad! Although the side effect is a handicap forbatants, it¡¯s absolutely a super enhancement for scavengers. After all, there are still many who are timid; they don¡¯t want to risk killing zombies, they just want to secretly scavenge for resources¡­ Of course, it¡¯s also a life-saving skill in critical moments. For people like Ren Jie and Liu He, whockbat power, having a Stealth Ability would greatly improve their self-preservation. Wang Tao then exined the Screaming Crystal Core to everyone. Regarding this Ability, the others shook their heads, but Ren Jie was quite interested. The side effect was that you couldn¡¯t speak quietly; one would always speak loudly. This is indeed somewhat fatal in the post-apocalyptic world. But for him, who didn¡¯t go out and stayed in the base all the time, having a louder voice wouldn¡¯t be an issue and might even be more imposing! If he really had to go out in the future, then he simply wouldn¡¯t speak¡­ As for the Screaming ability, he wouldn¡¯t use it anyway. ¡°You want to fuse with this Crystal Core?¡± Wei Zhenguo looked at Ren Jie with some surprise. ¡°Cough, I have some ideas. I also want to experience what it feels like to be an Ability User.¡± Wei Zhenguo looked at Wang Tao, who handed the Crystal Core directly to him. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to use it, but think it through; after using it, you won¡¯t be able to speak quietly.¡± ¡°No problem, I don¡¯t go out. Even if I did, I could just stay silent.¡± Ren Jie chuckled. What¡¯s valuable about him is his self-awareness. Back when he had the chance topete for the position of county head and sensed danger, he decisively gave it up. In the end, none of those vying for the county head fared well¡ªapart from him, all the others were reced. Now, in this post-apocalyptic world, someone his age, in their fifties or sixties, could still take down a ghost of a zombie. He was very urate in his self-assessment: he was to manage the base. If not necessary, he could spend the rest of his life there! So he just genuinely wanted to experience what it was like to be an Ability User; everything else was secondary. After all, he could ept the side effects of the Screaming Crystal Core¡­ As for the remaining Self-Destruct Crystal Core, everyone eyed it with envy, but no one dared to use it. After Wang Tao exined the function of the Self-Destruct Crystal Core, everyone wanted to fuse with one. But then they found out that Feng Ming¡¯an could only fuse with one Crystal Core for now¡­ which made everyone afraid to fuse with the Self-Destruct Crystal Core. If the fusion was sessful, but they were unlucky and could only fuse one type of Crystal Core, then they would only qualify as suicide bombers¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t lose heart, everyone. We will focus on scavenging for resources and hunting Elite Zombies next. As long as we kill enough zombies, we¡¯re sure to be Ability Users!¡± Wei Zhenguo spoke up loudly. ¡°That¡¯s right! Damn it, I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t be an Ability User!¡± Hong Bin hammered the table angrily. Seeing that no one wanted his Crystal Core, Wang Tao took it back. He nned to hunt some Elite Zombiester on. He nearly reached the limit for the types of Crystal Cores he could fuse with, but the others had yet to be Ability Users; the progress was a bit slow¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t concern himself with Ren Jie¡¯s fusion with the Zombie Crystal Core since everyone had experience now; there was no need to worry. Wang Tao was about to find Han Rui. He had mentioned yesterday he would give her a share of the spoils of war, and he intended to keep his word. He prepared some food and Inhibitors for her. The Zombie Cores weren¡¯t suitable for Han Rui anyway. However, just as he was descending the stairs, he saw someone rushing up in a hurry. ¡°Commissioner Wang!¡± The person saw Wang Tao and immediately said with urgent concern: ¡°Commissioner Wang, there¡¯s been an incident! Two of our Hunter teams that stayed out overnight were supposed to return this morning, but just now, we received a message from a stranger on their walkie-talkies, saying they¡¯ve been kidnapped! They¡¯re demanding Zombie Cores as ransom for our people!¡± Chapter 168 - 108 Ability: Rush l Chapter 108 Ability: Rush l Trantor: 549690339 After the acid rain, although the zombies became stronger, their speed had slowed down a lot. Once themittee broadcasted this news, there were quite a few people who became tempted¡ªzombies that had slowed down might still be unbeatable, but they could outrun them! For many, as long as they didn¡¯t go hunting zombies, didn¡¯t make much noise, and didn¡¯t encounter any special zombies, the current danger was actually lower than before. The Special Zombie Guidebook had been produced into pamphlets and distributed at the base. So, as long as they were a bit more observant and not too unlucky, they should be able to go out and scour for supplies. Shuize County was vast with arge poption. After most people had turned into zombies, the resources left behind were naturally abundant. Having been secure in the base for over a month, some survivors wanted to continue living in safety, but others were prepared to take a risk. So these past few days, the number of registered Hunters at the base had increased significantly. The base required that these Hunters try not to stay out overnight and, should they be forced to, they should inform the base. Otherwise, help could not be provided in case of danger. Yesterday, two Hunter Teamsposed mainly of neers informed the base that they were surrounded by zombies, not in immediate danger, and so decided to spend the night outside and return the next morning. However, this morning, when the staff at Shuize Base asked about their situation, it was a stranger¡¯s voice that answered. They said that those two teams, fourteen people in total, had been captured by them. If the base wanted to redeem these people, they would have to exchange them for fourteen Zombie Cores. If the base chose not to redeem them, they would kill one person every other day until all were dead. The staff wanted to hear the voices of the members of those two teams, but the other party turned off the walkie-talkie. Moreover, they mentioned redeeming the people but did not even specify where¡­ The staff all began to doubt whether these people just found the belongings of the Hunter Team or if all the Hunters were already dead¡­ ¡°What do you think?¡± Wang Tao looked at the othermittee members. Everyone frowned. In this post-apocalyptic world, people were needed, but human lives were cheap. If they were asked to give something else for redemption, like some food, that might still be negotiable. But to take Zombie Cores was outrageous. How many Ability Users did the base have? They didn¡¯t have enough Zombie Cores for their use! A human life was certainly not necessarily more valuable than a Zombie Core. ¡°We cannotpromise! Damn it, they¡¯re threatening us? We fight back!¡± Xiang Hongbin spoke out somewhat irritably. ¡°I also think we cannotpromise. If there¡¯s a first time, there will be a second time. We can¡¯t always bepromising, right? Punch back hard and stop the punching froming!¡± Lu Gang also spoke, his eyes ring. Not only these two military men, but Feng Ming¡¯an, Ren Jie, and even the techie Liu He agreed on taking action. Wei Zhenguo then spoke: ¡°I also agree not topromise, but the problem is, do you know who they are, where they are?¡± II II Everyone was momentarily stuck. ¡°If I am not wrong, that group should be Shao Yong¡¯s people!¡± Wang Tao spoke up. ¡°If we¡¯re to speak of grudges, we¡¯ve only ever had them with that group. Normally, if our people were captured by other survivors, they would definitely announce themselves. Those small survivor powers, upon hearing our name, would either kill to silence them or release them. After all, so many guns we have are not for show¡ªbut they dare to take hostages directly! I have reason to suspect that it¡¯s Shao Yong¡¯s people.¡± Hearing this analysis, everyone nodded slightly. But if it was Shao Yong, then there was a bit of trouble. Because it was obvious that Shao Yong was standing up for his little brother Cao Xin¡­ No one wanted to engage in infighting with other survivors at this time if not necessary. But if it really couldn¡¯t be avoided, they were resolute to not cower. ¡°But he didn¡¯t specify the exact trading location! Even if we genuinely took Zombie Cores to redeem our people, we still need a location¡­¡± Feng Ming¡¯an furrowed his brows. ¡°Maybe there are two possibilities¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo spoke with a frown ¡°one is, that many of our people have died¡­ they want to dy a few days. The other is¡­ they want to give us a warning! They intend to kill a few people first!¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s anger intensified. Regardless of the situation, it meant that the two Hunter Teams had suffered casualties! ¡°The urgent matter at hand is to look for where exactly they are while waiting for their message¡­¡± Ren Jie spoke, stroking his chin. We are in the light, the enemy in the shadow¡­ quite passive. ¡°Yes, we need to investigate carefully. I¡¯ll notify them, the scavenging tasks from now on are on hold, focus on reconnaissance!¡± The group quickly came upon a unanimous decision¡ªnot topromise, definitely not to trade Crystal Cores for people, but an attempt at rescue was possible. Wei Zhenguo announced the kidnapping of the Hunter Teams but did not mention the matter of the Zombie Cores. Other Hunters in the base were startled when they received the news and began to hesitate to leave. Witnessing this, Wei Zhenguo felt somewhat helpless. It was hard enough to have more Hunters, and just as things were picking up, they were afraid to go out again. These kidnappers really deserved to die! In the evening, Wang Tao arrived at Han Rui¡¯s house. Just out of the shower, Han Rui¡¯splexion turned unnatural when she saw Wang Tao. ¡°Why, why are you here¡­.¡± Chapter 169 - 108: Ability-Rush_2 Chapter 108: Ability-Rush_2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°You.¡± Wang Tao was straightforward. Han Rui was at first startled, then her face instantly turned red with embarrassment. ¡°You¡ªwe agreed that once we¡¯re back at the base, we¡¯d each go our own way and not bother each other! How could you not keep your word?¡± ¡°Hmm? When did I say that?¡± Wang Tao sprawled on the sofa, feigning confusion. ¡°On the bed¡ª¡± Han Rui quickly mped her mouth shut. She had just finished her shower, wearing her pajamas, her hair still somewhat damp; Wang Tao, seeing her like this, suddenly felt his appetite whetted. But he was here to discuss serious matters, and only teased Han Rui verbally for a bit. Han Rui red at Wang Tao fiercely: ¡°Don¡¯t mess around! Sun Weiguang will be back any minute now!¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled. ¡°That¡¯s even more exciting!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re a pervert!¡± Han Rui was somewhat anxious. After all, she was a rather traditional woman, and it was her home. Soon the man who was her husband in name, though they were no longer emotionally involved, would be back. Moreover, some new neighbors had moved in around her apartment; they all knew Han Rui and Sun Weiguang were husband and wife¡­ So if something happened between her and Wang Tao at her home, how could she face anyone after that! Wang Tao felt he was indeed a bit perverted, but there were people more perverted than him¡ª Sun Weiguang had suddenly returned. He walked in to see Wang Tao sitting on the sofa, his wife Han Rui, just out of the shower, with a flushed face, talking to Wang Tao. This caused Sun Weiguang to react subconsciously: ¡°I¡­ ahem, carry on! I just remembered I have something else to do and have to go out again¡­¡± Having said this, Sun Weiguang promptly left, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him. Wang Tao had not said a word when he saw Han Rui¡¯s face change from red to pale. ¡°He, he¡¯s at the door!¡± II II Darn it, Sun Weiguang really was a pervert! Wang Tao felt inferior byparison. Han Rui was initially resistant to Wang Tao, but after seeing Sun Weiguang¡¯s behavior, she became so angry she couldn¡¯t even vent. She had been blind to have fallen for Sun Weiguang! Han Rui walked straight over to Wang Tao and sat down heavily beside him. Confused by her actions, Wang Tao pretended to be surprised: ¡°Eh? What are you doing?¡± ¡°You!¡± Good heavens, it¡¯s tit for tat! And Han Rui wasn¡¯t content with just verbal teasing; she straddled Wang Tao. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± An hourter. Wang Tao, having put his pants back on, spoke coldly: ¡°Women, just dy things.¡± II II A somewhat drained Han Rui wrapped her arms around Wang Tao¡¯s neck, leaning on him without wanting to pay him any mind. At that moment, the front door opened. Sun Weiguang walked in to see Han Rui, disheveled, sitting on Wang Tao¡¯sp. His face turned red, and he lowered his head as he went into his own room. Wang Tao truly hadn¡¯t expected Sun Weiguang to wait at the door for so long. Han Rui didn¡¯t even look at Sun Weiguang. However¡­ she seemed to be getting a taste of Sun Weiguang¡¯s feelings, indeed quite the thrill¡­ ¡°Alright, now that the distractions are taken care of, let¡¯s talk about serious matters.¡± Wang Tao patted Han Rui¡¯s soft flesh, then took out an orange Crystal Core. ¡°This is¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s tired spirit suddenly perked up. She had never seen such a beautiful Crystal Core! ¡°Rush Crystal Core, do you want it?¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. He had waited the whole day, but the kidnappers had not sent any message. Everyone couldn¡¯t just wait at the base endlessly, so themittee members decided that for the next few days, they would go out to hunt Elite Zombies in preparation for a potential uing battle! Han Rui¡¯s Perception Ability was very useful for Wang Tao, and he wanted to enhance her strength. Originally, he nned to synthesize the Rush Crystal Core into an Epic one and keep it for himself as a backup. If he couldn¡¯t find a Self-healing Crystal Core, then he could use the Rush Crystal Core instead. But after thinking about it, Wang Tao felt it wasn¡¯t necessary. Considering the current situation, Charger Zombies weren¡¯t that rare. At least Xiang Hongbin and his team had encountered them several times before. Wang Tao was certain he woulde across them again in the future, and getting another Epic Crystal Core was very likely. Moreover, Wang Tao now didn¡¯t dare to merge a fourth type of Crystal Core, and having the Rush Crystal Core lying in his bag was a waste. Additionally, considering the potential for a battle with other Ability Users at any time¡­ it was better to use the Rush Crystal Core to enhance someone¡¯s strength. Han Rui was both surprised and incredulous. Wang Tao had exined to her about the quality of Crystal Cores, and this orange Crystal Core was one that would 100% sessfully merge! Did Wang Tao not need it for himself? Han Rui suddenly recalled the time they encountered a Suicide Bombing Zombie, and Wang Tao had held her in his embrace. ¡°Could it be that he really likes me, and not just lusts after my body¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s mind was in a bit of turmoil. ¡°Don¡¯t you want it?¡± Seeing Han Rui daydreaming, Wang Tao began to frown. The reason he offered the Crystal Core to Han Rui, of course, was because she had always been his teammate; increasing Han Rui¡¯sbat strength was to increase his own. But if Han Rui didn¡¯t want it, then he would give it to someone else; he felt either Xiang Hongbin or Wei Zhenguo were also good candidates. ¡°I want it!¡± Han Rui quickly spoke up. ¡°Then open your mouth.¡± Han Rui subconsciously opened her mouth, but there was something weird about this position. Wang Tao, as if feeding her medicine, inserted the Crystal Core directly into Han Rui¡¯s throat, causing her to cough. Han Rui red fiercely at Wang Tao, then quickly closed her eyes, carefully sensing the power of the Crystal Core. A momentter. ¡°So sleepy-¡± Han Rui felt she could hardly keep her eyes open, then shey down on Wang Tao¡¯s chest and fell asleep.. Chapter 170 - 108: AbilityRush_3 Chapter 108: AbilityRush_3 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao carried her back to the bed. The next day, early morning. Han Rui¡¯s face was flushed as she extricated herself from Wang Tao¡¯s embrace, sheepishly scratching at her messy hair. ¡°Uh¡­ I didn¡¯t do anythingst night, did I?¡± She had been dead asleep the previous night, without any memory of it. Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°You slept like a log, what could you have possibly done?¡± Wang Tao stayed to observe Han Rui, wanting to see if there would be any changes after she fused with a second type of Crystal Core and whether any problems would arise during the fusion process. So far, it seemed fine; she had been sleeping soundly, and her body didn¡¯t heat up much, unlike Wang Tao¡¯s experience. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the pig!¡± Han Rui muttered in her heart and then asked with some anticipation, ¡°Shall we go test the new superpower together?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Wang Tao nodded and then added, ¡°By the way, do you feel like you can merge with other types of Crystal Cores now?¡± Han Rui closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before opening them with a look of surprise. ¡°I think¡­ I can still continue to merge with different types of Crystal Cores?1 ¡°That¡¯s not bad.¡± Wang Tao was slightly surprised; it seemed that Han Rui could fuse with at least three different types of Crystal Cores. ¡°Get ready and meet me at the Comprehensive Building. Well go out and test the ability.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui nodded in eager anticipation. Wang Tao went home first to grab some equipment, then told Ding Yuqin that he might not return to the base in the next few days. Ding Yuqin stared at Wang Tao with a touch of mncholy. Although he had been at the basest night, he didn¡¯t rest at home, but she prudently didn¡¯t ask more. ¡°Wang Tao, be careful out there!¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, sister-inw.¡± Wang Tao kissed Ding Yuqin on the forehead and then drove to the Comprehensive Building. Han Rui was already waiting for him. First, Wang Tao went upstairs to ask if there had been any news about the kidnappers, but there wasn¡¯t. After a day and night with no news from them and no one from the two teams returning, it was clear there were casualties within the Hunter Team. If they died at the hands of zombies, that was one thing, but if they perished at the hands of other survivors, Shuize Base would certainly take revenge! ¡°Let¡¯s try to get more Zombie Cores, whether I can be an Ability User depends on you all!¡± Wei Zhenguo cheered everyone on. His injuries hadn¡¯t healed yet, so naturally, he stayed at the base. Themittee members going out were divided into three teams. Xiang Hongbin and Lu Gang led one team of soldiers. Feng Ming¡¯an was leading a team of police officers. Then there was Wang Tao, taking Han Rui as one team. Wang Tao¡¯s reason for not joining them was that he wasn¡¯tfortable with theirbat styles. Xiang Hongbin¡¯s team practiced militarized operations, and Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s team had their ownbat methods. Wang Tao would feel out of ce if he joined them. To give a simple example, a single gesture from Hong Bin and his teammates would know what to do. But Wang Tao could only stand there confused. Not to mention their various tactics and skills. So it was also why they would lead soldiers or police officers; it wasn¡¯t that they were unwilling to take others, but rather, ordinary survivors simply couldn¡¯t keep up with their pace and were more likely to slow them down. Of course, with Wang Tao¡¯s strength, he definitely wouldn¡¯t fall behind, but he felt ufortable, so he decided against it. However, when Wang Tao was at the base, he would often ask Wei Zhenguo for advice on military knowledge. Once he got the hang of it, he could act together with them. ¡°If any of you encounter Elite Zombies that you¡¯re not sure about, or can¡¯t handle, you can contact me. As long as I¡¯m avable, I¡¯ll definitelye over,¡± Wang Tao told the others. ¡°Of course! You¡¯re our base¡¯s topbat power, we¡¯ll definitelye to you if we¡¯re in trouble!¡± Hong Bin pped Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder firmly, and the others nodded in agreement. Wang Tao exchanged high-fives with the others and then took five Homemade Bombs from Liu He. These were improved versions of the previous model, much more stable. Liu He assured that they wouldn¡¯t have issues like before. Wang Tao was interested in the bombs for their timing function, which he found more useful than Hand Grenades. With just a few seconds with grenades, there was no time to escape. But with the timed bombs, there was more room to get clear after setting them, so there was no need to worry about attracting zombies. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Downstairs, Wang Tao called Han Rui over to the car. But when he saw Han Rui¡¯s outfit, he paused for a moment. Today, Han Rui was dressed in a ck Combat Suit, with a tactical vest across her chest, a tactical helmet, and sunsses on her head, her face covered with a ck scarf, a sniper crossbow on her back, and a pistol, Dagger, and Firefighter Axe at her waist, additionally carrying a small Shield. With her increased HP, her physical strength was greatly enhanced, and the gear she carried was no problem for her. ¡°You look pretty cool in that get-up!¡± Wang Taoplimented her. Han Rui was slightly proud; the gear was originally a special police outfit, which she had bought at a high price from other survivors the day before. ¡°Can¡¯t deny it, we do look quite the part standing together.¡± Wang Tao was also fully Armed, but he wore a skull scarf, making him look more like a viin. Han Rui gave him a nce, and then they got into the car and left the base. Ten minutester. ¡°Huh? Lucky day today!¡± Wang Tao spotted a Terrorizer carrying a hammer on the road. [1500/1500] And it didn¡¯t have a lot of HP, which was perfect for Han Rui to try out her new Ability. Han Rui handed the crossbow to Wang Tao, then got out of the car, took the Shield from her back, and held it in one hand while gripping the Firefighter Axe in the other. After taking a deep breath, she used her Ability, ¡°Rush,¡± towards the distant Terrorizer. Whoosh¡ª She pushed off with her right foot and charged at the Terrorizer at high speed. At the same time, a faint white translucent shield appeared around Han Rui. Then. Bang! Han Rui mmed into the Rioters zombie. [-1200] The Terrorizer was sent flying, and Han Rui followed up with a swing of her axe. Spurt! [-300] [0/1500] ¡°Damn, a clean kill!¡± Chapter 171 - 109: Hunting Zombies, Discovering a Camp_l Chapter 109: Hunting Zombies, Discovering a Camp_l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°I¡­¡± Han Rui looked at her own hand, her eyes filled with disbelief. She hadn¡¯t expected to kill the Terrorizer in one hit! Just a bump and a hack with an axe, that was all¡­ Wang Tao had dealt with a few ordinary zombies, then he approached Han Rui and circled around her. Han Rui had no injuries, not a single drop of blood was lost. But her mana consumption was quite high. A single Rush had cost her 30 mana. With her current mana pool, she could only use it six times. However, mana and HP are different. HP recovery is very slow, and if injured or starving, it might not regenerate at all. On the other hand, mana would always slowly recover. It seems the recovery rate varies for each Ability User; like for Wang Tao, it would take roughly six hours to fully recover. Han Rui¡¯s rate was simr to his. ¡°You aren¡¯t hurt, are you?¡± Even though he hadn¡¯t seen Han Rui losing any health, Wang Tao still asked out of concern. ¡°No¡­¡± Han Rui quickly shook her head. ¡°Impressive!¡± Wang Tao gave a thumbs up. Han Rui was still a bit dazed. After confirming there was nothing wrong with Han Rui, Wang Tao went to pry out the Purple Crystal Core from the zombie¡¯s head. [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Shockwave] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: light-sensitive eyes)] Wang Tao had two shockwave crystal cores, one white (20%) and one blue (40%). With this crystal core, he could now synthesize another Epic Crystal Core. Wang Tao unceremoniously pocketed the crystal core. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Back in the car, Wang Tao drove. Han Rui took off her gloves and looked at her delicate little hand, suddenly started smiling joyfully. She too was now someone who could instantly kill Elite Zombies! ¡°How do you feel now?¡± Wang Tao asked with a smile. ¡°Amazing! I¡¯ve never felt so great before! And I didn¡¯t even get hurt, it¡¯s truly miraculous!¡± Han Rui clenched her fists, her little face full of excitement. Wang Tao guessed it must be a special effect of the Ability, just as his own Shockwave Ability wouldn¡¯t harm him. Han Rui¡¯s Rush Ability probably couldn¡¯t harm her either. After being thrilled for a while, Han Rui looked at Wang Tao and said: ¡°I think you would be even more formidable using this Rush Ability¡­¡± If with her strength she could instant kill an Elite Zombie with 1500 HP, Wang Tao, being stronger, would definitely cause even higher damage. ¡°No matter, if need be, we¡¯ll just get another two Rush Crystal Cores,¡± Wang Tao waved it off unconcernedly. Han Rui was touched, but she didn¡¯t speak further. After all, Wang Tao had given her an Orange Crystal Core! But she was also determined in her heart to help Wang Tao obtain more Zombie Cores! If they were after hunting Elite Zombies, naturally they should head towards ces with more zombies. However, the more zombies there were, the greater the danger, so the two of them proceeded very cautiously. Along the way, Wang Tao let Han Rui clear the ordinary zombies as much as possible. After all, clearing ordinary zombies would regenerate her health. Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t regenerate health, so it seemed a bit wasteful. Soon, Han Rui¡¯s health reached [700/700] Feeling a significant improvement in her physical condition, Han Rui started looking at Wang Tao with eyes filled with tender feelings. After all, he had deliberately let her have those gains! ¡°Hmm? Another Elite Zombie ahead!¡± Seeing the situation in the alley ahead, Wang Tao cracked a smile. Since the corrosive acid rain, many things in the outside world had been corroded, the nts had grown muchrger, and the zombies¡¯ HP had also generally increased. Simrly, the number of Elite Zombies had gone up. in the past, the chance of encountering an Elite Zombie was very low, but now, more running about would likely lead to encounters. There were two Elite Zombies in the alley, one Self-exploder and one with a bloated belly. [3000/3000H2500/2500] The HP of these two zombies was not small, and their bodies were even more decayed. Wang Tao suspected that zombies which had been drenched in the corrosive acid rain would see an increase in HP. Whereas those that hadn¡¯t been rained on might not see much of a change. These two zombies were clearly ones that had been in the rain. The Terrorizer that they had encountered in Gao Hua¡¯s apartment building only had 1000 HP, likely because it hadn¡¯t been touched by the rain. ¡°How do we kill this¡­¡± Han Rui was somewhat eager to try. After her strength had increased, she had also be a bit overconfident. Previously upon seeing a Suicide Bombing Zombie, she would flee as far as possible, but now she was thinking about how to deal with it. ¡°Try this¡­¡± Wang Tao suddenly took out a yellow-green, sticky lump. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this?¡± Han Rui asked curiously. ¡°Slime Grenade.¡± This was loot he had obtained from killing Cao Xin. But Wang Tao had not had the chance to use it. After returning to the base, he and Feng Ming¡¯an had discussed it. Feng Ming¡¯an told him about a situation when dealing with a Self-exploding Zombie ¨C Feng Ming¡¯an had stealthily approached the Self-exploder and suddenly spit a mass of slime on it, forcefully immobilizing it! In that situation, the Self-exploder couldn¡¯t detonate at all! Of course, the adhesion wouldn¡¯tst long, Feng Ming¡¯an said it could only hold for about a minute or so. But that minute was enough for them to kill the Self-exploder and escape. Wang Tao thought that the effect of this Slime Grenade should be simr to Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s Ability, so he decided to give it a try. However, this time Wang Tao didn¡¯t n on letting Han Rui take action, because he wasn¡¯t sure whether it would work. If the grenade didn¡¯t work and it led to the Suicide Bombing Zombie detonating, he was counting on Han Rui to drive him to safety.. Chapter 172 - 109: Hunting Zombies, Discovering a Camp_2 Chapter 109: Hunting Zombies, Discovering a Camp_2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°You stay in the car and be ready to pick me up at any moment,¡± Wang Tao got out of the car. ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui immediately got into the driver¡¯s seat. After assessing the situation, Wang Tao took the hand crossbow and cleared a wave of ordinary zombies outside the alley. I have to say, using a hand crossbow is just satisfying; with one arrow for each, the zombies simply couldn¡¯t react in time. After cleaning up the zombies, Wang Tao quickly went to collect the crossbow arrows. He really was a thrifty and housekeeping good man. Then Wang Tao climbed onto the roof and, after locating the suicide bombing zombies, he did not dare to get too close. Thinking it was about right, he took out a slime grenade. After aiming at the approximate location, Wang Tao threw it down. pia The slime grenadended between two elite zombies and exploded instantly. Plop A big glob of white slime burst from the grenade, instantly covering everything within a four to five-meter radius. The two elite zombies, along with the dozen or more ordinary ones around them, were all covered in white slime,pletely immobilized. The self-exploders couldn¡¯t even expand their bodies for detonation! ¡°The explosion of the slime grenade didn¡¯t make much noise, and it glued them all in ce! Effective!¡± Seeing this, Wang Tao immediately felt overjoyed. He waited for about ten seconds, then with axe in hand, he leaped down from the rooftop. During the first five seconds upon contact, the slime was at its stickiest, but after five seconds, the exposed slime began to gradually solidify and turn solid. Although the things it stuck to remained immobile, the surface of the slime lost its stickiness, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t have to worry about getting stuck to it when he came down now. Thud! Wang Taonded right on the shoulder of a chubby zombie and with a forceful swing, his axe struck squarely on its head. Squish! [-2143] [357/2500] That strike nearly cleaved the zombie to death! Even if it didn¡¯t die, it was left with just a sliver of HP. ¡°Such low defense?¡± Wang Tao swung another axe, instantly clearing the HP bar. [-357] [0/2500] After killing the elite zombie, Wang Tao didn¡¯t even have time to look closer; he immediately leapt beside the self-exploder. As he swung his axe, a shockwave emanated from its center, spreading out in all directions. [-2329] [-1000] [-1000] [-1000] [???] True to their low defense, the self-exploders took a shocking 2300 damage from just one swing of Wang Tao¡¯s axe! Without hesitation, he swung another axe. Squish! [-674] [0/3000] With the self-exploding zombie dealt with, the shockwave eliminated the remaining ordinary zombies. Wang Tao gathered all the loot and immediately ran. Han Rui had driven the car a short distance away; the door was already open. Wang Tao quickly got in. ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Zheng zheng- Han Rui pressed the elerator, and the car sped away. After about three minutes, a loud ¡°boom¡± could be heard in the distance. ¡°The suicide bombing zombie exploded.¡± Wang Tao nodded silently to himself, quite satisfied with the effect of the slime grenade ¨C it trapped the suicide bombing zombie for three minutes, which was more than enough time for him to get far away. ¡°Your slime grenade is so awesome!¡± Han Rui had been keeping an eye on the whole process and was naturally amazed by the effect of the slime grenade. As for the fact that Wang Tao nearly instantly killed those two elite zombies, Han Rui found it not surprising at all. After all, she herself had chances to kill elite zombies in seconds, so it was only natural for Wang Tao to do so. She couldn¡¯t see the HP bars, so naturally, she didn¡¯t know how much HP those zombies had when Wang Tao killed them. But then again, Wang Tao felt that the defenses of those two elite zombies were very low. The damage he used to inflict with one axe swing on a Terrorizer was around four to five hundred HP. With his strength improved, he should be doing more damage now, but not by arge amount. Yet those two zombies took over two thousand damage from each of his axe swings! Even considering the high-ground attack bonus, the damage shouldn¡¯t have been that high ¨C clearly, the defense of those zombies was a lot lower. Wang Tao asked Han Rui to keep driving and searching for zombies while he checked the loot from the battle. The two zombies together gave Wang Tao a total of 60 HP increase, meaning a total addition of 120 HP. Wang Tao¡¯s HP was now at [1460/1460]. Then there were the other spoils of war. [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Self-Detonation] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effects: None)] The Crystal Core dropped by the suicide bombing zombie was of ordinary quality; not the best luck. However, the Crystal Core from the self-exploder wasn¡¯t the main point; the main thing was the loot bundle the self-exploder dropped. Although Wang Tao had acquired several Self-Destruct Crystal Cores, this was his first time killing a self-exploder, and he was curious about what they would drop. [Acquired: Self-Destruct Bomb Blueprint xi] [Acquired: Self-Destruct Heart xi] [Acquired: Self-Destruct Bomb X5] The self-exploding zombie dropped three items that all looked a bit wicked. Wang Tao looked at the specifics. [Self-Destruct Bomb Blueprint: Can be used to craft 10 Self-Destruct Bombs, Required materials: Self-Destruct Heart xi, Crystal Core xi, Flesh xiokg, Metal X5kg] [Self-Destruct Heart: Crafting material] [Self-Destruct Bomb: A biological bomb with extremely poor stability. Once activated, it will explode within an hour if noise, vibration, or physical contact urs. If it does not explode, it will automatically detonate after one hour.] Seeing the attributes of this Self-Destruct Bomb, Wang Tao eximed in amazement. This thing seems to have a disregard for friend or foe! Anything could trigger an explosion, not unlike the suicide bombing zombies that would explode as soon as they were disturbed.. Chapter 173 - 109: Hunting Zombies, Discovering a Camp 3 Chapter 109: Hunting Zombies, Discovering a Camp 3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°If used properly, this thing could be a massive killer. But if not used wisely, it could hurt me first¡­¡± As for the self-destruct bomb blueprint, the core material required is the self-destruct heart, and a self-exploder had just spewed out one. This means, once Wang Tao gets the other materials ready, he could make it. However, looking at the 10kg requirement of flesh material, Wang Tao wondered if using the flesh of zombies would do? After all, the flesh of normal animals was food, and there was never enough for himself to eat, so it shouldn¡¯t be wasted so frivolously¡­ After collecting these spoils of war, Wang Tao turned his attention to another elite zombie that had dropped something. First was a purple crystal core. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Slime Spitter] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: belly ergement, reduced defense)] ¡°Eh?¡± Seeing the items dropped by this zombie, Wang Tao was surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be a Slime Spitting zombie. He had never seen this kind of zombie before, and the military¡¯s manual didn¡¯t mention it, so it didn¡¯t cross Wang Tao¡¯s mind at first. But on second thought, since the side effect of slime spitting was reduced defense, it made sense that his axe would deal over two thousand HP damage to a Slime Spitting zombie. The Slime Spitting zombie¡¯s crystal core was of no use to him, but it could be useful for Feng Ming¡¯an. He could keep it for Feng. Next was the package that the slime spitter had exploded. [Received: Slime Grenade Blueprint xl] [Received: Slime Grenade x5] [Received: Slime Pack] Five slime grenades and a blueprint? Good stuff! Wang Tao was somewhat excited, as he had already tested them in realbat. These slime grenades were incredibly handy when hunting elite zombies! Moreover, the core material for making slime grenades, as per the blueprint, was a slime pack, which was something he could also forge like the self-destruct bombs! [Slime Grenade Blueprint: Forges 10 slime grenades, required materials: Slime Pack xi, Crystal Core xl, Flesh xiokg, Metal xskg] These required materials were almost identical to those from the suicide bombing zombies. With the core materials avable and the rest easy to find, as long as zombie flesh could be used for crafting, Wang Tao could start making them right away! Noon. The SUV stopped in front of a shop. Wang Tao had originally chosen this ce for a break, but he unexpectedly discovered that this shop had not been visited; there were some clean snacks stored inside, perfect for lunch. After eating a few packs of dry noodles and drinking a bottle of water, Wang Tao said to Han Rui, ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao came to a street corner where there were a few zombie corpses, in by him just moments ago. Wang Tao took out the blueprints for the self-destruct bombs and slime grenades, then saw the ¡°Forgeable¡± prompt on them¡ªthe metal he needed was already prepared, having been scavenged from abandoned vehicles. He immediately chose to craft, and with a sh of light, ten slime grenades appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. The ten self-destruct bombs were on the ground. The grenades forged from blueprints were sticky and gooey, looking a bit disgusting, just like those he had looted earlier. The self-destruct bombs, on the other hand, were basketball-sized, heart-shaped objects, pulsing as if they might explode at any moment. Wang Tao quickly stowed these bombs in his space backpack, as they were dangerous goods, and a slight mishap could lead to them exploding on himself. Back at the store, Wang Tao went into a room alone and then synthesized the two shockwave crystal cores in his backpack. He now had three shockwave crystal cores, two of which were just right to create an epic quality one. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Shockwave] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (No side effects)] To fuse a crystal core with an existing ability, there was nothing special to take note of, swallowing it directly would do. After swallowing, Wang Tao felt a warmth throughout his body, filled with strength, and all fatigue hadpletely vanished. His mana increased by another 100, reaching 500, which was already more than many people¡¯s HP. When he came out, Han Rui nced at Wang Tao. She always felt that Wang Tao seemed more energetic, unsure what he had done secretly in the room. After Han Rui finished lunch, Wang Tao called her to continue on their journey. The luck in the morning wasn¡¯t very good. After encountering those three elite zombies, they hadn¡¯te across any other elite zombies, not even self-exploders. ¡°Hopefully, the afternoon will be better¡­¡± While others feared encountering elite zombies, Wang Tao wished for it¡­ Unfortunately, the luck in the afternoon was even worse than the morning, at least in the morning they had encountered three elite zombies, but in the afternoon not a single one. However, Xiang Hongbin suddenly contacted Wang Tao. He told Wang Tao that they might have discovered Shao Yong¡¯s camp. Wang Tao immediately drove to meet with Xiang Hongbin. Before the sun set, Wang Tao arrived at the temporary safe zone where Xiang Hongbin was. It was a dpidated five-story motel, broken on the outside and looking as though it had been abandoned for a long time on the inside. Xiang Hongbin and others were on the top floor, which looked inconspicuous from the outside, but from within, one could see it was fortified with steel tes, wire mesh, torches, and such, ensuring zombies couldn¡¯t break in. Upon seeing Xiang Hongbin, Wang Tao gave him a high-five. He noticed that Xiang Hongbin¡¯s HP had increased a lot and was nearly reaching one thousand. Before he left, Wang Tao had suggested to them that while hunting elite zombies, they shouldn¡¯t forget to kill ordinary zombies. Although it was a bit more difficult to kill ordinary zombies now, the rewards were greater. This was especially true for Xiang Hongbin, who had been busy hunting elite zombiestely and hadn¡¯t gained much increase in HP. But Xiang Hongbin had obviously taken Wang Tao¡¯s advice to heart, now with [940/940] HP. Wang Tao reminded Xiang Hongbin that he might see a significant improvement in physical fitness after killing six or seven more zombies. Hearing this, Xiang Hongbin was delighted. He had no doubt in Wang Tao¡¯s words and said he would go out tomorrow morning to kill a few more! Yet, Wang Tao also reminded him that the improvement in physical fitness might be different this time, such as feeling sleepy and other symptoms, and told him to be more cautious. ¡°Will do! Tomorrow, I¡¯ll just kill some zombies downstairs and if any danger arises, I can quicklye back up.¡± Seeing that he understood, Wang Tao nodded, then asked: ¡°Where did you find the base?¡± ¡°Over there!¡± Xiang Hongbin led Wang Tao to a window and pointed, saying: ¡°Right underneath there!¡± ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s¡­ an underground mall?¡± Wang Tao took a telescope and looked over, seeing an old sign that read ¡°Hongfa Underground Mall.¡± ¡°Yes, there is a survivor base inside, and today I saw a teaming out from there, even driving a car.. It must be them!¡± Chapter 174 - 110: Reaching 2000 HP_1 Chapter 174: Chapter 110: Reaching 2000 HP_1 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao observed for a while and indeed saw survivors appear, carefully entering the interior of the mall. It was undoubtedly a Survivor Base inside, the question was whether these were Shao Yong¡¯s people or not. ¡°What do you think?¡± Wang Tao turned his head and asked. ¡°I n to have someone observe here for two days, then I¡¯ll scout the surrounding area and see if I can infiltrate¡­¡± Although Shuize Base was strong, that ¡°strength¡± was mainly in firearms. If they didn¡¯t use guns, it would probably be very difficult to break into this camp. After all, they were defensive, and there might be traps and mechanisms inside¡ªheadlong rushing in was definitely not an option. ¡°Infiltrate? Could that be dangerous?¡± Wang Tao frowned. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry about that, we are professionals in this area! However, that¡¯s assuming we find a vulnerability we can exploit. After all, the opponent is underground; if they have blocked all entrances, getting in will still be difficult¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin didn¡¯t make too strong of a im. ¡°Then you need to be careful!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± After discussing for a while, there was no good n for the moment, so Xiang Hongbin nned to send someone tomorrow during the day to investigate. However, when it came to infiltration, Wang Tao suddenly remembered something he had that he seemed to have never used. ¡°Take this!¡± Wang Tao handed over two injection bottles. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Xiang Hongbin curiously received them. ¡°This¡­ you can call it Stealth Potion; it¡¯s supposed to hide your scent so humans won¡¯t detect you, and itsts for one hour. It¡¯s best used at night¡­ But I¡¯ve never used it, so I¡¯m not sure about the specific effects,¡± Wang Tao exined. He was offering the ¡°Stealth Potion (Small)¡±, naturally. This potion was of little use to him; he needed something to evade zombies, not humans. Therefore, the potion had been collecting dust in Wang Tao¡¯s backpack. When Xiang Hongbin mentioned infiltration just now, Wang Tao suddenly remembered this item. Since it was supposed to avoid human attention, it should be effective, and for infiltration, it might just be helpful. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, Xiang Hongbin¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. This was a great item for infiltration! Although the concept of scent was rather esoteric, and he didn¡¯t know where Wang Tao got this item from, none of that mattered. It was the post-apocalyptic world, and at first nce, this stuff looked like a product of someboratory¡­ Wang Tao had no reason to lie to him about this. ¡°Thanks! Oh, and today I got a few Zombie Cores, do you need any?¡± Xiang Hongbin took out a bag, filled with Zombie Cores. ¡°Eh? You¡¯ve had quite a haul!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; there were five Crystal Cores in total, two more than what Wang Tao had harvested today. ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s because we teamed up with Old Feng for a while today. Man, his Slime Spitter Ability is truly good. It can even stop Suicide Bombing Zombies. Any zombie he sticks to are basically easy kills!¡± Xiang Hongbinughed proudly. However, he quickly shook his head. ¡°But Old Feng doesn¡¯tst long! After spitting a few times, he has to rest for a good while, otherwise, we could¡¯ve killed even more special zombies¡­¡± Wang Taoughed and shook his head, then suddenly, as if he thought of something, his brows lifted. ¡°Are you saying you encountered Elite Zombies on the road today but didn¡¯t manage to kill them?¡± ¡°Yes. I gave up on some targets that I felt were too dangerous,¡± Xiang Hongbin said with some regret. Wang Tao quickly followed: ¡°Tell me where those zombies were, and I¡¯ll take care of them tomorrow!¡± ¡°Ah? Sure! With your strength, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem!¡± Xiang Hongbin brought the map and pointed to several locations on it. Han Rui, who had been silent beside them, quickly took out pen and paper to note down these positions. After Wang Tao saw Han Rui making the notes, he then turned his attention to the Zombie Cores that Xiang Hongbin had brought out. There were three Self-Destruct Crystal Cores, and the remaining were one Mud Swamp Crystal Core and one Toughness Crystal Core. Mud Swamp Core was of no use to Wang Tao, but he would take the Toughness Core. Even though it was just a White Crystal Core, he didn¡¯t mind. Wang Tao took out the Purple Slime Spitting Crystal Core he had obtained today and asked Xiang Hongbin if he wanted it. A Purple Crystal Core, with a 60% sess rate of merging, tempted Xiang Hongbin. But thinking about the agonizing way Feng Ming¡¯an used his Ability, he shook his head. ¡°Forget it, better give it to Old Feng!¡± ¡°Heh, okay. I¡¯ll give you this Core then, pass it on to Old Feng.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Wang Tao handed the Slime Spitter Crystal Core to Xiang Hongbin, and then he and Han Rui rested there for the night. The next morning, the two set off again. The goal was naturally the locations of the Elite Zombies that Xiang Hongbin had told them about yesterday. It was an artificialke in a park. ¡°Lucky!¡± Arriving at the first location, Wang Tao saw the Elite Zombies; they hadn¡¯t moved sincest night. And there were three of them together, no wonder Xiang Hongbin and his team hadn¡¯t engaged. ¡°A Terrorizer, a Mud Swamp Zombie, and a Suicide Bombing Zombie¡­¡± [2000/2000][2200/2200][1600/1600] The Mud Swamp Zombie was in the water, and the area of theke it upied was all mud. The Terrorizer and Self-exploder were also in the mud. Although their movements were somewhat difficult, they were not trapped.. Chapter 175 - 110: Reaching 2000 HP_2 Chapter 175: Chapter 110: Reaching 2000 HP_2 Trantor: 549690339 | However, if Wang Tao were to go over there, he felt he would probably get stuck in the mud swamp. ¡°This Mud Swamp Zombie seems to have something going for it¡­¡± Wang Tao had thought that this ability wasn¡¯t very useful, but now it seemed that by staying in the water, it had almost turned the entireke into a mud swamp, which was a bit exaggerated in scope. After discussing with Han Rui, the two decided to kill them from a distance. But before that, they needed to lob a few Slime Grenades at them. After all, there was a Suicide Bombing Zombie among them, and if its explosion attracted other zombies, it would be quite troublesome. Whoosh- After finishing their discussion, Wang Tao immediately threw a Slime Grenade over. Pia¡ª The grenade hit the Suicide Bombing Zombie right on the head. Before it could inte and explode, a blob of slime burst out instantly, sticking both the Suicide Bombing Zombie and the nearby Mud Swamp Zombie together. Wang Tao then threw a Slime Grenade at the Rioters zombie. In the blink of an eye, all three Elite Zombies were stuck and unable to move. ¡°Kill!¡± Wang Tao pulled out his hand crossbow, activated the ¡°Precision Shooting¡± ability, and pulled the trigger at the three zombies! Not far away, Han Rui also started shooting. Her sniper crossbow was slow, but it dealt high damage. Each arrow shot caused over a thousand damage to the high-defense Rioters and even a t 2000 to the Mud Swamp Zombie¡ªseems like the defensive power of the Mud Swamp Zombie wasn¡¯t up to par. As for the Self-exploder zombie, before Han Rui could even take her shot, Wang Tao finished it off with a precise headshot. [0/1600] Seeing that both the Rioters and Mud Swamp Zombies were also critically injured, Wang Tao decisively delivered the finishing shots with his arrows. [0/2000] [0/2200] In an instant, all three Elite Zombiesy dead under Wang Tao¡¯s crossbow arrows. He definitely wasn¡¯t trying to steal the kills; it was just his good luck. Wang Tao watched his HP surge by 140 to reach [1600/1600], and he grinned. His HP had already surpassed that of some Elite Zombies! Off to the side, Han Rui was somewhat shocked. Didn¡¯t Wang Tao say he wasn¡¯t good at shooting? With such fast shooting speed and each arrow being a headshot, how was he not good? That¡¯s just being Versailles¡­ Although the three Elite Zombies were dead, the body of the Suicide Bombing Zombie was still going to explode, so there was no time to dy. Wang Tao threw two more Slime Grenades over, and the slime from the grenade explosions quickly hardened, forming a solid path on the mud swamp. Looking at the effect of the Slime Grenades, Wang Tao was quite satisfied. It wasn¡¯t that he was a clean freak; he just feared getting stuck in the swamp and being unable to get out. He ran over the hardened slime path and collected all the loot from the three zombies. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Han Rui was already waiting in the car. Once Wang Tao got in, she immediately floored the elerator. A few minutester, a bang was heard from the park¡ªthe Suicide Bombing Zombie exploded. Momentster, arge group of Mad Demon Zombies arrived, but Wang Tao and Han Rui had long since passed several streets. In the car, Wang Tao told Han Rui to head towards the next Elite Zombie location while he checked the spoils of war¡ª A white Self-Destruct Crystal Core, a blue Mud Swamp Crystal Core, and a red Shockwave Crystal Core! Passing over the Self-Destruct and Mud Swamp Crystal Cores, the important item was the red Shockwave Crystal Core. He just happened to have a white shockwave core in his bag. Time to synthesize a gold Epic Shockwave Crystal Core! Wang Tao immediately synthesized it in his bag, and with a thought, the Epic Crystal Core appeared in his mouth. Gulp- Once again, a warm sensation spread through his body, invigorating his spirit, without any difort. Seeing his Mana increase by another 100 to reach 600, Wang Tao clenched his fist in satisfaction. So far, he had integrated six Zombie Cores. Aside from one ¡°Precision Shooting¡± and one ¡°Toughness¡±, the other four were all ¡°Shockwave¡±. Of course, the cores he integrated were synthetic, and he actually used up a total of 12 Crystal Cores. ¡°I wonder if anyone has synthesized more cores than me by now¡­¡± Wang Tao thought quietly to himself. Soon, Han Rui drove to the location of the second Elite Zombie. From afar, he could see the three Elite Zombies there. One Slime Spitter Zombie and two Suicide Bombing Zombies. Wang Tao actually quite liked the Slime Spitter Zombies because the Slime Spitter Grenades they dropped were key to dealing with the Suicide Bombing Zombies. With these, he could kill Elite Zombies virtually unharmed and not worry about Suicide Bombing Zombies exploding. After spending some time and three Slime Spitter Grenades, Wang Tao once again vanquished three Elite Zombies. All the kills were his; he didn¡¯t let Han Rui take any. After all, Han Rui could still increase her HP by killing Ordinary Zombies, whereas Wang Tao could only increase his HP by killing Elite Zombies, so it was more fitting for Wang Tao to take the kills. As the sun set, Wang Tao and Han Rui stopped their car in front of a small motel. Han Rui checked around, identified the positions of the zombies inside, and then went straight in wielding her Firefighter Axe. ¡°Just a few more to go!¡± Han Rui was a bit excited. Because by now, her HP had reached [970/970], and she only needed three more zombies to hit 1000 HP! Of course, she couldn¡¯t see her own HP bar. That was the information Wang Tao gave her, telling her that after three or four more zombie kills, she would gain an overall physical enhancement. She felt something simr herself, though it wasn¡¯t very obvious. After the hint from Wang Tao, she instantly felt that he was right. Chapter 176 - 110: Reaching 2000 HP_3 Chapter 176: Chapter 110: Reaching 2000 HP_3 Trantor: 549690339 Han Rui walked up the stairs in front, with Wang Tao following behind her; he did not n to take action. Though Han Rui¡¯s strength was not to be underestimated, while her overall power wasn¡¯t as strong as Wang Tao¡¯s, she was still a person with nearly a thousand HP ¨C dealing with these ordinary zombies wasn¡¯t difficult for her. Soon, after Han Rui killed three ordinary zombies, her HP officially reached 1000! At the same time, Han Rui suddenly felt sleepy. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­ I, I want to sleep¡­¡± Han Rui quickly turned her head to look at Wang Tao, her eyes revealing a hint of panic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s normal!¡± Wang Tao quickly came over to support Han Rui. In his mind, he contemted that it seemed not only he experienced drowsiness upon reaching 1000 HP, but others did as well. After hearing that it was normal from Wang Tao, Han Rui immediately rxed and then directly fell asleep on Wang Tao¡¯s body. Wang Tao ced her on the bed, then he closed all the doors and windows tightly. Approximately three hourster, Han Rui woke up at night. ¡°Water¡­¡± Han Rui was a bit thirsty; Wang Tao handed her the water. Glug, glug, glug, glug- After taking a big gulp, Han Rui felt much morefortable. She looked at Wang Tao beside her, and excitedly said: ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve be so much stronger! I even have the idea of casually taking on elite zombies¡­¡± Watching the excitement in Han Rui¡¯s eyes, Wang Tao somewhat speechlessly shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky. I¡¯m not even sure if I can beat all of the elite zombies!¡± ¡°Cough, I know. But I really want to test my strength¡­¡± Han Rui squeezed her fist, feeling that she was full of energy and needed to vent. Seeing this, Wang Tao immediately understood. Such exuberancemonly urred when merging with Crystal Cores and with an increase in HP. Now seeing Han Rui like this, Wang Tao suddenly grinned. ¡°Want to test your strength, huh? Alright, I¡¯ll apany you to try!¡± ¡°Ah? Great! I still don¡¯t know how strong you really are. Now that my strength has improved, I should qualify as your opponent, right?¡± II II Wang Tao shook his head. Even after improving, her physical fitness still wasn¡¯t up to par! The next day, morning. Han Rui was still in bed; I had to forcefully wake her up. After a simple breakfast with some nutrient solution, the two left the small motel and got in the car to head to the location of other elite zombies. Wang Tao turned on the walkie-talkie and contacted the Survivor Base. Inside the base, there had been no news of the kidnappers. Then Wang Tao contacted Xiang Hongbin. Xiang Hongbin first shared some good news with him ¨C after killing a few zombies and sleeping, Xiang Hongbin woke up to find his physical fitness had improved. He said he had never felt so powerful before. However, he remained cautious and didn¡¯t make ims like Han Rui did, about casually taking on elite zombies on his own. Xiang Hongbin was now leading a team to hunt zombies, leaving some people behind to keep an eye on the Survivor Base. So far, they had not found an opportunity to infiltrate. But he was almost certain that it was Shao Yong¡¯s base. Because he heard survivors departing from the base addressing the boss of the base as Boss Shao. Xiang Hongbin no longer held much hope for the survival of the two Hunter Teams. Now it was just a matter of proving whether these 14 hunters were there or not. If not, and it was a misunderstanding, there was no need to make an enemy. If they were, then it¡¯s time to make the other side taste the vor of justice¡¯s iron fist! Seeing that there was still no definite news, Wang Tao continued to take Han Rui with him to hunt zombies. They were lucky that day. Not only did they find elite zombies in thest two spots left by Xiang Hongbin but Wang Tao also encountered several elite zombies himself. However, the battles that day were much more dangerous. Especially in thest fight, two Attackers with 3000 HP appeared. Wang Tao thought there was only one Self-exploder and one Attacker. After finally killing this Attacker with Slime Grenades, another Attacker suddenly rushed over from a distance. Han Rui¡¯s Perception Ability had a range, and the Attacker¡¯s rushing distance could reach over thirty meters. Han Rui couldn¡¯t perceive it within that range, and by the time the Attacker charged in, it was toote. After all, the Attacker was too fast. Fortunately, Wang Tao reacted quickly; though he couldn¡¯t dodge, he activated his Thoughness Ability in time. He endured the Attacker¡¯s full force hit head-on. The defensive power of Thoughness was strong; facing a full hit from a 3000 HP Attacker, he only lost a little over 100 HP. Despite the pain, he wasn¡¯t seriously injured. The Attacker came to a halt, as it couldn¡¯t initiate a second Rush in a short time, naturally bing Wang Tao¡¯s target. After killing this Attacker, Wang Tao could now synthesize a Gold Rush Crystal Core! But there was no time for surprise, as Wang Tao suddenly noticed his HP had broken through to 2000! Today he had killed a total of 8 elite zombies, and with this Attacker included, his HP had increased by 400, reaching 2000! ¡°We need to find a safe ce to rest, quick!¡± Felling a wave of drowsiness oveing him, Wang Tao hurriedly got into the car. Han Rui did not dare to dy; after discerning the direction, she quickly drove towards a familiar location.. Chapter 177 - ill Please Do Me a Favor 1 Chapter 177: Chapter ill Please Do Me a Favor 1 Trantor: 549690339 | ¡ª ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± Wang Tao woke up in a daze, looking at the ceiling above him, feeling somewhat familiar. ¡°You finally woke up!¡± Han Rui¡¯s voice sounded from beside him. Wang Tao turned his head and saw not only Han Rui but also another woman with a familiar face. ¡°Li Qiuyu?¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Wang¡­¡± Li Qiuyu said with a smile. Only then did Wang Tao realize that Han Rui had taken him to Li Qiuyu¡¯s house. He politely said: ¡°I¡¯ve troubled Ms. Li.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all, Little Rui even helped me clear out the zombies around here!¡± Li Qiuyu tucked her hair. It had to be said, although Li Qiuyu was in her thirties or forties, she had not lost any of her charm from her younger days and was perhaps even more elegant now. Even a casual movement was filled with feminine allure. Especially now, she was wearing a white silk slip dress. The hazy temptation made one greatly desire to take a closer look. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but nce over several times until Han Rui stealthily pinched him, and then Wang Tao very naturally turned his head away. ¡°How long did I sleep?¡± ¡°About three hours¡­ It¡¯s now eight o¡¯clock in the evening.¡± Han Rui said, ncing at her watch. Wang Tao nodded. To sleep for three hours for every thousand HP? That¡¯s a pretty pitiful mechanism. If you are outdoors without teammates, that would be too dangerous¡­ Since Mr. Wang is awake now. I¡¯ll go to sleep first¡­¡± Li Qiuyu nodded to them, then left. After she was gone, Han Rui gave Wang Tao a re, but said nothing. Wang Tao wrapped his arm around Han Rui¡¯s slim waist and said with slight helplessness: ¡°You know, every time my strength increases, my whole body¡¯s energy bes extremely vigorous¡­¡± Afterward. Han Ruiy on Wang Tao¡¯s chest, quietly listening to his heartbeat. Wang Tao stroked her hair, but his thoughts were no longer on Han Rui¡¯s body. Instead, they were on his own body. After his HP had increased to two thousand, he felt that his physical fitness had greatly improved. Maybe by about 20%? Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure, but the feeling of improvement was intoxicating, and he really liked it. As for whether he could now fuse with a fourth type of Crystal Core¡­ Wang Tao felt like he might be able to! However, he still hadn¡¯t collected enough Self-healing Crystal Cores, so he had to wait a bit longer. Although Wang Tao had collected a few more Rush Crystal Cores and even fused with another Orange Epic Rush Crystal Core, he wasn¡¯t nning to use it yet. Because after his HP had increased to 2000, Wang Tao¡¯s Perception of his own body¡¯s condition had be much sharper. He could feel that he could only fuse with four types of Crystal Cores for now. He didn¡¯t know if it would increase in the future, but for now, he felt he could only fuse with four types. And since he had already fused with three types of Crystal Cores, he had to be more cautious with the fourth type. Wang Tao was quite satisfied with the first three Crystal Cores: a Shockwave that attacked a range, Toughness with super-strong Defense, and Precision Shooting that enhanced long-range Attack capabilities. Two attack Abilities, one life-saving Ability. If he added another Rush Ability, it would definitely enhance his Combat Power, but it would slightlyck in self-preservation. But if he acquired another Self-healing Crystal Core, it would be much safer. Surviving in the post-apocalyptic world isn¡¯t like ying a game; you only have one life, so it¡¯s better to be safe. Wang Tao pulled out an Orange Crystal Core and brought it to Han Rui¡¯s lips. ¡°Ah?¡± Han Rui was stunned for a moment before she quickly looked at Wang Tao. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± ¡°Mm¡ª¡± Wang Tao stuffed the Crystal Core into Han Rui¡¯s mouth. Han Rui¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°An Orange Rush Crystal Core? You¡­ you still have more? Why are you giving it to me again, don¡¯t you need it for yourself¡­¡± Han Rui had been with Wang Tao for the past few days, and she remembered that Wang Tao hadn¡¯t obtained any Orange Crystal Cores, right? And didn¡¯t Wang Tao say he would keep a Rush Crystal Core for his own use? Why give it to her then? Wang Tao looked at Han Rui¡¯s excited andplex gaze, and patted her buttocks. ¡°Just absorb it well.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Soon, Han Rui hadpleted the fusion, and her Mana reached ¡°300¡±. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Han Rui opened her eyes and looked at Wang Tao, full of gratitude. Since childhood, besides her parents and family, this was the first time she had met someone who treated her so well¡­ This was an Orange Crystal Core, and he just gave it to her like that, and not just one, but two! ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to repay you¡­¡± Han Rui sincerely thanked him. She had previously thought about how to repay Wang Tao, but before she could, Wang Tao had already given her so much more! As for sleeping with Wang Tao, Han Rui didn¡¯t consider that as repayment. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t that be like some sort of transaction? She thought of it as her own choice, with both of them getting what they wanted¡­ Looking at the affection in Han Rui¡¯s eyes, Wang Tao suddenly smiled. ¡°Wanna try calling me ¡®hubby¡¯?¡± Han Rui¡¯s face flushed instantly. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t!¡± True, her husband was worthless, but he was still at the base. If she called someone else ¡®hubby,¡¯ what would that look like¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t insist. He instead said: ¡°Then, calling me ¡®daddy¡¯ is also fine.¡± Han Rui bit Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder angrily, of course, not hard. Wang Tao didn¡¯t seem to mind as he grinned. His feelings for Han Rui¡­ To be honest, calling it love would be too fake; they had known each other for just a few days, and most of his attention was still focused on increasing his power¡­ He was simply coveting Han Rui¡¯s body. Actually, he didn¡¯t have deep feelings for Ding Yuqin either, since they hadn¡¯t met many times before the apocalypse, and afterward, they were just helping each other with loneliness he wasn¡¯t sure about Ding Yuqin¡¯s thoughts, but that was how he saw it. Chapter 178 - ill Please do Chapter 178: Chapter ill Please do Trantor: 549690339 me a favor 2 But regardless, since these two women were with Wang Tao, he would naturally prioritize them whenever he came across something good. Even if they were just like pets, there was still some affection involved. Take this Rush Crystal Core, for example; although it was precious, it was a waste for Wang Tao to hold onto it since he wouldn¡¯t use it himself. It was better to give it to Han Rui to enhance her strength a bit, and by extension help himself. Late at night, Han Rui, having regained some physical strength, was especially proactive, almost to the point that Wang Tao couldn¡¯t keep up. The next day, early morning. After Wang Tao and Han Rui got up, they simply had some nutrient fluid. Wang Tao also gave Li Qiuyu two bottles. ¡°Thank you. By the way, a group of people came to the residential area outside yesterday, and they took away the survivors from Building No. 2.¡± Li Qiuyu first thanked him and then quickly spoke as if she remembered something. ¡°Those were our people.¡± Wang Tao exined that when he had contacted the base the day before the people at the base said they had already sent someone to pick up Gao Hua and his group. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Li Qiuyu nodded. At this moment, Han Rui said: -Sister Qiu Yu, why don¡¯t youe with us to the base? It¡¯s not good for you to be here alone!¡± Although Li Qiuyu had rejected the idea many times, seeing her alone each time made Han Rui worry. She wanted Li Qiuyu to return to the base with her. ¡°Thank you, but¡­¡± Li Qiuyu still shook her head and didn¡¯t say much. Deep down, Han Rui silently sighed, then she said: ¡°Then we might trouble you these next few days, please bear with us.¡± The night before, Han Rui and Wang Tao had discussed it and decided to temporarily stay at Li Qiuyu¡¯s house, because while driving Wang Tao over Han Rui noticed some Elite Zombies in the vicinity. They nned to hunt Elite Zombies, so living here was ideal. ¡°No problem!¡± Li Qiuyu immediately agreed, after all, having witnessed Wang Tao and Han Rui¡¯s character, she was quite assured. After breakfast, Wang Tao contacted the base to check if there was any news about the kidnappers. There was still no news. He also tried to contact Xiang Hongbin, but their current location was a bit far from Xiang Hongbin¡¯s temporary safety zone, so there was no connection. Wang Tao asked the base, and they said Xiang Hongbin had already started sending people in, but the specifics were still unclear. Shaking his head, Wang Tao continued to hunt zombies that day. Han Rui had remembered the locations where she saw the Elite Zombies the day before, and they headed to those ces today. For the past two days, Wang Tao had felt unlucky. Either he didn¡¯t encounter any Elite Zombies, or if he did, they were mostly unsuitable for him. But today, Wang Tao found that his luck was extraordinarily good. The first encounter was with two Rioters at once! Since there were no Suicide Bombing Zombies, taking down the two of them was much easier. Wang Tao took out his hand crossbow and,bined with Han Rm¡¯s sniper crossbow, they shot the two Rioters dead in a few moments. The zombies didn¡¯te anywhere close to Wang Tao until their demise. ¡°Continue!¡± After collecting the loot, Wang Tao drove with Ding Yuqin to the next location. The day passed quickly, and by the time Wang Tao andpany returned to Li Qjuyu¡¯s vi, the corners of Wang Tao¡¯s mouth were practically splitting with ¡®What¡¯s got you so happy?¡± L1 Qiuyu asked curiously after seeing his mood. ¡°Got some Zombie Cores that I needed.¡± Wang Tao exined with a smile. ¡°Then congrattions!¡± Understanding that Zombie Cores could transform ordinary people into Ability Users and enhance the strength of Ability Users, Li Qiuyu congratted him sincerely. However, having no particr interest in the cores, she did not inquire further. After freshening up, Wang Tao didn¡¯t leave the bathroom but took out a Blueprint. [Rush Left Arm Blueprint (Forgeable)] This was dropped by one of the two Attackers he killed earlier. Wang Tao already had a right arm guard, and now he just needed a left one. Now with all the materials gathered, Wang Tao immediately started crafting. With a sh of light, the Rush Left Arm was forged. WangTao tried it on, and it felt simr to the right arm guard. It not only protected his arms but also enhanced his attack power. It was a nice piece of gear. After examining it, Wang Tao stored the arm guard in the Space Backpack and then directly took out two Orange Crystal Cores. These were two Epic Shockwave Crystal Cores! Out in the field today, Wang Tao killed a total of six Rioters zombies. His luck had been just too good! However, the quality of the dropped Crystal Cores wasn¡¯t great, with two white, two blue, and two purple. The two blue and two purple cores were naturally synthesized into two Epic Cores.??????????????????????? r For safety, Wang Tao swallowed one first. Gululu- His body felt warm andfortable. After waiting a moment and seeing that the blue bar had increased by too and there were no issues with his body, Wang Tao swallowed another Shockwave Core. Soon, Wang Tao¡¯s blue bar reached 800! Counting these two, Wang Tao had fused with six Shockwave Cores He didn¡¯t even know how strong his Shockwave ability was now since he avoided closebat when he could resolve fights with his hand crossbow. After all, sniping at a range felt pretty exhrating. The next day, the base still had no useful news, so the zombie hunting continued. Today¡¯s luck wasn¡¯t as good as yesterday¡¯s, with only two Rioters zombies hunted, but they encountered four Self-exploders and one Slime Zombie. With Self-exploders involved, they generally had to use Slime Grenades Fortunately, they encountered a Slime Zombie, allowing them to replenish their supply of hand grenades. Chapter 179 - 111 Please do me a favor_3 Chapter 179: Chapter 111 Please do me a favor_3 Trantor: 549690339 At night, when he returned to Li Qiuyu¡¯s vi, Wang Tao discovered two Elite Zombies surrounding the vi, they were Screamers and Stubborn! Seeing the Stubborn, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. He had only encountered a Stubborn once, and it felt like they were quite rare. This Screamer only had 1000 HP, its health was consistently low. However, to be safe, Wang Tao did not make a move himself but let Han Rui take it down with long-distance sniping. Whoosh¡ª An arrow shot out. The Screamer was instantly killed. Wang Tao asked Han Rui to retrieve the Screamer¡¯s Zombie Core while he charged directly at the Stubborn. The Stubborn were surely one of the least threatening zombies, with weak attack power and slow attack speed. Anyone capable of breaking its defense could grind it to death, of course, assuming no other zombies were around. Around this particr Stubborn, there was a group of Ordinary Zombies. Without dealing with these Ordinary Zombies first, the Stubborn could not be taken down. After running over, Wang Tao directly chopped at one of the Ordinary Zombies with his axe. Squish! [-1000] [-1000] [-1000] [¡­] A group of Ordinary Zombies was simultaneously killed by the Shockwave. Without even looking, Wang Tao immediately charged at the Stubborn. Bang! [-42] [3000/3000] With one strike of the axe, the Stubborn only lost a little over forty HP. ¡°¡­Progress!¡± Wang Tao could onlyfort himself like this. After all, thest time he attacked a Stubborn, one strike of the axe resulted in only around twenty HP loss. Now, it was over forty, the damage had doubled¡ªthat was quite a significant improvement! With no other zombies to interfere, Wang Tao could unleash his full strength. After a frenzied bout of chopping, the Stubborn was finally taken down with a headshot by Wang Tao. [-63] [0/3000] While prying out the Zombie Core, Wang Tao also collected the spoils of war. [Obtained: Stubborn chest armor Blueprint xi] [Obtained: Defense potion X2] Surprised by the loot, Wang Tao had not expected another Stubborn chest armor to drop. He already had one, so maybe he could give it to Han Rui. After all, she was always hunting zombies outside, and it was quite dangerous. After storing the loot, Wang Tao then looked at the Crystal Core dropped by the Stubborn. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¡ö Toughness] [Quality: Excellent (80¡ã/o)] [Purity: 50% (Side effects: darkening of the skin, body stiffening)] This was a Red crystal core, and Wang Tao happened to have a White Rank copper skin and iron bones. He could now synthesize an Orange Epic copper skin and iron bones! Wang Tao was a bit excited. He had merged the shockwave crystal core several times already, but Toughness and Precision Shooting had only been merged once; this was finally another opportunity to merge. After collecting the items, Wang Tao and Han Rui made another round around the vi to make sure there were no other zombies, then they returned to the vi. Li Qiuyu had been watching from the balcony and hurriedly opened the door when she saw theming. ¡°Thank you both!¡± By clearing the zombies around, Wang Tao was also helping her out. ¡°No need to thank us. We¡¯ll be troubling you for the next few days.¡± Han Rui said with a smile. ¡°Of course, no problem.¡± First nodding, Li Qiuyu then nced at Wang Tao and looked somewhat hesitant to speak. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Wang Tao asked, a bit curious. ¡°Ahem, seeing how powerful you guys are¡­ I¡¯d like to ask you a favor¡­¡± The scene of Wang Tao killing a swath of zombies with a single axe strike was still vivid in her mind. She always knew Ability Users were formidable, but this was the first time she felt their might so directly. So she wanted to ask Wang Tao for a favor. ¡°What favor?¡± Although the person asking was a beauty, Wang Tao was not about to agree carelessly. He disliked making promises lightly, because he took promises very seriously. Li Qiuyu¡¯s face showed a touch of sorrow. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can hold out, I¡­¡± Saying this, Li Qiuyu took off the ne hanging from her neck and handed it to Wang Tao. It was a very delicate heart-shaped ne. ¡°This was given to me by my daughter, Little Xue, on my birthday¡­ I¡¯d like to ask you, if you get the chance to see my daughter, please give her this ne and tell her I love her a lot¡­¡± Although Li Qiuyu had been steadfast in waiting for her daughter at home, she also understood the dangers of the apocalypse and was not clear on how much longer she could hold out. Moreover, she felt that even if her daughter was still alive, it would be improbable for her to see her for onest time¡­ ¡°Okay. If she¡¯s still alive, and I happen to encounter her¡­¡± Wang Tao took the ne which still retained a bit of warmth. He felt that the chances of Li Qiuyu¡¯s daughter still being alive were very slim. After all, the daughter was in the mountains, which might be even more dangerous than the cities¡­ But Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much, as this was Li Qiuyu¡¯s pir for survival; it wasn¡¯t for him to crush her spirits. ¡°I really can¡¯t thank you enough!¡± Li Qiuyu seemed immensely grateful as soon as Wang Tao agreed. ¡°You¡¯re being too polite.¡± After all, it wasn¡¯t like Wang Tao had to actively search for her daughter; such a simple task was no problem for him. ¡°Oh, my daughter¡¯s name is Jiang Shixue, and here is her picture¡­¡± It seemed something urred to Li Qiuyu, and she quickly fetched a photo from her room. The photo showed a youthful and lively beautiful girl in a JK uniform, with a slight resemnce to Li Qiuyu. ¡°Alright.¡± After resting one more night at Li Qiuyu¡¯s house, the next morning, Wang Tao continued to go out hunting zombies. That day, while Wang Tao was hunting zombies outside, he suddenly received a message from the base. ¡°Commissioner Wang! Commissioner Wei is looking for you, please return to the base as soon as you receive this message! ¡°Hmm? Okay!¡± There was a message from the base! Wang Tao immediately drove his vehicle towards the base.. Chapter 180 - 112: The Upper Limit of Fusing Chapter 180: Chapter 112: The Upper Limit of Fusing Single-Type Crystal Cores_l Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao notified Li Qiuyu through the walkie-talkie that he and Han Rui were heading back. After all, having stayed at Li Qiuyu¡¯s ce for a few days, it was only right to say goodbye before leaving. ¡°Be careful on the road¡­¡± After ending the call, Han Rui helplessly shook her head. ¡°What a stubborn woman indeed¡­¡± If Li Qiuyu hade back to the base with her, it would have been good. But staying here, she would either end up eaten by zombies or starve to death¡­ Thinking of such a beautiful woman perishing so tragically, Han Rui felt sorry for her. Wang Tao did not say anything. He did not like to meddle in other people¡¯s business, but if Li Qiuyu were to die, that would indeed be a shame, considering she was also many people¡¯s goddess. When they returned to Shuize Base, it was already five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Wang Tao looked at the date and suddenly realized that they had been outside for a week. ¡°You go rest first; I¡¯ll go to a meeting.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao did not even have time to change his clothes before he arrived, fully armed, at the top floor of theprehensive building. He was thest to arrive; the othermittee members were already present. After a week without seeing them, he could feel that something was different about thempared to before. Especially Xiang Hongbin, Lu Gang, and Feng Ming¡¯an¡ªeach of them had more than 1000 HP! Indeed, it takes external stimtion for everyone to feel more motivated to be stronger. And they had followed Wang Tao¡¯s advice to first kill ordinary zombies. Otherwise, if they relied solely on killing elite zombies, except for Xiang Hongbin, the others would not have reached 1000 HP so quickly. ¡°Wang Tao, how did your mission go?¡± Wei Zhenguo asked with a smile. ¡°Not bad!¡± Wang Tao pulled out a bag filled with Zombie Cores. Everyone¡¯s eyes lit up, but they did not rush to open it. Instead, they looked at Wei Zhenguo. Wei Zhenguo¡¯s expression turned solemn instantly. ¡°ording to the intel from our undercover agents, that underground mall is Shao Yong¡¯s Survivor Base. And the two Hunter Teams from our base have been captured by Shao Yong! However, the specifics are unknown, and we don¡¯t know if there have been any deaths yet. We only know that those people are locked up, and our people can¡¯t get close¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo briefly exined the situation. ¡°What do you suggest? Attack directly?¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, we have to consider the hunters. If we attack directly, they will definitely be killed¡­¡± Ren Jie said loudly. The presence of hostages made them hesitant to act rashly. After all, he had to consider the sentiments of the others in the base; if people saw that their own were captured and the base did nothing to rescue them, it could lead to a loss of morale and support¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s just get ready for battle for now. Since they haven¡¯t killed our people outright and have kept them, it means they are probably interested in negotiating. Let¡¯s see what they have to say, then figure out our strategy,¡± Wei Zhenguo was also somewhat helpless. These people were strange; one would have thought after capturing them, they would try to intimidate Shuize Base or negotiate. Yet a week had passed with no movement from them, leaving everyone in the dark about their intentions¡­ Without knowing the adversary¡¯s thoughts, there was no way to formte a targeted tactic, so all they could do was prepare to be ready for battle at any time. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s put the Hunter Team issue aside for now; it¡¯ll get handled eventually! Now let¡¯s talk about the Zombie Cores!¡± Xiang Hongbin also took out a bag, opened it, and revealed various colored Cores inside, although most were white. ¡°Hey? You¡¯ve also had a pretty good haul!¡± Wang Tao said, somewhat surprised. ¡°That I did!¡± Xiang Hongbin gave a proudugh before adding, ¡°But this is not just mine; it¡¯s the result of Lu Gang and I working together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still very good,¡± Feng Ming¡¯an said with a smile as he too took out a bag. This bag had fewer Cores, but they were more colorful. Seeing this, Xiang Hongbin, who had been rather pleased with himself, suddenly had his expression darken. The Cores Feng Ming¡¯an had obtained were clearly of higher quality than his! Then they all looked to Wang Tao. When Wang Tao opened his bag, revealing numerous Cores of various rich colors, everyone¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Damn! Did you raid an elite zombie¡¯s nest? Not only are the numbers impressive, but the quality is amazing too?¡± Xiang Hongbin was slightly unsettled. ¡°Haha, just lucky!¡± Wang Tao did not exin much. After all, he and Han Rui had been out for a week. With hisbat power, acquiring these Cores was not at all difficult. Plus, there were some he had not taken out yet. ¡°Wang Tao, you choose first; you¡¯re our topbat power,¡± Wei Zhenguo looked at Wang Tao. ¡°Sure!¡± Wang Tao did not stand on ceremony. After looking at the Cores in the two bags, he immediately picked out all the shockwave crystal cores and toughness crystal cores. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want others, but he had no use for them. Self-healing and Precision Shooting, he had seen none. It probably wasn¡¯t because they were deliberately kept from him, as among these people, only Feng Ming¡¯an was an Ability User until now; the others were still ordinary. ¡°These are enough for me.¡± Wang Tao took a total of six crystal cores, four shockwave and two toughness. ¡°Fine by us,¡± Everyone agreed. They let Feng Ming¡¯an choose next, and he took away all the Slime Spitter Crystal Cores.. Chapter 181 - 112: The Upper Limit of Fusing Chapter 181: Chapter 112: The Upper Limit of Fusing Single-Type Crystal Cores_2 Trantor: 549690339 He could only use this one. Seeing so many crystal cores here, yet unable to use them, he felt somewhat distressed. However, seeing that Wang Tao had so many Slime Spitter Crystal Cores, his spirits lifted. If he could sessfully fuse with all these crystal cores, his strength would certainly increase by a great margin! After Feng Ming¡¯an finished choosing, the remaining people did not pick but instead looked towards Wang Tao. ¡°Wang Tao, help us see which crystal cores are suitable for us to use!¡± Xiang Hongbin spoke, his face full of anticipation. In their eyes, Wang Tao was like a walking encyclopedia, especially when it came to fusing crystal cores; they definitely needed Wang Tao¡¯s approval for it to be reliable. ¡°Alright!¡± Wang Tao nodded and then, after observing Xiang Hongbin¡¯s and Wei Zhenguo¡¯s physiques, he said: ¡°I think you two should try using a Rush Crystal Core first.¡± The Rush Crystal Core was indeed powerful, capable of both escape and attack. This was fully demonstrated by Han Rui. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao wanting to wait for the Self-healing Crystal Core, he would have been ready to fuse with the Rush Crystal Core. If these two were to fuse with the Rush Crystal Core, they would probably be even stronger than Han Rui, given that their physical conditions were better. Physical strength should definitely give an advantage when ites to the Rush Ability. ¡°Alright!¡± Both nodded. In fact, Wang Tao thought the Shockwave Crystal Core also suited them, but since he needed it too, he couldn¡¯t be polite at this moment. He certainly had to take the crystal cores he needed first. ¡°As for Lu Gang¡­¡± Wang Tao thought for a moment and then took out a blue crystal core from his body. ¡°This is a Precise Shooting Crystal Core¡­¡± ¡°Precise Shooting?¡± Upon hearing the name, Lu Gang¡¯s eyes lit up. Although he didn¡¯t know its specific effects, the name alone sounded very suitable for him! However, Wang Tao¡¯s next words made him hesitant. ¡°The Precise Shooting Ability is very strong; during its active duration, your senses will be enhanced, and your shooting abilities will greatly improve. But¡ª its side effect is terrifying, it¡¯ll blind one of your eyes! This crystal core has a 40% sess rate, if you want it, I can give it to you.¡± Lu Gang was taken aback. Although he was a sniper, and while sniping he would open one eye and close the other, this didn¡¯t mean that he was willing to go blind in one eye¡­ ¡°I personally think it¡¯s too extreme as well. So I don¡¯t rmend it, but if you really want to use it, it¡¯s not impossible.¡± Yesterday, while hunting zombies with Han Rui, Wang Tao encountered another police zombie holding a gun. After solving it, he obtained a Precise Shooting Crystal Core. For Lu Gang, gaining the Precise Shooting Ability would indeed be a significant advantage. Unfortunately, Wang Tao only had this one Precise Shooting core at the moment, and no one else had any either, so he couldn¡¯t create a side-effect-free Epic Crystal Core. Therefore, Wang Tao himself was also not very supportive of it, but he still brought up the option. After hesitating for a while, Lu Gang finally smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t ept the loss of an eye as the price. Eyes are very important for a sniper; if I really went blind in one eye, my strength would definitely plummet! Even if abilities could greatly increase my skills, I cannot always rely on abilities. So I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth it¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing that Lu Gang was still quite rational, Wang Tao smiled and took the crystal core back. ¡°If you¡¯re not using Precise Shooting, then I think you could try fusing with a Sprint Crystal Core.¡± ¡°Sprint?¡± Lu Gang frowned. ¡°Yes, Sprint. Although the Sprint Crystal Core is inferior in all aspectspared to Rush, it¡¯s actually a very good mobility skill. And as a sniper, if you have this kind of short-range mobility skill, your survivability would be greatly enhanced! As long as you¡¯re alive, you can continue to deal damage!¡± Wang Tao exined. ¡°Hey? When you put it that way, it does make a lot of sense! Then I¡¯ll fuse with Sprint!¡± Lu Gang¡¯s eyes shone. His strengthy in long-rangebat; although his close-range skills weren¡¯t weak, why give up a strength for long-range fights? So he didn¡¯t desire closebat abilities. But as Wang Tao said, if it¡¯s not used as a closebat skill but as a life-saving skill, then it¡¯s quite suitable! ¡°As for Liu He, I think you could try fusing with a Stealth Crystal Core, this Stealth Crystal Core has an 8o% probability, it¡¯s pretty much guaranteed¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at Liu He and said. Liu He wasn¡¯t abatant, nor did he want to be one, so there was no need for him to fuse with abat-capable crystal core. The Stealth Ability was very good for survival. Although the side effect was to consume double the physical strength, he wouldn¡¯t be fighting, so the impact should be small. Of course, actually, he would be quite okay without fusion with any crystal core. Although he would not have any abilities, he would also not suffer from any side effects. Being an ordinary person was also quite fine. However, quite obviously, Liu He did not want to be an ordinary person. ¡°Good, I actually also wanted to fuse with Stealth!¡± Liu He was somewhat excited. As for Ren Jie, he had already fused with the Screaming Crystal Core, but he felt that he could still fuse with another type of crystal core. Wang Tao also rmended that he try fusing with a Stealth Crystal Core. However, Ren Jie was hesitant and said he would think about it; Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much more. He had only made a suggestion, and the specific decision was up to the individual. After everyone had decided on their fusion prospects, they immediately prepared to start. Combat could break out at any moment, and it was necessary to be ready as soon as possible.. Chapter 182 - 112: The Upper Limit of Fusing Chapter 182: Chapter 112: The Upper Limit of Fusing Single-Type Crystal Cores_3 Trantor: 549690339 | Wang Tao left first since they already had the experience of fusing with Feng Ming¡¯an and didn¡¯t need Wang Tao to look after them. When he got home, Ding Yuqin and Wang Tao embraced each other. ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Seeing Ding Yuqin¡¯s HP over 300, Wang Tao suddenly thought that maybe it was time to boost her level as well¡­ After all, the more HP Ding Yuqin had, the more she could add to Wang Tao¡¯s. Sister-inw, I¡¯ll take you out for some fun tomorrow,¡± Wang Tao said to Ding Yuqin. ¡°Huh?¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s mouth dropped open slightly, and after being stunned for a moment, she said with a pitiful look, ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re not going to make me kill zombies again, are you¡­¡± ¡°Sister-inw is so smart!¡± Wang Tao ruffled her hair. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s resolute expression, Ding Yuqin wisely chose not to speak. She knew that Wang Tao would definitely protect her, but she was still afraid. Of course, she also knew that Wang Tao meant well since killing zombies would make her stronger¡­ Ding Yuqin had already prepared dinner when Wang Tao tasted it and eximed, ¡°Home-cooked food really is the best!¡± In the past few days outside, he had been living on nutrient fluids every day and was almost sick of them. ¡°If it tastes good, eat more!¡± Ding Yuqin was very happy, as this proved that Wang Tao was satisfied with her cooking skills. After dinner, Wang Tao went to his room to fuse some Zombie Cores. During his time away, he had umted arge number of Crystal Cores, and he just got some more from Xiang Hongbin and the others, which was ¡¯ perfect for a round of fusions. Swipe¡ª A sh of light passed, and several Orange Crystal Cores appeared in his hand. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Shockwave x4] [Level 1 Crystal Core-Toughness xi] Looking at the five Orange Epic Crystal Cores, Wang Tao grinned. He was slightly short on Crystal Cores himself, but with what he got from Xiang Hongbin and the others, it was just enough to synthesize five useful cores for himself! Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to eat them all at once. Sticking to the routine, he ate them one by one, starting with a Toughness core. Wang Tao had fused a Toughness Crystal Core a couple of days ago, and another shockwave crystal core after that, and now his Mana had reached 1000. A momentter, a warm sensation spread through his body and his Mana increased by 100! ¡°Continue!¡± Wang Tao ate another shockwave crystal core. Mana +100, +100, +100¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Just as he put thest shockwave crystal core in his mouth, Wang Tao suddenly paused. Crystal Cores seemed like solids, but once eaten, they seemingly turned into gas immediately, quickly fusing into the whole body. However, this shockwave crystal core remained unchanged in his mouth¡­ ¡°Can¡¯t fuse anymore?¡± Wang Tao found it odd. He spat it out and tried again but still couldn¡¯t. His body showed no reaction. Wang Tao looked at his attributes, and under his HP bar on the Ability icon, the Shockwave symbol had a ¡°+io¡± sign, Toughness had a ¡°+3¡±, and Precision Shooting had no number at all. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t paid attention to this before. ¡°Could it be that one can only fuse a maximum of ten cores of the same type?¡± Wang Tao stroked his chin, murmuring. It must be this possibility, if he wanted to continue merging-perhaps he had reached the limit and couldn¡¯t merge anymore. Or maybe a Level Two Crystal Core was needed¡­ But no matter which was the case, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t continue to merge Shockwave now. He nced at his own attributes. HP [2650/2650] Mana [1400/1400] Wang Tao was quite satisfied with these attributes. This was the result of his frenzied hunting of Elite Zombies this week. The process wasn¡¯t smooth and he had encountered several crises. But no matter what, seeing his HP over two thousand and mana over one thousand, Wang Tao felt content. Then Wang Tao turned his attention to the Orange Shockwave Crystal Core in his hand. I can¡¯t use it myself, might as well give it to someone else¡­¡± He felt that Han Rui, Xiang Hong Bin, and Wei Zhen Guo were all quite suitable. He¡¯d look at their fusion situation tomorrow and then decide who to give it to. It so happened that Wang Tao was nning to go out tomorrow, so it was quite reasonable for him to have obtained an Orange Shockwave Crystal Core. Wang Tao didn¡¯t n to reveal his ability to synthesize Crystal Cores, not even to those closest to him. This included his ability to loot treasures from killing monsters, which he would keep to himself. He understood the adage ¡°The innocent man is free from suspicion, but the man who carries a jade must guard against attack¡± all too well. He was sure that if he revealed these abilities, he would never live in peace in this life. He would have to guard against not just zombies, but other survivors as well! Therefore, before taking out an Orange Crystal Core, Wang Tao would make some preparations to cover his tracks, trying his best not to let people think too much¡­ As for the other Crystal Cores in Wang Tao¡¯s space, unless necessary, he had no ns to synthesize them into orange ones. After all, he needed Crystal Cores to make Slime Grenades and such. Having merged four Crystal Cores at once, Wang Tao was a bit exhrated and had plenty of physical strength. After briefly taking a bath, he found Ding Yuqin already lying on the bed. However, Ding Yuqin was dressed, wearing a white professional suit paired with ck, red-bottomed high heels¡­ it was practically an attack-speed setup! Sister-inw, you really know me!¡± ¡°¡­Hmph~¡± Ding Yuqin snorted lightly, clearly unaware of what was to follow. The next day. Wang Tao woke up, but Ding Yuqin was still asleep. He was toozy to cook, so he guzzled down a few bottles of nutritional fluid, then headed to theplex building. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Just as he got out of the car, he heard a shout. Wang Tao turned around and saw a man wearing a refined suit, with gold-nmmed sses, hairbed back neatly, giving off a gentle and refined impression. ¡°You are¡­?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t recognize him at first. ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s me, Gao Hua!¡± said the man hurriedly, running over excitedly. ¡°Huh? Gao Hua?¡± Wang Tao was surprised, mainly because thest time he saw him, Gao Hua was dirty, had just killed someone, and was sttered with blood¡­ far from the well-dressed appearance before him. ¡°You¡¯re doing pretty good, kid!¡± ¡°It¡¯S all thanks to Big Brother¡¯s blessing! If there¡¯s anything Big Brother needs in the future, just give the order. I¡¯ll go through fire and water without hesitation!¡± Seeing the sincerity in Gao Hua¡¯s eyes, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if it was genuine but still gave Gao Hua¡¯s shoulder a friendly pat, smiling. ¡°Not bad!¡± Wang Tao nodded and then said, ¡°I have to go up for something now, let¡¯s talkter.¡± ¡°Wait a moment, Big Brother! I heard that some of our base¡¯s people have been captured? The person who captured them is someone named Shao Yong?¡± ¡°Yes, what about it?¡± This news wasn¡¯t a secret; once Wei Zhen Guo had confirmed who it was, he revealed it to the Hunters on a small scale to keep them alert when going out. ¡°Big Brother! I might know this Shao Yong! I can try to help you save them!¡± Chapter 183 - 113: Self-Recommendation, Leveling up with an Alternate Account_l Chapter 183: Chapter 113: Self-Rmendation, Leveling up with an Alternate ount_l Trantor: 549690339 I ¡°Oh? You know him?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. Is the world really that small? To run into an acquaintance here? ¡°Cough, I¡¯m not entirely sure, but I do know someone named Shao Yong. We had a business cooperation before, and he is from Shuize County. Unless there is someone with the same name, it should be the same person¡­¡± After thinking for a while, Wang Tao said: ¡°Alright,e with me.¡± ¡°Ah, okay!¡± Wang Tao took Gao Hua upstairs to themittee office door. ¡°Wait for me outside.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao entered alone. Inside the room, the othermittee members were present. Seeing their jubnt expressions, one could tell that their fusion must have been sessful. Upon closer inspection, Wang Tao was certain, for each person now had a blue stripe. ¡°Congrattions!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°Haha! Congrattions to us all!¡± Now that they had be Ability Users, the world felt somewhat different to them. ¡°Can you continue to fuse with Crystal Cores?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°I can!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± The members quickly responded. Apart from Liu He, Xiang Hongbin, Lu Gang, and Wei Zhen Guo were able to continue fusing. Adding to that, Ren Jie had already confirmed his ability to continue¡­ So now only Liu He and Feng Ming¡¯an were restricted to fusing with one type of Crystal Core. Liu He didn¡¯t really care since he wasn¡¯t abatant. But Feng Ming¡¯an was feeling a bit distressed, sensing that he had be the weakest among them¡­ ¡°As for the second Crystal Core, decide for yourself about the fusion. I¡¯ve already told you about the side effects, so just think it over carefully.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t offer any further suggestions; after all, they were now experienced. Then, the conversation shifted back to the situation at Shao Yong¡¯s Base. With more than a week passed, if there was still no action from Shao Yong¡¯s side, they had to make their move. After all, they owed an exnation to the other survivors in the base. At this point, Wang Tao suddenly said: ¡°Among the survivors I sent to rescue, one named Gao Hua ims to know Shao Yong.¡± ¡°Hmm? Knows him?¡± Ren Jie furrowed his brows. ¡°Yes, and not only does he know him, he has also expressed he can lead our people back.¡± ¡°Oh? Then I must hear his thoughts!¡± The members were curious to know what made Gao Hua so confident. Soon, Gao Hua was brought in. ¡°Greetings,mittee members!¡± Gao Hua quickly bowed deeply. ¡°Gao Hua, share your thoughts with us. Speak freely, without any reservations.¡± Wang Tao said to Gao Hua. ¡°This is the situation: I¡¯ve had business coborations with Shao Yong before, and I¡¯ve helped him a lot. We have a good rtionship! I believe I can go over and gauge his intentions first, to see what he¡¯s thinking. Then we can decide whether to persuade him or to take action to rescue our people¡­¡± After hearing Gao Hua¡¯s proposal, the members fell into a frown-filled contemtion. Wang Tao then asked Wei Zhen Guo to describe Shao Yong¡¯s appearance. Gao Hua nodded repeatedly after listening. ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± ¡°Okay, you can leave for now; we¡¯ll discuss this further.¡± Ren Jie said amiably. ¡°Yes.¡± After Gao Hua left the room, Wei Zhen Guo and the others exchanged thoughts. Rationally speaking, sending Gao Hua was a good idea; if he were sessful, it would be cause for celebration. If he failed, or even perished in the endeavor, the base wouldn¡¯t suffer any significant loss. With so many survivors at the base, they could afford to lose one Gao Hua. However, Gao Hua was someone Wang Tao had asked to rescue, so they needed his opinion. ¡°I have no objections. If you think he¡¯s capable, let him go. He himself wants to demonstrate his abilities and gain the base¡¯s attention,¡± Wang Tao said indifferently. ¡°Great! Let¡¯s let him try. We should prepare for both oues¡­¡± Wei Zhen Guo nodded. Then Wang Tao called Gao Hua back in and said to him: ¡°What do you need to prepare, or what kind of support do you require? Just ask.¡± Gao Hua¡¯s face lit up upon hearing this. ¡°I need some food, and someone to take me to Shao Yong¡¯s ce. After all, Ick the ability to get there on my own¡­¡± Ever since Gao Hua encountered Wang Tao, he had the thought of firmlytching onto Wang Tao¡¯s coattails. After arriving at Shuize Base, he discovered that Wang Tao was actually one of the seven leaders of the base! This made his desire totch on even stronger. But he also knew that he had no particr skills to showcase or hadn¡¯t yet demonstrated any, which made him an expendable character to these leaders. They might not even want him to hold on to them. Therefore, he had to show his capabilities and get the leaders to take note of him! The kidnapping of the base¡¯s survivors seemed like an opportunity, especially since the kidnapper was Shao Yong ¨C this made the chance even greater! Because he was quite familiar with Shao Yong, knowing his personality and preferences, he could cater to them! Even though Shao Yong was now an Ability User, he was still human, and these things were still useful! Of course, Gao Hua had more in mind than just forging a good rtionship with Shao Yong; when necessary, he was prepared to employ some special tactics¡­ ¡°Fine,e with me, I¡¯ll take you to get ready,¡± Ren Jie said as he led Gao Hua away, with Wang Tao following along. ¡°Are we starting the operation today? Is that okay?¡± Ren Jie asked, turning his head. ¡°No problem!¡± Gao Hua nodded repeatedly. Ren Jie organized a Hunter Team for Gao Hua¡¯s escort and equipped him with a walkie-talkie and some food. Chapter 184 - 113: Self-Recommendation, Leveling up with an Alternate Account ! Chapter 184: Chapter 113: Self-Rmendation, Leveling up with an Alternate ount ! Trantor: 549690339 As for clothes and such, Gao Hua naturally changed into a new set, managing to look both dirty and disheveled. Otherwise, his clean appearance wouldn¡¯t match the look of a refugee. After Gao Hua had finished preparing, Wang Tao called him out alone. ¡°Big brother, do you have any instructions for me?¡± In front of others, Gao Hua would call Wang Tao Commissioner Wang like everyone else, but in private, he would call him big brother. This not only brought them closer but also prevented any resentment. No matter who was older, Gao Hua recognized Wang Tao as his big brother! When Gao Hua saw Wang Tao calling him over alone, he thought Wang Tao had a special mission for him. Being a loyal subordinate, helping his big brother was naturally no problem. But to his surprise, Wang Tao pulled out several items and handed them over to him. ¡°This is a Stealth Potion¡­ this is a Slime Grenade¡­ this is a Weakness Potion¡­ this is a Running Potion¡­¡± Wang Tao gave Gao Hua several items in one go, also exining how to use them. ¡°This mission is very risky, these items might save your life, use them as you see fit. Remember, self-preservationes first.¡± Since Gao Hua had always considered himself Wang Tao¡¯s little brother, Wang Tao certainly had to look out for him. People clung to his coattails seeking protection, didn¡¯t they? These items might be expensive to others, but to Wang Tao, they were not particrly valuable, since he could continue to loot them from zombies. So, enhancing Gao Hua¡¯s ability to protect himself was eptable. If he really could rescue the hostages, even if all these items got used up, it would still be worth it. As for the origins of these items, there was no need for exnation; they were clearly high-tech products of the modern era, easily attributed to apocalyptic technology. After all, with the emergence of Ability Users in this apocalyptic world, the appearance of some ck tech was entirely reasonable. Just as Wang Tao had expected, upon receiving these items, Gao Hua didn¡¯t inquire about them, nor did he even consider asking. After all, the base had Inhibitors, so having some other technological products was quite reasonable too. ¡°Thank you, big brother!¡± Gao Hua was somewhat moved. He had thought Wang Tao was assigning him a mission, but didn¡¯t expect that Wang Tao was actually concerned about his safety! If beforeing to the base, he followed Wang Tao because of Wang Tao¡¯s formidable strength, and after arriving at the base, he was impressed by Wang Tao¡¯s status, now he truly felt that Wang Tao¡¯s character was also worth following! After all, these items clearly seemed very precious, and Wang Tao had just given them to him¡­ Gao Hua was touched, but he didn¡¯t say much. Real men didn¡¯t make empty talk; they proved themselves through actions! ¡°Give it your all, and if you manage to rescue those people, I¡¯ll promote you, making you a department head. Of course, just do your best, don¡¯t force it if it¡¯s not possible¡­¡± Whether sessful or not, a showdown between Shuize Base and Shao Yong¡¯s Base was inevitable. One mountain couldn¡¯t contain two tigers, especially since the other side had now provoked Shuize Base. Gao Hua was a smart man, and it would be a great pity if he just died like that. ¡°I understand!¡± Gao Hua nodded firmly and then followed the Hunter Team away from the base. After he left, Wang Tao drove back home. ¡°Sister-inw, get in the car.¡± Ding Yuqin had already prepared in advance, changing into clothes with some degree of protection. However,cking physical strength, she naturally couldn¡¯t wear the same heavy armor as Wang Tao. Seeing that Ding Yuqin was all right, Wang Tao prepared to leave the base with her in the car. But suddenly, at the gate, he saw Chen Zhuang. During Wang Tao¡¯sst collection of medical supplies, he had to shoot Chen Zhuang¡¯s fiancee, who had turned into a zombie. Chen Zhuang had been smiling ever since, insisting that it was fine and iming he never truly loved his fiancee¡ªappearing very nonchnt. But Wang Tao knew it was a forced smile, and afterwards, he hadn¡¯t seen Chen Zhuang very much. Wang Tao learned from others that Chen Zhuang had been staying inside his home, not venturing out, though he himself seemed all right. Wang Tao guessed that Chen Zhuang probably just needed some time alone and didn¡¯t press the matter. After all, Chen Zhuang was one of the few doctors at the base, and he had certain privileges. Even if he wasn¡¯t working, the base would still provide for him, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t pay too much attention afterwards. Unexpectedly, he saw him today and from his appearance, Chen Zhuang looked like he was about to leave. Could it be that he was nning to do something foolish? Chen Zhuang was not in his white coat today, dressed simrly to an average survivor, and was holding a sharpened steel pipe. Wang Tao pulled up beside Chen Zhuang and rolled down the window. Hearing the sound, Chen Zhuang turned around reflexively. ¡°Wang Tao?¡± There was no look of utter despair on Chen Zhuang¡¯s face, but sometimes those who seek death don¡¯t reveal it with their expressions. So Wang Tao asked directly, ¡°Where are you off to?¡± ¡°I¡­ want to go kill zombies!¡± Chen Zhuang said a bit sheepishly, scratching his head. ¡°A doctor like you, killing zombies?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. Chen Zhuang shook his head with a wry smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot these past few days. I feel like being a doctor won¡¯t save the world, but power definitely can. So, I¡¯ve decided to strengthen myself!¡± II II That was a reasonable thought; strength was indeed the foundation of everything. Unless one¡¯s medical skills were unmatched, and one feared no threats, entirely indispensable to others¡­ otherwise, even doctors had to serve the powerful. ¡°I¡¯m also going to kill zombies, want toe with me?¡± Wang Tao invited him. If Chen Zhuang refused, it was highly likely that he indeed had some problems.. Chapter 185 - 113: Self-Recommendation, Leveling Chapter 185: Chapter 113: Self-Rmendation, Leveling up with an Alternate ount_3 Trantor: 549690339 ) But Chen Zhuang¡¯s face lit up with delight. ¡°Great!¡± Chen Zhuang got in the back of the car and saw Ding Yuqin inside, he quickly nodded: ¡°Miss Ding, hello.¡± He didn¡¯t know what the rtionship between Ding Yuqin and Wang Tao really was, although they were living together, he often saw Wang Tao call Ding Yuqin sister-inw. So to avoid the embarrassment of calling her by the wrong title, he went with ¡°Miss Ding¡±. ¡°Hello to you too!¡± Ding Yuqin nodded with a smile. ¡°Wang Tao, are you guys going to¡­¡± Chen Zhuang was puzzled and didn¡¯t understand why Wang Tao was taking Ding Yuqin with him. ¡°Hunt zombies, just like I told you. She¡¯s the main one doing the killing; I¡¯m just in charge of her safety. But now that you¡¯re here, you can join us.¡± II II Chen Zhuang was surprised; it really was a zombie hunt! And it was Ding Yuqin who would be doing the hunting¡­ Ding Yuqin seemed to sense Chen Zhuang¡¯s questions and immediately raised her eyebrows, a touch of pride in her voice: ¡°Don¡¯t look at me as just a woman, I¡¯ve killed dozens of zombies!¡± ¡°Sss¨C¡± Chen Zhuang sucked in a breath of cold air. That was quite fierce! Then Chen Zhuang felt a bit ashamed; he hadn¡¯t killed a single zombie yet, and here he was, outdone by a woman, how embarrassing! Wang Tao was speechless. Ding Yuqin had killed dozens, but that was after he had brought them down to a sliver of HP for her to finish off. After Ding Yuqin had her moment of pride, she found it very amusing. However, feeling Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, she gave a ttering smile and then suddenly reached out towards Wang Tao s thigh. ¡°Sss¨C¡± Wang Tao immediately red at Ding Yuqin, who instantly withdrew her hand, pretending as if nothing had happened. ¡°This woman, needs a lesson!¡± Wang Tao decided that tonight he was going to thoroughly teach her a lesson when they got back! The car approached a square not far from the base. There were more than ten zombies there. Wang Tao nced over; they were all ordinary zombies with 1000 HP. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here; you two start with some practice. Gurgle- Looking at these zombies, Chen Zhuang swallowed. Why did he feel like these zombies looked even more ferocious¡­ Was it a bit rash for him toe out here alone? Ding Yuqin was also somewhat scared; the zombies she had killed in Happy Community hadn¡¯t been much different from people, not like these rotting, fiercely menacing ones¡­ ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can do this¡­¡± Unlike Chen Zhuang, who was toughing it out, Ding Yuqin directly clung to Wang Tao¡¯s arm, coquettishly. A woman has to learn to use her advantages. Wang Tao looked at the two of them but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°You two just wait, I¡¯ll go soften them up first.¡± Actually, this had been Wang Tao¡¯s intention all along, but he wanted to see how the two would fare inbat, to see if either could take on an ordinary zombie alone. Now it seemed Chen Zhuang was probably a long shot, and as for Ding Yuqin, it was downright impossible. Wang Tao walked over with his axe and swung it gently at the group of zombies. [-932] [-949] [-999] [-913] [¡­] With that light swing of his axe, all the zombies were knocked down by the shockwave and were left with just a sliver of HP. ¡°Phew, d I didn¡¯t kill them all¡­¡± Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried about killing all the zombies outright, thankfully, he had managed to control his strength quite well. As for the use of shockwaves, he wouldn¡¯t say he had perfected it, but at least he could now control the intensity. Chen Zhuang looked at all the zombies lying on the ground oozing ck blood, some with missing limbs, and he was somewhat taken aback. As for Ding Yuqin, she was much more acquainted with the task. She took out her spear, walked over and finished off the zombies one by one. ¡°¡­This works?¡± Chen Zhuang was surprised. Then he joined in happily. It was like Wang Tao, ying a high-level ount, had found a group of ordinary zombies. With one swing of his axe, he incapacitated them all, then let Ding Yuqin and Chen Zhuang finish them off. They had been out since morning, and by the time they returned to the base in the afternoon, Wang Tao had incapacitated over a hundred ordinary zombies. It wasn¡¯t that he could only incapacitate that many, but that Chen Zhuang s and Ding Yuqin¡¯s speed weren¡¯t very fast. After all, finishing off the zombies was quite exhausting in itself. As for the result, Wang Tao was quite satisfied. Ding Yuqin had only had a little over 300 HP before, and now she was up to 1000 HP. Likewise, Chen Zhuang was at 1000 HP as well. Wang Tao had always regarded Chen Zhuang as a friend and was relieved to see him reach woo HP. It must be said, with the increase in zombie HP, the speed at which killing zombies increased one¡¯s own HP also got much faster. Otherwise, it would have probably taken another day to get the two of them to 1000 HP. Although the iooo HP of both were forcibly increased, and they had virtually nobat experience, gainingbat experience was something that could be learned gradually and wasn¡¯t urgent. The priority was to increase their HP first. Now they were both asleep in the car. After Wang Tao got back to the base, he had someone take Chen Zhuang home, and he took Ding Yuqin to her house. Then he took another trip to theprehensive building and told Wei Zhenguo that he had obtained an Orange Shockwave Crystal Core and asked who wanted it. Wang Tao still decided to give the Orange Shockwave Crystal Core to Wei Zhenguo¡¯s team. Although Han Rui could also use it, she currently focused on long-range shooting, and she quite liked thisbat style. As for rushing, that was her trump card, not to be used lightly. So, Wang Tao felt that Wei Zhenguo and his team were more suitable for the shockwave. As for Han Rui, he would find another Crystal Core for herter on. Wei Zhenguo was quite shocked when he saw the crystal core. ¡°Goodness, you¡¯re really lucky! We¡¯ve nevere across an Orange Crystal Core, and you¡¯ve found several already. I¡¯m really envious! But why don¡¯t you use it yourself?¡± ¡°Haha, maybe I¡¯m just the chosen one!¡± Wang Taoughed and then exined, ¡°I¡¯m not using it because I¡¯ve found that a person can only merge with 10 crystal cores of the same type. Any more than that, and you can¡¯t merge with them.¡± ¡°Ah? You¡¯ve already merged with 10? Impressive! But the limit of 10 is important news!¡± Wei Zhenguo was somewhat surprised, then nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll call them all over to discuss who should use this crystal core.¡± ¡°Alright. You guys discuss it. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± That night, Ding Yuqin woke up in a daze. True to his word, Wang Tao gave Ding Yuqin a severe lesson. Afterward, he frowned and thought, maybe it was time to get his sister-inw an ability, preferably one that could save her life. If he could get one that was also beneficial to himself, that would be even better¡­. Chapter 186 - 114 Gao Hua’s Method of Rescue_1 Chapter 186: Chapter 114 Gao Hua¡¯s Method of Rescue_1 Trantor: 549690339 | Wang Tao felt that the Stealth Ability was pretty good-a strong life-saving ability. It seemed quite suitable for Ding Yuqin as well. However, he didn¡¯t have enough Stealth Crystal Cores at hand to fuse an Epic Crystal Core, so he would have to wait until he had enough. And who knows, maybeter on he woulde across an ability that could heal hispanions¡­ The next day, early morning. After finishing the lovingly prepared breakfast by Ding Yuqin, Wang Tao headed to theprehensive building. ¡°Is there any news about Gao Hua?¡± ¡°No, Commissioner, not at the moment.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see.¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t surprised. This was just a routine inquiry. After all, one day was too short, and it was normal for Gao Hua not to havepleted the task. Then, Wang Tao went to ask Wei Zhen Guo who had received the Shockwave Ability. ¡°It went to Old Xiang. He should be the second strongest person in our base after you, so it¡¯s perfect for him,¡± Wei Zhen Guo said with a smile. The Shockwave Crystal Core was suitable for only two people- him and Xiang Hongbin. He actually wanted it for himself, but considering thebat power, Xiang Hongbin was the second strongest in the base. He would use the Shockwave Crystal Core more effectively. So, Wei Zhen Guo gave the Orange Crystal Core to Xiang Hongbin. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s indeed very fitting for him.¡± Wang Tao started to look forward to Xiang Hongbin¡¯s Rushbined with the Shockwave Ability. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°As soon as he woke up this morning, he couldn¡¯t wait a second longer and is now outside testing his abilities!¡± Wei Zhen Guo said somewhat helplessly. ¡°Haha! I can understand.¡± Wang Taoughed loudly. Then he added: ¡°By the way, how are your injuries?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it, after fusing with the Crystal Core, I feel like my injuries have healed a lot. There are no major issues now. I n to finish some things this morning and then go out to hunt zombies and test it out!¡± Wei Zhen Guo said somewhat excitedly. The first time Wang Tao met Wei Zhen Guo, he had over six hundred HP, and now he still had over six hundred HP, because he had not gone out recently. After all, he had been seriously injured by a Rushing zombie before. But after resting for such a long time and then fusing with a Crystal Core, his injuries had healed a lot, and there weren¡¯t any major problems anymore. ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°Sigh, I need to quickly increase my strength. I used to think I was just a little behind Xiang Hongbin, but now I am no match for him¡­¡± Wei Zhen Guo said rather helplessly. Wang Tao smiled and said nothing. Previously, Wei Zhen Guo had over six hundred HP and Xiang Hongbin had over eight hundred. The difference between the two wasn¡¯t much. Now Wei Zhen Guo still had over six hundred HP, but Xiang Hongbin had over a thousand. The gap had widened substantially. It was normal for Wei Zhen Guo not to be a match for Xiang Hongbin. After exchanging a few more words, Wang Tao prepared to leave. But before he could descend the stairs, he saw someone running up in a hurry. ¡°Commissioner Wang, Commissioner Wei! There¡¯s news from Gao Hua! He says he has brought out the people and is requesting backup!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Tao and Wei Zhen Guo looked at each other, disbelief in their eyes. It had only been one day, and he had brought people out already? Keep in mind that the individuals who infiltrated before had taken several days just to gather information! Even Wang Tao began to suspect whether Gao Hua had defected to the enemy, tempting them for a rescue that was actually a trap¡­ ¡°Send someone! No¡ª I¡¯ll go myself!¡± Wei Zhen Guo was somewhat excited. Although he didn¡¯t understand how Gao Hua did it, the fact that he could bring people back was good. However, Wei Zhen Guo also suspected that Gao Hua might have defected, so he decided to go personally. With his extensive experience, he could retreat immediately if something was amiss. ¡°I¡¯m going too!¡± Wang Tao wanted to see how Gao Hua managed to get people out. He nned to bring Han Rui along, as her Perception Ability was a great asset against any ambushes or traps they might face. ¡°Okay!¡± Wei Zhen Guo immediately prepared the cars, and Wang Tao went downstairs to call Han Rui. Hearing the news that Gao Hua had gotten the people out, Han Rui was also quite shocked. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go too!¡± A momentter, four fully armed vehicles left the base. ¡°Are we safe here¡­¡± A young man covered in bruises gritted his teeth and spoke. ¡°Rest assured! This is one of our base¡¯s temporary strongholds, very safe!¡± Gao Hua wiped his gold-rimmed sses with a rag, then turned back to them and continued. ¡°Everyone stay inside, don¡¯t make noise, just wait here for the rescue.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone nodded, then quietly sat together without speaking. Watching these people, Gao Hua felt very satisfied in his heart. Those brave enough to be Hunters were different from ordinary people. Regardless of individual ability, at least they had strong mental fortitude and followedmands. Not like his previous stupid teammates who would panic at the slightest issue,cking ability yet full of ideas, never followingmands¡­ ¡°Thank you very much, Mr. Gao. If it wasn¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t know how much longer we could have survived¡­¡± a man said in a low voice. ¡°No need to thank me. The base values you all greatly. When they learned you were kidnapped, they immediately started to n a rescue. When some information about you was found, Commissioner Wang Tao especially rmended me toe and save you¡­ Gao Hua didn¡¯t take any credit for himself, pushing it all to the base and Wang Tao. ¡°It¡¯s good that we joined a good base, that we met goodmissioners!¡± Several people said with a sigh, their eyes somewhat red. Chapter 187 - 114 Gao Hua’s Method of Rescue_2 Chapter 187: Chapter 114 Gao Hua¡¯s Method of Rescue_2 Trantor: 549690339 | ¡°What a pity, Little Ting and the others can¡¯t see this¡­¡± Someone murmured to themselves. Upon hearing these words, everyone suddenly fell silent. Gao Hua shook his head. He could only save the living; there was nothing he could do for the dead. Gao Hua took out some food, shared it with these few people, and then began to wait in silence. At a certain moment, Gao Hua felt there was some movement on the street¡ªseveral cars appeared in his field of vision. The other survivors also hurried to lie down and watch from the windows. Gao Hua immediately recognized Wang Tao¡¯s car and quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie. ¡°This is Gao Hua, have you arrived?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, get ready toe out. There¡¯s no danger around.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie. Hearing that voice, the rescued people could no longer contain themselves and all burst into tears of joy. Gao Hua was also somewhat excited; he didn¡¯t expect Wang Tao toe personally! Soon, all four cars stopped downstairs. Gao Hua and the others were already waiting at the door. As soon as the cars opened their doors, they hurried into the vehicles. The convoy immediately turned around and headed back the way they hade. In the electric off-road vehicle, Wei Zhenguo drove while Han Rui sat in the passenger seat. Wang Tao was in the back seat, with Gao Hua, who had just boarded, beside him. Wang Tao was seated in the back, naturally ready to get out and fight at any moment. Fortunately, the journey was smooth; they didn¡¯t encounter arge number of zombies and didn¡¯t run into any people from Shao Yong¡¯s Base. ¡°Commissioner Wang, Commissioner Wei! I¡¯m sorry, I only brought back 4 people¡­¡± Gao Hua hung his head, looking as if he was admitting a mistake. Wang Tao patted his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve already done very well! Are the rest already gone?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ they died horribly!¡± Gao Hua took a deep breath, recalling the horrific ways those people had died; he, a sociopath, even thought it was twisted¡­ ¡°What exactly happened? How did you rescue them? Tell us everything!¡± Wei Zhenguo took a deep breath, his face looking quite unpleasant. Though he had anticipated deaths, when faced with the reality, he was still struggling to ept it. Fourteen survivors, and now only four returned, ten dead! He had specifically prepared four cars for today¡­ ¡°Alright¡­¡± Gao Hua nodded and then began to recount the events. ¡°The Hunter Team was previously trapped in a building but was identally discovered by people from Shao Yong¡¯s Base. The people from Shao Yong¡¯s Base were too many and armed. They couldn¡¯t escape and were captured.¡± ¡°At that time, the Hunter Team didn¡¯t know who the others were, so when asked to identify themselves, they naturally disclosed they were from Shuize Base. But they didn¡¯t expect that this would be the beginning of a nightmare¡­¡± ¡°The people from Shao Yong¡¯s Base bound them all and took them back to their base. Then, the inhuman torture began¡­ I won¡¯t even detail the various forms of torture, but in Shao Yong¡¯s Base, a cage was specially constructed to force humans to fight against zombies!¡± ¡°The members of the Hunter Team were put into that cage! Just in those fights alone, four people died, and two died from the torture beforehand¡­ As for the remaining four, all women, they suffered even worse fates¡­¡± At Shuize Base, female hunters are rtively rare, but they do exist. Each female hunter is cherished as a treasure in their respective teams¡ªthis has nothing to do with their looks; it¡¯s about respecting such courageous women. ¡°They were vited by many means, tortured by countless people, and even locked up with drugged dogs¡­ In just these few days, they were no longer recognizable as human, but they weren¡¯t actually dead because they couldn¡¯t even manage that¡­¡± ¡°When I went to rescue them, their limbs had been chopped off, and they were turned into dolls¡­ They begged me to kill them¡ªthough they had no tongues and couldn¡¯t speak, I could see the plea for death in their eyes, so¡­ I killed them.¡± Gao Hua ruffled his hair. He was also a hardened killer, who didn¡¯t even blink when he killed the olddy and her grandson. But now, recalling the tragic state of those women, he felt a profound heaviness in his heart. ¡°The reason why there are four members of the Hunter Team still alive is that they were next in line to be put in the cage with the zombies, and their turn hadn¡¯te yet¡­¡± ¡°What I¡¯ve told you is the situation on the third sub-level of that underground mall. Only core members can ess the third sub-level; ordinary people can¡¯t get in¡­¡± Bang! Wei Zhenguo punched the car door with a face full of murderous intent. ¡°They¡¯re looking for death, to torture my people like that!¡± Just hearing Gao Hua¡¯s description, he could feel the cruelty and despair, let alone the actual sufferers¡­ Han Rui¡¯s face turned pale. She had been a policewoman for many years and seen many heinous crimes, but this was the closest and most rtable to her. She didn¡¯t dare to imagine what it would be like if she were captured¡­ Wang Tao¡¯s face was expressionless, but his pupils were filled with raging fury. Shao Yong¡¯s Base and everyone inside who had participated were condemned to death in his mind. ¡°No wonder they didn¡¯t contact us again after capturing the Hunter Team. They never had any intention to negotiate; they just wanted to torture our base members to death!¡± Wei Zhenguo closed his eyes. But at that moment, Gao Hua suddenly said: ¡°No, maybe that¡¯s not it. Shao Yong and his people actually wanted a ransom¡­.¡± Chapter 188 - 114 Gao Hua’s Chapter 188: Chapter 114 Gao Hua¡¯s Trantor: 549690339 Method of Rescue_3 ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± Wang Tao frowned and nced at Gao Hua. ¡°Because several of Shao Yong¡¯s core members got trapped a few days ago! And the walkie-talkie that connects to our base was on one of his men. Our walkie-talkies are military grade, and other walkie-talkies can¡¯t reach our base, so that¡¯s why there¡¯s been no news¡­ Oh right, Shao Yong also got trapped. He went out this morning, and an hourter, one of his men came back in a panic, saying that the boss was trapped and needed reinforcements. But I¡¯m not clear on the specifics¡­¡± Gao Hua quickly exined. ¡°Shao Yong got trapped? Where?¡± Wei Zhenguo opened his eyes wide, asking eagerly and excitedly. As long as he knew the enemy¡¯s location, he would definitely kick them while they were down! ¡°Trapped in our county¡¯s First Hospital¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo opened his mouth. Forget about his previous thought, as if he never said it. The First Hospital, what was that! It was probably the most dangerous ce in Shuize County now! Elite Zombies had already appeared there even before they became amon sight elsewhere. He had already lost men in that ce¡­ And now that there were more Elite Zombies on the streets and the ordinary ones had also gotten stronger, one could only imagine how strong the zombies in the First Hospital must be! It was unthinkable! That ce didn¡¯t need someone to kick it while it was down; Shao Yong would probably not be able to hold on for long. ¡°The First Hospital¡­¡± Wang Tao, however, furrowed his brows. Chen Zhuang had previously warned him that there were many Elite Zombies in the First Hospital and he must not go there. He had thought before that if he had the chance, he would definitely visit the hospital since there were so many Elite Zombies, which meant Crystal Cores and loot! Now that Shao Yong and others were inside, that was another reason he couldn¡¯t ignore. Because for his enemies, Wang Tao had to see their dead bodies or witness their deaths with his own eyes to feel at ease! Now it all depended on themittee¡¯s decision. If they decided to retaliate against Shao Yong¡¯s Base now, then he would postpone his n for a while If they decided not to retaliate for the time being, then he had to visit the hospital no matter what. If the hospital really was that dangerous, then he would just scout around outside and not go in. ¡°By the way, what was your situation inside? How did you escape today¡¯ Your speed was too fast. If 1 didn¡¯t trust your character, I¡¯d suspect that you were turned!¡± Wang Tao shook his head with curiosity. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Gao Hua was filled with emotion. It turns out his efforts were rewarded! By openly expressing such suspicions, it meant that Wang Tao did not doubt him. If he really harbored suspicions, he would never have said it out loud. ¡°I know Shao Yong, and our rtionship used to be quite good. So when I went to join him, he entertained me immediately after he found out.¡± ¡°However, he¡¯s not the same as before. He used to be somewhat arrogant but Still very sunny and decent in his dealings with people. But now¡­ he¡¯s very irritable, scheming, and extremely proud, looking down on everyone. And he is particrly keen on matters of men and women; he has over twenty women in the base, as well as many female ves¡­¡± ¡°Of course, none of that affects me for the moment. I talked about our past cooperation, gradually closed the distance with him, and initially gained his trust. Then he brought me to his core area, the third sub-level.¡± ¡°The situation on the third sub-level that I mentioned earlier was seen during that time. Then while he was torturing his female ves, I took the chance to contact the Hunter Team members as his ¡®brother¡¯ in the third sub-level¡­¡± ¡°Because I spent the whole day with Shao Yong touring his base, a lot of people saw me, and they¡¯d never seen Shao Yong treat someone so importantly, so they didn¡¯t doubt my ¡®brother¡¯ identity. Of course, I didn¡¯t do anything. I just wanted to visit these ¡®ves¡¯ and naturally, they didn¡¯t stop me¡­¡± ¡°I learned some information from the Hunter Team members, confirmed that there were a few people left, then I started nning the rescue -1 didn¡¯t expect to seed today, but little did I know Shao Yong would be trapped, and hisbat-capable men would go rescue him. The underground mall was short-staffed, and I saw it as a good opportunity!¡± ¡°So, I created a huge mess for them to deal with, and while they were too busy to care, I ran out with the few surviving members of the Hunter Team. The moment we got out, I contacted you. I didn¡¯t dare to make contact while I was inside the base, fearing it would expose me¡­¡± Listening to Gao Hua speak, Han Rui suddenly asked: ¡°What kind of chaos did you create? Not only did it allow you to escape in the confusion, but it also kept them too busy to chase after you?¡± Han Rui was very attentive; she noticed that along the way, she hadn¡¯t seen any other survivors. Logically speaking, if Gao Hua had managed to escape with his people, they should have been noticed, and the other side should have sent someone to pursue them, right? Could it be that they were short on manpower? Or was the chaos so great that they didn¡¯t even realize Gao Hua had fled? Gao Hua nced at Wang Tao before speaking quietly with his head slightly lowered: ¡°I¡­ I lured arge group of zombies into the underground mall.¡± Wang Tao and the other two were somewhat shocked as they looked at Gao Hua. This chaos¡­ was indeed massive! No, it was no longer a question of how big it was; this was essentially setting the pace for the annihtion of the entire underground mall base! The zombie virus was infectious; if even one person in the base got infected, it could potentially lead to arge outbreak! He had drawn arge group of zombies into the base, infecting many, and then those people went on to infect others, and the cycle continued¡­ The thought of it was unimaginable! ¡°This is an opportunity!¡± Wei Zhenguo suddenly dered. -Indeed, it is an opportunity! Should we call in the troops? Go and have a look at the underground mall?¡± Wang Tao looked at Wei Zhenguo. ¡°Exactly what I had in mind!¡± After the vehicle returned to the base, Wei Zhenguo immediately went to call in the troops, and Han Rui also prepared to go out. Only Wang Tao and Gao Hua were left in the car. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to rest for a while?¡± Wang Tao turned his head and asked. ¡°Thanks for the concern, but it¡¯s not necessary for me. I actually didn¡¯t expend much energy¡­¡± First, Gao Hua thanked Wang Tao, then he said in a low voice: Big brother, actually, I¡¯ve kept some things from you¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. ¡°The reason Shao Yong got trapped is probably because I poured an entire bottle of Weakness Potion into his water bottle¡­¡± II II Well done, that¡¯s quite an achievement! ¡°Actually, before I lured the zombies in, there was already a zombie crisis inside the base-I didn¡¯t directly kill those four poor Female Hunters. After exining the situation to them, I smeared them with zombie blood that I had prepared in advance. That got those core members who went to toy with them in the morning infected with the zombie virus¡­ and then chaos broke out internally! Only then was I able to take the opportunity to draw in the outside zombies for a pincer attack from the inside and outside¡­¡± Chapter 189 - 115 Underground Level Minus Three Parti Chapter 189: Chapter 115 Underground Level Minus Three Parti Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao looked at Gao Hua with a strange expression. Originally, when he heard that Gao Hua had lured zombies into the enemy¡¯s base, Wang Tao thought he was ruthless enough. But he had not expected that before leading the zombies in, Gao Hua had also incited chaos within, and the reason for the chaos was because he had smeared zombie blood on those poor women¡­ To be honest, if Wang Tao had to do it himself, he felt he could at most lead the zombies in, and even that would put him under certain psychological pressure, after all, no one is born evil, and there definitely are innocent survivors inside the base¡­ As for using those women¡¯s bodies toy poison, Wang Tao might not even consider that step. Yet Gao Hua did it, and he seeded. Emotionally speaking, it wasn¡¯t very nice to do so. Those women had already been tortured to that extent, and yet he still treated them that way¡­ But rationally, this was indeed an appropriate method. Anyway, those women also wanted to die, so letting them y a role before passing away can be considered a worthy death¡­ ¡°Big brother, I didn¡¯t mean to deceive you, it¡¯s just that there were too many people just now¡­¡± With more people, there are more considerations. Gao Hua wasn¡¯t sure if his actions would offend others, so he hadn¡¯t dared to speak up. However, he didn¡¯t want to deceive Wang Tao either, so he told Wang Tao privately. Wang Tao looked at him deeply, then said: ¡°Who else knows about these things?¡± ¡°Only I know¡­¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t bring it up again.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Gao Hua¡¯s face lit up with joy. He just wanted to cling to Wang Tao¡¯s coattails. As long as Wang Tao didn¡¯t despise him, he didn¡¯t care about anything else. ¡°Are you also going with uster?¡± Wang Tao asked again. ¡°Yes, I want to go take a look¡­¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much more. Soon enough, quite a few people had assembled inside the base, and Xiang Hongbin and the others had also returned. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± The base¡¯s gate opened, and several vehicles rushed out. In the electric off-road vehicle, Gao Hua was driving. Wang Tao and Han Rui sat in the back. Gao Hua was somewhat excited. He naturally hated zombies to the core, and he didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity for mass zombie killing, even if it was just to watch¡ªit was because he felt that there probably weren¡¯t many living people left in the underground mall. Wang Tao said to Han Rui: ¡°I estimate that the underground mall is now all zombies. When you see peopleter, you don¡¯t need to hold back.¡± His thoughts were simr to Gao Hua¡¯s. If it was just luring zombies in from the outside, with proper defense, there would still be some survivors, but if the inside had already turned to chaos, then this base was basically finished. Especially since it was an underground base with several entrances sealed off, and there was no way to escape¡­ ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui nodded. The convoy encountered some zombies on the road, but they were quickly taken care of. As for encountering elite zombies or the like, everyone was too busy to bother with them. Taking down the underground shopping mall was the most important task. Still, it took them quite a while to reach the underground mall since they had to dodgerge swarms of zombies on the road and couldn¡¯t go too fast. The vehicles stopped not far from one of the entrances to the underground mall, and seeing the entrance wide open with zombies inside, everyone shook their heads. This underground mall base was essentially done for. Wang Tao and Han Rui got out of the car, and after a moment of hesitation, Gao Hua quickly followed. With so many people around, he felt his safety should still be ensured. ¡°Some of you stay outside to keep watch, the rest follow me in!¡± Wei Zhenguo, holding a military shield in one hand and a firefighter axe in the other, walked at the forefront. Xiang Hongbin, with simr equipment, was half a step behind him. Wang Tao and Han Rui followed behind Xiang Hongbin, with Gao Hua right behind Wang Tao. Wang Tao turned his head to look at him: ¡°Be careful on your own.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Lu Gang hadn¡¯te; he and a few others had climbed to the top of the mall earlier. They were responsible for observing the surroundings, monitoring the zombies, as well as watching to see if Shao Yong and his men would suddenly return, although they were trapped, it wasn¡¯t impossible for them to escape. Feng Ming¡¯an did not go inside either. His Slime Spitter Ability was suitable for sneak attacks, but not very fitting for frontalbat. After all, he couldn¡¯t spit far, and a single spit would leave his stomach upset for a while, greatly affecting thebat rhythm. It was better for him to keep watch outside. So the current Ability Users participating in the battle included Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, Wang Tao, and Han Rui. The four Ability Users led the others into the underground mall. The underground mall wasn¡¯t as dim as Wang Tao had imagined. There were skylights overhead, and with arge generator, the area was slightly dark but still visible. Seeing the fierce-looking zombies among them, mixed with a few ¡°prettier¡± looking zombies, Wei Zhenguo took a deep breath. ¡°Rush!¡± He mentally prepared himself. A faint light shield appeared around him and then he pushed off with his right foot, charging towards the group of ordinary zombies. Bang! The zombies he hit were either smashed to pieces or sent flying. He inflicted arge number of deaths and injuries in an instant! Gao Hua, watching this scene from not far away, widened his eyes in astonishment. He was aware of the existence of Ability Users; after all, there were rumors in the base that severalmittee members were Ability Users. Shao Yong and several of his subordinates were also Ability Users. Chapter 190 - 115 Underground Level Minus Three Part 2 Chapter 190: Chapter 115 Underground Level Minus Three Part 2 Trantor: 549690339 But it was his first time witnessing an Ability User in action. Wei Zhenguo was like a raging bull, directly sending over ten zombies flying and even shattering them! And here these ordinary people had to use every trick in the book to kill a single zombie, and it could still go south¡­ The gap was just too damn huge! He wanted to be an Ability User too! At that moment, Xiang Hongbin also rushed forth. Likewise, with a charge, he mmed into the zombies blocking his path, killing over ten. However, after rushing through, Xiang Hongbin swung his axe as well. In an instant, a faintly colored Shockwave spread out from him in all directions, immediately ughtering several more zombies. ¡°Two abilities!¡± Not only Gao Hua, but the other soldiers were also amazed by this scene. They knew their officer was an Ability User, but they had no idea he had two abilities. Gao Hua nced at the two men wreaking havoc, then at Wang Tao. He was eager to see how strong Wang Tao was¡ªalthough Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin were both strong, he still believed Wang Tao was the strongest; he felt his judgement couldn¡¯t be wrong. However, Wang Tao did not make much of a move; he simply used his hand crossbow to snipe with Han Rui from a distance. The main reason was that the area was somewhat dim, not very big, and their abilities were all ranged attacks, which could easily cause friendly fire¡­ Plus, Wang Tao could use the opportunity to practice his Arrow Technique. In no time, the zombies on the negative first floor were wiped out. As for the survivors there¡­ not one was left. And judging by the zombies that had clearly turned recently, this floor must have had at least fifty survivors. All fifty-odd people were infected¡­ Wang Tao subconsciously nced at Gao Hua. All of this was his handiwork. The group advanced toward the negative second floor. It was slightly darker there, but it wasn¡¯t a big problem; Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin continued their mighty onught, and after some time, the second floor was also cleared. ¡°The next level is up to you,¡± Wei Zhenguo said to Wang Tao, a mix of excitement and helplessness in his voice. Using the Rush Ability felt great, but it drained too much energy. He could only use it three times in quick session, after which he would fall into a state of exhaustion. He had gotten a little overexcited and used up all three chances¡­ Xiang Hongbin was slightly better off, but he only had 200 mana, and Rush consumed 30 mana while Shockwave took 20 mana. Combining both abilities, he couldn¡¯t use them too many times either, and now he was feeling somewhat lethargic. Wang Tao was a bit speechless; he had already told them to exercise restraint. They agreed with their mouths, saying ¡°ok, ok, ok,¡± but their bodies didn¡¯t lie, and they were now nearly drained. This was their first time in actualbat with their abilities, and they weren¡¯t quite ustomed to it! Fortunately, there were fewer zombies on the negative second floor, only about thirty in total. Otherwise, they probably would have had to call on Wang Tao for help earlier. ¡°Okay, you guys rest up first,¡± Wang Tao said, nodding, then led the way with Han Rui closely following behind. Upon entering the third basement floor, it was noticeably different. Aside from the smell of blood, there were all sorts of strange odors. It was quite unsettling. Moreover, theyout of the third floor was different from the two floors above: those had been mostly the originalyout, while the third had been reorganized. Signs hung in each area. ¡°Storage Area, Rest Area, Cage Fight Area, ve District, Dog Training Area¡­¡± Looking at these signs, Wang Tao¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. Shao Yong really knew how to y! There didn¡¯t seem to be many zombies on the third floor, at least the group didn¡¯t see many upon descending. But no one let their guard down, especially when Han Rui whispered to Wang Tao that there were arge number of zombies in the areas ahead. Wang Tao had everyone on alert, ready to fight at any moment. ¡°They¡¯re inside these areas! There are also some Elite Zombies and survivors¡­¡± Han Rui pointed in the direction of the Cage Fight Area, ve District, and Dog Training Area. The doors to these areas were closed, so one couldn¡¯t see the specifics inside. Wang Tao walked up to the Cage Fight Area at the front and violently pushed open the door. Under the flickering yellow lights, there was a huge iron cage. Inside the cage, a naked man and woman covered in blood clung to each other¡ªboth were alive. Outside the cage, a group of zombies were wing at it, gnashing their teeth. When Wang Tao opened the door, the zombies suddenly turned around, their eyes, that resembled those of someone with cataracts, stared intently at Wang Tao. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± In an instant, the zombies changed their target and ran toward Wang Tao. Facing the oing horde of zombies, Wang Tao stood his ground. When they drew near, Wang Tao raised his axe and brought it down squarely on the head of the fastest one. Pfft! [-1000] [-1000] [-1000] [¡­] A Shockwave, significantlyrger than Xiang Hongbin¡¯s, appeared. In just a moment, the group of zombies fell to the ground like reaped wheat, their bodies shattered by the Shockwave, creating a bloody mess around. Even the nearby walls and pirs appeared unstable¡­ Gao Hua, who was huddled behind, saw this and was instantly thrilled. ¡°I knew it, Wang Tao is definitely stronger!¡± Wang Tao looked at the ruined walls around him, feeling somewhat speechless. Originally, the Shockwave Ability had a maximum attack range of three meters in diameter, half the size of that of the Rioters zombies. But after merging with ten shockwave crystal cores, his Shockwave now had a six-meter diameter, matching the range of the Rioters zombies.. Chapter 191 - 115 Underground Level Minus Three Chapter 191: Chapter 115 Underground Level Minus Three Part 3 Trantor: 549690339 The range of six meters in diameter might sound small, but in reality, it¡¯s quite substantial. Especially in an indoor setting with walls, the shockwave hit directly against them. Thankfully, they were reinforced concrete walls. If it had been ordinary brick, they probably would have copsed¡­ ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll have to be a bit more careful with the force of the attack¡­¡± Wang Tao nced at the iron cage, where the two survivors inside had their eyes widened, seemingly still in disbelief at everything that had just transpired. Wang Tao paid them no mind and turned to the next area instead. Other people hurried over to unlock the cage and find out the conditions of the two survivors. The ve District was located further inside and spanned a vast area, surrounded by iron fences. Approaching closer, it was clear that there were many zombies inside, as well as survivors. However, the survivors had been locked inside dog cages, which had inadvertently protected them from the zombie attacks. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± Upon noticing the neers, the zombies immediately began to roar, wanting toe out. But the doors of these iron fences in the ve District opened inwards, and the zombies didn¡¯t know how to pull, so after entering they got stuck at the entrance and couldn¡¯t get out. This was an excellent opportunity to kill zombies. Wang Tao didn¡¯t lift a finger himself, but gave the chance to the soldiers, letting them hack the zombies to death through the iron fences with knives and firefighter axes, as it could increase their HP limit. Wang Tao reached thest area with zombies, which also contained Elite Zombies¡ªthe Dog Training Area. The ¡®training¡¯ referred to here was obviously not in the literal sense, but rather this area was filled with female ves that Shao Yong had collected. The four Female Hunters who had been previously captured were inside this ce. The door was left half open, and Gao Hua informed Wang Tao that when he left, there should have been more than a dozen people inside, likely all turned into zombies by now. It was unclear how many remained. After confirming with Han Rui that there were no zombies behind the door, Wang Tao opened it. Suddenly, an even more foul stench wafted out. Even wearing a mask, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but frown at the smell. This area was particrly well-lit, as if all the electricity from the generator was being supplied here. Under the bright light, naked women were positioned and fixed in various poses. Some were cruciform, inverted, and locked to the wall; some sat on chairs full of spikes; some had wires inserted into their bodies; some were pregnant, tied to beds¡­ Without exception, they were all dead. Either they were devoured, or they had turned into zombies. The floor, the walls, and even the ceiling were covered with a mixture of blood and all sorts of disordered fluids. At the entrance, there was a disy case with human tissues inside, arranged like specimens. [-1] [-1] Even Wang Tao was losing HP at the sight of this scene. But he didn¡¯t have time to be disgusted because, in the farthest part of the room, there were four Elite Zombies. They were wearing rtively decent clothes on their upper bodies but were naked below. Upon seeing Wang Tao, their cataract-veiled eyes stared, and their faces twisted in distortion as they rushed toward him. ¡°Huff¡ª¡± Wang Tao let out a deep breath, needing to vent. Then, he activated his Precise Shooting Ability. In an instant, the whole world seemed to be more vibrant. Wang Tao pulled out two firefighter axes from behind his back and hurled them straight at the first zombie that ran at him. Squelch! The first axe struck the zombie¡¯s head with precision, sinking deep into it. [-2300] [0/2300] Thud! The zombie fell to the ground. Wang Tao didn¡¯t even know what ability it had. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao threw his second axe at another zombie with a big belly. St! [-1500 HP] [0/1500 HP] It was still an instant kill. However, this zombie spat a mouthful of sticky fluid at Wang Tao just before dying, but its attack was too close and didn¡¯t even touch the hem of Wang Tao¡¯s clothes. Wang Tao took out the two firefighter axes hanging at his waist again. Whoosh¡ª He threw them at two other zombies. Without activating his precise shooting ability, he could at most aim and throw an axe at one zombie, and even then, he might not hit the target. But after activating his ability, within a certain range, he could aim at two objects in the same direction simultaneously, and with high precision. St! The third firefighter axe hit a zombie square in the eye, embedding itself in its head. [-1800 HP] [0/1800 HP] As for the fourth zombie, Wang Tao¡¯sst axe hit it in the forehead, but the damage was not significant. [-234 HP] [1766/2000 HP] Seeing the opponent¡¯s stiff body and ck skin, Wang Tao raised his eyebrows. ¡°Toughness¡­¡± This was clearly a side effect of the Toughness Crystal Core. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The zombie charged at Wang Tao with bared teeth and iling ws, but its speed was so slow it was almostical. Wang Tao took out hisst axe and walked directly toward this zombie. Bang! Bang! Bang! The axe chopping on its head really felt like a sledgehammer. However, its toughness was obviously not as good as the Toughness zombie Wang Tao had encountered before. After five consecutive axe blows, the zombie¡¯s skull could no longer endure, and it burst open. Whew¡ª Having killed four elite zombies in a row, Wang Tao exhaled deeply and quickly gathered the spoils before ending the ¡°precision shooting¡± state¡ªhe had just discovered that the precision shooting state also enhanced closebat! It allowed him tond all six axes on the same spot, making each blow inflict more damage than thest. If it had been before, he would¡¯ve had to swing seven or eight more times. From the moment Wang Tao entered the door to when he killed the four elite zombies, it might seem like a long time, but in reality, it was less than a minute. Han Rui and Wei Zhenguo had been ready to provide support this whole time but were afraid of getting in the way. When they saw Wang Tao swiftly handle the situation, they all breathed a sigh of relief. It was only because Wang Tao saw that these zombies¡¯ HP was not high that he wanted to try killing them alone. If any zombie had over three thousand HP, he would have called everyone to attack together. Zombies, like humans, gain a lot ofbat strength with every thousand HP, and the difference between two thousand and three thousand HP is not small. The others entered, surveying the surroundings; when they saw several dead elite zombies, some of which had been whittled down to sticks or even fashioned into ¡°chairs,¡± they felt both disgusted and sad since these were people from their base.. Chapter 192 - 116: Rush Knee Guards l Chapter 192: Chapter 116: Rush Knee Guards l Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Little Ting¡­¡± As they looked at these pitiful women, someone sobbed uncontrobly. Thwack! Xiang Hongbin pulled out a dagger and took care of the four female zombies one by one. Han Rui felt her scalp tingle. Just how vile a person must one be tomit such acts? Even a thousand cuts wouldn¡¯t be too many for such people! However, Han Rui was also confused. Hadn¡¯t Gao Hua said that he killed these women? So how did they turn into zombies? Gao Hua also felt a bit queasy, but he was observing everyone. Seeing the confusion in Han Rui¡¯s eyes, he hastily exined, ¡°Unless the head is violently destroyed, even the dead will turn into zombies once infected by the virus¡­¡± He was lying. But such things had happened; he had seen it himself¡ªa survivor jumped from a building and, by chance, crushed a zombie. Both died, but merely a minuteter, the survivor climbed back up as a zombie. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Han Rui didn¡¯t doubt his words. Upon hearing this, Wang Tao nced at Gao Hua. Seeing Gao Hua¡¯s affirmative look, Wang Tao pondered. He hadn¡¯t witnessed such events himself, but Gao Hua had no reason to deceive him. He¡¯d need to be more careful in the future. Beyond the four female zombies, Wei Zhenguo ordered others to kill the rest of the pitiful women who had turned into zombies. ¡°Aside from those ves and Shao Yong¡¯s group outside, there are no more living humans in this base¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo nced at Gao Hua. A ruthless man indeed, to have single-handedly wiped out a Survivor Base! ¡°Gather up the supplies, then let¡¯s leave quickly!¡± Wei Zhenguo immediately called out. Though the fight had been underground, he couldn¡¯t guarantee it wouldn¡¯t attract other zombies. It was best to leave swiftly. ¡°Yes!¡± The group immediately sprang into action. As detestable as the people in this base were, supplies were innocent and should not be wasted. Still, everyone was somewhat displeased. One reason was witnessing the gruesome acts, and another was the lost opportunity for personal vengeance. When everyone had arrived, these people had already turned into zombies. Though their bodies remained the same, they were no longer the same people. This kind of revenge was certainly dissatisfying. ¡°Lucky for them, had they held on a bit longer, I assure you they would have begged for death!¡± Xiang Hongbin punched a wall fiercely. He was infuriated. Based on what these people had done, dying a million times wouldn¡¯t be too much; letting them be zombies was letting them off easy. But there was nothing he could do about his frustration. He certainly couldn¡¯t run to the hospital to seek revenge on Shao Yong¡­ ¡°Sigh, let¡¯s go.¡± Wei Zhenguo patted his shoulder, and the group began an orderly retreat. Wang Tao returned to the vehicle, looked at Han Rui, whose face was still a bit pale, and squeezed her hand, saying, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Han Rui instinctively gripped Wang Tao¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, though those images are hard to shake off¡­ I¡¯ll adjust soon, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao nced at Han Rui¡¯s HP bar, which was no longer losing blood, and said no more. The scene on the negative third floor had caused everyone who witnessed those things to lose blood to different extents. Even Gao Hua, who had seen it before, lost quite a bit of HP. Those things were practically a mental attack! Probably many would have nightmares tonight. However, Wang Tao noticed that, perhaps due to his strong spirit, he lost the least amount of HP, dropping only 1 point each time for a total loss of about a dozen points. Han Rui lost the most, a full 100 points. Indeed, women seemed to have a somewhat weaker psychological tolerance. Of course, it might also be rted to the fact that the victims were women, provoking empathy in Han Rui. Wang Tao allowed Han Rui to keep holding his hand, not withdrawing it, and then he said to Gao Hua at the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Gao Hua quickly started the car and followed Wei Zhenguo and the others as they left. The trip back wasn¡¯t smooth. They encountered severalrge swarms of zombies and even Elite Zombies. But now Shuize Base had nearly mobilized its entire force, with six Ability Users alone, not to mention other soldiers, police, andbat personnel. Facing these Elite Zombies, Feng Ming¡¯an would stealthily approach first, vomiting to ensnare the Elite Zombies. Then Wang Tao and others would finish them off. The Elite Zombies they encountered were all types they had seen before, so they knew the tactics to use against them, which meant there was little danger. After killing several Elite Zombies and the sun had set entirely, the convoy finally made it back to the base safely. ¡°Phew¡ªWe¡¯ve finally returned safely!!¡± Once everyone got off the vehicles, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Their mission of revenge was fraught with life-threatening danger, not just in the underground mall but also during the journey there and back. Thankfully, their luck held, and the careful nning of their route by Wei Zhenguo, who explicitly avoided some of the more dangerous areas, meant that despite some twists and turns, they returned without major incident. ¡°Everyone, take a good rest for a few days and avoid going out¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo addressed the crowd. Though the operation was sessful, everyone was tired, both physically and mentally, and needed ample rest. ¡°Yes!¡± People nodded and then dispersed. ¡°You two go ahead and get back first, I¡¯ll go upstairs. The post-battle rewards and such, we¡¯ll start with that tomorrow.¡± Wang Tao said to Han Rui and Gao Hua. ¡°Yes! Brother, if you need anything, justmand. I¡¯ll head off first..¡± Chapter 193 - 116: Rush Knee Guards_2 Chapter 193: Chapter 116: Rush Knee Guards_2 Trantor: 549690339 I ¡°Hmm.¡± After Wang Tao nodded, Gao Hua left. Han Rui seemed hesitant to speak. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Han Rui lowered her head and left. Wang Tao watched Han Rui¡¯s retreating figure with some confusion but did not ask further questions. He went upstairs, where, apart from a fewmittee members, there were also ves from the underground marketce. In total, there were twelve people, eight men and four women. ¡°Talk about what your situation was like, don¡¯t worry, you are safe now.¡± A woman with light makeup and a soft voice began speaking to them. These ves had been tortured, some to the point where their mental states were abnormal. And since Wang Tao, Wei Zhenguo, and the others didn¡¯t exactly give off a friendly vibe, a woman was specifically brought in to talk to them. Several people were huddled in the corner, too scared to look directly at everyone. Some stared nkly, looking like idiots. Only two of them appeared somewhat alert, clinging tightly to each other. They were the man and woman previously discovered in arge iron cage. Wang Tao¡¯s gaze turned to these two. Perhaps because Wang Tao had rescued them, they looked excited subconsciously and then started to speak in a faltering manner: ¡°We¡­¡± They were a young couple that had, by luck, avoided the first wave of disaster when the virus broke out. They lived above a vegetable market, which allowed them to risk fetching some food and survive for quite a long time. But one day, when they went out, they encountered people from Shao Yong¡¯s Base. The couple had hardlye across any other survivors after the apocalypse, so they had no real concept of the depravity of human nature. Mistaking them for a rescue team, they greeted them openly, only to be brought to the underground marketce. They thought they¡¯d be safe from then on, but that was where the nightmare began! Every woman who joined the base had to be inspected by Shao Yong, and the purpose was clear. Then, Shao Yong took a liking to the wife. The husband and wife, naturally, were unwilling, so Shao Yong directly threatened the wife with her husband¡¯s life. With no choice, to save her husband, she submitted to Shao Yong. Though heartbroken, the husband thought that if this meant his wife could live well, he would be d for her¡ªwhat else could he do when he was powerless to resist? But little did they know, Shao Yong was a devil. After his novelty wore off, he threw the wife to his subordinates, and she immediately suffered unspeakable torment¡­ At that time, Shao Yong had also welded together an iron cage to make people fight each other or the undead inside, for his amusement. The husband was chosen, and he thought he would die at the hands of the undead, as every fight between man and undead had ended that way before. But he was naive¡ªShao Yong made him fight his own wife! The rule was that only one of them coulde out alive. If they refused to fight, they would both perish. The couple had already resolved to die; dying together, perhaps, was a decent option. But just then, Shao Yong suddenly left, and did not return. Zombies then began to appear within the base. Deciding it was part of Shao Yong¡¯s scheduled show, no one dared to act without his orders, so they left the couple locked in the cage and ignored them. Unexpectedly, a zombie outbreak urred within the base, and people began to get infected. Being in the iron cage, the couple actually escaped the disaster¡­ Then, there was Wang Tao opening the door, appearing before them, taking down more than a dozen with his axe. About Shao Yong, they knew not much, only that he was extremely brutal. Not to mention treating people as ves and deliberately torturing them, he had even killed several of his own subordinates! As for Shao Yong¡¯s strength, they weren¡¯t quite sure; they only saw the terrifying scene of Shao Yong smashing the skull of a ve with the palm of his hand¡­ The small testimony of the couple slowly encouraged the other ves to speak as well. What surprised Wang Tao was that among the four women, two had been employees of the old marketce, meaning they were two of the five female ves that Cao Xin had given to Shao Yong. As for the remaining three female ves, they were reportedly tormented to death by Shao Yong¡­ After listening to everyone¡¯s descriptions of the underground marketce and their usations against Shao Yong, the expressions on Wei Zhenguo and the others weren¡¯t good. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s take you down. Shuize Base is different from other ces. We don¡¯t have ves here, nor oppression. We work to have enough food to eat¡­¡± The gentle-voiced woman led the pitiable group away along with several soldiers. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± After everyone had gone, Wei Zhenguo, who had kept a stern face, sighed deeply. He was deeply pained by such matters, but he was powerless to do anything. The expressions on the faces of the others were also grim. Although they hadn¡¯t seen such a scene, except for Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin, just hearing about it was cruel enough. ¡°Everyone should go get some rest now. We¡¯ll talk about anything else tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± With heavy hearts, everyone nodded and left. Just as Wang Tao was about to return downstairs, he didn¡¯t expect to find Han Rui by his car. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go back?¡± Wang Tao asked, puzzled. Han Rui, lost in thought, didn¡¯t even notice Wang Tao approaching, and his voice startled her.. Chapter 194 - 116: Rush Knee Guards 3 Chapter 194: Chapter 116: Rush Knee Guards 3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Cough, I¡­ I was hoping you coulde over to my ce. Han Rui said, somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Tao drove to Han Rui¡¯s house. Sun Weiguang was not there. ¡°Let me get you some food¡­¡± Han Rui quickly tried to get up. Forget it, let¡¯s just have something simple.¡± Wang Tao took out several bottles of nutrient supplements and handed two to Han Rui. There probably wasn¡¯t much good food at Han Rui¡¯s ce, maybe just some gruel exchanged with ration tickets, Wang Tao thought it was easier to have the nutrient supplements. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Han Rui found the nutrient supplements quite ptable. After drinking one bottle, she felt like she could have more. Then she looked at Wang Tao with some anticipation and said, ¡°Could you, urn, not leave tonight¡­?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not what you think, it¡¯s just that I¡­ I¡¯m a little scared¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing Han Rui with hands sped together and a pleading look on her face Wang Tao nodded. After all, it didn¡¯t matter where he slept. ter washing up, theyy on the bed, with Han Rui snuggling into Wang Tao¡¯s arms, her head resting on his chin. Wang Tao held Han Rui, smelling the fragrance of her shampoo. Neither of them spoke or showed much interest in doing so. After all, the things they had seen during the day were still vivid in their minds. Once he felt that Han Rui was alright, Wang Tao turned his attention to his earnings for the day. Although the things he experienced today were not pleasant, the gains were substantial. Before going out, his HP was [2650], then he killed those four Elite Zombies on the third basement floor of the underground mall, with each zombie adding 5o HP, increasing his total HP by 200. On the way back, he encountered a few more Elite Zombies, one adding 5o HP and two adding 40 HP each, so now he¡¯s at [2968/2980] HP. He was just 20 HP short of 3000, which was deliberately controlled by Wang Tao. He encountered several Elite Zombies on the road, but he only killed three, leaving the rest for Wei Zhenguo, Han Rui, and the others. The main reason was that there was still some distance to the base, and Wang Tao was afraid that something might go wrong if he fell into deep sleep. For safety, he dared not increase his HP to 3000 at that time. NOW that he¡¯s only 20 HP away, he just has to go out again tomorrow and kill any special zombie at random. Besides the increase in HP, his gains included the Crystal Cores and spoils from Killing the zombies. The Crystal Cores dropped by those four Elite Zombies in the third basement were Toughness, Shockwave, Slime Spitter, and Rush. But they looked different from the Elite Zombies he had seen before not having any pronounced features. For example, a Terrorizer would always hold a heavy weapon, and an Attacker¡¯s body would be deformed, with one side muchrger, etc. Wang Tao spected that this was probably rted to their original identities. They were Ability Users who had fused with Zombie Cores and were then infected and turned into zombies, not those naturally evolved zombies. Not only did they look different, but their Crystal Cores were also different from those of native zombies, being all green but dark green. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Toughness] [Quality: Rare (55%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effects: Darkening of the skin, body stiffening)] The Toughness Crystal Core was 55% rare quality, which was the first time Wang Tao had seen such a number. The green Crystal Core that he had gotten from Cao Xin, the hitman, was 50% rare quality, but that core was light green and had no side effects. This core, however, was dark green and came with side effects. Compared to an ordinary Crystal Core, other than the fact that its quality is a bit strange, there aren¡¯t any significant differences. The other three Crystal Cores are also deep green in color. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Shockwave] [Quality: Rare (55%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: light sensitivity in eyes)] [Level 1 Crystal CoreSlime Spitter] [Quality: Rare (55%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: erged stomach, reduced defense)] [Level 1 Crystal Core-Rush] [Quality: Rare (55%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: limb stiffness)] Looking at these four Crystal Cores, all with a rarity of 55¡ã/0, Wang Tao felt that eir Crystal Cores were slowly transforming from human towards zombie¡­ While they were still human, their Crystal Cores should be like Cao Xin¡¯s, with a 50% quality and no side effects. But after turning into zombies, their Crystal Cores were also slowly morphing towards the zombie state, hence the natural emergence of side effects. Perhaps, after some time, they would be those Elite Zombies with more distinct physical characteristics, and the quality of their Crystal Cores might be 60% Excellent¡­ Of course, these were all Wang Tao¡¯s spections, to know the specifics, further observation was needed. Besides the Crystal Cores, these four zombies naturally dropped loot as well. [Slime Grenade Blueprint xi], [slime Grenade x5], [Defense Potion x5] [Strength Potion x5], [Rush Right Knee Blueprint xi][Rush Left Knee Blueprint XI J. Slime Grenades and Potions aremon items. What made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes light up was the ¡°Rush Knee Guards.¡± [Rush Right Knee Blueprint: Can be used to craft a knee guard. Required materials: Iron Block X2, Steel Wire x2, Screws x2, de X2, Nails X2, Rubber X2, stic X2, Cable X2, Electronic Components X2, Battery X2] [Rush Right Knee: Tough in texture, can block des and firearms. Durability +10, defensive power +10] The attributes of these Rush Knee Guards seemed to be simr to the Rush Arm Guard, so the effect was probably about the same. Maybe they would provide additional speed and strength for knee strikes? However, Wang Tao rarely used hand-to-handbat techniques when fighting zombies; he would just swing his axe at vital spots, since zombies didn t know how to dodge anyway. Actually, whether it had attributes or not didn¡¯t really matter; the main point was that this equipment provided strong defense! Even just as a protective gear, it was veryfortable. Moreover, what was more important was that he got both designs at once both left and right knee guards! He had all the materials, so now he could craft them. Wang Tao looked down to see Han Rui. She had already fallen asleep in his arms. So, Wang Tao took the items out and ced them on the bed. Craft! With a thought, a sh of light passed. Two matte ck knee guards appeared in front of Wang Tao.. Chapter 195 - 117: Sense of Crisis, Cultivation^ Chapter 195: Chapter 117: Sense of Crisis, Cultivation^ Trantor: 549690339 I The Rush Knee Guards and arm guards had the same symmetric design and were adjustable in size. [Rush Right Knee: Tough in texture, able to block des and bullets. Durability +10, defensive power +10] The left knee had the same attributes. Wang Tao wanted to test their effect, but just as he was about to get up, he saw Han Rui, still in her sleep, subconsciously hug him. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll try it tomorrow.¡± With a thought, Wang Tao stowed the knee guards into his Space Backpack, then gently stroked Han Rui¡¯s hair, slowly drifting off to sleep. The next day, early morning. When Wang Tao woke up, he found a pair of beautiful big eyes staring intently at him. As their gazes met, Han Rui quickly looked away, her head lowered, her ears reddening. ¡°Cough, you¡¯re awake¡­ You¡¯re holding me too tightly, I can¡¯t get up¡­¡± Wang Tao gave her a silent nce. Holding too tightly? When he slept holding Ding Yuqin, she always managed to get up before him every morning. Could Han Rui, who was so much stronger than Ding Yuqin, not be able to get up? Although he knew it was just an excuse, Wang Tao did not expose her. He patted Han Rui¡¯s bottom. ¡°Get up.¡± ¡öMm-¡¯ Han Rui sat up, dressing herself with her back to Wang Tao. Looking at her wless back, Wang Tao suddenly felt like the two of them were like a married couple, of course, he sometimes felt the same with Ding Yuqin. Last night, Sun Weiguang didn¡¯te back. He no longer stayed here but had moved in with Ou Yingying. Breakfast was hastily dealt with using some nutritional fluid before Wang Tao headed to the office in theprehensive building. Everyone was feeling heavy-hearted after returning yesterday, so they rested early. But they had yet to diwy up the spoils of war, which naturally meant they would be distributed today. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t in need of food and such for the time being. However, not needing didn¡¯t mean he shouldn¡¯t take his share. If he didn¡¯t, what would those who wanted some think? He couldn¡¯t be antisocial. Then came the highlight-the Crystal Cores. Wang Tao had also killed quite a number of Elite Zombies yesterday. He kept the Crystal Cores he could use and brought out the rest. ¡°Eh? Green Crystal Cores, but this one¡¯s color is a bit darker¡­¡± Seeing the three green Crystal Cores in Wang Tao¡¯s hand, everyone was somewhat surprised. When Wang Tao killed the Elite Zombies on the negattve third floor yesterday, he did it quickly-killing zombies, extracting Crystal Cores, and collecting spoils all in one fluid motion. Therefore, they hadn¡¯t seen the appearance of the Crystal Cores. Wang Tao exined the attributes of these Crystal Cores and asked if anyone needed them. Xiang Hongbin took the shockwave crystal core, Wei Zhenguo took the Rush Crystal Core, and Feng Ming¡¯an took the Slime Spitter Crystal Core. Besides these three green Crystal Cores, Wang Tao had also killed other Elite Zombies on the way back and obtained some more Crystal Cores. They were distributed to the others, as he couldn¡¯t use them anyway. Of course, several of the Elite Zombies weren¡¯t killed by Wang Tao, but he could use their Crystal Cores, so the others saved them for him. They were one blue and one white Toughness Crystal Core. With these two Crystal Cores in hand, Wang Tao could synthesize another Epic Crystal Core! Wang Tao took back the Crystal Cores no one wanted, then discussed matters concerning Shao Yong¡¯s Base with the others. Although that underground mall was done for, Shao Yong might not be dead. They needed to make it clear to the Hunters to be wary when venturing out an to report back promptly if they spotted Shao Yong. Zhen Guo hesitated about whether to send someone to check the hospital. But the hospital was simply too dangerous; If they were to lose men there just to check on Shao Yong, it would be a loss not worth the cost. Hearing this, Wang Tao spoke up directly: ¡°I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ve been wanting to check out the hospital anyway.¡± ¡°Ah? You¡¯re going¡­¡± Everyone frowned, not because they didn¡¯t want Wang Tao to go, but because it was too dangerous, and if something happened to Wang Tao, the loss would be enormous. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t venture too deep. I¡¯ll just observe the outskirts,¡± said Wang Tao with a smile. He was definitely going to the hospital, but only after reaching 3000 HP. ¡°Alright, just be careful.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± After further discussions on base development, Wang Tao left first; he wasn¡¯t skilled in this area and thus didn¡¯t want to worry too much about it. Wang Tao was only 20 HP away from reaching 3000 now, so he nned to increase his HP today. After going downstairs, Han Rui was already waiting for him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao took Han Rui to the car and left the base. He had been prepared to waste a whole day, as based on his past experience, the more you need something, the harder it seems to get. But luck was on his side today; just an hourter, Wang Tao saw a lone Suicide Bombing Zombie. He easily killed the Suicide Bombing Zombie with a Slime Grenade and then felt a wave of drowsinesse over him. Wang Tao nced at his HP bar. [3020/3020] ¡°Let¡¯s go, back to base!¡± Wang Tao rushed to the car and Han Rui immediately headed back to the base. By the time they returned to the base, Wang Tao had already fallen asleep. Han Rui initially wanted to take Wang Tao back to his vi, but after some thoug t, she decided to bring Wang Tao back to her ce instead. A couple of hourster, Wang Tao woke up. Feeling the surging strength in his body, he grinned. This boost in power was quite addictive! ¡°Congrattions!¡± Han Rui at the bedside genuinely congratted him. -Haha! You need to enhance yourself too. I¡¯ll take you to kill some zombies tomorrow.¡± Wang Tao nned to make a trip to the hospital the next day.. Chapter 196 - 117: Sense of Crisis, Cultivation_2 Chapter 196: Chapter 117: Sense of Crisis, Cultivation_2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Alright!¡± Han Rui nodded some happily. She liked hunting zombies with Wang Tao; it made her feel exceedingly safe. ¡°You just get some good rest today, conserve your energy.¡± ¡°Mm!¡± Wang Tao returned to his own home, and Ding Yuqin, seeing the night-owl Wang Tao finally home, merely cast him a intive nce without daring to say much. She obediently went ahead to prepare lunch. During the meal, Wang Tao mentioned he would go hunting zombies the next day, and Ding Yuqin suddenly spoke up: ¡°Wang Tao, what if¡­ you take me with you tomorrow?¡± ¡°Older sister-inw wants to go hunt zombies with me?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. ¡°Mm!¡± Ding Yuqin nodded and then said somewhat uncertainly, ¡°I can¡­ help you now, right?¡± She now had an HP of one thousand, and although she stillcked fighting capabilities, her physical condition had greatly improved, and she could help Wang Tao carry his bag. In case of danger, she also had the ability to escape on her own. Wang Tao, seeing the resolute look in Ding Yuqin¡¯s eyes, smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s good that you have this intention, big sis-inw, but I might be hunting some very dangerous zombies, and you following me would not be of any use.¡± Wang Tao spoke bluntly. Ding Yuqin¡¯s face fell at once. It had taken a great deal of courage for her to decide to go out with Wang Tao, and in the end, Wang Tao still viewed her as a burden. She didn¡¯t me Wang Tao; she med her own uselessness. Seeing the look on Ding Yuqin¡¯s face, Wang Tao immediately reached out to touch her cheek, and she instinctively tilted her head and rubbed her little face against Wang Tao¡¯s hand. ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do, 1¡¯11 arrange for someone to go out with youter. You start by hunting Ordinary zombies. With your current physical condition, hunting Ordinary zombies wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all, but you justck experience¡­ You need to gain some more experience¡­¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After a moment of hesitation, Ding Yuqin still nodded firmly. Although Wang Tao wasn¡¯t personally taking her, the person he would arrange was definitely reliable and wouldn¡¯t let her down. Ding Yuqin now had a strong sense of crisis. She did not know whether Wang Tao loved her, but she knew that what probably attracted Wang Tao to her was, most likely, her body. No matter how much you like something, eventually you¡¯ll get tired of it. Besides, she was no longer a young girl; as she got older, her attractiveness would fade. If Wang Tao eventually stopped liking her, what would she do? She didn¡¯t want to lose Wang Tao, and it wasn¡¯t just about seeking his protection; she felt that now, both physically and emotionally, she was somewhat unable to be without Wang Tao¡­ Though beautiful, the world was full of beautiful people. If Wang Tao liked her just for her looks, he could just as easily like someone else for their looks¡­ Therefore, she had to make herself useful and not be despised by Wang Tao! Although Wang Tao did not know Ding Yuqin¡¯s exact thoughts, based on her demeanor, he could guess some of it. After the meal, Wang Tao beckoned, and Ding Yuqin immediately came to Wang Tao¡¯s side very sensibly and then sat on his thigh. Wang Tao liked Ding Yuqin¡¯s obedience and sensibility; sometimes a nce or a gesture from him was all it took for Ding Yuqin to know what he wanted to do. Of course, what Wang Tao liked even more was Ding Yuqin¡¯s HP-restoring ability. With that ability, no one could rece Ding Yuqin. Although Wang Tao didn¡¯t use the HP-restoring ability often¡ªhe generally didn¡¯t allow himself to be in dire situations with low HP¡ªthere¡¯s always the unexpected. He might not use it, but he couldn¡¯t be without it¡­ In the afternoon. Wang Tao found Gao Hua. ¡°Big Brother, what can I do for you?¡± This morning, Gao Hua was appointed by themittee as the head of the Resource Department. It was a position with real power, previously held by othermittee members. Gao Hua had suddenly be a core member of the base. But he reminded himself, no matter his position, even if he became amittee member, he must always treat Wang Tao with respect. He always had a keen eye for people, and since meeting Wang Tao, his judgment of Wang Tao had never been wrong. Thus, he would steadfastly hold on to his belief¡ªcling tightly to Wang Tao¡¯s coattails! ¡°Come out with me for a bitter.¡± Wang Tao looked at Gao Hua, dapper but full of vitality, and said. ¡°Alright!¡± Gao Hua did not ask any questions and immediately handed off his work, appearing in front of Wang Tao again in less than a minute. ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯m ready!¡± ¡°Mm, get in the car.¡± Wang Tao took Gao Hua, and they left the base. Then they stopped the car not far from a group of zombies. ¡°Big Brother, are we¡­¡± Although Gao Hua didn¡¯t want to ask, the sight of so many zombies had him somewhat panicked. ¡°Do you want to be stronger?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. ¡°I do!¡± Gao Hua replied without hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Wang Tao handed him a sharpened steel pipe, ¡°You go kill a zombie for me to see.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± Cold sweat beaded on Gao Hua¡¯s forehead. Not to mention that he wasn¡¯t sure whether he could handle a zombie, even if he could, there were over a dozen zombies here! How could he possibly defeat them? But this was an order from his Big Brother, and he dared not disobey. Since he had already decided to cling to Wang Tao¡¯s coattails, he needed to see it through¡ªhalf measures were uneptable! Gao Hua gripped the steel pipe tightly and bravely headed towards the zombies. His target was a petite female zombie. Females naturally had less strength, and though it increased after turning into a zombie, surely it wasn¡¯t as strong as a male zombie. Choosing her was a more suitable choice.. Chapter 197 - 11?: Sense of Crisis, Cultivation^ Chapter 197: Chapter 11?: Sense of Crisis, Cultivation^ Trantor: 549690339 , However, before Gao Hua could get close, the zombie seemed to smell his scent and slowly turned its head. As soon as it saw Gao Hua, it quickly moved toward him. Although these zombies had been drenched in corrosive acid rain and their bodies had be more rigid and slow-moving, they appeared even more ferocious and terrifying. As he watched this hideous zombie approach step by step, Gao Hua took a deep breath and then lifted his steel pipe. Just as he steeled his heart, he saw that the other zombies had also noticed him one after another! Then, a group of zombies, men and women, old and young, all walked toward him with arms outstretched. 11 11 Gao Hua gritted his teeth hard. Damn it, all in! Gao Hua didn¡¯t care anymore, he just ran straight toward the female zombie, carrying the steel pipe. He knew Wang Tao didn¡¯t mean to harm him; there had to be a reason for his order, and Gao Hua just had to follow it. Bang! Gao Hua jabbed the steel pipe at the female zombie¡¯s head, but it didn¡¯t prate. He had aimed for the eye socket, but he missed, and the zombie¡¯s head was too hard. Then the zombie swiped its hand and hit his steel pipe, almost knocking it out of his hands. Feeling the sourness in his arm, Gao Hua swung again, aiming for the zombie. But at this moment, another zombie closed in on him! Just as he was about to be tackled by another zombie, suddenly, there was a swoosh, and that zombie fell to the ground. Another zombie approached, but it too fell down. Gao Hua had no time to pay attention to the others; he could only focus on this one zombie. He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but when he finally managed to drive the steel pipe into the zombie¡¯s eye socket, bursting its head, he realized that there were dead zombies all around him. Gao Hua hurriedly turned around and saw Wang Tao holding a hand crossbow, looking at him indifferently. Gao Hua was about to run over, but as if he had remembered something, he hurriedly went to the fallen zombies, pulled the crossbow arrows from their heads, wiped the blood off the arrows on their bodies, then returned to Wang Tao¡¯s side and handed over the arrows, saying gratefully: ¡°Thank you, big brother! I have killed that zombie! ¡°Good. Get in the car.¡± Wang Tao took the crossbow arrows and then brought Gao Hua to another location overrun with zombies. There were nearly twenty zombies here, but they were spread out. Wang Tao got out of the car with a firefighter axe, and Gao Hua hurried to follow. The arrival of the two immediately attracted the attention of many zombies. Seeing these zombies twisting their bodies and walking toward him, Gao Hua wasn¡¯t panicked this time. After all, big brother was by his side! Wang Tao waited until the zombies were close enough, then chopped with the axe and a shockwave appeared. [-981] [-992] [¡­] In an instant, all the zombies in front of Wang Tao fell to the ground. Wang Tao said to Gao Hua: ¡°These zombies aren¡¯tpletely dead yet, you go finish them off. ¡°Yes!¡± Gao Hua, somewhat excited, took his steel pipe and one by one stabbed the fallen zombies to death. And at this moment, his heart was incredibly excited. Indeed, grabbing onto the right coattails has its perks! The benefits were rolling in! Now, everyone in the base knew that killing zombies could make them stronger, but still, only a few dared to go out and kill zombies; after all, it was a matter of risking their lives! But now, Wang Tao had incapacitated the zombies, and all he had to do was finish them off. There was no danger! How many people in the base enjoyed such treatment? He was enjoying it! This was the advantage of having a good ¡®big brother¡¯! At a certain moment, Gao Hua suddenly felt his body grow warm, his fatigue swept away, and his face lit up with joy. His physical strength had improved! After killing the remaining zombies, he immediately knelt on one knee before Wang Tao. ¡°Thank you, big brother!¡± ¡°Stand up, there¡¯s a lot more to go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± It took all afternoon, but Gao Hua¡¯s HP reached woo. Before he fell asleep, Wang Tao said: ¡°With your current physical condition, you won¡¯t have any problems fighting ordinary zombies alone, and you could even handle several by yourself. But your skills arecking, so starting tomorrow, spend time every day outside practicing killing zombies.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao felt Gao Hua was worth cultivating; however, his strength was too weak. In the apocalypse, strength was most important. So, Wang Tao took him out to boost his HP, then he could focus on training him. Tomorrow he would arrange for someone to take Ding Yuqin out to kill zombies, and he would also bring Gao Hua along. They would practice their zombie-fighting skills and make use of their physical strength. Then he would think about what Abilities would suit these two¡­ Back at the base, Wang Tao had someone take Gao Hua home. As for himself, he went to test the Rush Knee Guards; he hadn¡¯t had the chance to do so outside. He set up an iron post in the courtyard-wooden ones wouldn¡¯t withstand the beating. After testing a knee strike, it indeed matched his expectations; when attacking with his knee, both speed and strength were somewhat enhanced. And because the knee guards were so hard, they didn¡¯t feel leg pain when attacking. This could be used as a powerful move. However, such martial arts techniques were basically useless against zombies; an axe was more suitable for that purpose. This kind of technique was for fighting other Ability Users¡­ The next day, in the morning. Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin helped each other put on their protective gear. ¡°I will definitely kill a zombie by myself!¡± Armed Ding Yuqin clenched her fist and said. ¡°Sister-inw, you can do it.¡± Wang Tao touched her head and then drove to the front of theplex. Arge group of people was already waiting there. Wang Tao had arranged for a Hunter Team to go kill zombies, and Ding Yuqin and Gao Hua went with them to practice their zombie-killing skills. They operated around the base, where they wouldn¡¯t encounter any special zombies, and could run back in case of danger, which was rtively safe. Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much, but nodded to Ding Yuqin and Gao Hua and watched them leave, then he said to Han Rui: ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Han Rui felt a bit nervous. After all, their target for today was the First Hospital! Chapter 198 - 118: The First Hospital_l Chapter 198: Chapter 118: The First Hospital_l Trantor: 549690339 Shuize County First Hospital is thergest hospital in Shuize County, with more than ny years of history. The hospital covers an area of over three hundred acres and employs more than two thousand workers. Additionally, if you count the patients and their families inside, the total number of people associated with the hospital is difficult to say. After the virus outbreak, one can imagine the situation in such a crowded hospital¡­ Previously, Wei Zhenguo had sent people here to look for some medicines. But unexpectedly, the entire squad perished inside. Thest message sent by the squad members was: Danger, don¡¯te! At that time, there still had been no appearance of Mad Demon Zombies, and the squad members were fully armed with sufficient firepower. Yet they were still annihted, which speaks volumes about the dangers of the hospital. However, high risk often means high reward. Although the hospital is dangerous, there are many Elite Zombies. Getting more HP limits and more Zombie Cores is possible. Therefore, some bold survivors were eyeing up the hospital, like Shao Yong and Wang Tao. Inside the electric off-road vehicle. Wang Tao asked: ¡°How much longer until we arrive?¡± Co-pilot Han Rui nced at the map and silently calcted in her mind. ¡°At our current speed, roughly¡­ still an hour.¡± ¡°Finally getting close¡­ Take a rest for a while.¡± Wang Tao parked the vehicle behind a small building and then took out a few bottles of nutritional fluid, handing two of them to Han Rui. They had set out at 7 a.m., and now it was already 11 a.m., yet they hadn¡¯t reached the First Hospital. It wasn¡¯t that the distance was long, but the roads were too difficult to navigate. The closer they got to the hospital, the more congested the roads, countless abandoned vehicles, and more and more zombies. Wang Tao did not want to waste time killing Ordinary Zombies, so he could only try to navigate around them as much as possible. Plus, they encountered several special zombies along the way. Wang Tao took the opportunity to collect a few Crystal Cores, which also cost them some time, hence the dy until now. Thankfully, they were only an hour away now. As Han Rui vigntly watched her surroundings, she curiously contemted the nutritional fluid in her hands. She wondered where Wang Tao had gotten this stuff; not only was it convenient to carry, but it also tasted good. She couldn¡¯t find anything like it at the base. Unfortunately, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t tell, and she didn¡¯t feel it was her ce to ask too much. After quickly consuming a bottle of the nutritional fluid, the two continued on their journey. Just as Han Rui had predicted, an hourter, the two finally arrived at the entrance of the First Hospital. However, they hade on foot as the off-road vehicle was parked far away. The numerous discarded vehicles made it impossible for the vehicle to approach. ¡°Are we really going in¡­¡± Gazing upon the decrepit and deste First Hospital, Han Rui swallowed unconsciously. She didn¡¯t know if it was psychological, but after nearing the hospital, she started to feel uneasy. Especially when looking at the hospital, even in the daytime, it seemed sinister. ¡°Let¡¯s not go in just yet; we¡¯ll walk around outside first.¡± They encountered many zombies on the way to the hospital, but strangely enough, when they got close, there seemed to be no zombies in the vicinity. Wang Tao suspected that perhaps the zombies had all congregated inside the hospital¡­ ¡°Hey? That car over there looks different!¡± With sharp eyes, Han Rui immediately pointed and whispered. Following the direction she pointed, Wang Tao¡¯s brow lifted. The majority of vehicles surrounding the hospital were basically scrapped, after all, they had been exposed to the corrosive acid rain for so long. But there was one car in the distance that seemed corroded yet the vital parts were intact. This car was clearly parked thereter. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look!¡± Approaching the vehicle, Han Rui used her Ability to ensure no one was inside before they moved closer. This was a pickup truck, fitted with steel tes and wire mesh ¨C clearly the work of a survivor. The truck was unlocked, and the keys were still in the ignition ¨C saving Wang Tao the trouble of having to unlock it. Inside the truck, they discovered some well-preserved food, a bundle of sharpened steel rebar, and two barrels of gasoline. ¡°Looks like this must be Shao Yong¡¯s truck.¡± Wei Zhenguo had mentioned that Shao Yong liked to kill zombies by throwing steel rebar. Besides him, normal people wouldn¡¯t prepare so much rebar. ¡°Take all this stuff.¡± Wang Tao and Han Rui took everything and hid it inside an abandoned vehicle. They also removed the keys from the truck. If Shao Yong wasn¡¯t dead¡­ these potentially useful items wouldn¡¯t be left behind by Wang Tao. Then Wang Tao looked around and found three more cars that were nearly the same. Like with the first truck, Wang Tao scavenged everything inside these vehicles and hid the loot and keys elsewhere, plugging the lock if there were no keys. Afterpleting these tasks, Wang Tao nced at the hospital again and then said to Han Rui: ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll take a look inside.¡± They had already spent quite some time lurking around the hospital without seeing any dangers or even a single zombie, so Wang Tao felt a bit braver. ¡°Okay!¡± The main entrance of the hospital was open, and they didn¡¯t climb any walls ¨C they simply entered through the east gate. The hospital had two major gates, the south gate being the main entrance and the east gate a side entrance. ¡°It feels a bit ominous¡­¡± Han Rui muttered. Wang Tao felt the same way. ¡°Make sure to keep using your Ability to be aware of our surroundings, in case zombies sneak up on us.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The interior of the hospital was also crammed with abandoned vehicles, making it difficult for Wang Tao and Han Rui to navigate. ¡°There are zombies!¡± Chapter 199 - 118: The First Hospital 2 Chapter 199: Chapter 118: The First Hospital 2 Trantor: 549690339????? ¡ª Suddenly, Han Rui gave a reminder. The zombie was in the car, still buckled in by the seatbelt, wing and gnashing its teeth, trying to get out, but the seatbelt firmly restrained it to the chair. Wang Tao nced over and saw it was just an ordinary zombie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± The two of them slowly approached the outpatient building. There was a pharmacy inside the outpatient building that should contain many medicines, all of which were in critical shortage at the base. If possible, they would definitely take them. However, looking at the dark entrance of the outpatient pharmacy, Wang Tao did not rush in. He asked Han Rui to feel around with her ability. ¡°There are zombies inside! Three elite zombies!¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Tao actually breathed a sigh of relief. He had heard that the hospital was swarming with zombies, including many elite zombies, making it extremely dangerous. But now, as he stood at the entrance of arge building, he had only encountered a few ordinary zombies, including that unlucky one tied up by the seatbelt. This was nothing like what he had heard. This made Wang Tao frown slightly, because anything out of the ordinary was a sign of trouble. Now that he had finallye across elite zombies, and three at once no less, he actually felt relieved. ¡°Let me see what kind of zombies they are¡­¡± Wang Tao whispered as he approached the entrance, then peeked inside. After briefly adjusting to the dim light inside, Wang Tao saw the three zombies. The first was a zombie wearing a whiteb coat. Its emaciated and twisted figure suggested it might have been a male doctor. Apart from that, it had no other distinguishing features. Yet, its HP was [3000/3000]! The second and third zombies were sitting together on a chair, one dressed in a patient gown and the other in a nurse¡¯s uniform. The zombie in the patient gown looked like an old man. Its HP was [3200/3200]. The one in the nurse¡¯s uniform was a particrly obese woman, seemingly even fatter than a self-exploder. Its HP was [3500/3500]. Wang Tao frowned, thinking that with this physique, she couldn¡¯t have been a nurse, right? After all, a nurse is supposed to take care of others, not be taken care of. This must be a mutation that urred after turning into a zombie¡­ As Wang Tao looked at them, all three zombies noticed him. The doctor zombie showed a human-like expression of anger on its face and, twisting its body, quickly headed towards Wang Tao. The other two zombies also awkwardly stood up. Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to be careless and quickly ran outside. He wasn¡¯t sure of these zombies¡¯ abilities yet and thought it best to draw them out. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± Wang Tao hurriedly warned Han Rui, who was outside. Han Rui was lying on the roof of an abandoned vehicle, her sniper crossbow poised and aimed at the entrance to the outpatient building. The doctor zombie was the first toe out. It pounded its chest from time to time, seemingly very angry. Especially when the sunlight outside fell upon it, it opened its mouth wide and let out a soundless roar. ¡°A zombie can get angry? Has it gained intelligence?¡± Wang Tao frowned upon seeing this. He was curious about its ability. But whether curious or not, what mattered was taking it down! Whoosh¡ª Han Rui pulled the trigger first. A crossbow arrow struck the doctor zombie¡¯s head with precision, embedding itself firmly inside. [-542] [2458/3000] ¡°Such high defense!¡± Seeing this damage number, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. Han Rui¡¯s sniper crossbow did significant damage, normally causing well over a thousand points of damage to an elite zombie with a single arrow. But this arrow had done just over five hundred to the doctor zombie¡­ The zombie reeled slightly from the crossbow arrow hit to its hand, then continued advancing toward Wang Tao. While Han Rui was reloading her crossbow, Wang Tao quickly shot an arrow. To ensure uracy, he activated Precision Shooting. Whoosh¡ª [-324] [2134/3000] The arrow still hit the zombie¡¯s head, but the damage was only a little over three hundred. Wang Tao knew his hand crossbow wasn¡¯t as powerful as Han Rui¡¯s sniper crossbow, so he wasn¡¯t surprised. He was quick with his hands, firing three shots in session. [-314] [-322] [1498/3000] In one encounter, the 3000-HP doctor zombie was reduced to half blood, with four crossbow arrows sticking grotesquely out of its head. But it was then that the zombie finally took action. It suddenly pulled out a shiny object from its pocket and threw it at Wang Tao. As soon as Wang Tao saw the zombie¡¯s motion, he sensed danger and immediately rolled to the side, taking cover behind the back of an abandoned vehicle. Whoosh¡ª A sparkling surgical knifended where Wang Tao had just been, embedding itself deeply into the concrete! ¡°Damn, it¡¯s got a ranged attack?¡± No, more urately, it should be considered a mid-range attack, since it had thrown the surgical knife after closing some distance to Wang Tao. This throwing knife was somewhat simr to Wang Tao¡¯s Flying Axe, in that it couldn¡¯t be thrown very far. With the first throw missing, the zombie pulled out a handful of surgical knives from its pocket. Wang Tao watched anxiously. Fortunately, by that time, Han Rui had finally reloaded her crossbow. Whoosh¡ª [-553] [945/3000] This arrow pierced the zombie¡¯s head with precision again, causing its head to recoil, preventing it from throwing more knives. Wang Tao quickly got up, drew his hand crossbow, activated his precise shooting ability, and fired three rapid shots within ten seconds. [-336] [-351] [-258] [0/3000] Thest arrow emptied its HP bar. Thump! The doctor zombie fell to the ground. Wang Tao had no time to check the loot because the other two elite zombies had also emerged. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± The old man zombie opened its mouth, coughed a few times, revealing ck teeth, and exhaled some yellow-brown breath.. Chapter 200 - 118: The First Hospital 3 Chapter 200: Chapter 118: The First Hospital 3 Trantor: 549690339????????? ¡ª And that plump female nurse zombie suddenly grabbed the body of the little old man zombie, hugged its waist, and did a 360-degree spin before she let go, throwing the little old man zombie towards Wang Tao. ¡°What the fuck! Is this how you take care of patients?¡± Wang Tao cursed audibly, zombies that cooperate? And they could do that? He didn¡¯t know what ability the little old man zombie had, but since the plump nurse zombie was tossing him over, it indicated that its ability probably needed to be effective at close range. Therefore, Wang Tao once again activated his Precision Shooting Ability, then gathered strength in his right leg. As the little old man zombie was about tond in front of him, Wang Tao kicked fiercely into the air. Bang! The little old man zombie hadn¡¯t even touched the ground when it was kicked away like a ball by Wang Tao, flying straight towards the plump nurse zombie. The nurse zombie probably didn¡¯t even react before getting hit by the little old man zombie. Bang! Both of them fell to the ground. Then, the little old man zombie suddenly started coughing violently, and a yellow-brown smoke spewed out of his mouth, instantly enveloping both him and the plump female zombie. Not knowing what the smoke was, it blocked Wang Tao¡¯s and Han Rui¡¯s view, preventing them from seeing clearly inside. But Wang Tao could see the HP bars; he noticed both zombies¡¯ HP bars dropped by more than 100, which was a minor injury for them. Besides that, there wasn¡¯t any continuous HP loss. However, this couldn¡¯t prove the smoke wasn¡¯t poisonous, after all, the physiques of zombies and humans differ. So Wang Tao simply took up his hand crossbow and started shooting wildly into the smoke. Swoosh- Swoosh¡ª Swoosh¡ª Wang Tao¡¯s shooting speed was swift, and in a short while he had shot over ten arrows. He just aimed at the position of the HP bars and fired right below them, not knowing if he hit his targets or not; anyway, just fire and be done with it. From afar, Han Rui was somewhat dumbfounded, watching the haze of yellow smoke through the scope, and hesitated to pull the trigger. She knew that she definitely couldn¡¯t shoot urately in this situation and might as well provide cover for Wang Tao to prevent other dangers. Watching the HP bar inside the smoke, Wang Tao saw one of them dwindling to a sliver and then shot another arrow. [-342] [0/3200] The little old man zombie died. St¡ª Suddenly, the range of the yellow smoke widened! Before, the range of the yellow smoke was about a ten-meter diameter circle, but now it was at least fifteen meters in diameter! Having killed another Elite Zombie, Wang Tao¡¯s actions with the hand crossbow continued. After all, there was still one zombie within the cloud of yellow smoke. Swoosh¡ª [-32] [-360] [-23] [-30] Double-digit damage indicated that he didn¡¯t hit the head, but it didn¡¯t matter; Wang Tao had plenty of crossbow arrows to spend. Thud, thud¡ª At that moment, footsteps came from within the cloud of yellow smoke, it seemed like the plump female nurse zombie was about toe out of the smoke. But her pace was slow, stepping only once every few seconds. Wang Tao kept shooting. Finally, with thest arrow piercing through the skull of the female nurse zombie, the third Elite Zombie finally died. ¡°They¡¯re all dead!¡± Wang Tao waved at Han Rui, who quickly packed up her sniping crossbow and ran over. ¡°They¡¯re all dead?¡± Han Rui could hardly believe it. From her perspective, Wang Tao had just shot wildly into the yellow smoke and then imed that the two zombies inside were killed? If it wasn¡¯t for her trust in Wang Tao, she would not havee over but would have continued to aim at the yellow smoke. Yeah. Let¡¯s wait a bit to see if the yellow smoke dissipates¡­¡± Wang Tao first collected all the loot from the doctor zombie, then he and Han Rui hid in an abandoned car. About a minuteter, the cloud of yellow smoke finally disappeared. Han Rui quickly looked over and, upon seeing the situation inside the yellow smoke, her eyes went wide. The small elderly zombie and the obese zombie were like porcupines, with their bodies full of crossbow arrows! But what killed them were the arrows in their skulls. ¡°That worked¡­¡± Han Rui murmured to herself. The yellow smoke was so widespread; how had Wang Tao managed to shoot so urately? Although some arrows were shot onto the zombie bodies or the ground, they were mostly in the area of the zombies. It was obvious that Wang Tao had intentionally aimed there¡­ Han Rui didn¡¯t understand the principle behind it, but she was greatly shaken. Wang Tao seemed to know what she was thinking and exined with a smile: ¡°When they were in the yellow smoke, they didn¡¯t really move, so I just shot at their original positions.¡± It¡¯s true that they hadn¡¯t moved much, which was a barely eptable reason. Wang Tao and Han Rui approached the two zombies, and Wang Tao pried out their crystal cores while Han Rui helped collect the crossbow arrows. It took a good while for the two to collect so many arrows. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Han Rui wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. She had been constantly using her perception ability to ensure there was no danger around, which was a bit tiring. ¡°There are still zombies in this building, elite zombies¡­¡± Han Rui looked towards Wang Tao. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a bit before we go in.¡± Wang Tao was also a bit tired. Although the fight hadn¡¯tsted long, he had been rapidly repeating the action of pulling the crossbow string; his hand was nearly smoking from the friction. He needed a little rest and to check the loot. He had to know what abilities these zombies possessed so he could be prepared for future encounters. ¡°Okay!¡± The entrance to the outpatient building had a room that was locked, with no zombies inside. Wang Tao simply unlocked it, and they both entered. Wang Tao looked at his HP bar. All three zombies were killed by him, and each zombie had added 60 HP to him. Wang Tao¡¯s HP was now at[3i8o/3i8o]! Then he turned towards his backpack. First were the three zombie cores. Wang Tao looked first at the elderly zombie¡¯s crystal core, curious about just what the yellow smoke was. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Coughing Smoke] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Coughing)] [Coughing Smoke: Consumes energy to release a cloud of smoke. Zombies within the smoke be stiffer in body, effectively slowing them down. Non-zombies within the smoke will continue to cough.] ¡°No wonder those two zombies hardly moved in the yellow smoke. It was body stiffness, akin to being slowed down¡­¡± Wang Tao suddenly understood. This ability could serve as a decent area control skill. Just how potent the side effect of coughing was remained to be seen¡­ Chapter 201 - 119 Zombies in the Hospital_l Chapter 201: Chapter 119 Zombies in the Hospital_l Trantor: 549690339 I [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Strength] [Quality: Excellent (4-0%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Strength and physique are directly proportional, with insufficient physique, strength will experience negative growth)] [Power: Passive Ability, significantly increases strength] The Crystal Core from the obese female zombie nurse was a blue ¡°Strength¡± core; it was quite interesting since it is a passive ability, somewhat simr to the Glutton Ability. But the side effect seems better than that of the Glutton, just how big must the physique be to gain an increase in strength, and is his physique up to par? Moreover, Wang Tao suddenly thought, the Glutton¡¯s Ability meant the more one eats, the fatter one gets, and the stronger one¡¯s defensive power bes. If the Power Ability meant the bigger the physique, the greater the power, then¡­what if one were to fuse both of these Crystal Cores, what effect would that have? Thest Crystal Core belonged to the first zombie doctor he had killed. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Throwing Master] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Quick to anger)] [Throwing Master: Passive Ability, skilful at throwing most items] Throwing Master surely could increase the uracy of thrown objects. It didn¡¯t consume extra mana, making this Crystal Core pretty good! Though Precision Shooting was powerful, its mana consumption was terrifying: it drained 10 points of mana every second. Considering Wang Tao¡¯s current mana level, he could at most use it for two or three minutes before running out. It might seem like two or three minutes wasn¡¯t short, but since there was no way to regenerate mana at the moment and it could only recover over time, which was very slow, mana was indeed precious. However, Precision Shooting could not only increase the uracy of medium- and long-range attacks but also enhance close-rangebat, enabling him to strike more precisely and potentially hit the same wound repeatedly, thus indirectly increasing damage. While Throwing Master didn¡¯t cost mana, it seemed to offer no enhancement for closebat, and it was unclear exactly what was meant by ¡°skilful¡±¡­ Also, the side effect of this Crystal Core was quite quirky as it would directly affect personality! No wonder he always felt this zombie seemed quite angry¡­ Wang Tao became a bit conflicted: he wanted the Self-healing Ability, he wanted the Power Ability, and he also wanted this Throwing Master Ability¡­ But unfortunately, he could only fuse one more Crystal Core at the moment, so he had to make a careful choice. Aside from these three Crystal Cores, there were naturally other spoils of war. The obese female zombie had dropped two small Strength Potions, which were the same as the potions he had found previously. What the elderly male zombie had exploded into were five Hand Grenades and Blueprints. [Coughing Smoke Bomb Blueprints: Able to create 5 Coughing Smoke Bombs, required materials: Zombie stomach xi, A Crystal Core xi, Zombie Flesh xiokg, Metal x5kg] [Coughing Smoke Bomb: Releases a thick smoke, zombies within the smoke move slower; non-zombies in the smoke will continually cough and lose HP] The function of this Smoke Bomb was simr to Ability, akin to Slime Spitter Grenade. Moreover, its crafting seemed straightforward without the need for any special materials. However, Wang Tao dared not use this carelessly, as, with some caution, Slime Grenades typically wouldn¡¯t hurt oneself. But this Smoke Bomb would cause continuous HP loss¡­ The loot that the zombie doctor dropped was rather interesting, consisting of medical packs and surgical knives. [Acquired: Medical Packs X5] [Medical Pack: Capable of restoring 100 HP in 10 seconds (lost limbs cannot be regenerated)] This Medical Pack was like the one he¡¯d found before in the clinic, capable of adding 100 HP in 10 seconds. However, the previous doctor zombie had only dropped one Medical Pack, while this one dropped five. Medical Packs were one of the reasons Wang Tao hade to the hospital. They could be more effective than some medicines. Though considering Wang Tao¡¯s current 3,000 HP, the 100 HP recovery might not seem much. But since there¡¯s no cooldown mentioned, it implies they can be used continuously. And it¡¯s not just about the 100 HP; it could be about pulling someone back from the brink of death! He should definitely try it out when he gets the chance¡­ [Acquired: Surgical Knives xio] [Surgical Knife: Throwing weapon] The description of the Surgical Knife as a throwing weapon left Wang Tao somewhat speechless. Yet, seeing zombies use it as a weapon made it seem somewhat reasonable? The doctor zombie, upon death, had dropped 10 Surgical Knives, plus the ones Wang Tao had picked up from its hands¡ªthere were four in total. Originally there had been five, but the one thrown at Wang Tao was ruined. Something like a Surgical Knife was incredibly sharp, yet very fragile. A Surgical Knife thrown by a zombie was essentially one-use only. Wang Tao now had a total of 14 Surgical Knives in his Space Backpack, which could be utilized as 14 hidden weapons! If he could learn the Throwing Master Ability, those 14 Surgical Knives would enhance his capabilities significantly. Of course, even if he didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t matter. Wang Tao still had Precision Shooting, and since the ability worked well with the Flying Axe, throwing these Surgical Knives surely wouldn¡¯t be a problem. After checking the spoils, Wang Tao exined the effects of these three Crystal Cores to Han Rui. It was better to rify, lest they get into trouble unawares. Han Rui was quite interested in the Throwing Ability, but since Wang Tao didn¡¯t offer it to her, she wouldn¡¯t bring it up herself. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside.¡± Wang Tao had no ns to go upstairs. The pharmacy was on the ground floor, and since they were here, they definitely had to take some medicine. As for the upper floors, if there was any danger, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to escape, so staying on the safe side was best. If there were Elite Zombies upstairs, they might consider luring them down¡­ ¡°There are two Elite Zombies inside and some Ordinary Zombies¡­¡± Chapter 202 - 119 Zombies in the Hospital_2 Chapter 202: Chapter 119 Zombies in the Hospital_2 Trantor: 549690339 I Han Rui whispered to Wang Tao. The direction she pointed to was still the first floor, but it was the position of the main entrance¡ªthe ce where Wang Tao had juste in was a side door on the west, and the main entrance was to the south. It led to a lobby where the recharge-payment and medication pick-up windows were located. Wang Tao wanted to go to the pharmacy, so he would definitely have to pass through there. With Han Rui¡¯s reminder, the two cautiously made their way to the back of arge column and peered out to see two zombies in patient attire, hiding in the shadows behind the door. They both had [2000] HP. If someone were to enter from the main entrance at that moment, they would likely not notice them. Apart from these two elite zombies, there were quite a few ordinary zombies inside the recharge-payment and medication pick-up windows. Judging by their clothes, they were all hospital staff. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of these two elite zombies first¡­¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t determine what type of elite zombies these were, so he chose to attack from a distance. Taking advantage of the fact that the zombies hadn¡¯t noticed them yet, both Wang Tao and Han Rui picked up their crossbows and aimed at one of the zombies. Whiz¡ª [-2000] With one shot, Han Rui instantly killed a zombie. Wang Tao was a bit slower, and by the time his crossbow arrow hit the zombie¡¯s head, Han Rui had already killed it! Seeing the zombie killed by Han Rui¡¯s single shot, Wang Tao and Han Rui exchanged nces, both a bit surprised. ¡°Its defense is that low?¡± After killing this zombie, the other one still didn¡¯t move and continued to lurk behind the door. ¡°Could this be a stealth zombie?¡± Wang Tao frowned but shot an arrow at the zombie by the door. Whiz¡ª [-2000] This zombie was also killed by one shot, and Wang Tao¡¯s HP increased by 50. After confirming that there were no more elite zombies around, Wang Tao and Han Rui ran over together. ¡°It really is a stealth zombie!¡± Each dropped an excellent quality and an ordinary quality Stealth Crystal Core. The one killed by Wang Tao also dropped two bottles of Stealth Potion (Medium), which were good for evading zombies. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t realized because they were wearing patient attire, different from the stealth zombies he had seen before. Plus, the elite zombies they had just encountered were also wearing patient attire, so Wang Tao hadn¡¯t immediately thought of stealth zombies. ¡°I need to be more cautious in the future; I cannot judge zombies by their appearances¡­¡± In terms of attack and defense power, stealth zombies weren¡¯t any different from ordinary zombies. In fact, their perception ability was even inferior, but their sudden attacks were terrifying. If one didn¡¯t detect stealth zombies in advance, it was easy to be caught off guard. But if they were discovered in time, they posed no threat. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± As soon as they emerged, they drew the attention of the other ordinary zombies, though these zombies were trapped inside the counters and couldn¡¯t get out for the time being. Wang Tao didn¡¯t concern himself with them. He went to the pharmacy entrance and spent some time unlocking it. But seeing the empty interior, Wang Tao was somewhat stunned. ¡°Where are the medicines? Where are all the medicines?¡± Inside was nothing but neatly arranged empty shelves, not a single box of drugs. This didn¡¯t look like the work of survivors taking them, because survivors wouldn¡¯t have left it so clean. It looked more like the hospital staff had moved them¡­ ¡°This¡­¡± Han Rui was somewhat speechless; they had gone through a lot of trouble to get to the hospital, only to find not a single box of medicine. Not only was the pharmacy empty, but also the medication pick-up windows connected to it were devoid of any drugs. Wang Tao only knew that the hospital pharmacy had medicine; whether there were other warehouses for storing medicines, he had no idea. Han Rui was also clueless. Fortunately, he came to kill zombies, not specifically to get medicines, otherwise, it would have been a wasted trip. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said. Wang Tao gestured with his hand and left with Han Rui. ¡°I sense there are elite zombies upstairs; there¡¯s one at the stairwell here, but I¡¯m not sure what type it is¡­¡± Han Rui whispered to Wang Tao. ¡°I¡¯ll try to lure it down; find a spot to wait¡­¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Knowing she wasn¡¯t as fast as Wang Tao, Han Rui didn¡¯t offer to draw the zombie¡¯s attention. She went to the entrance they had used toe in earlier, set up her sniper crossbow, and aimed at the stairwell. Wang Tao crept silently to the stairwell; he hadn¡¯t yet ascended when he saw the figure of someone in a white coat walking down. [3000/3000] ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The zombie suddenly looked up, revealing a ghastly and terrifying face. A hint of human-like anger appeared on its face, and then it reached into its pocket, as if to pull something out. ¡°Another throwing zombie!¡± Wang Tao immediately turned and ran towards where Han Rui was without looking back. Being downstairs and not far from the zombie upstairs was too advantageous for a throwing zombie. He didn¡¯t need to risk a fight to the death with a zombie. The zombie pulled out a surgical knife from its pocket and, seeing Wang Tao run, staggered down the stairs after him. As soon as the zombie reached the first floor, Han Rui pulled the trigger without hesitation. ¡°Whiz¡ª¡± [-572] A crossbow arrow hit its head precisely, causing the zombie¡¯s body to jerk back; it was unable to throw the surgical knife it held. Wang Tao activated his precise shooting ability. [-321] [-310] [-309] After shooting three arrows in quick session, Han Rui finally fired her second arrow. [-628] Wang Tao shot three more arrows. [-353] [-342] [-165] Thest arrow brought the zombie¡¯s HP bar to zero. Throughout the encounter, the zombie swung left and right, not getting the chance to wield its knife.. Chapter 203 - 119 Zombies in the Hospital_3 Chapter 203: Chapter 119 Zombies in the Hospital_3 Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao asked Han Rui to observe the surroundings while he hurriedly collected the zombie¡¯s Crystal Cores and spoils of war. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Throwing Master] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 50% (Side Effect: Irritability)] This was a Crystal Core of excellent quality, which could bebined with the previously acquired one of excellent quality! [Acquired: Medical Kit x51 [Acquired: Surgical Knife xio] [Acquired: Surgical Knife x5] The pack of the doctor zombie contained 10 surgical knives, and he had another 5 in his pocket, making a total of 15 knives. Along with the previous 14 knives, that makes a total of 29 surgical knives. Even if they could only be used as disposable weapons, that quantity wasn¡¯t small. Not to mention the crucial point was that these surgical knives could be stored in the Space Backpack¡­ After securing the spoils of war, Wang Tao signaled for Han Rui toe to the stairway entrance. He was about to ask Han Rui to use her Perception, but when he saw the situation upstairs, Wang Tao frowned. ¡°The second floor is blocked¡­¡± When he hade to attract the doctor zombie just now, Wang Tao had immediately retreated without going upstairs. Only now did he notice that the staircase from the first floor to the second waspletely blocked off, impassable. Moreover, Wang Tao saw that there were many bullet holes¡­ ¡°Could it be that there are many zombies inside?¡± Wang Tao murmured softly, stroking his chin. ¡°Probably not? I only sense one zombie behind this. But my Perception range is limited; there could be others elsewhere¡­¡± Han Rui also didn¡¯t dare to be conclusive in her statement. ¡°Let¡¯s check out the other staircases.¡± The outpatient building had a total of five staircases and four elevators. The elevators were located near the south gate and were now inoperable. After making a round, Wang Tao and Han Rui found that the paths to the second floor were all blocked off in the other four staircases as well. If one staircase was blocked, it could be for any number of reasons. But if all five staircases were blocked and there were many bullet holes¡­ it wasn¡¯t wise to hold out hope; it was dangerous upstairs! The blockade must have been done by the military! They probably took the medicines away as well¡­ Even though Han Rui used her Perception at the entrance of all five staircases and confirmed that there were only a few zombies near the stairway entrances, Wang Tao still didn¡¯t want to take any risks. If he really wanted to go up, he could climb up the exterior wall or pry open the elevator doors and go up the elevator shaft. But it wasn¡¯t necessary; being reckless wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go look somewhere else; we won¡¯t go up¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head; the hospital was sorge, there were certainly more than just a few zombies. ¡°Okay!¡± They left the outpatient building and strolled around the hospital courtyard. Besides a few Ordinary Zombies, they didn¡¯t encounter any Elite Zombies. ¡°Something¡¯s not right¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned. Both Wei Zhenguo and Chen Zhuang had told him before that there were many zombies in this hospital, and it was a terrifying ce. But now, Wang Tao had only seen a few zombies and didn¡¯t feel any horror¡­ Could it be that these zombies had all left? Or were they all blocked in the upstairs of the outpatient building? Leaving was unlikely since they hadn¡¯t seen any zombies wearing whiteb coats on the way. And being blocked upstairs was even less likely since it was clearly a blockade put in ce by the military during the outbreak of the virus. When the Mizusawa Base Peacekeeping Unit arrived at the hospital, the virus had already fully infected it, and the timing didn¡¯t match¡­ Wang Tao subconsciously nced at another building. Behind the outpatient building was another connected building epassing the emergency center, the ward building, the imaging center, and more. If those zombies hadn¡¯t left and weren¡¯t in the outpatient building, could they be in that building? Just as Wang Tao thought of this, he saw Han Rui hurriedly tugging at his sleeve. ¡°Wang Tao, look at the inpatient department!¡± Wang Tao quickly raised his binocrs and looked in the direction Han Rui pointed. On the tenth floor of the inpatient department¡¯s windows, several Ropes dangled down, with the other ends tied inside the windows of the ninth floor. ¡°I just saw two people climb from the tenth floor to the ninth floor using that Rope!¡± Han Rui urged in a low voice. ¡°People? Could it be Shao Yong?¡± Wang Tao suddenly furrowed his brows. If someone was there, it was likely him! His survival wasn¡¯t beyond Wang Tao¡¯s expectations. He was, after all, a capable man who wouldn¡¯t die that easily. However¡­ Wang Tao nced at the hospital¡¯s windows again. He had just been wondering if the zombies that had disappeared from the hospital had all run into that building. Now, seeing Shao Yong in that building, he was likely going toe out. If the zombies really were all in that building, wouldn¡¯t he end up startling so many of them¡­ Thump¡ªThump¡ª Suddenly, Wang Tao thought he heard some noise, like the sound of something walking. ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Han Rui became somewhat nervous. Wang Tao looked towards the connected buildings and then swiftly grabbed Han Rui¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Han Rui didn¡¯t understand, but she quickly shouldered her sniper crossbow and followed Wang Tao as they ran outside. Bang! As the two reached the western gate of the hospital, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the inpatient building above. A momentter. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Countless eerie sounds emanated from within the hospital. Wang Tao quickly surveyed the surroundings, his face changing instantly. He saw at the window of the second floor of the outpatient building they had just left, arge group of agile figures appearing. They climbed down the wall and rushed toward the inpatient department like a ck tide. ¡°Damn it!¡± Wang Tao was shocked by the scene. The upper floors of the inpatient department were filled with so many Mad Demon Zombies! Was this like air for Mad Demon Zombies? From the other connected buildings, some Mad Demon Zombies began to run out as well, not just Mad Demon Zombies, but also a lot of Elite Zombies! Wang Tao looked again, and in the distance, some Mad Demon Zombies were running towards the hospital, and they were blocking Wang Tao¡¯s path. However, there weren¡¯t as many as the ones inside the hospital. ¡°Run fast!¡± Without any hesitation, Wang Tao charged straight towards the outside Mad Demon Zombies. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± These Mad Demon Zombies saw Wang Tao and immediately lunged at them with gaping jaws and iling ws. Wang Tao pulled out his axe, sending out a Shockwave. [-1831] [-1802] [-1734] [¡­] Now with 2000 HP and high defense, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t kill the Mad Demon Zombies in a single blow. Although he swung his axe again, killing those zombies, more Mad Demon Zombies noticed him and surrounded them. Wang Tao could deal with these Mad Demon Zombies, but he didn¡¯t want to prolong the fight. After all, there were too many zombies in the hospital, and it would be troublesome if he drew too much attention. ¡°Han Rui, carry me and use Rush!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui grabbed Wang Tao and immediately activated the Rush Ability. Boom- In an instant, a streak of white light shed by. Some Ordinary Zombies were directly smashed apart, and several Mad Demon Zombies were sent flying into the air. Wang Tao and Han Rui had already appeared thirty meters away, breaking out of the zombie encirclement! Chapter 204 - 120 Shao Yong l Chapter 204: Chapter 120 Shao Yong l Trantor: 549690339 I ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Han Rui gasped for breath, using Rush while carrying someone was apletely different concept from using it alone. Especially since Wang Tao was bulky and had a lot of equipment on him. This was a significant energy drain for Han Rui. The energy she consumed was much more than usual. Thankfully, the effect of Rush was almost fully realized, and the two of them sessfully broke out of the zombie encirclement. But their current position was not good, as it was the opposite direction from where their car was parked. The car was definitely something they couldn¡¯t afford to lose. After all, the cars outside had been corroded by the corrosive acid rain and rusted, rendering them unusable. Cars were now of great value, especially since theirs was an electric car. After scanning the surrounding buildings, Wang Tao immediately pointed to the tallest six-story building and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go up there andy low for a while!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The first and second floors of the building housed arge restaurant, while the third floor and above were apartment homes. There were no Elite Zombies in the restaurant, only Ordinary Zombies which Wang Tao and Han Rui quickly dealt with. The two of them ran up to the sixth floor and arbitrarily chose an apartment room with no zombies to enter. Bang! After closing the door, Han Rui finally rxed. ¡°That was terrifying! The hospital is too dangerous!¡± Recalling what she had just seen, Han Rui still felt her heart pound with residual fear. She had not expected so many zombies to be inside the hospital. What she had even less anticipated was that the outpatient building upstairs would be hiding countless Mad Demon Zombies! Fortunately, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t gone up, or otherwise, he might have been doomed¡­ Wang Tao felt somewhat helpless. He had hoped there would be zombies in the hospital, but not so many. And to top it off, so damn many Mad Demon Zombies¡­ Killing Mad Demon Zombies only resulted in some Ordinary materials dropping and had no other benefits. So whether he could defeat the Mad Demon Zombies or not, Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to provoke them. Since the hospital was temporarily out of the question, Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to just leave either, especially since his car was still outside. He decided to wait a bit longer. Gunshots asionally rang out from the hospital, continuously attracting the Mad Demon Zombies outside. The number of Mad Demon Zombies outside was not thatrge, at least within what Wang Tao could handle, but he still waited patiently. Finally, the gunshots from the hospital ceased. Without this significant noise, the Mad Demon Zombies gradually left. But from his position, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t see the situation inside the hospital and wasn¡¯t sure if Shao Yong was dead or alive. However, he could see the car Shao Yong had parked outside before. If Shao Yong were still alive, he would probablye over¡­ About an hourter, just when Wang Tao thought Shao Yong might be dead, he saw a tall figure covered in blood, sneaking near Shao Yong¡¯s pickup truck. Wang Tao quickly elbowed Han Rui, and under their watchful eyes, the bulky man swiftly got into the pickup truck, then came out cursing and swearing. He checked several other cars, but none of them started¡­ ¡°That¡¯s definitely Shao Yong!¡± Even though the man was covered in blood, Wang Tao recognized him by other physical features, as Wei Zhenguo and Gao Hua had described Shao Yong¡¯s appearance to Wang Tao before. But when Wang Tao saw Shao Yong¡¯s Attributes, he was shocked. Shao Yong had no Hidden Attributes, but his HP was [754/4.030]! Over four thousand HP, even more than Wang Tao! This was the first time Wang Tao had ever seen a survivor with more HP than himself. Just this HP alone naturally wouldn¡¯t shock Wang Tao. If someone was lucky, diligent, and strong, it was normal for them to have more HP than he did. What shocked Wang Tao were two other Attributes. One was Mana, with Shao Yong having [120/4000]! A full 4000 Mana! Wang Tao only had 1400! Going by the calction that merging A Crystal Core could yield 100 Mana, Shao Yong had merged 40 Crystal Cores! While Wang Tao had only merged 14 cores¡­ Although the Crystal Cores Wang Tao had merged were all Synthetic, if he didn¡¯t synthesize them, that would have been 28 cores. But if he used those 28 cores for merging, the result wouldn¡¯t be 2800 HP, since not all merges could seed, given that every Crystal Core had a different sess rate. This meant that the number of Crystal Cores Shao Yong had merged was far more than 40! It¡¯s just that 40 of them were sessfully merged, and the rest failed. Unless Shao Yong had merged exclusively Orange Crystal Cores, which obviously was impossible¡­ The other Attribute that shocked Wang Tao was Shao Yong¡¯s Internal Impurity. [Internal Impurity: 70%] This was definitely the person with the highest Internal Impurity Wang Tao had ever seen! The previous maximum Wang Tao hade across was with Blondy Wu Fei, who had been infected with the zombie virus but couldn¡¯t find an Inhibitor, with an Internal Impurity of 28%. Shao Yong¡¯s was more than double that! Wang Tao wondered if Shao Yong was also infected with the zombie virus. But with his abilities, he should definitely be able to get Inhibitors¡­ That left one other possibility¡ªhe had merged too many Crystal Cores! Merging Crystal Cores, whether sessful or not, always increased Internal Impurity. However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t clear on exactly how much Impurity each Crystal Core would add. But judging from Shao Yong¡¯s 4000 Mana, he had merged at least dozens, possibly even more, Zombie Cores. Of course, both possibilities might be true¡ªhe could be both infected with the zombie virus and have merged too many Crystal Cores! Wang Tao had initially envied Shao Yong for his abundant HP and Mana, but now he only felt sadness for him. Based on the rate his Impurity was umting, it probably wouldn¡¯t be long before he turned into a zombie¡­. Chapter 205 - 120 Shao Yong_2 Chapter 205: Chapter 120 Shao Yong_2 Trantor: 549690339 As Wang Tao observed Shao Yong, it seemed as if Shao Yong sensed something. He lifted his head and looked toward Wang Tao¡¯s window. However, the window was somewhat reflective, and Wang Tao was behind the curtain, so Shao Yong didn¡¯t actually see anyone. But he clearly felt as though he was being watched. Shao Yong stuck out his somewhat long tongue and licked the corner of his mouth, his face showing a trace of anger. He hated being peeped at. But Shao Yong felt behind himself for something and found no steel bars. He then nced at the zombies chasing him inside the hospital and decisively slipped away. Once Shao Yong had left, Han Rui spoke up softly. ¡°That person, he gives me a really terrifying feeling¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, he is terrifying. He¡¯s strong, and I¡¯m not necessarily his match.¡± Wang Tao nodded seriously. He felt somewhat regretful; Shao Yong was critically low on HP now, but he was some distance from Shao Yong and couldn¡¯t hit him. There were also many zombies in pursuit of Shao Yong, and he didn¡¯t have much of an opportunity to strike. ¡°Ah? You can¡¯t beat him? That¡¯s impossible!¡± Han Rui couldn¡¯t believe it. In her mind, Wang Tao had always been the most powerful. It was no problem to say that Wang Tao couldn¡¯t beat zombies, as many zombies were quite formidable. But to say that Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t win against survivors¡­ that seemed unbelievable, right? Wang Tao couldn¡¯t exin the problem with HP and Mana, so he vaguely said, ¡°My instincts are usually very urate, and right now, I might indeed not be as strong as him¡­¡± Shao Yong had 4000 HP, while Wang Tao only had 3290¡­ When over 1000 HP, every increase of 1000 HP is quite significant. So theoretically, Wang Tao¡¯s physical condition should be inferior to his. However, Wang Tao¡¯s physical fitness was originally good, and with the increase in HP, the benefits he received were alsorger. Therefore, it was really hard to say who had the better physical condition between the two of them. But in terms of Mana, Wang Tao couldn¡¯te close; he only had 1400, while the other had 4000, which meant he had merged with 26 more Crystal Cores than him! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know how many Abilities Shao Yong had learned, but Wang Tao could only merge with four types of Crystal Cores at most, meaning he could have at most four Abilities. If Shao Yong also had four Abilities, then his 40 Crystal Cores would be equivalent to having all four Abilities ¡°maxed out¡± at +10! They¡¯d all be merged to the highest level! On the other hand, Wang Tao only had one Shockwave at +10, Toughness at +3, and Precision Shooting only merged once. Plus, he only had three Abilities¡­ So in terms of Abilities, he was theoretically inferior to Shao Yong. Unless Shao Yong had merged with useless junk Crystal Cores, but this possibility was small, since Wang Tao didn¡¯t notice any obvious side effects on him, like Glutton or Mud Swamp. Anyway, no matter what, Wang Tao didn¡¯t have absolute confidence in winning against him. Of course, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t going to challenge him to a duel. With so many people at Shuize Base, why would he give him the chance for a duel? Why not just gang up on him instead? ¡°So what should we do now¡­¡± Han Rui looked toward Wang Tao. Wang Tao hesitated for a moment and then said: ¡°Let¡¯s wait a while longer before leaving. It looks like all the zombies from the hospital havee out. Let¡¯s see if we have a chance to hunt down a few more.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Han Rui nodded. Wang Tao and she waited until the sun set, and the roaring of the zombies outside finally lessened significantly. However, it was going to be dark soon, and it was definitely not the time to go out. ¡°Rest for the night, and things here should be back to normal tomorrow.¡± The next day, early in the morning. The two people in the apartment both woke up early. Neither of them had slept well the previous night, not because they were up to something shameful, but because it was too noisy outside. After the apocalypse, things were differentpared to before. During the daytime, it was usually extremely quiet, but as soon as night fell, the zombies became extraordinarily active, with their howling non-stop. Especially since they were near the hospital, which was filled with so many zombies¡­ the noise was simply too much! If a timid person came here, they would probably be scared out of their wits. Of course, Wang Tao could block his ears to stop the noise. But even if this weren¡¯t a base, even at a base, he wouldn¡¯t block off his senses like that¡­ After simply drinking a couple of nutrient drinks, Wang Tao said to Han Rui: ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the hospital.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two of them cautiously approached the hospital, and after assessing the situation inside, they both gasped in shock. The hospital was filled with zombies, most of them dressed in whiteb coats and patient gowns, and a small portion in regr clothes. At a casual nce, there seemed to be at least a thousand zombies here, and that didn¡¯t even take into ount the many Elite Zombies! Including the unique Elite Zombies found inside the hospital, such as Attackers, Terrorizers, and even Self-exploders, among others. This ce was practically a haven for zombies! Not to mention, within the outpatient building, there were countless Mad Demon Zombies¡­ This was the true face of the hospital! The reason there were no zombies outside yesterday, Wang Tao guessed, might be because Shao Yong and his group caused some disturbance, which drew the zombies over¡­ ¡°What should we do now?¡± Seeing so many zombies, Han Rui felt her scalp tingle. If they were spotted by these zombies, they would only have one choice: to run for their lives. ¡°First, let¡¯s go check the car.¡± The two slowly made their way to where their car was parked the day before. The car was intact, undamaged in any way. Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief; with the car, they had the means to make an escape. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can lure some zombies over¡­¡± Seeing so many Elite Zombies, Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to leave just yet. ¡°Okay!¡± They ambled around the hospital for a while, quickly finding an opportunity.. Chapter 206 - 120 Shao Yong_3 Chapter 206: Chapter 120 Shao Yong_3 Trantor: 549690339 Just then, a bald middle-aged elite zombie, short, and chubby, decked in a whiteb coat, was passing by the entrance. Han Rui had already taken aim at it and sent an arrow flying straight at him. Whiz¡ª [-1023] [1977/3000] The arrow took away one-third of the zombie s HP. Considering its defense power, it probably wasn¡¯t the zombie that threw surgical knives. After taking an arrow, the zombie immediately looked around, then started heading in Han Rui¡¯s direction. It probably didn¡¯t see who attacked it, since there was no eleration and none of the frenzied behavior that zombies disy when they discover humans. Could zombies have a sixth sense? Regardless of whether it was a sixth sense or not, this was just what Wang Tao wanted. When the zombie got closer, Han Rui stealthily shot another arrow. [-1123] [845/3000] ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Now, the zombie had spotted the one who started it all. It immediately turned towards Han Rui¡¯s location and started to jog over. But just at that moment, Wang Tao engaged his precise shooting ability and pulled the trigger. Whiz¡ª [-672] [-182] [0/3000] Its HP dropped to zero, two arrows sending it to its demise. After confirming that no zombies wereing, Wang Tao hurried over to collect the spoils. From the zombie, he gained 60 HP, a white crystal core, and a package. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Rejuvenation] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Prone to indulging in desires)] [Rejuvenation: Can expend a certain amount of energy to instantly recover full physical strength and spirit] Wang Tao thought the attributes of this crystal core weren¡¯t bad. Though it wasn¡¯t about increasing HP or energy, reality is not a game. Besides HP and energy, factors like physical strength and spirit can also impact a person¡¯s state. For instance, when you run out of energy, you feel very tired, and at that point, even if you have a lot of HP, yourbat effectiveness will be significantly reduced. Instant recovery of physical strength and spirit could be like an adrenaline shot, likewise boostingbat power. But the side effect of this crystal core, ¡°prone to indulging in desires¡±¡­ isn¡¯t that just beingscivious? Is that really a side effect? Isn¡¯t that quite normal? Wang Tao had his suspicions; perhaps this Shao Yong might have this ability, right? Otherwise, with so many zombies in the hospital, how did he manage to escape? Putting aside whether he could defeat them or not, even if the zombies just stood there and let him hack at them, it¡¯s doubtful he could have managed to get through them all. Especially during times of heightened concentration, the depletion of physical strength and spirit would be even greater¡­ This lecherous zombie, aside from the crystal core, also had a medic pack, two potions, and a blueprint. [Acquired: Medic Pack x5] [Acquired: Rejuvenation Potion Blueprint xi] [Acquired: Rejuvenation Potion x2] It came with a detailed description. [Rejuvenation Potion Blueprint: After learning, you can craft 5 Rejuvenation Potions at a time. Required materials: Zombie Crystal Core xi, 300ml of Purified Water, 30 kilocalories of food] [Rejuvenation Potion: Upon consumption, instantly recovers full physical strength and spirit, but leads to a state of weakness for 1 day afterward] The materials needed to craft this Rejuvenation Potion are simple, nothing special ¨C just a zombie crystal core, water, and food. However, the side effect of the potion is quite strong. It¡¯s only suitable for a burst of effort. If the battle isn¡¯t over after using it, you¡¯re pretty much done for¡­ With a thought, Wang Tao learned the method to craft the potion. He had learned several potion crafting methods by now, but this was the only potion he could actually make; the others allcked crucial materials. ¡°I¡¯ll make someter on to keep as a reserve¡­¡± he thought to himself. While he was pondering, Wang Tao gestured to Han Rui. ¡°Continue luring zombies.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± It wasn¡¯t long before another opportunity presented itself. A figure wearing a pink nurse uniform with a voluptuous shape appeared at the hospital entrance. ¡°Hiss¡ªIs that really the figure a proper nurse should have?¡± Wang Tao could hardly believe it. This one was much more pleasing to the eye than the previous fat nurse zombie. Of course, that¡¯s provided you don¡¯t look at the face. Its face had long since rotted away, obscuring what it looked like in life. Especially that gaping, mucus-covered mouth-it was downright nauseating to look at. Whoosh- Han Rui released an arrow. [-1459] [1541/3000] That single arrow had taken away half of its HP. The zombie¡¯s defensive power wasn¡¯t high either! Wang Tao had Han Rui hold fire, otherwise the second arrow might steal the kill from him. This zombie¡¯s perception seemed to be sharper. Right after Han Rui shot that arrow, it quickly headed toward Han Rui¡¯s position. At the same time, it opened its mouth wide and a long tongue stretched out. When about 10 meters away from Han Rui, its loose tongue suddenly shot out like a frog¡¯s. Whoosh- Bang! Han Ruiy down on the ground, dodging the tongue¡¯s attack. The tongue struck a discarded vehicle, punching a hole right through the car door. Seeing the attack power, both Wang Tao and Han Rui were stunned. Who could withstand such a lick! However, the female nurse zombie¡¯s tongue was stuck in the car, and the car was too heavy to be pulled out quickly, causing it to stagger. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Tao immediately activated Precise Shooting and pulled the trigger. [-1036] [-505] [0/3000] The voluptuous nurse zombie¡¯s HP bar dropped to zero. It also gave Wang Tao a 60 HP boost, bringing his HP to [3410/3410]! Wang Tao thought to himself that he was lucky; if the zombie¡¯s tongue hadn¡¯t gotten stuck, it probably would have taken more effort to defeat, since it could attack from a distance. Wang Tao quickly went to collect the spoils from the zombie. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Loose Tongue] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side Effect: Prone to mood swings)] [Loose Tongue: Consumes energy, tongue bes hard, lengthens] This ability¡­ The description seems a bit indecent, but it should be effective in actualbat. It could serve as control and deal damage. Besides the Crystal Core, the female nurse zombie dropped some loot, which included a medical pack and a set of clothes. [Received: Medical Pack x5] [Received: Pink Nurse Uniform xi] [Pink Nurse Uniform: Durability+1, Tear-resistant+1] Wang Tao had previously obtained a set of security uniforms, which he was wearing now. Indeed, the clothes were good; they rarely got damaged in frequentbat, sparing him the embarrassment of his clothes getting torn. The attributes of this nurse uniform were the same as the security uniform. But this nurse uniform is tear-resistant? Thumbs down! After killing that zombie, Wang Tao and Han Rui waited for a long time, but no more elite zombies passed by the entrance. ¡°Should we take another risk and lure out a few elite zombies again? While Wang Tao was hesitating, he suddenly felt the ground trembling. ¡°Hmm?¡± Wang Tao and Han Rui looked toward the south at the same time. They saw a gigantic zombie taking steps toward the hospital. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s a gori zombie!¡± Seeing the figure that was as tall as a two-story building, Wang Tao¡¯splexion changed. It wasn¡¯t just its size that had grown; more importantly, its HP had increased as well! [10000/10000] ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao inwardly cursed.. It had only been a few days, and its HP had reached 10,000! Chapter 207 - 121 Synthetic 6 Epic Crystal Cores_l Chapter 207: Chapter 121 Synthetic 6 Epic Crystal Cores_l Trantor: 549690339 | Seeing that the Gori Zombie seemed to be passing by the hospital, Wang Tao hurriedly left the area with Han Rui. The size of that Gori Zombie was terrifying! If he stayed here any longer, even if he wasn¡¯t spotted by the Gori Zombie, he might still get trampled to death! Not to mention that this Gori Zombie was extremely irritable with incredible destructive power¡­ Wang Tao and Han Rui ran back to the apartment building they had stayed in the previous night, but this time they went to the rooftop. The rooftop offered a much broader view, perfectly overlooking the hospital. Theyy prone next to each other, watching the hospital and the Gori Zombie wreaking havoc along its path. Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed deeply. ¡°How did it end up here¡­ This ce is far from the old mall!¡± This Gori Zombie should be a Zombie Lord, and Lords typically have their own territory where they roam. Everyone agreed that the territory of the Gori Zombie was near the old mall. That¡¯s why, after returning from the old mall, the base dubbed that area a forbidden zone, forbidding anyone from going there. But now this is the hospital, which is far from the location of the old mall. How did the Gori Zombie get here? Does it no longer care about its territory? Or did it expand its territory to this area? Wang Tao felt that thetter was more likely! After all, ording to the military¡¯s data, the range of a Lord¡¯s territory expands with their strength increase. The power of this Gori Zombie has clearly increased a lot, so it seemed reasonable for it to want to expand its territory¡­ Thud¡ªThud¡ª The Gori Zombie walked on all fours, pping anything it came across, sending numerous abandoned vehicles flying. Many Mad Demon Zombies were drawn by the noise and came out of hiding, but they retreated upon seeing the Gori Zombie. However, the Gori Zombie didn¡¯t care whether they were zombies or not; anything that stood in its way was sent flying with a p of its hand. Not just vehicles, but many zombies were flung aside, and Wang Tao even saw an Elite Self-exploder Zombie get blown apart by its p. Bang¡ª The Self-exploder made a loud boom, then blew off over a hundred of the Gori Zombie¡¯s HP. ¡°Such incredible defensive power!¡± Upon seeing this, Wang Tao was shocked. The st from a Self-exploder was powerful enough to kill an Elite Zombie outright, but it only dealt just over a hundred damage to the Gori Zombie¡­ That defensive power was outrageous. ¡°This zombie is so much more terrifying than before! Han Rui muttered in shock. When they had seen this zombie before, it hadn¡¯t been this strong¡­ and they couldn¡¯t defeat it then, so how could they possibly do so now! Before long, the Gori Zombie reached the entrance of the hospital, and both Wang Tao and Han Rui could clearly see what it looked like now. ¡°It¡¯s more decayed than before, some parts even show the bone¡­¡± Han Rui whispered softly. ¡°It must have been exposed to corrosive acid rain¡­ From their previous observations, they found that after nts were exposed to corrosive acid rain, they could either die outright or grow even more luxuriantly. Zombies that had been exposed to corrosive acid rain experienced an increase in HP! However, for humans, too much exposure to corrosive acid rain could be life-threatening¡­ The fact that the Gori Zombie¡¯s HP had risen was very likely due to it having been drenched in a lot of corrosive acid rain since it wasn¡¯t this decayed before. Of course, whether it was decayed or not didn¡¯t affect a zombie¡¯s strength. Ordinary Zombies would slow down once decayed, but the speed of this Gori Zombie was about the same as before. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Gori Zombie roared at the hospital and then pounded its massive fists against its chest, just like a real gori. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Wang Tao wondered curiously. The hospital¡¯s zombies were attracted by the sound of the Gori Zombie and some looked towards it but didn¡¯t approach; others went straight to it. Many Mad Demon Zombies also ran out of the outpatient building. Facing these kin, the Gori Zombie did not hesitate tosh out. Bang! Bang! One punch each, it sent the zombies flying. Several Elite Zombies were blown apart on impact! Wang Tao and Han Rui watched in horror from the sidelines. If they hadn¡¯t left earlier, they probably would have met the same fate as these zombies. These zombies had no intelligence and didn¡¯t realize that approaching the Gori Zombie meant certain death. They were blindly drawn to the source of the noise. However, it seemed the Elite Zombies possessed some intelligence, unhke Ordinary Zombies. They did not just let the Gori Zombie hit them freely, they fought back. A doctor zombie in a white coat pulled out a Surgical Knife from its pocket and threw it at the Gori Zombie. But when those Surgical Knives hit the Gori Zombie, they didn¡¯t even break its skin¡­ Seeing what had been tickling it, the Gori Zombie promptly picked up an abandoned car and smashed it against that doctor zombie in the white coat. Bang! The doctor zombie was ttened instantly, their HP of 3000 dropping to zero in a sh. Wang Tao, watching from a distance, felt a twinge of regret; 60 HP limit wiped out ¡ª if only he had been the one to kill it¡­ Besides this white-coated zombie, other Elite Zombies also approached, but none was a match for the Gori Zombie. Watching these Elite Zombies get ughtered, Wang Tao silently noted their bodies¡¯ locations. Although he couldn¡¯t increase his HP limit or expect loot drops, the Crystal Cores were still avable. Once the Gori Zombie left, he could go and pick up the spoils! However, this Gori Zombie was also strange, not entering the hospital but constantly roaring at the entrance¡­ Chapter 208 - 121 Synthetic 6 Epic Crystal Cores_2 Chapter 208: Chapter 121 Synthetic 6 Epic Crystal Cores_2 Trantor: 549690339 After killing who knows how many zombies, the gori zombie suddenly rushed towards the hospital interior. Then it smashed headfirst into the inpatient department building. Crash The wall of the building was rammed through, leaving a huge hole, and the gori zombie disappeared from sight. The other zombies followed the noise towards the gaping hole. Soon, there were hardly any zombies left at the hospital entrance and in the yard; they had all been drawn away by themotion caused by the gori zombie. Wang Tao eyed the bodies scattered everywhere and was somewhat tempted, but he restrained himself. After all, the gori zombie was still inside the building. About three minutester, there was a loud bang as the gori zombie broke through the wall on the other side and rushed out. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s gone?¡± Wang Tao noticed that the gori zombie¡¯s HP bar hadn¡¯t decreased, and he had no idea what it had been doing inside. Nevertheless, its departure was a good thing, and it had left by another route, so they wouldn¡¯t cross paths. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Collect the Crystal Cores!¡± With the gori zombie gone and the hospital¡¯s zombies lured away, it was the perfect opportunity to collect Zombie Cores! Wang Tao and Han Rui hurried to the hospital entrance. Wang Tao¡¯s mouth nearly split into a grin as he saw the huge pile of zombie corpses. Three minutester, as the zombies started toe out of the inpatient department, Wang Tao quickly signaled Han Rui to retreat. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± There might still be some Elite Zombies here, but it was rather troublesome to identify their bodies among the scattered corpses, especially since Wang Tao couldn¡¯t tell them apart once their HP bars were gone. Also, the hospital¡¯s Elite Zombies didn¡¯t quite resemble those from outside; they all looked simr and couldn¡¯t be easily distinguished by their appearance. The two returned to the apartment once again. Looking at the pile of Crystal Cores in the bag, Han Rui subconsciously swallowed. Wang Tao counted them: together, they had picked up 37 Crystal Cores! If it weren¡¯t for the gori zombie, he would have had to kill zombies for quite a while to acquire so many Crystal Cores. Moreover, among these cores, there were three Orange Crystal Cores! Seeing these three Orange Epic Crystal Cores, Wang Tao felt somewhat dreamy. If he remembered correctly, this should be the first time he had extracted Orange Crystal Cores directly from a zombie¡¯s head! Although he himself used Orange Cores, those were synthetic, created frombining two or even three Crystal Cores. Obtaining such natural Orange Crystal Cores from a zombie was genuinely a first for him. Wang Tao had started to doubt whether natural Orange Crystal Cores even existed since, although he had seen plenty of Red Crystal Cores, he had nevere across a single Orange one. But now Wang Tao knew it was not that Orange Crystal Cores didn¡¯t exist; he simply hadn¡¯t been lucky enough¡­ The three Orange Crystal Cores were Throwing Mastery, Strength, and Loose Tongue. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Throwing Mastery] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Prone to anger)] [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Strength] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Strength proportional to body size)] [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Loose Tongue] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Mood swings)] All three of these Crystal Cores were quite useful, and Wang Tao wanted to learn both ¡°Throwing Mastery¡± and ¡°Strength.¡± However, natural Orange Crystal Cores were different from synthetic ones. Although the fusion sess rate for both was 100%, natural cores still contained impurities and side effects. Wang Tao certainly wouldn¡¯t use these cores himself, and it would be a waste to utilize them for fusion, so he nned to take them back to the base to see if anyone else needed them. In addition to these three cores, there were plenty others like Coughing Smoke, Rejuvenation, and familiar ones like Self Detonation, Shockwave, Precision Shooting, and so on. ¡°Do you want to use any of them?¡± Wang Tao asked Han Rui. Since they had acquired them together, she naturally had a choice as well. ¡°I¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s eyes shone at the sight of so many Crystal Cores, but she was unsure which one to choose. What she wanted most was a Perception Crystal Core, but unfortunately, after encountering that one Perception zombie, she had never seen another. ¡°Why don¡¯t you help me decide which Crystal Core suits me best¡­¡± Han Rui looked towards Wang Tao, trusting his judgment implicitly, feeling he would choose better than she could. ¡°I think another Throwing Mastery, or Rejuvenation, or even Shockwave would suit you¡­¡± Wang Tao thought for a moment. Precision Shooting would also suit Han Rui, but he needed that Crystal Core for himself, so he would surely prioritize his own needs. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll take a Throwing Mastery Crystal Core!¡± Han Rui, despite having obtained the Rush ability, still preferred long-range attacks. ¡°Alright, but¡­ don¡¯t rush to assimte it just yet. I¡¯ll keep the Crystal Core safe for you for now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui agreed without asking why. Wang Tao smiled at Han Rui¡¯s unconditional trust. He had just realized an issue¡ªhe had never really paid much attention to the impurities in Crystal Cores, focusing more on the side effects. After all, impurities would only cause problems when umted to a certain extent; normally, a bit of impurity wasn¡¯t a big deal. But the side effects were more obvious; at best, they might alter one¡¯s physique, while at worst, they could affect one¡¯s personality. These seemed much scarier byparison. However, after meeting Shao Yong, Wang Tao suddenly understood that he couldn¡¯t ignore the impurities in Crystal Cores any longer. Because the impurities in Shao Yong¡¯s body had already reached 70%! Chapter 209 - 121 Synthetic 6 Epic Crystal Cores 2 Chapter 209: Chapter 121 Synthetic 6 Epic Crystal Cores 2 Trantor: 549690339 When the internal impurities reach 100%, one will definitely be a zombie. But this doesn¡¯t mean that if it¡¯s not 100%, there won¡¯t be a problem. The first time he saw the Zombie Core, the prompt was very clear¡ªthe more impurities inside, the greater the chance of bing a zombie! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know how high the probability of Shao Yong bing a zombie with 70% impurities in his body was, but even if there was a 1% chance of turning into a zombie, that would be like a ticking time bomb! You never know when it might go off¡­ So now, it¡¯s time to take the issue of internal impurities seriously. Wang Tao spected that the reason why Shao Yong had umted so many impurities might be due to his fusing with too many Zombie Cores! He had a whopping 4000 Mana, which at the very least meant fusing with 40 Zombie Cores, but in reality, it was definitely more than that, perhaps even double or more! Wang Tao currently didn¡¯t know how many internal impurities would umte from fusing with a Crystal Core¡­ If he didn¡¯t figure this out, future core fusions would be terrifying. Of course, Wang Tao himself didn¡¯t care about impurities. He fused with Crystal Cores that had 100% Purity. But this was the apocalypse, and it wasn¡¯t just Wang Tao alone, he had friends, teammates, and the entire Shuize Base. So this matter had to be rified¡­ Wang Tao looked at Han Rui, whose impurity level disyed as ¡°1%¡± beneath her HP bar. Although it seemed small and not much of a danger, she had fused with far fewer Zombie Cores, only three in total thus far. Just looking at Han Rui¡¯s internal impurities, Wang Tao still couldn¡¯t make a judgment yet, he needed topare it with other people¡¯s attributes. Recently, all themittee members in the base had be Ability Users, he could study this matter properly after returning¡­ Wang Tao then looked at the other Crystal Cores, many of which he could use. For instance, Throwing Master, Power, Rush, and so on. But what made Wang Tao happiest was that he finally saw a Self-healing Crystal Core! [Level 1 Crystal Core ¡ö Self-healing] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Reduced touch sensation)] [Self-healing: Within its duration, it can slowly heal certain injuries] This was an Excellent quality Self-healing Crystal Core, and although there was only one, it was enough for him to fuse. Because he happened to have an Ordinary quality Self-healing Crystal Core. Adding them together made an Epic Crystal Core with no side effects and no impurities! Now Wang Tao didn¡¯t have to hesitate about which Crystal Core to fuse-it had to be Self-healing! ¡°Go to the rooftop and observe, see if there are any zombies around, we still have to rest here tonight.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After sending Han Rui out, Wang Tao immediately put all these Crystal Cores into his Space Backpack. He already had quite a few Crystal Cores in there, and now with these additions, the count surged. He then synthesized all the Crystal Cores that he needed at the moment. A rambow light shed, and 6 Orange Crystal Cores appeared in the Space Backpack. [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Precision Shooting x2] [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Toughness X3] [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Self-healing xi] Without a second word, Wang Tao ced the two Precision Shooting Crystal Cores into his mouth one after the other, feeling warm as he fused with them. Then he consecutively put the Toughness Crystal Cores into his mouth. A warm sensation came again. A momentter, all three ¡°Toughness¡± were fused by Wang Tao. Then Wang Tao looked at thest Self-healing Crystal Core. In earlier days, Wang Tao felt that his limit was fusing four types of Crystal Cores, but his strength was insufficient to force a fusion. Now, his strength was more than enough, and he felt that fusing a fourth type of Crystal Core was no problem at all. However, to be on the safe side, he waited for Han Rui toe back before he swallowed the Zombie Core in one gulp. Instantly, Wang Tao felt very warm, no, it was very hot. So, Wang Tao stripped off all his clothes, and Han Rui next to him was somewhat stunned. She thought Wang Tao wanted to do something to her at that moment¡ªnot that he was that kind of person. When they were out in the wild before, he never wasted his strength on such things. Thankfully, Wang Tao told Han Rui that he was just fusing with a new Crystal Core and feeling a bit hot. Han Rui quickly came over to fan Wang Tao. However, Wang Tao felt that the heat this time was not as intense as thest, and he wasn¡¯t too ufortable. Maybe it was because his strength had increased? A few minutester, Wang Tao felt his body gradually cooling down, returning to normal quite soon. Han Rui had been touching Wang Tao¡¯s arm, and once she felt his skin wasn¡¯t as hot, she breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Tao, in turn, looked at his own attributes. HP [3410/3410] Mana [2000/2000] His Mana had risen from 1400 to 2000! With this amount of Mana, as long as it wasn¡¯t a prolonged battle, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about running out. Then, his Abilities. [Shockwave +10] [Toughness +6] [Precision Shooting +3] [Self-healing +1] Among the four Abilities, Shockwave was already fused to the limit, but the other three Abilities still had plenty of room for growth. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t clear just how strong hisbat power was because he was too cautious¡ª If he could go out with someone else, he definitely wouldn¡¯t go alone; if he could attack with Crossbow Arrows from a distance, he would never engage in closebat; he would rather slowly lure zombies than actively go solo against a horde, unless he was sure he could win¡­ No one could fault Wang Tao for this, his margin for error was low; any scratch or bite from a zombie would inevitably lead to infection. Although inhibitors could dy the effects of the zombie virus temporarily, they had to be used continuously. Wang Tao had inhibitors, but he didn¡¯t want to be dependent on them. Moreover, excessive use of inhibitors wasn¡¯t good for the body. So, up until now, Wang Tao had never really fought all out. Of course, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t so arrogant as to think he was invincible with full strength. Just the Gori zombie he had seen not long ago¡ªthe one he couldn¡¯t defeat even when pulling out all the stops! Wang Tao even felt that he might not be able to beat it even when the Gori zombie had 5000 HP¡­. Chapter 210 - 122: Sneak Attack, Self-healing Chapter 210: Chapter 122: Sneak Attack, Self-healing Abilityl Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao tried out his new ability ¡°Self-healing.¡± ¡°Consuming¡­ 1 Mana per second! Not bad, not bad!¡± He hadn¡¯t expected Self-healing to be like Thoughness, consuming 1 Mana per second during use, which wasn¡¯t nearly as exaggerated as the 10 Mana per second consumed by Precision Shooting. With his current 2000 Mana, he could use it for half an hour. The only thing was he didn¡¯t know how effective this Self-healing was¡­ The description on the Self-healing Crystal Core said ¡°slowly recovers a certain amount of HP,¡± but just how slow was this ¡°slow¡±? He would have to study this furtherter on. Unfortunately, he was at full HP now and couldn¡¯t test it. Wang Tao nced outside the window, it was already evening. At this time, there was no need to take risks by going out. After all, he wasn¡¯t clear about the actual situation inside the hospital and had no idea what the Gori zombie was doing running in there¡­ The unknown represented risk, so it was better to be cautious. The two of them rested in the apartment for the night. The next morning, they arrived at the entrance to the hospital again. But seeing the situation inside the hospital, Wang Tao felt a headacheing on¡ªthe zombies had once again disappeared! Obviously, they had gone back inside the building. Most likely, Shao Yong and the rest had attracted the zombies into the building before. Now that Shao Yong had left, and his men were probably all dead, the zombies had gone back in again¡­ Could it have something to do with yesterday¡¯s Gori zombie? Wang Tao shook his head in resignation. With the zombies inside the building, he couldn¡¯t attract them out; otherwise, instead of one or two, it would be hundreds, if not thousands of them! Not to mention, there were countless Mad Demon Zombies here¡­ ¡°We¡¯re pulling out!¡± Wang Tao and Han Rui picked up some Zombie Cores they hadn¡¯t managed to collect from the day before. After staying a while longer and confirming there was no opportunity, Wang Tao decisively left. Although it was a pity, with the zombies noting out, there was no use in him staying there. However, Wang Tao was definitely nning toe back. Moreover, he intended to bring a loudspeaker next time. The zombies in the hospital weren¡¯ting out, right? He would just use noise to attract them! Of course, this n had certain risks. A slight mistake could cost him his life, so he needed to study how exactly to implement it. Upon reaching his SUV, Wang Tao made sure there were no issues with the vehicle and then started it up, driving back with Han Rui. Seeing the destruction caused by the Gori zombie along the way, Wang Tao was amazed. How much damage had that thing caused on its way here! Wang Tao quietly noted down the route taken by the Gori zombie, so that in the future, Hunters from the base could avoid these areas when they went out. ¡°Wang Tao, there are Elite Zombies!¡± Around midday, as they were close to returning to Shuize Base, Han Rui suddenly pointed out a location. Wang Tao looked in the direction she was pointing. There were two tall zombies standing out from a group of Ordinary zombies on a square. One was a Self-exploder with 3000 HP. The other was an extremely obese male zombie with 2400 HP. The Self-exploder¡¯s chest was swollen, with its internal organs exposed. The obese zombie, besides being fat all over and having arge belly, was excessively overweight to the point of abnormality; it seemed like the belly would burst at any moment¡­ It was different from the Slime Spitter, which only had a slightlyrger belly, and was not as fat. From the looks of it, this was a new type of zombie that Wang Tao had never seen before. ¡°Should we engage?¡± Han Rui seemed eager to try. She was timid in the hospital, but once on the road, she was ready to strike hard! After all, there were only two Elite Zombies, which basically posed no threat to her and Wang Tao. As for the Ordinary zombies, dealing with them would just be a matter of a few Shockwaves for Wang Tao. ¡°Engage!¡± They got out of the car. Considering there was a Suicide Bombing Zombie, Wang Tao naturally chose to use Slime Grenades to stick both of them in ce and then kill them slowly. Wang Tao stealthily moved closer, and once he was in the right position, he threw a Slime Grenade directly at the Self-exploder. Pia¡ª The Slime Grenade instantly spurted out arge amount of white substance, wrapping the Self-exploderpletely, rendering it immobile. Several unfortunate Ordinary zombies nearby also got stuck. Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush forward but took out another Slime Grenade and threw it at the obese zombie. However, to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, the Slime Grenade exploded on the obese zombie, but it didn¡¯t stick to him. A yellow-green fluid secreted from the zombie¡¯s body seemed to be very slippery, instantly neutralizing the effects of the Slime Grenade! ¡°Huh, it didn¡¯t stick?¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised, but he didn¡¯t dwell on it and moved straight towards the Self-exploder instead. There was some distance between the Self-exploder and the obese zombie, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about the obese one for now. Wang Tao raised his axe, and with an empty chop, a transparent ripple appeared, instantly killing several Ordinary zombies. Without stopping, Wang Tao wielded Shockwaves from his hands as if they cost nothing, and the Ordinary zombies fell to the ground like harvested wheat. Atst, Wang Tao stood in front of the Suicide Bombing Zombies and swung his axe! [-3000] [0/3000] The blow from the axe instantly killed the Suicide Bombing Zombie with 3000 HP! Although the Self-exploder had a low Defense, Wang Tao had previously needed two chops; now, he could kill it with one. Wang Tao was quite satisfied with his damage output. After collecting all the spoils from the Self-exploder, Wang Tao then turned his attention to the obese zombie. The obese zombie had secreted a lot of yellow-green fluid, which made itpletely immune to the effects of the white sticky substance produced by the Slime Grenade.. Chapter 211 - 122: Sneak Attack, Self-healing Chapter 211: Chapter 122: Sneak Attack, Self-healing Ability_2 Trantor: 549690339 And the liquid had a very foul smell that made Wang Tao feel nauseous. ¡°What kind of zombie is this¡­¡± While feeling speechless, Wang Tao had no intention of engaging in closebat with it. A surgical knife appeared immediately in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. He had obtained these surgical knives but hadn¡¯t really used them properly, so this was a good opportunity to try one out. Precise Shooting Ability Activation! Wang Tao aimed at the zombie¡¯s eyes and then fiercely threw the throwing knife. Schlick! With Wang Tao¡¯s current strength, he drove the surgical knife deeply into the fat zombie¡¯s eye socket, instantly bringing its HP to zero! [-2400] [0/2400] ¡°Its defense is that low too?¡± Before Wang Tao could ponder further, he heard a ¡°bang,¡± and the zombie exploded. ¡°Ah? This is also a Suicide Bombing Zombie?¡± Wang Tao was confused. But the explosion sound made by this fat zombie was much smaller than that of a Self-exploder; if a Self-exploder¡¯s explosion was like a bomb¡­ then this was at most like a balloon popping and couldn¡¯t even attract Mad Demon Zombies. Moreover, the explosion¡¯s power wasn¡¯t as great as a Self-exploder¡¯s, since several Ordinary Zombies nearby were still alive and well. The explosion from a Self-exploder could even kill Elite Zombies. However, unlike a Self-exploder, when this fat zombie exploded, the yellow-green liquid inside its body spurted out like water from an exploded balloon, sshing in all directions. The Ordinary Zombies around it were immediately drenched in the liquid. ¡°Damn it!¡± The smell was horrendous, almost like ammonia, an intense and noxious stench! Wang Tao hurriedly threw another Slime Grenade, forming a hardened surface on the road; with a look of disgust on his face, he ran over to collect the spoils of war. It might stink, but the spoils were not to be wasted. Just then, the other zombies in the square, as if entering a frenzy, started running towards Wang Tao¡¯s location. They were all Ordinary Zombies, and Wang Tao couldn¡¯t be bothered with them; he simply took off. However, to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, the Ordinary Zombies didn¡¯t chase after him but surrounded those that were soaked in the yellow-green liquid and began punching, kicking, tearing, and biting them. II II Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened. What was happening! But now was not the time to think, and Wang Tao quickly ran towards the car. Han Rui had taken the driver¡¯s seat and then opened the car door. Just at that moment, Han Rui¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and she yelled at Wang Tao. ¡°Watch out!¡± But as she spoke, it was already toote. Bang! A zombie with an enormous arm suddenly burst out of a dark corner and mmed into Wang Tao! Crash Wang Tao was sent flying and crashed through the bricks of the square¡¯s wall, falling on the other side, with his life or death unknown. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± Han Rui turned pale, hurriedly got out of the car, and then charged at the Charger Zombie. Whoosh Bang! Han Rui hit the Charger with full force, but it blocked her charge with its huge arms, merely stepping back two paces. Han Rui felt a bit dizzy as if she had run headlong into an iron wall. Hu- The Charger Zombie swung its arm, striking Han Rui and sending her flying. ¡°Puh ¡± Han Rui mmed hard against a tree, feeling a sweet sensation in her throat as a red trace of blood soaked through the cloth on her face. ¡°So strong¡­¡± Han Rui struggled to get up, taking out the pistol from behind her waist. She had not expected the Charger to be so strong! Its defense was outrageous, able to withstand even her charge! Was she going to fall here today? Han Rui aimed the gun at the Charger, knowing that it was highly unlikely the pistol would kill it, but she had no other options. As for attracting Mad Demon Zombies, she no longer needed to consider that. The sound of the Charger hitting Wang Tao against the wall, and the subsequent copse of the wall, were loud enough that a few Mad Demon Zombies had already begun racing in their direction. But as Han Rui was about to shoot, suddenly a Flying Axe flew out of the rubble and struck the Charger Zombie right in the back of its head. Bang The Charger staggered from the blow and turned to roar at the ruins. A towering figure, clutching a Concrete Hammer, slowly emerged from the debris. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± Han Rui, seeing this scene from a distance, burst into tears of joy. Then, she looked at the approaching Mad Demon Zombies and decisively ran towards them. She couldn¡¯t deal with the Charger and had to leave it to Wang Tao. But she could spare him from other nuisances. Wang Tao rotated his neck, causing a series of cracking sounds. Facing this Charger Zombie with 4200 HP, he grinned. He felt the axe was too short to deal with this towering Charger, so he pulled out the Reinforced Concrete Hammer dropped by the Terrorizer from his Space Backpack. The Big Hammer was tremendously draining on physical strength, but it was perfect for dealing with these tough-skinned zombies. Not to mention, Wang Tao had also drunk a Strength Potion! Taking a deep breath, Wang Tao held the Big Hammer tightly with both hands and ran towards the Charger. Roar The Charger Zombie, seeing this man had not died and apparently angered, let out a roar, then raised its arm, preparing to charge at Wang Tao again. Wang Tao instantly gripped the hammer with one hand while the other held a Surgical Knife, which he threw directly at the Charger¡¯s head. [-74] Though it didn¡¯t cause much damage, it knocked back the Charger¡¯s head and sessfully stopped its second charge.. Chapter 212 - 122: Sneak Attack, Self-healing Chapter 212: Chapter 122: Sneak Attack, Self-healing Ability 3 Trantor: 549690339 And in that brief moment, Wang Tao had already run up to the Attacker. He raised the Concrete Hammer with both hands and mmed it down on the Attacker. Bang! [-65] The Attacker raised its thick right arm to block, but its entire body was still forced to step back, and cracks appeared on the ground. ¡°Pretty tough, huh? Let¡¯s see just how tough you really are!¡± Wang Tao again lifted the hammer and smashed down fiercely. Bang! [-71] The Attacker took another step back. Not giving it a chance to react, Wang Tao¡¯s third hammer strike came crashing down. Bang! [-329] This third strike made the Attacker stagger, retreating several steps before toppling to the ground; its thick arm could no longer protect its head. Wang Tao took his chance to rush forward, then leaped up. He held the Big Hammer high above his head and smashed down hard on the Attacker¡¯s head beneath him. Bang! [-2041] This hammer strike took out half of the Attacker¡¯s HP, and it seemed to have been dazed by the blow, its head swaying, unable to lift its enormous arms. Wang Tao pressed his advantage, almost swinging the hammer in a full circle before bringing it down with force. Squish! [-1470] [0/4200] The Attacker¡¯s HP bar emptied. Wang Tao quickly collected the spoils of battle, then took a deep, heavy breath. The Terrorizer¡¯s Concrete Hammer weapon was indeed not meant for humans; it was too heavy and consumed too much physical strength. He had swung it only a few times and was already exhausted. After resting for a few seconds, Wang Tao dragged the hammer and rushed towards Han Rui. By then, almost twenty Mad Demon Zombies were entangling Han Rui, and there were even more corpses of Mad Demon Zombies on the ground. As Wang Tao charged over, he mmed the hammer fiercely onto the ground. With his size and the Reinforced Concrete Hammer, he was practically the spitting image of a Terrorizer! Bang! One blow sent the surrounding Mad Demon Zombies flying apart like they¡¯d been hit by a car, clearing arge area instantly. ¡°Let¡¯s go, you drive!¡± Seeing more Mad Demon Zombies running towards them, Wang Tao didn¡¯t linger and dragged Han Rui away with him. Killing these Mad Demon Zombies brought no benefits, and Wang Tao did not want to waste time on them. Han Rui quickly dove into the driver¡¯s seat, and as soon as Wang Tao got in, she floored the elerator. Vroom vroom- Before more Mad Demon Zombies arrived, the car left the square. Over ten Mad Demon Zombies were still chasing the car, but Wang Tao had specifically chosen a manageable route, and once the car sped up, it quickly shook off the chasing Mad Demon Zombies. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Seeing no more Mad Demon Zombies in the rearview mirror, only some Ordinary Zombies, Han Rui let out a sigh of relief. Then she quickly turned back to look at Wang Tao sitting in the back, and asked with concern, ¡°Wang Tao, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Wang Tao shook his head, then smiled and said, ¡°Thanks to your warning earlier, otherwise, things might have really gotten tricky.¡± The Attacker¡¯s Rush capability could cover a distance of over thirty meters, and its speed was incredibly fast! Without being prepared, it was very difficult to avoid. Especially if the Attacker was hiding in the shadows, it was virtually impossible to guard against. By the time you heard the sound, it would already be toote. Although Han Rui had Perception Ability, her range of perception was only about a dozen meters in diameter, so she could not perceive the Charger Zombies. By the time she detected a Charger Zombie, it had already rushed toward her. For example, during the recent battle, when Wang Tao went out to hunt zombies, she took up the sniper crossbow and silently activated her Perception Ability to keep watch for Wang Tao. When she sensed the Charger Zombie, it was only a little more than ten meters away from Wang Tao. For the Rush Ability, that distance was almost as quick as a blink of an eye! Under such circumstances, Han Rui could do nothing but cry out in a panic. Even her cry was toote¡­ But at that time, Wang Tao was running towards the vehicle and looking at Han Rui. Just as Han Rui trusted Wang Tao 100%, Wang Tao also had great trust in Han Rui; otherwise, he would not have always taken her out with him. When Wang Tao saw the panic in Han Rui¡¯s eyes, he reacted without thinking and instantly activated Toughness! The Toughness Ability continuously drains Mana, so Wang Tao used it duringbat and stopped it afterward. He had just endedbat, so naturally, it had been deactivated. But his reaction was quick. After activating Toughness, he felt a huge force hit him from the side, and then he was sent flying, even smashing through a wall. He didn¡¯t feel pain at the moment, just a bit dazed. When he climbed out of the rubble, Wang Tao nced at his HP bar. He had lost more than two hundred HP! If he hadn¡¯t activated Toughness, he might have lost two thousand HP¡­ or even faced instant death! After all, the Charger Zombie had 4200 HP; its strength was simply too formidable. So he had to thank Han Rui. If it weren¡¯t for her, he might have been in big trouble today. Seeing that Wang Tao was truly unhurt, Han Rui finally let out a sigh of relief, then felt somewhat annoyed. ¡°I still discovered it toote. If I had noticed earlier, it wouldn¡¯t have been so dangerous¡­¡± Shaking her head, she then said with concern, ¡°Once we¡¯re back, have Chen Zhuang check you, just in case you have any internal injuries¡­ that would be troublesome¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Wang Tao nodded with a smile. Han Rui was also injured, yet she was still worried about him. Wang Tao took out a medical kit to treat Han Rui¡¯s injuries. The kit contained some medicines and hemostatic tools; the medicine provided Blood Regeneration. ¡°Take this.¡± Wang Tao handed her arge, ck pill. ¡°Oh.¡± Not quite understanding but trusting Wang Tao, Han Rui did not ask any questions. ¡°Huh?¡± A momentter, Han Rui was surprised to find that she felt much better, and the injuries inside her body¡­ had improved somewhat? Wang Tao had her take several more pills. By the time they saw the base¡¯s gate, Han Rui¡¯s HP had almost fully recovered, leaving only some superficial wounds. ¡°This medicine is amazing!¡± Han Rui eximed, having never seen such effective medicine before. ¡°Pretty good, right? I¡¯ll give you some for backupter.¡± ¡°Great! Thank you!¡± Han Rui didn¡¯t hesitate to ept; after all, it was something that could save her life. Once the car had safely entered the base, Wang Tao finally rxed. Then he finally had the time to look at the loot from the recent fight. He had killed three Elite Zombies in total, the Suicide Bombing Zombies had restored 60 HP, the fat zombies had restored 50 HP, and the Charger Zombie had added 70 HP. His current HP was [3590/3590]! The reason he was at full HP was not because he used the medical kit, but because he used his Self-healing Ability immediately after getting injured. He had finally understood the specifics of his Self-healing Ability ¡ª it consumed 1 Mana per second to replenish 1 HP. Though it only restored 1 HP per second and couldn¡¯t instantly recover full HP, it was still pretty good. After all, with a Mana pool of 2000, that was like having a backup health pack of 2000 HP! Chapter 213 - 123 Rush Suit l Chapter 213: Chapter 123 Rush Suit l Trantor: 549690339 Then there were the other spoils of battle. The Self-exploders had dropped a Level 1 Crystal Core of ordinary quality, five Self-Destruct Bombs, and a Self-Detonation Bomb Blueprint. The Fat Zombie had dropped a Bile Crystal Core, five Bile Bottles, and a Bile Bottle Blueprint. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Bile] [Quality: Excellent (8o%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: excessive obesity)] [Bile: Consumes energy to spit out bile that can attract zombies] Seeing the attributes of this crystal core, Wang Tao suddenly realized. No wonder when that fat zombie exploded, the yellow-green liquid thatnded on some zombies caused other zombies to attack those smeared with the liquid! If he sprayed this bile on some formidable zombies, wouldn¡¯t it cause ordinary zombies to attack the formidable one? [Bile Bottle: When detonated, it will create an area covered in bile] [Bile Bottle Blueprint: Can produce five Bile Bottles, required materials: A Crystal Core xi, Zombie Flesh xskg, ss x2kg] The blueprint for the Bile Bottles was notplicated either; all the materials needed weremonly found. As for thest of the spoils dropped by the Attacker, it had made Wang Tao¡¯s mouth twist into a grin. [Level 1 Crystal Core-Rush] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: limb stiffness)] This was actually an Epic Quality crystal core! He had finally managed to obtain an Epic Crystal Core! Although the Charger Zombies were difficult to fight, the core was a just reward for his efforts. But there was more to the Attacker¡¯s spoils than just that-there was also a blueprint for a pair of boots! [Rush Combat Boots Blueprint: Can produce a pair of Rush Combat Boots, required materials: Iron Block x2, Steel Wire x2, Screws x2, des x2, Nails x2, Rubber x2, stic x2, Cables x2, Electronic Components x2, Batteries x2] [Rush Combat Boots: Tough and resilient, capable of blocking des and bullets. Durability +10, Defensive Power +10] This was a blueprint for boots with attributes, and the materials required for crafting were all simple. With these boots, Wang Tao now had two Rush Arm Guards, two Rush Knee Guards, and a pair of boots¡ª all from the Attacker series! When Wang Tao first obtained the Rush Right Arm, he never expected to umte so many items from the Rush series. One could only say his luck was good! Han Rui parked her car under her apartment building and then got out. ¡°Rest well today.¡± ¡°You too!¡± Watching Han Rui enter the building, Wang Tao directly drove back. Ding Yuqin was not at home; there was a note left in the house saying she was killing zombies around the base. Wang Tao made himself something simple to eat, then took out the materials and blueprints to make the Rush Combat Boots. With a thought, a sh of light appeared. A pair of ordinary-looking ck boots materialized before him. The appearance of the Rush series equipment was in, but Wang Tao wasn¡¯t fussy about aesthetics¡ªwhat mattered was practicality. Wang Tao prepared to try on the boots to see howfortable they were. However, once he had put them on his feet, the boots suddenly emitted a sh of light! ¡°Hmm?¡± It wasn¡¯t just the boots; his knee guards and arm guards were also shing. About three secondster, the light slowly faded. There didn¡¯t seem to be any change to the equipment itself, so Wang Tao quickly checked the data of the gear. ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Tao then discovered that the suit had gained an attribute! [Rush Combat Boots: Durability +10, Defensive Power +10 (Suit Attributes activated)] [Rush Suit: Can actively release the Rush Ability once, cooldown time 1 hour, number of uses avable: 0/0] The description for the suit attributes was detailed below. [Suit Attributes: Collect a certain number of equipment with the same name to unlock suit attributes. Iy a Crystal Core into the equipment to use suit attributes.] [Note 1: Once iid, the Crystal Core cannot be removed.] [Note 2: The Crystal Core can be iid again after its energy is depleted, but if the equipment is damaged, it cannot be iid.] ¡°A suit! An extra Ability?¡± Wang Tao was pleasantly surprised. ording to the description, this meant he could use an additional Ability! That was quite exciting! However, the disy showed the number of uses as zero¡­ ¡°Iy a Crystal Core into the equipment to use the suit attributes¡­¡± Wang Tao quickly examined the equipment, and he noticed that although their appearance hadn¡¯t changed, where batteries could be inserted, there was now a cavity the size of a grape¡ªthese pieces of equipment all could use batteries sourced from zombie drops for some enhancement. ¡°It must be where the Crystal Core is meant to be ced¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t specifically stated which Crystal Core to use, so it should mean any Crystal Core would suffice. So, Wang Tao casually took an ordinary Self-Destruct Crystal Core and embedded it into the Rush Right Arm¡¯s cavity. Click- Wang Tao felt the arm guard snatch the crystal core instantly, and he couldn¡¯t pry it loose. At the same time, the numbers for the suit¡¯s attributes changed. [Number of uses avable: 2/2] One crystal core could be used twice? Wang Tao then took a Blue Crystal Core and ced it into the knee guard. Click¡ª [Number of uses avable: 6/6] ¡°Hmm? Four more uses! Is it because of the knee guard or because it¡¯s a Blue Crystal Core?¡± Wang Tao then ced another Blue Crystal Core into the Rush Left Arm. [Number of uses avable: 10/10] The White Crystal Core provided two uses when iid in the right arm.. The Blue Crystal Cores iid in the knee guard and the left arm each brought four more uses! Chapter 214 - 123 Rush Suit_2 Chapter 214: Chapter 123 Rush Suit_2 Trantor: 549690339 I Then the result is obvious ¡ª the White Crystal Core adds two chances, the Blue adds four! So, does the Purple add six? And Red eight? Orange ten? To confirm his guess, Wang Tao took another Purple Crystal Core and iid it into the other kneepad. [Usable Times: 16/16] Indeed, just as he had suspected, the Purple Crystal Core added six chances! With that being the case, there was no need to test the Red and Orange ones; after all, these Crystal Cores were rather precious, even the Self-Destruct Crystal Cores, which he had saved up. Looking at the two shoes and one kneepad that could still be iid, Wang Tao thought it over and decided that iying Blue Crystal Cores was probably the most cost-effective choice. Because if one excludes the somewhat special Green Crystal Cores, the ones above Blue were Purple, Red, and Orange. The lowest, Purple, had a 60% fusion sess rate, which obviously made it appropriate for fusion purposes. He had previously advised Wei Zhenguo and the others to aim for fusing Purple Crystal Cores or higher. So there was no need to use these rarer cores for iying. As for the White Crystal Cores with the lowest fusion sess rate, he would make things like hand grenades and potions, which could use any Crystal Core, so he always used White Crystal Cores. And since White Crystal Cores only provided two chances, it wasn¡¯t worth using the White ones for iying; it was better to use them as materials. Therefore, Blue Crystal Cores, which were neither too high nor too low, were just about right for iying. Thus, Wang Tao took out two more Blue Crystal Cores and iid them into the two shoes. [Usable Times: 24/24] 24 uses of the Rush Ability! Wang Tao now felt as if he could activate the Rush with just a thought! Although there were cooldown time limits, it didn¡¯t consume any of his Mana. This was no different from having an additional Ability. Wang Tao clenched his fists tightly. Being hit by a Rush Zombie today was worth it! Wang Tao then thought about the stubborn armor he wore, wondering whether it had any Suit Attributes. Unfortunately, he only had one piece of armor, so he couldn¡¯t confirm. In the afternoon, Ding Yuqin came back. Seeing Wang Tao at home, she was a bit surprised. ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re finally back!¡± She hurried over and hugged Wang Tao. Wang Tao looked at Ding Yuqin, and after not seeing her for three days, he could clearly feel that she was different from before. If before Ding Yuqin was a clingy little woman, now¡­ she was still clingy, but her spirit seemed much improved. She reminded him a bit of the feeling Han Rui gave him back at the water nt. ¡°How have you been these past two days? You seem to have lost quite a bit of weight.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile as he stroked Ding Yuqin¡¯s cheek. ¡°Ah? Really?¡± Hearing Wang Tao say she had lost weight, Ding Yuqin was immediately delighted. She felt that the hardships of recent days had not been in vain. Ding Yuqin wasn¡¯t overweight but wasn¡¯t stick-thin either ¡ª she had a healthy female figure. But like many women, she too wished to be slimmer, and she was no exception. sping Wang Tao¡¯s arm tightly, Ding Yuqin began to recount what she had been through these past few days. ¡°Wang Tao, I can single-handedly take on zombies now!¡± Wang Tao had previously arranged for someone to take Ding Yuqin and Gao Hua to practice killing zombies, and after several days of training, Ding Yuqin could almost effortlessly deal with single zombies, and manage multiple ones without much trouble. This wasn¡¯t because Ding Yuqin had superiorbat skills; it was purely because her physical condition was that good! Wang Tao had powered-leveled her, so to speak, straight to 1000 HP, and HP was a direct measure of physical condition. The hunters in the base, generally speaking, all had a few hundred HP, and many of them were already able to take on zombies one-on-one. With Ding Yuqin¡¯s physical condition being stronger than that of ordinary zombies, taking them on one-on-one was definitely no issue. It was just that she had nobat experience against zombies, and was rather timid. The past few days had been about practicingbat and building courage, and she had achieved some sess. ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯re awesome!¡± After listening to her story, Wang Tao could not help but praise her. Ding Yuqin had no resistance to Wang Tao¡¯spliments. She tightened her grip on his arm and then asked eagerly: ¡°Then can I go out with you?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. If there¡¯s a chance, I may take you with me.¡± As long as Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t hold him back, taking her along was naturally fine. But right now, it definitely wasn¡¯t possible; after all, Wang Tao hunted Elite Zombies, which was entirely different from ordinary zombies. If Ding Yuqin were to go now, she would still be a burden. ¡°Great! Oh, right, I haven¡¯t taken a shower, I¡¯m all sweaty, I should go take a bath¡­¡± Ding Yuqin quickly let go of Wang Tao, but he pulled her back. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Ding Yuqin blushed, her face turning a shade of red as she looked at Wang Tao. ¡°Okay-¡± The next day, early morning. Wang Tao arrived at theplex. Themittee members were all present. Seeing Wang Tao, Wei Zhenguo spoke with a serious expression: ¡°Wang Tao, you say you encountered Shao Yong? What exactly happened?¡± On his way back the previous day, Wang Tao had already informed the base about Shao Yong¡¯s situation in advance. However, he hadn¡¯t gone into details but just told everyone to be more vignt. ¡°The specifics¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly recounted what had happened at the hospital. After hearing Wang Tao¡¯s ount, everyone looked at each other. ¡°The hospital is that terrifying!¡± ¡°So many Mad Demon Zombies, and Elite Zombies¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely the most dangerous ce now!¡± ¡°From now on, we need to steer clear of the hospital, we can¡¯t afford to go there¡­¡± Chapter 215 - 123 Rush Suit_3 Chapter 215: Chapter 123 Rush Suit_3 Trantor: 549690339 The group firstmented the condition of the hospital before the conversation turned to Shao Yong. ¡°It¡¯s not good news that Shao Yong isn¡¯t dead, given his personality, he will definitely seek revenge. Let¡¯s have the Hunters stay in for the time being and first find Shao Yong¡¯s whereabouts¡­¡± The fact that Shao Yong was still alive was bad news, but ¡°Wang Tao discovering Shao Yong wasn¡¯t dead¡± was good news. Otherwise, if everyone still thought Shao Yong was dead and lowered their guard, that would be a real problem. ¡°I think we can send someone to investigate the underground mall. Didn¡¯t Wang Tao say he had no car when he left and was chased by arge group of zombies? There is a good chance he hasn¡¯t made it back to the underground square¡­¡± Feng Ming¡¯an suddenly said. Those of them who often ventured out knew the terror of the post-apocalyptic world all too well. Without a vehicle for transportation, one generally couldn¡¯t get very far. Most of the time, one had to hide from zombies. After all, even the strongest survivors feared being surrounded by zombies. And with Shao Yong being seriously injured, he might be hiding somewhere right now. If someone was sent to stake out the underground mall, they might be able to discover his whereabouts. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll have to send someone to keep watch.¡± Wei Zhenguo nodded, then asked, ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯ve already seen Shao Yong. What do you think of his strength?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say specifically, since a person¡¯s strength isposed of many different factors. But I feel that if both of us were in our best condition, I probably wouldn¡¯t be his match.¡± Wang Tao said with a serious expression. ¡°What? You¡¯re not his match?¡± When the others heard this, they all had the same expression as Han Rui did initially, one of disbelief. They all had an idea of how strong Wang Tao was. To put it bluntly, without using firearms, all of themmissionersbined might not even be a match for Wang Tao! Wang Tao was indisputably the topbat power of the base! And yet, such a formidable Wang Tao might not be a match for Shao Yong? ¡°He¡¯s¡­ really that strong?¡± Xiang Hongbin was somewhat unwilling to believe it. At first, when the apocalypse came, he got stronger by killing zombies and felt like he was the strongest survivor. It was indeed proventer that he was very strong. He was the number onebat power of Shuize Base! But then Wang Tao arrived, an Ability User. That meant the end of his position at the top. However, Xiang Hongbin didn¡¯t really care about such empty titles; whether first or second didn¡¯t matter since they were all on the same side. But now, if Shao Yong was even stronger than Wang Tao, didn¡¯t that mean he would have to settle for third ce? That was upsetting! Of course, it wasn¡¯t just the thought of being third that was upsetting. More distressing was the fact that Shao Yong¡¯s formidable strength meant he would be a huge enemy to the base! ¡°I can¡¯t be sure, but my feelings should be correct,¡± Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ As I recall, you became an Ability User in the first few days of the apocalypse, and it seems like you never really stopped killing zombies, and you¡¯ve fused with quite a few Zombie Cores. Could Shao Yong have be an Ability User earlier than you or killed more zombies?¡± Ren Jie was somewhat puzzled. Was Shao Yong¡¯s talent truly exceptional? Facing their questions, Wang Tao became even more serious. ¡°This brings me to the second issue I wanted to discuss with you¡ªthe problem of fusing with Zombie Cores. Shao Yong is strong, but he may have fused with too many Zombie Cores. I can feel that there are a lot of impurities in his body, about 70% Internal Impurities! That is to say, his probability of turning into a zombie is much higher than any of us!¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s going to turn into a zombie?¡± Liu He was somewhat pleased; if Shao Yong turned into a zombie, that would indeed be good news. However, seeing the solemn expressions on everyone else¡¯s faces, he quickly realized the gravity of the situation and hastily asked, ¡°Wang Tao, are you saying that Shao Yong has fused with too many Crystal Cores, leading to a high chance of him turning into a zombie¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Then, exactly how many Crystal Cores has he fused with?¡± Ren Jie asked urgently. ¡°I don¡¯t know that, I can only make a rough estimate, but I will need your help.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Everyone immediately nodded. This was a matter that concerned their own safety! Previously, Wang Tao had mentioned that fusing with these Cores would produce Internal Impurities in the body, and too many impurities could turn someone into a zombie. At the time, everyone was anxious for a while, but after realizing that Wang Tao seemed fine and so were they, they didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. But hearing about Shao Yong¡¯s situation, they suddenly became a little panicked. After all, no one wanted to turn into a zombie! ¡°Everyone, state how many Crystal Cores you have fused with, whether you seeded or failed, as long as you attempted the fusion, it counts¡­¡± Wang Tao said while looking at their Attributes. In this group ofmissioners, only Liu He¡¯s Internal Impurity level showed 0%, the rest all had some impurities. Of course, it wasn¡¯t much, probably because Wang Tao had previously warned them of the dangers of fusing Zombie Cores. They were fairly cautious with their fusions. ¡°I¡¯ve merged with¡­ 12 Cores? Right, 12 Crystal Cores, but only 5 were sessful¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin was the first to speak. Wang Tao nced at Xiang Hongbin; his blue bar read 500, which matched what he had said. His Internal Impurity level was 6%. ¡°I¡¯ve merged with 7 Crystal Cores and seeded with 4 of them,¡± Wei Zhenguo followed. His Internal Impurity level was 3%. Feng Ming¡¯an thought for a moment and said, ¡°If I remember correctly, I should have merged with 5 Cores and seeded with 3 of them¡­¡± Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s Internal Impurity level was 1%. ¡°I¡¯ve only merged with two Cores, and both were sessful,¡± Lu Gang said with a smile. His Internal Impurity level was 1%. ¡°I also merged with three Cores, two of which were sessful,¡± Ren Jie had an Internal Impurity level of 1%; he had merged with two Cores, both sessfully. Finally, there was Liu He, who had sessfully merged with one Core, and his Internal Impurity level was o%¡­ Wang Tao wrote down their data and pondered. He had previously thought about the fact that 0% didn¡¯t mean none, it could have been rounded. So going by everyone¡¯s situation¡­ After a moment, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I think I know. Theoretically, whether sessful or not, the maximum number of Crystal Cores one person should merge with shouldn¡¯t exceed 200¡­¡± Chapter 216 - 124 Internal Impurity Algorithm^ Chapter 216: Chapter 124 Internal Impurity Algorithm^ Trantor: 549690339 Wang Tao discovered that if he calcted the impurity umtion at 0.5% per Fusion Crystal Core, and if he kept only whole numbers, then these data probably added up. Wang Tao had seen them fuse a Crystal Core before, at which time the disy showed 0% internal Impurity¡­ In reality, it might have been 0.5%, but the figure was rounded down, and without rounding up, it disyed 0%. So it made sense that after Xiang Hongbin had fused 12 Crystal Cores, his Internal Impurity was 6%. Wei Zhenguo had fused seven, and his Internal Impurity was 3%, actually 3.5%! Maybe if he fused another, it would turn into 4%. Other people followed suit, and it all matched up. Therefore, Wang Tao came to a conclusion-in theory, the upper limit of Crystal Cores a person could fuse was no more than 200. Because if a Crystal Core produced 0.5% impurity in the body, then 200 would amount to 100% impurity, which would definitely lead to zombie transformation. 199 was 99% impurity, and, though the odds of turning into a zombie were infinitesimally close, theoretically there was still a chance of not turning. Based on 200 Crystal Cores, this number seemed both big and small. It was said to berge because by Wang Tao¡¯s current ability to fuse four different types of Crystal Cores, he could at most fuse 40, which was far from 200. It was considered small because, aside from the Orange Crystal Cores Wang Tao fused with a 100% sess rate, the Crystal Cores other people fused had a failure rate. And failure also led to impurity umtion! If someone was to fuse with White Crystal Cores that had only a 20% sess rate it would take on average five attempts to seed just once, meaning t ey wouldneed to use 200 Crystal Cores to sessfully fuse 40! If luckwas worse, 200 might not even suffice¡­ So, the viable number of Crystal Cores for fusion wasn¡¯t that high. However, Wang Tao suddenly thought of a problem-since there were Level 1 Crystal Cores, there should also be Level Two, Level 3, and so on. If even Level Crystal Cores umted so much Internal Impurity, how would one fuse with higher-level ones? Could it be necessary to fuse fewer Level 1 Cores and more from Level Two? But obviously, that wouldn¡¯t work-if you didn¡¯t increase your strength at Leve 1, you wouldn¡¯t survive to reach Level Two¡­ Wang Tao was puzzled. But his strength wasn¡¯t sufficient yet, so thinking too much was of no use. He decided to focus on the present. ¡°I suspect that fusing a Crystal Core probably umtes about 0.5% Internal Impurity¡­ so we can¡¯t fuse with more than 200 Crystal Cores¡­¡± Wang Tao shared his spection with them. ¡°0.5%¡­ 200 Cores¡­¡± Their expressions didn¡¯t look too good. Although they felt they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to fuse with that many Crystal Cores, having such a limit made them ufortable. ¡°I personally think that we need to set a caution limit. For example, how many Crystal Cores we fuse, or when our Internal Impurity reaches a certain leve ¡­ Otherwise, if we keep fusing without limit, we may truly end up in trouble. Ren Jie spoke out with some concern. Fusing Crystal Cores did increase strength, but the cost was significant, and it seemed irreversible¡­ They discussed it for a while with furrowed brows, and consensus was reached that 50% internal Impurity, which equaled fusing 100 Crystal Cores, was a cautionary point. They agreed to try to keep the Internal Impurity under 50 /?.- However, easier said than done. In an apocalyptic world, without strength, survival was impossible, and increasing strength required fusing more Crystal Cores¡­ This was an unavoidable reality. Watching the others¡¯ worried expressions, Wang Tao pped his hands, drawing their attention. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be disheartened. I have another piece of news to tell you all!¡± ¡°Hmm? Is it good news?¡± Xiang Hongbin¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°No, perhaps it¡¯s even worse news.¡± Everyone:¡±¡­¡± Could there be news worse than Internal Impurity? ¡°Yesterday, I found a Gori Zombie in the hospital-the same one we saw at the old mall. It¡¯s be stronger! But that¡¯s not the main point, the mam thing is, it has actually gone to the hospital!¡± ¡°What? It went to the hospital?¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯splexion changed. He immediately grasped the implication in Wang Tao¡¯s words-the distance between the old mall and the hospital was much farther than from the base. In other words, if the Gori Zombie could make it to the hospital, it could possibly reach the base! After pondering for a moment, everyone quickly grasped the crux of the situation. Feng Ming¡¯an looked confused. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this Gori-like zombie a Zombie Lord? It should only be active within its own territory, so how could it go to the hospital? -is it possible that it expanded its territory and now considers the hospital part of it¡­¡± Lu Gang spoke up quietly. The group was momentarily stunned, then Xiang Hongbin exploded with a curse. ¡°Damn! If it¡¯s included the hospital in its territory, could it be thinking of including our base too?¡± Liu He then said: -If it considers our base part of its territory, would we be able to stop it?¡± He wasn¡¯t abatant and didn¡¯t have a direct sense of the base members¡¯ Combat Power. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say¡­¡± They all shook their heads. To be fair, Shuize Base¡¯s strength was substantial, mainly because they had quite a few guns. If they were to rely on firepower, it was really hard to predict who would win or lose. But the problem was, if so many guns were used, it would attract an unimaginable number of zombies¡¯. Chapter 217 - 124 Internal Impurity Algorithm_2 Chapter 217: Chapter 124 Internal Impurity Algorithm_2 Trantor: 549690339 | Even if everyone could kill it, if the continuous gunfire attracted all the zombies in the county, would the people in the base still be alive¡­ Moreover, Wang Tao had just said that the gori zombie had gotten a lot stronger! If the elite zombies already had so many amazing abilities, then no one would be surprised if it, a Zombie Lord, evolved an ability to block bullets¡­ Boom, boom, boom¡ª Wang Tao tapped on the table, bringing everyone back to their senses. ¡°I think we have two things to do now. One is to find Shao Yong¡¯s whereabouts as quickly as possible. The other is to upgrade our strength as fast as we can¡ª we can¡¯t move the base, so we can only prepare for how to deal with the gori zombie when ites. Tobat such zombies, our own strength is crucial¡­¡± Several people nodded. ¡°As for the matter of the zombie cores, if you trust me, you can give me all the crystal cores in the base to manage. I will work hard to hunt more zombies and arrange appropriate crystal cores for you, striving to fuse all your cores to the limit in a short time!¡± Wang Tao said to the people. The people were somewhat surprised by Wang Tao¡¯s words, but they all nodded. ¡°We naturally trust you, Wang Tao. We¡¯ll leave them in your care! You guys don¡¯t have any objections, right?¡± Wei Zhenguo looked at the people, and they all nodded. Wang Tao was the strongest inbat power and had killed the most elite zombies. He had the most crystal cores and also gave advice and analysis to the people. He was definitely worthy of trust. ¡°Good!¡± Wang Tao nodded with satisfaction. The reappearance of the gori zombie also gave Wang Tao a strong sense of urgency. He had intended to gradually enhance his teammates¡¯ strength, but now there was no time. He had to speed up the pace. First of all, he needed to get all the zombie crystal cores. Then Wang Tao could take these cores for synthetic fusion. He didn¡¯t have to synthesize epic crystal cores with a 100% sess rate¡ªthat would be too fake, and he wasn¡¯t ready to reveal his synthetic ability just yet. But he could synthesize some with 60% or 80% sess rate. As long as it was over 50%, the probability of sess was higher, and an 80% sess rate was virtually no different from 100%¡ªnone of them had ever failed when fusing red crystal cores. This sess rate was a very real one, not like some unscrupulous game developers, where a 90% sess rate was about the same as 50%, and a 50% sess rate was essentially 20%¡­ Some games were even more shameless; as long as it wasn¡¯t 100% sess, even at 99%, failure was still possible and not umon¡­ Wang Tao had been tricked by this before. Moreover, when Wang Tao synthesized these crystal cores, his goal wasn¡¯t just to raise the sess rate, but more importantly, to remove the side effects and impurities! In fact, the base already had quite a few crystal cores, with white and blue ones being the majority. After Wang Tao¡¯s reminder, everyone dared not use them recklessly. Side effects and impurities were like a mountain weighing down on everyone, after all, no one wanted to be monsters or zombies¡­ As for how to exinter¡­ Wang Tao could choose to exin or not. It was the apocalypse now, with all sorts of magical things appearing; there were things that couldn¡¯t be exined. In any case, Wang Tao¡¯s bottom line was to not expose his specific abilities, not to show all his cards. If it really came down to it, he could just attribute it all to good luck and let them guess¡­ Having determined the next route for development, Lu Gang brought all the crystal cores he had been keeping. Looking at this bag of crystal cores andbining them with the ones he already had, Wang Tao felt that he should be able to raise everyone¡¯s abilities to +10! Then, Wang Tao asked about the crystal cores they had each sessfully fused so far, what abilities they now possessed, and what was the maximum number of types they could fuse. Wei Zhenguo had only fused two types of crystal cores so far: Rush and Shockwave. He felt he could continue to fuse more, but he wasn¡¯t strong enough yet and might encounter problems. This meant that Wei Zhenguo could fuse at least three types of crystal cores. Xiang Hongbin¡¯s situation was almost identical. He also had fused Rush and Shockwave and could fuse a third type, but not now. However, Xiang Hongbin had fused more crystal cores than Wei Zhenguo and was stronger inbat power. Lu Gang had only fused two crystal cores so far, both being Sprint. He felt that he could also fuse another type without problems. As for Feng Ming¡¯an, there was no need to mention him. He could only fuse one type of core, but his Slime Spitter Ability was already at +3, and he was just seven cores away from +10. Having only one ability made it rtively simple to improve. Ren Jie had fused two cores: Screaming and Self Detonation. He felt that he couldn¡¯t merge any more; two types of cores were his limit. Liu He had only fused one, a Stealth Crystal Core. Ren Jie and Liu He could be temporarily skipped as they were notbat personnel and didn¡¯t need to fuse too many cores. It was better to leave the cores for those in need. The main focus was on Xiang Hongbin, Wei Zhenguo, and Lu Gang; their crystal cores needed to be prepared properly. Including Han Rui, she was also one of the base¡¯s mainbat forces and needed to be significantly improved. Wang Tao even thought that the Security Army should all be ability users, and the base¡¯s Hunters should also select some people to be ability users. Theoretically, giving an ordinary person a crystal core to turn them into an ability user would bring more benefits to the base than giving the core to another ability user to enhance their special ability level.. Chapter 218 - 124 Internal Impurity Algorithm_3 Chapter 218: Chapter 124 Internal Impurity Algorithm_3 Trantor: 549690339 After all, thebat power difference between Ability Users and ordinary people is huge; it¡¯s a process from 0 to 1. Thebat power boost brought by a group of Ability Users is generally greater than that brought by just a few individuals. Of course, high-endbat power is also a must; sometimes, high-endbat power is even more useful than the swarm tactic. So, we must work on both, strengthen both hands! After discussing with everyone again, Wang Tao said: ¡°Next, we all need to kill more Elite Zombies and enhance our strengths, but don¡¯t fuse Crystal Cores. Leave the Crystal Cores to me to handle.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone nodded. The urgency imposed by both Shao Yong¡¯s situation and the gori zombie made it so right after the meeting, thebat personnel immediately went out to hunt Elite Zombies. Ren Jie arranged for people to search for Shao Yong¡¯s whereabouts, locate Elite Zombie positions, and more. He also informed everyone about Shao Yong¡¯s situation, advising everyone to be more cautious when venturing out recently. However, Ren Jie also shared a piece of news¡ªthemittee was currently considering the selection of Ability Users, promising a chance of selection for those with good character and strong abilities! The announcement that Shao Yong might still be alive provoked many people to curse. If Shao Yong wasn¡¯t dead and still possessed great strength, then they worried they would have to hide in the base and not venture out like before. Yet, when the news of themittee¡¯s n to select Ability Users spread, it practically excited everyone. To be an Ability User! That was definitely everyone¡¯s most desired wish at the moment! Currently, only themittee members in the base were Ability Users. Many people had witnessed thebat of Ability Users, such as the powerful abilities like Rush and Shockwave, which were coveted by most. Unfortunately, with their abilities, killing Elite Zombies was too dangerous! Especially when many Elite Zombies were apanied by a Self-exploder, making it even more difficult. Up until now, except for Han Rui, ordinary people had no way of bing Ability Users. Thus, the announcement of Ren Jie¡¯s message directly excited many people, especially the Hunters. They felt that their opportunity had arrived. They wanted to go out and kill zombies, to continue increasing their strength and strive for selection! Shao Yong? Shao Yong couldn¡¯t stop them from getting stronger! At worst, they just had to be a little more cautious, stay near the base during operations, and run back if any situation arose¡­ in any case, increasing their strength was a must! They were determined to be Ability Users! As for the Security Army, although excited, they were not overly enthusiastic. After all, they had undergone professional training, and Ren Jie had told them they would be the second batch to be Ability Users after themittee members, essentially confirming their positions. There was no helping it, given their strong abilities and good character. Wang Tao trusted the character of these soldiers. While everyone else got busy, Wang Tao took the Crystal Cores back home. Ding Yuqin wasn¡¯t at home; she had gone out with Gao Hua and others to kill zombies in the morning. They were operating around the base, which was rtively safe. Zombies weren¡¯t static forever; once the ones nearby had been killed, new ones would take their ce, so there was no end to them. Looking at these Crystal Cores, Wang Tao wanted to first find if there were any he could use. ¡°Toughness, Precision Shooting¡­ not bad!¡± Although there was no Self-healing, having these two types of Crystal Cores was also quite good. He happened to have one of each, so after adding these several Crystal Cores, Wang Tao proceeded with the fusion. A rainbow of lights shed through the Space Backpack, and 5 Orange Crystal Cores and 1 Red Crystal Core appeared in his hand. The Red Crystal Core was for Precision Shooting, synthesized from two Blue Crystal Cores. Wang Tao nned to give it to Lu Gang for his use. Lu Gang had the best marksmanship in the base and his performance with the bow was not bad either, so the Precision Shooting would suit him well. The rules for Wang Tao¡¯s fusion of Crystal Cores were: addition of Qualities, addition of Purity. The current Level 1 Crystal Cores had 50% Purity, which meant he just needed to fuse two of the same Crystal Cores, and their Purity would be 100%, devoid of any Internal Impurities and thus eliminating any side effects. The side effect of Precision Shooting was terrifying, blinding an eye. Therefore, it was imperative to eliminate this side effect, otherwise not many people would dare to use it. Regarding the chances of sess, Wang Tao believed that an 80% sess rate would not lead to any mishaps. Orange was too eye-catching, so this Red one was much better. If it did fail, then it could only be said that Lu Gang was incredibly unlucky¡­ The other 5 Orange Crystal Cores consisted of 4 Toughness and 1 Precision Shooting. Wang Tao sequentially put all these Crystal Cores into his mouth. Soon, all 5 Crystal Corespletely fused. Wang Tao¡¯s Toughness Ability had already been fused 6 times before, and with these 4, it reached a total of 10 times, finally maxing out the limit of his Toughness Ability. As for Precision Shooting, he had previously fused it 3 times, making it now just 4 times in total. Wang Tao¡¯s Mana was already at 2500. He only needed 6 more Precision Shooting Crystal Cores and 9 Self-healing Crystal Cores to reach the same 4000 Mana as Shao Yong. However, the Self-healing Crystal Core was even harder toe by than Precision Shooting. Wang Tao nned to make another trip to the hospital, where Elite Zombies, including the Self-healing ones, were abundant. Otherwise, gathering these 9 Crystal Cores from other ces would probably be very difficult. Wang Tao then categorized the other Crystal Cores and proceeded with the synthesis. Not all needed to be fused into Orange, fusing two Blue or one White with one Purple to make a Red, one White with Blue to make a Purple, and asionally fusing a few Orange¡­ Soon, Wang Tao had a bunch of Crystal Cores without any side effects or impurities. Looking at these Crystal Cores, Wang Tao revealed a satisfied expression on his face. Not only could this significantly boost the strength of Wei Zhenguo and others, but it also could create many Ability Users within the base! Even if the gori zombie really dide, the base would not be without the power to fight! In the afternoon, Gao Hua suddenly returned. ¡°Big brother, I¡¯ve discovered Shao Yong¡¯s whereabouts!¡± Chapter 219 - 125 Hes Here, Isolation_l Chapter 219: Chapter 125 He¡¯s Here, Istion_l Trantor: 549690339 I ¡°Hmm? Sit down and tell me what happened!¡± Wang Tao personally poured a cup of water for Gao Hua. Glug, glug¡ª Gao Hua drained therge cup of water in one breath, then wiped the sweat off his forehead and hurriedly said: ¡°I heard that Shao Yong wasn¡¯t dead, so I thought he might return. Thus, I went to the old mall early this morning to wait for him, and sure enough, I saw him!¡± ¡°He entered the underground mall furiously, and not long after, he came out even more enraged, killing lots of zombies as if to vent. Then he entered a residential area!¡± ¡°I heard him mention before that he had set up some temporary safe zones outside, and a few houses in this residential area were just that! I didn¡¯t dare to follow any longer, so I immediately came to report to you, big brother!¡± After listening to Gao Hua¡¯s ount, Wang Tao¡¯s brow suddenly furrowed: ¡°You mean, you followed him until he entered the residential area? How long did you track him for?¡± ¡°All morning! I have to thank you, big brother, for significantly enhancing my strength. Otherwise, I couldn¡¯t even get near the underground mall, let alone follow him¡­¡± Gao Hua expressed his sincere gratitude. But there was no smile on Wang Tao¡¯s face; he was entirely serious. ¡°He¡­ hase.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gao Hua was startled, then quickly said, ¡°Big brother, are you talking about Shao Yong? He¡¯s still in the residential area! I saw him enter with my own eyes!¡± ¡°No, he hase, and he followed you here.¡± Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°¡­How can that be? That¡¯s impossible!¡± Gao Hua was still somewhat stunned. ¡°Shao Yong¡¯s perception is very sharp. The chance of not being detected after tracking him for so long is almost impossible.¡± When Wang Tao was near the hospital, he nced at Shao Yong through a telescope from a distance, and he was noticed. Gao Hua following for so long without being caught? Clearly impossible. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Gao Hua immediately started to panic. Wang Tao then asked: ¡°Did you use the Stealth Potion?¡± Previously, when he volunteered to rescue hostages, Wang Tao had given him some life-saving items, including two bottles of Stealth Potion, one for hiding from people and one for hiding from zombies. However, Gao Hua did not use the potions at the time, and after returning to the base, he offered to give them back to Wang Tao, who refused to take them. After all, as a big brother, how could he reim gifts given to his younger brother? It was considered a reward for his sibling. If Gao Hua had used the Stealth Potion that could hide from people, then it might be possible that he wasn¡¯t detected. But Gao Hua shook his head. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Then, how far away were you from him?¡± Gao Hua did not dare to hide anything, thought for a moment, and quickly said: ¡°Probably¡­ about twenty meters?¡± At that distance, without using a Stealth Potion, Wang Tao could be one hundred percent certain that Shao Yong had noticed him. Given Shao Yong¡¯s character, if he had noticed someone tailing him, the fact he did not kill or even capture Gao Hua indicated a particr problem¡ªShao Yong intended to counter-track Gao Hua. Thus, Wang Tao had concluded that Shao Yong had arrived. And he might have already entered the base! Shuize Base was originally established to stop zombies, and only the main gate was guarded by fully armed soldiers, while other areas were protected with high walls and barbed wire to stop the zombies. The high walls could stop zombies, but they would not stop an Ability User! ¡°What should we do now? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­¡± Gao Hua was somewhat panicked. After all, the speed with which the underground mall fell, leaving almost no survivors, was to his credit. If Shao Yong hade for revenge, Gao Hua would certainly be the first one! Moreover, if he had truly led Shao Yong into the base, then it would be as dangerous for the entire base as if he had released the zombie virus in the underground mall! Moreover, Shao Yong could be even more dangerous than the virus, as he was now a vengeful man seething with anger! Seeing the anxious Gao Hua, Wang Tao stood up and patted his shoulder. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry too much or me yourself. Shao Yong had already learned the location of the Shuize Base from those Hunters, so he would¡¯ve found his way here with or without you. What I need to do now is act as if nothing happened, and you should tell no one about this issue; leave the rest to me. Go get some rest, but I suggest you avoid less crowded areas, and it¡¯s best to rest in the office. If there¡¯s any danger, call for help on the walkie-talkie immediately.¡± ¡°¡­Okay!¡± Gao Hua bowed deeply to Wang Tao with great gratitude, then left with a face full of shame. ¡°Big brother, I¡¯m sorry for causing so much trouble for the base¡­¡± If he had known that he was detected and followed by Shao Yong, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have returned so quickly. Having finally found a decent Survivor Base, he really didn¡¯t want anything to happen to it. Especially since this incident would surely lower Wang Tao¡¯s opinion of him¡­ He had only just clung onto his big brother¡¯s coattails and he didn¡¯t want to be cast aside! After Gao Hua left, Wang Tao looked out at the greenery outside the window and furrowed his brows in thought. If he were Shao Yong, bent on revenge, upon following Gao Hua to the base, which location would he prioritize visiting? Theprehensive building? The teachers¡¯ apartments? The vi area? The cafeteria? The warehouse¡­ All these ces seemed like usible targets! ¡°Shao Yong¡­ where are you?¡± As Gao Hua walked away from the vi area, his heart was heavy with concern, but he did not show it on his face. After all, Wang Tao had told him not to be too tense, so as not to let Shao Yong know that he was discovered. Otherwise, Shao Yong might act immediately, and both he and the base¡¯s survivors would be in big trouble.. Chapter 220 - 125 He’s Here, Isolation_2 Chapter 220: Chapter 125 He¡¯s Here, Istion_2 Trantor: 549690339 Gao Hua made his way toward his private office inside theprehensive building. There were nearly six hundred people in Shuize Base now. Though the campus wasrge, humans are social creatures who don¡¯t like to stray too far, and some areas were closed off, so the survivors¡¯ activities were mostly centered around theprehensive building area. Gao Hua had always adhered to Wang Tao¡¯s words, making sure to walk where there were more people. Upon seeing theprehensive building, a sigh of relief escaped Gao Hua. He should be safe now. There was even a moment when he felt Wang Tao might be overreacting. What if Shao Yong hadn¡¯t noticed him? But just then, Gao Hua¡¯s hair stood on end! He felt as if he were being targeted by a venomous snake! This sensation was indescribable, his body trembling, stiffness overtaking him¡­ However, the sensation came and went quickly, as if itsted less than a second before itpletely disappeared! It was as if it had all been an illusion. Gao Hua¡¯s steps were measured as he entered theprehensive building. Then suddenly, his legs gave out, and he leaned against the wall, his entire back soaked with sweat. ¡°It¡¯s not an illusion, this is no illusion! It¡¯s him, Shao Yong!¡± Gao Hua shouted in his mind. ¡°Minister Gao? What¡¯s wrong?¡± A subordinate from the resource department saw Gao Hua¡¯s pale face and quickly trotted over, asking with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine, maybe because I didn¡¯t eat lunch, my stomach is a bit hungry. Go on with your work.¡± Gao Hua waved his hand. ¡°Alright, Minister Gao.¡± After the other person left, Gao Hua took a deep breath, and then he ascended the stairs to his office at an unhurried pace. Once he reached his private office, he made sure there was no one inside and that all the windows were closed, then he quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie. ¡°I¡¯m Gao Hua, requesting to connect with Commissioner Wang!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s walkie-talkie was generally essible only to a fewmissioners, Han Rui, and some staff members; others didn¡¯t have the privilege. After all, as amissioner, one of the seven highest-ranking officials in the base, if everyone could contact him, he would never get any peace. However, some could request to speak with Wang Tao by contacting the guards of the vi area. This was to prevent any important messages from being overlooked. A momentter, Wang Tao¡¯s voice came through. ¡°I¡¯m Wang Tao, what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Big brother, I think I just got targeted! That instant, I almost thought I was dead¡­¡± Gao Hua wasn¡¯t so much asking for help as he was informing Wang Tao of the situation. Of course, he also harbored a hope for his big brother¡¯s protection. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the office in theprehensive building!¡± ¡°Hmm, wait there for a while.¡± In the small vi, Wang Tao ended the call. ¡°He¡¯s reallye.¡± Wang Tao immediately put on all his gear and then drove to theprehensive building. On the way there, Wang Tao¡¯s spirit was on high alert, ready to act at any moment. But he didn¡¯t feel watched, nor did he notice anything unusual. After arriving at theprehensive building, Wang Tao met Gao Hua in the office. ¡°It was like this¡­ I was just about to cross an intersection, there were other people on the road, but not many¡­ it seems like only the road to the north was empty¡­¡± Gao Hua quicklyid out everything about his encounter, including his mental state at the time and his spection about where someone might be. After listening to Gao Hua, Wang Tao thought for a moment. The road to the north¡­ the school cafeteria? The teachers¡¯ apartments? ¡°Okay, I understand. Don¡¯t go out from here for now.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Wang Tao then visited the conference room on the top floor, where only Ren Jie was present. ¡°Shao Yong is here.¡± Wang Tao got straight to the point. ¡°What? Where is he!¡± Ren Jie was startled. Besides Wang Tao¡¯s topbat power in the base, everyone else had gone out. If Shao Yong hade at this time, it might not be easy to handle! Wang Tao pointed down to the ground. ¡°Inside the base.¡± ¡°What?¡± Seeing that Wang Tao didn¡¯t seem to be joking, Ren Jie¡¯s face turned somewhat ugly. ¡°He¡¯s inside the base already? That was fast! We were still looking for him, yet he¡¯se here by himself¡­¡± If Shao Yong was inside the base, it wouldn¡¯t be a question of whether they could kill him, but whether he would cause destruction or kill survivors inside the base! Shao Yong, an ability user stronger than Wang Tao¡ªif he enacted destruction and indiscriminate killing within the base, they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance! Suchbat power was scarier than zombies! Although somewhat panicked, Ren Jie stayedposed. He asked about the specific situation from Wang Tao, and then with a stern face, he said: ¡°He definitely couldn¡¯t have entered through the main gate; after all, we have four guns guarding it. He must have climbed over the wall from somewhere. I¡¯ll send people to patrol the surroundings and see if any clues can be found¡­¡± ¡°You said you saw him on the northbound road; there¡¯s only the cafeteria and the teachers¡¯ apartments there¡­ Why don¡¯t you check out the cafeteria? I¡¯ll send people to the teachers¡¯ apartments¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking. But you don¡¯t need to send people over there; to avoid rming the target, I¡¯ll have Han Rui check it out.¡± ¡°Alright! Then I¡¯ll inform the Security Army to be ready forbat at any time. And then I¡¯ll try to contact Wei Zhenguo and the others to see if we can get through¡­¡± Ren Jie immediately went to contact others, while Wang Tao got in touch with Han Rui to exin the situation, then drove on another road to the cafeteria. It was now two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, and the cafeteria was already preparing dinner for the day.. Chapter 221 - 125 He’s Here, Isolation 3 Chapter 221: Chapter 125 He¡¯s Here, Istion 3 Trantor: 549690339 In the days without much entertainment, the survivors went to bed early, and naturally, dinner time came early too. ¡°Commissioner Wang!¡± Seeing Wang Tao arrive, the staff members cooking the meal immediately greeted him with respect. ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then he said to the person in charge of the canteen: ¡°Is everyone from the canteen staff present today?¡± ¡°All¡­ I¡¯ll go check!¡± The person in charge had wanted to say that everyone was present, but he was unsure of Wang Tao¡¯s intent. What if someone was absent and Wang Tao discovered it? So he quickly gathered everyone and carefully counted them. Only after confirming nobody was missing did he return to Wang Tao¡¯s side. ¡°Commissioner Wang, there are a total of 12 people working in the canteen, not one more, not one less, everyone is here! If you have any orders, justmand us!¡± ¡°Then, finish up for today.¡± Wang Tao nodded and said. ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Everyone is off work, take a half-day paid leave, all of you go back.¡± ¡°But¡­ today¡¯s dinner isn¡¯t ready yet¡­¡± The face of the person in charge twisted awkwardly. ¡°Notify everyone that there¡¯s no dinner tonight because the canteen¡¯s machines are broken and can¡¯t be used, and they¡¯ll probably be fixed by tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± The person in charge didn¡¯t know what Wang Tao was up to, but he couldn¡¯t defy themissioner¡¯s orders. Soon, everyone in the canteen had left. Wang Tao looked at the half-finished, smashed paste, and shook his head. With Gao Hua¡¯s prior poisoning, Wang Tao still took the issue of the zombie virus very seriously. To prevent Shao Yong, who had been to the canteen, from poisoning today¡¯s food, he simply decided it was better for everyone to skip the meal. However, this was still food, and it shouldn¡¯t go to waste. Wang Tao found an empty warehouse, took out the foodpressor from his space backpack, and ced all the food into thepressor. Bottles of nutrient fluid came out of the machine, which Wang Tao packed away in his backpack. Just then, his walkie-talkie rang. ¡°Wang Tao, I¡¯ve found an ability user!¡± Han Rui¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie. There were currently only eight ability users in the entire base, the sevenmissioners and Han Rui. If any other survivors became ability users, they would certainly be detected by Han Rui¡¯s perception ability, so there was no way for an ability user to hide their power inside the base. If there was another ability user¡­ there was no need to think about it; it had to be Shao Yong! ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Right outside the teacher¡¯s apartments, in a flower bed! I didn¡¯t dare to approach¡­¡± ¡°Good, wait forme.¡± Wang Tao immediately drove toward the teacher¡¯s apartments. However, on the way there, Han Rui informed Wang Tao that the ability user had already left. They¡¯d headed toward the restricted area ¡ª the restricted area was a collective term for some sealed-off buildings within the base. There weren¡¯t that many survivors in the base, but the school wasrge, and not so many ces could be inhabited, so some buildings had been sealed off, to be opened up again when more people arrived. Learning that Shao Yong had gone to the restricted area, Wang Tao actually breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn¡¯t cause destruction, that was good. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± When Wang Tao arrived at the teacher¡¯s apartments, Han Rui immediately took him to the flower bed. ¡°He was right here before!¡± After the apocalypse, no one tended to the flowerbeds anymore. Enriched by the corrosive acid rain, the flowerbeds had be extremely lush. It was more appropriate to call it a small forest rather than flowerbeds. In the ce Han Rui pointed out, amidst a patch of dust, were severalrge footprints. On the footprints, there were also traces of blood. Wang Tao squatted down and looked at the bright red bloodstains, his eyebrows instantly raising. ¡°His wound hasn¡¯t healed¡­¡± Shao Yong was critically low on HP, gravely injured. But after three days, Shao Yong¡¯s injury still hadn¡¯t healed, and he was even still bleeding¡­ This could only prove one thing¡ªShao Yong didn¡¯t have a self-healing ¡°Blood Regeneration¡± ability, nor did he have a medical kit or potion to increase his HP! This might also exin why he didn¡¯t directly attack Shuize Base but chose to infiltrate it. However¡­ if it¡¯s about being critically low on HP, then that¡¯s a different story! Wang Tao had previously felt that he might not be a match for Shao Yong in his prime. After merging with some Crystal Cores, Wang Tao felt he was notpletely without a fighting chance. Now, seeing that Shao Yong was still critically low on HP, Wang Tao believed¡ªthe advantage is mine! Of course, this was not to say that Wang Tao was underestimating Shao Yong. After all, Shao Yong was an Ability User with 4000 HP and had learned multiple abilities. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t as simple-minded as zombies¡­ so dealing with Shao Yong was much more difficult than with zombies of the same level! ¡°Are you sure he went to the containment area?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°I¡¯m certain, I¡¯ve been watching with my Perception Ability!¡± Han Rui replied. Wang Tao had reminded her before that Shao Yong had very keen senses, so instead of looking directly at him, Han Rui used her Ability to sense him. ¡°Hmm, let me think¡­¡± Wang Tao pondered for a moment, then came up with a n. Since Shao Yong had gone to the containment area, Wang Tao would iste that area! Then, he would have people guard this ce! Unless Shao Yong could silently kill all the guards, as long as he dared to move, he would certainly be discovered, and Wang Tao woulde out to deal with him. Wang Tao was not afraid of Shao Yong himself, as he was currently low on HP. Wang Tao feared the destruction he could cause while lurking inside the base. After all, no one can be on guard against a thief every day. Of course, while Wang Tao was not afraid, there was no need to enter the containment area to look for him, as it would be easy to fall into a trap. It was better to let hime out on his own. But this was under one condition: They could not let Shao Yong suspect that he had been discovered. Otherwise, if he were to throw caution to the wind¡­ even if he were eventually killed, he could take many people down with him! So, there needed to be a coincidence¡­ That¡¯s it! Wang Tao told Han Rui to keep monitoring Shao Yong while he went to find Ren Jie. ¡°Just as I thought, our patrol found that the wire fence at the northeast corner of the base has been damaged!¡± Ren Jie immediately spoke upon seeing Wang Tao. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s perfect!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly shared the n with Ren Jie, then left the base. By the afternoon, suddenly a few Mad Demon Zombies crawled in through this gap in the wire fence! The survivors inside the base instantly panicked, but at that moment, Wei Zhenguo and his team happened to return! Luckily, they arrived in time, preventing casualties. However, two Mad Demon Zombies ran into the containment area and couldn¡¯t be found for a time¡­ Therefore, Wei Zhenguo announced on the spot that themittee had decided to immediately shrink the base area, abandoning those containment zones! They would build a new wall right here! The Shuize Base was a bit toorge, making it prone to oversights, like this broken wire fence that no one knew when it had been damaged, nearly causing a disaster. So, for the sake of safety, shrinking the base was quite sensible. That very night, a wall made of wire mesh, wood, and bricks was built by hundreds of people, isting the containment areapletely.. Chapter 222 - 126 Unlucky Shao Yong_l Chapter 222: Chapter 126 Unlucky Shao Yong_l Trantor: 549690339 Evening. At the top floor of theprehensive building, inside themittee meeting room, several members who had gone out had returned, and they were also aware of the news that Shao Yong had infiltrated the base. ¡°Are we really okay with doing this¡­?¡± Feng Ming¡¯an voiced his uncertainty. He was actually still a bit confused because he was thest to return, and as soon as he arrived, he was asked to cooperate with Wang Tao, and after unwittingly ying his part in Wang Tao¡¯s n, Ren Jie told him the reason. ¡°Wang Tao and I have analyzed it, and there shouldn¡¯t be any big problems!¡± Ren Jie said with a smile. No sooner had he finished speaking than they heard the door open. Everyone turned to look, and it was Wang Tao. ¡°Has there been any trouble inside the base?¡± Wang Tao walked in with long strides, his face mask not yet removed. ¡öWe have dealt with those Mad Demon Zombies, there have been no casualties, and the containment zone has been isted. Even though that wall definitely can¡¯t stop Shao Yong, as long as he emerges, we will undoubtedly spot him!¡± Wei Zhenguo spoke up. ¡°Great! I estimate that he won¡¯t show up tonight.¡± Wang Tao removed his mask, grinning. In dealing with the issue of Shao Yong, he had previously thought of a method¡ªto iste Shao Yong in the containment zone. As long as Shao Yong couldn¡¯t hide among the survivors, everyone would have plenty of time to deal with him. Otherwise, they would be hamstrung. But they couldn¡¯t let Shao Yong know that he had been discovered because with his abilities, if he wanted to make a desperate move, it would be easy for him to randomly take a few lucky audience members with him. So they had to iste Shao Yong unknowingly, and this required an ident. And that ident would be the zombies! It just so happened that when Shao Yong infiltrated, he damaged the barbed wire on top of a high wall. Wang Tao then nned to use this gap to throw a few zombies into the base-zombies appeared inside the base, and then the survivors reduced their range, cutting off those useless areas, and erected a new wall. Isn¡¯t that logical? However, there was a small ident-the two Mad Demon Zombies had run into the containment zone! But this ident turned out to be perfect for the base. Zombies were lurking in the containment zone, and their whereabouts were unknown. For the base to abandon the containment zone was reasonable, wasn¡¯t it? After all, there were no survivors in the containment zone. Thus, the construction of the wall began, and many people also guarded alongside the wall to prevent zombies from entering. Not only that, but other areas of the base also had personnel on duty. Tonight, nearly all of the hundreds of people in the entire base went without rest. With so many eyes watching, if Shao Yong appeared, he would definitely be exposed. Now that themittee members had all returned, it was the time when the base¡¯s strength was at its peak. At this moment, everyone was not afraid of Shao Yong showing up; on the contrary, they feared he wouldn¡¯t appear. As long as he did, with all the Ability Users teaming up, they were absolutely sure to defeat Shao Yong! Shao Yong was strong, but from the fact that he chose not to kill or set fires after infiltrating the base and instead continued to lie low, two things could be inferred¡ª First, Shao Yong had a big ambition and did not want to reveal himself before achieving his goal. Second, Shao Yong was seriously injured, and he was not sure he could handle all the people in the base. He wanted revenge, but he did not want to perish with his enemies; he wanted toe out in one piece. Thus, Wang Tao thought that before achieving his goal, Shao Yong likely wouldn¡¯t reveal himself willingly. As long as he did dare to reveal himself, the united front of the base¡¯s people could definitely defeat him without any problem. Indeed, Wang Tao¡¯s guess was correct. After isting the containment zone, there was no disturbance from that area. Shao Yong¡¯s goal had not yet been achieved, and he did not know he had been exposed, so he chose to continue hiding! And as long as he didn¡¯t go for a do-or-die approach, by tomorrow, when everyone was prepared, it would be the end for Shao Yong! ¡°Wang Tao, did you encounter any problems while capturing zombies outside?¡± Lu Gang asked with some concern. Wang Tao had returnedter than expected. ¡°A few minor issues, all resolved.¡± Wang Tao waved his hand nonchntly. He had originally nned to catch a few Ordinary Zombies. With his current strength, going out with an iron chain to catch zombies was a piece of cake. But then Wang Tao gave it some more thought and realized that Ordinary Zombies wouldn¡¯t be appropriate since it¡¯smonly known that Ordinary Zombies can¡¯t climb walls. If Shao Yong saw the zombies, he might suspect how these zombies got there. For the sake of caution, Wang Tao decided to catch a few Mad Demon Zombies. He then made some noise-not too big, not too small-just enough to attract over a dozen Mad Demon Zombies. Wang Tao was afraid of arge-scale attack by Mad Demon Zombies, but these dozen or so were not a problem. He easily killed some and then tied up a few with the iron chain. After Wei Zhenguo indicated they were ready, he threw these Mad Demon Zombies into the base through the gap left by Shao Yong¡¯s destruction. At that moment, when Wang Tao was preparing to return, the noise he made earlier not only attracted the Mad Demon Zombies but also drew three Elite Zombies. An Self-exploder, a Stubborn, and a Police Zombie. Adhering to the principle of not wasting, Wang Tao decided to deal with the three Elite Zombies, which caused some dy. After killing the three Elite Zombies, Wang Tao¡¯s HP had reached [3740/3740]. Just over two hundred more to reach 4000 HP. The power of 4000 HP would certainly be much stronger than he was now, but Wang Tao had no time to search for Elite Zombies anymore. He had to deal with Shao Yong quickly, or it would be troublesome if Shao Yong managed to escape. Honestly, Shao Yonging along with Gao Hua was not a problem, but an opportunity¡­ Chapter 223 - 126 Unlucky Shao Yong_2 Chapter 223: Chapter 126 Unlucky Shao Yong_2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Everyone head back and get a good night¡¯s sleep. Tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll take him down together!¡± Wang Tao said to the crowd. ¡°Understood!¡± The group nodded. ¡°Oh right, I forgot something.¡± Wang Tao took out some shimmering Crystal Cores. ¡°These are the Crystal Cores I¡¯ve prepared for you all. Take the opportunity to fuse with them today.¡± After Wang Tao collected all the Crystal Cores at the base, he synthesized them with his own. However, he didn¡¯t create any Orange Crystal Cores; the synthesis was all Purple and Red ones. Although they weren¡¯t Orange, the sess rate for the Purple and Red ones was quite high, and what¡¯s more, these had no side effects or impurities, making them better than the Ordinary Orange Crystal Cores! Once everyone had fused with these Crystal Cores, their strength would be greatly enhanced, and dealing with Shao Yong tomorrow would be much safer. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t reveal all the Crystal Cores at once. He only brought out a portion, which were the ones the group had fused with before. Upon seeing Wang Tao suddenly bring out so many Crystal Cores, all of them Purple and Red, themittee members were immediately taken aback. If they remembered correctly, weren¡¯t all the Crystal Cores that Wang Tao took from the base White and Blue? Did the quality just upgrade to Purple and Red after passing through his hands? But no one thought that Wang Tao could synthesize Crystal Cores¡ªit wasn¡¯t a normal thing to consider. They figured Wang Tao must have killed a lot of Elite Zombies outside and that these were the Crystal Cores he had umted, now being distributed to everyone for their use! This deeply moved everyone. Wang Tao had given so much for them, for this base! After all, the value of these Purple and Red Crystal Cores was much higher than those of the Blue and White ones! ¡°Thank you!¡± There was nothing much to say. They could only express their sincere gratitude. ¡°Haha, let¡¯s all do our best to resolve Shao Yong easily and smoothly tomorrow!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± The group nodded, each taking the Crystal Cores they needed and went to rest. Wang Tao returned home and contacted Han Rui to ask about the situation. Han Rui had indeed discovered something. ¡°I sensed that Shao Yong sneakily came out to check, and then he went back to the restricted area¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s quite shrewd. As long as we¡¯re sure he hasn¡¯t escaped, that¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve had a tough day, so you don¡¯t have to engage in tomorrow¡¯s fight. You should rest for the day,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not tough at all. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m also part of the base!¡± After ending the conversation with Han Rui, Wang Tao briefly exined the situation to Ding Yuqin. Ding Yuqin was still in the dark; she actually believed that zombies had appeared inside the base¡ªnot just her, aside from the fewmittee members, Han Rui, and Gao Hua, no one else knew about Shao Yong. So Ding Yuqin was somewhat panicked. She was very satisfied with the base and really didn¡¯t want to move again¡­ Now, hearing Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°As long as the base is safe, that¡¯s good¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, let¡¯s go to sleep,¡± he said. ¡°Okay!¡± Atop an academic building within the restricted zone, a burly man dressed in ragged clothes and bandages stained with blood was keenly observing the survivors inside the base. He stuck out his somewhat elongated tongue and licked his cracked lips, his eyes brimming with malicious intent. ¡°All of you people will be my ves!¡± He was Shao Yong. Shao Yong felt that he had been very unluckytely. He was first trapped in the hospital while killing zombies because he ventured too deep¡ªactually, he still didn¡¯t understand what exactly had happened back then! Facing the Elite Zombies, which he could usually deal with quite swiftly, he suddenly felt very fatigued that day and, most importantly, his strength had diminished significantly! Because his strength had decreased too much, not only did he fail to eliminate the threat, but he almost got caught as well! Under such urgent circumstances, he had no choice but to use a handgun that he had obtained as a trophy after killing a police officer. The gunshot attracted all the zombies in the hospital. Although he found a safe ce to hide, he was trapped and couldn¡¯t get out. With no other options, Shao Yong had to call for help. However, the rescuers he called for were also trapped, and besides, several of them died¡­ Although the few remaining people regrouped with Shao Yong, they were still trapped, so what was the point? Luckily, there¡¯s strength in numbers, especially as Shao Yong¡¯s power slowly returned. Eventually, they found another opportunity and managed to break free from the hospital. Of course, it didn¡¯te without a cost. The cost was that all of the Ability Users who came to his aid died, leaving only him to escape. But to him, that didn¡¯t matter. Subordinates were just subordinates. If they died, they died. Even though they were Ability User subordinates and their deaths were a bit of a waste, they were just Ability Users after all! You could find several loyal minions, give them a Crystal Core to eat, and that¡¯s it. As for whether it¡¯s suitable or whether the side effects are too severe, that¡¯s not something he would consider¡ªwhy would he think about how his minions feel when he doesn¡¯t care himself? That¡¯s impossible. After all, he only needed to know that when he offers a Crystal Core, there will be a bunch of people ready to bow down at his feet¡­ Shao Yong had finally escaped the hospital, but once he came out, he was infuriated to find that his car had been plundered by the survivors! Not only were all the various weapons and supplies gone, they even took the freaking car key! Chapter 224 - 126 Unlucky Shao Yong_3 Chapter 224: Chapter 126 Unlucky Shao Yong_3 Trantor: 549690339 What pissed him off even more was that not only had his car keys gone missing, but the car keys of his underlings had vanished as well! As for other cars on the road, once drenched by the corrosive acid rain, they were essentially piles of scrap metal,pletely undrivable. Without cars, getting back to the base was no easy feat, especially since he was being chased by many zombies. He really wanted to vent, and at that time, he felt someone watching him, he almost charged over there. But reason prevailed, just in case the other party was also an Ability User, in his current severely injured state, he might not be a match. And with many fierce zombies in the hospital, if he got surrounded by these zombies, he would only have one way out¡ªdeath¡­ What followed was a long and arduous flight, but after a considerable struggle, he finally made it home. To his shock¡ªthe home was no more! All the doors of the underground mall were wide open, and zombies moved in and out as if it was their own ce. Though Shao Yong was injured, dealing with these Ordinary zombies was not a problem, but when he charged into the base and saw the devastation, hisst sliver of hope was dashed. He naturally had no affection for the people in the base. But with no one left, who was going to serve him! Especially those female ves, those toys, he liked them so much, he felt he couldn¡¯t live without these things! He had to take revenge! Because he could tell that there were signs of survivors fighting here. After all, if it was a zombie attack, zombies couldn¡¯t possibly unlock the doors and rescue the ves from his cages, right? And as to who was behind this, the first he thought of was Shuize Base. Although he had offended many people, they either became his ves or were tormented to death by him; he never left any enemies alive. There was only one exception, and that was Shuize Base. He knew that Shuize Base was too strong; he couldn¡¯t defeat it. However, he also silently noted Shuize Base, and given the chance, he would definitely not let it go. After all, someone from Shuize Base had killed his little brother Cao Xin, and the woman Cao Xin had given him, he was very pleased with her. For this reason alone, he had to avenge his little brother. Before he was trapped, he had just caught a group of Shuize Base survivors. Overjoyed, Shao Yong tortured these people ruthlessly, then prepared to use them to trade with Shuize Base for some Crystal Cores. The result was, before the trade could take ce, he got trapped¡­ Looking at the current situation, he had reason to suspect that Shuize Base had taken advantage of his absence and made a strong attackto rescue the people. But he was still not certain, he nned to find a ce to recover from his injuries first, and once his wounds healed, he would pay a visit to Shuize Base. And just as he was preparing to leave, he suddenly felt someone spying on him! Then he discovered Gao Hua. Truth be told, he never thought Gao Hua would betray him, because Gao Hua was just to his taste! They shared a lot inmon, and he was even thinking of making Gao Hua his deputyter on! But then he encountered Gao Hua-everyone else was dead, but Gao Hua wasn¡¯t. Not only had he not died, but he was also secretly tracking him! Any fool could see what this meant. Shao Yong was furious, but he still had his wits about him. He knew that killing Gao Hua right then would be useless; he needed to find out where Gao Hua lived, then slowly torture Gao Hua and his friends and family! And so, Shao Yong followed Gao Hua to Shuize Base. Upon seeing Shuize Base, Shao Yong muttered to himself that it really was this ce, and he had to settle both old and new scores together! Thus, Shao Yong found a spot where the defenses werex and broke into the base by climbing over the iron wire fence at the top of the high wall. Looking at howrge the base was, with so many women, Shao Yong was envious; he had his sights on this ce, he wanted to make it his kingdom! But Shuize Base was powerful, with many members of the Security Army wielding automatic rifles. In his current low HP state, he definitely couldn¡¯t dodge bullets. Not to mention there were Ability Users here too. He had to be cautious, not show himself right away, and first let chaos erupt within the base! As long as there was chaos, he would have his chance! Then Shao Yong thought of a n-he added some zombie blood into the food in the base¡¯s cafeteria. However, he didn¡¯t add too much, after all, he only wanted the base to descend into chaos, not for all these survivors to die-these were all his intended ves. But he waited until the afternoon without witnessing any disorder at the base. This puzzled him, could it be that tonight, no one in the entire base had dinner? That couldn¡¯t be right! There wasn¡¯t ack of food, and it was impossible for the cafeteria to have only prepared tomorrow¡¯s food, right? Shao Yong started to wonder if he had added too little zombie blood¡­ But it wasn¡¯t a big issue, he had already infiltrated the ce, he had plenty of opportunities! And then, in the evening, suddenly some zombies ran into the base. From his vantage point, Shao Yong could clearly see that they were Mad Demon Zombies capable of climbing walls, and it seemed they had entered from the spot in the fence he had previously damaged. This excited Shao Yong, could his unintended act have unexpectedly lent a great hand? But just as luck would have it, the Ability Users from the base had just returned. This left Shao Yong feeling a bit disappointed, it seemed there would be no ¡°zombie crisis¡± after all. However, he quickly felt a surge of anger and helplessness-two of the Mad Demon Zombies had actually run towards his location! Although he easily killed the two Mad Demon Zombies, it seemed like they had caused panic within the base, with the survivors talking about downsizing the base and rebuilding the walls! Then, a significant number of people were dispatched to defend the area, effectively isting the zone he was in! Shao Yong:¡±¡­¡± Two Mad Demon Zombies hiding in the base would cause anyone to panic, but Shao Yong couldn¡¯t go out and say that he had already killed these two, could he¡­ He watched helplessly as a makeshift high wall was erected, isting him on the outside. The wall wasn¡¯t the issue; he could climb over it at any time. The problem was the people standing guard behind the wall¡­ He didn¡¯t want to expose himself at this time! Just as Wang Tao didn¡¯t feel confident in dealing with him, he felt the same way about confronting Wang Tao and his people! No choice, he had to wait. He nned to wait a little longer and look for another opportunity to infiltrate again. As for whether this quarantine was specifically targeting him, he didn¡¯t even have to think about it to know it was impossible-everything had happened right before his eyes; he had seen it for himself, how could it be fake? Moreover, his actions were wless, he couldn¡¯t have possibly left any handle for them to grab onto! The next day. Shao Yong, who had finally managed to get some peaceful sleep, suddenly felt there was some noise outside the door. Groggily, Shao Yong sat up. He wasn¡¯t fully awake yet, his instinct made him think he was still outdoors, and the noise outside might be caused by zombies¡­ Then. Bang! The door was kicked open. Two firefighter axes flew straight at his face! Chapter 225 - 127 Killed Twice_l Chapter 225: Chapter 127 Killed Twice_l Trantor: 549690339 At dawn, Shuize Base. A fully armed group quietly entered the restricted zone. ¡°rm still a bit nervous¡­¡± Feng Ming¡¯ an took a deep breath. It was mainly because Wang Tao had described Shao Yong to be extremely formidable, and he had never fought against someone this powerful, so he felt somewhat uncertain. ¡°No need to worry, when I say he¡¯s formidable, I meant in his full peak state. Now that he¡¯s heavily injured, he¡¯s no match for us!¡± Wang Tao whispered reassurances. Gauging Shao Yong¡¯s HP levels, Wang Tao felt that he alone could defeat him. But since they had the advantage in numbers, there was no need to fight one- on-one¡ªa group attack was more appropriate. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s upstairs?¡± Xiang Hongbin took out a firefighter axe and then asked. ¡°Positive!¡± Han Rui and her team had monitored the restricted zone all night yesterday, and they hadn¡¯t seen anyone leave. Shao Yong was surely still inside. Even more, Han Rui had located the exact building where Shao Yong was! ¡°It¡¯s this ce¡­¡± Han Rui pointed at a teaching building and spoke. Wang Tao had originally wanted Han Rui to rest during the day since she had been busy all night, but Han Rui said she felt quite energized and wanted to join in, as this was a rare battle opportunity. Seeing she was indeed in good spirits, Wang Tao agreed. When everyone cautiously approached the building, they suddenly froze. There were two Mad Demon Zombie bodies at the base of the building! ¡°Could it be that Shao Yong¡­ did this on purpose to lure us in? Looking at the bodies, the group grew suspicious. They could all guess that the two escaped Mad Demon Zombies had likely gone to find Shao Yong, and those two Mad Demon Zombies were certainly no match for him. But the question was, why wouldn¡¯t Shao Yong hide the corpse after killing the zombie? How could he possibly leave it lying at the foot of his own building. The clue seemed way too obvious. Shao Yong was a smart man; he couldn¡¯t be that careless. This seemed more like a trap¡­ Even Wang Tao was beginning to have doubts. Could it be that Shao Yong knew he had been discovered and was setting a trap? ¡°Let¡¯s do this, we¡¯ll go in first, and let Han Rui use her Perception Ability¡­¡± Before the mission started, Wang Tao had already informed everyone about Han Rui¡¯s Perception Ability. They were surprised but also found it reasonable -without such an impressive ability, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t have kept her with him all this time. ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone nodded and carefully approached the building entrance. The group had intended to enter through a window, but they found the main door open too, the lock violently destroyed. These doors had been locked when the area was sealed off. Han Rui¡¯s Perception Ability was a three-dimensional skill, but the range of perception was greater horizontally than vertically, and became shorter with vertical distance. Moreover, factors like wall thickness could also affect her ability. Therefore, she needed to get a bit closer to perceive anything. The teaching building had six floors, and from the fourth floor, Han Rui could ¡± see¡± clearly what was on the sixth floor. ¡°He¡¯s still inside! Alive!¡± After reaching the fourth floor, Han Rui immediately spoke up. Phew¡ª Han Rui¡¯s certainty gave everyone a sigh of relief. As long as he was still there, they would take on whatever he had in store! The group silently reached the sixth floor without any incidents. Wang Tao frowned slightly. ¡°Could it be that this is not a trap at all, and Shao Yong really was just careless?¡± ording to what Gao Hua had said before, Shao Yong was also a clever man¡­ Despite the confusion, they hade all this way, and they couldn¡¯t possibly let Shao Yong go. After letting Han Rui confirm which room Shao Yong was in, the group made a brief arrangement. A ssroom had two doors, front and back. Shao Yong¡¯s position was at the corner by the front door where he could see both doors. Wang Tao and a few others were near the front door closer to Shao Yong, while Wei Zhenguo was alone at the back door. Once arranged, everyone took a deep breath, then Xiang Hongbin kicked the door open with one foot! Bang! The moment the door opened, Wang Tao threw two firefighter axes at Shao Yong¡¯s position! Han Rui and Lu Gang also shot an arrow each at Shao Yong¡¯s position. Purrcht! One axe urately chopped into Shao Yong¡¯s chest, but he was protected by a steel te there, and the axe was bounced off. The other was deflected by Shao Yong¡¯s arm, which also had a steel te strapped to it. The arrows, on the other hand, hit Shao Yong in the left upper arm and right thigh-areas that were unprotected, and they embedded firmly into the flesh. Shao Yong, who was somewhat dazed initially, snapped to alertness in an instant! ¡°Ah-¡± He roared and lifted two metal desks from beneath him, hurling them towards the door. Crash¡ª The group quickly dodged aside. As the desks hit the ground, Wang Tao was preparing to throw another Flying Axe when he saw Shao Yong suddenly pick up the axe he¡¯d just thrown and hurl it back towards the door. ¡°Dammit!¡± Wang Tao had forgotten that Shao Yong also had a strong throwing ability. Bang! Xiang Hongbin took the brunt of it, getting knocked down by the two axes. He was hit because he, too, had a steel te strapped to his chest-though the te stopped the axe, the massive impact knocked Xiang Hongbin to the ground. ¡°Pfft-¡± Xiang Hongbin spat out a mouthful of blood, his face in shock. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s some serious strength!¡± Feng Ming¡¯an hurriedly pulled Xiang Hongbin back up. At the back door, Wei Zhenguo suddenlyunched a Rush! Roar Boom Boom! Bang! He smashed straight through the wooden door and rammed fiercely into Shao Yong. Chapter 226 - 127 Killed Twice_2 Chapter 226: Chapter 127 Killed Twice_2 Trantor: 549690339 Whoosh¡ª Shao Yong was sent flying and got pinned against the corner by Wei Zhenguo, unable to move! Seizing the opportunity, everyone rushed in. Wang Tao and his group were about to go over to help subdue Shao Yong, but with a roar of rage, Shao Yong suddenly pushed Wei Zhenguo away. He seemed to have undergone a Rejuvenation, as the weariness from his injuries vanished in an instant. Wang Tao quickly checked his HP. HP [704/4110] Mana [1690/4000] He was still critically wounded, and his HP hadn¡¯t recovered at all! Wang Tao immediately thought of a ¡°Rejuvenation¡± Crystal Core he had seen before. [Rejuvenation: Consumes a certain amount of Energy to instantly restore full Physical Strength and Spirit] Only Shao Yong¡¯s Physical Strength and Spirit had recovered, his HP was still critical. Seeing this, Wang Tao sent a Shockwave directly at him. Bang¡ª The Shockwave hit Shao Yong in an instant. However, Shao Yong unexpectedly pulled out a homemade steel Shield from behind him. [-129] The Shockwave hit the steel Shield and, although most of the Energy was absorbed by the steel te, some still managed to hit Shao Yong, causing him to lose over a hundred HP. Shao Yong suddenly looked up at Wang Tao and, with his mouth wide open, a slender tongue shot out at Wang Tao like an arrow. Having seen the unusual look of Shao Yong¡¯s tongue and considering the Loose Tongue Ability, Wang Tao had been on guard for this trick. Wang Tao instantly activated Precision Shooting and then chopped at the air with his axe. This chop was seemingly at nothing, but Shao Yong¡¯s tongue struck the de as if maically attracted, colliding with Wang Tao¡¯s axe. ng¡ª A sound akin to metal striking metal rang out, and Wang Tao felt as if he had hit a steel bar. ¡°It¡¯s so hard!¡± But being hard doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t feel pain. Shao Yong instantly retracted his tongue, with a trickle of fresh blood leaking from his mouth. He red fiercely at Wang Tao, unable to understand how Wang Tao could have anticipated his Attack in advance! But now wasn¡¯t the time to think too much about it; he immediately grabbed his Shield and rushed toward Wang Tao. He could sense that Wang Tao was the strongest among these people. If he could just kill Wang Tao, the others wouldn¡¯t pose a threat! Watching Shao Yong charge toward him, Wang Tao quietly activated the Ability that came with his equipment set. Rush! Bang- In an instant, the two collided. Just as fast as Shao Yong had charged, he was sent flying back at the same speed. He even crashed through a wall andnded in another ssroom. Wang Tao grabbed the dazed Shao Yong, then with a fierce tug- The beefier Shao Yong was thrown over Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder and mmed hard onto the ground. Bang¡ª ¡°Ugh-¡± Then Feng Ming¡¯an, who had been ready for a while, released a mouthful of Slime Spitter. Arge amount of white slime erupted from his mouth, covering Shao Yong¡¯s body in an instant. Shao Yong struggled for a moment, then quickly became still. Not dead, butpletely immobilized by the slime. Looking at Shao Yong¡¯s eyes, which were ring hatefully at him, Wang Tao felt likeughing. Shao Yong¡¯s Strength was great, but Wang Tao¡¯s Strength was not small either. How could Shao Yong¡¯s ordinary Rush with a Shieldpare to WangTao¡¯s Ability? And fortunately for Shao Yong, with his strong physical constitution and carrying a steel Shield, otherwise, Wang Tao¡¯s Rush might have killed him on the spot! The battle had someplications, but everyone was satisfied with the oue. The n was to try and capture him alive if possible; if not, a direct kill was the option. Now, it seemed their luck wasn¡¯t bad, and they had truly captured Shao Yong alive! After all, Shao Yong had mercilessly killed members of their base. Capturing him alive was best, so they could bring him before all the survivors for execution! ¡°You beast, we finally caught you! You¡¯re dead meat, I¡¯m telling you!¡± Xiang Hongbin, clutching his chest, cursed as he walked over. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to fall into your hands; I don¡¯t ept this¡­ Shao Yong opened his mouth with some difficulty. He felt his head was heavy; his vision was double, and even his thoughts were, half a beat slower. His limbs weren¡¯t quite responding to his brain¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for these negative states he was in, he believed he might not have lost! He didn¡¯t ept defeat! Xiang Hongbin kicked him viciously a couple of times, then revealed a cruel smile. ¡°You¡¯ll ept it soon enough!¡± Wang Tao searched Shao Yong¡¯s backpack while keeping an eye on his HP. HP [104/4110] He was on the verge of death; just about anyone could kill him now. However, upon seeing the percentage of Internal Impurity in Shao Yong¡¯s body, Wang Tao frowned. [Internal Impurity: 85%] It was 70% before, wasn¡¯t it? It¡¯s reached 85% in just a few days? What had he been doingtely? Feeling somewhat puzzled, Wang Tao didn¡¯t dwell on it. The man was as good as dead anyway. And Wang Tao nned to thoroughly interrogate Shao Yong to learn about the situation inside the hospital. Feng Ming¡¯an was quite skilled at interrogation; he should be able to get some information out of him. Everyone was ready to carry Shao Yong away along with the solidified slime. But Wang Tao suddenly furrowed his brows. He noticed that Shao Yong¡¯s HP bar was flickering! Human survivors¡¯ HP bars are green, while zombies¡¯ HP bars are red. Wang Tao could distinguish whether one was a human or a zombie by the color of the HP bar. But at this moment, Shao Yong¡¯s HP bar was alternating between green and red! When Wang Tao saw ck veins slowly appearing in Shao Yong¡¯s eyes filled with hatred, he was shocked. ¡°Oh no!¡± Without a second thought, a Surgical Knife manifested in his hand. And before anyone else could react, he threw it. Thwack! The Surgical Knife plunged directly into Shao Yong¡¯s eye socket. Chapter 227 - 127 Killed Twice_3 Chapter 227: Chapter 127 Killed Twice_3 Trantor: 549690339 (-204] [0/4110] Shao Yong¡¯s HP hit zero, instantly killed. Wang Tao conveniently picked up the package Shao Yong dropped¡ªwithin three meters, Wang Tao could collect the spoils of war. But the others were somewhat bbergasted. ¡°Wang Tao, you¡­¡± Weren¡¯t we supposed to take Shao Yong back for interrogation and then execute him in front of the survivors? Why did you suddenly kill him? ¡°He was turning into a zombie¡ªfuck!¡± Wang Tao was about to exin when, before he could finish his sentence, he saw the dead Shao Yong suddenly lift his head. ¡°Roar ¡± With a furious roar, its muscles swelled, and ck veins covered its face and neck. Then, with a bang, the hardened white slime on its body shattered instantly. Whoosh The impact threw everyone into the air, mming them against the wall. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Shao Yong stood up, licked its elongated tongue, and emitted a chilling growl from its mouth. ¡°What the hell!¡± The crowd was horrified. Shao Yong had turned into a zombie! And this zombie was clearly stronger than Shao Yong had been in life! ¡°Didn¡¯t I shoot him in the head? How could this be ¡± Wang Tao could barely believe it, but when he saw the HP bar of zombie Shao Yong, he was taken aback. [404/5000] After turning into a zombie, Shao Yong¡¯s maximum HP rose to 5000! But he was critically wounded! Shao Yong, with its one remaining eye, red fiercely at Wang Tao, as if it retained some memories from its life. It was when Wang Tao saw Shao Yong¡¯s face, especially the surgical knife sticking out of Shao Yong¡¯s left eye socked that an idea shed through Wang Tao¡¯s mind. ¡°Could it be¡­ the surgical knife was thrust into Shao Yong¡¯s brain but not all the way through? ¡± Dead people can be zombies, but as long as the brain is destroyed, they won¡¯t turn into zombies. Although the principle is unknown, that is the reality. Previously, when Wang Tao saw Shao Yong¡¯s HP bar shing continuously, he spected that Shao Yong might turn into a zombie. In a panic, Wang Tao instantly activated his Precision Shooting skill, then took out a surgical knife from his Space Backpack and threw it, sessfully piercing Shao Yong¡¯s eye socket and killing Shao Yong. Only, this injury could kill Shao Yong the human, but not Shao Yong the zombie! Hence Shao Yong became a zombie again. But since the surgical knife prated the brain, it might have damaged Shao Yong¡¯s brain, which led to Shao Yong bing a critically wounded zombie! It¡¯s well-known, the brain is the zombie¡¯s core. A zombie can live with just a head. So it makes sense for Shao Yong, a zombie with a damaged brain, to be critically wounded! Wang Tao had many thoughts sh through his mind, but in reality, it was all in an instant. Zombie Shao Yong, now over two meters tall, lowered its head to look at Wang Tao, and then it suddenly opened its mouth, its elongated tongue shooting toward Wang Tao like a sword. Bang! Wang Tao chopped at zombie Shao Yong¡¯s tongue with his axe once again. [-46] [358/5000] The tongue quickly retracted. ¡°Never learns!¡± Wang Tao, looking at zombie Shao Yong, suddenly cracked a smile. Just a zombie with 5000 HP, what¡¯s the big deal! Zombie Shao Yong, as if it knew Wang Tao was not to be trifled with, or perhaps recalling some residual memory, suddenly turned and ran outside. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get away! It¡¯s badly injured!¡± Wang Tao roared and immediately gave chase. The crowd had just been frightened by zombie Shao Yong; after all, they had never seen a zombie break free from Slime Spit! Especially with zombie Shao Yong¡¯s size having expanded, and its considerable increase in height, it looked terrifying. The unknown is always scary. Shao Yong was strong to begin with, but only because it was injured were they able to take it down easily. But as a zombie, injured or not, it made no difference. Which is why everyone was a bit worried. However, after seeing Zombie Shao Yong exchange blows with Wang Tao before fleeing, and hearing that Wang Tao said Zombie Shao Yong was seriously injured, the group immediately got fired up! An Elite Zombie with low HP? They definitely had to chase it down! Zombie Shao Yong ran downstairs, with Wang Tao closely pursuing him, and the others chasing Wang Tao. When Zombie Shao Yong reached the third floor, he suddenly charged towards a window. Crash He shattered the ss and security bars, falling straight to the ground below. Wang Tao didn¡¯t even think; he just jumped out after him. With Wang Tao¡¯s physical condition, jumping down from the third floor was basically no problem. Zombie Shao Yong smashed into the ground, creating a crater. He rolled, dissipating some of the impact, then, as if sensing something, suddenly turned its head, only to see a dark shadownding squarely on its own. Squish! [-358] [0/5000] Thud The massive body of Zombie Shao Yong crashed to the ground. ¡°Huff¨C Huff ¡± Wang Tao got off Zombie Shao Yong¡¯s body and took a deep breath. That thing could really run; he almost didn¡¯t catch it. Luckily, he managed a one-hit kill with a Precise Airdrop in the end. However, after killing Zombie Shao Yong, Wang Tao suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. Only then did he realize, after the fact, that his HP had exceeded four thousand? Since Shao Yong was dealt with, Wang Tao could sleep peacefully, but he suddenly thought of the Rejuvenation Potion. ¡°Why not give it a try, see if it works for the drowsiness after the HP increase?¡± So, Wang Tao used a Rejuvenation Potion. Instantly, he felt full of energy and no longer sleepy! ¡°Huh, the potion actually worked!¡± Wang Tao seemed to have discovered a new use for the Rejuvenation Potion¡­ By the time Wei Zhen Guo and the others caught up, Wang Tao had already collected the spoils of war. ¡°Is it dead?¡± Looking at Wang Tao sitting next to the burly zombie¡¯s corpse, Feng Ming¡¯an asked instinctively. ¡°It¡¯s dead.¡± Wang Tao stood up. The potion was really effective; he wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. ¡°Awesome!¡± Xiang Hong Bin gave a thumbs up. He didn¡¯t know how much HP Zombie Shao Yong had, he only knew that the zombie was tough, but still, Wang Tao had in it! ¡°So impressive!¡± The others too looked at Wang Tao with faces full of admiration, especially Han Rui, who practically worshiped him. But there wasn¡¯t much joy on Wang Tao¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wei Zhen Guo noticed Wang Tao¡¯s expression was off and asked with some curiosity. Wang Tao¡¯s face was very serious. ¡°This time we were lucky, otherwise¡­ we might have lost people!¡± ¡°Ah? Was it really that strong?¡± Xiang Hong Bin was somewhat incredulous. After all, nobody had been seriously injured, except for a minor injury to himself. It looked like a great victory! Wang Tao shook his head and then took out a dark green crystal core. ¡°It was a Level 2 Zombie!¡± [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Super Strength] [Quality: Rare (55%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Strength and body size are proportional, insufficient body size results in negative strength growth)] Chapter 228 - 128: Level 2 Zombie 1 Chapter 228: Chapter 128: Level 2 Zombie 1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Level 2 Zombie!¡± The crowd eximed in shock. Then they all subconsciously looked towards the dark green crystal core. Although they couldn¡¯t see the data, they could clearly feel that this crystal core wasrger than any they had seen before! Previous cores, despite their various types and colors, were all the same size without the slightest difference. Therefore, this conspicuouslyrger crystal core¡­ must be a Level 2 Crystal Core! Everyone was captivated by the beautiful Level 2 Crystal Core. Before they met Wang Tao, they only knew about Zombie Cores. It was after meeting him that they learned its full name was ¡°Level 1 Crystal Core¡±. If there was a Level 1, then presumably there would be Level 2, Level 3, and so on. A Level 2 Zombie would definitely be stronger than a Level 1, and a Level 3 Zombie would be stronger than a Level 2, and so forth. However, the zombies they encountered and killed had all been Level 1 Zombies. Gradually, everyone had started to overlook the concept of zombie levels. Now, suddenly seeing this Level 2 Crystal Core, everyone was immediately reminded of the exnation Wang Tao had given before¡ªthat zombies had levels too, with Level 1 being the lowest! Everyone had been feeling a sense of urgencytely, but now with the appearance of this Level 2 Zombie, they felt the pressure increase exponentially! Wang Tao looked at the Level 2 Crystal Core. Compared with the Level 1 Crystal Core, this Level 2 Core was not onlyrger in appearance, but it also had one different attribute: purity. The purity of a Level 1 Crystal Core was 50%, the rest being impurities. These impurities were harmful to the human body. A small amount might be okay to absorb, but too many impurities carried the risk of turning someone into a zombie. The more impurities, the higher the risk of zombification! Wang Tao had previously hoped that higher-level Crystal Cores, such as Level 2 and Level 3, would contain fewer impurities. But now it seemed, he had thought too much. The purity of a Level 2 Crystal Core was 5% lower than that of a Level 1 Crystal Core, meaning it contained even more impurities! Merging Level 2 Crystal Cores would have to be done with even greater caution! And Wang Tao suddenly remembered another important issue. The purity of a Level 1 Crystal Core was 50%. Merging two cores would make it 100%. But with a Level 2 Crystal Core having a purity of 45%, merging two cores would only reach 90%¡­ Could it be that he would need three cores for a synthesis? Unless Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind umting some impurities in his body, he would need three cores for a synthesis, but thebined purity of three cores would be 135%! He had tried before; purity cannot exceed 100%¡­ which means, to synthesize a pure Level 2 Crystal Core, at least half a core would be wasted¡­ Wang Tao felt a pang of heartache. ¡°What level was Shao Yong before his death?¡± At that moment, Xiang Hongbin suddenly spoke up, snapping Wang Tao out of his inner turmoil. The others, curious, also turned their gaze to Wang Tao. Wang Tao thought for a moment and said, ¡°He must have been a Level 1 ability user before death, bing a Level 2 Zombie after¡­ The specific reason is unclear since we still know too little about zombies¡­¡± Wang Tao felt that reaching an HP limit of 5000 would likely lead to a Level 2 Ascension. After all, Shao Yong had just over 4000 HP previously, which certainly wasn¡¯t Level 2. After turning into a Level 2 Zombie, his HP limit rose to 5000¡­ This HP was definitely rted to the level. But speaking of 5000 HP, the image of the Gori zombie surfaced in Wang Tao¡¯s mind. ¡°I just thought of the Gori zombie, when we first saw it, it felt just like this Shao Yong! So, at that time, it must have been a Level 2 Zombie already!¡± When Wang Tao first encountered the Gori zombie, it already had 5000 HP. He had feltpletely outmatched by it. However, at the time, Wang Tao didn¡¯t know exactly how much he was outssed by the zombie. Now he knew¡ªthe gap between him and the Gori zombie wasn¡¯t just the HP difference, but also the level difference! Then Wang Tao¡¯s thoughts wandered. He remembered the first time he went out to scavenge airdrops, and encountered that almost paralyzing shadow on the outer ring road! That shadow had a whopping 10000 HP and was above Level 2 as well! No wonder he felt like his legs were turning to jelly at that time! Back then, he only had a little over 200 HP, not even qualifying as an ability user¡­ So Wang Tao said that if it hadn¡¯t been for Shao Yong¡¯s zombie being on the brink of death, even if they had eventually won with their numerical advantage, they might have paid a terrible price. ¡°Gori zombie¡­¡± While everyone had been thrilled about killing Shao Yong, the realization that Level 2 Zombies like that Gori existed made their joy vanish in an instant. Given the kind of attack they just mounted, aside from Shao Yong, no one might withstand it. But that was just barely a Level 1, critically injured Shao Yong! If a Level 2 Zombie Shao Yong had appeared, they wouldn¡¯t have had a chance to fight, reliant entirely on Wang Tao. They dared not imagine just how terrifying an uninjured Zombie Shao Yong would be! ¡°Damn it, kill zombies! Improve strength!¡± Xiang Hongbin violently kicked the corpse on the ground. ¡°You should rest if you need to, get busy if you have to; I¡¯ll handle things here.¡± Ren Jie pointed to the zombie¡¯s body and the containment area. Now that Shao Yong had been killed, the newly-built walls fromst night could be dismantled. They also had to find a suitable reason not to panic the survivors. ¡°We¡¯ll rest for a while and then go out to hunt zombies in the afternoon! What about you, Wang Tao?¡± Zhen Guo asked. Chapter 229 - 128: Level 2 Zombie 2 Chapter 229: Chapter 128: Level 2 Zombie 2 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°I need to go back and rest a bit.¡± Wang Tao said. ¡°Okay.¡± The group searched the sealed off area again to ensure no zombies remained before they left. Ren Jie broadcasted in the base that Shao Yong had been killed by severalmittee members working together, and everyone no longer needed to worry about his sneak attacks. Once this news was announced, the hunters all breathed a sigh of relief. They had been on edge these past few days while outside, but now they could finally feel at ease. However, Ren Jie also announced another piece of news, stating that Level 2 Zombies had appeared outside, advising everyone to be cautious. Ren Jie took the opportunity to exin the meaning of Level 1 and Level 2. Ordinary people have no rank, and only after bing ability users do they be Level 1 ability users. Level 2 represents an even stronger existence than Level 1! The news of Level 2 zombies immediately tightened the atmosphere. Many of them didn¡¯t actually know how powerful zombies were, only that ordinary zombies were very strong, and Elite Zombies were much stronger than ordinary ones. But now, they knew that the Elite Zombies they had seen were actually just Level 1 Zombies. So just how strong were Level 2 Zombies? Zombies were getting stronger, and they needed to be stronger too! Otherwise, not to mention killing zombies, the risk of going out to scavenge for supplies had also increased! Quite a few hunters silently resolved to quickly improve their strength, hoping to be selected by themittee to be ability users! Only by bing ability users would they qualify to survive in this post- apocalyptic world! Once Wang Tao returned home, he finally felt somewhat sleepy; the spirit boosted by the Rejuvenation Potion was about to run out. ¡°No good, too sleepy! Sister-inw, I¡¯ll take a nap¡­¡± Not bothering to say much more, Wang Tao copsed on the sofa and fell asleep. ¡°Alright!¡± Ding Yuqin knew this was a process of power upgrading, and she was genuinely happy for Wang Tao from the bottom of her heart. Now with 1000 HP, she had a lot more strength, and sheboriously lifted Wang Tao onto the bed. After all, sleeping on the sofa wasn¡¯tfortable. Time passed without her noticing, and finally, Wang Tao woke up. He felt a bit thirsty, then saw a ss of water being handed to him. ¡°Sister-inw, how long did I sleep?¡± Wang Tao nced at Ding Yuqin, who was sitting by the bed keeping himpany. ¡°Still the same as before, three hours,¡± Ding Yuqin looked at the wall clock, then added, ¡°I¡¯m going to make dinner now!¡± ¡°Mm, go ahead.¡± After Ding Yuqin left, Wang Tao stretched and then clenched his fists. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten stronger!¡± Wang Tao was a bit excited but not inted. The oue of Shao Yong was the result of arrogance, and he needed to always remember this lesson. Then Wang Tao turned his attention to the Loot Pack he obtained after killing Shao Yong today. The situation this time was a bit different because Wang Tao had killed Shao Yong twice! Once as a human and once as a zombie! This situation left Wang Tao quite baffled. If it weren¡¯t for seeing his HP increase and the Loot Packs, he might not have even noticed this fact¡ªhe had an HP increase twice and obtained two packs! If he remembered correctly, his maximum HP was 3740 up until yesterday. After killing Shao Yong, it suddenly increased to 3940! In other words, killing Shao Yong earned him an additional 200 HP limit, which was more than any zombie he had previously killed! Wang Tao guessed that the amount of increased HP limit was likely rted to the strength of his opponent. Considering Shao Yong¡¯s strength, although adding 200 HP limit was a lot, it seemed reasonable. However, Wang Tao soon realized that these 200 HP really weren¡¯t that much! Because when he killed Shao Yong the second time, or more urately, when he killed Zombie Shao Yong, the added HP limit was even more terrifying- directly an additional 960! Wang Tao was taken aback and then saw his health bar suddenly surge a small segment, from 3940 to 4900! He was just 100 HP limit short of reaching 5000! 5000 HP was most likely the threshold between Level 1 and Level 2. If he could reach 5000 HP, he might be a Level 2 ability user! He dtdn¡¯ t know why Zombie Shao Yong added so much HP, but there were only two possible exnations: Either killing a Level 2 zombie naturally yielded more HP, or killing a zombie above your level granted extra HP. As for which was correct, he could only observe more in the future. But regardless, seeing his own [4900/4900] HP, Wang Tao was still somewhat excited. The missing 100 HP could potentially be made up in just one morning with good luck or possibly in one day with less fortune. His 5000 HP was all but assured! Then Wang Tao turned his attention to the other loot. He hadn¡¯t had the chance to examine the pack dropped by Shao Yong the first time he was killed. When he looked now, it was a bit beyond Wang Tao¡¯s expectations. There were four Crystal Cores! [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Strength] [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Loose Tongue] [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Throwing Master] [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Rejuvenation] These were light green Crystal Cores with no side effects and a 50% fusion sess rate. Wang Tao had never before found Crystal Cores in the packs he exploded, but he hadn¡¯t killed many people either-only two ability users, Cao Xin and Shao Yong. What Cao Xin exploded into was Slime Grenades, but at that time Cao Xin had just over two hundred HP, merely a weaklingpared with the now four thousand plus HP Shao Yong. Hence, noparison was possible. Wang Tao spected that these four Crystal Cores must be the four abilities Shao Yong had learned. This was consistent with his previous spection- Shao Yong had four abilities, and each one was fused with ten Crystal Cores, which ounted for his 4000 Mana. Chapter 230 - 128: Level 2 Zombie_3 Chapter 230: Chapter 128: Level 2 Zombie_3 Trantor: 549690339 And looking at the names of these four Crystal Cores, Wang Tao probably understood why Wei Zhenguo and Gao Hua, the two people who had seen Shao Yong, both said that Shao Yong waspletely different from before. Shao Yong had gained the strength of an Ability User and became somewhat inted with pride, which was definitely also a reason. But there was another important reason, which was the side effects of these Crystal Cores! The side effect of the Power Crystal Core is that physique and strength are directly proportional, which didn¡¯t temporarily affect Shao Yong¡¯s personality. But the other three Crystal Cores were different¡ª The side effect of the Loose Tongue Crystal Core was ¡°emotional instability,¡± the side effect of Precision Shooting was ¡°irritability,¡± and the side effect of Rejuvenation was ¡°prone to falling into lust¡±¡­ All these side effects could influence a person¡¯s personality! If there was only one side effect, it would have been okay, but Shao Yong had fused all three types of Crystal Cores, and on top of that, he had fused them to the limit! Combine that with Shao Yong¡¯s possible arrogance and hisck of strong will¡­ and he gradually became psychologically twisted. He might not even be aware of it himself, and he might even think that what he¡¯s doing is right¡­ These kinds of side effects that subtly change a person¡¯s personality are somewhat terrifying! From now on, if I see someone fusing such Crystal Cores, I¡¯ll need to be wary, for it might just be another Shao Yong¡­ When Wang Tao killed Shao Yong for the second time, which was killing zombie Shao Yong, his spoils of war included a Level 2 Crystal Core and a bundle. After digging through zombie Shao Yong¡¯s brain, there was only one green Level 2 Power Crystal Core¡ªthe expectation of finding four Crystal Cores in his head left Wang Tao slightly disappointed. As for the contents of the bundle, it surprised Wang Tao once again-it was still Crystal Cores! However, this time there were only two, and these two Crystal Cores werepletely different from the ones he had seen before! [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Impurities: 50% (No side effects)] [Omnipotent: After fusion, randomly adds +1 to one of the already fused abilities, up to a +10 limit] The first one was an Omnipotent Crystal Core! Wang Tao had never seen such a Crystal Core before. Reading the description on the Crystal Core, didn¡¯t this mean that if he fused this Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Core and seeded, he could directly add +1 to his Precision Shooting or Self-healing power? That was rather impressive! But clearly, obtaining this Crystal Core was far more difficult; Wang Tao had killed so many zombies but had nevere across such an Omnipotent Crystal Core. Wang Tao felt that this might be rted to Shao Yong¡¯s strength. Zombie Shao Yong was not only powerful in his own right, but he also possessed four abihties-this was what made himpletely different from other zombies, as all other zombies Wang Tao had encountered so far only had one ability. Therefore, Wang Tao had reason to guess that perhaps only zombies with multiple abilities had the possibility of dropping this Omnipotent Crystal Core? If that were true, then the conditions would be too harsh, seeing that apart from zombies transformed from Ability Users, Wang Tao had never seen any zombie with more than two abilities¡­ Then there was the second Crystal Core, which excited Wang Tao even more than the first Omnipotent Crystal Core. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Impurities: 45% (No side effects)] [Ascension: After fusion, can randomly promote one of the already fused abilities to level 2] Wang Tao had previously thought that after sessfully fusing 10 Crystal Cores, there would be no way to fuse anymore, so how could he continue to advance? Wang Tao knew there were Level 2 Crystal Cores; if he had one, would he just fuse it directly? Would it need any conditions? His powers were Level 1; could he directly fuse a Level 2 Crystal Core? These were all questions. And now, Wang Tao seemed to know the answer. His Level 1 abilities could continue to fuse with Level 2 Crystal Cores! But first, he had to promote his abilities to level 2. The way to advance to Level 2 was by fusing this Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core! This Ascension Crystal Core was an even more precious existence than the Omnipotent Crystal Core! The Ascension Crystal Core was fundamental; if you don¡¯t use the Ascension Crystal Core to promote your ability to level 2, then having more Omnipotent Crystal Cores would be useless. However, Wang Tao suddenly thought of another problem. This Crystal Core stated that it would randomly promote one pre-fused ability to level 2, but he had four abilities. This meant he needed four Ascension Crystal Cores-no, perhaps even more than four. If he wanted a higher sess rate and no impurities, he might need eight or even twelve¡­ Wang Tao suddenly felt annoyed; surely, only a Level 2 Zombie could drop a Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core, but how many Level 2 Zombies would he have to kill to collect so many Crystal Cores! Moreover, there¡¯s no guarantee that every Level 2 Zombie would drop one; what if it¡¯s all a matter of luck¡­ Wang Tao felt his scalp tingling. This was about fighting Level 2 Zombies! When he killed zombie Shao Yong, it was because the opponent was at low HP; if it were a full HP Level 2 zombie Shao Yong, he didn¡¯t know whether he could win¡­ Wang Tao suddenly remembered the first time he fought the Big Hammer Zombie, that thrilling, exciting feeling; he might have to experience that often in the future¡­ ¡°Damn it!¡± Cursing under his breath, Wang Tao shook his head. But no matter what, he had to increase his strength. Knowing the danger, he still had to face it. Otherwise, as the zombies evolved and upgraded, and he remained stagnant, he would eventually be eliminated! The next day, in the early morning. When Wang Tao woke up, he prepared to go hunt zombies; he was just 100 HP away from 5000, and he wanted to see if reaching 5000 HP would make him a Level 2 Ability User. But just after getting up, Wang Tao felt his body was somewhat weak. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I didn¡¯t do anythingst night!¡± Wang Tao hurriedly checked his attributes and a Weakness icon appeared below his HP bar. [Weakness remaining time: 1732:47] ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Tao suddenly remembered that the Rejuvenation Potion had a side effect ¡ªafter using it, one would fall into a day of weakness! Wang Tao went to bed early yesterday and forgot about it. And this potion was kind of interesting; it mentioned weakness for a day, and it really meant a full day, starting the countdown precisely from midnight of the next day¡­ Chapter 231 - 129 Another Airdrop_l Chapter 231: Chapter 129 Another Airdrop_l Trantor: 549690339 | Wang Tao had fallen into a state of weakness for the entire day and had originally nned to go hunting zombies, hoping to raise his HP to five thousand. Now that was out of the question. Although even in his weakened state, he could still kill most of the Level 1 Elite Zombies, there was no need to risk it, after all, you only live once. Wang Tao took out some materials and crafted several Rejuvenation Potions, then he sent some over to Wei Zhenguo, exining the situation to him. ¡°Rejuvenation Potion? That¡¯s some good stuff!¡± Everyone was surprised to see the potion. Nobody asked Wang Tao where it came from, they just used it. Although there was the side effect of a ¡°one-day weakness period,¡± the potion could save lives at critical moments; the side effects were bearable. ¡°Wang Tao, if you¡¯re not going out today, can you help me finalize the list of the first group of Ability Users?¡± Ren Jie suddenly said to Wang Tao. They had already mentioned the need to improve the overall strength of the base, and the simplest way to do that was naturally to increase the number of Ability Users. After several days of selection, some preliminary lists had been drawn up. Next would be to confirm the specific individuals and then provide them with Crystal Cores. ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t refuse; he was curious to see the current levels of these survivors. As for the confirmation process, Ren Jie was prepared to have those on the list disy their abilities in front of them, after which he and Wang Tao would decide. Ifmittee members had their own rmendations, they could of course make a direct appointment. Wang Tao thought this method was not problematic, so they settled on it. Ren Jie used the broadcast system to call the individuals on the list to the za outside theprehensive building. Suddenly, nearly all the survivors in the base showed up. Although many were not on the list, they wanted to see how strong those who were listed actually were. Some also felt somewhat indignant¡­ Of course, more importantly, everyone wanted to know who exactly would be Ability Users, for they would be key figures to cling to in the future! But just as all the survivors had gathered on the za, a buzzing sound suddenly came from the sky! ¡°A ne? Another airdrop ising!¡± A momentter, Wang Tao saw the silhouette of a transport ne in the sky and was rather surprised. The first time the airdrop came, the note left in the drop by that military base said they didn¡¯t know if there would be another airdrop. But a monthter, the second airdrop arrived. Now it hadn¡¯t even been a few days, and the third airdrop was here! If the airdrops could maintain a frequency of once or twice a month, that would be quite nice! It was just unknown what the situation inside the military base was like now, whether it was safe. Considering they were still able to make airdrops, it should be safe, right? Wang Tao felt that Shuize Base stillcked a bit of appeal. If he could go to the military base, that would be even better¡­ ¡°Another airdrop ising!¡± Ren Jie looked at the airdrop somewhat happily, as every airdrop meant a harvest. Wang Tao felt a bit regretful as he was in a weakened state today and couldn¡¯t go out; otherwise, he could have happily collected the airdrop. However, Wei Zhenguo and the others were outside; they would definitely not let these airdrops slip away. ¡°Look here!¡± Ren Jie shouted to the survivors below, instantly attracting their attention. After merging with the Screaming Crystal Core, his voice was now very loud and could be used as a human megaphone. ¡°With your current abilities, going after the airdrop is still very dangerous. But once you be Ability Users, you can go and collect the airdrops yourself in the future!¡± Ren Jie spoke with a smile. The crowd below became excited upon hearing this. Who wouldn¡¯ t want to be an Ability User who could dominate the post-apocalyptic world! ¡°I will now start reading the list. Those who are called, pleasee up to the stage and showcase your abilities.¡± Ren Jie began calling names one by one. Every person called was thrilled to go up on stage; some disyed their strength, others their speed, and still others their resilience and more. When selecting Ability Users, of course, priority was given to those with good physical condition. And this list was made up of survivors Ren Jie had picked out as having rtively good character. Thus, the specific individuals chosen for this first group of Ability Users were fundamentally those with good character and physical fitness. Wang Tao sat on the stage, silently observing the survivors below. He could generally tell who had good physical fitness just by looking at their HP bars, but some qualities cannot be shown through the HP bars. Just like himself, he had inherently good physical fitness that couldn¡¯t be wholly reflected by the HP bar. Soon, everyone on the list had shown what they could do. There were only 30 people on the list in total, but only 6 would be chosen. The reason there were so few was that the remaining spots had been taken by the Security Army. Apart from Ability Users, the Security Army had the strongestbat power in the base, so they naturally had to be prioritized to be Ability Users. Not counting Wei Zhenguo and his group, the Security Army currently had 14. members; adding these 6 slots meant that the first batch of Ability Users would consist of a total of 20 people! If all 20 of them seeded, it would be a substantial increase in strength for the base! After some consideration, Wang Tao and Ren Jie chose the 6 individuals. Those not selected looked disappointed, while the chosen ones were ecstatic. Wang Tao was very fair, he didn¡¯t know these 6 individuals. He simply saw that they had high HP, had killed many zombies, and had good physical fitness, and then he chose them. As for Ding Yuqin and Gao Hua, these two naturally weren¡¯t chosen. They were actually on the list, clearly Ren Jie was giving them face. Chapter 232 - 129 Another Airdrop_2 Chapter 232: Chapter 129 Another Airdrop_2 Trantor: 549690339 But Wang Tao didn¡¯t have to choose them; he held the Crystal Cores in his hands and could give them to whomever he wanted, and these two were already predetermined Ability Users by Wang Tao¡­ ¡°Thank you, Commissioner Wang, Commissioner Ren, thank you for the base¡¯s cultivation¡­¡± The six lucky ones were also very sensible and immediately bowed to Wang Tao and Ren Jie in thanks. ¡°Congrattions to you all! I hope that after you be Ability Users, you can contribute more to the base, after all, this is our home¡­¡± After Ren Jie offered his encouragement, Wang Tao distributed the six Crystal Cores to them. All these Crystal Cores werebat abilities selected by Wang Tao, and they were all red. But he required them to merge with the Cores on the spot. After receiving them, they swallowed the Cores immediately, and then one by one, the six peopley down on the ground to sleep. ¡°Not bad!¡± Seeing that none had failed, Wang Tao felt very relieved. These were Crystal Cores with an 80% fusion sess rate. After they sent the soon-to-be Ability Users home, Ren Jie once again encouraged everyone. ¡°Themittee¡¯s goal is to make allbat personnel in the base into Ability Users! Although this can¡¯t be achieved in a short time, the base has always been working towards this direction! Those who weren¡¯t selected shouldn¡¯t lose heart; continue to improve yourselves. This is just the first batch of Ability Users, there will be a second batch, a third batch¡­¡± With these words from Ren Jie, everyone¡¯s fighting spirit was indeed reignited ¡ªthey too wanted to be Ability Users! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s dismiss. Everyone get back to training, kill more zombies, and strive to be the next batch of Ability Users!¡± Ren Jie waved his hand and dismissed the crowd. As Wang Tao was preparing to leave, Huo Ziyi suddenly approached him. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Today, Huo Ziyi had made a special effort with her appearance and looked somewhat like a pre-apocalyptic minor celebrity. ¡°Cough, it¡¯s like this, we have some things we would like to consult Commissioner Wang about, if Commissioner Wang has the time, pleasee with us¡­¡± Huo Ziyi spoke somewhat coyly. ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t have anything to do at the moment, so he followed her. Huo Ziyi led Wang Tao to arge ssroom, where aside from her, there were several other young women dressed to the nines. On the way there, Huo Ziyi also exined to Wang Tao that she wanted him to see the program they had prepared¡ªthe apocalypse had been upon them for almost three months, and Ren Jie and others had been thinking of holding a celebration at the base when the three months were up. This was not about indulgence or formality but to boost the survivors¡¯ happiness index¡ªsince the establishment of the base, it had always been quite oppressive, with many people seemingly walking around like zombies. This state was definitely unhealthy. As a once very capable deputy county head, Ren Jie knew that he needed to adjust everyone¡¯s mental state. Otherwise, if the oppression continued, it could push people to extremes, and it would be bad if another Shao Yong emerged. So he nned to have a simple evening party to celebrate everyone surviving three months of the apocalypse. Surviving three months in such a harsh apocalypse was certainly something worthmemorating. Huo Ziyi, this former minor celebrity who had no ability to hunt zombies or dare scavenge supplies, could only do hardbor in the base without a proper role. Now, this party offered her a great opportunity! Of course, there might be other motives involved, such as gaining the favor of Commissioner Wang Tao¡­ To be fair, watching these youthful and pretty girls dancing in their little skirts on stage, Wang Tao almost thought the apocalypse was a dream. But he quickly came back to reality, as these minor celebrities would not be dancing for him personally if this wasn¡¯t the apocalypse, would they? ¡°Commissioner Wang? How was our performance?¡± Huo Ziyi wiped the fine sweat off her forehead. She seemed to lose herself looking at Wang Tao, then, full of expectation, she inquired. It seems Commissioner Wang was quite captivated! ¡°Very good! I am sure this program will be liked by many people!¡± Wang Tao praised with a smile. Huo Ziyi and her sisters all had good foundations. Even an eighteenth-tier minor celebrity couldn¡¯t bepared to some so-called inte famous personalities. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Huo Ziyi blushed, speaking softly: ¡°Then¡­ does Commissioner Wang like it?¡± Wang Tao was about to say he really liked it when his walkie-talkie went off. It was Ren Jie looking for him, saying there was something important. ¡°Sorry, I have to go for some business first.¡± Wang Tao nodded to the young women and then left. Once Wang Tao left, the other women quickly surrounded Huo Ziyi. ¡°Sister, you think it¡¯s still peacetime! Be more resolute! Go straight for it! Trust me, next time you see Commissioner Wang, just sit right on hisp¡­ What a wasted opportunity!¡± Seeing her sisters¡¯ frustrated expressions, Huo Ziyi¡¯s face turned a bit red. She indeed was quite interested in Wang Tao now, but she still cared about her image and really couldn¡¯t bring herself to make such a direct move. ¡°Oh well, forget it! Next time, I¡¯ll definitely go for it directly! Let¡¯s continue the rehearsal¡­¡± Wang Tao arrived at theprehensive building. Besides Wang Tao, Wei Zhenguo and the others had also returned. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re back?¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised; he thought Wei Zhenguo and the others would take a while longer to return. ¡°Guess what great thing we found today!¡± Wei Zhenguo looked at Wang Tao with a proud face.. Chapter 233 - 129 Another Airdrop 3 Chapter 233: Chapter 129 Another Airdrop 3 Trantor: 549690339????? ¡ª Hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows rose. Today, when Wei Zhenguo and the others went out, there was an airdrop They must have collected the airdrop. Could it be that there are a lot of goodies in it? ¡°Food? Weapons? Inhibitor?¡± Wang Tao asked with a smile. As of now, the most precious thing in the airdrops was the inhibitor. Could it be that they found arge quantity of inhibitors? ¡°Haha, not just that, far from it!¡± Xiang Hongbinughed heartily. ¡°Oh? What other good stuff is there? Let me take a look. It couldn¡¯t possibly be a Crystal Core airdropped, could it?¡± Wang Tao was intrigued. ¡°Hey! Although it¡¯s not a Crystal Core, it¡¯s indeed rted to Crystal Cores!¡± As Xiang Hongbin spoke, he stepped aside, and Wang Tao saw severalrge boxes behind him. ¡°What are these?¡± Wang Tao walked over, curious. Hehe, let¡¯s wait for Liu He to arrive before we disclose!¡± Xiang Hongbin wore a sly smile on his face. ¡°Old Xiang here, he wouldn¡¯t tell me when I asked him just now, insisting on waiting until everyone was here!¡± Ren Jie was somewhat helpless. ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao shrugged. Before long, Liu He arrived. AU sevenmittee members were now present. ¡°Come, let me introduce this to everyone!¡± Xiang Hongbin opened the first box and pointed at a machine about the size of a 24-inch suitcase inside, saying: ¡°This device is called an Energy Detector! It can check for energy and impurities inside the body!¡± ¡°Check body energy and impurities?¡± Wang Tao and the others were somewhat astonished. This sounded like a great device! Had the surviving scientists already developed such technology? ¡°The specifics are like this¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin briefly exined. This detector needed a blood sample from the tester. Just putting blood into it in about a minute, it could detect the energy and internal impurities contained within the person. Wang Tao found it quite magical and inquired: ¡°Have you tried it yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, we didn¡¯t even take a look after we got these, just hurried back¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo shook his head. ¡°Come on, let me give it a try first! This machine has a downside, it needs a lot of electricity; it¡¯s even more power-hungry than an air conditioner¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin stepped forward without hesitation, plugged in the device, turned it on, and directly bit his finger, dripping a drop of blood into the detector¡¯s intake. There was a small LED screen on the machine, and after approximately a minute, two lines of text appeared on the screen. [Energy: Level 1] [Internal Impurity: Level 1] Wang Tao: ? Is that it? He thought it would show detailed information, like how much HP he had, what percentage of impurities, and so on. But it just showed Level 1 and Level 1¡­ ¡°Cough, let me check the manual¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin was also a bit embarrassed ¨C mainly because the numbers were too concise, especially with regard to the impurities, which he didn¡¯t understand. There was a manual inside the machine, and Xiang Hongbin quickly figured it out. I understand now! The meaning of energy is simr to that of Crystal Cores, Level 1 is the same as our understanding of Level 1. However, this detector is¡¯a semi-finished product, currently only able to check three levels-o, 1, and 2. Level 2 refers to anything above Level i, no matter how many levels, it will all show as Level 2 here¡­¡± What a thing, it¡¯s a semi-finished product? ¡°Cough, to be precise, one shouldn¡¯t call it a semi-finished product; it¡¯s just that they don¡¯t have data on higher levels, so they can only do this for now.¡± After exining, Xiang Hongbin continued: ¡°As for these impurities, there are 5 levels, with each level being 20%!¡± ¡°When the internal impurity is below Level 2, which is under 40%, it¡¯s generally very safe. When it¡¯s at Level 3, 40% to 60%, there is some danger. At Level 4, 60% to 80%, it¡¯s very dangerous. And at Level 5, 80% to 100%, that¡¯s extremely dangerous!¡± ¡°The manual rmends that no base should take in people with Level 5 impurities, otherwise there¡¯s a risk of a sudden outbreak at any time!¡± Wang Tao had just been critical of the machine¡¯sck of precision, but after hearing Xiang Hongbin¡¯s exnation, he realized that the significance of the machine wasn¡¯t necessarily about knowing exactly how many impurities survivors had within them, but rather its purpose was to filter out those dangerous survivors! If a base set up one of these machines at its entrance and required a blood check for entry, that could prevent a lot of danger! The others obviously thought of this use as well, and Ren Jie, his eyes alight said:???? ¡¯ ¡°I was just thinking these past few days, if the base has more Ability Users, they¡¯d have the capacity to hunt Elite Zombies themselves. Then, when they have merged with more Crystal Cores, how to determine the amount of impurities in their bodies¡­ Now with this machine, it bes much more convenient!¡± Although Ren Jie had emphasized that one shouldn¡¯t merge with too many Crystal Cores, such cautions in the face of strength enhancement¡­ it¡¯s estimated that quite a few people would choose to continue increasing their power. After all, the feeling of gaining strength is really exhrating; definitely, some people can¡¯t resist. But if they had this machine, running periodic medical checks could identify who the dangerous elements were. ¡°Besides this detector, there are other goodies!¡± Xiang Hongbin brought over another machine, which was three or four timesrger than the detector. He pointed to it and said: ¡°This is a Crystal Core Energy Synthesizer! To be precise, it should be called an Extraction and Synthesis Machine!¡± ¡°Ah? Extraction, Synthetic Crystal Core Energy?¡± Ren Jie was somewhat surprised. Crystal Core Energy could also be extracted and synthesized? This seemed much more impressive than the Energy Detector! However, it extracts negative energy, which is the side effects¡­¡± ¡°Extract side effects!¡± Everyone instinctively looked at Wang Tao. Wang Tao had previously told them that the Crystal Cores he provided were without side effects. He hadn¡¯t borated on the specifics, and they hadn¡¯t asked. Now that side effects were mentioned, they instinctively thought of Wang Tao Could it be that the Crystal Cores Wang Tao gave them were created with a machine simr to this one? ¡°I did take a look at the manual in advance for this one, and it says that the energy and impurities in Crystal Cores are fused together and can¡¯t be separated. But these side effects are a special kind of impurity that can be separated! However, to extract the side effects¡­. a significant cost has to be paid!¡± Chapter 234 - 130 Hope Research Institute, 4999 HP_1 Chapter 234: Chapter 130 Hope Research Institute, 4999 HP_1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°What¡¯s the cost?¡± Wang Tao asked with some curiosity. Although he was able to obtain a Crystal Core without side effects, there was still a price to pay. His cost was the wastage of a Crystal Core during the synthesis of a Level 1 Crystal Core, and possibly the wastage of two for a Level 2 Crystal Core¡­ He didn¡¯t know what the cost of this device was; if it was small, he might consider using it as well. ¡°The cost is¡ªto get a side-effect-free Crystal Core, you have to waste even more Crystal Cores!¡± ¡°ording to the instructions, this machine can currently only synthesize Level 1 Crystal Cores. To obtain one such core without side effects, you need to use up three Level 1 Crystal Cores, which can be of different types but must be of the same color. However, that¡¯s not the main point¡ªthe main point is that there¡¯s a probability of failure during synthesis! If it fails, all Crystal Cores disappear! As for the probability, it¡¯s hard to say, it all depends on luck¡­¡± After listening to Xiang Hongbin¡¯s exnation, everyone frowned in thought. The need to expend three Crystal Cores of the same quality is one thing, but there¡¯s also the damned risk of failure¡­ Everyone naturally desires a Crystal Core without side effects. However, the cost seems a bit too steep. If it only required three cores, it might be manageable, but if it failed¡­ Probability is like gambling, unreliable! Now, whether it¡¯s worth it bes the question. Upon reflection, some side effects might not be uneptable¡­ Wang Tao, meanwhile, was deep in thought. His Crystal Core synthetic ability only required two Crystal Cores, but he could only use cores of the same type and was unable to cross types. Whereas this machine requires three Crystal Cores with a certain probability of failure, it allows the usage of different types, albeit demanding that the cores be of the same quality¡­ Of course, there¡¯s one major difference between Wang Tao¡¯s synthesis and the machine¡¯s¡ªthe Crystal Cores Wang Tao synthesizes not only are without side effects, they also have no internal impurities, and even the quality is additive. Meanwhile, the Crystal Cores obtained from this machine do not have additive quality, nor can their impurities be extracted; they¡¯re simply free of side effects¡­ One can only say that Wang Tao¡¯s ability is the more powerful one, but this machine is also impressive for its capacity to strip away side effects. If someday there could be research that enables the extraction of internal impurities, that would be even better¡­ ¡°The capabilities of this machine seem decent¡­ Although it wastes some Crystal Cores, you can use other types, such as those from useless abilities like Glutton or Self Detonation, which could be put to good use! Of course, this assumes you¡¯re lucky¡­ In the future, whoever feels lucky can give it a try, as I won¡¯t be using this synthesizer anyway,¡± Feng Ming¡¯an stated, stroking his chin. He didn¡¯t have much hope for his own luck¡­ ¡°Apart from these two devices, there are also many inhibitors, and there¡¯s also a letter,¡± said Xiang Hongbin as he opened the other boxes filled with inhibitors. ¡°Take a look at this letter; it mentions matters about abilities and inhibitors¡­¡± Wang Tao took the letter and read it carefully. ¡°We have discovered¡­¡± The letter exined that ording to their current research, a person could at minimum fuse with one type of Crystal Core and at maximum with four different types. In other words, a person could only learn up to four Abilities, and whether there was a chance to fuse with more Crystal Cores in the future was unknown. At present, a Level 1 Crystal Core could only be fused with up to four kinds. Those who could fuse with four types were considered the most potentialden Ability Users. Naturally, those who could only fuse with one type had the least potential. But potential aside, finalbat effectiveness still depends on the individual. They had examples of individuals who fused with only one type of Crystal Core but had mastered their Ability to perfection, achieving remarkablebat strength! Many who fused with four types of Crystal Cores couldn¡¯t beat them. Of course, this was more of an exception; usually, the more Abilities fused, the greater the advantage. However, having more Abilities also meant a greater difficulty, namely needing more Crystal Cores to enhance Special Ability Level. Especially if you want Crystal Cores without side effects, you¡¯ll need arge number of them. They also spected that ascending from Level 1 to Level 2 as an Ability User might require certain conditions. It¡¯s unlikely there are no conditions to ascend. They weren¡¯t clear on the specifics, as they didn¡¯t have any Level 2 Ability Users there. As for inhibitors, they hadn¡¯t yet figured out how to solve the problem of internal impurity, but inhibitors could provide some relief¡ªwhen fusing with a Crystal Core, concurrently taking an inhibitor could reduce the amount of internal impurity. How much it could reduce was not specified, but based on their experiments, it indeed went down a slight amount. However, there was also an issue with this; the process of using inhibitors was too painful. Though most Ability Users could probably endure it, no one wanted to experience that sensation¡­ Whether to use it or not is up to the individual. If you¡¯re very fearful of internal impurity or if you wish to fuse with more Crystal Cores, then it¡¯s better to use inhibitors. If you¡¯re not bothered by internal impurities, or if you have strong self-control and can hold off fusing with too many Crystal Cores, then it doesn¡¯t matter whether or not you use inhibitors. As long as you can control the level of internal impurities below 50%, there shouldn¡¯t be any safety issues. The letter mentioned another use for inhibitors, which is to use them when internal impurity levels be too high. When they first began researching this inhibitor, they actually aimed to create a Zombie Antidote. Though they didn¡¯t seed in developing the antidote, the inhibitor was a by-product of this research.. Chapter 235 - 130 Hope Research Institute, 4999 Chapter 235: Chapter 130 Hope Research Institute, 4999 HP_2 Trantor: 549690339 Moreover, at that time, they hadn¡¯t discovered the attribute of internal impurity. They thought that by using inhibitors to slow down the activity of the zombie virus, although it wasn¡¯t possible to eliminate the virus, as long as it never became active, they could avoid the danger of turning into zombies. Then they discovered through testing that inhibitors could not only be used on infected individuals but were also extremely beneficial to ability users. When an ability user merged with too many crystal cores and umted too much internal impurity, they too risked turning into zombies. The inhibitor could suppress this risk as well. Theoretically, even a person whose internal impurity was at 90% could avoid turning into a zombie forever as long as they continuously used inhibitors! Of course, that was just in theory. In reality, there were too many uncontroble factors, and it would be very dangerous to actually have such a person. Therefore, they still advised that survivor bases better not ept people with level 5 impurities. In fact, Wang Tao had thought of using the inhibitor for ability users the first time he saw it. But it was because he knew about the impurities within a crystal core and thenbined that with the characteristics of the inhibitor that he came up with the idea. They had only recently discovered internal impurities and then identally found that inhibitors and internal impurities were well suited for each other¡­ But no matter what, the effect of the inhibitor had already been officially established. From now on, it would be an indispensable item for survivors. As for who this ¡°they¡± referred to, the end of the letter also introduced them¡ª Wang Tao had originally thought this was something researched by a military base, that the scientists might have been protected by the military base, but that wasn¡¯t actually the case. This ¡°they¡± referred to a power known as the ¡°Hope Research Institute.¡± This was an organization established by the government, its core personnel being technicians and scientists who had survived after the apocalypse struck. Products like inhibitors, detectors, and synthetic devices were all researched and developed by them. The headquarters of the research institute was in Capital City, and they weed capable individuals to go to Capital City to meet with them. Their ultimate goal was to develop a potion to eliminate the zombie virus and rid the world of zombies. Although Wang Tao thought this possibility was very slim, he wouldn¡¯t mock them. After all, in a sense, they were humanity¡¯s hope¡ªat least they were the hope for Qian Country. Wang Tao was very curious about the research institute, but it was too far away from him. If he remembered correctly, it was 1,500 kilometers from Huangfeng City to Capital City! Such a long distance was practically a death wish to attempt¡­ However, Wang Tao was very curious about how they managed to send their message out. Could it be through super-powerful radio waves? Or some other kind of ck technology? If Wang Tao had such a means, he would definitely want to find out what was going on with the military base. ¡°Besides these, does the airdrop say anything about the situation at the military base?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°No.¡± Xiang Hongbin and Wei Zhenguo both shook their heads. They were also eager to know the current state of the military base, but unfortunately, there was no news about it in these airdrops. Wang Tao was somewhat puzzled. During the first airdrop, the military base¡¯s people left a letter for the survivors. But there were no letters in the second and this third airdrop, all of them were done in a strict business-like manner¡­ He found it impossible to inquire about the actual state of the military base. Could it be that the military base didn¡¯t want any survivors toe? That should not be the case, right? After all, the more people, the greater the strength. There wouldn¡¯t be a base that despised having too many survivors¡­ Wang Tao was very perplexed, but since they were far from the military base, they had no way to check. Although a radio frequency for contact had been provided in the previous airdrop, with such a distance, the radios they had on hand definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to reach¡­ Wei Zhenguo distributed the inhibitor to everyone. Now that they knew the inhibitor was also useful for ability users, they had to stock up more, because they might need to use it continuously from now on¡­ The next day, early morning. Wang Tao met Han Rui outside theplex building. Having been weak the whole day yesterday, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t gone out. Today, with his weakness passed, he was ready to go out and increase his HP. His HP was at 4,900, just 100 short of 5,000. If he didn¡¯t make up that 100 HP today, he probably wouldn¡¯t sleep well tonight. Han Rui also rested for a day yesterday. She is now Wang Tao¡¯s exclusive teammate; if Wang Tao goes out, she goes out, if Wang Tao doesn¡¯t, she stays home and rests. This was of course voluntary, as it was very safe to be with Wang Tao. ¡°Have you recovered from your weakness?¡± Han Rui asked with concern. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao drove the SUV, taking Han Rui towards the hospital. The hospital was abundant with zombies, so there was no worry about not being able to find elite zombies. If they wandered around other ces and ended up wasting a whole day without even finding three elite zombies, that would be frustrating. By noon, the two arrived near the hospital. ¡°Well, we really haven¡¯t bumped into a single elite zombie!¡± They hadn¡¯t encountered a single elite zombie the whole way there. Just as Wang Tao had thought, the harder you need something, the harder it seemed to obtain it. However, seeing the hospital swarming with zombies, Wang Tao knew that reaching the 100 HP mark today wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But the elite zombies were all wandering inside the hospital and noting out through the main entrance. This left Han Rui somewhat helpless, as they couldn¡¯t lure the zombies over that way.. Chapter 236 - 130 Hope Research Institute, 4999 HP_3 Chapter 236: Chapter 130 Hope Research Institute, 4999 HP_3 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve been prepared for this,¡± Wang Tao took out a megaphone. He and Han Rui went to the rooftop of a six-story building and then set the megaphone there. It was a remote-controlled megaphone that Liu He had helped him to make. He could control the volume of the megaphone from a great distance, and it was preloaded with a DJ dance track. This thing would surely attract many of the hospital¡¯s elite zombies, and Wang Tao was even concerned that it might attract some zombies he couldn¡¯t handle, like the gori zombie. But to gain something, one must take risks. Moreover, Wang Tao had deliberately ced the megaphone a good distance away from himself, so even if it did attract an unbeatable zombie, he wouldn¡¯t be surrounded. Soon, Wang Tao and Han Rui arrived at the apartment where they had rested before. ¡°I hope this works, don¡¯t let me down!¡± Wang Tao took out the remote control and pressed it lightly. After a dy of about two or three seconds, a ¡°boom-chaka¡± sound came from the rooftop of the building across from them. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± In that instant, the quiet world seemed toe alive, with chilling roars sounding everywhere. Sounds of trampling came from inside the hospital, then arge swarm of mad demon zombies charged towards that building like a tide. ¡°This is terrifying¡­¡± Seeing the hundreds of zombies, Han Rui¡¯s scalp tingled. Wang Tao watched the situation below carefully. While the mad demon zombies were sprinting towards that building, some elite zombies were following behind them, and there were quite a few of them! ¡°They¡¯re out!¡± A smile appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. As long as these elite zombies were out, he would know how to handle them. ¡°Eh? Wang Tao, what¡¯s that? A zombie or an ability user?¡± Suddenly, Han Rui pointed at an opening. Wang Tao followed the direction of her finger and his eyes immediately narrowed. He saw a ck figure in a hoodie running on the rooftop! The figure moved with agile grace, like a parkour athlete, dazzlingly navigating across the rooftops. However, Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed because the figure¡¯s HP bar was red! [6000/6000] It was a zombie, and it looked to be a level 2 zombie at that! Wang Tao silently cursed his luck. He had just been thinking that he hoped not to run into any level 2 zombies, and now here one was. Although Wang Tao had already killed a level 2 zombie, Shao Yong, it was low on HP. This level 2 zombie had a full 6ooo HP, and its strength might be even greater than zombie Shao Yong¡¯s. Wang Tao did not want to fight it now. At least, not until he himself became a second-order superpower owner? ¡°It¡¯s a level 2 zombie!¡± Wang Tao whispered. ¡°Ah? A level 2 zombie!¡± Han Rui was startled. Whether the two of them could defeat this level 2 zombie now was a question. Fortunately, that Level 2 Zombie wasn¡¯ting for them, but¡­ it seemed to be heading straight for the loudspeaker! Whoosh¡ª With a few jumps, the zombie had climbed to the rooftop where the loudspeaker was ced, and then stomped down hard. Crack¡ª The sound of the loudspeaker instantly ceased. No way, was this zombie specifically here to eradicate noise? Wang Tao was somewhat baffled. After crushing the loudspeaker, the zombie disappeared from Wang Tao¡¯s sight with a few leaps. Without the music from the loudspeaker, those agitated zombies outside quickly calmed down. However, those Mad Demon Zombies did not leave but continued to search for something in the vicinity. Watching this scene, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t afford to think about the Level 2 Zombie any longer. He intently watched the Mad Demon Zombies, and as soon as he saw a significant number of them arrive at the base of the apartment building, Wang Tao decisively took out two Stealth Potions and, rolling up his and Han Rui¡¯s sleeves, injected them directly. Han Rui didn¡¯t resist but asked with a hint of curiosity, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Stealth Potion. The Mad Demon Zombies have found us, let¡¯s try not to engage them.¡± Wang Tao sinctly exined. ¡°Oh!¡± Soon, Han Rui felt her body temperature dropping, her body bing slightly stiff, and her breathing and heartbeat slowing down. Her limbs also grew heavy, and an offensive smell emanated from her¡­ just like a zombie! This sensation made Han Rui panic a bit, as she instinctively clutched the corner of Wang Tao¡¯s clothes. ¡°It¡¯s okay, this is the effect of the Stealth Potion. Once injected, zombies will have a harder time detecting you for an hour.¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t used a Stealth Potion in a long time, as he was able to deal with zombies quickly before, and didn¡¯t need to waste them. But now, with many Mad Demon Zombies outside and the appearance of a Level 2 Zombie, it was better to be safe and use a Stealth Potion. ¡°Huh? There¡¯s such a miraculous potion?!¡± Han Rui was somewhat shocked, but she didn¡¯t doubt Wang Tao¡¯s words and didn¡¯t ask where the potion came from. After both of them had used the Stealth Potion, those Mad Demons ran up to the upper floors, made a round, and left. Seeing that the Stealth Potion was effective against the Mad Demons, Wang Tao let out a temporary sigh of relief. About ten minutester, all the Mad Demon Zombies downstairs had vanished, leaving only some Ordinary Zombies and Elite Zombies from the hospital wandering around. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao and Han Rui headed downstairs together. Although the Stealth Potion did cause a slight decrease in their own strength, the decrease wasn¡¯t significant. And since both Wang Tao and Han Rui mainly used crossbows, it didn¡¯t affect their performance. Moreover, using the Stealth Potion to hunt Elite Zombies was indeed effective. The Elite Zombies only noticed them when they were nearby, and the first Elite Zombie they killed had no idea who was attacking it until its death. After taking down the first zombie, Wang Tao¡¯s HP reached 4940, and after the second, his HP reached 4990. Wang Tao had thought that his HP would hit 5000 after killing the third zombie. But after killing the third zombie, his HP was [4999/4999]! It only increased by 9 HP. ¡°Damn! I knew it, reaching Level Two isn¡¯t that easy!¡± Chapter 237 - 131: Ascension of the Highest Chapter 237: Chapter 131: Ascension of the Highest Difficulty (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_1 Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Wang Tao, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Han Rui looked at Wang Tao with some curiosity. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You finish off the zombies from now on.¡± Since he no longer gained HP from killing elite zombies, it would be a waste not to let Han Rui take them down. ¡°Ah? Really? You¡¯re not going to increase your strength anymore?¡± Han Rui was somewhat excited, she obviously wanted to be stronger, but it had been agreed that Wang Tao would be the focus. -I¡¯ve reached the limit already, I can¡¯t enhance my strength for the time being.¡± Wang Tao shook his head with a sense of helplessness. ¡°Limit?¡± Han Rui was taken aback. -Yes, I¡¯ve reached the limit of Level 1, and I need to figure out how to ascend to Level 2. Otherwise, killing these elite zombies will be pointless¡­¡± Previously, when he had 1000 HP, killing ordinary zombies wouldn¡¯t increase his HP, and only killing elite zombies would work. But this time the situation was different from before; at least he could increase his HP to 1000 previously, but now he was stuck at 4999 and couldn t ascend any further. He had previously guessed that you need 5000 HP for a Level 2 Ascension, but that HP couldn¡¯t be achieved just by killing zombies. Wang Tao felt the key must lie in the Crystal Core. The day before yesterday when he killed Shao Yong, he obtained a Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core. This crystal core could enhance an Ability to Level 2. And only after an Ability User ascended to Level 2 could they merge with a Level 2 Crystal Core. Could there be a possibility that in order to ascend to Level 2, Ability Users first need to enhance their own abilities to Level 2? Perhaps Wang Tao needed to elevate his own Ability to Level 2 first in order to continue gaining HP from killing zombies! If that¡¯s the case, then Wang Tao would be quite helpless. After all, he had learned four abilities. He surely wouldn¡¯t need to enhance all four abilities to Level 2, would he? Or would having just one Level 2 Ability suffice? If only one Ability needed to be upgraded for him to achieve a Level 2 Ascension, then it wouldn¡¯t be too bad. But if all four abilities needed to be ascended¡­ never mind whether he could kill enough Level 2 Zombies, just finding that many Level 2 Zombies wouldn¡¯t be easy! As far as he knew, the only Level 2 Zombies were the deceased Shao Yong, the hooded zombie with 6000 HP he had just seen, and the gori zombie with 10,000 HP. Other than those, he had not seen any other Level 2 Zombies. He definitely couldn¡¯t defeat the gori zombie, though he might think of a way to deal with the hooded zombie. But even if he could kill it, the number of crystal cores would still be insufficient¡­ what a headache! Shaking his head, Wang Tao decided not to dwell on it further and focused on working with Han Rui to kill the zombies. The loudspeaker that Wang Tao had prepared might have been smashed by the hooded zombie, but it still drew many elite zombies outside the hospital. Taking advantage of the effects of the Stealth Potion, Wang Tao and Han Rui went on a rampage against the zombies. With the potion and crossbow arrows, the zombies couldn¡¯t detect them at all. It took two days, but the thirty-odd elite zombies that had emerged were all killed by the two of them. Wang Tao also conducted an experiment and found that after reaching 4999 HP, indeed he could no longer increase his HP limit. Other than the one he tested, all the other zombies were killed by Han Rui. Han Rui thoroughly enjoyed the ughter! She directly added almost two thousand HP! Her total HP had reached ¡°3030¡±! In fact, they had felt that these zombies could have been dealt with in one afternoon, but because Han Rui¡¯s HP increase required sleeping, some time was wasted. Of course, Han Rui¡¯s pace was still very fast, much faster than Wei Zhenguo and the others. There was no helping it; after all, with Wang Tao covering for her and the abundance of elite zombies here, her enhancement was bound to be rapid. After these zombies were killed, however, there were no more elite zombies outside the hospital. To continue killing, they either had to draw them out or go in. Wang Tao¡¯s loudspeaker was gone, making it hard to lure the zombies, so the two decided to hunt inside the hospital. But Wang Tao hadn¡¯t forgotten that Shao Yong, with his strong abilities, had been trapped inside the hospital. So they decided to just linger at the entrance of the hospital and not venture too deep. However, they discovered after entering the hospital that there didn¡¯t seem to be many elite zombies left. ¡°Could they have been killed off? That can¡¯t be right! There were so many before¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at the big hole created by the gori zombie in the inpatient building and felt that zombies might be inside. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not think about the zombies inside the building. Let¡¯s just clear out the ones in the courtyard.¡± Wang Tao thought it was best to y it safe. ¡°Hmm!¡± Han Rui naturally had no objections. There weren¡¯t many elite zombies in the courtyard, only 8 in total, which brought Han Rui¡¯s HP up to ¡°3470¡±. The two decided to call it quits and returned directly to the apartment. ¡°We¡¯ll wait one more day, and if those zombies inside the building don¡¯te out, then we¡¯ll head home.¡± Wang Tao pondered. Actually, he wanted to increase Han Rui¡¯s HP to four thousand, as the opportunity was rare. But unfortunately, the zombies inside the hospital wouldn¡¯te out! If these zombies came out, Wang Tao not only wanted to increase Han Rui¡¯s HP to four thousand but also thought about bringing Wei Zhenguo over to enhance everyone¡¯s HP. As long as everyone¡¯s strength increased, Wang Tao could get them to help him hunt down Level 2 Zombies! But while the imagination is beautiful, reality is cruel. By the next day, not only were there no elite zombies left in the hospital, but even the ordinary zombies had vanished¡­ ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s retreat!¡± With no other choice, Wang Tao decided to head home for some rest.. Chapter 238 - 131: Ascension of the Highest Chapter 238: Chapter 131: Ascension of the Highest Difficulty (Seeking Monthly Votes)_2 Trantor: 549690339 I However, on the way home, Wang Tao suddenly heard a rumbling noise. ¡°It¡¯s a gori zombie!¡± The two of them hurriedly left the car and hid in a building. Before long, they saw the gori zombie pass by their location, still as fond of causing destruction as ever. Wang Tao was worried it would throw his car away. Thankfully, the gori zombie walked down the next street over, sparing his vehicle from harm. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! Hurry back.¡± After the gori zombie left, Wang Tao drove away. It seemed that the appearance of the gori zombie had some benefits, as it had not only scattered various obstacles but cleared out the zombies as well. Their car journey was smooth and fast. However, Han Rui in the car was frowning somewhat, looking uncertainly at Wang Tao and saying, ¡°Looking at the path that gori zombie took, it seems like it might pass by Li Qiuyu¡¯s house¡­¡± Wang Tao pondered for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about that, we can only hope she¡¯s lucky.¡± If it were a trivial effort, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t mind going for a rescue. But this was a Level 2 Zombie with tens of thousands of HP; with his current strength, going there was no different from seeking death. He couldn¡¯t risk his and Han Rui¡¯s lives on a gamble. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Han Rui felt somewhat regretful. She tried contacting Li Qiuyu with the walkie-talkie but couldn¡¯t get through. She could only hope that Li Qiuyu was fortunate. Two hourster, the pair returned to Shuize Base. They had been outside for three days, and during those three days, something significant had happened at the base¡ªthe first batch of 20 selected survivors had all be ability users! Since they had been chosen as ability users, it was natural that they wouldn¡¯t just be given a Crystal Core and be done with it. If it was a sess, all well and good, but if not, they would continue getting Crystal Cores until they seeded. Hence, all twenty people became ability users. The overall strength of the base had gained a rtively big enhancement. Ren Jie and the others were originally quite excited, but when Wang Tao expressed that he temporarily had no way to achieve Level 2 Ascension, everyone¡¯s excitement diminished considerably. They hadn¡¯t expected that achieving Second Level Ascension would be so troublesome. Especially with the gori zombie showing up again today, it would be difficult to deal with it if Wang Tao couldn¡¯t ascend to Level Two¡­ ¡°Next, you all need to seize the time to kill zombies, elevate your strength a bit more, and collect more Crystal Cores. If you encounter zombies that seem to be Level Two, contact me immediately. As for me¡­ I¡¯ll think of another way.¡± Wang Tao told the others. ¡°Okay!¡± After all, enhancing one¡¯s strength was the most basic requirement. If the five or six hundred people in the base were all Level 1 ability users, couldn¡¯t they defeat a Level 2 Zombie? After returning home, Wang Tao furrowed his brows in thought. He did have a Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core in his possession, and it was red. But this Crystal Core was impure¡­ He hesitated over whether to use it or not. If he continued as before to synthesize a core with no impurities, he would need three Crystal Cores to do so! In the unluckiest scenario¡ªif he needed to upgrade all four of his abilities to Level Two for the ascension¡ªthen he would need 12 Ascension Crystal Cores! That would mean killing twelve Level 2 Zombies¡­ Where could he find so many Level 2 Zombies! ¡°Maybe I should try using one first¡­¡± Wang Tao struggled for a moment, then with determination, decided to use the Ascension Crystal Core! So what if some impurities umted inside his body? As long as he kept it within a manageable limit, it was still safe. The primary concern was the gori zombie that posed a great threat¡ªit might arrive at the base anytime, not giving him the chance to slowly collect Crystal Cores¡­ Wang Tao took out the Ascension Crystal Core. Inside the Ascension Crystal Core, there was a faint¡±+¡± shadow, which probably signified the meaning of ascension. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Impurities: 45% (no side effects)] [Ascension: After merging, it can randomly upgrade an already fully merged Level 1 Special Ability to Level Two] Wang Tao currently had two abilities at +10, Shockwave and Toughness. One for offense and one for defense, he would ept whichever one was upgraded to Level Two! Wang Tao directly ced the Ascension Crystal Core of outstanding quality in his mouth. Upon entering his mouth, Wang Tao felt the Crystal Core turn into a gas, filling his limbs in a very short time. Wang Tao felt warmlyfortable all over, and the 80% sess rate meant no mishaps urred. ¡°Comfortable-¡± After a short while, the warm sensation disappeared. All sense of fatigue that Wang Tao had before vanished instantly. He quickly checked his Attributes. There were no changes to his HP bar, still at 4999, but his Mana was different; it had increased from 2500 to 2700! So, one Level 2 Crystal Core added 200 Mana? Then, as expected, Wang Tao noticed an additional attribute. [Internal Impurity: O%] Seeing this impurity, Wang Tao was somewhat resigned, hoping that there would be fewer impurities in the future. And whether it was psychological or not, Wang Tao always felt somewhat ufortable having impurities inside his body¡­ As for the highlight of this Ascension¡ª the upgraded ability, Wang Tao had a sensation of Shockwave even before checking the attributes. Looking at his attributes, the +10 on the icon of Shockwave was gone, but the bottom left now showed a ¡°Two,¡± presumably denoting Level Two. There weren¡¯t any other changes. Wang Tao prepared to go out and test this Level Two ability, while also looking for an Elite Zombie, to see if he could achieve Level 2 Ascension.. Chapter 239 - 131: Ascension of the Highest Chapter 239: Chapter 131: Ascension of the Highest Difficulty (Seeking Monthly Votes)_3 Trantor: 549690339 Just like before, Wang Tao called Han Rui, and the two of them made a round outside. They weren¡¯t sure if the Elite Zombies nearby had all been killed by Wei Zhenguo¡¯s team, as they could barely spot any. The only one they eventually found was a Self-exploder. But as long as it was an Elite Zombie, that was good enough for Wang Tao to practice on. He carefully sneaked up to the Suicide Bombing Zombie and controlled it with a Slime Grenade, then he swung his axe at the creature, as if cutting through the void. A visible Shockwave appeared on the de, striking heavily onto the body of the Self-exploder. Then. Bang The Self-exploder exploded! The sound, however, wasn¡¯t loud because it wasn¡¯t a Self Detonation; it was shattered by the Shockwave! The white slime that had solidified on its body was also broken into pieces. ¡°Amazing! Is this the power of a Second-order Superpower Owner?¡± Witnessing the shattered remains, Han Rui eximed softly. And she suddenly thought of something, if Wang Tao could kill a Self-exploder in one blow, and prevent it from exploding, they could save on using Slime Grenades and save a lot of time¡ªjust approach the Self-exploder, hack it with the axe, and that¡¯s it! This is what it means when a Level 2 suppresses a Level 1! ¡°No, to be precise, this is just the power of a Level 2 Ability; I¡¯m not a Second-order Superpower Owner yet.¡± Wang Tao was not pleased at all, as his HP hadn¡¯t increased. His worst fears hade true¡ªmaybe he had to ascend all four of his abilities to Level 2 before he could achieve Level 2 Ascension¡­ ¡°Ah?¡± Han Rui was stunned for a moment, then after hearing Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, she felt a bit disappointed before she started thinking about herself. She currently only had two abilities, Perception and Rush. But she could feel that she was still capable of fusing two more abilities. That meant she, like Wang Tao, could learn up to four abilities. But for Wang Tao to upgrade to Level 2, he might need at least four Ascension Crystal Cores! If you only had one ability, perhaps you¡¯d only need One Ascension Crystal Core¡­ She currently had two abilities and needed just two cores, which was half as difficultpared to needing four¡­ ¡°Being powerfules at a price, huh!¡± Wang Tao sighed. Although Ability Users who fused four Crystal Cores were quite impressive, the difficulty of ascending increased exponentially! When he first discovered he could fuse four different types of Crystal Cores, he still thought it was too few and wished he could fuse dozens or hundreds¡ªhow powerful would that be! Now, Wang Tao felt relieved that he couldn¡¯t fuse so many types of Crystal Cores! Otherwise, if he truly could fuse that many, whether he could ever achieve Level 2 Ascension in his lifetime would be another question¡­ ¡°So¡­ do we keep hunting zombies?¡± Han Rui asked, looking at Wang Tao. ¡°Kill!¡± Wang Tao nodded. He needed to find Crystal Cores! At the very least, he had to get three more Ascension Crystal Cores to check for any Level 2 Zombies. Wang Tao currently knew of two Level 2 Zombies, the Gori zombie and the Hooded zombie. Even if he managed to kill these two and they both dropped Ascension Crystal Cores, he¡¯d still be short one Crystal Core¡­ Plus, he needed to level up his Precision Shooting and Self-healing abilities; one of his abilities was at +4, and the other still at +1¡­ He needed to kill more zombies to collect Level 1 Crystal Cores! Wang Tao and Han Rui stayed outside until dark before returning, having bad luck with only five Elite Zombies encountered all afternoon. This was far too fewpared to the hospital. Too bad the zombies there wouldn¡¯te out anymore. ¡°Go home and rest up.¡± Wang Tao said to Han Rui as she got out of the car. ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui gained quite a bit of HP this afternoon, reaching 3700! Not far from 4000 HP now. But Han Rui was conflicted about fusing Crystal Cores, Wang Tao said he still had plenty of Crystal Cores, and if Han Rui was willing to fuse, she could ask him for them. The more types of Crystal Cores she fused, the harder it would be to ascend, and now Han Rui wasn¡¯t so sure if she wanted to continue fusing. After all, reality isn¡¯t like ying a game; in games, you can slowly grind over time, but reality doesn¡¯t give you that luxury¡­ The next day. Wang Tao once again asked Han Rui to join him for a zombie hunt, but this time not just Han Rui, Ding Yuqin, Gao Hua, and Chen Zhuang joined as well. All three were above 1000 HP, and since killing Ordinary Zombies wouldn¡¯t increase their HP, they needed to kill Elite Zombies instead. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t taken them before because theycked experience in killing zombies, and bringing them would only be a hindrance. But now, after some training, they were basically qualified Hunters. Even Ding Yuqin, the least skilled among them, could handle several Ordinary Zombies on her own. So Wang Tao took them out to get more familiar with the characteristics of Elite Zombies, to be moreposed when they encountered them in the future. They had better luck today than yesterday, encountering 16 Elite Zombies in the span of one day! Han Rui reached 4000 HP and fell into deep slumber. Ding Yuqin, Gao Hua, and Chen Zhuang also got their cuts in, relishing the thrill of killing an Elite Zombie. Before nightfall, when they returned to the Survivor Base, Wang Tao noticed many unfamiliar faces. He let Ding Yuqin and the others go first, then drove the still-unconscious Han Rui to her home. At Han Rui¡¯s house, Wang Tao unexpectedly saw Sun Weiguang. It had been many days since Wang Taost saw Sun Weiguang, and to be honest, he felt that when Sun Weiguang was around, things seemed more thrilling? Ahem¡ª ¡°Commissioner Wang!¡± Upon seeing Wang Tao carrying Han Rui upstairs, Sun Weiguang was surprised but considerately helped Wang Tao open the door. ¡°Where have you been these days?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. ¡°Ahem, I¡¯ve been with Ou Yingyingtely. I came over today to formally talk to Han Rui, hoping that we can part on good terms, and go our separate ways¡­¡± ¡°Oh, then I won¡¯t disturb you guys.¡± Wang Tao nodded. After cing Han Rui on the bed, he left. Then he went to the administrative building, asking Ren Jie with some surprise: ¡°Why are there so many unfamiliar faces today?¡± Ren Jie replied: ¡°It¡¯s all because of that Gori zombie¡­ Many family-style small-scale Survivor Bases were destroyed! Those who survived all want to join our base..¡± Chapter 240 - 132 Revenge (Requesting Monthly Chapter 240: Chapter 132 Revenge (Requesting Monthly Votes)_l The destruction caused by the gori zombie was far greater than Wang Tao had imagined. Wherever it went, destruction followed; it didn¡¯t care if there were people or not, it simply wanted to wreak havoc. Some of the smaller Survivor Bases had had terrible luck. They were either inadvertently affected by the gori zombie, or almostpletely wiped out upon discovery¡­ Those who managed to survive fled the base immediately. It had been over two months since the end of the world, and most survivors in Shuize County had already heard of the Suzaku University Survivor Base. After all, there were quite a few Hunters in the Shuize Base, who asionally encountered other survivors, and word about the base slowly spread. The base also broadcasted from time to time through walkie-talkies, and those who had civilian walkie-talkies could receive the signal. Of course, knowing about the Shuize Base was one thing; whether they wanted toe or not was another matter. After all,ing would mean abiding by rules,cking the freedom they once had. Moreover, with so many zombies outside, reaching the Shuize Base involved great risk. Many people felt that as long as they could barely get by, there was no need to take that risk-this was their previous thinking. Now, of course, it was different. Their small bases could barely count a dozen people as many, and they had no ability to resist risks. in the past, they could hide from some of the elite zombies, but now, faced with a gori zombie, they had no capacity to fight back. Quite a few small bases werepletely wiped out, and the survivors who were still alive had no choice but to flee. Along the way, many more died, and it was no small feat to make it to the Suzaku University¡­ ¡°Today our base received 32 people, ording to their ounts, at least over 50 people died¡­¡± Ren Jie¡¯s tone was somewhat sorrowful. While it was good to have an increase in poption at the base, the death of so many survivors was still regrettable. With the gori zombie wreaking havoc like this, it would probably not be long before the entire Shuize County had only their Shuize Base with any living people left. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can be done about it.¡± Wang Tao shook his head, then prepared to leave. But as if he remembered something, he asked: ¡°By the way, among these people, is there a Li Qiu Yu?¡± Ren Jie shook his head. ¡°Li Qiu Yu? No, I don¡¯t recall seeing that name.¡± The surname Li is quite rare; if he had seen it, he wouldn¡¯t have forgotten. ¡°That¡¯s a pity, she once helped me. I saw the gori zombie heading towards her house, but I was unable to help her. Wang Tao shook his head and spoke of the situation at that time. Although it was regrettable, he had lost hope for Li Qiu Yu. ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s not your fault.¡± Ren Jie shook his head. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t yet at Level Two, so he certainly couldn¡¯t contend with the gori zombie; going there would have been suicide. ¡°However, I¡¯ll keep an eye out for you, just in case she didn¡¯t die¡­¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get going then.¡± After Wang Tao left, Ren Jie frowned and thought for a moment. ¡°There should be no one by the name of Li Qiu Yu¡­ He took out the previouslypiled list of names and checked it carefully, then shook his head. ¡°Yan Tai, Meng Xiaojun, Wu Fei¡­ indeed, there isn¡¯t. The teachers¡¯ apartments. Han Rui woke up and felt slightly disappointed to see Wang Tao was not there. However, she noticed that Sun Weiguang was actually in the living room. ¡°Howe you¡¯re here?¡± Han Rui¡¯s face turned cold immediately. To be honest, she felt quitefortable when Sun Weiguang was not around. She now detested Sun Weiguang, believing that even killing him for drugging her would not be too harsh. Holding back only for the sake of their past rtionship, she no longer wanted to see Sun Weiguang. ¡°Ahem, you¡¯re awake? It¡¯s like this¡­ I¡¯m very thankful for your care over the years. I know I¡¯ve been a lot of trouble, that¡¯s my fault, I was wrong before¡­¡± Watching Sun Weiguang ramble on, Han Rui furrowed her brows. Was Sun Weiguang trying to make amends, or did he want something? in the peaceful times before, when he woulde to her asking for money, it resembled the situation now. Seeing Han Rui¡¯s impatient expression, Sun Weiguang sighed and said: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get to the point. I think we should part amicably and live our separate lives, without disturbing each other again, that is¡­ get a divorce. What do you think?¡± Is that all? Han Rui thought about mocking him, but seeing Sun Weiguang¡¯s serious face, she felt he might have truly matured quite a bit. So, she nodded. ¡°Okay. I agree to the divorce.¡± Even though it was the end of the world and these formalities didn¡¯t matter much, the two had once been married-it was best to part on good terms. Seeing that Han Rui agreed without a second¡¯s hesitation, Sun Weiguang suddenly felt a bit sad; he nodded with a bitter smile. ¡°¡­Alright. Then¡­ I¡¯ll leave now.¡± After speaking, Sun Weiguang stood up and left his key to the apartment behind. There were two keys to the apartment; one for him and one for Han Rui. ¡°By the way, are you still with Ou Yingying? Han Rui suddenly asked. ¡°Yes. Ou Yingying said she was very sorry to you, too ashamed to face you, so she didn¡¯te over¡­¡± Sun Weiguang paused for a moment, then left. Watching Sun Weiguang¡¯s retreating figure, Han Rui feltplicated. It wasn¡¯t about reluctance. But still, having once been husband and wife and now ending up like this, it was somewhat sigh-inducing. Shaking her head, Han Rui stopped thinking about it. She didn¡¯t have time for sentiments; her top priority was to increase her ability to protect herself I Chapter 241 - 132 Revenge (Requesting Monthly Chapter 241: Chapter 132 Revenge (Requesting Monthly Votes )_2 After leaving the teachers¡¯ apartment, Sun Weiguang arrived at a student dormitory building¡ªOu Yingying¡¯s residence. Standing outside room 404, Sun Weiguang knocked on the door. ¡°Yingying, open the door, it¡¯s me,¡± he said. But there was no response. Sun Weiguang knocked again. ¡°It¡¯s me, Yingying, open up!¡± he insisted. Still, no response came. Sun Weiguang frowned. It waste; Ou Yingying shouldn¡¯t have gone out. Just then, someone from the neighboring room came out; Sun Weiguang hurriedly called out to him. ¡°Old Li, have you seen Yingying?¡± he asked. The man, called Old Li, gave Sun Weiguang a nce, puzzled. ¡°Huh? Earlier, a man was shouting for Ou Yingying downstairs; she went down to him. I thought that man was you? Turns out it wasn¡¯t¡­¡± Sun Weiguang was stunned. A man looking for Ou Yingying at night? This gave him an immediate bad feeling¡ªhad he been cuckolded again? ¡°Where did they go?¡± Sun Weiguang quickly asked. ¡°Probably that little grove over there? Hey, don¡¯t run off so fast! Seriously, don¡¯t start a fight! Consequences for fighting in the base are severe¡­¡± Before Old Li could finish, Sun Weiguang had already sprinted away. Downstairs. Sun Weiguang walked toward the small grove that Old Li pointed out. ¡°It can¡¯t be; Yingying and I truly love each other. She couldn¡¯t be involved with another man¡­¡± As he walked, Sun Weiguang muttered to himself. It was dark already. Naturally, the small grove was deserted. In these end times, with limited entertainment activities, everyone was preparing to sleep at this hour. After a brief search in the grove, Sun Weiguang quickly spotted a figure seated on a stone bench. By the look of the long flowing hair, it was indeed Ou Yingying. Sun Weiguang first secretly observed, making sure there were no men or anything around before he felt relieved. He just knew it¡ªOu Yingying and he shared true love; how could she betray him? Sun Weiguang stepped out and called out loudly: ¡°Yingying! What are you doing here?¡± Hearing the sound, Ou Yingying lifted her head. However, with only the faint starlight, Sun Weiguang couldn¡¯t see Ou Yingying¡¯s expression clearly. ¡°Are you troubled by something? Talk to me! I¡¯m a man who can earn four Ration Tickets a day now. Whatever the issue, I can handle it!¡± he said,ughing. Considering his past, he found it somewhat unbelievable. When he was with Han Rui, earning one Ration Ticket a day was already difficult, relying mostly on Han Rui¡¯s help. But now, with Ou Yingying, he could earn four Ration Tickets by doing manualbor! ¡°Yingying?¡± Seeing Ou Yingying not speaking, Sun Weiguang found it odd. He quickly walked over andid his hands on Ou Yingying¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Yingying, what¡¯s wro¡ªahh!¡± Ou Yingying lifted her head to reveal a ferocious face, with white eyes and dark veins spreading across her face. Startled, Sun Weiguang fell on his butt. ¡°A zombie? You, what¡¯s happened to you!¡± Swipe¡ª ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Ou Yingying reached out, about to grasp Sun Weiguang¡¯s arm, but he hastily retreated, using hands and feet. Rustle- Just as Ou Yingying was about to catch Sun Weiguang, she suddenly stopped and iled wildly. Her nails were only ten centimeters from Sun Weiguang¡¯s leg, yet she could not reach any further. Sun Weiguang then noticed Ou Yingying was bound with an iron chain, tied to a tree! After the initial shock, Sun Weiguang started toe to his senses. Ou Yingying was a victim! Who, who could have done this? Sun Weiguang frantically looked around, there were no people among the trees, yet it felt as though each tree concealed a person¡¯s shadow! ¡°Right, Inhibitor! Yingying, wait for me, I will get you an Inhibitor!¡± Sun Weiguang scrambled to his feet and ran. Wang Tao was in the middle of his routine exercise; he insisted on working out every evening. Just then, themunicator ced beside him erupted with urgent voices. ¡°Commissioner Wang! A zombie has been spotted in the base! Come quickly to the base of Dormitory Building No. 1!¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao, without a second thought, immediately suited up in his Rush Suit. ¡°Sister-inw, stay at home and don¡¯t go out. There¡¯s a zombie in the base!¡± he warned. ¡°Ah? Okay! Be careful!¡± Ding Yuqin promptly picked up a Firefighter Axe, bing somewhat nervous. She didn¡¯t offer to apany Wang Tao, knowing she would be a burden to him. In such times, it was best not to cause trouble. Wang Tao swiftly got into his vehicle and soon arrived at the base of Dormitory Building No. 1. Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, and a few othermittee members had also arrived. They were all in various states of dress, clearly having been asleep. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wei Zhenguo demanded sternly. ¡°Sun Weiguang came to request an Inhibitor. Earlier, the staff thought he was infected, but he said someone in the small grove was infected. When the staff went to check, the person had turned into a zombie, and an Inhibitor was useless!¡± Ren Jie quickly exined. ¡°Where¡¯s the zombie? Any casualties?¡± ¡°Inside the small grove, tied up with an iron chain. No casualties so far!¡± Relieved that the zombie was contained and there were no casualties, everyone¡¯s tension eased somewhat. At that moment, Wang Tao expressed his curiosity: ¡°The zombie discovered by Sun Weiguang? Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been detained. He¡¯s not quite right in the head. He keeps saying his girlfriend can still be saved, that she¡¯s just infected¡­¡± Ren Jie shrugged. ¡°Girlfriend? Could it be her?¡± Wang Tao instinctively thought of Ou Yingying.. Chapter 242 - 132 Revenge (Requesting Monthly Chapter 242: Chapter 132 Revenge (Requesting Monthly Votes )_3 As they spoke, the group arrived inside the forest. In thebined illumination of several shlights, they saw a female zombie in pajamas, with her hair in disarray, frantically turning her head. However, a chain tightly bound her waist, restricting her movement within a certain range. ¡°Who tied this chain?¡± Wei Zhenguo asked. ¡°Sun Weiguang has no idea, he said it wasn¡¯t him!¡± Ren Jie answered gravely. ¡°Hmm? Are there others at the scene? Was Ou Yingying killed by someone?¡± Everyone was startled for a moment before they all thought of the key issue. ¡°Not sure, but that¡¯s also why we called you guys here.¡± Ren Jie shook his head. Inside the base, infighting was strictly controlled; at most, survivors might engage in verbal spats and rarely got into physical fights. Let alone such clear cases of framing and murder. Ou Yingying had never left the base; she hadn¡¯t had the chance to be infected with the zombie virus nor had she fused with a Crystal Core¡­ So, it was highly probable that she was infected by someone with zombie blood! ¡°Investigate! I want to see who has such gall!¡± Xiang Hongbin was furious. This was a direct challenge to the authority of theirmittee! Wang Tao walked over to examine her and directly grabbed the zombie¡¯s face. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The zombie immediately iled her arms, trying to grab Wang Tao. But Wang Tao¡¯s other hand firmly restrained both of her arms, immobilizing her. For an Ordinary zombie with 500 HP, Wang Tao could handle her with ease. Seeing her face, it was indeed Ou Yingying. ¡°Hmm?¡± However, upon seeing Ou Yingying¡¯s face, Wang Tao suddenly furrowed his brow. On her neck, there was a deep bite mark surrounded by ck blood vessels. And, this bite mark was the same as human teeth! ¡°Not good! There¡¯s a zombie inside the base!¡± Wang Tao suddenly yelled out, ¡°She wasn¡¯t infected by zombie blood; she was bitten!¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone was shocked. Wang Tao carefully examined the ground. It had been a long time since anyone had been in this small grove, and it was covered in dust. Among a mess of footprints, there was a set leading to the north wall of thepound! ¡°You guys search the other areas carefully. I¡¯m going out to have a look!¡± Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Wang Tao took a shlight and ran following the footprints. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Call all the survivors, check them! And get some people to guard the small grove!¡± Wei Zhenguo immediatelymanded. By the time he left the small grove, Han Rui had just jogged over. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Han Rui was still a bit confused, knowing only that someone in the base had been infected, but unclear about the specifics. Ren Jie briefed her on the situation. ¡°What? Sun Weiguang? Ou Yingying?¡± Han Rui was taken aback. She hadn¡¯t expected it to be the two of them involved! Han Rui ran into the small grove, and after seeing the zombie Ou Yingying, she shook her head, then ran back out and asked: ¡°Where is Sun Weiguang?¡± ¡°He has been taken to theprehensive building for custody¡­¡± Ren Jie pointed to a ce. Han Rui hurried to find Sun Weiguang, wanting to understand the situation. ¡°I want to see Sun Weiguang!¡± ¡°Okay, Minister Han, please¡ªhuh? Where¡¯s Sun Weiguang? The window¡¯s open? Damn! Did he run out the window? This is the fourth floor!¡± ¡°Yingying, I¡¯ve got the inhibitor, I¡¯ming to save you!¡± Sun Weiguang, clutching a bottle of inhibitor and limping, stepped out of the darkness and into the grove of trees. There was no moon tonight, and the stars were dim¡ªbesides, the base was somewhat chaotic, so no one noticed him entering the grove. Soon, Sun Weiguang saw the person chained up. ¡°Yingying, Tmhere!¡± Sun Weiguang, holding the inhibitor, ran excitedly towards the bowed head of Ou Yingying, then hugged her tightly. ¡°Yingying, open your mouth quickly!¡± Ou Yingying lifted her head, and those pale white eyes looked at Sun Weiguang in front of her. She tilted her head, seeming somewhat confused. Then, she bit into Sun Weiguang¡¯s neck. ¡°Gurgle-¡± Sun Weiguang, one hand on his neck, the other gripping the inhibitor, had a face full of disbelief. ¡°Yingying¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°Heh¡­ roar¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s movement!¡± While following the footprints, Wang Tao suddenly saw a shadow sh by, so he hurried to the wall and then saw the barbed wire on top was cut! ¡°Zombies can cut barbed wire?¡± Wang Tao had thought it was zombie footprints, perhaps those of a special elite zombie. But would elite zombies cut barbed wire? This wire was the same spiral barbed wire used in prisons, and even mad demon zombies couldn¡¯t climb through it¡ªthey¡¯d get stuck unless the wire was cut! Are elite zombies now this formidable? Wang Tao was surprised, but he didn¡¯t stop; he climbed right over the wall. His strength had grown, and so had his confidence. Bang! Wang Taonded, and there were no zombies outside the base. He quickly scanned the area and saw a shadow fleeting in the distance. ¡°Finally caught you!¡± Wang Tao immediately activated his precision shooting ability, and then his gear set¡¯s rush ability, using the rush as a teleport. Boom¡ª Wang Tao sprinted twenty to thirty meters in an instant! Not far ahead of him, a gaunt figure was sprinting wildly. Whoosh¡ª Without a word, Wang Tao hurled his axe. Bang! ng¡ª The axe struck the figure¡¯s back but made a metallic nk. The shadow slowly got up. Then it turned its head, looking at Wang Tao. Wang Tao had been slightly taken aback the moment he threw his flying axe. Because the figure¡¯s HP bar kept flickering red and green! Wang Tao had only seen this happen when Shao Yong turned into a zombie! And when the figure turned around, Wang Tao, with the help of the faint starlight, got a clear view, and he was utterly shocked. ¡°WuFei!¡± The person before him was none other than Blondy Wu Fei, whom he had met twice before! But this time, Wu Feicked the warmth and openness of the previous encounter. His expression was cold, like a stranger¡¯s. Seeing that Wang Tao didn¡¯t make another move, Wu Fei suddenly shifted and disappeared into the night. Chapter 243 - 133: 95% Internal Impurity l Chapter 243: Chapter 133: 95% Internal Impurity l Seeing Wu Fei had run away, Wang Tao picked up his axe but chose not to pursue any further. It was night, and it was too dangerous outside. It wasn¡¯t worth risking his life. He returned to the base by the way he¡¯de and then had someone repair the wire fence. As he approached the grove, he felt the atmosphere here was somewhat strange Zhen Guo and several others seemed at a loss for words, while Han Rui stood gazing absentmindedly into the trees. ¡°What¡¯s happened to everyone?¡± Wang Tao asked, puzzled. ¡°Sun Weiguang¡­has died¡­¡± Han Rui lifted her head, her expressionplex. ¡°Eh? Sun Weiguang is dead? Was he infected?¡± Wang Tao was surprised. Wasn¡¯t Sun Weiguang under control? How could he be dead unless he was infected by Ou Yingying¡­ ¡°He was indeed infected, but¡­ sigh, you better take a look yourself¡­¡± Han Rui led Wang Tao deeper into the grove. Upon seeing the scene before him, Wang Tao frowned instantly. Originally, there was only one person¡ªoh no, one corpse¡ªhere, which was Ou Yingying¡¯s, but now there was an additional body, Sun Weiguang. Ou Yingying was holding Sun Weiguang tightly, her mouth still on his neck, which was gnawed down to the spine. Both their foreheads were pierced by a crossbow arrow. And in Sun Weiguang¡¯s hand, he still clenched a bottle of inhibitor¡­ ¡°What¡­what happened?¡± Wang Tao was dumbstruck. He had only been away for a short while¡­ ¡°Here¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Ren Jie recounted the full situation. At first, upon discovering Ou Yingying had turned into a zombie, Sun Weiguang immediately ran to the main building to request an inhibitor. The main building had some inhibitors on standby, which could be used upon request if someone got infected. There was someone on duty there 24 hours a day. While the inhibitors were precious and had previously required 100,000 Contribution Points for a bottle, they weren¡¯t as scarce as before, and the price had dropped significantly. Additionally, not everyone could overpower a zombie. If someone in the base truly got infected, using an inhibitor to deal with the trouble was definitely preferable to having a new zombie emerge. Therefore, Sun Weiguang ran to get the inhibitor. Requesting the inhibitor was straightforward: exin the situation and then have the staff bring the inhibitor over. When Sun Weiguang mentioned Ou Yingying¡¯s infection, the staff immediately took people to the site, but after realizing that Ou Yingying had fully turned into a zombie and was beyond saving, they naturally refused to administer the inhibitor. Sun Weiguang was not willing to ept this. He believed Ou Yingying could still be saved, and was somewhat obstinate. With no choice, after confirming Sun Weiguang wasn¡¯t infected, the staff controlled him and locked him up in the main building. It was at this time that Wang Tao and the others reached the grove. As everyone was busy checking whether there were any more zombies in the base, Sun Weiguang stole the inhibitor that the staff had previously locked in a ss cab, then jumped straight down from the fourth floor! Up to this point, the base didn¡¯t have a dedicated ce for detaining people. On one hand, although there were quarrels among base members, overall it was rtively peaceful. On the other hand, the base was in a development phase: there weren¡¯t enough people for working, let alone for keeping others imprisoned unproductively. Hence, Sun Weiguang was confined in the fourth floor of the main building, which was the staff¡¯s office. No one outside expected Sun Weiguang to be so extreme to jump from the fourth floor! So, he went unnoticed at that moment. After learning that Ou Yingying was infected and Sun Weiguang was detained, Han Rui prepared to find Sun Weiguang and get an understanding of the situation. Then they realized, Sun Weiguang was missing. The staff member noticed the stolen inhibitor from the cab, and immediately, recalling Sun Weiguang¡¯s prior behavior, felt it was highly likely he had gone to find Ou Yingying. Consequently, Han Rui hastened back to the grove, and upon arrival, she saw Ou Yingying gnawing on Sun Weiguang¡­ Sun Weiguang had been dead for some time, and there was no possibility of revival. Han Rui decisively fired a crossbow arrow into Sun Weiguang¡¯s forehead to prevent him from turning into a zombie, and then shot another into Ou Yingying¡¯s head¡­ Less than half a minuteter, Wang Tao returned. After listening to Ren Jie¡¯s ount, Wang Tao opened his mouth slightly, still somewhat shocked. He was stunned by Sun Weiguang¡¯s actions. Could it be true love between these two¡ªat least, Sun Weiguang¡¯s love for Ou Yingying was undoubtedly real! Sun Weiguang risked the possibility of death by falling, just to sneak the inhibitor to Ou Yingying! Even though Ou Yingying hadpletely turned into a zombie¡­ Has Sun Weiguang lost his mind? No, you can¡¯t really call Sun Weiguang foolish. After all, love can easily blind people¡­ and many people only know that inhibitors can prevent virus infection, without realizing that this has a prerequisite¡ªthat the infected person is not dead, and has not fully turned into a zombie. If the person is dead, or haspletely turned into a zombie, then no amount of inhibitors can save them. Most likely, Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t know this¡­ Of course, whether he knew or not, his actions admittedly earned some respect from Wang Tao¡­ Wang Tao then looked towards Han Rui, understanding why her mood had declined. Regardless, Sun Weiguang was her husband, or rather, ex-husband. Even if Han Rui regarded him with contempt, the sudden disappearance of a living person, if not sad, was at least disconcerting. Chapter 244 - 133: 95% Internal Impurity_2 Chapter 244: Chapter 133: 95% Internal Impurity_2 And most importantly, Sun Weiguang died in Ou Yingying¡¯s arms. He held tightly onto that bottle of Inhibitor, thinking of saving Ou Yingying until his st breath¡­ ¡°I suddenly feel a bit sad, sad for myself¡­¡± Han Rui suddenly spoke up. She had done so much for Sun Weiguang. After the apocalypse, she had risked her life to save him. Yet, even such affections could not outweigh those for a woman he¡¯d only known for a few days¡­ This probably proved one thing-perhaps, Sun Weiguanghad never loved her. So Han Rui felt very sad. Wang Tao looked at the distant look in Han Rui¡¯s eyes, gently caressing her cheek. Han Rui subconsciously rubbed her face against Wang Tao1 s hand, then her gaze gradually became clearer. ¡°Let¡¯s go, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± Wang Tao took Han Rui with him, joining Wei Zhenguo and the others in the conference hall. Upon entering the meeting room, Wang Tao abruptly said: ¡°I just saw the murderer.¡± ¡°Who is it!¡± Wei Zhenguo and the others stared in dazed shock. No matter what happened between Ou Yingying and Sun Weiguang, anyone who dared tomit murder in their base was unforgivable! ¡°WuFei.¡± Wang Tao named someone unfamiliar to everyone else. ¡°WuFei?¡± Yet, Han Rui and Ren Jie reflexively repeated the name. ¡°Wu Fei¡­ isn¡¯t he the survivor who arrived at our base today? Let me check¡­ Ren Jie hurriedly brought up the list, and everyone checked together-among today¡¯s registered survivors at the base, there indeed was a Wu Fei! ¡°Could it be¡­ Blondy?¡± Han Rui, somewhat in disbelief, spoke. He remembered a Blondy named Wu Fei and a male university student named Li Cheng. It was Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying who had killed these two, which allowed them to escape the crisis! ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°But¡­butwasn¡¯the dead?¡± Han Rui¡¯s eyes were a little lost. To put it bluntly, if those two were dead, Han Rui would feel very guilty. If they were still alive, Han Rui would feel even guiltier¡­ Of course, that1 s not to say Han Rui wanted them dead; she still hoped they were alive, preferably with a chance to make amends. But since Wu Fei had killed Ou Yingying, it was clear he didn¡¯t need anypensation¡ªhe wanted revenge! ¡°He didn¡¯t die, I saved him.¡± Wang Tao suddenly stated. Han Rui looked at Wang Tao, somewhat shocked. ¡°No, what kind of riddle are you ying at? Xiang Hongbin scratched his head, staring at the two of them. ¡°Do you know that Wu Fei?¡± Ren Jie asked curiously. ¡°Sort of know him¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly exined to everyone. He didn¡¯t go into too much detail, simply mentioning that Wu Fei was Ou Yingying¡¯s boyfriend, and during their escape, Ou Yingying had used Wu Fei as a decoy, leading to his being bitten by zombies. By a stroke of luck, Wang Tao , used an Inhibitor to save Wu Fei, and upon surviving, Wu Fei then left. Wu Fei¡¯s return was for the purpose of seeking revenge from Ou Yingying¡­ In these exnations, Wang Tao deliberately obscured the part concerning Han Rui. As for Sun Weiguang, he didn¡¯t mention him at all-the man was already dead. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened!¡± The group understood. That made sense. They had wondered which survivor would dare to cause trouble for Shuize Base at a time like this, so it turned out the person was seeking revenge¡­ But it must be said, although Wu Fei¡¯s actions were frowned upon by everyone, he also knew how to y it safe. He preemptively tied Ou Yingying to a tree; even if she turned into a zombie, she wouldn¡¯t cause any harm-Sun Weiguang was an exception. ¡°No wait!¡± Wei Zhenguo suddenly frowned and said, ¡°But there is a bite mark on Ou Yingying¡¯s neck! The area around the wound is saturated with zombie virus, clearly bitten by a zombie! Did Wu Fei bring in a zombie? Upon hearing this, everyone shivered with dread. If there was still a zombie within the base, that would be trouble indeed! However, Wang Tao shookhis head. ¡°That wound, it was bitten by Wu Fei himself¡­ ¡°What?¡± The group looked at Wang Tao, baffled. ¡°This is also why I called you over. I just caught up to Wu Fei, and his current state is very strange. He is on the brink of turning into a zombie but hasn¡¯t yet turned. He has zombie traits but still possesses human consciousness! It¡¯s somewhat simr to the stage Shao Yong was in before he turned into a zombie¡­¡± When Shao Yong was turning into a zombie, his HP was also flickering, but he mutated very quickly. Unlike Wu Fei who kept flickering but hadn¡¯t fully turned into a zombie. However, Wang Tao felt that Wu Fei would probably fully be a zombie soon, because the Internal Impurity in his body was too high! Wang Tao was startled when he saw Wu Fei¡¯s Attributes. Wu Fei had over two thousand HP, more than a thousand MP, which were quite Ordinary. But his Internal Impurity was at 95%! When Shao Yong mutated, his Internal Impurity was at 85%-that was 10% higher than Shao Yong¡¯s! When Wang Taost met Wu Fei, his Internal Impurity was only at 28%! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know what Wu Fei had gone through recently, but logically, he should have had an Inhibitor¡­ Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, everyone was stunned. On the verge of turning into a zombie but neverpleting the transformation? The viral infection was high, but he hadn¡¯t died? What was going on? ¡°I¡¯m guessing he won¡¯t live much longer. Perhaps the next time we go out, we might see the zombie he¡¯s turned into¡­¡± Chapter 245 - 133: 95% Internal Impurity 3 Chapter 245: Chapter 133: 95% Internal Impurity 3 Wang Tao sighed. Everyone shook their heads, feeling inexplicably sentimental. The feeling of slowly turning into a zombie must be painful¡­ At this moment, Ren Jie suddenly felt regretful. ¡°Ah, this is my fault! We had agreed to put the detector at the entrance of the base to check every new survivor. But because the device consumes a lot of power, we needed toy special electrical cables, so the wiring wasn¡¯t ready yet¡­ I was nning to have theme to the main building for inspection tomorrow at noon, but then tonight this happened¡­¡± Wu Fei¡¯s eyes were not a problem, and eye checks wouldn¡¯t reveal anything; only a detector could do that, but unfortunately, Wu Fei was one step ahead¡­ With this incident, no one could sleep, and everyone at the base was awoken. Ren Jie simply called over the three survivors who had registered with Wu Fei to ask about their situation. Ren Jie didn¡¯t tell them what had happened to Wu Fei because these survivors might lie to avoid trouble if they knew. Instead, Ren Jie showed a desire to understand and care for them. The survivors, not knowing what had transpired, opened up upon seeing how amiable Commissioner Ren was. All three were survivors from Sunshine Kindergarten. They were truly unlucky ¡ªgori zombies had passed by their location and casually smashed their kindergarten. Luckily, they weren¡¯t discovered by the gori zombies; otherwise, they would have been wiped out for sure. But even without being detected, under the gori zombies¡¯ ¡°casual¡± attacks, most of them were killed or wounded. The organizer of the Sunshine Kindergarten survivor base, the old dean, was also tragically killed. The old dean was elderly with poor physical health and couldn¡¯t escape. Wu Fei was outside at the time and escaped by a hair¡¯s breadth. After seeing the gori zombie, he immediately ran towards the kindergarten, but it was still toote. After the gori zombie left, everyone was very sad. But grief was not a solution; the kindergarten waspletely destroyed, and most of their people were dead or injured. It was no longer possible to live there. After discussing, they decided to head to Shuize Base¡­ As for Wu Fei, the three of them spoke highly of him, saying he was the hardest-working person in the base. He had brought back a lot of supplies and inhibitors, and many had received his help¡­ However, recently Wu Fei¡¯s personality had be colder, and he spoke less and less. But no one really paid much attention, after all, people were dying around them now and then. Not breaking down already showed strength, so personality changes were only too normal¡­ After gathering the information, Ren Jie let the survivors leave. He sighed: ¡°Avery good young man, but it¡¯s a pity¡­¡± The others fell silent for a moment, then Wei Zhenguo said: ¡°Tomorrow, we need to fix the detector, and also, with more people in the base now, we can assign more personnel to night shifts¡­¡± Whether it was Wu Fei or Shao Yong a few days ago, their ability to easily enter and leave the base was indeed too careless. Even if they couldn¡¯t be stopped due to their strength, at least someone should have seen them. The base¡¯s security force is still inadequate! But there was no helping it. Aside from those dozen or so members of the Security Army and a few policemen, everyone else was not professional. It was already good enough if they didn¡¯t doze off while on night shift¡ªthere wasn¡¯t much to hope for¡­ ¡°Hmm! We do need to strengthen security. I am nning to have the base¡¯s police and Security Army train them a bitter. Without some professional skills, it¡¯s really not enough!¡± When Wang Tao got home, Ding Yuqin was still awake, waiting for him. ¡± How did it go, Wang Tao? No big problems, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all resolved.¡± Wang Tao briefly exined what happened. Ding Yuqin knew about the previous incident at the water nt, so after listening to Wang Tao, she was full of sighs. It was hard to say who was right or wrong, after all, they were all fighting for their lives. However, the fact that Sun Weiguang and Ou Yingying were truly in love surprised Ding Yuqin. She couldn¡¯t understand why Sun Weiguang didn¡¯t like his beautiful and capable wife at home and instead liked Ou Yingying, who seemed unremarkable¡­ But if it was true love, dying together in the apocalypse might not be a bad thing¡­ She just felt Han Rui was a bit pitiful, realizing her husband had never truly loved her must be quite painful. Being a woman herself, Ding Yuqin could empathize with Han Rui¡¯s feelings at the moment. At that moment, Wang Tao suddenly spoke: ¡°Let¡¯s have Han Ruie and stay at our house tomorrow, what do you think, Sister-inw?¡± ¡°Ah? Sure! I can keep herpany!¡± Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t react at first. ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s happily decided.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. He didn¡¯t need to consider Ding Yuqin¡¯s opinion, but out of respect, he still mentioned it. ¡°Hold on¡ªyou, what do you mean?¡± Seeing the smile on Wang Tao¡¯s face, Ding Yuqin suddenly understood the implication. Staying over could mean different things. Would she stay with her, or with Wang Tao? Wang Tao didn¡¯t answer. His silence confirmed Ding Yuqin¡¯s suspicion¡­ Ding Yuqin bit her lip, her small face falling. ¡°Wuwuwu¡ª¡± Han Rui was not the pitiful one; she was! ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s sleep.¡± Wang Tao reached out and wrapped his arm around Ding Yuqin¡¯s slender waist and went upstairs. Ding Yuqin struggled symbolically a few times, then obediently leaned into Wang Tao¡¯s embrace. She definitely wanted to monopolize Wang Tao, but she also knew that was unrealistic. In this apocalypse where strength reigned supreme, powerful men would naturally attract many women. When Wang Tao sometimes didn¡¯t rest at home, Ding Yuqin had already guessed something. After all, Wang Tao never brought anyone back, and he was mostly hers. But now Wang Tao hadid his cards on the table¡­ However, she thought carefully, Wang Tao was actually quite restrained in this aspect, as he always prioritized improving his strength. Ding Yuqin had heard from Gao Hua before that other survivor bases were much more chaotic! Being with Wang Tao was already very lucky for her, she dared not ask for too much¡­ ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll drain you dry tonight!¡± Chapter 246 - 134 The Only Belief l Chapter 246: Chapter 134 The Only Belief l In the morning, Wang Tao went to the teachers¡¯ apartments. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Han Rui thought Wang Tao was looking for her to go out hunting zombies, and she was somewhat pleased. ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± Wang Tao nced at the porridge on the table. ¡°Not yet¡­¡± Han Rui felt a little embarrassed. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao turned and left without another word. Han Rui was confused, she looked at the breakfast on the table, her throat moved a bit, but in the end, she didn¡¯t eat it. After getting into the car, she thought they were going out, but to her surprise, Wang Tao took her to themittee¡¯s vi area. ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Han Rui followed Wang Tao into the vi and saw Ding Yuqin, wearing an apron, preparing breakfast. ¡°You¡¯re here, sit down!¡± Ding Yuqin asked Han Rui to sit politely in the dining chair. Han Rui felt uneasy; she always felt the atmosphere was a bit strange. However, when Ding Yuqin brought the delicious food over, her eyes lit up. In fact, she wasn¡¯t too picky about food, as long as she could eat her fill. Porridge was enough, so she didn¡¯t bother to collect food specially. But now, facing these dishes, she suddenly found her mouth watering. ¡°Thank you!¡± As Ding Yuqin handed her the chopsticks, she quickly thanked her. ¡°We¡¯re all family here, no need to be polite!¡± Ding Yuqin said with a smile. Why does that sound a bit off? But everyone is from the same base, so calling each other family doesn¡¯t seem too strange¡­ After the meal, Wang Tao said to the two women: ¡°Sister-inw, you go out with Gao Hua and the others today. I¡¯ll take Han Rui to see if there are any Level 2 Zombies.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Both of them nodded. With Ding Yuqin¡¯s help, Wang Tao was fully armed, and then he went to Han Rui¡¯s home to help her suit up in her gear. Once they were both ready, Wang Tao suddenly said: ¡°Don¡¯t stay in this ce anymore. Come back tonight to pack up your things; I¡¯ve given it to someone else.¡± Han Rui was dumbfounded. She had only left to get a free breakfast, and now she had lost her house. It was the house allocated to her, and Wang Tao gave it away without a word¡­ ¡°So where do you want me to go¡­¡± Han Rui said with her head down, sounding a bit aggrieved. ¡°Go to my ce.¡± ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Han Rui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Wang Tao, who didn¡¯t seem to be joking. Her face turned red instantly. ¡°1,1¡­¡± ¡°Stop stuttering, let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll pack your things next time wee back.¡± Seeing the unwavering Wang Tao, Han Rui dared not say more and obediently followed him downstairs. After they left the base, they still headed towards the hospital. After all, the hospital had many Elite Zombies, and Wang Tao guessed that there might very well be Level 2 Zombies inside! With so many Elite Zombies there, it wouldn¡¯t make sense if there were no Level 2 Zombies. Even if there weren¡¯t any, it would still give Han Rui a chance to increase her HP. Of course, that would only happen if the zombies inside woulde out. They were in luck today; shortly after reaching the hospital, they found that some Elite Zombies had indeede out. Wang Tao and Han Rui stealthily approached. Under the barrage of their crossbow arrows, these Level 1 Elite Zombies couldn¡¯t survive more than thirty seconds. After dealing with all the Elite Zombies at the hospital entrance, Han Rui¡¯s HP had reached 4300, but unfortunately, they didn¡¯t encounter any Level 2 Zombies. But as a pleasant surprise, Wang Tao finally encountered a Self-Healing Zombie! This was also a kind of obese zombie, but unlike other fat zombies, this one didn¡¯t look as ferocious and didn¡¯t have much attack power; it was simply very hard to kill, somewhat like a stubborn individual. It had a total of 4000 HP, but it recovered 2 HP every second. Though 2 HP didn¡¯t seem like much, this zombie was just too tricky. If you shoot it with an arrow, it would retreat into the hospital lobby to hide. And by the time it came out again, it would be at full health. Han Rui had no way to deal with this situation; if it didn¡¯te out, they couldn¡¯t shoot it¡­ Wang Tao had no choice but to take a risk. He ran to the entrance of the inpatient department and used two Shockwaves to kill it. [Level 1 Crystal Core ? Self-Healing] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Reduced tactile sensation)] [Self-Healing: During its duration, it can slowly recover from certain injuries] Now that it was confirmed that there were Self-Healing Zombies in the hospital, Wang Tao nned to stake out the area to see if he could gather more Self-Healing Crystal Cores. He wascking not just Ascension Crystal Cores but also Precision Shooting and Self-Healing Crystal Cores. Especially the Self-Healing Crystal Cores, which he had never encountered before. Now that he finally had the chance, he needed to seize the opportunity. Therefore, Wang Tao stayed there for three days. In those three days, Han Rui¡¯s HP had risen to 4999, and they had killed so many zombies that they lost count. If the zombies in the hospital didn¡¯te out, Wang Tao would deliberately make noise to attract them and even fired a shot. And just likest time, not only did he attract the Mad Demon Zombies and Elite Zombies, but he also drew out that Level 2 Hooded Zombie! Could this Level 2 Zombie have always been around here? The first time Wang Tao saw it, he was somewhat worried. But now, he was pondering how to take it down. After all, he couldn¡¯t encounter any other Level 2 Zombies¡­ He had thought that if he could encounter a Level 2 Zombie with 5000 HP, that would have been the weakest one. But aside from the Hooded Zombie, he saw no other Level 2 Zombies, let alone one with only 5000 HP. So Wang Tao had already set his sights on this Level 2 Zombie, even though it had 6000 HP, he thought that with more people, they would still have a good chance. However, he needed everyone to power up a bit first; it wouldn¡¯t be good if there were casualties¡­ Chapter 247 - 134 The Only Belief_2 Chapter 247: Chapter 134 The Only Belief_2 As for now, I don¡¯t know if those zombies in the hospital have be immune to Wang Tao¡¯s attraction, but no matter how much we try to lure them out they just won¡¯te¡­ ¡¯ Wang Tao could see some vague shapes inside with his binocrs, but they just wouldn¡¯te out to save their lives. Even when he fired shots, the elite zombies wouldn¡¯te out. This puzzled Wang Tao: What on earth was so enticing inside the hospital that kept them there? There are really none left, not a single one,¡± Wang Tao said with some helplessness, looking at the empty hospital. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the base for now, see how Old Wei and the others have fared. We cane backter.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui nodded, she drove, and together with Wang Tao, they made their way back to the base. In these three days, the gains had been good. Just with self-healing crystal cores, they had synthesized 5 orange epic crystal cores, and 3 more for precise shooting. All 8 crystal cores were used by Wang Tao. Now his precision shooting was ¡°+7¡± and self-healing was ¡°+6.¡± His mana had even reached 3500! Wang Tao¡¯s overall strength had greatly increased. He felt that with his current ability, he would easily handle Shao Yong even at full HP. Even facing a full HP level 2 zombie Shao Yong, it wasn¡¯t something he couldn¡¯t try¡­ Stop the car, there¡¯s an elite zombie on the road!¡± On the way back, Wang Tao, with his sharp eyes, spotted a police zombie holding a gun inside a rundown restaurant. Han Rui immediately stopped the car in a corner. Wang Tao got out of the car, sneaked up close to the police zombie, and released a shockwave. Pfft! [-2800) [0/2800] This police zombie had less than 3000 HP and was instantly killed by Wang Tao without any suspense. For zombies like this police zombie or suicide bombing zombies that posed a certain threat, Wang Tao always preferred to use shockwaves. His shockwaves were now level two and could easily one-shot these zombies to prevent any idents. Surprisingly, this police zombie had an orange precise shooting crystal core which delighted Wang Tao. Lucky day today! He happened to have an ordinary precise shooting crystal core in his hand which could now be synthesized into a pure epic crystal core without impurities or side effects! Actually, Wang Tao had considered going to the police station. He felt that the police station should have quite a few police zombies. However, both Han Rui and Feng Ming¡¯an told him that there was no one at the Shuize County police station because the police had gone out to handle the crisis when the disaster struck. Afterward, a military troop passed through and took many of the police and eqmpment away. People like Wei Zhenguo and Feng Ming¡¯an were those who didn¡¯t catch up and were left behind¡­ So now the police station stood empty, with no people and no equipment. There was no point in going there. Feng Ming¡¯an had even gone to the police station once before, only to find some ordinary zombies and nothing else¡­ ¡°That¡¯s it, let¡¯s go,¡± Wang Tao said after scouting the area and confirming there were no other elites. He then prepared to leave. But at that moment, he suddenly remembered that Li Qiuyu¡¯s neighborhood wasn¡¯t far from here, was it? So he said to Han Rui: How about we take a look at Li Qiuyu¡¯s neighborhood?¡± When he saw the gori zombie heading toward her neighborhood, Wang Tao felt it was unlikely that Li Qiuyu had survived. But what if she had been lucky? Since there were no gori zombies now, it wouldn¡¯ t hurt to make a trip. ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui had no objections; Li Qiuyu had helped them after all. The fact that they hadn¡¯t been able to rescue her before still made Han Rui feel regretful. The two got back into the car, with Han Rui driving. They turned at the intersection and headed toward Li Qiuyu¡¯s neighborhood. Wang Tao then synthesized the precise shooting crystal core he had. Though it was an epic crystal core, since it had side effects and impurities, it was still better to synthesize it into one that was pure. A momentter, Wang Tao merged the precise shooting crystal core, and his precise shooting ability also reached ¡°+8.¡± ¡°Still missing 6 level 1 crystal cores. I wonder how Zhen Guo and the others did, hoping we can gather enough¡­¡± Soon, the off-road vehicle arrived at Li Qiuyu¡¯s neighborhood. The neighborhood hadpletely changed ¨C a section of the courtyard wall had copsed, all thendscaping was destroyed, the vis were a scene of ruins, and only the residential high-rises were still standing. ¡°This¡­ should be gone, right?¡± Seeing the state of the ce, even the usually optimistic Han Rui felt that Li Qiuyu¡¯s chances of survival were next to none. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see,¡± Wang Tao said, also feeling hopeless, but since they were there, they definitely needed to search. The two headed toward the vi area. Some vis were damaged but at least their main structures were intact. However, vis number 1, 2, and 3 had beenpletely leveled. There was not a person in sight, not even a single zombie. It seemed like the gori zombie had made a point of staying here for quite some time; otherwise, the damage wouldn¡¯t be this severe. Han Rui sighed but still used her ability to scan the area. There was no sign of life in the ruins of vi number 1. In the ruins of vi number 2, there was no sign of life ¡ª wait? ¡°There seems to be someone underground!¡± Han Rui suddenly said, surprised. Hmm? The exact location!¡± Wang Tao was immediately energized. ¡°Right¡­ here!¡± Han Rui pointed to a ce after searching for a moment, ¡°But it¡¯s too chaotic here, and it¡¯s underground, so it¡¯s somewhat affecting my perception. I¡¯m not quite sure¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s dig and see!¡± With Wang Tao¡¯s current physical fitness, doing some emergency rescue work was a breeze. With Han Rui also at 4999 HP, her physical condition was very strong too. Together, they quickly cleared part of the debris from vi number Chapter 248 - 134 The Only Belief_3 Chapter 248: Chapter 134 The Only Belief_3 ¡°It¡¯s right here! Still alive, but very weak!¡± Han Rui pointed at an opening. Wang Tao discovered it was the entrance to a basement. ¡°Did she hide in the basement?¡± Wang Tao took some effort, but finally cleared the entrance to the basement. She found that the basement was specially designed, with arge iron door lying t and an electronic lock on top. He couldn¡¯t break the lock¡­ Fortunately, he didn¡¯t know whether Li Qiuyu did it on purpose or forgot, but the door wasn¡¯t locked. Boom¡ª Wang Tao strained to open the door, and the sunlight instantly shone into the dark cavity. He immediately saw a woman lying on the floor of the basement, wearing pajamas. Her HP was [10/100] Just 10 drops of blood, at the brink of death. After Han Rui confirmed there were no zombies inside, Wang Tao had Han Rui keep watch while he went down. ¡°Hey, wake up!¡± Wang Tao propped up Li Qjuyu, who looked pale and had lost weight, then patted her face gently. When she didn¡¯t respond, Wang Tao took out some purified water from the Space Backpack and sprinkled it on her face and lips. A momentter, Li Qiuyu opened her eyes. ¡°You¡­ Wang Tao¡­ ¡± Her expression was still somewhat vague. Seeing her awake, Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much else, just carried her away. ¡°Let¡¯sgo!¡± Han Rui hurried to drive, and Wang Tao carried Li Qjuyu into the back seat. The car started immediately, heading for Shuize Base. On the car, Wang Tao, with no regard for traditional feelings about men and women¡¯s contact, quickly checked Li Qjuyu¡¯s body. She had many wounds, but they were mostly scrapes and bruises, with no signs of virus infection. Wang Tao also pulled back her eyelids to look, and found no whiteness. Her body also did not have any impurities¡­ Seeing this, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought Li Qjuyu¡¯s critically low HP was probably due to some external injuries and hunger. Wang Tao took out a bottle of Potion and poured a little bit into Li Qjuyu¡¯s mouth. That bottle was enough for an ordinary adult¡¯s energy consumption for one day, and if she had too much, she might not be able to handle it. Then Wang Tao took out a medical kit, injected her with a Potion, and bandaged her up simply. Before long, Li Qjuyu¡¯s HP began to rise. When it reached 30 HP, Li Qjuyu opened her eyes. ¡°Am¡­ am I dead¡­¡± Li Qiuyu, still not quite used to the light, covered her eyes with one hand while blindly grabbing with the other. But suddenly, a warm, rough hand took hold of hers. Li Qjuyu instinctively tried to pull away but failed. She slowly came back to her senses and looked at Wang Tao with eyes that had slightly adjusted to the light. ¡°Wang Tao? Are you¡­ did you die too?¡± What kind of thing is that to say! Wang Tao pped her face lightly, then said with resignation: ¡°I¡¯m not dead, and neither are you.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Li Qiuyu was startled for a moment before she realized she was actually in Wang Tao¡¯s arms, and they were in a car, with Han Rui driving in front. Li Qiuyu quickly sat up and then looked at Wang Tao somewhat embarrassedly. ¡°What¡­ what exactly happened¡­ I thought I was dead?¡± ¡°We found you in the basement, saw you were still alive, so we brought you out.¡± Wang Tao shrugged. ¡°Basement¡­ I remember now!¡± Li Qiuyu suddenly widened her eyes as though she remembered something terrifying. She spoke weakly: ¡°I was still asleep, and suddenly I heard some noises. When I opened my eyes, I saw a huge zombie in my yard¡­ I was startled, screamed instinctively, which drew its attention, then it started to tear down my house¡­ I managed to crawl to the basement from the second floor, just got into hiding when I heard a loud bang, and the house seemed to copse¡­¡± Thinking back to the earlier situation, Li Qiuyu was still somewhat frightened. ¡± Thank goodness my basement was reinforced by my husband before to keep some important things, and it even had a thick electric iron door, but there was no food left in my basement¡­ After that zombie visited, the door seemed to have broken, and I couldn¡¯t get out. I thought I was going to starve to death in there¡­¡± At that point, Li Qiuyu looked at Wang Tao and Han Rui with a face full of gratitude. ¡°How did you guys¡­ ¡± ¡°A week ago, we saw a huge gori-like zombie heading in your direction. We were no match for it, so we didn¡¯t go over. We thought you were dead¡­ This time passing by your ce, I thought to take a look, just in case you weren¡¯t dead, and turns out you indeed weren¡¯t¡­¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide anything or exaggerate, simply recounting the events as they happened. Although he made it sound simple, as if it was something he did casually, Li Qiuyu was still immensely grateful. After all, she remembered her house was in ruins, and even if it was casual for Wang Tao, it wasn¡¯t easy to casually rescue her from the basement¡­ ¡°Thank you, Wang Tao, and Han Rui, thank you both!¡± Li Qiuyu sped her hands together, full of gratitude. ¡°Oh? Didn¡¯t you want to die before? Now you don¡¯t want to die anymore?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. He could feel that Li Qiuyu still had a strong desire to live, otherwise she might have died already. Li Qiuyu tidied her hair, her face a mix of embarrassment and self-deprecation. ¡°Sigh! I thought I had be ustomed to death, I thought I was no longer afraid to die¡­ But when my life was truly threatened, I found out I was still afraid of dying¡­¡± There was something else she didn¡¯t mention, which was her desire to see her daughter again. Although she had witnessed most of her close family die, her daughter was still alive before and had told her she woulde to find her¡­ Her daughter was her only reason to keep living! Chapter 249 - 135: An Inexplicable Sense of Crisisl Chapter 249: Chapter 135: An Inexplicable Sense of Crisisl ¡°Is this Shuize Base? It feels so safe!¡± Li Qiu Yu eximed as she looked at the tall walls and the heavy gate from inside the car. Han Rui had told her a lot about Shuize Base before, but hearing about it and seeing it in person gave her apletely different feeling. ¡°Once you¡¯re in Shuize Base, we¡¯re all family. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, feel free toe to me.¡± Han Rui turned her head with a smile and said. ¡°Thank you!¡± Li Qiu Yu thanked her again. They had returned to the base by nightfall, and Wang Tao asked Han Rui to arrange amodations for Li Qiu Yu and keep herpany. Meanwhile, Wang Tao headed to theprehensive building. Seeing that several members were present, Wang Tao asked with a smile: ¡°How has everyone¡¯s harvest been these past few days?¡± Each person presented their findings, showcasing an array of gleaming crystal cores on the table. Their hauls varied in size, but overall, it seemed quite good. ¡°It feels like the number of Elite Zombies is also slowly increasing. Otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome to collect so many crystal cores in such a short time¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo said, frowning. While collecting so many crystal cores was a good thing, an increasing number of Elite Zombies wasn¡¯t necessarily good news¡­ Wang Tao nced over the crystal cores and luckily found some he could use! He asked further: ¡°What about Level 2 Zombies? Did you encounter any?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Everyone shook their heads. Wang Tao was somewhat disappointed. Without finding any Level 2 Zombies, he wouldn¡¯t be able to advance to Level Two! It seemed he had to prepare to hunt down that hooded zombie¡­ ¡°These are the crystal cores I¡¯ve selected for you. Take a look and take those that are suitable¡­¡± Wang Tao took out some synthesized crystal cores, all of Excellent and outstanding quality, with a few being of Orange Epic Quality. The sight of these crystal cores made everyone¡¯s eyes gleam. Previously, Wang Tao had instructed them not to fuse crystal cores for the time being because impurities and side effects in the body were an issue. Wang Tao would figure out the crystal cores problem; they just had to give all their crystal cores to him. They naturally trusted Wang Tao, so they only fused with the crystal cores Wang Tao gave them. Currently, their Special Ability Levels weren¡¯t high. The batch of crystal cores Wang Tao now distributed wasn¡¯t small, and after their fusion, they could probably max out at least one or two skills! ¡°Let¡¯s hunt Level 1 Zombies for a few more days, and then we can prepare to hunt Level 2 Zombies!¡± Now that they couldn¡¯t find other Level 2 Zombies, their only option was to go after that hooded zombie. Although it had 6000 HP, it was still easier to deal with than the gori zombie with 10000 HP. Moreover, if they didn¡¯t act now, the zombie¡¯s strength might increase, but Wang Tao¡¯s strength had already reached its limit. If the gap widened further, it would only be more challenging, so they had to act fast! ¡°We¡¯re finally going to face a Level 2 Zombie, huh¡­¡± Everyone was a bit nervous but also somewhat expectant. Wang Tao had already informed them about the hooded zombie, and they knew it might be stronger than the zombie Shao Yong! Of course, it might also be weaker. But regardless, it was a bona fide full blood Level 2 zombie, much stronger than their Level 1 Ability Users! However, everyone still believed in the power of numbers. They felt they had a chance of winning against this Level 2 Zombie! ¡°Come on, everyone!¡± ¡°Come on!¡± Wang Tao, carrying the crystal cores that Wei Zhenguo and the others had collected these days, returned home. On the way, he had already examined them closely. Although their total number of crystal cores wasn¡¯t as high as Wang Tao¡¯s own recent haul, there were quite a few useful ones among them for himself. In particr, the Precision Shooting crystal cores ¨C there were exactly four, which would allow Wang Tao to synthesize both a Red and an Orange Crystal Core! As for the Self-healing Crystal Cores, there was one from them and one more in Wang Tao¡¯s possession, just enough to synthesize a Red crystal core. The 80% fusion sess rate for Red was quite high, and so far, there had not been a single failure. If Wang Tao had the chance, he would, of course, synthesize the 100% sessful Orange, but crystal cores were scarce at the moment, so Red would do for now unless his luck was exceptionally bad. Upon arriving home, Wang Tao turned those three crystal cores into ones without any side effects or impurities. After greeting Ding Yuqin, he immediately ced the crystal cores in his mouth. Momentster, the three crystal cores sessfully fused without any mishaps; the two Red crystal cores worked out perfectly. Wang Tao¡¯s Self-healing power reached ¡°+7,¡± and his Precise shooting ability finally hit ¡°+10¡±! His mana also increased by 300, now standing at 3900. ¡°I just need thest three Self-healing crystal cores¡­ I hope I can get them sorted in the next few days!¡± After Ding Yuqin put thest soup on the stove, she looked at Wang Tao with slight resentment and asked: ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Han Ruie yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hurry her up.¡± Wang Tao took out the walkie-talkie and contacted Han Rui. ¡°Dinnertime. Oh, and bring Li Qiu Yu with you.¡± ¡°¡­Oh.¡± The voice of Han Ruiing out of the walkie-talkie sounded muffled; she knew she couldn¡¯t escape this time. Upon hearing the name of a stranger, Ding Yuqin suddenly felt anxious inside and asked tentatively in a low voice: ¡°That¡­ Who is Li Qiu Yu?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I mentioned her to you?¡± Wang Tao frowned, not recalling if he had mentioned her or not. ¡°Uh? Have you mentioned it?¡± Ding Yuqin looked puzzled. ¡°She¡¯s a friend I met before who has helped me out. I happened to see her while I was out, so I brought her back to the base.¡± Chapter 250 - 135: An Inexplicable Sense of Crisis_2 Chapter 250: Chapter 135: An Inexplicable Sense of Crisis_2 Wang Tao briefly exined. ¡°0h~¡± Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t ask any more questions, as she knew many men disliked women who pried too deeply. Sometimes, silence could be more appreciated by men. However, Ding Yuqin had already decided to observe carefullyter on to see if she had gained another sister¡­ Looking at Ding Yuqin, Wang Tao suddenly asked: ¡°Sis-inw, did you kill any Elite Zombies these past few days?¡± When he left, DingYuqin¡¯s HP was in the low thousands, but nowit was 1220. ¡°Hehe, of course! But I did it with everyone else!¡± Wang Tao originally wanted to tell her not to take risks since hunting Elite Zombies with just over a thousand HP and no Abilities was still quite dangerous. But seeing Ding Yuqin looking so happy, Wang Tao decided not to say it. After all, wanting to be stronger was a good thing; it wouldn¡¯t do to avoid getting stronger merely because it was dangerous. So Wang Tao encouraged her, saying: ¡°Impressive! Here I thought you were still practicing on Ordinary Zombies, but you¡¯ve already started taking on Elite ones!¡± ¡°Ehehe-¡± Ding Yuqin had almost no resistance to Wang Tao¡¯s encouragement. She wore a goofy smile on her face. ¡°In the next few days, I¡¯ll take you to hunt zombies.¡± Wang Tao added. He only needed three more Crystal Cores to upgrade his Self-healing power, so he had to rush to acquire these cores. Once he fused Self-healing to +10, he¡¯d start preparing to deal with Second-order Hooded Zombies. During this time collecting Crystal Cores, he could lead Ding Yuqin and the others to level up their HP. ¡°Sure!¡± Finally having the chance to go out with Wang Tao, Ding Yuqin was overjoyed. Her wish to be with Wang Tao wasn¡¯t just because he was strong, but also because she felt happy when she was with him. Ding Yuqin sat on Wang Tao¡¯sp, gazing at him affectionately and asionally squirming in his embrace. Seeing this, Wang Tao pped her bottom hard. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, Han Rui and the others will be here soon.¡± ¡°Hmph~¡± Ding Yuqin snorted softly. She almost forgot that others wereing today. She hurried into the kitchen to check on the soup she had been stewing. Soon after, Han Rui came over with Li Qiuyu. Li Qiuyu was curious about everything here. She was happy and grateful to be invited over by Wang Tao for a meal. But when she saw Ding Yuqin, she was somewhat bewildered. Her eyes discreetly roamed over Ding Yuqin and Han Rui. She wasn¡¯t sure who Wang Tao¡¯s wife was or if both were. However, when she heard Wang Tao calling Ding Yuqin ¡®sister-inw,¡¯ she felt relieved. So it wasn¡¯t as she had thought! She remembered that Wang Tao seemed to be a gentleman, very well-behaved in her home, it couldn¡¯t possibly be¡ª Before Li Qjuyu could finish her thought, she saw Ding Yuqin ce thest stewed dish on the table and then sneak a kiss on Wang Tao. Li Qiuyu was momentarily stunned, then quickly lowered her head. She felt as if she had stumbled upon something extraordinary. Was there something between Wang Tao and his sister-inw? She wondered if Han Rui was aware. If Han Rui didn¡¯t know, wouldn¡¯t that be too pitiable? Li Qjuyu subconsciously looked towards Han Rui and noticed her expression seemed a bit awkward. She saw it too! Then¡­ what was their rtionship? Li Qiuyu couldn¡¯t help but let her thoughts wander, and Han Rui was doing the same. She had been reluctant to move in with Wang Tao because she felt like an outsider. Especially since the rtionships among the three of them were somewhatplicated¡­ Was that a stealthy kiss from Ding Yuqin just now? No, Han Rui felt it was a deliberate act for her to see! Was Ding Yuqin feeling threatened about her position and trying to assert dominance, to let her know who the real mistress was? Han Rui, who used to enjoy watching court dramas, suddenly had lots of scenarios running through her mind. But Han Rui obviously misunderstood Ding Yuqin. Ding Yuqin wasn¡¯t that scheming. It was just a sudden peck on Wang Tao, something theymonly did at home, a form of affection. During dinner, Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin sat together, while Li Qiuyu and Han Rui sat on the other side. Li Qiuyu and Han Rui seemed to be eating, but their minds were elsewhere. Li Qiuyu was pondering what the post-apocalyptic world was like, whether any order still existed, and if her daughter was still alive¡­ But as she mused, the delicious food in front of her caught her attention, and she decided to stop thinking. Han Rui was contemting how she would get along with Ding Yuqin if she lived here. She wasn¡¯t someone who knew how to ingratiate herself with men. If Ding Yuqin harbored ill will towards her, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible, since there was only one Wang Tao¡­ She inexplicably felt a sense of crisis! After the meal, Han Rui escorted Li Qiuyu home. Once outside, Li Qiuyu asked with some curiosity: ¡°What¡¯s going on between you, Wang Tao, and Ding Yuqin?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Han Rui was slightly embarrassed. ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡± Li Qiuyu gathered her hair together. This situation didn¡¯t shock her, as she had seen many things before, even during peace times. She just felt it was poignant that Han Rui, such a strong woman, was sharing a husband with another¡­ Han Rui thought Li Qiuyu was somewhat unable to ept this kind of situation and shook her head. ¡°In the post-apocalyptic world, the strong make the rules. This kind of thing is normal. Besides¡­¡± Han Rui suddenly looked at Li Qiuyu, ¡°I suggest you find a strong person to rely on, too. It¡¯d be better for you..¡± Chapter 251 - 135: An Inexplicable Sense of Chapter 251: Chapter 135: An Inexplicable Sense of Crisis 3 ¡°Ah? Me? I don¡¯t need that¡­¡± Li Qiu Yu quickly waved her hands. Han Rui looked at her deeply, without much exnation. ¡°These past two days, when Ie back to the base in the afternoon, I¡¯ll take you around the base.¡± Despite being a peaceful base, the dominance of the strong still prevailed within. Not only among ability users like themselves, but even ordinary survivors followed this rule¡ªthe ones with the strength to earn more ration tickets could find multiple partners. For Li Qiu Yu, a weak woman with no survival skills in the post-apocalyptic world, it was too difficult to survive in such an environment. She couldn¡¯t bear to see Li Qiu Yu end up like some of the other women. Of course, she also had a little selfish reason¡­ Ding Yu Qin had put a lot of pressure on her! Evening. When she saw Han Rui approaching her home with big and small packages, Ding Yu Qin greeted her with a smile, although she felt a bit sour inside. s, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t just hers anymore, blue thin mushroom¡­ Wang Tao saw Han Ruie over obediently and was immediately very satisfied. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy all day, go take a bath. What are you two standing around for,e join!¡± Wang Tao said to the two women. The two women¡¯s cheeks turned bright red. The bathroom in the vi was very spacious, with arge bathtub, so it wasn¡¯t crowded for three people at all. The next day. Wang Tao went out with Han Rui, Ding Yu Qin, Gao Hua, Chen Zhuang, and others. The main task this time was to hunt down level 1 elite zombies and incidentally help Ding Yu Qin and the others replenish some HP. After a busy day outside, their luck was only so-so. Although they encountered quite a few elite zombies and obtained numerous crystal cores, the crystal cores were of no use to Wang Tao. But Ding Yu Qin and the others had their HP increased quite a bit. On the way back, Wang Tao pondered which crystal cores would be better for them to merge¡­ Ding Yu Qin and the others hadn¡¯t merged with a crystal core before, and although their HP was much higher than ordinary people¡¯s, they were actually not ability users. Wang Tao asked for their opinions. Lately, with more ability users in the base, everyone was more familiar with crystal cores and knew about the different abilities avable. Gao Hua immediately expressed his desire for the stealth ability. Stealth ability was, as far as Wang Tao had seen, the strongest survival ability. Once the stealth ability was activated, the effect was like a stealth potion; unless one was very close to a zombie or encountered some special zombies, ordinary zombies couldn¡¯t detect it at all. ¡°Okay,¡± Wang Tao directly gave Gao Hua an orange stealth crystal core that, naturally, had no side effects. ¡°First merge with this one, and after the merge isplete, feel if you can continue to merge. If you can,e find me.¡± ¡°Thankyou, big brother!¡± Gao Hua was excited; he was finally going to be an ability user! ¡°I also want to merge with a stealth crystal core¡­¡± Chen Zhuang scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He was a doctor, usually staying at the base, with no need forbat ability, and he himself did not like fighting. The life-saving ability of stealth suited him well. ¡°Okay! Then, same as Gao Hua, merge with this crystal core and see if you can continue merging afterward, thene find me.¡± ¡°Alright! Thank¡ªthank you!¡± Chen Zhuang had wanted to say that Wang Tao could ask for his help whenever needed, but then he thought, considering he was a doctor, it usually wasn¡¯t a good thing when someone needed him. So, he swallowed his words again. As for Ding Yuqin, Wang Tao gave her a Stealth Crystal Core, but he didn¡¯t let her merge with it right away. Wang Tao¡¯ s intention was to see if there was a Crystal Core that would pair well with the blood replenishing pack, but he had yet to find one. He hadn¡¯t given up yet, but if he really couldn¡¯t find one, he would let Ding Yuqin merge with the Stealth Crystal Core. Before merging with a Crystal Core, it¡¯s impossible to sense how many kinds of Crystal Cores one can merge with, so Wang Tao asked Ding Yuqin to wait a bit. Finally, there was Han Rui. Han Rui¡¯s Shockwave Ability had already merged with ten cores, reaching the full level of Level 1. But her Perception Ability was still merged with only one, after all, she hadn¡¯t encountered that sort of zombie since then. Han Rui could still merge with two more Crystal Cores, and Wang Tao instructed her to merge with one Precision Shooting and one Stealth. Although Han Rui was capable of Rushing, most of the time she used it as her only skill. Her closebat abilities actually weren¡¯t too strong; she preferred mid to long-range attacks. So, letting her merge with Precision Shooting was no problem. As for Stealth, it was naturally to give her a self-protection ability. For a ranged attack Ability User, self-protection abilities like Toughness and Self-healing weren¡¯t as suitable as Stealth. She just needed to activate her Stealth Ability, and then snipe zombies with a crossbow; the zombies would basically have no chance of finding her. This ability matched her well. After returning to the Survivor Base, Han Rui didn¡¯t rush to synthesize Crystal Cores, but instead, as agreed, she took Li Qiuyu for a tour around the base to see other survivors. Li Qiuyu was initially quite happy, but after seeing the survivors at the bottom of the base, she couldn¡¯t be happy anymore. ¡°In the post-apocalyptic world, those without strength end up like this¡ªand this is one of the better situations. I¡¯ve told you before about the other Survivor Bases, especially Shao Yong¡¯s base. If you were in there¡­ well, I won¡¯t borate on the consequences. You understand!¡± The next day, the zombie hunt continued. Today, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t very lucky; he still hadn¡¯t seen any Self-healing zombies. But good news came from Zhen Guo¡¯s side. Passing by the hospital, he discovered some Elite Zombies emerging! So Wang Tao quickly led people to meet up with Zhen Guo. Seeing the Elite Zombies reappear in the hospital, especially several Self- healing Zombies, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Self-healing Crystal Cores were secured! The group stayed until night, and after killing all the zombies outside the hospital, Wang Tao finally obtained six Self-healing Crystal Cores! After some synthesis, the final result was two Red Crystal Cores, and one Orange Crystal Core. Without any surprise, Wang Tao¡¯s ¡°+7¡± Self-healing power finally became ¡°+10.¡± His Mana increased by another 300, reaching 4200! Wang Tao still had an Omnipotent Crystal Core in hand. Originally, he thought about using this impurity-containing Omnipotent Crystal Core as a substitute if he couldn¡¯t gather enough Self-healing Crystal Cores. But thankfully, he had managed to gather enough of them! Wang Tao looked at his attributes. HP: 14999/4999] Mana: [4200/4200] [Hidden Attribute: Improved Body Conditions] [Internal Impurity: o%] Ability: Level Two Shockwave, Level 1 Toughness +10, Level 1 Precision Shooting +10, Level 1 Self-heal +10! Not daring to im anything else, but Wang Tao felt he must be the strongest Level 1 ability user in Shuize County by now. Whether it was HP, Mana, or Crystal Core level, all had reached the maximum value avable so far. Wang Tao grinned. ¡°It¡¯s time to hunt that Level 2 Zombie!¡± Chapter 252 - 136: Hunting Level 2 Zombies_l Chapter 252: Chapter 136: Hunting Level 2 Zombies_l Hunting a full blood Level 2 zombie was an extremely dangerous thing. Wang Tao felt that,pared to the Level 2 zombie, his only advantage was that he could use his brain, while the zombie could not. Therefore, Wang Tao prepared a grand weing gift for this Level 2 zombie! Since the Hooded zombie was near the hospital, and the hospital was full of Mad Demon Zombies, the first task was to change the battlefield. The Hooded zombie was particrly sensitive to sound, able to hear noises that the Mad Demon Zombies couldn¡¯t. So Wang Tao had Liu He help to make many remote-controlled speakers and ced them on some rooftops. When the fight began, one speaker would sound at a time. After the Hooded zombie destroyed the speaker, a second one would sound. It would destroy the second one, and a third would go off¡­ Of course, the sound of the speakers wouldn¡¯t only draw out the Hooded zombie, it would also attract the Mad Demon Zombies. That¡¯s why the speakers weren¡¯t very loud. The Mad Demon Zombies were also sensitive to sound, but Wang Tao and his , team had gradually figured out their characteristics: as long as the sound didn¡¯t exceed a certain decibel level, it wouldn¡¯t draw them in. The speakers would lure it to the location Wang Tao had specially prepared for it¡ªthe basketball court in the residential area. In this basketball court, Wang Tao had ced 5 Self-Destruct Bombs! These were extracted from Suicide Bombing Zombies and were very unstable, detonating at even the slightest disturbance, yet they were very powerful ¨C Wang Tao had specially tested one before, and a single Self-Destruct Bomb could easily kill a Level 1 Elite Zombie. It had only two ws. One was its instability, which meant there was a risk of it identally exploding on oneself. And the other was the loud noise it made on detonation. So even though Wang Tao thought, ¡°As long as there are enough Self-Destruct Bombs, even Level 2 zombies can be killed,¡± he still didn¡¯t dare to use too many. Otherwise, if the Gori zombies were attracted by the noise, they would be impossible to fight. Besides the Self-Destruct Bombs, Wang Tao also installed some Homemade Bombs made by Liu He around the area for emergencies. These weren¡¯t as powerful as the Self-Destruct Bombs, but were much more stable-at least much more so than the Self-Destruct Bombs. Then there were the Slime Grenades. They hardly needed any exnation. They were the simplest way for Wang Tao to kill Suicide Bombing Zombies before his Shockwave ability was upgraded to Level Two. Wang Tao made arge number of Slime Grenades and nned to distribute a few to each person involved in the fight. Moreover, Strength Potions, Defense Potions, and Running Potions were also given to Wei Zhenguo and the others. After all, life is precious, and Wang Tao didn¡¯t want anything to happen to them. Xiang Hongbin also designed some traps, like falling rocks and such. Wang Tao was skeptical about their usefulness, considering the limited space and manpower, which didn¡¯t allow for the construction of particrly effective traps. Before the battle, Ren Jie had already made an announcement within the base, not detailing the specifics but mentioning that the base was preparing to undertake a major task and it would be dangerous outside, forbidding anyone from leaving the base over the next two days. Thebatants, including Wang Tao, had all rested well for a day, conserving their energy. Next morning. Wang Tao and the others met at theprehensive building. ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Wang Tao asked with a smile. ¡°Ready! I¡¯ve never felt so powerful! Let¡¯s do this!¡¯ Xiang Hongbin clenched his fists fiercely. Although they were supposed to rest the previous day, they didn¡¯t just sit idle. Wang Tao had given them some Crystal Cores, further enhancing their strength. All of their main abilities had been upgraded to full level. Their HP had reached 4999! One could say that this was the strongest they had been since the apocalypse began! ¡°Shall we depart then?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone got into the vehicles, and four military off-road vehicles left the base. This operation involved a total of 12 people, including Wang Tao, Han Rut, Wet Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, Lu Gang, Feng Ming¡¯an, and six members of the Security Army. Undoubtedly, this was the strongest force Shuize Base currently had. If the base didn¡¯t need to be defended, Xiang Hongbin would have wanted to bring all the Security Army and the Ability User¡¯s Hunters. Wang Tao felt that with this lineup, plus the traps they had set up in advance, even zombies of Shao Yong¡¯s caliber would be killed one after another! However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t quite clear on how strong the Hooded zombie really was, so he could only say he was confident about the fight, but wasn¡¯t certain of victory¡­ Soon, the group arrived at the basketball court. After Wang Tao gave some instructions, he nodded to Wei Zhenguo, who immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and said: ¡°Begin!¡± Outside the hospital. Someone had already been hiding there in advance. Upon hearing Wei Zhenguo¡¯s order, he immediately pressed the button on his remote control. Momentster, a barely audible noise came from a rooftop in the distance, imperceptible to survivors. But it didn¡¯t take long before a Hooded zombie appeared in the distance, running and jumping across the rooftops like a parkour athlete. ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± The person quickly reported through the walkie-talkie. Half a minuteter, the Hooded zombie sessfully destroyed the speaker. ¡°It¡¯s destroyed the speaker!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The person on the other end of the walkie-talkie immediately pressed the remote control, and another speaker began to sound on a distant rooftop. The first person couldn¡¯t hear this second speaker¡¯s sound, but the Hooded zombie heard it loud and clear! It immediately changed direction and started running towards the sound. Chapter 253 - 136: Hunting Level 2 Zombies_2 Chapter 253: Chapter 136: Hunting Level 2 Zombies_2 ¡°It¡¯s passed! It¡¯s passed!¡± ¡°Copy that!¡± Wang Tao and hispanions were hiding outside the basketball court, and after waiting for about twenty minutes, they saw a dark figure jumping over the rooftops towards them. ¡°Here ites! Here ites!¡± Wei Zhenguo immediately pressed the remote control. A loudspeaker on the basketball hoop also started to re. ¡°Roar???? ¡± The hooded zombie seemed very angry as it leaped down from the six-story rooftop, plummeting toward the basketball court. It had to be said, this zombie, dressed in sweatpants, a ckhoodie, and wearing a hood, looked pretty cool making that jump. Then. Boom¡ª The moment itnded under the basketball hoop, all five of the self- destructing bombs arranged around it detonated! These self-destruct bombs were extremely unstable; any significant disturbance could set them off. Wang Tao had been very cautious when nting the bombs, but the noise the hooded zombie made falling from the sixth floor was far from small, instantly triggering the explosives. The five bombs arranged in a circle exploded simultaneously, almost deafening Wang Tao and the others who were not far away. ¡°Damn! Five self-destruct bombs make such aloud noise together!¡± Wang Tao suddenly felt he might have miscalcted, primarily because he had never before used so many self-destruct bombs at once, and he hadn¡¯t expected the noise to be so deafening! And it wasn¡¯t just the noise that was terrifying, the power was frightening too, the basketball court waspletely leveled, and all sorts of sports equipment and greenery around it were gone. Even the various traps Xiang Hongbin had previously set up were destroyed¡­ Xiang Hongbin was stunned; he had never seen the power of a self-destruct bomb, thinking it would be simr to a homemade bomb. The homemade bombs Liu He made were designed to be portable, so they weren¡¯t veryrge, and their power was even less than a hand grenade. But the power of these self- destruct bombs was much more significant than that of hand grenades. ¡°Quick, quick, quick, move it!¡± Seeing this, Wang Tao didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and immediately signaled everyone to start moving up. Although he had hoped the zombie would be sted to death instantly, that clearly wasn¡¯t possible, because Wang Tao saw the zombie¡¯s HP. [2139/7000] In just a few days, this hooded zombie had 7000 HP! But fortunately, the bombs had hit it squarely, blowing away nearly five thousand HP! While it hadn¡¯t been enough to kill it, this was a severe injury! Strike while it¡¯s down, go for the kill! Wang Tao immediately charged towards the ruins of the basketball court. Reaching an appropriate distance, Wang Tao activated the Rush Ability from his gear set! Whoosh¡ª In the blink of an eye, Wang Tao reached the vicinity of the hooded zombie, whose body had been blown into a bloody mess. Then he swung his axe. Bang! [-42] 1-234] Wang Tao felt as if his axe had struck stone with that blow. But the attack caused two sets of damage, the first from the axe itself, and the second from the shockwave. Seeing the first amount of damage, Wang Tao was shocked, feeling like he had hit a zombie with stubborn armor. However, seeing the second damage figure, his spirit was lifted! A Level Two shockwave, so different! The hooded zombie had just over two thousand HP left; a single axe blow doing nearly three hundred damage meant that six or seven more blows would finish it off, right? But things, of course, weren¡¯t that simple. Before Wang Tao couldnd his second axe blow, the hooded zombie quickly pped at his chest. Bang! Wang Tao felt a sharp pain in his chest. [-441] [4558/4999] ¡°Damn it!¡± The damage startled Wang Tao; after all, he was wearing stubborn armor and had activated his Toughness! As the zombie swatted at Wang Tao, it also leaped backward, jumping more than ten meters away. Not only did it avoid Wang Tao¡¯s second axe blow, but it also dodged the charging attack from Xiang Hongbin! ¡°Shit!¡± Xiang Hongbin crashed headfirst into the ruins and climbed out cursing. On the other side, Wei Zhenguo had deliberately slowed down a bit; his main intention was to avoid colliding with Xiang Hongbin¡ªa situation they had encountered before. So, seeing the hooded zombie¡¯s backward leap, Wei Zhenguo immediately charged toward the spot where the zombie hadnded. The hooded zombie had jumped back over ten meters and seemed slightly stiff uponnding, which was perfect timing for Wei Zhenguo to catch it. Bang! Wei Zhenguo¡¯s charge hit the hooded zombie squarely, but it only dealt ¡± -34¡å damage! Wei Zhenguo couldn¡¯t see the damage, but Wang Tao saw it clearly. ¡°This thing¡¯s really tough!¡± Just as Wang Tao was about to charge in, he saw the hooded zombie wave a hand at Wei Zhenguo. Bang! Wei Zhenguo was sent flying dozens of meters away,nding in the ruins just like Xiang Hongbin. Whoosh¡ª At that moment, an arrow suddenly flew toward the hooded zombie from an intricate angle! Lu Gang had made his move! [-1022] The arrow lodged directly into its left eye socket! ¡°Awesome!¡± Seeing that four-digit damage figure, Wang Tao got a bit excited. Lu Gang had shot the arrow straight at the hooded zombie¡¯s weak spot! Most zombies had weak spots at their eye sockets since the sockets lead directly to the brain. But hitting that spot wasn¡¯t easy; usually, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t aim specifically for the eyes when he shot. This arrow had perfect timing and distance, leaving the hooded zombie with only 807 HP! That was the terror of a sniper: if they didn¡¯t make a move, it was fine, but once they did, it was a deadly strike! A Level Two zombie, seemed not that great after all? Just as Wang Tao thought they could quickly finish off the zombie, he saw it suddenly running backward into a nearby residential building in the blink of an eye. ¡°Huh? It ran away?¡± Chapter 254 - 136: Hunting Level 2 Zombies_3 Chapter 254: Chapter 136: Hunting Level 2 Zombies_3 Wang Tao suddenly realized that he didn¡¯t actually have a n to prevent zombies from escaping¡ªmainly because the hooded zombie was too fast and too agile; they simply couldn¡¯t chase after it. At this time, mad demon zombies had already started to appear in the vicinity, understandably because the recent explosion had been massive. Han Rui and others on the outskirts began to deal with the mad demon zombies, trying to block their advance and prevent them from affecting Wang Tao and his group. ¡°It¡¯s running away, should we chase after it?¡± Xiang Hongbin immediately looked at Wang Tao. He thought they could pursue, but since this operation was following Wang Tao¡¯s lead, he naturally wouldn¡¯t act without orders. Before Wang Tao could respond, his gaze suddenly sharpened. ¡°It didn¡¯t run!¡± Wang Tao saw the hooded zombie suddenly appear on the rooftop, and then it leaped, diving directly towards a certain area! ¡°Not good!¡± Wang Tao had no time to exin, he quickly ran towards Lu Gang¡¯s hiding spot, and at the same time, he activated his precise shooting ability, then threw two firefighter axes directly at Lu Gang. From Lu Gang¡¯s position, he couldn¡¯t see the rooftop. He only saw Wang Tao suddenly running towards him, then throwing two flying axes his way! This startled Lu Gang; if he was hit by Wang Tao¡¯s flying axes, he¡¯d probably be killed instantly! However, before he could even dodge, he felt a shadow looming overhead. Instinctively, he looked up, only to see the hooded zombie descending from above, its sharp ws aiming straight for his head! But at that moment, the two flying axes also arrived, striking the hooded zombie in the back. Although they only dealt a total of 53 damage, they sessfully caused the hooded zombie to stagger, causing its ws to miss and viciously rake across Lu Gang¡¯s chest instead. Bang! [-3548] [1451/4999] Lu Gang¡¯s brown mask was instantly stained red. But worthy of a battle-hardened warrior, in this critical moment, he raised his bow and arrow, and pressed against the hooded zombie¡¯s face, he shot an arrow right into its gaping mouth. Pfft! [-154] [600/7000] The hooded zombie was left with only 600 HP! ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The zombie¡¯s upper and lower teeth snapped together, instantly breaking the arrow in its mouth, and it swung its hand again, aiming to grab Lu Gang¡¯s head. If caught, Lu Gang would certainly be doomed! But just then, Wang Tao finally arrived. He grabbed the hooded zombie by the neck and yelled out loud, forcefully yanking it up. The hooded zombie was lifted single-handedly by him, swung in a half-circle in the air, and then was harshly smashed onto the ground! Bang! [-4) [596/7000] Xiang Hongbin charged again, this time he urately targeted the hooded zombie that hadn¡¯t had the chance to get up, and mmed into it. [-43] At the same time, he raised his firefighter axe high, cleaving it onto the hooded zombie¡¯s face, apanied by a shockwave. [-44] [-67] [442/7000] The hooded zombie was again harshly smashed onto the ground. Wei Zhenguo seized the opportunity to charge at the hooded zombie, bringing down an axe on its head, the blow imbued with a shockwave. [-36] [-40] [-73] [293/7000] The zombie that was trying to stand up was knocked down again, Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin pressed on the zombie¡¯s body from both sides, tightly grabbing one of its arms. Their muscles bulged, veins on their foreheads throbbed, faces turned red with effort, and then both shouted in unison, ¡°Wang Tao!¡± With an arrow that he¡¯d just pulled from Lu Gang¡¯s quiver in his hand, Wang Tao rushed in front of the hooded zombie, aimed for its other eye socket, and thrust the arrow down fiercely. Pfft! [-293] [O/7OOO HP] The second-order hooded zombie¡¯s HP bar emptied! Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin thumped down onto the ground, gasping for air. ¡°That was damn strong! If you¡¯d been one secondter, I probably couldn¡¯t have held it off!¡± Xiang Hongbin was still shaken. Wang Tao quickly gathered up the package dropped by the zombie, and then immediately said: ¡°You guys extract the Crystal Core, I¡¯m going to check on Lu Gang.¡± Wang Tao ran back to Lu Gang, whose face mask was now even more bloodied. He hastily lifted Lu Gang¡¯s shirt, and involuntarily gasped. The good news was that Lu Gang¡¯s chest had a thin steel te on it, and the zombie hadn¡¯t managed to rip open his stomach. The bad news was that the steel te was deformed! There was a dent in Lu Gang¡¯s chest! In just this short time, Lu Gang had lost over three hundred HP, leaving him with only 1100 HP. Wang Tao urgently removed the deformed steel te and then took out a potion from the medical kit and injected it into Lu Gang. He then quickly treated his wound. ¡°Is Lu Gang alright?¡± Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin, after extracting the Crystal Core, rushed over. Seeing Lu Gang¡¯s HP beginning to recover due to the medical kit, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°His life should be saved. Let¡¯s retreat now!¡± While the conversation was lengthy, the battle with the hooded zombie had been quite brief. However, the area around the basketball court was already swarming with mad demon zombies, about to break through the defenses of Han Rui and the others. Wang Tao immediately yelled: ¡°Retreat!¡± Then, gripping his firefighter axe in both hands and using all his strength to channel the energy within his body, he viciously swung at the empty air right in front of him. Thwack! [-2000 HP] [-2000 HP] [-2000 HP] [¡­] Mad demon zombies within a certain radius ahead instantly exploded. Several vehicles were revealed not far away. The group quickly rushed into the cars. ¡°Drive, drive, hurry!¡± Vroom- The car immediately started and sped along the pre-nned escape route. Behind them was a tide of mad demon zombies as dense as a ck flood, extending beyond sight! ¡°Damn it, why are there so many mad demon zombies!¡± Xiang Hongbin, driving the car, felt his scalp prickle as he looked in the rearview mirror. ¡°Phew¡ª ¡± After catching his breath in the back seat, Wang Tao spoke with vexation, ¡°I misjudged one thing¡­ Who the hell would¡¯ve thought that the Self-Destruct Bomb would be so loud!¡± Wang Tao had previously tested the Self-Destruct Bomb; the sound of one bomb was only slightly less than that of a self-exploder exploding. But he hadn¡¯t anticipated that the sound of five Self-Destruct Bombs exploding together would be so immense! He felt it was at least the equivalent of 20 Suicide Bombing Zombies exploding at the same time! The likelihood was high that the explosive sound had already attracted the mad demon zombies inside the hospital, and it might even have caught the attention of that gori zombie! If he had known it would be this loud, there would¡¯ve been no need to fight the zombies in hand-to-handbat; they could¡¯ve just taken an automatic rifle each and fired at the zombies since there was going to be so much noise anyway¡­ Just as Wang Tao was thinking about the gori zombie, a series of ¡°thud, thud, thud¡± sounds suddenly came from the street to their left. ¡°It¡¯s the gori zombie! It¡¯sing!¡± Han Rui, who was continuously using her Perception Ability, cried out. ¡°Crap!¡± Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy! Wang Tao immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie and decisively ordered: ¡°Everyone make a right turn! Turn right! Hurry!¡± Chapter 255 - 137 Level Two Toughness_i Chapter 255: Chapter 137 Level Two Toughness_i Boom! A discarded car fell from the sky, smashing into the front of the convoy¡¯s lead vehicle. Screech¡ª The piercing sound of brakes erupted, nearly colliding with the wrecked car. Inside the vehicle, Xiang Hongbin quickly reversed, then sharply turned the steering wheel, avoiding the obstacle. But more discarded cars, concrete blocks, and even zombies began flying toward the convoy! ¡°Shit!¡± Seeing a gori zombie hurling a group of mad demon zombies into the air through the rearview mirror, making themnd near the convoy, Wang Tao cursed under his breath. Was the gori zombie doing it on purpose or was it an ident? As more and more obstacles began to surround them, making it impossible to drive through, Wang Tao shouted loudly, ¡°You drive, Old Wei, Han Rui, and I will get out and clear the obstacles!¡± Wang Tao first injected himself with a defense potion¡ªhe hadn¡¯t used a defense potion when dealing with the hooded zombies earlier, so he was not in the cooldown period. Then he immediately opened the car door and jumped out, followed by Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui. Wielding his axe, Wang Tao swung at the air, releasing a wave of shockwaves toward the front. [-1543] [-1304] [-1467] [¡­] All the half-dead mad demon zombies that had been smashed over by the gori zombie exploded, limbs and appendages scattering everywhere, instantly clearing the area. Wei Zhenguo also used shockwaves to kill some zombies, while Han Rui moved the broken stones to clear the path. Soon, a portion of the obstacles had been cleared. ¡°The vehicles go first, we will cover the rear!¡± The four vehicles had just squeezed through the cleared gap when another discarded vehicle fell from the sky, blocking the road again. The gori zombie and arge number of mad demon zombies were also catching up! ¡°Roar!¡± The gori zombie roared, its colossal fist aimed at Wang Tao, who was closest and struck! Although the gori zombie seemed cumbersome, its speed was anything but slow; its decaying fist was instantly in front of Wang Tao! In such a situation, Wang Tao could have dodged using his Rush Ability, but with obstacles behind him, he couldn¡¯t use Rush. The only option was for Wang Tao to cross his arms in an X-shape and take the punch head-on. Boom¡ª [-2156] [2402/4999] Wang Tao felt as if he¡¯d been hit by a dump truck! Pain coursed through him as if his body had fallen apart! Boom¡ª He crashed heavily against the discarded vehicle behind him, shifting the car a great distance, with Wang Tao himself ending up embedded in the car! [-325] [2077/4999] Wang Tao no longer felt the pain in his body, only a dizzying sensation in his head. He struggled out of the car, and then noticed that the vehicle he had hit had moved to create an opening in the road. Seeing the gori zombie turning its attention to Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui, Wang Tao yelled. ¡°Reverse Rush!¡± Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui immediately turned back and, seeing the path had been cleared behind them, initiated their Rush ability. Instantly, three faint trails of white light moved away from the gori zombie by over thirty meters, temporarily escaping its attack radius. The four vehicles that had just left opened their doors to wait for them. ¡°Get in the car!¡± The three of them got into the cars. Boom¡ª The engine roared, and the vehicle instantly elerated. Four off ¨C road vehicles sped away in front, chased by a giant zombie as tall as a two-story building. Behind the massive zombie was a dense swarm of mad demon zombies¡­ it was as if the entire county was shaking. ¡°Wang Tao, are you alright?¡± Inside the lead off-road vehicle, Xiang Hongbin and Han Rui both looked at Wang Tao with concern; they had seen him take a punch from the gori zombie! ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Wang Tao used a medkit on himself. Although he was in pain, his life was not in danger. Seeing that Wang Tao seemed to be in no serious trouble, the two of them also eased their worries. Xiang Hongbin quickly nced at the rearview mirror, then cursed vehemently. ¡°Damn it, we still can¡¯t shake them off!¡± ording to the original n, they should have gotten rid of the pursuit by now. After all, the retreat route had been carefully chosen, with a thorough clean-up along the way to ensure an open road and high vehicle speed. Even if mad demon zombies could run fast, they couldn¡¯t possibly outrun vehicles at full speed. But who expected the gori zombie to still be drawn to them. Although it wasrge, its speed was not slow! Especially since it would asionally lift discarded vehicles, roadside stones, and zombies underfoot to hurl at Wang Tao and the others. This greatly affected the convoy¡¯s speed, causing them to be unable to shake off their pursuers, and the number of zombies following them kept growing! Wang Tao even suspected that all the mad demon zombies in the entire county had caught up with them! ¡°What do we do, the zombies are getting closer to us!¡± Han Rui said worriedly. Wang Tao looked at the zombies behind them, then at the map in his hand, and made a tough decision. ¡°Take the outer ring road!¡± Wang Tao had already told Wei Zhenguo and the others about the monster outside the Shuize County urban area, and they had all firmly avoided going outside when scavenging for supplies. After all, Wang Tao had mentioned that the creature outside might be even more terrifying than the gori zombie! But now there was no other option, as being caught by the zombies would likely lead to their annihtion-not to mention the gori zombie, so many mad demon zombies were not something they could deal with. So it was time to take a gamble! ¡°Everyone to the outer ring road!¡± Xiang Hongbin immediately turned the steering wheel, heading for the outer ring road. The other three cars followed suit. As the zombies got closer and closer, nearly catching up with thest car, the convoy finally reached the outer ring road. There were virtually no vehicles on the outer ring road, allowing for unobstructed travel, and the four cars began to speed up. Chapter 256 - 137 Level Two Toughness_2 Chapter 256: Chapter 137 Level Two Toughness_2 Hum- Soon, the convoy had increased the distance from the pursuing zombies. It was not only because their speed had increased, but also because the zombies had stopped chasing! Seeing the gori zombie stop in its tracks, followed by the cessation of the mad demon zombies, Wang Tao did not rx but instead became even more vignt. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Speed up! Pass through the outer ring road and turn back into the county from the intersection ahead!¡± The speed of the four vehicles soon exceeded 120KM. Wang Tao was extremely nervous, fearing that the shadow with ten thousand HP was still there. Fortunately, luck wouldn¡¯t always be that bad, and the convoy did not encounter any issues on the outer ring road. Upon seeing the intersection ahead, the four vehicles slowed down in session, skillfully drifted, and sessfully entered the road back to the urban area. The gori zombie and most of the mad demon zombies were probably still at the previous intersection, and the roaring sound of the engines only attracted a dozen or so mad demon zombies. After confirming that the surroundings were temporarily safe, Wang Tao immediately got out of the car and took care of these dozen mad demon zombies. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Back to the base!¡± By the time the four vehicles finally arrived at the base¡¯s gate, it was already evening. The group finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Is Lu Gang okay?¡± Wang Tao picked up the walkie-talkie and asked. ¡°He¡¯s fine, just asleep.¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s voice came from the walkie-talkie; they were in another vehicle. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The convoy entered the base and immediately drew the attention of everyone inside. These survivors had been anxiously waiting outside, Ding Yuqin and Li Qiuyu included. Wang Tao got out of the car and nodded at the two of them to indicate that everything was fine. Then a soldier came over and asked in a low voice: ¡°Commissioner Wang, we didn¡¯t have any issues, did we? The noise outside earlier was too loud, and everyone was very worried¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright now, let everyone rest assured.¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, the soldier finally rxed. He immediately told the other survivors: ¡°It¡¯s okay now, everyone is safe, you can go back.¡± Sigh¡ª Upon hearing that everything was fine and seeing themissioners had all returned safely, the survivors finally put down their worries. Xiang Hongbin and some soldiers got a briefing on the situation, mentioning how the noise from their earlier battle was so loud that the explosions could be heard clearly inside the base. In particr, when they saw the zombies outside starting to riot, the survivors got restless¡­ Wei Zhenguo was assisting Wang Tao in carrying a stretcher, bringing Lu Gang over to Chen Zhuang. ¡°He¡¯s seriously injured!¡± Chen Zhuang and two other doctors hadn¡¯ t done any work that day Just waiting for Wang Tao and the others. Although they hoped nothing would go wrong with the team, they certainly had to be prepared in advance. ¡°Let me take a look¡­ it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a fractured rib, no life-threatening danger!¡± Upon hearing the doctor¡¯s confirmation, everyone fully let down their guard. After all, they couldn¡¯t see the HP bar and didn¡¯t know Lu Gang¡¯s current state. After handing over Lu Gang to Chen Zhuang and his team, the injured among Wang Tao¡¯s group also briefly treated their wounds and then headed to the conference room in theprehensive building. ¡°Everyone¡¯s okay, right?¡± Wang Tao looked at the group. He himself was actually the second most injured person, but he had self- healing power and a medical kit. He had recovered a small part along the way, so his injuries had stabilized. But to return to full HP was impossible, he would need Ding Yuqin¡¯s help for that. The others were all more or less injured as well. ¡°We¡¯re all fine, just minor injuries!¡± Xiang Hongbin shook his head. Unless someone was missing limbs or infected, everything else was considered minor. And the most seriously injured person was naturally Lu Gang. No one expected that Lu Gang, who should have been the safest, was the one who was the most seriously hurt. The hooded zombie¡¯s perception was too keen! After being hit by one of Lu Gang¡¯s arrows, it instantly detected Lu Gang¡¯s position, and then leaped directly from the rooftop towards Lu Gang. If not for the fact that Lu Gang was wearing a steel te, Wang Tao had given them a defense potion in advance¡­ and I also saved him, Lu Gang might have been finished! ¡°That Level Two Zombie is damn powerful!¡± Xiang Hongbin let out a sigh. He felt that he had already overestimated the Level Two Zombie, but found that he still underestimated it after the battle. Lucky for them, Wang Tao was well prepared, using a bomb to st it a bit in advance, otherwise, they would have definitely suffered casualties! As for things like sticky substances, they were useless; the hooded zombie was too fast! ¡°This is a Level Two Zombie in its Full Peak State! And there was also that gori zombie, too horrifying!¡± Wei Zhenguo also sighed. The hooded zombie was strong, but the gori zombie was stronger! Only Wang Tao could withstand a hit from a gori zombie. If they were to face the gori zombie themselves, they would probably be instantly killed! ¡°Don¡¯t be disheartened, everyone! After all, this was our first time facing a Level Two Zombie head-on. It¡¯s already remarkable we achieved this much! Let¡¯s summarize thebat experience, and we won¡¯t be so flustered next time!¡± Wang Tao said with an encouraging smile. Though everyone was injured to different extents, the fact that no one had died was a considerable victory. The group began to debrief on the battle. They analyzed where they fell short and how they could do better. Wang Tao thought that if there would be a next time, they should either use more Self-Destruct Bombs, ideally to blow up the Level Two Zombie in one shot, or use fewer to avoid attracting the gori zombie and arge number of mad demon zombies. This time his bomb was not well ced; he neither killed the hooded zombie nor attracted arge number of mad demon zombies and the gori zombie. Chapter 257 - 137 Level Two Toughness^3 Chapter 257: Chapter 137 Level Two Toughness^3 If we had known it would turn out like this, we might as well have used thermal weapons from the start, since we were going to attract so many zombies anyway¡­ Wang Tao felt that the Level 2 Zombie probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand too many bullets. After everyone had finished summarizing their lessons, Wei Zhenguo took out the crystal core from the hooded zombie. ¡°This is the crystal core of that zombie, see if you can use it! Wang Tao hadn¡¯t had a chance to look at the crystal core in the brain of the hooded zombie before, but now that he saw the crystal core Wei Zhenguo pulled out, he was quite surprised. It was actually an Epic Crystal Core, what luck! [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 45% (No Side Effects)] This is an Ascension Crystal Core! Wang Tao was overjoyed in his heart. ¡°This is useful to me!¡± Everyone¡¯s faces also showed joy. ¡°Good that it¡¯s useful! Otherwise, all our efforts would have been in vain!¡± Wang Tao had thought that his luck couldn¡¯t be that bad today, that no Ascension crystal cores would drop-Wang Tao checked the package he had looted, and indeed, there was no Ascension crystal core inside. But who would have thought the Ascension crystal core was inside the zombie¡¯s brain! ¡°I¡¯ll take the crystal core then, after today, my strength should increase considerably!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile as he got up. ¡°We¡¯re looking forward to it!¡± The people genuinely congratted him, after all, the stronger Wang Tao became, the greater the security of their base. Wang Tao and Han Rui went back home together. Ding Yuqin asked if either of them was hurt, and WangTao, feeling somewhat exhausted, went to take a bath. Lyingfortably in the bathtub, his fatigue faded away a lot, and after a long sigh of relief, Wang Tao looked at the package from the Level 2 hooded zombie he had killed. The zombie had dropped a total of two packages. The first package contained three crystal cores. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (No Side Effects)] [Omnipotent: After fusion, randomly adds +1 to an already merged ability, up to a maximum of+10] The first one was an Omnipotent Crystal Core, but unfortunately, it was only Level 1. ¡°Could it be that only Level 2 zombies drop Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Cores?¡± If that were the case, then the conditions would be too harsh¡­ However, this was after all an Omnipotent Crystal Core, and if someone had fused with some particrly rare abilities, then the utility of this Omnipotent Crystal Core could still be significant. The second one is a Level 2 Crystal Core. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Athlete] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side Effect: Doubled physical energy consumption for actions)] [Athlete: Passive Ability, enhanced athletic abilities] This crystal core was a passive ability, and the description was quite simple. But judging by the hooded zombie¡¯s performance, Wang Tao felt this ability was powerful! The hooded zombie was not only faster than humans but also more agile. It effortlessly performed feats akin to acrobatics¡­ especially when it was running on the rooftops, the obstacles could not stop it at all! If a human fused with this ability, leaving everything else aside, at the very least the ability to run away would be maxed out. Wang Tao was somewhat tempted, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t fuse with any other crystal cores anymore. The side effect of this crystal core was that actions consumed double the physical strength, which was surprisingly the same as the stealth crystal core. It seemed that the side effects of crystal cores were not unique to each one¡­ Thest crystal core was also level 2. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Jump) [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Noise sensitivity)] [Jump: Consuming energy, it can enhance the height and distance of the jump] This ability wasn¡¯t bad either. If he could jump a distance of ten-plus meters like the hooded zombie, it would be a very strong ability, whether for offense or defense. Moreover, ifbined with the athlete ability, it would be a replica of the hooded zombie! As for this side effect¡­ no wonder that zombie was so sensitive to sound; it turned out to be noise sensitivity! Wang Tao suddenly thought, he used five self-destruct bombs to st nearly five thousand HP off the hooded zombie. But was it the bombs¡¯ power that sted that HP, or the enormous noise that did it? It was really hard to say¡­ Wang Tao couldn¡¯t use any of the three crystal cores in this package right now, and he thought of an issue¡ª Abilities like athlete and jump were all level 2 from the start, without any level 1 crystal cores seen. So, could level 2 people directly fuse with such crystal cores? Or would level 2 people also need to find level 1 crystal cores first? Wang Tao was somewhat confused; these were things he¡¯d have to wait to figure out after his own advancement to level 2, since his current understanding of level 2 matters were all conjectures¡­ The second package contained a set of clothes. [ckhoodie: Durability +5, Tear resistance +5] [ck sport trousers: Durability +5, Tear resistance +5] Were these the clothes that burst out from the hooded zombie? He had also obtained two pieces of clothing from the zombie, including the security uniform he was wearing and the nurse¡¯s outfit in his space backpack, as well as this set of hoodie and trousers. All these clothes came with durability and tear resistance attributes, but the attributes for the security uniform and the nurse¡¯s outfit were both +1, while this set was +5. Wang Tao felt these two attributes were quite practical. For example, his security uniform, even though its attributes were all +1, hadn¡¯t worn out since he started wearing it. And with this set being +5, it would surely be even more durable. It was a pity that the zombie didn¡¯t drop any potions, blueprints, or the like, which was slightly regrettable. But Wang Tao was content nheless, since he got an ascension crystal core after all. The ascension crystal core was orange in quality, and he immediately put it into his mouth. After a moment, Wang Tao felt a warm sensation all over his body as his limbs filled with strength. He checked his attributes. His HP hadn¡¯t changed; it was still 4999- His mana increased by 200, and now it was at 4400. Internal impurities also rose. Previously it showed 0%, but now it was 1%-to be exact, 1.1%, ording to Wang Tao¡¯s calction¡­ Then there was his ability¡ªhis toughness had be a level 2 ability! This pleasantly surprised Wang Tao. After seeing the attack power of the full blood level 2 zombie today, he had hoped for his toughness to ascend to level 2. Now just right, one attack ability, shockwave, and one defense ability, toughness, were both level 2-a bncedbination of offense and defense! If he were to confront the hooded zombie again, he should be able to withstand its direct attacks, right? Wang Tao tried out his level 2 toughness, and the sensation of using it wasn t much different from when it was level 1, but the mana cost had increased. When level 1 toughness was activated, it consumed 1 mana per second, but now it consumed 5 mana per second. The consumption of mana increased fivefold. He just didn¡¯t know exactly how much the defense had improved¡­ he would have to test it out properly! At night, Wang Tao replenished his HP thoroughly on Ding Yuqin. Through his relentless efforts, he finally refilled her HP to full! Having a blood replenishing pack was indeed convenient! Lu Gang, who was equally severely injured, was still lying on a hospital bed, while Wang Tao could go out and hunt zombies! Chapter 258 - 138: The Zombie with 15,000 HP_i Chapter 258: Chapter 138: The Zombie with 15,000 HP_i Two dayster, after Wei Zhenguo and the others had mostly recovered, Wang Tao led them to the First Hospital. Since the Hooded Zombie had been dealt with, they could attract the zombies in the hospital with a bit more ease. Of course, they couldn¡¯t be too reckless, as there were still many Mad Demon Zombies in the hospital, and there might be Level 2 Zombies¡­ When everyone arrived at the hospital, they saw not a single zombie in the hospital yard. ¡°Are you sure there are zombies in here?¡± From the rooftop of the dpidated apartment building, Xiang Hongbin looked at the hospital with some confusion. ¡°There should be, just wait a moment¡­¡± Wang Tao went to set up the remote-controlled speaker, which was really useful. The previous speakers had been destroyed by the Hooded Zombie, and this one had been made for him by Liu He. After setting everything up, Wang Tao returned to the top of the apartment building and then pressed the remote control. Momentster, the hospital erupted into chaos, as countless Mad Demon Zombies climbed out of the outpatient building¡¯s second-floor windows and rushed towards the location of the speakers. Some Elite Zombies also emerged from the inpatient building, following the Mad Demon Zombies out. ¡°They¡¯re really here!¡± Seeing those Elite Zombies, Xiang Hongbin was somewhat excited. These were walking Crystal Cores! Once Wang Tao saw some Elite Zombies approaching, he decided to cut his gains and immediately turned off the speaker. Without the noise, the Mad Demon Zombies instantly lost their target; some ran around erratically, some went back, and some arrived at the base of the apartment building. The duration of the speaker¡¯s sound was short, and it didn¡¯t attract too many zombies, so Wang Tao and hispanions went directly downstairs to take care of those Mad Demon Zombies that had stumbled over. Then, they started hunting the Elite Zombies. Wang Tao and Han Rui did not take action, but insteady on the rooftop, looking in the direction of the hospital. Wang Tao whispered: ¡°Do you think there might be Level 2 Zombies in this hospital?¡± ¡°There probably are¡­¡± Han Rui was somewhat uncertain. It was mainly because Level 2 Zombies were so rare that, for such a long time they had only encountered three, including Shao Yong, who had mutated suddenly. So even though there were many Elite Zombies in the hospital, Han Rui was not certain if there were any Level 2 Zombies. ¡°Shall we go in and check it out?¡± Wang Tao suddenly said. After using two Ascension Crystal Cores, Wang Tao¡¯s strength had greatly increased. He felt that he might have the ability to explore inside the inpatient building. This wasn ¡®t arrogance on his part; he truly needed the Crystal Cores from the Level 2 Zombies. If he couldn¡¯t reach Level 2, then he would still have no way to fight the Gori Zombie. So some risks had to be taken! ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui didn¡¯ t refuse. She was very curious about what exactly was inside the inpatient building. Now that Wang Tao¡¯s strength had increased so much, he should have the ability to explore it. ¡°Let¡¯s go! As long as we don¡¯t stir up too many Mad Demon Zombies, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡± Wang Tao informed Zhen Guo of the situation through the walkie-talkie and then climbed over the hospital yard wall with Han Rui to enter the hospital¡¯s interior. After killing two Elite Zombies that didn¡¯t know any better on the way, the two arrived at the foot of the inpatient building. Therge hole made by the Gori Zombie was still there, dark and foreboding within, and it was unclear whaty inside. Wang Tao certainly wasn¡¯t going to enter through there; he took the main entrance. Inside the main entrance it was empty, without a single zombie in sight. After Han Rui confirmed there were no zombies inside, Wang Tao and Han Rui both ventured further. Upon entering the main entrance, Wang Tao immediately smelled a mix of rot and disinfectant, which was extremely pungent. Wang Tao stopped in his tracks immediately. After waiting a while and confirming that he wasn¡¯t losing HP, he continued inside. The corridor of the inpatient building was quite long, with dark bloodstains all over the walls. The pitch-dark end of the corridor was incredibly eerie. Wang Tao nned to check the first floor first; if it was safe, then he would go to the second, third floors¡­ However, even after they had toured the entire first floor, they didn¡¯t find a single Level 2 Zombie, not even a Level 1 Zombie. ¡°Not a single zombie?¡± Wang Tao was confused. Had all the zombies been attracted outside? But he felt that there weren¡¯t many zombies outside either! At least not as many as he had seen before. Although he had hunted quite a few Elite Zombies in the hospital, there should still have been quite a few left¡­ ¡°There are none on the second floor either¡­¡± Han Rui then said. The hospital had tall floors, and her Ability could only prate through one Then they went to the third floor. The third floor was much like the first floor looking terrifying, but likewise had no zombies, including on the fourth floor.¡¯ ¡°This is really strange!¡± Wang Tao was puzzled. Were there really no zombies left? Refusing to believe it, he continued to climb higher, all the way to the top 12th floor, which was simrly devoid of zombies. ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡± Wang Tao was somewhat helpless. Could it be that all the Elite Zombies inside had indeed been killed by him and Han Rui? Or that many of them had been killed when the Gori Zombie had enteredst time¡ªwait a second, the Gori Zombie! Wang Tao suddenly paused, then he said to Han Rui: It seems the Gori Zombie never came up, did it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Han Rui didn¡¯t immediately grasp Wang Tao¡¯s meaning. She replied instinctively, ¡°It indeed never came up, or else with its size, the upper structure would certainly have been destroyed¡­¡± Wang Tao spoke again: ¡°But the Gori Zombie dide in! It came in, but didn¡¯te up. The first floor also doesn¡¯t seem to have any signs of its activity¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Then there¡¯s only one possibility, the Gori Zombie went underground! There is a basement here!¡± Chapter 259 - 138: The Zombie with 15,000 HP_2 Chapter 259: Chapter 138: The Zombie with 15,000 HP_2 ¡°That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s go and take a look!¡± just as Wang Tao had recalled the gori zombie, he suddenly realized a detail -the gori zombie had knocked a big hole into the inpatient building, but the floor above was very smooth, with no traces of the gori zombie having lingered. It couldn¡¯t possibly have smashed a big hole and then just sat on the first floor for a while before leaving, could it? It must have taken some action! Since it didn¡¯t go upstairs, then it was very likely to have gone downstairs! When the two of them had entered the inpatient department, they had deliberately avoided the big hole made by the gori zombie, fearing danger. After entering, since the area near the hole was in ruins, they hadn¡¯t checked it out. Now, Wang Tao thought that the gori zombie might have gone to the basement! Most hospitals have basements. Wang Tao and Han Rui quickly ran to the first floor and came to the big hole made by the gori zombie. After climbing over the rubble at the entrance, they found it was a hole leading downward! ¡°As I suspected, a basement!¡± After confirming his guess, Wang Tao didn¡¯t enter from here. Instead, he and Han Rui went to the stairwell of the inpatient department. The stairwell they had used to go upstairs earlier didn¡¯t have a route to the basement, but there must be another stairwell that did. After searching for a while, the two finally found a stairwell that led to the basement. This hospital had three basement levels. Level negative two and level negative three were locked with a password lock, which Wang Tao couldn¡¯t open unless he broke it by force. But level negative one wasn¡¯t locked, and the door was open. Level negative one resembled arge warehouse; although it was very dark inside, some yellow emergency sensor lights were shing, which made it possible to see clearly. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness for a moment, Wang Tao and Han Rui walked in together. ¡°Hiss¡ªso cold!¡± The moment she entered level negative one, Han Rui shuddered. The temperature inside was so low! Wang Tao furrowed his brows. Basements are usually cool, but it was June, and the gear he was wearing was thick, yet he could still feel the cold¡­ Something wasn¡¯t right, very wrong! When things are abnormal, there¡¯s sure to be demons! Wang Tao immediately cautioned: ¡°Keep your Perception Ability activated the whole time and be careful! ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Tao let Han Rui walk in front, trailing her by a step1 s distance so that he could respond promptly if anything happened. Suddenly, Han Rui stopped. Her face showed a shocked expression as she pointed ahead. ¡°Zombies! So many zombies!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Let¡¯s move slowly¡­¡± Wang Tao gently ced his hand on Han Rui¡¯s shoulder. They slowly moved forward. ¡°Right there!¡± Han Rui pointed to a ce, and Wang Tao looked in the direction she was pointing. He saw a group of zombies dressed in whiteb coats and patient gowns standing there with their backs to Wang Tao, their bodies swaying slightly but not moving. It was as if¡­ they were standing asleep? Wang Tao was somewhat unsure. Ordinary zombies did have this kind of sleep-like state, lying on the ground as if dead, and if someone approached, they would slowly rise. But that was typical of ordinary zombies, and Wang Tao had never seen this behavior in elite zombies before. After thinking for a moment, Wang Tao took out his hand crossbow and, under the dim light, shot a crossbow arrow at thest zombie in the row. Whizz¡ª [-8731 [2127/3000] The zombie stumbled instantly. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± It turned its head to look as if it hadn¡¯t found anything, then turned back around and continued to stand there. ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. Under normal circumstances, if a zombie were attacked, even if it didn¡¯t discover the attacker, it would be angry or seek out the attacker, not just stand there foolishly to be attacked. Yet this elite zombie only turned its head to look and then ignored it¡­ Wang Tao, holding the hand crossbow, shot two more arrows at it. [-921] [-8141 [392/3000] Even with three crossbow arrows stuck in its head, barely hanging on to life, the zombie still didn¡¯te over. It just turned its head back angrily to roar a couple of times, then continued to dumbly look ahead. ¡°It¡¯s noting over?¡± Since that was the case, Wang Tao showed no mercy, and with one final arrow, he cleared its HP bar. [-392] [0/3000] Thump- The zombie with four crossbow arrows in its head fell to the ground. Without considering uracy, the damage of the hand crossbow was unrted to Wang Tao¡¯s own strength and depended solely on the power of the crossbow and arrows. Thus, after Wang Tao had grown stronger, the damage from the hand crossbow seemed somewhat unimpressive. It took four arrows to kill an elite zombie with low defense; if he had used his axe, it undoubtedly would have taken fewer than four strikes¡­ After this zombie fell, the other zombies around acted as if they hadn¡¯t noticed anything and continued to stand there dumbly. ¡°They¡¯re not moving? If that¡¯s the case¡­ I won¡¯t hold back on these Crystal Coresthen!¡± Before acting, Wang Tao had Ding Yuqin carefully inspect the area to make sure there were only these elite zombies around and nothing else. Once confirmed, Wang Tao went over with his axe in hand. He walked right behind the group of zombies, three to four meters away, and it was only then that the zombies seemed to sense something and began to turn around one after another. As they turned, Wang Tao unleashed a Shockwave. Spurt! [-3000] [-2800] [-3245] [-3244] [-1388] [¡­] The zombies hit by the Shockwave were instantly shattered, their HP bars wiped out. The remaining ones were left critically wounded. ¡°Awesome!¡± A Level Two Shockwave was different, capable of almost instantly killing elite zombies with less than 3,000 HP. The ones that weren¡¯t instantly killed either had exceptionally high defense power or a lot of HP. Chapter 260 - 138: The Zombie with 15,000 HP 3 Chapter 260: Chapter 138: The Zombie with 15,000 HP 3 Wang Tao seized the opportunity to swing his axe again, sending another shockwave through. All the remaining zombies were shattered by the shockwave! Gazing at the severed limbs and the gleaming crystal cores, Wang Tao grinned. Using a Level Two ability against Level 1 zombies was simply overkill! Wang Tao quickly called over Han Rui to collect the crystal cores. The great thing about the shockwave ability was that most zombies killed by it had their heads or even entire bodies exploded. So the crystal cores fell out directly. There was no need to forcibly suppress the nausea to extract the crystal cores anymore. Soon, all the crystal cores on the ground were collected by the two of them, and Wang Tao naturally put all the zombies¡¯ dropped loot into his space backpack. During the looting process, Wang Tao discovered that what these zombies had been staring at was actually a stairway entrance! Was it leading to the second sub-level? Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. Why were these zombies stupidly staring at the second sub-level? Could there be something down there? Peering into the pitch-dark opening and feeling the cooler temperature at the entrance of the stairway, Wang Tao hesitated whether to go down or not. Just from the look of this stairway entrance, there seemed to be no lights below the second sub-level, and he didn¡¯t have any night vision equipment. If he rashly went down, what if there was danger¡­ ¡°Search the first level first!¡± Wang Tao thought it best to finish scouring the first level before anything else. The basement was huge, and the area where Wang Tao was located was just one section of it. There were several stairways leading to the second sub-level. Soon, Han Rui spotted another group of zombies. This group of zombies, like the one before, stood aimlessly at a stairway entrance, as if they were hypnotized. Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother probing this time and went straight up with his axe in hand. However, this time it was slightly more troublesome as there were many zombies with high HP and strong defense, so Wang Tao used four shockwaves. Without needing to call her over, Han Rui immediately ran to collect the crystal cores the moment the zombies were shattered. After the two gathered all the spoils of war, they were both somewhat excited. Killing zombies like this was just too thrilling! Just from these two fights, the crystal cores obtained were probably worth half a month¡¯s effort for Wei Zhenguo and his group! ¡°Keep it going!¡± Han Rui maximised her Perception Ability and continued searching for zombies. Very quickly, she found a third group of zombies. Same as before, they were lingering at a stairway entrance, arge group, all standing motionlessly. Wang Tao immediately grabbed his axe and went behind them, then with a single shockwave, all the zombies were instantly shattered. This time there were no zombies with high HP and strong defense, so it was rtively clean and tidy. However, just as Wang Tao was gathering up the fallen loot, Han Rui suddenly turned pale. ¡°Not good! Abig one¡¯sing! It¡¯s right below us!¡± Wang Tao instinctively nced at the stairway. Then¡ª Without caring for the crystal cores, he wrapped his arms around Han Rui¡¯s waist and performed a rush, sprinting over twenty meters! Then, with Han Rui in tow, he zigzagged left and right until they reached an open stretch of road where Wang Tao said to Han Rui anxiously, ¡°Sprint!¡± Han Rui immediately clung tightly to Wang Tao¡¯s waist and activated her Rush Ability. Whoosh¡ª The two of them sprinted another twenty meters. Then, after turning a corner, they saw the brightly lit hole ahead that had been punched through by the gori zombie. However, the first sub-level was quite high, probably about four meters. ¡°You go up first!¡± Wang Tao crossed his hands with palms facing up. Han Rui immediately stepped onto Wang Tao¡¯s palm, and with a heave of his hands, Wang Tao sent her up. Afternding on the ground, Han Rui rolled to dissipate the force and theny down, stretching out her hand to Wang Tao. Wang Tao took a short run-up, then directly sprinted a short distance up the wall, simultaneously reaching out to grab Han Rui¡¯s hand. ¡°Heave? ¡± Han Rui grasped Wang Tao¡¯s right hand with both of hers, and then forcefully pulled. Whoosh Wang Tao was yanked out of the pit by her. Without even giving her a chance to catch her breath, Wang Tao immediately took her hand and ran. At the same time, he was calling out on the walkie- talkie for Wei Zhenguo and the others to retreat quickly! The two of them ran breathlessly to the apartment building, arriving just as Wei Zhenguo and his team were also getting back. ¡°What¡¯s the situation? I was about to finish off the zombies in front of me when I heard you say to retreat quick, so I ran without even bothering to kill them¡­ If I¡¯d known, I wouldn¡¯t have dawdled!¡± Xiang Hongbin was somewhat annoyed; he had just wanted to try out his new move, which cost him some time. The other few also looked at Wang Tao, who was gasping for air, unsure of what had happened. ¡°Huff?? ¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother to speak, hurriedly running to the rooftop. Only after seeing there was nomotion at the hospital did he finally rx. There¡¯s a terrifying zombie in the basement of the hospital!¡± Wang Tao said to the people behind him. A Level Two Zombie? How terrifying is it?¡± Wei Zhenguo asked cautiously. I m not certain of its exact strength, but based on my experience, it might be even stronger than a gori zombie!¡± Just as Han Rui had reminded him, Wang Tao had nced towards the stairwell. It was pitch-ck down there, and he couldn¡¯t see the specifics, but he caught sight of a pair of green eyes! At the same time, he also saw its HP bar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- [15000/15000] Fifteen thousand HP! This was the creature with the highest HP Wang Tao had encountered since the apocalypse began! As understood so far, HP could essentially be equated withbat prowess. That¡¯s why, the moment Wang Tao saw that amount of HP, he didn¡¯t even bother to pick up the Zombie Cores and simply ran! ¡°Stronger than gori zombies!¡± Everyone was shocked. They had all seen thebat capability of a gori zombie; if something was even stronger than that, what kind of monster could it be! But this was the hospital, with arge number of Elite Zombies, so the emergence of such a creature seemed reasonable¡­ ¡°So¡­ do we continue?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head back first! We two just got a lot of Crystal Cores down there!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± For these soldiers, executing orders was second nature. When Wang Tao said to leave, they left immediately without any hesitation, even if there were injured zombies left unfinished. On the way back, Wang Tao briefed everyone about the situation on the minus first floor. However, when he mentioned the zombie with 15000 HP, Wang Tao suddenly furrowed his brows. He recalled encountering a creature with 10000 HP on the outer ring, which had sent a shiver through his legs with sheer terror. But this 15000 HP creature didn t exude the same frightening presence. Could it be that his strength had increased? But that wasn¡¯t right. Even now, thinking back to the 10000 HP creature, Wang Tao still felt a shiver down his spine! On the other hand, those green eyes from just now-while Wang Tao feared its HP, given it was a whopping fifteen thousand¡ªhe didn¡¯t sense as much danger from its aura, at least not as much as from the shadow or gori zombies. Wang Tao suddenly had an oundish thought¡ª ¡­Could it be, it¡¯s not as strong as I had imagined? Did I scare myself?¡± Chapter 261 - 139 Overall Base Strength Enhancement-! Chapter 261: Chapter 139 Overall Base Strength Enhancement-! ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Han Rui asked, somewhat puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head, not voicing the outrageous thought that had crossed his mind. Although it was a possibility, there was no need to mention it now. Later on, he would have to find an opportunity toe back and probe the reality of that green-eyed zombie¡­ On their way back, they came across another destroyed street. ¡°The gori zombie has been here!¡± Everyone¡¯s mood turned a bit heavy. Based on the frequency of the gori zombie¡¯s destruction, it felt like it would find Shuize Base very soon! With several hundred people at Shuize Base, hiding was not an option. Once discovered by the gori zombie, it definitely wouldn¡¯t let things slide¡­ They had to get stronger, much stronger! There were noplications on their return trip, and they smoothly made it back to the base. In the meeting room, Wang Tao shared with everyone the encounter he had in the hospital¡¯s basement level. When they heard that Wang Tao could kill a dozen or even dozens of elite zombies with a casual strike, and that the zombies didn¡¯t even resist, everyone felt a bit envious. That sounded exhrating! However, when Wang Tao mentioned the pair of green eyes he saw on the second basement floor, everyone instinctively shuddered. They all felt that the reason why those elite zombies had be so stupefied might be rted to the owner of those eyes! If Wang Tao and Han Rui hadn¡¯t left in time, would they have be as dull as those zombies? The thought was terrifying! ¡°So, does that mean we shouldn¡¯t go to the hospital anymore?¡± Xiang Hongbin felt somewhat regretful. Apart from the hospital having so many elite zombies, finding elite zombies in other ces would be a time-consuming effort. Wang Tao pondered for a moment and said: ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily the case¡­ The zombie in the basement of the hospital must have been there for a while, at least by the time the gori zombie arrived, it had probably already existed. We¡¯ve hunted many elite zombies there since then, and it never showed up. So, it¡¯s possible that it doesn¡¯t want to, or cannote out? Of course, this is just my spection. How it actually is, we¡¯ll need to observe further. For the time being, let¡¯s avoid going to the hospital. I¡¯ll investigate thoroughly when I go back.¡± Throughout the journey, Wang Tao was preupied with the thought of the green-eyed zombie with 15,000 HP in the hospital basement. Based on the current situation, there were only four Level 2 zombies in Shuize County. Zombie Shao Yong had been killed by him, and he had also killed the hooded zombie. Now, only the gori zombie and the green-eyed zombie beneath the hospital remained. If he could kill these two Level 2 zombies, then it was highly likely that Wang Tao could achieve Level 2 Ascension! But the problem was, if Wang Tao couldn¡¯t reach Level 2 Ascension, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill these two Level 2 zombies! It seemed to have be a deadlock. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t lose heart. After all, they had managed to kill the hooded zombie, a group of Level 1 individuals. So, defeating the green-eyed zombie in the hospital and the gori zombie outside was not entirely impossible¡­ The topic of the green-eyed zombie was temporarily put aside, and next came the issue of crystal cores. On the way back, Wang Tao had fused all the crystal cores that could be merged. Now, he took out all of these crystal cores. ¡°Wow! So many crystal cores!¡± Upon seeing the crystal cores that Wang Tao brought out, everyone eximed in surprise. ¡°Take whatever you need, and then leave some for cultivating the ability users of the base,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Initially, Wang Tao thought about telling them not to rush into fusing other crystal cores, as advancing to Level 2 might require many ascension crystal cores, which could be troublesome. But after killing the hooded zombie, shing with the gori zombie, and seeing the green-eyed zombie in the hospital basement, Wang Tao felt it wasn¡¯t a matter of whether they could reach Level 2 Ascension, but whether they could withstand an attack from the gori zombie if it arrived at the base right now. Therefore, they had to enhance their strength as much as possible! It would be best to bring everyone to their pinnacle state! That way, their chances against the gori zombie would be greater in the future! Naturally, everyone understood Wang Tao¡¯s reasoning and nodded in agreement. There was really no time to think about anything else at this time. After distributing the crystal cores to everyone, Wang Tao went to visit Lu Gang. ¡°You¡¯re here, how was today¡¯s haul?¡± When Lu Gang, lying in the hospital bed, saw Wang Taoing, he immediately tried to sit up, and Chen Zhuang quickly went over to support him. ¡°Not bad, got quite a few crystal cores. How¡¯s your injury?¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Lu Gang was still injured, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t mention the Level 2 zombie in the hospital to him. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m fine! I feel like I could recover in just three to five days!¡± Lu Gangughed heartily. Wang Tao shook his head. Recovering in three to five days was definitely not possible, as one of his ribs was broken. Although Chen Zhuang had set it, it still wouldn¡¯t heal that quickly. But Lu Gang was recovering quite well. After all, Wang Tao had used a lot of medical kits on him, not only saving his life but also substantially increasing his HP. He had now recovered to over 3000 HP. Although he was lying in the hospital bed, if he got up to fight, hisbat power wouldn¡¯t be weak. ¡°I¡¯ve got some more crystal cores here¡­¡± Wang Tao gave Lu Gang some crystal cores. Lu Gang¡¯s Precision Shooting and Sprint were already at max level, but he could fuse two types of crystal cores. He had previously told Wang Tao that he was particrly interested in Throwing Master and Stealth Ability. Wang Tao now gave him the crystal cores for Throwing Master and Stealth. ¡°Wow! So many purple, red, and even orange crystal cores!¡± Lu Gang¡¯s face lit up with excitement; with these crystal cores, his strength would jump up significantly! Chapter 262 - 139 Overall Base Strength Chapter 262: Chapter 139 Overall Base Strength Enhancement_2 ¡°Take your time with the fusion; while integrating with the Crystal Core, it seems that the energy it contains can also restore the body a bit. You might actually be able to get out of bed in just three to five days!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Lu Gang said gratefully. ¡°What are you thanking me for? You deserve this!¡± Wang Tao patted Lu Gang on the shoulder. ¡°No, I meant earlier, during the fight with the hooded zombie. If you hadn¡¯t thrown those two axes at me, hitting the zombie, I would have been dead a long time ago¡­¡± Lu Gang said with a sigh. ¡°That incident? Actually, I had no other choice at the time. Fortunately, you¡¯re tough enough!¡± Thinking back to the hunt for the hooded zombie, Wang Tao also felt a sense of relief. If his throws had been off, Lu Gang would have been a goner. ¡°s, it¡¯s my fault¡­ I thought I was far enough away that the zombie couldn¡¯t possibly find me. If only I had been more cautious¡­¡± Lu Gang was somewhat annoyed with himself. Fighting zombies for a long time can lead to letting one¡¯s guard down in certain situations. For instance, thinking zombies are brainless or believing they won¡¯t notice him¡­ ¡°You can¡¯t me yourself for that; that zombie was simply too formidable. Anyway, we¡¯U remember this lesson and just be more cautious in the future!¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re right!¡± After visiting Lu Gang, Wang Tao went back home and called Gao Hua over. Ding Yuqin was also there. Wang Tao asked them what kind of Crystal Core they wanted. After integrating with the Stealth Crystal Core, both of them could still continue to integrate. ¡°I want Toughness¡­¡± Gao Hua said somewhat sheepishly, scratching his head. Wang Tao nced at him, somewhat surprised. It seemed like he was nning to max out his defense, with both Stealth and Toughness. ¡°No problem.¡± Wang Tao handed him a Toughness Crystal Core. ¡°Thanks a lot, big brother!¡± Gao Hua¡¯s face lit up with gratitude. ¡°With your current HP, you should be able to sense whether or not you can continue to integrate with other types of Crystal Cores, right?¡± Wang Tao asked again. Gao Hua closed his eyes and felt for a while before speaking: ¡°I feel like I can integrate two more types¡­¡± Gao Hua had only integrated with Stealth so far, which meant he could integrate with three types of Crystal Cores in total. ¡°Three types, huh? That¡¯s pretty good. Do you have any other types in mind? I have some more Crystal Cores on hand; I¡¯ll give them all to you.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°Let me think¡­¡± Gao Hua¡¯s eyes shone immediately. He never actively asked Wang Tao for anything, but he never refused anything Wang Tao gave him, not even bothering with a pretense of politeness. He was well aware of his own status, considering himself Wang Tao¡¯s underling. It was a reward for an underling to receive something from their boss, and an underling had no right to refuse. ¡°Could I have a Throwing Mastery Crystal Core?¡± After thinking it over, Gao Hua already had two defensive Abilities, so acquiring an offensive Ability wouldn¡¯t be bad either. However, he wasn¡¯t keen on engaging in meleebat, which was his weakness. Thus, he thought it best to choose an Ability that would allow ranged attacks. As far as he knew, there were currently only two types of range attack Abilities: Throwing Mastery and Precision Shooting. He felt that Throwing Mastery suited him better. It was a passive Ability that didn¡¯t consume Mana and didn¡¯t require any basic skills. As long as he integrated with this Ability, he would naturally feel affinity and familiarity with throwing objects. In terms of potential, Precision Shooting was certainly superior. However, Precision Shooting served to enhance the abilities of those who already had shooting skills. For someone like him who had no clue about shooting, Precision Shooting wouldn¡¯t offer a significant improvement. ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Tao gave him a red Throwing Mastery Crystal Core. ¡°Thanks a lot, big brother!¡± Gao Hua thanked him again, then with a keen sense of timing added, ¡°If big brother doesn¡¯t have anything else, I¡¯ll go and start integrating with the Crystal Core.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± After Gao Hua left, Wang Tao turned to Ding Yuqin. ¡°Sister-inw, what about you? What Crystal Core would you like to integrate with?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll listen to you!¡± Ding Yuqin, with her arm around Wang Tao¡¯s, said. Wang Tao looked at Ding Yuqin. He thought that integrating her with a Loose Tongue might give a different feeling. But after some thought, he decided against it. It was better for the sister-inw to remain as she was. ¡°Then you should also integrate with a Throwing Mastery first; it¡¯s always good to have more methods of attack.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± As for Han Rui, besides her Perception Ability, all her other Abilities were already maxed out. She hadn¡¯t had the chance to encounter zombie perception, so she wasn¡¯t able to improve in that area. Like Wang Tao, her strength had temporarily reached its upper limit. The next day. The Committee announced at the base that they wanted to train another batch of Ability Users. The first batch, not counting the Security Army, consisted only of six people. The number was still quite small, given that the base now housed 700 people. Therefore, many were eagerly awaiting this second chance. They had thought it would take a long time. But to their surprise, just a few days after the first batch of Crystal Cores was distributed, the Committee was ready to train a second batch of Ability Users! This news excited the survivors. There were now over 700 people in the base, with 300 of them being Hunters. Originally, there weren¡¯t that many Hunters, but as many people who had recently joined the base registered as Hunters, and coupled with the allure of bing Ability Users, the number of Hunters spiked. After all, everyone knew that Ability Users were chosen from among Hunters. Of course, this increase in Hunters was something the Committee wanted to see, for the more Hunters there were, the richer the base¡¯s resources became. Chapter 263 - 139 Overall Base Strength Enhancement 3 Chapter 263: Chapter 139 Overall Base Strength Enhancement 3 Therefore, the number of Ability Users themittee prepared to train for the second batch was no longer six, but fifty! Now, Wang Tao had plenty of Crystal Cores, more than enough to train fifty Ability Users. Of course, Wang Tao only made them be Ability Users; as for the subsequent Special Ability Level enhancement, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t be involved -that would be up to them to hunt Elite Zombies for themselves. Soon, the registration topete for the Ability User spots began. This time, it wasn¡¯t Ren Jie calling the shots from the get-go; instead, everyone was allowed to sign up. After registering, they just had to show their prowess and then wait for themittee¡¯s notice. As long as they signed up, there was a chance. However, the final say still rested with themittee. Many signed up; the base had just over three hundred Hunters, yet over four hundred people had registered, clearly showing that some Ordinary survivors had also signed up. These Ordinary survivors definitely wouldn¡¯t be selected, but it was still a good thing that they could sign up-maybe they would be Hunters someday. After one day¡¯s time, the candidates for the second batch of Ability Users were finally settled. Wang Tao personally handed over the fifty Crystal Cores to them, and he exhorted them to do well, cing the heavy responsibility of contributing to the base¡¯s construction in their hands. Since there were many Crystal Cores handed out this time, the variety was quite diverse as well. It included Mud Swamp, Coughing Smoke, Rejuvenation¡­ even Glutton cores were distributed. Wang Tao had always been curious if some seemingly less useful Crystal Cores, like Mud Swamp and Glutton, really had no use at all? So this was also a kind of experiment-letting these people fuse and see whether these Crystal Cores were useful. Of course, all these Crystal Cores were synthesized by Wang Tao, so the side effects were removed. If there were still side effects, it would be a pure scam. Overnight, these people had allpleted their fusion. Wang Tao specifically gathered them to observe their Abilities. Surprisingly, Wang Tao discovered some notable differences. Take the Mud Swamp Crystal Core, for instance, which seemed useless ording to its description. But its actual effect turned out to be quite impressive! The effect of Mud Swamp was ¡°consume energy to create a Mud Swamp surrounding the body.¡± An Ability User who had fused with just a Mud Swamp Crystal Core could create a ten-meter wide Mud Swamp around themselves. Whether human or zombie, anyone in the Mud Swamp would have their speed greatly reduced. Especially the zombies-they could easily get stuck and be immobile! Naturally, if it were just that, it wouldn¡¯ t be enough to please Wang Tao. What truly delighted him was that the effect of the Mud Swamp was stackable! He asked five Ability Users with the Mud Swamp to stand together and release their ability; the resulting Mud Swamp was five timesrger than before! Furthermore, this Mud Swamp was permanent! As long as the water in it didn¡¯t evaporate and as long as the mud wasn¡¯t removed, the swamp could exist indefinitely! Wang Tao immediately felt that this was a strong control Skill! If he could have a group of Ability Users with the Mud Swamp, have them release their abilities all at once, and create arge swamp. Then, lure zombies into the swamp-once they¡¯re in, they won¡¯t be able to move and would be like sitting ducks! Wouldn¡¯t that be like a sustained version of the Slime Spitter? Wang Tao thought it was worth a try! However, there were downsides, of course. That was, the Mud Swamp was slow to release, not like the Slime Spitter, which could be spat out in one go. The Mud Swamp had to be slowly released, definitely not suitable for immediatebat; one would need to prepare in advance. And there was another point¡ªthe release of the Mud Swamp Ability was somewhat nauseating- the mud would ooze out of body pores and orifices¡­ ording to the Mud Superpower Users, they themselves weren¡¯t ufortable, and when the mud came out, they even felt a sense of relief. But it was quite unpleasant for Wang Tao to watch¡­ Apart from the Mud Swamp, the Glutton Ability was also promising. The effect of this Ability was ¡°The more one eats and the fatter one bes, the higher the defensive power.¡± Wang Tao specifically found two corpulent individuals to fuse with this Crystal Core. In the apocalyptic world, corpulent individuals were rare, and these two were the fattest in the Shuize Base. They couldn¡¯t meet the condition of ¡°eating more¡± for now, but ¡°bing fatter¡± was somewhat achievable. After fusing with the Ability, their defensive power immediately surged. Wang Tao had tested them before and after their fusion. Wang Tao felt that this Glutton Crystal Core was like a weakened version of Toughness. Although its defensive power wasn¡¯t as strong as Toughness, it was a passive Ability that didn¡¯t require energy consumption! More importantly, the upper limit of Toughness was fixed, relying only on fusing with more Crystal Cores to improve. However, the upper limit of Glutton was much higher; increasing body size, eating more food, and fusing with Crystal Cores could all enhance the defensive power! Outfit these two corpulent individuals with full armor, shields, and such, and they could be ced at the front as meat shields. If they could also fuse with Power Crystal Cores and Rejuvenation Crystal Cores, the effect would probably be even better! That was Wang Tao¡¯s thinking, and that was what he acted on. He immediately promoted these two corpulent individuals as key figures for the base¡¯s training focus. Wang Tao personally took them out to hunt Elite Zombies, helping them increase their HP. Not many could enjoy such treatment. But it wasn¡¯t just Wang Tao taking people out to hunt. Wei Zhenguo and the others were also leading some Ability Users to hunt Elite Zombies. After all, their own powers had reached their limits for now, and there was no way to improve further. It was better to help other Ability Users in the base, boosting the overall strength of the base. Thanks to the efforts of Wang Tao and the othermittee members, a few dayster, the overall strength of Shuize Base increased significantly- All Hunters had over 1000 HP; some Ability Users had over 2000 HP, and others reached over 3000 HP! As for Wang Tao and the othermittee members, they naturally had over 4000 HP each. With the current overall strength of Shuize Base, it was uncertain whether they could withstand a Gori zombie, but they definitely wouldn¡¯t be as hard- pressed as before when facing Hooded zombies. Wang Tao felt that now was a good time to probe the reality of that Green-eyed Zombie in the hospital¡­ Chapter 264 - 140 Green-eyed Zombie_l Chapter 264: Chapter 140 Green-eyed Zombie_l Wang Tao returned to the First Hospital once again. This time it was just him and Han Rui. After all, Wang Tao only wanted to test the reality of the zombie in the hospital basement; he had not nned on engaging it in a tough fight. If they needed to run, it was more convenient with fewer people. ¡°Do we really need to go in¡­¡± Outside the hospital, Han Rui was somewhat nervous. Mainly because Wang Tao had said that there was a zombie inside stronger than the gori zombie! She had seen how strong the gori zombie was. She couldn¡¯t imagine what a being stronger than that would be like. So she was still a bit panicked. On the other hand, it was Wang Tao who had run the fastest before, and it was still Wang Tao who was eager to try now. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here!¡± Wang Tao squeezed Han Rui¡¯s small hand, then looked at the hospital with not a single corpse in sight and waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Upon entering the hospital, there were still no zombies in the hospital courtyard. The two fumbled their way to the basement level, and that cold feeling came over them again. Han Rui was still leading the way in front. ¡°No zombies¡­¡± The two stairwells where Wang Tao had dealt with arge number of zombies before were now devoid of zombies. However, at the third stairwell, the glittering Crystal Cores on the ground were still there. Wang Tao hurried over to pick up these Crystal Cores; it would be a waste to leave them. Zombies seemed to have no need for Crystal Cores; for now, it seemed only humans could fuse with them. ¡°Are we going down?¡± Looking at the dark stairwell leading to the second basement level, Han Rui asked. ¡°No, let¡¯s drawit out!¡± Wang Tao shook his head. Their goal this time was to probe the strength of that zombie. No one knew the situation below, and it would be troublesome if it was dangerous to go down rashly. It was better to remain above. ¡°Let¡¯s see if there are any zombies on this floor. If there are any, we keep killing them, trying to drawit over¡­¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Tao and Han Rui searched the area together and soon found a group of zombies. It was the same as before, a group of zombies all swaying at the stairwell as if they were asleep. Wang Tao went straight over and unleashed two Shockwaves. Whoosh- All the zombies turned into minced meat, and Crystal Cores scattered all over. With a thought, Wang Tao collected the surrounding loot. Instead of rushing to pick up the Crystal Cores, he let Han Rui sense on her own. After confirming the zombie hadn¡¯te, he and Han Rui began to collect the Crystal Cores together. ¡°No immediate danger, go to the next stairwell¡­¡± Under Han Rui¡¯s Perception, the two of them quickly found another group of zombies. Wang Tao cautiously approached the group of zombies from behind and then instantly used a Shockwave. St¡ª Arge number of zombies fell to the ground. And at that moment, Han Rui suddenly eximed, ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± Without a second word, Wang Tao immediately started running back. He took the opportunity to nce back and saw a pair of green eyes glittering in the darkness. There was also that 15000 HP red bar above its head! It had arrived! As Wang Tao ran, he was already prepared for a possible attack from the zombie, but unexpectedly, even though those green eyes kept staring at Wang Tao, they showed no sign of approaching. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be chasing me?¡± Wang Tao thought it was strange. He and Han Rui kept running until they reached the hole created by the gori zombie, where they waited cautiously for a while. Then he noticed that the zombie indeed had not followed! ¡°I really didn¡¯t sense it¡­ What do we do now?¡± Han Rui looked at Wang Tao. Wang Tao stroked his chin, pondering. This zombie was very strange; the zombies he had seen before would always chase after humans as soon as they saw them. Whether they could catch up or not was another matter, but they would definitely chase. Could this zombie possess intelligence? Wang Tao carefully recalled the feeling this zombie gave him. Although he hadn¡¯t seen its full form, he also didn¡¯t feel too much pressure. It was nothingpared to the gori zombie or the shadowy figure in the wilderness before! ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s check it out again!¡± Wang Tao decided to take the risk one more time. ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui naturally had nothing to say. The two cautiously returned to the stairwell where the green-eyed zombie had appeared, but it was no longer there. Wang Tao first collected the Crystal Cores that they hadn¡¯t managed to pick up just now and then took out a Surgical Knife, throwing it straight down the stairwell. Whoosh- ng¡ª The Surgical Knife fell to the ground with a crisp sound. After a moment, Han Rui nervously said, ¡°It¡¯s here again!¡± This time Wang Tao didn¡¯t run, but he was ready to make a counter-charge if necessary. Soon, a pair of green eyes appeared from the darkness below the stairwell. Those were clearly human eyes, not clouded like that of an Ordinary zombie. If it weren¡¯ t for the ck blood vessels and a sense of aggression that hit you in the face, just looking at the eyes themselves, they were actually somewhat pleasing? Wang Tao stared intently at the zombie, and the zombie also kept its gaze on Wang Tao, neither making any movements. This emboldened Wang Tao a bit more, and he took out a shlight, shining it down the stairwell. The piercing white light made the zombie instinctively squint, and it even retreated slightly. What Wang Tao and Han Rui saw in the stairwell below made them gasp in shock! ¡°What the hell is that!¡± The zombie¡¯s short hair was sparse and falling out, wearing a whiteb coat on its emaciated upper body. However, its lower body was grotesquely fat, without legs,prised of many repulsive flesh tumors! It seemed to be stuck at the stairwell with these flesh tumors and couldn¡¯te up! Chapter 265 - 140 Green-eyed Zombie_2 Chapter 265: Chapter 140 Green-eyed Zombie_2 ¡°This¡­¡± Having roughly understood the situation of this zombie, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes gleamed. Again, a surgical knife appeared in his hand, and he activated his precise shooting ability, throwing it towards the green-eyed zombie. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao aimed for the zombie¡¯s eyes, but it deftly shook its head, dodging the attack. ¡°Eh?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; this was the first time he had seen a zombie dodge his attack! Undeterred, he conjured several more surgical knives in his hand and rapidly and urately threw them at the zombie. But only one of the thrown knives hit, with the rest easily dodged by the zombie,nding in the lumps of flesh beneath it. The knives stuck in the flesh lumps caused no damage at all. And that single sessful hit, even though it struck its head, only resulted in ¡°9¡± damage! Such damage was almost negligible against its 15000 HP¡ªWang Tao was just thinking the damage could be ignored when suddenly, a ¡°+9¡± appeared above the zombie¡¯s head. Its HP had fully recovered! Wang Tao inwardly cursed. High defense was one thing, but with blood regeneration too? Could it possibly have a self-healing ability? However, the only good news was that this single zombie seemed tock any long-range attack ability. Despite Wang Tao¡¯s many attacks, aside from roaring, it had no other response. Seeing this, Wang Tao grew bolder. He took a firefighter axe and moved forward a few steps, then he swung it at the air directly. A visibly solid shockwave instantly hit the zombie. [-324] [14676/15000] This time it caused over three hundred damage, not particrly high, but still much better than the single-digit damage. If the zombie stood still and let him attack, then couldn¡¯t he kill it after a few dozen shockwaves? Even if it could regenerate health, could it recover hundreds at a time? Then Wang Tao saw a ¡°+324¡± appear above the zombie¡¯s head. Its HP was instantly full again! Wang Tao felt like cursing again. What kind of blood regeneration ability was this, recovering over three hundred instantly? How was he supposed to fight it! The shockwave was the most damage he could currently deal! ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Han Rui asked anxiously from the side. She couldn¡¯t see the HP bar, but she could tell that Wang Tao¡¯splexion wasn¡¯t good. ¡°This zombie has healing ability, even my strongest shockwave is useless against it!¡± Wang Tao briefly exined before immediately unleashing several more shockwaves at it. [-341] [+341] [-318] [+318] [-337] [+318] This was unyable! No matter how much HP Wang Tao took off, it instantly recovered to full! Seeing this situation, unless he could instantly kill it, which was clearly impossible¡­ ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The zombie seemed to re at Wang Tao with some anger. It wanted to move toward him, but its body was stuck firmly in ce and incapable of advancing. Wang Tao also red back at it, once again bombarding it with shockwaves out of frustration, but once again its health instantly replenished to full. Both were eager to kill each other but neither could do anything to the other. ¡°Dammit, I don¡¯t believe this!¡± Wang Tao pulled out a military rifle from his backpack! This was specifically requested from Wei Zhenguo when he left today. ¡°Do you really want to use that?¡± Han Rui sounded concerned. Though this was on the -1 level, no one could guarantee it wouldn¡¯t attract Mad Demon Zombies. ¡°Screw it, let¡¯s fire a burst and see!¡± Wang Tao turned off the safety, loaded the rifle, and aimed at the zombie¡¯s head. Then, activating his Precision Shooting ability, he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger! Dada Dada¡ª In an instant, a stream of bullets sprayed towards the zombie. [-431] [+431] [-422] [+422] [-458] [+458] [-471] [+471] [¡­] The damage caused by the rifle was even higher than Wang Tao¡¯s Level Two shockwave, and the firing rate was far faster than that of the shockwave. In less than a second, the thirty bullets in the magazine werepletely emptied onto the zombie¡¯s head. Apart from a few misses, the rest of the twenty-plus bullets hit their mark! Yet despite such a terrifying rate of fire, the zombie¡¯s regenerative capacity still kept up! Every bullet that caused damage was instantly healed, filling its HP. After thirty bullets were spent, the zombie was still at full health! ¡°Let¡¯s retreat!¡± Without wasting time on words, Wang Tao quickly led Han Rui to leave. The gunfire just now was too loud; it might attract arge number of Mad Demon Zombies. The two hurriedly fled through the stairwell exit of the hospital, and Wang Tao noticed that about a dozen Mad Demon Zombies had moved into the basement through the hole created by the Gori zombie. ¡°Not bad, only a dozen or so Mad Demon Zombies were attracted; the soundproofing in the basement is pretty good¡­¡± This was somewhat good news. But WangTao couldn¡¯t smile, the zombie¡¯s regenerative power was just too monstrous! He had previously thought that although the zombie¡¯s regenerative ability was strong, it would be simr to natural self-healing, regenerating a certain amount every second. If his attack speed were fast enough, he could outpace the health regeneration Wouldn¡¯t he then be able to kill it? If the speed of a rifle wasn¡¯t fast enough, he could call Wei Zhenguo and the others, having a dozen rifles attack at once-surely that speed would be sufficient, right? But unexpectedly, things were not as Wang Tao had thought-The green-eyed zombie¡¯s healing capacity wasn¡¯t a per-second regeneration. No matter how fast his rifle fired, the opponent could instantly recover full HP! Chapter 266 - 140 Green-eyed Zombie_3 Chapter 266: Chapter 140 Green-eyed Zombie_3 Is this even possible? What kind of Ability is so powerful? To Wang Tao, it felt as if the zombie had a huge blood replenishing pack on it! As soon as it lost HP, the pack would instantly refill its HP to full! If that really was the case, then things would be difficult¡­ Wang Tao then remembered the tumors under the Green-eyed Zombie, which could very well be its blood replenishing packs. But when his bullets hit those tumors, not a single drop of HP was lost¡­ ¡°No, I still have to give it a try!¡± Wang Tao went back to his off-road vehicle and took out some Molotov cocktails. Since his power had increased, he hadn¡¯t used Molotov cocktails much. Mainly because these things don¡¯t discriminate between friend and foe¡ªonce thrown, he wouldn¡¯t be able to go there himself. It was quite troublesome, so Wang Tao used them less. After taking out the Molotov cocktails, Wang Tao and Han Rui returned to the first basement level. The few Mad Demon Zombies inside immediately spotted Wang Tao, but were quickly chopped down by Han Rui. The duo reached the previous staircase entrance, but the Green-eyed Zombie was nowhere to be seen. Wang Tao threw a stone at the staircase entrance and, before long, the Green- eyed Zombie reappeared. Without saying a word, Wang Tao lit a Molotov cocktail and hurled it at the zombie. Crash¡ª The Molotov cocktail shattered on the adversary, and the intense mes instantly engulfed the zombie¡¯s upper body. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± The zombie let out an angry roar. [-54] [+54] [-56] [+56] [¡­] Seeing this exchange of HP, Wang Tao was speechless¡ªthis was even weaker than his Shockwave! However, after being scorched by the mes, the zombie seemed to be in pain and began to slowly retreat! Seeing the zombie cloaked in mes retreating into the darkness, Wang Tao decisively said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, follow it and see!¡± Anyway, both of them had the Rush Ability, so if there really were any danger, they could run away in time. ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui responded and then followed Wang Tao down the stairs cautiously. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± The zombie emitted an unpleasant roar, but the mes on its body grew less and less, quickly vanishing. Its upper body¡¯s clothing and scant hair were burned away, exposing the rotten and shriveled flesh beneath, which was somewhat nauseating to look at. But what was most disgusting was not its upper body, but the lower half! ¡°My God!¡± The two finally got to see the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯splete lower half, and Han Rui eximed in shock. The lower half of the Green-eyed Zombie wasprised of many tumors, and when added up, they were probably as big as half a basketball court! No wonder it was stuck and couldn¡¯t move beyond the staircase entrance. Furthermore, these tumors were actually made up of zombies, with at least several hundred to a thousand hideous arms, legs, and heads writhing! Even those zombies fused together had their own independent HP bars! Wang Tao felt sick to his stomach. The sight directly caused him to lose a few drops of HP, and Han Rui lost several dozen. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± After the mes on the Green-eyed Zombie were extinguished, it began to move towards Wang Tao. But Wang Tao decisively threw another Molotov cocktail at it. Whoosh- mes once again engulfed the upper body of the zombie, causing it to retreat once more. ¡°Although it can¡¯t cause substantial damage to it, it¡¯s afraid of fire¡­ that¡¯s some good news at least!¡± Wang Tao suddenly thought, if he set the entire hospital on fire, couldn¡¯t he burn her to death? But this idea only shed through Wang Tao¡¯s mind before he quickly dismissed it. Putting aside whether he could set the hospital on fire, even if he could, how would he extinguish it? If he really started an uncontroble mega-fire, the base would be in danger too! However, looking at it from another angle, even if he couldn¡¯t burn it to death, perhaps he coulde up with another n by utilizing its fear of fire¡­ ¡°Roar-¡± At that moment, the Green-eyed Zombie suddenly let out an angry roar, then its mouth opened wide, and a pale green ring of light emerged from its body, rapidly spreading outwards! ¡°Run!¡± Seeing the ability that resembled a shockwave, Wang Tao and Han Rui quickly ran away. But the ring¡¯s speed was too fast, much faster than the Shockwave. Wang Tao and Han Rui couldn¡¯t avoid it. Whoosh¡ª The ring of light hit Wang Tao and Han Rui directly! Then the two realized¡­ it seemed like nothing happened? Wang Tao quickly checked his and Han Rui¡¯s HP. No HP loss? No negative status either? Wang Tao was baffled. Still, out of caution, he continued to run with Han Rui for a while, and although they remained within the ring of light, they still didn¡¯t lose any HP or acquire any negative statuses. ¡°I don¡¯t feel ufortable at all¡­¡± Han Rui was also somewhat perplexed. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like an attack ability!¡± Wang Tao confirmed it a few times, and indeed the ring of light did no harm to them. Realizing that its ability was ineffective, the Green-eyed Zombie retracted it. Seeing this, Wang Tao used a Shockwave towards the Green-eyed Zombie. Bang! This time, the Shockwave didn¡¯t hit the upper half of the zombie but struck its lower half instead. In an instant, several zombies that were partially merged with its lower body but notpletely fused were shattered by the impact. And when those zombies died, even though the Green-eyed Zombie didn¡¯t lose a single drop of blood, it seemed to grow even more furious! ¡°Roar-¡± It ignored the mes on its body and, with innumerable legs and arms wriggling, started moving directly towards Wang Tao. ¡°Shit, run!¡± Wang Tao certainly had no intention of engaging in closebat with it and immediately pulled Han Rui to run. Even though this zombie had many limbs, its bulky size made it slow. Compared to the previously encountered Hooded Zombie, it was much slower. Wang Tao and Han Rui easily reached the first basement level. The Green-eyed Zombie once again got stuck at the stair entryway, roared angrily a couple of times, then retreated. The mes on its body also extinguished, and it soon disappeared from Wang Tao¡¯s sight. Wang Tao, looking at the dark stair entryway, frowned in contemtion. When he used the Shockwave on the upper half of the zombie earlier, even if it lost several hundred HP, there wasn¡¯t much of a reaction. When he scorched its upper body with a Molotov cocktail, although it lost fewer HP, it seemed to get somewhat angry. And when Wang Tao attacked the zombies fused with its lower body, it didn¡¯t lose a single drop of HP, but it became surprisingly furious¡­ Could it be that those zombies below are important to her? Wang Tao then thought of the blood replenishing pack. ¡°Perhaps, those zombies at the bottom are its blood replenishing pack?¡± Chapter 267 - 141 Thank You_1 Chapter 267: Chapter 141 Thank You_1 Wang Tao felt this possibility was very likely! Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t it get angry when it was hit but get extremely angry when the zombies on its lower body were attacked? It didn¡¯t make sense! ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a bit, and then we¡¯U try again¡­¡± Wang Tao took out some nutrient solution, handing two bottles to Han Rui. ¡°Hmm!¡± After the recent battle, Han Rui was no longer so afraid of this particr zombie. At least as it appeared, thebat power it demonstrated wasn¡¯t as strong as that of the hooded zombies or the gori zombies. ¡°When we go downter, don¡¯t let it get close. Attack its lower body and see if we can kill all the zombies fused with it¡­¡± Wang Tao believed that HP couldn¡¯t appear out of nowhere. It had to be either through consuming energy or something like a blood replenishing pack. But whatever it was, there must be a limit to it. So, Wang Tao wanted to try and see if he could exhaust the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s energy or deplete its blood replenishing packs! ¡°Alright!¡± After resting for a while, the two returned to the stairwell entrance. Just like before, Wang Tao picked up a rock and threw it down. A momentter, the Green-eyed Zombie was attracted and came over. Seeing the zombie appear, Wang Tao finally felt relieved. If it didn¡¯t show up, Wang Tao truly wouldn¡¯t dare to go down, fearing it might be lying in wait somewhere to ambush them, which would be troublesome. ¡°Roar-¡± The Green-eyed Zombie seemed to have some memory; upon seeing Wang Tao, it immediately let out an enraged howl. Wang Tao found this somewhat surprising; he felt this zombie seemed to be quite intelligent. Then Wang Tao picked up a lit Molotov cocktail and hurled it at the creature. Whoosh¡ª mes instantly engulfed the upper body of the Green-eyed Zombie. [-53] [+53] [-50] [+50] [¡­] The Green-eyed Zombie began to retreat slowly. Wang Tao threw the Molotov cocktail to make it back off, which was necessary for him to go down. He also needed it for illumination since the second sublevel was too dark. After the Green-eyed Zombie had retreated, Wang Tao and Han Rui immediately followed it down. To verify his theory, without another word, Wang Tao unleashed a Shockwave straight at the lower half of the Green-eyed Zombie. Splurch¡ª Instantly, several of the zombies fused with its lower body burst open and died, their Zombie Cores spilling out. ¡°Roar-¡± The Green-eyed Zombie howled angrily, but it really seemed tock long-range attack ability, unable to reach Wang Tao at all. In addition, it was not agile; when Wang Tao started circling around it, it appeared even more sluggish. However, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t quickly kill the zombies beneath it because, perhaps due to being fused within the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s body, their defensive power was quite strong. Against ordinary Level 1 Elite Zombies, one Shockwave from Wang Tao could kill arge group. But with these zombies, one Shockwave could only kill one or two at best, and sometimes not even that. But this wasn¡¯t a big problem, now with over four thousand Mana, Wang Tao had enough to use many Shockwaves. Meanwhile, Han Rui was shooting at those zombies with her sniper crossbow while using her Perception to probe their surroundings, preemptively guarding against any potential dangers. As the mes on the zombie began to die down, Han Rui quickly threw another Molotov cocktail, ensuring enough light in the second sublevel for Wang Tao to perform effectively. Come to think of it, this Green-eyed Zombie seemed to have some fire resistance. While a Molotov cocktail could burn for a long time on other zombies, it quickly extinguished on this one, and the damage it inflicted was minimal. Who knows how much time passed when Wang Tao had used up half of his Mana. Finally, thest few zombies fused to the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s lower half were shattered by the Shockwave. Bang¡ª Without its ¡°legs,¡± the Green-eyed Zombie lost all ability to move. The flesh lumps beneath it weren¡¯t mobile; its movement depended on the limbs inside them. Seeing the zombiepletely immobile, Wang Tao grinned and then tossed a Throwing Knife at its head. Whizz! [-14] [+14) [15000/15000] ¡°Huh? It can regenerate HP?¡± Wang Tao was taken aback for a moment, then turned his attention to the flesh lumps below it. Could it be that simply killing the fused zombies wasn¡¯t enough? Did he need to shatter these flesh lumps, too? During previous attacks, Wang Tao¡¯s Shockwaves had definitely hit the flesh lumps, but without any noticeable effect¡­ Now with no other option left, heunched another Shockwave, hitting one of the flesh lumps on the lower half of the Green-eyed Zombie. Splurch¡ª The flesh lump, which had not budged earlier, now burst open like a balloon, with some foul-smelling yellow-green viscous fluid leaking out. ¡°Huh? That was easy?¡± Wang Tao was startled for a moment. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Green-eyed Zombie didn¡¯t lose any HP, but it suddenly started shaking all over as if going mad. Wang Tao felt this must be the zombie¡¯s weakness! Keep going! Wang Tao counted a moment ago; the Green-eyed Zombie had a total of ten flesh lumps on its lower half. Probably all needed to be destroyed. Splurch¡ª Wang Tao delivered another Shockwave, and just like before, he easily shattered its second flesh lump. The Green-eyed Zombie continued its frenzy but couldn¡¯t move, and Wang Tao was far enough away that it was powerless against him. But just then, Han Rui, who had been keeping watch, suddenly said: ¡°Wang Tao, the zombies from the first sublevel areing!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Taounched another Shockwave, breaking the third flesh lump. ¡°They¡¯re acting like they¡¯ve gone mad!¡± Chapter 268 - 141 Thank You_2 Chapter 268: Chapter 141 Thank You_2 Han Rui quickly added another warning. Wang Tao looked back and then saw a group of Elite Zombies sprinting from the stairwell of the first underground level towards this second underground level! ¡°Damn!¡± Seeing this scene, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised because these Elite Zombies ran as fast as Mad Demon Zombies! What¡¯s happening, are they in a frenzy? Wang Tao couldn¡¯t afford to continue dealing with the Green-eyed Zombie, so he quickly turned to confront these Elite Zombies. These Elite Zombies were no longer the dazed creatures they had been before; after rushing down, some of them charged directly at Wang Tao and Han Rui while the rest sprinted towards the Green-eyed Zombie. ¡°Could it be that the Green-eyed Zombie can still fuse with these zombies?¡± Wang Tao swiftly killed the zombies rushing at him, then hurried over to the Green-eyed Zombie. When they got there, Wang Tao and Han Rui were both somewhat baffled. These Elite Zombies weren¡¯t fusing with the Green-eyed Zombie, but instead, they were diving straight into the yellow-green slime! ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Wang Tao was taken aback, and then he looked closely at the yellow- green slime and was shocked. He hadn¡¯t paid much attention before, but now he noticed he could actually see the name of this liquid! [Zombie Culture Fluid*300] This name didn¡¯t sound like anything good, but the fact that he could see its name meant he could collect it in his Space Backpack! And as long as it could be collected in the Space Backpack, no matter if it was useful or not, he would take it ¨C after all, his Space Backpack was infinite in size! So, Wang Tao threw out another Shockwave, killing all the zombies lying in the slime. This was his loot, zombies be damned! At that moment, Han Rui urgently said. ¡°There are more Elite Zombiesing down from upstairs!¡± This Zombie Culture Fluid sure seems to attract zombies! Wang Tao immediately said to Han Rui. ¡°You block them; I¡¯ll see if 1 can take care of the Green-eyed Zombie quickly! ¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Han Rui immediately grabbed the axe and ran to the stairwell entrance. Against arge number of zombies, an axe was obviously more suitable than crossbow arrows. Approaching the slime, Wang Tao concentrated his thoughts and quickly collected the slime into his Space Backpack, also picking up all the Zombie Cores on the ground. He didn¡¯t dawdle and started swinging his axe violently at the Green-eyed Zombie. One Shockwave after another struck its body. Pu-chi¡ª in moments, the remaining seven tumors were all shattered, and yellow-green, foul-smelling slime spilled everywhere. The smell was so unbearable that not only Wang Tao, but also Han Rui at the stairwell entrance, almost threw up. Suppressing his disgust, Wang Tao quickly collected all the slime intohis backpack. [Obtained: Zombie Culture Fluid*7OO] ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Green-eyed Zombie, with all ten tumors in its lower half ruptured, twisted its body before slowly emerging from the flesh masses. Its upper body separated from its lower body, it crawled with its arms on the ground, dragging intestines-like things beneath it. Then suddenly, the Green-eyed Zombie used its arms to leap into the air and pounced at Wang Tao. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao had been on his guard against the Green-eyed Zombie; after all, it still had a full 15000 HP. So even when the Green-eyed Zombie ¡°flew¡± towards him, he didn¡¯t panic. He activated Iron and Copper Bones and his Precision Shooting Ability, and when he saw the Green-eyed Zombie flying at him, Wang Tao suddenly raised his Firefighter Axe high and then fiercely swung it downwards. Bang! The axe struck the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s forehead with such force that it was sent flying back. [-132] [14868/15000] Even though the damage number wasn¡¯t high, it was real damage-the Green- eyed Zombie couldn¡¯t regenerate blood anymore! It must be due to that liquid! After being knocked back, the Green-eyed Zombie continued to crawl with its arms on the ground and then seized the opportunity to lunge at Wang Tao again. Bang! Wang Tao swung his axe again, this time not only striking the Green-eyed Zombie in the head but also hitting precisely where he had hit the first time. [-163] [147O5/15OOO] The Green-eyed Zombie was knocked back once again. But it stubbornly lunged at Wang Tao for the third time. After using this move to attack himself three times, Wang Tao felt that the Green-eyed Zombie probably didn¡¯t have many tactics left. So this time he got a little braver, sidestepping as it lunged, avoiding its attack, and sud en y grabbing its neck! Then Wang Tao summoned all his strength and mmed it down to the ground. Bang! He pressed the Green-eyed Zombie down from behind. The Green-eyed Zombie was strong, but not as strong as the Hooded Zombie. Plus, with Wang Tao¡¯s extraordinary strength, he knelt on the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s back with his knees, rendering it unable to escape. He held the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s neck with one hand, and with an axe in the other, he started chopping at its head. [-173) [-176] [-182] [¡­] Wang Tao¡¯s arms moved so quickly they blurred into afterimages! Finally, with a wet crack, the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s skull was cleaved by Wang Tao. [-230] [0/15000] The Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s HP bar dropped to zero! ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Wang Tao rubbed his aching arm. The battle with the Green-eyed Zombie had been short and not very dangerous but was quite exhausting. Every blow from Wang Tao was full of force; even with his physical condition, he needed to take some deep breaths. Looking at the Green-eyed Zombie, his mouth under the visor stretched into a grin. The Green-eyed Zombie exploded with loot! Wang Tao quickly collected the Loot Pack into his Space Backpack, then, still enduring the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s foul smell, extracted its Crystal Core. Chapter 269 - 141 Thank You 3 Chapter 269: Chapter 141 Thank You 3 ¡°Huh?¡± While Wang Tao was extracting the Crystal Core, he noticed its pair of green eyes had also fallen out. [Night Vision Eyes*2] These eyes even have a name! Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to look closer and immediately put them into his Space Backpack. Then he searched the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s body and found nothing else named, but he did find a small metallic card inside it. ¡°Is this¡­ a negative third-floor ess card?¡± Wang Tao decisively pocketed it. After making sure there was nothing else useful, Wang Tao immediately ran towards Han Rui. Without a Shockwave like Han Rui, it was quite troublesome for one person to fend off so many Elite Zombies. After Wang Tao arrived, a few Shockwaves cleared out an area before him. ¡°You took care of that Level 2 Zombie?¡± Han Rui was somewhat surprised; she hadn¡¯t had time to watch Wang Tao¡¯s fight, merely perceiving that the life signals of the Green-eyed Zombie had disappeared. ¡°Took care of it! This zombie was much weaker than the Hooded Zombie!¡± Wang Tao briefly exined and then ran with Han Rui to the negative first floor. But just as they reached the negative first floor, Han Rui¡¯s face turned pale in an instant. ¡°Not good! It¡¯s all Mad Demon Zombies outside, it looks like all the Mad Demon Zombies in the hospital havee!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡ª¡± Wang Tao was about to say they should charge out when he saw through the dim emergency lighting that the floor, walls and even ceiling were covered with Mad Demon Zombies! Good grief, these things can crawl on the ceiling? Putting aside his astonishment, Wang Tao pulled Han Rui and ran back! Although Wang Tao could kill a Mad Demon Zombie in an instant, he had already used up a lot of his mana. With so many Mad Demon Zombies, even if he exhausted his mana, he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill them all! This wasn¡¯t the time to put up a fight! ¡°Where are we going?¡± Han Rui was getting nervous; the Mad Demon Zombies had taken over the negative first floor, and there might be even more of them in the ward areas or outside the building! They were trapped! ¡°To the negative third floor!¡± Wang Tao said calmly. Theyout of the negative second floor was simr to the negative first floor, and Wang Tao quickly found the location of the stairwell, but the door was locked and required an ess card. Wang Tao immediately took out the metal ess card he had gotten from the Green-eyed Zombie and swiped it in the card slot next to the keypad. ¡°Beep-¡± The metal door slowly opened. ¡°Huh?¡± Han Rui was shocked; when did Wang Tao get an ess card for this ce? But she didn¡¯t have time to inquire, and quickly said: ¡°The Mad Demon Zombies areing!¡± At the entrance of this stairwell, a pack of Mad Demon Zombies were ferociously lunging at Wang Tao and her. Standing at the doorway, Wang Tao unleashed three consecutive Shockwaves, shattering all the Mad Demon Zombies. Before the next wave of Mad Demon Zombies could attack, the metal door mmed shut with a ¡°bang,¡± sealing the Mad Demon Zombies outside. ¡°Phew¡ªThat was close!¡± Han Rui was somewhat relieved; if they had been entangled by thatrge group of Mad Demon Zombies, it would have been certain death! ¡°Let¡¯s go see what¡¯s on this third level and if there¡¯s a way to escape¡­¡± The negative third floor was very dark, with no light inside at all, but fortunately, they both had shlights. But the moment they turned on the shlights, both of them jumped in fright. ¡°¡­This floor is the mortuary!¡± Looking at the bodies on the shelves inside the ss rooms, Wang Tao immediately felt a chill. However, there weren¡¯t many corpses here, and there were no signs of them turning into zombies. Negative third floor had an independent electric switch and its own generator, which still had some power left. Wang Tao turned on the lights and carefully checked the area with Han Rui. There were the morgue, autopsy room, and sample room, among other ces. Although some of the human tissues here looked rather creepy, they were just frightening to look at and actually posed no danger. ¡°Hm? This door is locked.¡± Outside the rest room door, Han Rui looked at the big ck lock and iron chain on the door and spoke with some curiosity. All the other doors on the negative third floor were open, only this ce was locked. What was inside? ¡°There¡¯s a zombie!¡± After using her Perception, Han Rui looked at Wang Tao with some surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a very weak ordinary zombie, sitting on the ground and not moving¡­¡± Wang Tao immediately took out his lock-picking tools and unlocked the lock. ng ng¡ª The sound of the chain moving seemed to have disturbed the zombie inside; Han Rui told Wang Tao that the zombie had stood up. Wang Tao immediately opened the door and shone the shlight inside. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± A petite zombie, wearing a red and white JK uniform, with long hair over her shoulders but with severe body decay making it impossible to see her face clearly, bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Tao. But there was an iron chain on its body, which restrained it, preventing it from moving too far. Wang Tao nced at the small zombie, with only 500 HP, and tempirarily ignored it, instead carefully surveying the rest room. The room was clean and tidy with no signs of struggle. In the corner were some uneaten clean food. On the adjacent table were ss bottles, test tubes, a microscope, and other tools and instruments, as well as some paper documents, notebooks, and a mobile phone. The mobile phone was out of power, so Wang Tao found a charger, charged the phone, and then opened the notebook. April 4th. I was invited by Shuize County First Hospital on April 1st to research a rare case. As my high school daughter was a bit weary of studying, I brought her with me. But I did not expect that on April 4th, a new virus simr to rabies suddenly had a massive outbreak, turning infected humans into the biting zombies seen in movies¡­ April 5th. Sadly, my daughter was bitten by an infected person. Although she has not mutated for the time being, various examples indicate that she will definitely mutate, with no luck for the better. As an expert with some research on viruses, I didn¡¯t want my daughter to die like this. I wanted to try and see if I could develop a cure. April 6th. Regrettably, one day was too short a time, and I was powerless to help, as my daughter turned into a zombie. But I didn¡¯t want to give up, I was still human and I still had time. April 8th. I had no leads on the cure, but it seemed I had made a little discovery about the zombie virus, which might also be a direction? April 13th. I am a failure. April 18th. With limited tools, the research progressed very slowly. But I had some results. I risked going outside to get some zombie virus and found out that these zombie viruses are actually different. April 20th. I synthesized thetest type of zombie virus. I have a premonition that if I inject this zombie virus into myself, there¡¯s a possibility I might be the cure. Of course, there¡¯s a greater chance that I turn into a terrifying zombie. April 21st. I decided to inject myself with the virus. If you are reading this diary¡­ then it means I failed. Please do me a favor¡ªkill my daughter. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to doit, thank you. Chapter 270 - 142 Purification, Cleansing Potion 1 Chapter 270: Chapter 142 Purification, Cleansing Potion 1 Ding-dong¡ª Once the mobile phone had charged, it automatically powered on. The screensaver disyed a young father, taking a selfie with his adorable daughter in his arms. Wang Tao looked at this picture and fell into a brief silence. Han Rui also finished the diary and let out a sigh. Clearly, the Level 2 Zombie that Wang Tao had just killed was likely the protagonist of this diary. And the little zombie in the room was his daughter. Wang Tao nced at the stack of neatly organized paper documents beside him. These were the expert¡¯s research findings on the zombie virus. There was a sentence added above¡ª ¡°These are mostly useless things; if you find any use for them, then just take them. Consider it¡­ as my thanks to you.¡± Wang Tao collected all the documents, knowing that he himself couldn¡¯t understand or use them, but maybe someone else could. As for the little girl zombie¡­ it was already beyond saving. Wang Tao picked up the hand crossbow and fired an arrow straight into its be. Whiz¡ª [-500] [0/500] This was probably the most dignified way to die for a zombie. Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°Huh?¡± The small package dropped by the little zombie turned out to be a set of clothing. (Received: Red and White JK Uniform Set xl] What¡¯s there to say, the clothes were indeed quite pretty. But for now, they were useless. Wang Tao didn¡¯t pay much attention to it and said to Han Rui: ¡°It seems there¡¯s no direct passage to the outside from here. Let¡¯s wait a while and rest up. I guess those Mad Demon Zombies won¡¯t stay here for long¡­¡± They had already searched the third sublevel, which was very safe. ¡°Okay.¡± Han Rui nodded wearily. She had just defended against so many zombies by herself and had used all her strength to activate Perception, which was very draining on her energy and mana. Wang Tao sat down carelessly and handed a few bottles of nutrient fluid to Han Rui. After she took them, she sat down next to Wang Tao, leaned her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes for a brief rest. Wang Tao was tired too, but not sleepy; he hadn¡¯t had time to inspect his spoils of war closely yet. He took out a Red Crystal Core, which he had extracted from the skull of a Green-eyed Zombie. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¡ö Healing Light] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side Effects: First fusion reduces HP by 5,000, subsequent fusions reduce HP by 1,000)] [Healing Light: Consumes energy to create a healing energy field which restores HP every second within its range.] Previously, when Wang Tao saw that Green-eyed Zombie release the green light circle, he thought it was some kind of attacking ability and got quite a shock. He never expected it to be a healing ability, and moreover, an area-of-effect healing ability! Such a divine skill! No wonder he and Han Rui hadn¡¯t been harmed at all; no wonder he felt the zombie wasn¡¯t that strong. It turned out to be a healer dad zombie¡­ The side effects of this ability were considerable though¡ªthe first fusion would directly reduce his HP by 5,000! Their HP maxed out at 4,999, so if they were to fuse with it, they would likely die on the spot, even owing an extra point of blood. Of course, they couldn¡¯t fuse with it now since it was a Level 2 Crystal Core. But even after bing Level Two and having increased HP, the side effect of losing 5,000 HP at once was too severe. HP was linked to one¡¯s life force, and in a sense, the loss equated to losing life! Generally speaking, the stronger the side effects, the stronger the ability. With such significant side effects, one could imagine how powerful the healing effect must be! Unfortunately, Wang Tao only had this one Crystal Core and couldn¡¯t eliminate the side effects through synthesis¡­ Wang Tao put away the Crystal Core and took out a pair of green eyes. After storing them in his Space Backpack, all traces of blood on them disappeared. These green eyes didn¡¯t have the horror associated with real human eyeballs. Instead, they were as clear and gleaming as jade, quite beautiful to look at. [Night Vision Eyes: These eyes possess a certain level of Night Vision Ability and can be merged with humans. After fusion: Night Vision Ability +1, Vision +1 (Note: Fusing a single eye produces no effect.)] Merge? Could it be like fusing a Zombie Core, putting it directly in the mouth? Wang Tao frowned slightly but was also somewhat eager to try. The eye was clean, free of any blood or debris¡­ After thinking for a moment, Wang Tao ced it in his mouth. He would try it out and if it didn¡¯t work, no harm done. As soon as he put the two eyes in his mouth, they seemed to turn into gas, the same sensation as when fusing a Crystal Core. However, unlike the Crystal Core Energy which spread throughout his limbs, these headed straight for his eyes. ¡°Hiss-¡± Wang Tao suddenly shuddered; his eyes felt incredibly cool and the fatigue vanished, leaving a veryfortable sensation. His vision also improved, now able to see fine details of scratches on the wooden table leg! Regarding the Night Vision ability, since the room had lights on and was quite bright, he couldn¡¯t discern that effect for now. ¡°Hmm-¡± Just as Han Rui had fallen asleep leaning on Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder, his sudden movement jolted her awake. ¡°What¡¯s¡ªah!¡± In her drowsy state, Han Rui turned her head towards Wang Tao; upon seeing clearly, she bolted upright and then backed herself against the door, a look of terror on her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wang Tao touched his face, puzzled. Han Rui, relieved to hear Wang Tao speaking and temporarily easing up, pointed shakily at his eyes and said: ¡°Your, your eyes¡­ they¡¯re green!¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Tao was bemused; he grabbed the phone from the table and looked at the dark screen. Chapter 271 - 142 Purification, Cleansing Potion_2 Chapter 271: Chapter 142 Purification, Cleansing Potion_2 ¡°Fuck!¡± Seeing those eyes in the screen reflection that looked like green led lights, Wang Tao felt as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his heart. Where were his big ck eyes? How did they turn into something like the Green-eyed Zombie¡¯s? How was he going to face people now?Wouldn¡¯t survivors attack him mistaking him for a zombie? ¡°Are, are you okay?¡± Han Rui approached Wang Tao with some caution, poking his arm. ¡°I¡­ should be fine¡­¡± Wang Tao scratched his head. However, when he thought about his eyes, he saw the green color slowly fading away, returning to their normal ck. ¡°Eh?¡± Wang Tao felt amazed. He tried several times and saw that his eyes were like flickering bulbs, switching between ck and green. After Han Rui confirmed that Wang Tao really was okay, she let down her guard and then came to sit opposite Wang Tao, staring curiously at his eyes. ¡°Your eyes, how did they turn like this? And¡­ they actually look quite nice¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. He briefly described the zombie eyeball incident. ¡°Eh? That can merge too¡­¡± Han Rui was very surprised. ¡°Right, turn off the lights, I want to try if I have night vision.¡± Han Rui hurriedly shut off all the lights in the resting room. Wang Tao then felt darkness envelop him, but he could still clearly see the surroundings and Han Rui. ¡°Your eyes, they¡¯re still a bit scary in the dark¡­¡± Han Rui said weakly. ¡°Haha, I really do have night vision!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily, he didn¡¯t care whether it was scary or not, after all, it was others getting frightened, not himself. Then he studied it carefully and found that he could only see clearer and have night vision abilities when his eyes were green. Once they turned ck again, they were his normal eyes. And when his eyes were green, he could adjust them. The brighter the eyes, the clearer the view and the stronger the night vision. If the eyes were only faintly green, like wearing green-colored contacts, it would only slightly improve his visionpared to normal eyes, and his night vision ability would also decrease a lot, but he still retained some night vision. This was pretty good; he didn¡¯t have to worry about being mistaken for a zombie and chased after. Moreover, activating the green eyes didn¡¯t consume Mana. Wang Tao guessed it might consume spirit or physical strength. However, after merging with these eyes, his spirit and physical strength were in excellent condition, so he couldn¡¯t test this. Han Rui looked at Wang Tao¡¯s eyes with a bit of envy. If Wang Tao just slightly activated this ability, his eyes looked quite nice¡­ Of course, what mattered wasn¡¯t how nice they looked but rather the improved vision and night vision ability, which was a strong ability in a post-apocalyptic world! ¡°Stop staring at me, and get some rest.¡± Wang Tao nced at Han Rui. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Han Rui¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment, and then she continued leaning on Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder. Once Wang Tao got the hang of operating his green eyes, he looked at his attributes. HP and Mana hadn¡¯t changed at all; there were no extra internal impurities or skills. However, he had one additional Hidden Attribute! [Hidden Attribute: Improved Body Conditions, Night Vision] ¡°Hidden Attribute? I can actually get another one¡­¡± Ifpared to ying games, Abilities would be like learned skills, and Hidden Attributes would be like innate talents. He thought Hidden Attributes couldn¡¯t be acquiredter on, but it turned out they could¡­ Although somewhat puzzled, this was good news. Since the night vision ability didn¡¯t use Mana, it was practically his natural talent. Quite nice! Moreover, these green eyes were just one of the rewards Wang Tao got from killing the Green-eyed Zombie! The Green-eyed Zombie itself dropped the loot of a Healing Light Crystal Core and green eye orbs¡ªoh right, and a Zombie Culture Fluid that could be stored in a Space Backpack! [Zombie Culture Fluid: Can enhance the strength of zombies] Seeing this item, Wang Tao furrowed his brows deeply. He had a total of 1000 units of Zombie Culture Fluid, but¡­ what should he do with it? Enhancing the power of zombies was just asking for trouble for humans! And what was the extent of the enhancement? Would an Ordinary Zombie turn into an Elite Zombie, or could a Level 1 Zombie transform into a Level 2 Zombie? Wang Tao figured it was probably the former since there were indeed many Elite Zombies around the hospital, but only one Level 2 Zombie¡­ If it really had this effect, could zombies be raised like pigs and ughtered at an opportune time? But the risk was too high! As everyone knows, in various works of fiction, those who ¡°raise monsters¡± always end up getting bitten back! So Wang Tao didn¡¯t n to use this thing. Maybe after growing stronger, he could experiment, but definitely not now. It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry! Wang Tao also figured out why all those zombies just stood dumbly in front of the stairwell door, why there were so many zombies beneath the Green-eyed Zombie, and why there were so many Elite Zombies in the hospital! It was all because of the Zombie Culture Fluid inside the Green-eyed Zombie! Wang Tao felt somewhat fortunate that he had collected all the Zombie Culture Fluid. Otherwise, if the Mad Demon Zombies outside got it, there was no telling what kind of monster would be bred! Wang Tao continued to check the loot in his Space Backpack. The Green-eyed Zombie had dropped two packages in total. The first was a Crystal Core package, containing a total of 3 Level 2 Crystal Cores. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (No side effects)] Chapter 272 - 142 Purification, Cleansing Potion_3 Chapter 272: Chapter 142 Purification, Cleansing Potion_3 [Ascension: After fusion, you can randomly upgrade one of the already merged abilities to Level Two] First was the Ascension Crystal Core, which was exactly what Wang Tao needed the most! It was just that this Crystal Core was of excellent quality. Although the fusion probability exceeded so0/0, itwas stilla bit l¡ãw at 60%¡­ However, Wang Tao felt that his luck should be pretty good today, there shouldn¡¯t be a failure, right? Without much hesitation, Wang Tao directly ced the Ascension Crystal Core into his mouth. In an instant, a warm sensation flooded his entire body. Sess! Wang Tao was overjoyed, he knew his luck was not bad today! A momentter, Wang Tao hurriedly checked his attributes. His mana limit increased by 200, reaching 4600, and internal impurity temporarily still showed 1%. Meanwhile, his Self-healing Ability had ascended to Level Two! Wang Tao quickly tried it out, simr to Toughness, the mana consumption for Self-healing rose from 1 point per second to 5 points. The consumption had increased fivefold, but the effect had certainly improved a lot. Since Wang Tao had full HP at the moment, he couldn¡¯t test this temporarily. Wang Tao then turned his eyes towards the other Crystal Core burst out by the Green-eyed Zombie. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 45% (No side effects)] [Omnipotent: After fusion, you can randomly add +1 to an already merged ability, with a cap increase of +10] This was a Level Two Omnipotent Crystal Core. Despite being of ordinary quality, Wang Tao was still excited. Because didn¡¯t this mean that a zombie of the same level could also burst out an Omnipotent Crystal Core of the same level? Wang Tao previously thought that Level Two Zombies could only burst out Level One Omnipotent Crystal Cores. But then again, even if they could burst out such cores, the conditions were probably quite harsh. After all, a Level Two Zombie had 5000 HP, and this Green-eyed Zombie had 15000 HP, much more than an ordinary Level Two Zombie- Then came thest Crystal Core. [Level Two Crystal Core ¨C Self-Cleansing] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Impurity: 45% (No side effects)] [Self-Cleansing: Has the opportunity to purify the ordinary zombie virus within oneself once a week] ¡°Holy shit!¡± Seeing this Crystal Core, Wang Tao almost eximed out loud. Purifying his zombie virus? Although it could only be used once a week, this was definitely a divine skill! After all, the zombie virus was currently an unsolved existence! Even using an inhibitor could only temporarily suppress it, and sooner orter one would be a zombie again¡­ The only regret Wang Tao felt was that this ability could only be used on himself; if it could be used on others, it would be a truly godlike skill! However, Wang Tao looked closely again; the description stated ¡°ordinary zombie virus,¡± so just how extensive was this ¡°ordinary¡±? It surely couldn t be just regr zombies, right? After all, it was also a Level Two Crystal Core. If it could only purify the virus of ordinary zombies, that would be somewhat underwhelming¡­ Next came the second package. The contents of this package were potions, with a total of six bottles, five of which were the same. Upon seeing the first potion bottle, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened. [Purification Agent (Experimental) xi] [Purification Agent (Experimental): When used on zombies that have been infected and mutated for no more than three days, there is a certain probability to purify the virus within them, as well as a certain probability to cause spontaneousbustion. Ineffective on zombies infected and mutated for over three days (Note: This potion is an experimental version and has certain unknown side effects.)] Purification Potion?! This was an evolution of the zombie virus¡ªno, this was no longer just a simple purification of the zombie virus. This was about turning zombies back into humans! However, the conditions were very strict; it had to be used on zombies that had been infected and mutated for no more than three days, and the probability¡­ a certain probability? What was that amount? The chances were probably not high, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be put that way. It seemed that the Purification Potion could only be used as an emergency option, with arge probability ofpletely purifying the subject. As for the unknown side effects, it didn¡¯t matter. After all, if it could turn a zombie back into a person, who cared about side effects. Wang Tao unconsciously nced at the small zombie next to him. If Wang Tao had arrived earlier, he might have had a chance to try saving her. But it had been almost three months now, and even with the Purification Potion, there was no chance of turning back into a human. Wang Tao suddenly thought of another question: if he directly fed this Purification Potion to zombies, would it kill them? But the problem remained the same, whether it was rescuing or killing zombies, it was all down to a certain probability, and that ¡°certain probability¡± was very ambiguous¡­ Moreover, it was ineffective on zombies that had been mutated for more than three days. Otherwise, Wang Tao would have really liked to use it on the Gori Zombie. If there was a way to feed it to its mouth, whether it turned back into a human or spontaneouslybusted, both oues would be eptable. Unfortunately, the conditions did not allow it¡­ Then came the second potion bottle. [Cleansing Potion x5] [Cleansing Potion: Can clear 1% of internal impurity] ¡°Clear impurities?!¡± Seeing this potion, Wang Tao was even more excited than when he saw the Purification Potion. The Purification Potion was powerful but of little use to him for the time being. But this Cleansing Potion was different¡ªit could clear internal impurities! Wang Tao had over 1% of impurity in his body now, and after fusing with an Ascension Crystal Core today, it was precisely 1.65%! Theoretically speaking, these impurities didn¡¯t seem to pose any significant issue to him, but Wang Tao was a perfectionist and didn¡¯t want the option of impurity to appear in his attributes. Also, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was psychological, but he always felt somewhat ufortable after acquiring internal impurities, as if something was pressing down on him. So if there was a chance, he would definitely want to clear these internal impurities. Now, that opportunity had arrived! Five bottles of Cleansing Potion, each capable of clearing 1% of impurity, meant a total of 5% could be cleared! Wang Tao felt an urge to use them immediately. Nevertheless, he nned to wait a bit longer, as these impurities weren¡¯t currently affecting his strength, and he was still short one Ascension Crystal Core. After the fusion wasplete and he ascended to Level Two, he would see if there were any changes in himself, and then it wouldn¡¯t be toote to use the Cleansing Potion. Chapter 273 - 143 The Inevitable Arrival_l Chapter 273: Chapter 143 The Inevitable Arrival_l ¡°The Mad Demon Zombies outside haven¡¯t left yet¡­¡± At the entrance of the negative third floor, Han Rui pressed her ear to the door to use her Perception, then spoke somewhat helplessly. She had just slept for two hours, yet the Mad Demon Zombies outside still hadn¡¯t left. ¡°It¡¯s probably because of the body of that Green-eyed Zombie¡­¡± Wang Tao said, frowning. The Zombie Culture Fluid inside the Green-eyed Zombies exerted a huge attraction on zombies. Although Wang Tao had taken all the culture fluid, the zombie¡¯s body was still there. Since the Green-eyed Zombie could produce the culture fluid, its body might also be somewhat different¡­ ¡°If these Mad Demon Zombies don¡¯t leave, we won¡¯t be able to get out¡­¡± Han Rui felt ufortable. Although there was no danger on the negative third floor, staying here indefinitely wasn¡¯t a solution. The nutrient solution that Wang Tao had would run out eventually, then what would they do? ¡°Now¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at his watch, ¡°it¡¯s already dark. Let¡¯s wait until tomorrow morning. If they¡¯re still not gone by then, we can try to see if we can go through the elevator shaft.¡± To enter the negative third floor, there were only three entrances, two stairwells, and one elevator. One stairwell had already been blocked, and that one was definitely impassable. The other stairwell waspletely surrounded by Mad Demon Zombies, so that wasn¡¯t an option either. So, they had to think of a way to use the elevator shaft. The elevator was broken and unusable, and it also had a special lock. But they should be able to pry it open and climb up through the shaft. However, now that it was dark, even if they could get out, there was no need to do so at this time. Better to wait until daylight. The two returned to the break room, where the little zombie had already been dealt with by Han Rui and moved to the morgue. There was only one bed, and after Wang Taoy down on it, Han Rui naturally snuggled into his arms. Wang Tao held her close and fell asleep. Boom¡ª Wang Tao thought he heard an explosion in the distance. He sat up instantly, with a hint of green shimmering in his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Han Rui, sensing Wang Tao¡¯s movement, thought a zombie hade and quickly grabbed the sniper crossbow by the bed while releasing her Perception, but she didn¡¯t perceive any zombies. ¡°I thought I heard an explosion¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat unsure if it was an illusion, but he chose to believe it was real. He looked at his watch, which showed it was six in the morning, and daylight hade. So he quickly went with Han Rui to the doors leading to the second floor. ¡°There are a lot fewer Mad Demon Zombies outside! Within the range of my Perception, at least two-thirds are gone!¡± Han Rui was somewhat surprised. But she frowned and said: ¡°Still, even with only one-third left, that¡¯s a lot¡­ We might not be able to break through.¡± A single Mad Demon Zombie wasn¡¯t frightening, but if they were ensnared by so many, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to make it. Just a scratch or any small wound was big trouble. ¡°Seems we can only go through the elevator shaft.¡± The two came to the elevator shaft and, after some effort, managed to pry open the elevator door. Naturally, they didn¡¯t dare make too much noise, to avoid alerting the Mad Demon Zombies on the negative second floor. Then Wang Tao¡¯s pupils turned green, and he peered inside. The elevator seemed to be stuck between the third and fourth floors, and it was unclear how it got stuck. Wang Tao observed for a while and, once sure it wouldn¡¯t suddenly fall, closed the elevator door on the negative third floor, then started climbing up with Han Rui. Since this was still a suitable refuge, closing the door to prevent zombies from entering also served to leave behind a temporary camp. Both of their physical strengths were extraordinary, so climbing the elevator shaft was naturally no problem. Han Rui kept her Perception active throughout the climb. There were lots of zombies at the elevator entrance on the negative second floor, and quite a few on the negative first floor as well, but there were no zombies at the elevator entrance on the ground floor. After they carefully pried open the elevator door on the first floor, the sunlight streamed in, causing both of them to squint their eyes reflexively. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Once they were sure it was safe, Wang Tao and Han Rui ran out of the hospital. ¡°So many traces of zombie activity¡­¡± There were many abandoned vehicles inside the hospital, and a prominent trail was left when arge number of zombies passed through, moving these vehicles. Wang Tao had thought these trails were made by the Mad Demon Zombies from the clinic building running towards the inpatient department, but after a closer look, he realized: these were the trails of arge number of zombies running outside¡­ Earlier, when Wang Tao heard from Han Rui that two-thirds of the Mad Demon Zombies from the negative second floor were gone, he thought they had returned to the clinic building. But now it seemed that these Mad Demon Zombies had gone out! Could it be that something major happened outside that attracted those Mad Demons away? Recalling the faint explosion he heard in the morning, a sinking feeling suddenly hit Wang Tao. Those Mad Demon Zombies, couldn¡¯t have gone to the base, could they? After all, it seemed that only the base was capable of creating explosions¡­ Of course, it couldn¡¯t be ruled out that it was the Gori zombies causing Destruction! ¡°Move fast!¡± The electric off-road vehicle was parked a little distance from the hospital to prevent the hospital¡¯s zombies from identally damaging the car. When they got back to the vehicle, it was clearly covered in more mud than before, as if many feet had trampled over it. But the car was covered with steel tes on the outside, so it wasn¡¯t much of an issue. Wang Tao drove, and Han Rui sat in the passenger seat helping him sense the zombies around them. Humming- The electric motor of the off-road vehicle made a light sound as it sped towards the base. The closer they got to the base, the grimmer Wang Tao¡¯s expression became. The obvious signs of arge number of zombies passing through the road were too apparent; they were most likely heading to the base! Chapter 274 - 143 The Inevitable Arrival_2 Chapter 274: Chapter 143 The Inevitable Arrival_2 Han Rui¡¯s expression grew anxious when she realized what was happening. ¡°I hope the base is okay!¡± Soon, they both heard faint explosions and the rat-tat-tat of gunfire! ¡°It must be the base!¡± This time there was no doubt-after all, only the base had rifles! Perhaps the zombies on the road were lured away by the noise; with fewer of them as obstacles, Wang Tao was able to pick up a little more speed in the car. Han Rui tried to contact the base with the walkie-talkie, but to no avail. ¡°Roar???? ¡± However, as they approached the base, both Wang Tao and Han Rui¡¯s faces changed! ¡°That sound¡­ a gori zombie? Are we that unlucky? A momentter, as theyid eyes on the base courtyard wall, they also spotted a huge figure inside the base! ¡°Damn!¡± Wang Tao cursed softly and elerated once more, heading straight for the main gate. The solid main gate of the base had vanished. Countless ordinary zombies and mad demon zombies flooded in. Among them, thergest figure swung its fists, throwing everything, buildings and zombies alike, through the air! However, it did not continue to advance because bullets asionally hit its body, stopping it in its tracks. Wang Tao and Han Rui had grim expressions, but neither dared to rush in recklessly. Parking the car not far off, they tried the walkie-talkies again. This time Wang Tao¡¯s received a response. ¡°This is Wang Tao, this is Wang Tao, what¡¯s your situation! ¡°Wang Tao? You¡¯re finally back!¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s relieved voice rang from the walkie-talkie. ¡°Good to know you¡¯re still alive! What¡¯s the situation inside the base?¡± Wei Zhenguo was still alive, so there must be some organized resistance. ¡°Everyone¡¯s in the main building! The Security Army is holding back the gori zombie with guns for now, but we¡¯re probably running out of bullets¡­¡± Hearing the rat-tat-tat of gunfire not far away, Wang Tao felt somewhat reassured. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ming!¡± Wang Tao put down the walkie-talkie and then looked at Han Rui in the passenger seat. ¡°I¡¯m going to charge in. Are youing with me or are you leaving? I won¡¯t stop you if you want to go.¡± At these words, Han Rui¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°What do you take me for? I would never run away alone!¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s good!¡± Wang Taoughed and patted Han Rui¡¯s shoulder, pleased he had not misjudged her. Then he asked Wei Zhenguo which area of the base was weakest under the zombies¡¯ attack, nning to charge in through that area. Wang Tao was confident; after all, having merged with one ascension crystal core his strength had greatly improved. Against the gori zombie, he wasn¡¯t entirely without a fighting chance. If worse came to worst, he could always use his rush ability to escape. Wei Zhenguo mentioned that he had already prepared an escape route. They were all in the main building now, with zombies crowding beneath it. The survivors couldn¡¯t go out, and the zombies couldn¡¯te in. However, there was a steel cable on the roof of the main building, extending to the roof of the administrative building, which had far fewer zombies underneath. Wang Tao could head to the administrative building and then cross from its rooftop to the main building using the steel cable! The administrative building was located in the northeast part of the base. Wang Tao immediately drove the car there and then got out with Han Rui. They were both powerful and in this situation, it was more convenient to proceed on foot than by car. ¡°If there are too many zombies insideter, use your rush ability to carry me,¡± Wang Tao said. Wang Tao¡¯s rush was part of his suit ability, limited by a cooling time of one hour, so it would be best to save it for a crucial moment. Having Han Rui with him, she could carry him using her rush ability when needed. ¡°Alright!¡± Han Rui nodded. The two climbed over the wall and into the base. just like Wei Zhenguo had said, there weren¡¯t many zombies here, but below the main building was a veritable mountain of corpses! Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to waste time with these zombies, as it would only draw more of them, which would not be good. He had Han Rui rush him forward, sprinting more than thirty meters in an instant. All the zombies in their path were shattered! The appearance of the two gradually attracted the attention of some zombies nearby. These zombies began to move towards them, with several mad demon zombies running over crazily. Wang Tao took out his firefighter axe and swung it through the air. A shockwave swept out, instantly killing all the zombies in the area and clearing arge open space. The two charged straight into the administrative building and quickly climbed to the rooftop. There was a thick steel cable on the rooftop, and they both started climbing towards the main building along it. Some zombies noticed Wang Tao and Han Rui in the air above, making ¡°ge ge¡± growls, but they were out of reach and could only watch in frustration. The two soon reached the roof of the main building. They could see it was encircled by zombies, but with steel tes, spikes, and barbed wire around the outside, these barriers blocked the zombies¡¯ path. Moreover, some ability users were attacking the zombies¡­ For the moment, not even the mad demon zombies could break through. The gori zombie might have been able to destroy these defenses, but it was temporarily obstructed by the firepower of the Security Army. Quickly, the twonded on the rooftop of the main building. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± The moment Wang Taonded, he saw Ding Yuqin throwing herself into his arms. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re alright, sister-inw.¡± Wang Tao hugged Ding Yuqin, patted herback, and then released her to nod at Li Qiu Yu standing beside her. Wei Zhenguo and several others also came over, their faces smeared with blood, their HP bars not full. Chapter 275 - 143 The Inevitable Arrival—3 Chapter 275: Chapter 143 The Inevitable Arrival¡ª3 ¡°Wang Tao, Han Rui, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Seeing Wei Zhenguo and the others arrived, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the base¡¯s strongestbatants were here, there was still a chance of a counterattack. ¡°What¡¯s the specific situation?¡± ¡°Last night, the gori zombie suddenly passed by the base, and then it found us¡­ Thankfully, we¡¯ve been on guard against ittely, and we¡¯ve prepared a lot of measures, so we weren¡¯t wiped out in one fell swoop. Still, we lost some people¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo sighed. ¡°Moreover, we can¡¯t stop the gori zombie; we can only use guns, but that attracts a lot of mad demon zombies. And our bullet supply is running low, I estimate we won¡¯tst much longer¡­ The group conversed as they descended the stairs. On the fourth floor, several Security Army members intermittently fired their rifles at the gori zombie. As soon as the gori zombie approached, bullets would greet its face. But the gori zombie¡¯s size was toorge, and its defense was very tough; the bullets hitting its body did no good ¨C only headshots would cause HP loss. Yet its thick arms acted like shields, protecting its head, making it impossible for the bullets to hit! Now, the gori zombie was still at [9772/10000] HP ¨C these attacks had hardly caused any damage! The only thing to be grateful for now was that the gori zombie was dumb or, rather, unintelligent. It only knew how to destroy and smash things violently. Otherwise, if it had endured the bullets to tear down the defensive structures of theplex building, that would have been a real problem. However, with the current ammo supply, they wouldn¡¯tst much longer. Once the gunfire stopped, no one could stop the gori zombie! ¡°How muchbat power do we still have?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°Aside from usmittee members, there are only twelve Security Army personnel and over thirty Ability Users left. Ordinary Hunters are of little help in this kind of fight¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo shook his head in pain. ¡°Ah? That many casualties?¡± Wang Tao was surprised; he knew there had been quite a few dead and injured, but he didn¡¯t expect even Ability Users and the Security Army to have suffered losses! ¡°Sigh, there was no helping it, the gori zombie¡¯s arrival was too sudden¡­ and it came in the middle of the night¡­¡± Ren Jie¡¯s face was filled with sorrow. ¡°Damn it! What do you say we do, Wang Tao? Are we going straight for the gori zombie or what? No matter what it is, you can count on me, Old Xiang, to not even frown!¡± Xiang Hongbin spoke, his face red and neck bulging. Wang Tao saw that most of the others were also looking sad, anxious, and even somewhat desperate. He consoled them: ¡°Everyone don¡¯t panic. First, let me share some good news. Han Rui and I have dealt with the Level 2 Zombie at the hospital! That is to say, the gori zombie is now the most powerful one we have here. As long as we take care of it, our base will bepletely safe!¡± Indeed, this news immediately lifted everyone¡¯s spirits. ¡°That¡¯s great! If we only have the gori zombie left as a Level 2 Zombie, then we have nothing to worry about, we can give it all we¡¯ve got! Xing Hongbin clenched his fists tightly. He wasn¡¯t afraid to die, but he was afraid that if he died, the base would be destroyed! Although the others didn¡¯t speak, their expressions were simr to Xiang Hongbin¡¯s. If only the gori zombie remained as a Level 2 Zombie, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much and could go all out! Everyone looked at Wang Tao. With him being the most powerful, if he wasn¡¯t confident, it was truly going to be tough for everyone¡­ Wang Tao gazed at the gori zombie outside, wildly bellowing, feeling quite challenged. Although he had sessfully evolved three abilities to Level 2, he was still only Level 1 himself. Looking at the gori zombie that could withstand bullets, he really wasn¡¯t sure. If he could prepare as he did before hunting the Hooded Zombie, then he felt killing the gori zombie could be possible, especially with the significant power of the Self-Destruct Bomb. But with the current level ofmotion, he felt if he dared to bring out a Self- Destruct Bomb, he would likely be the first to be sted! Without the Self-Destruct Bomb, he¡¯d have to fight it out! ¡°Let¡¯s try, at least we¡¯ve got to see if we can cause it any damage¡­ Now, with his Shockwave, Toughness, and Self-healing all at Level 2 Ability, even if he couldn¡¯t beat the gori zombie, he should still have the capital for a fight. So long as his defenses were solid and he avoided infection, he¡¯d be fine. After a brief discussion, they decided to strike first! With Wang Tao previously absent, everyone hadcked confidence. But now that Wang Tao was back, like having a backbone, they all felt more assured! ¡°Han Rui Old Wei, Old Xiang, the four of us will lead the charge! Lu Gang, you stay here to snipe! Then get those two high-defense fatty brothers and the Mud Swamp Ability User here¡­¡± Since the base now had Ability Users, it was only natural to utilize them. Soon, the Ability Users chosen by Wang Tao were brought over by Ren Jie. ¡°Gentlemen, we have no way back. We must kill this gori zombie! Now, I need your help¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at the group of Ability Users with a solemn tone. Those who had be Ability Users were all selected by Ren Jie for their good character. They would certainly be scared, but when it came down to it, they¡¯d most likely stand up. As expected. After exchanging nces, fear visible in their eyes, they simultaneously proimed loudly: ¡°For the base, for our brothers and sisters, we will not back down!¡± ¡°Good!¡± Wang Tao nodded in satisfaction. Anyone but ingrates would do, and Ren Jie¡¯s judgement was impable. ¡°Next, you¡¯ll need to cooperate with us. We don¡¯t need you to fight head-on, just to provide support¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly exined the n to them, then let them say their farewells to friends and family. After all, going out this time¡­ they might not return. But without giving time for sentimentality, once everyone was ready, Wang Tao took the lead, climbing from the roof of theplex building across a steel cable to the administrative building, and the others immediately followed. Once everyone arrived at the administrative building, Wang Tao took a deep breath. ¡°Go!¡± Chapter 276 - 144: The Terrifying Sonic Attack l Chapter 276: Chapter 144: The Terrifying Sonic Attack l The Gori zombie seemed tock intelligence, especiallypared to the Green-eyed Zombie, relying solely on brutal force for destruction without any adaptability. Of course, the Gori zombie was strong enough to break through any defense; no one could handle it. However, Wang Tao thought it was worth a try. ¡°Who among you is the fastest? Toss this Weakness Potion onto the Gori zombieter!¡± [Weakness Potion (small): Creatures contaminated by the Weakness Potion will have their attributes reduced by l%-20% (depending on the dosage) for 10 minutes, with a cooldown time of 12 minutes for the target] There weren¡¯t many of these Weakness Potions left for Wang Tao, but since he hadn¡¯t really used them, there were still a few bottles remaining. Previously, against the Hooded zombie, there was no opportunity to use it due to its high speed. Against the Green-eyed Zombie, it wasn¡¯t as strong as expected, so he was reluctant to use one¡­ ¡°Me! I¡¯m fast!¡± Hong Bin stepped forward without hesitation. This wasn¡¯t just about speed, but also about danger. To throw the Weakness Potion on the Gori zombie was extremely risky, requiring bravery. ¡°Good.¡± Wang Tao passed the Weakness Potion to Hong Bin. Wang Tao trusted Hong Bin, as he possessed the Rush Ability, which was useful for both offense and defense. Then Wang Tao took out Strength Potions, Defense Potions, Running Potions, Rejuvenation Potions, etc., and handed a bottle of each to everyone. After all, they were about to risk their lives, so they needed to be fully prepared. Finally, after ensuring everyone was equipped and armed, Wang Tao took a deep breath. ¡°Charge!¡± Wang Tao led the way down from the top of the administrative building, with the others following him. The Gori zombie¡¯s attention was still on theprehensive building. It seemed annoyed by the bullets that kept hitting it and wanted to eat the humans with guns, but every time it attempted to move, the bullets would greet its face. When it stopped, the bullets stopped too. This left itpletely angry, so it had no time to look elsewhere. However, the Mad Demon Zombies were different; many of them saw Wang Tao and his group cross over on the steel cables and were waiting for them at the base of the administrative building. Seeing the dense crowd of Mad Demon Zombies below, the two high-defense fatties and several Mud Swamp Ability Users felt their legs go weak. If they fell into the zombie horde, they would surely die! Luckily, Wang Tao made a direct jump from the third floor,nding amidst the swarm of Mad Demon Zombies. A circr Shockwave radiated from Wang Tao, spreading out in all directions. Splurch¡ª [-2000] [-2000] [-2000] [¡­] The zombies around Wang Tao were instantly cleared away! The others quickly followed suit. Wang Tao, Zhen Guo, and Hong Bin stood at the forefront. All three of them could use the Shockwave attack, which was quite effective against both the Mad Demon Zombies and Ordinary Zombies. After some effort, the group finally broke through. Before the other Mad Demon Zombies could catch up, Wang Tao quickly ordered: ¡°You guys go and prepare the Mud Swamp, and you two protect them!¡± He instructed the Mud Swamp Ability Users to prepare the Mud Swamp, intending to lure the Gori zombie there once they were ready. He then tasked the two sturdy, defensive fatties to protect the Mud Swamp Ability Users. If the Mud Swamp reached the size Wang Tao anticipated, there was a high chance it would take down the Gori zombie, sess now hinged on itspletion! ¡°Yes!¡± The group rushed to the previously agreed-upon location. Meanwhile, Wang Tao and Zhen Guo¡¯s group held back the Mad Demon Zombies that had just given chase. After killing off that wave of Mad Demon Zombies and catching a breath, Wang Tao immediately said: ¡°Let¡¯s go and see just how big the gap between us and the Gori zombie is¡­ Charge!¡± The group activated their Rush Abilities and charged straight toward the Gori zombie, with Han Rui leading the charge alongside Wang Tao since his Rush Ability had a cooldown period. Boom- Three Rushes were activated simultaneously, smashing through the zombies directly ahead. They were now only a little more than twenty meters from the Gori zombie. ¡°Roar-¡± Sensing someone approaching, the Gori zombie turned its head and let out an angry roar. It then lifted a huge chunk of concrete from the ground and hurled it at Hong Bin. ¡°Shit!¡± Hong Bin turned pale when he realized he was the first target. He had intentionally stayed a step behind the others, aiming to find an opportunity to throw the Weakness Potion, only to be the first attack target! Watching the rock fly toward him, Hong Bin executed a roll on the spot, allowing the rock to graze past him. Crash! The rock struck the zombies behind him, causing instant death and injury in its wake. His dy caused Hong Bin to separate from the group briefly. Gritting his teeth, he once again activated Rush, finally catching up with the rest. By then, Wang Tao and the others had reached the feet of the Gori zombie. At such close range, the Gori zombie no longer threw rocks but swung its enormous fists directly at them. Wang Tao agilely dodged the Gori zombie¡¯s fists and then delivered an ax chop into thin air towards it. A visible Shockwave hit the Gori zombie¡¯s head instantly. [-213] A number in the low two-hundreds floated up from the Gori zombie¡¯s head. At the sight of this number, Wang Tao¡¯s spirit was uplifted. ¡°This damage can hurt it!¡± His greatest fear was not being able to break through the Gori zombie¡¯s defenses. But as long as they could prate its armor, even wearing it down would prove fatal for it! Chapter 277 - 144: The Terrifying Sonic Attack_2 Chapter 277: Chapter 144: The Terrifying Sonic Attack_2 The gori zombie had a total of 10,000 HP, and Wang Tao could hit over 200 in one hit; that was no small feat! Do it fifty times, and this gori zombie would surely drop dead! However, it was clear that it wouldn¡¯t be so easy for Wang Tao to sessfullynd fifty shockwaves on the gori zombie. It was only after being hit for so long here that the gori zombie had lost over two hundred HP. But when Wang Tao struck and dealt over two hundred damage, the gori zombie became thoroughly enraged. So the gori zombie abandoned all other targets and went on a frenzied rampage with its fists against Wang Tao! ¡°Crap!¡± Wang Tao had just lifted his axe halfway when he saw the gori zombie¡¯s movements and immediately abandoned his attack to turn tail and run. If he didn¡¯t run, he could probably knock off another couple hundred of the gori zombie¡¯s HP, but the gori zombie would definitely hammer him into a pancake. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The gori zombie charged towards Wang Tao with big strides, crushing any zombies in its path underfoot, unconcerned with whether they were of the same kind or not. It only wanted to kill Wang Tao. Even attacks from Wei Zhenguo and the others were ignored. Of course, the shockwave of Wei Zhenguo hitting the gori zombie only caused twenty to thirty points of damage, which was indeed too low. Although Wang Tao was also fast, he definitely couldn¡¯t outrun the gori zombie, whose one step was equivalent to many of his own. Therefore he could only turn left and right, evading the gori zombie with agile movements. He even managed to lookbackand send another shockwave at the zombie¡¯s head. [-224] [9160/10000] ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The gori zombie became even more enraged, stopping its pace and then letting out a loud roar with its head thrown back. ¡°Ugh-¡± Everyone around the gori zombie, including Wang Tao, suddenly felt a massive noise by their ears, dazing them with dizzy spells. Even the zombies swayed from side to side. [-149] ¡°Damn, a sonic attack?¡± Wang Tao had the strongest constitution and recovered his senses first. He lost over a hundred HP, but the HP loss was not the main point. The key was that during the momentary dizziness, he could barely control his own body, and it was lucky that the gori zombie was still some distance away; otherwise, he feared he would have been hammered to death directly. Moreover, his toughness ability seemed unable to block such attacks. After clearing the surrounding zombies with one swing of his axe, Wang Tao quickly looked towards the others, only to see Wei Zhenguo and others swaying, looking dazed and out ofmission. Wang Tao was shocked. Bearing the stabbing pain in his head, he immediately used his shockwave ability, chopping several times around hispanions. More than a dozen mad demon zombies that were about to attack them were instantly shattered by Wang Tao. A few secondster, the others came to their senses, their faces pale and feeling nauseous as if they were about to vomit. ¡°It actually has an area-of-effect control ability¡­ Wei Zhenguo forced himself to keep his spirits up, looking very unwell. The gori zombie¡¯s roar had left everyone dizzy for several seconds. Had it not been for Wang Tao attacking the zombies attacking them just now, they might already have been pinned to the ground by a mass of zombies! ¡°When you see the gori zombie throw back its head and roar, cover your ears quickly!¡± Wang Tao immediately told everyone, not sure if it would work, but it was worth a try. He also reminded the people in the building, including Ren Jie, to plug their ears. ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone nodded in agreement. When the gori zombie roared, it didn¡¯t make any attacking moves, and its entire head was exposed. It seemed to be one of its abilities. Unfortunately, Wang Tao also got dazed at the time and couldn¡¯t attack. Otherwise, that would have been a great opportunity. Never mind Wang Tao, even the people in the nearbyprehensive building seemed to have been stunned; the gunfire paused for a moment. After its roar, seeing that Wang Tao had been immobilized, the gori zombie immediately strode over to him. Luckily Wang Tao¡¯s physical fitness was strong, allowing him to recover ahead of time. Seeing the gori zombie approach, Wang Tao immediately ran in the opposite direction, sliding under the gori zombie¡¯s legs. At the same time, Wang Tao unleashed another shockwave. But this time, he hit askew, striking the gori zombie¡¯s chest, only causing a few drops of HP to be lost. The gori zombie stretched out its huge and rotten hands, trying to grasp Wang Tao. But it didn¡¯t expect Wang Tao to actually run towards it; it reflexively continued to reach out, resulting in its hands swiping under its crotch. Then, with a thud, the gori zombie lost its bnce and fell to the ground. ¡°Opportunity!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up as he raised his axe, ready to strike the back of the gori¡¯s head. But someone was quicker than him! A beam of white light shed by, and Xiang Hongbin rushed towards the fallen gori zombie, smashing a weakness potion right onto its face. Smash¡ª The potion bottle shattered, and a colorless liquid instantly covered the face of the gori zombie. Wang Tao clearly saw a negative status appear beneath the HP bar of the gori zombie. [Weakness: All attributes reduced by 20%, remaining duration: 9 minutes 59 seconds] A hit. And it¡¯s the maximum effect of weakness, 20%! ¡°Well done!¡± Wang Tao was overjoyed. His next axe blow finally came thundering down. [-301] The damage had indeed increased! Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui also called in their attacks. [-431 [-32] However, even weakened, their attacks still didn¡¯t deal much damage against the gori zombie. The gap between Level 1 and Level Two was still too big! ¡°Roar!¡± The gori zombie let out an angry roar, quickly got up, and then went on a wild rampage with its fists around it. Chapter 278 - 144: The Terrifying Sonic Attack_3 Chapter 278: Chapter 144: The Terrifying Sonic Attack_3 Wang Tao and his group had already retreated, and a dozen mad demon zombies were directly smashed into a pulp by the gori zombie. ¡°Such a tough one!¡± Wang Tao looked at the HP bar above the gori zombie¡¯s head, which had hardly decreased, took a deep breath, and then six surgical knives appeared in his hand. At that moment, a green light shed in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. Whoosh¡ª The six surgical knives flew toward the gori zombie1 s face at the same time. Although the gori zombie didn¡¯t seem to see Wang Tao¡¯s attack, it still instinctively raised its hand. [-12] [-141 [-11] [-15] [-171 [-1229] Five of the surgical knives were blocked, but one of them plunged into the gori zombie¡¯s wide open mouth. Wang Tao was under the gori zombie, and from his angle, the thrown knives flew upwards at a nt. So, this knife had probably prated deeply, directly chopping off one-tenth of the gori zombie¡¯s HP in one go! Before Wang Tao could feel ted, he saw the gori zombie let out another loud roar. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± However, this time it wasn¡¯t dizziness, but its HP bar suddenly started to rise. [+30] [+30] [+30] [¡­] ¡°Damn, is this the self-healing power?¡± Seeing the gori zombie¡¯s HP increase by 30 every second, Wang Tao felt like cursing aloud. The gori zombie could regenerate blood! How was he supposed to fight that? It was hard enough to take down more than twenty percent of the gori zombie¡¯s HP; he estimated that it could fully recover in less than two minutes. However, if it really was the self-healing power, it could be interrupted! Wang Tao had tried before; sudden attacks could easily disrupt the healing. Of course, the healing could be initiated again, but zombies weren¡¯t likely to be very smart¡­ With that thought, Wang Tao hardened his resolve, and suddenly, an object shaped like a heart appeared in his hand and he threw it at the feet of the gori zombie! As he threw it, he immediately grabbed two mad demon zombies and used them as shields in front of himself. Boom¡ª A deafening explosion followed, and several mad demon zombies were blown to bits. Wang Tao was also knocked over by the st wave of the explosion. The scene was too noisy! His original n was to throw the self-destruct bomb at the feet of the gori zombie. But the moment he took the bomb out of the space, it began to swell, and it exploded before reaching the gori zombie¡¯s feet! Fortunately, Wang Tao had the foresight to grab a couple of zombies as shields; otherwise, he might have been injured. What pleased Wang Tao, though, was that even though the self-destruct bomb didn¡¯t cause much harm to the gori zombie, the impact had made the creature stagger slightly, and its healing effect disappeared! ¡°It really is the self-healing power!¡± in just that short time, the gori zombie¡¯s HP had recovered to nine thousand. It was a good thing that the others couldn¡¯t see the HP bar; otherwise, they might have lost all hope. After the explosion, the gori zombie immediately spotted the culprit, Wang Tao. It ran towards him again, almost as if one could see the anger on its face. Moreover, this time it was clear that the gori zombie seemed to have be faster, which greatly increased the pressure on Wang Tao. However, suddenly, just as the gori zombie was about to raise its fist again to smash Wang Tao, a loud gunshot rang out. Bang¡ª [HP -3394] [HP 57II/IOOOO] The Gori zombie took a step back directly. ¡°Fuck!¡± When Wang Tao saw that damage number pop up from the Gori zombie¡¯s head, he couldn¡¯t help but exim in surprise. He quickly turned around and saw the dark barrel of a gun protruding from the rooftop of theprehensive building. ¡°It¡¯s Lu Gang! He¡¯s using a 12.7 caliber anti-material sniper rifle!¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie. ¡°Damn¡­ you guys still have this good stuff? Why didn¡¯t you use it earlier!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. ¡°We didn¡¯t have a chance before! This thing makes too much noise, easily attracting Mad Demon Zombies, but now¡­ the Mad Demon Zombies and the Gori zombies have all been drawn here, so it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Wei Zhenguo¡¯s voice was tinged with some helplessness, as he would have preferred never having to use that gun. The Gori zombie was hit hard by that shot, and Wang Tao could clearly see that half of its face was gone! ¡°We¡¯ll draw the zombies¡¯ attention, to create opportunities for Lu Gang!¡± Wang Tao immediately said. He had originally thought he was the main offensive force, but it turned out to be Lu Gang. However, this was good news. After all, he could at most hit the Gori zombie for around three hundred HP, while Lu Gang¡¯s shot could inflict more than three thousand HP! If Lu Gang could get a few more urate shots, wouldn¡¯t the Gori zombie be handled! But imagination is beautiful, reality is cruel. Just as Wang Tao was thinking whether Lu Gang could take down the Gori zombie with a few more shots, the Gori zombie suddenly raised its arms to cover its head and then charged towards theprehensive building! Neither Wang Tao and hispanions¡¯ attacks nor the other Security Army¡¯s shootings could stop the Gori zombie in the slightest. ¡°This is bad!¡± Wang Tao cursed inwardly. Watching the Gori zombie charge at the building as if it intended to knock it down, Wang Tao and the others outside shouted simultaneously: ¡°Quick, stop the Gori zombie!¡± Shua- Xiang Hongbin, Wei Zhenguo, and Han Rui, all three of them, rushed from the side at the same time, aiming straight for the Gori zombie! Bang- Because the Gori zombie didn¡¯t bother with the trio this time, their rush hit the Gori zombie from the left simultaneously. Facing the trio¡¯s assault, the Gori zombie, without actively resisting, was directly knocked away! However, before hitting the ground, it suddenly tilted its head skyward and opened its mouth wide. ¡°Roar ¡± This was a roar even louder than before, so much so that ripples visible to the naked eye spread all around! Even though Wang Tao had instinctively covered his ears as soon as he saw the Gori zombie lift its head, he was still mmed with dizziness and his HP dropped by nearly a thousand! Blood seeped from the ears of Wei Zhenguo and the others, and they fell to the ground. But the most serious were the people inside the building; that single roar instantly silenced the gunfire and Ability attacks within. As for Lu Gang¡­ Wang Tao struggled to lift his head, and he heard Lu Gang¡¯s pained voice over the walkie-talkie. ¡°Cough, I feel¡­ I¡¯m gonna die¡­¡± Then there was silence. Looking at the now silentprehensive building, Wang Tao cursed under his breath and quickly ran over to Wei Zhenguo and the others. They were all critically wounded, and if not treated in time, they might die! Chapter 279 - 145:1 Will Repay You (Seeking Chapter 279: Chapter 145:1 Will Repay You (Seeking Monthly Pass at Month¡¯s End) 1 The roars of the gori zombie were not only powerful, but their range was also wide! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know if anyone inside the building would be directly killed by this roar¡­ However, this was an indiscriminate attack, all other zombies around the gori zombie fell to the ground, and many were even shaken to death! No one in theplex was attacking the zombies outside anymore, but there were also no zombies attacking theplex, creating a sudden eerie silence at the scene. After the gori zombie let out that roar, it seemed to calm down; it turned around and began walking step by step toward Wang Tao, the only one still standing in the entire area. By that time, Wang Tao had already run over to where Wei Zhenguo and his twopanions were. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± The three of them were conscious, but they had been shaken by the sonic attack to the point where their ears and noses were bleeding, their minds were dazed, and they couldn¡¯t move. After recognizing it was Wang Tao, they tried to say something, but they could only cough without being able to speak. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to talk; he first took out a medical kit and treated each of them. Then he picked up Han Rui, held Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin in his arms, and ran straight into the distance! Since the gori zombie had knocked down arge group of zombies with its roar, Wang Tao was able to run away smoothly. The gori zombie watched Wang Tao run and immediately went on all fours, stepping on the bodies of nearby zombies as it chased after him. Carrying three people, naturally, Wang Tao¡¯s speed was greatly affected. Just as the gori zombie was about to catch up, he saw an open area ahead and immediately activated the Rush Ability built into his suit. His Rush Ability had a cooldown of one hour, so it could only be used at a critical moment. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao and the three people moved over thirty meters in an instant, putting them at a distance from the gori zombie once again. ¡°Wakeup!¡± As he ran, Wang Tao shouted at the three people on him. They didn¡¯t seem to have any serious external injuries, but they had all just lost over two thousand HP from the gori zombie¡¯s roar and probably had severe internal injuries. After running a bit more, just when the gori zombie was about to catch them, Xiang Hongbin finally started to recover. ¡°Let, let me down¡­¡± Without a second word, Wang Tao put down Xiang Hongbin. ¡°Can you use Rush?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Xiang Hongbin took a deep breath and then grabbed Wang Tao. Whoosh¡ª The group rushed another thirty meters in an instant. ¡°Puh¡ª¡± Xiang Hongbin spit out a mouthful of blood. ¡°It feels awful, just like having a bomb explode right next to my ear¡­¡± By that time, Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui were both awake as well. Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said: ¡°Quick, run towards the ce we nned before!¡± The n that Wang Tao had in mind was to lure the gori zombie into the mud swamp. Although many unexpected things had happened along the way, the result would be the same. ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone gritted their teeth and drank a Rejuvenation Potion. Then they took turns using Rush to carry each other. The Rejuvenation Potion could instantly restore a person¡¯s spirit and physical strength to full, but the side effect was weakness for one day. But at this point, if they didn¡¯t deal with the gori zombie, they probably wouldn¡¯t live to see the sun tomorrow, so who cared about feeling weak? Finally, after using three Rushes, the two of them finally reached the agreed ce. This was a park with arge artificialke inside. But now, the water in the artificialke had disappeared, reced by muddy sludge! A few nearly exhausted Mud Swamp Ability Users stood in the mud, continuously oozing sludge from their bodies. Nearby, two hefty men in thick armor were fending off zombie attacks for them. In the presence of water, the Mud Swamp Ability would be greatly strengthened. For safety, Wang Tao had specifically requested them toe here. Now, it seemed that the effect was indeed good. But it was uncertain if they could trap the gori zombie¡­ Thump, thump, thump¡ª The gori zombie was closing in fast, and the ground trembled slightly! Wang Tao immediately said to Wei Zhenguo and the others: ¡°You guys hide first; it¡¯s after me!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Without hesitation, the three hid behind some flower beds in the park. ¡°You hide too!¡± Wang Tao shouted to the two heavyset brothers, then sent several shockwaves their way, eliminating all surrounding zombies. ¡°Yes!¡± Soon, only Wang Tao and a few Mud Swamp Ability Users were left on the scene. ¡°Take me to the middle of the mud swamp!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Under normal circumstances, Mud Swamp Ability Users would not be trapped by the mud swamp as long as they were exuding mud from their bodies. They might not be able to move freely in the swamp, but at least they could move. Soon, these Mud Swamp Ability Users dragged Wang Tao to the center of the mud swamp. At that moment, the gori zombie finally arrived! ¡°Roar-¡± Seeing Wang Tao in the mud swamp, it let out a roar, not caring about its footing, and headed straight for Wang Tao. Splorch¡ª The gori zombie¡¯s footnded in the mud swamp, causing its body to stagger, but it quickly stabilized by cing its other foot down more firmly. ¡°Good¡­¡± Wang Tao watched all this unfold. He didn¡¯t make any move but continued to wait for the gori zombie¡¯s approach. To prevent the gori zombie fromunching another sonic attack, he had the Mud Swamp Ability Users block their ears. Blocking their ears wasn¡¯t much of a problem for Mud Swamp Ability Users, as they constantly had sludge flowing from their ears anyway. ¡°Heh, heh¡­¡± The gori zombie, in the mud swamp, took steps toward Wang Tao, but it was obvious that its speed was getting slower, and the resistance from the mud swamp was growing! Chapter 280 - 145:1 Will Repay You (End of the Chapter 280: Chapter 145:1 Will Repay You (End of the Month for Monthly Pass)_2 When it was only a little more than ten meters away from Wang Tao, it finally couldn¡¯t move any further. ¡°Huff-¡± Seeing this situation, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. The gori zombie was trapped! ¡°Everyone,e out and kill!¡± Wang Tao roared, then threw a shockwave at the gori zombie. Bang¡ª The gori zombie directly blocked Wang Tao¡¯s attack with its arms, and Wang Tao¡¯s strike did no damage. At that moment, the attacks from Wei Zhenguo and the other two arrived. Two shockwaves and a crossbow arrow flew directly from the side towards the head of the gori zombie. [-56] [-68] [-324] [5013/10000] The damage from the shockwaves was moderate, but the crossbow arrow was aimed trickily and shot directly into the ears of the gori zombie. ¡°It¡¯s down to half its HP!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s heart surged with excitement. Judging by the current situation, they could wear it down to death! Of course, Wang Tao didn¡¯t let his guard down since the gori zombie had a self-healing ability. He had to keep a close eye on the opponent and interrupt in time when he saw it using its self-healing ability! His self-destruct bomb was already prepared, ready to be thrown at any moment. However, to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, the gori zombie didn¡¯t use its self-healing ability. Instead, itunched several sonic attacks, though these attacks were much weaker. Aside from the mud superpower user and the two chubby brothers, Wang Tao and the others no longer suffered from dizziness. ¡°Out of energy?¡± Wang Tao suddenly raised an eyebrow. Generally speaking, the more powerful the ability, the greater the energy consumption. The kind of superrge scale, indiscriminate sonic attack the gori zombieunched before must have consumed a lot of energy. Coupled with its other attacks, it might be running low on energy by now. Even if the gori zombie was out of energy, Wang Tao still couldn¡¯t be careless. He had to be wary of the gori zombie¡¯s counterattack. After a few minutes of attritional fighting, the gori zombie¡¯s HP had dropped to just over three thousand! It was on itsst legs! It wasn¡¯t just the zombie that was struggling; Wang Tao and his teammates were also having a hard time¡ªtheir energy was nearly depleted! After killing so many zombies before and battling with the gori zombie, they had used up too much energy, and now they all felt dizzy. Taking advantage of the moment the gori zombie raised its arms to block the shockwaves from Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin, Wang Tao decisively sent another shockwave. Bang¡ª [-4561 [2759/10000] The gori zombie¡¯s HP directly dropped below three thousand! But Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to be pleased when he suddenly felt a huge sense of crisis. ¡°Not good, retreat!¡± Wang Tao immediately roared, activating Iron and Copper Bones at the same time. He trusted his intuition for danger! The Mud Swamp Ability Users he was dragging immediately started to retreat with him. Wei Zhenguo and the others didn¡¯t understand why but still followed Wang Tao¡¯smand and retreated at once. Then, they saw the gori zombie¡¯s muscles start to swell, its body slowly grewrger, its rotting skin burst open, and the mud beneath it began to boil! ¡°Roar¡ª¡± A momentter, arger and more ferocious, muscle-exposed gori zombie appeared before everyone! ¡°Fuck! What the hell is this?!¡± Xiang Hongbin cursed upon seeing this scene. The gori zombie used to be around six meters tall, roughly two stories high, and with its bulky build, it gave off an overpowering presence. Now, the gori zombie had ballooned to nearly ten meters tall¡ªa three-story building height! Its body had also grownrger. Though the rotting skin was gone, leaving only ckish-red muscle tissue, it seemed even more terrifying. ¡°Damn, could it be that this thing has a level two stage? How are we supposed to fight this?!¡± Watching the gori zombie return to full health with [10000/10000] HP, Wang Tao was dumbfounded. The erged gori zombie, ignoring the mud swamp, tookrge strides towards Wang Tao. ¡°You guys retreat!¡± Wang Tao shouted at the Mud Swamp Ability Users below him and then leaped onto the shore. The depth of the mud swamp was limited, and it was no longer effective against the gori zombie which had grown so much in size. Wang Tao didn¡¯t want the Mud Swamp Ability Users to get caught up in this. While running, he said through the walkie-talkie: ¡°The gori zombie has returned to full health, we can¡¯t beat it, retreat first! We¡¯U think of another nter!¡± Everyone was a bit dumbfounded, just as they were wearing the gori zombie down, it suddenly went back to full health! They were reluctant to give up, but knew that at this moment, they had no choice but to abandon the fight. However¡­ it might be a bit toote to run now! They saw the gori zombie open its mouth wide and let out another furious roar. ¡°Roar-¡± An enormous and terrifying noise erupted right by everyone¡¯s ears! Even blocking their ears was useless! For that moment, it seemed as though the entire world had lost sound. Wang Tao half-knelt on the ground, clenching his teeth, clutching his hair, feeling like his head was about to explode! Through the haze, Wang Tao saw the gori zombie taking steps toward him, its massive fist already over his head! But at that moment, Wang Tao could do nothing¡­ Suddenly, Wang Tao felt something hit his abdomen, sending him flying into a flowerbed. Bang¡ª The gori zombie¡¯s fist came down, but it hit nothing. ¡°Ugh-¡± Wang Tao struggled to his feet, steadying his body and immediately activating his self-healing ability. His eyes flickered with a green light as he scanned his surroundings. ¡°What happened¡­ Was I saved by someone¡­¡± Wang Tao rubbed his dazed head, but found nothing around him. However, as he looked around, he saw the heads of the Mud Swamp Ability Users had all exploded, their bodies standing stiffly in the mud. Not far away, the two defensively second only to him¡ªthe chubby brothers¡ªalso had their heads blown open, their obese bodies toppled over in a flower bed beside the road. Chapter 281 - 145:1 Will Repay You (End of the Month for Monthly Pass)_3 Chapter 281: Chapter 145:1 Will Repay You (End of the Month for Monthly Pass)_3 ¡°Damnit!¡± Wang Tao cursed under his breath; he couldn¡¯t afford to think about how he had avoided the gori zombie¡¯s attack. He quickly tried to see where Wei Zhenguo and the other two were, but from his position, he couldn¡¯t see them at all. Wang Tao shouted into the walkie-talkie: ¡°Is everybody still alive? Speak up!¡± No reply. Thump, thump¡ª Just then, Wang Tao felt the ground begin to tremble. He swiftly turned around, only to see a huge figure covered in mud approaching him. ¡°Shit!¡± Wang Tao quickly took a Rejuvenation Potion and used several medical packs. He suddenly felt a surge of vitality, like a Return to Light, as his energy was restored. But his HP wasn¡¯t full yet. Then he produced a Weakness Potion and threw it directly at the face of the gori zombie. Smash¡ª The Weakness Potion bottle shattered, and the gori zombie did not dodge or evade. Wang Tao saw another -20% Weakness attribute appear below its HP bar, and the steps of the gori zombie faltered slightly. But this was a more powerful, full-HP gori zombie! Even with a 20% weakness, he couldn¡¯t defeat it! Wang Tao wanted to retreat, but he had to try to get around the gori zombie and see if Wei Zhenguo and the others were dead. If not, he might be able to save them. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao unleashed a Shockwave at the head of the gori zombie. Boom! [-532] [9568/10000] ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Tao was surprised to find that his attack seemed to be much higher than before¡ªnot that his attack power had increased, but the zombie¡¯s defense seemed to have been reduced a bit! But¡­ it was useless! Even with lowered defense, Wang Tao still couldn¡¯t win! ¡°Roar¡ª¡± After being attacked, the gori zombie let out a roar, grabbed everything it could around it¡ªtrees, rocks, etc., and threw them at Wang Tao¡¯s head, even predicting and throwing them ahead of his path. Wang Tao¡¯sRush Ability was still cooling down, so he couldn¡¯t use it and had to dodge back and forth. After a moment, although he dodged most of the attacks and wasn¡¯t injured, the gori zombie had already gotten very close. ¡°No way out now¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed. He really didn¡¯t want to go all out against the gori zombie because it was highly probable that he would die. But he had no choice! Wang Tao immediately jabbed his arm with a Defense Potion, Running Potion, Strength Potion, and Eyesight Potion all at once. The effects of these potions were short-lived, but they had long cooldowns. Wang Tao had been holding back on using them, but now it was necessary. Instantly, Wang Tao felt power fill his entire body, an unprecedented sensation of strength! Of course, he knew it was an illusion since the duration of these potions was generally only one minute. ¡°Whew-¡± Wang Tao took a deep breath; he knew he couldn¡¯t beat the gori zombie, but he had to try, and then find a chance to run away! With a powerful push off his rear foot, Wang Tao charged straight toward the gori zombie, with six Surgical Throwing Knives appearing in his hands. Swoosh¡ª The Throwing Knives flew straight at the face of the gori zombie. Thud- Four were blocked, but two of the Throwing Knives sessfully plunged into the gori zombie¡¯s cheeks. [-231] [-245] [9092/10000] Two Throwing Knives caused over five hundred damage, significantly more than before. The gori zombie was left with 90% of its HP! Then, Wang Tao picked up his axe andunched another Shockwave at the gori zombie. Boom! [-622] [8470/10000] This time, the gori zombie didn¡¯t dodge, but instead took the hit head-on and threw a punch directly at Wang Tao. The gori zombie was much faster than before, and Wang Tao couldn¡¯t dodge in time. He could only cross his arms and take the brunt of the blow. With his Level Two Toughness and the effect of the Defense Potion, there should be no problem¡ª Boom! [-2125] [1074/4999] Wang Tao was sent flying more than ten meters away. ¡°Pff-¡± He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood in midair, thennded heavily on the ground. ¡°What the hell is this!¡± Wang Tao could hardly believe it; the attack power of the gori zombie in its current state was just too strong! ¡°I¡¯m really going to die¡­¡± A look of despair crossed Wang Tao¡¯s face. Thud¡ªThud¡ª The gori zombie stepped toward Wang Tao, one step at a time. After transforming, the gori zombie seemed much calmer, its pace neither hurried nor slow, but this made the sense of oppression even stronger! Just then, a lean figure suddenly appeared and collided directly with the gori zombie. Though slender, the figure sent the gori zombie flying! Bang! Both fell to the ground. The lean figure turned around and gave Wang Tao a cold nce. Wang Tao was shocked when he saw who it was. ¡°WuFei!¡± The one who knocked down the gori zombie was none other than Wu Fei, whom he had met outside the base some time ago! But now, Wu Fei¡¯s condition was different from thest time they met! His HP was still flickering, but it had reached [4756/4999]! And what¡¯s more important, the impurities in his body were as high as [100%]! Impurities at 100%, and he¡¯s still not a zombie? As Wang Tao was shocked and puzzled, he sawrge amounts of ck blood vessels starting to appear on Wu Fei¡¯s neck, face, and even in his eyeballs. His pupils also began to turn white slowly! ¡°He¡¯s turning into a zombie!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat stunned; he thought he would gain an ally, but instead, another opponent emerged? However, what happened next waspletely beyond Wang Tao¡¯s expectations. The stiff-faced Wu Fei suddenly curled his lips and spoke with difficulty: ¡°I¡­ said¡­ I would¡­ pay you back!¡± After speaking, Wu Fei turned around, kicked off the ground, and lunged at the gori zombie, which had just gotten up. As he turned around, his HP changed from 4999 to 5000! Level Two¡­ zombie! And it wasn¡¯t just Wu Fei¡¯s HP that changed. His abdomen suddenly copsed inwards, and his bloody ribs pierced through the skin, jutting out like arge mouth full of sharp, giant teeth! In an instant, Wu Fei had pounced onto the gori zombie¡¯s head, tightly grasping it, and his sharp ribs plunged into the face of the gori zombie! St! [-5000] [3410/10000] He instantly wiped out a full 5000 HP from the gori zombie! Then the gori zombie fell to the ground again, and its body stiffly convulsed ¡ªit couldn¡¯t move! ¡°This is my chance!¡± Clenching his teeth, Wang Tao suppressed the pain in his body, ran to the gori zombie, and then frantically swung his axe at the head of the gori zombie! [-674] [-742] [-823] [-1171] [0/10000] St! Finally, the gori zombie¡¯s head burst! ¡°Heh heh¡ª¡± After the gori zombie died, Wang Tao had no time to catch his breath when he saw Wu Fei let go of the gori zombie¡¯s head and pounce directly at him! His abdomen, with its sharp ribs, was still wriggling, as if wanting to swallow Wang Tao whole! Wang Tao was startled and swung his axe at Wu Fei instinctively. St¡ª [-1] [0/5000] Wu Fei¡¯s HP bar emptied. Atop Shuizhe Mountain. A group of zombies dressed in colorful garments, exuding a green gas, appeared rather frenzied. In the midst of these zombies, a weak figure in a hood raised its head and revealed a pair of blood ¨C red eyes. Chapter 282 - 146: Heavy Casualties (Seeking monthly passes at month’s end) 1 Chapter 282: Chapter 146: Heavy Casualties (Seeking monthly passes at month¡¯s end) 1 ¡°Huff-¡± Wang Tao flipped over andy on the ground. His body ached all over, his lungs felt like they were burning, and his head seemed like it was about to split open¡­ He really wanted to sleep, but he knew he couldn¡¯t afford to at this moment, otherwise any zombie coulde along and kill him.?????????????? 6 A momentter, Wang Tao finally caught his breath and struggled to his feet. First, he collected all the loot from the gori zombie, and then he nced at the corpse of the zombie, Wu Fei. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Wang Tao had a purification potion in his hand, which had a certain chance of turning a recently transformed zombie back into a human, but only if the person hadn¡¯t died. And the zombie, Wu Fei, was already dead beyond dead-his entire head had been split open by Wang Tao¡¯s axe, his crystal core burst out, leaving only the lower half of his face. The corners of its mouth were slightly raised, as though it were smiling. In his state of extreme weakness, when Wu Fei, who had lost his senses, lunged at him, Wang Tao had no choice but to fight back. Wang Tao didn¡¯t notice that Wu Fei had only a drop of HP left and would die from a single touch. ¡°Buddy, thanks a lot!¡± Wang Tao patted the shoulder of the zombie, Wu Fei, his tone somewhat mncholic. Initially, when he saved Wu Fei, it was because he saw that Wu Fei was quite pitiable and still alive, and he also wanted to test the effects of the inhibitor. Wang Tao didn¡¯t expect anything in return from him. After all, it was the end of the world, and it might have been the first andst time they saw each other. Plus, at that time, Wang Tao was much stronger than Wu Fei¡­ When Wu Fei said he would repay Wang Tao, Wang Tao just took it as a joke. Later, Wang Tao unexpectedly saw Wu Fei again, who had umted 30% internal impurity in his body. Wu Fei knew he was beyond saving, but he took it in stride, except for the woman, Ou Yingying, who had betrayed him. Wu Fei once again said he would repay Wang Tao, and again, Wang Tao didn¡¯t take it to heart. Afterward, Ou Yingying died. Wang Tao saw Wu Fei once more. By then, Wu Fei had changed drastically, with over 90% internal impurity in his body, on the verge of turning into a zombie at any moment. He was very indifferent, looking at Wang Tao as if looking at a stranger. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t bothered by it, he just felt sorry for Wu Fei, knowing his life was counting down its final seconds. Maybe next time he went out, he would encounter the zombie Wu Fei had be¡­ Now, Wang Tao saw Wu Fei for thest time. Wu Fei¡¯s internal impurity had reached 100%, and he spoke to Wang Tao with a stiff tone for onest time: I told you, I would repay you. After saying this, he turned into a zombie and then lunged at the gori zombie. His move must have been an ability, which deducted a substantial amount of HP from the gori zombie and locked it in ce, making it impossible for the gori zombie to move. The cost of this ability must have been high, as Wu Fei eliminated 5000 HP from the gori zombie, but he himself lost 4999 HP. Then, Wang Tao took the chance to kill both the gori zombie and Wu Fei, who had turned into a zombie. Wang Tao always felt that his rtionship with Wu Fei was that of a stranger at most a somewhat familiar one. Whether the other party repaid him or not ¡¯ Wang Tao didn¡¯t care. But in Wu Fei¡¯s eyes, Wang Tao was his savior, the person who gave him the chance for revenge. Wu Fei was a man of his word, and since he said he would repay his debt, he would surely do so, no matter in what way. Perhaps Wu Fei had been following Wang Tao all along, or perhaps he had been following the gori zombie, or maybe it was just by chance that he encountered the great battle between Wang Tao and the gori zombie¡­ But no matter what, Wu Fei fulfilled his promise-Wang Tao had saved his life, allowing him to live three more months. So he repaid Wang Tao¡¯s kindness with his own life. Wang Tao respected him as a true man! ¡°Hehe¡­¡± After gathering the spoils, several ordinary zombies approached. Wang Tao didn¡¯t even look, he just chopped off the heads of the zombies with two swings of his axe.??? ¡ã Then, staggering, Wang Tao made his way toward Wei Zhenguo and the others. The ground was all muddy, and Wang Tao searched for a while before finally seeing the three of them. Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, and Han Rui were all unconscious, and they were critically low on HP. Wang Tao dragged them to a cleaner ce, wiped the mud off their faces, and then used a med kit on them. Before long, the three of them woke up one after another. ¡°Am I¡­ dead¡­ Wang Tao? Even you¡­¡± Han Rui looked at Wang Tao beside her, her gaze somewhat hollow. Wang Tao pped her lightly on the face without any courtesy. You re still alive, but if we don¡¯t leave right now, you really could die.¡± ¡°Ah? I¡¯m not dead¡­¡± Han Rui was stunned for a moment before she finally understood. Cough, Wang Tao, what¡¯s the situation?¡± Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin were much calmer byparison, they didn¡¯t believe in ghosts or gods-conscious meant alive, unconscious meant dead it was that simple. ¡°The gori zombie is dead.¡± Wang Tao revealed a smile on his face. ¡°The gori zombie is dead!¡± All three of them were surprised and delighted, with Xiang Hongbin even pinching his own thigh hard. He knew he was still alive, but he feared it was all a dream. ¡°Ouch¡ªpainful!¡± ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re too amazing!¡± Han Rui praised him excitedly. Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin also looked at him with utmost respect. The gori zombie was supposed to be the most powerful zombie in Shuize County, and as long as they dealt with the gori zombie, they wouldn¡¯t have to live in fear every day as they were doing now! But Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°This isn¡¯t just my achievement, it¡¯s all of ours. And at the moment of life and death, Wu Fei appeared, he saved my life, and assisted me in killing the gori zombie.¡± Chapter 283 - 146: Heavy Casualties (Seeking monthly passes at month’s end)_2 Chapter 283: Chapter 146: Heavy Casualties (Seeking monthly passes at month¡¯s end)_2 ¡°Ah?WuFei!¡± All three cried out in rm. Wang Tao had previously informed them about Wu Fei¡¯s situation. Wasn¡¯t Wu Fei about to turn into a zombie? Could there have been some miracle that restored him to normal? ¡°Where is he?¡± Han Rui asked anxiously. She still felt very guilty about Wu Fei and Li Cheng. ¡°He¡¯s dead. He became a zombie, and I killed him.¡± Everyone opened their mouths, but didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the specificster. Let¡¯s rest for a while and then head back to the base.¡± The situation at the base was unknown. It was possible that everyone was still alive; on the other hand, maybe the mad demon zombies had overrun the base, and they were all dead¡­ ¡°Okay!¡± All four were severely injured, especially Wang Tao, who was down to just a few hundred HP. Forget fighting, he could hardly walk. Fortunately, Wang Tao had a medical kit, and he also possessed the self- healing ability, which allowed blood regeneration. Otherwise, all four of them would havepletely lost theirbat effectiveness. After resting for a while, they all felt much better. Although they still had low HP, at least they could walk. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao and the others supported each other as they headed towards the base. On their way, no zombies appeared. It was likely that all the zombies had been drawn to the base. Han Rui¡¯s walkie-talkie was the only one that still worked, and she tried to use it to contact others, but there was no response. Everyone looked grim. ¡°I hope everyone is still alive¡­¡± Han Rui prayed silently in her heart. After some time, they arrived at the rooftop of a three-story building not far from the base. ¡°There are still many zombies in the base, but the defenses of theprehensive building seem to be holding. Without the gori zombies, it¡¯s hard forthose mad demon zombies to break through those steel defenses¡­¡± Zhen Guo put down the binocrs. Although they heard no noiseing from inside the building, the fact that it hadn¡¯t been overrun was good news. ¡°What now? Do we just rush in?¡± Hong Bin looked at Wang Tao. Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°No, in our current state, if we¡¯re surrounded by mad demon zombies, we probably wouldn¡¯t be able to escape¡­ Since theprehensive building hasn¡¯t been breached, we should recover our condition first before we go over.¡± They might be the base¡¯sst fighting force. As long as they were alive, there was still hope for the base. If they died or were trapped, the base might truly be hopeless. ¡°Makes sense!¡± Everyone nodded in agreement and then settled temporarily in the building. While regaining their strength, they took turns monitoring the base with binocrs. Mad demon zombies were a type of zombie that were highly sensitive to sound. If there was noise, they might stick around. If it was quiet, they might leave after a while. Now that the gori zombie was dead and the mad demon zombies couldn¡¯t break into theprehensive building, which was quiet, the probability was high that the mad demon zombies would gradually leave. Of course, even if they didn¡¯t leave, once Wang Tao and the others had recovered, they could rush in. They rested from noon until the afternoon. Although their HP bars hadn¡¯tpletely regenerated, as some injuries couldn¡¯t be healed with the medical kits, their mana had mostly recovered. An ability user with mana and one without were basically two different species. ¡°If we¡¯re all ready, then let¡¯s go!¡± Some of the mad demon zombies under theprehensive building had left, so they could now approach it. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± When several people appeared at the entrance of Shuize Base, they immediately caught the attention of some mad demon zombies. Seeing these ferocious monsters rushing towards them, Wang Tao and the others didn¡¯t engage inbat. They used several rush abilities in session and sessfully made it to the administration building. Then, they climbed from the rooftop of the administration building to the rooftop of theprehensive building using the steel ropes, as they had done before. Before reaching the rooftop, they saw Lu Gang lying there. Next to him was also FengMing¡¯an. Aftering down, Wang Tao and the others hurried over to the two. ¡°Lu Gang! FengMing¡¯an! Wake up!¡± Zhen Guo and Hong Bin pped their faces and then pinched their philtrums. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t so hasty; he saw that both Lu Gang¡¯s and FengMing¡¯an¡¯s HP bars were critically low but not depleted. He took out the medical kit and used it on them. Momentster, Lu Gang was the first to finallye around. Seeing the figures before him, Lu Gang was a bit dazed. ¡°It¡¯s good thatyou¡¯re awake! It¡¯s good thatyou¡¯re awake!¡± Everyone was pleased. Feng Ming¡¯an also woke up at this time. ¡°You guys¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay now, we¡¯re safe!¡± Zhen Guo consoled them briefly, and without talking much, quickly led them down the building with the help of others. Inside the building, basically everyone was lying on the ground. The smarter ones had stuffed their ears, and the even smarter ones had covered their heads with clothes and nkets in addition to their ears. As for the less smart ones¡­ their HP bars had dropped to zero¡ªWang Tao saw at a nce that many people no longer had HP bars. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed silently. He had anticipated this scenario beforeing in. And to be fair, it was better than he had expected; at least they weren¡¯t wiped out, and there were still quite a few survivors alive. Wang Tao found Ren Jie and Liu He. Although they were not strong fighters, they were still ability users, physically much better than ordinary people, and Wang Tao had also reminded Ren Jie to be aware of the gori zombie¡¯s sonic attack. So they were just unconscious with low HP, with no life-threatening dangers. Chapter 284 - 146: Heavy Casualties (Seeking monthly passes at month’s end)_3 Chapter 284: Chapter 146: Heavy Casualties (Seeking monthly passes at month¡¯s end)_3 After waking up Ren Jie and Liu He, Wang Tao found Ding Yuqin. That Ding Yuqin was still alive didn¡¯t surprise Wang Tao; after all, he had taken Ding Yuqin to kill quite a few zombies, and now she also had over four thousand HP. What surprised Wang Tao was that Li Qiuyu was also still alive. The two of them were hugging each other, nestled within a few thick nkets. However, Li Qiuyu1 s HP bar of too had just 10 drops of blood left, giving the feeling that if he hade a littleter, she might have cooled forever. Wang Tao woke the two of them and used a medical pack on each. ¡°Wang Tao¡­¡± When Ding Yuqin woke up and saw herself in Wang Tao¡¯s arms, she thought she was dreaming. After realizing it was real, she immediately buried her head in Wang Tao¡¯s chest, her eyes brimming with tears. ¡°I thought I¡¯d never see you again¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s safe now, we¡¯re all right.¡± Wang Tao gently patted Ding Yuqin¡¯s back. Li Qiuyu¡¯splexion was pale, and her whole body trembling ¨C she clearly hadn¡¯t recovered from the terror yet. Han Rui took the initiative to go over and hold Li Qiuyu. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re safe now¡­¡± ¡°Wuuwuu¡­¡± Li Qiuyu suddenly burst into tears. Wang Tao went on to wake the others. ¡±Commissioner Wang¡­1¡® Huo Ziyi and her few girlfriends were lucky, they hadn¡¯t died. Seeing Wang Tao, she instinctively rushed over to embrace him. Wang Tao patted her back. ¡°It¡¯s all right, everyone is safe now¡­¡± ¡°Wuuwuu¡­¡± Huo Ziyi once again felt the sadness of being weak. Even though she hadn¡¯t gone to fight, just staying at home she¡¯d almost died! If it weren¡¯t for a quick-thinking girlfriend who had promptly found something to block their ears after the first roar of the gori zombie, they probably would have all died¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, just rest up a bit.¡± Wang Tao let go of Huo Ziyi and went to check on the other survivors. Gao Hua and Chen Zhuang hadn¡¯t died either, which was also good news for Wang Tao¡­ After spending some time, everyone in theplex building that could be woken up was. As for those who couldn¡¯t be awakened¡­ they would never wake up again. Looking at the numbers on thepiled list, all of themissioners, including Wang Tao, sighed. Nobody had anticipated the roar of the gori zombie having such a wide range and killing power! The survivors were still in the building, yet some unfortunate ones were directly killed by the sound, and others who didn¡¯t die were knocked unconscious. just yesterday, Shuize Base had a total of 712 people. After the gori zombie arrivedst night, more than too people died directly, leaving less than 600 people-that was still because everyone had been on guard against the gori zombie and had made some preparations in advance, otherwise, more would have died. Wei Zhenguo and the others had barely managed to gather the remaining survivors in thisplex building, and with Wang Taoing back, they thought the lives of the remaining survivors were secure. But who could have thought that the gori zombie had such a terrifying area attack ability. The first roar knocked many people unconscious, and the second roar killed more than 200 people instantly! Now, the list in Wang Tao¡¯s hand only had 303 people left¡­ which means that in just one day, 409 survivors died! Just a few days ago, Ren Jie was still saying that Shuize Base was getting stronger and stronger. And now, in just a few days, it was back to the number of people from when the base was first established¡­ ¡°Damn zombies!¡± Wei Zhenguo wiped the corner of his eye. When the virus outbreak and the apocalypse came, he never shed a tear, since men do not lightly weep. But now, seeing the survivors they had worked so hard to save had lost their lives, he could no longer hold back. ¡°You should think this way ¨C thank goodness Wang Tao killed the Gori zombie, otherwise our remaining three hundred people would¡¯ve been dead¡­¡± Ren Jie sighed. Speaking of the Gori zombie, everyone looked towards Wang Tao, they all wanted to know how Wang Tao killed the Gori zombie. Seeing this, Wang Tao simply narrated the process from when the Gori zombie chased them to the Mud Swamp to its death. Upon hearing that the seemingly doomed to be killed Gori zombie actually had another form, and restored itself to full HP, everyone was somewhat shocked. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you lured it away! If the fight had taken ce downstairs¡­ we would¡¯ve all been goners!¡± Liu He¡¯s face turned a bit pale. After all, Wang Tao had just mentioned that a roar from the second form of the Gori zombie practically knocked half-dead all the Ability Users, including Wei Zhenguo! Those two fat brothers with super high Defense and several Mud Superpower Users had their heads shattered directly by the impact! If that thing had roared once below theplex building, they might¡¯ve been wiped out in one fell swoop! ¡°Cough, so how did you kill the Gori zombie? Feng Ming¡¯an asked while coughing. ¡°When I was about to be killed by the Gori zombie, I encountered Wu Fei¡­¡± Wang Tao went into more detail about Wu Fei¡¯s actions, this time exining more thoroughly. Although Wu Fei¡¯s original intention was just to repay Wang Tao, and he didn t care about the others, he also indirectly saved the entire Shuize Base-Wu Fei was a hero of Shuize Base, and his name deserves to be remembered by everyone. ¡°A real man! It¡¯s a pity I never got the chance to meet him¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin clenched his fists, a hint of regret in his eyes. ¡°Right, did the Gori zombie drop an Ascension crystal core when you killed it?¡± Wei Zhenguo hurriedly asked. At that mention, a forced smile finally appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. ¡°Ascension crystal core¡­ Of course! Once my HP is restored, I feel I will be able to ascend to a Level 2 Ability User!¡± ¡°Great, great, great! The Gori zombie is dead, and you can ascend to Level 2 now, which means our Shuize Base is essentially safe!¡± Upon hearing this, a relieved expression finally appeared on everyone¡¯s faces. Wang Tao, however, was not as excited, after all, the cost of ascending to Level 2 was¡­ too great! ¡°The pressing matter at hand is to quickly rebuild the base! The walls must be fortified¡­¡± Wang Tao said with a serious expression. To speak bluntly, most of those who died were the weak, and those who survived were strong. So in terms of rebuilding the base, although the number of people was reduced, the speed shouldn¡¯t be too much slower¡­ ¡°Right! You just focus on your Level 2 Ascension preparation without worries! Leave the rebuilding task to us!¡± Ren Jie immediately spoke up. ¡°Exactly, just focus on your ascension¡­¡± The others also echoed. ¡°Alright! Then I¡¯ll leave it in your hands!¡± Wang Tao nodded earnestly. At night, the Mad Demon Zombies outside had not left yet. In an office, bedsheets and cool mats were spread out on the floor. Han Rui had already fallen asleep, consumed by fatigue, she fell to the floor and slept. Ding Yuqin and Li Qiuyuy together, chatting with each other. Wang Tao was sitting on the side, silently checking the spoils of having killed two Level 2 Zombies. Chapter 285 - 147: Harvest (Seeking Monthly Pass at Month’s End)_l Chapter 285: Chapter 147: Harvest (Seeking Monthly Pass at Month¡¯s End)_l Wang Tao first looked at the items that the zombie Wu Fei had dropped. The Crystal Core inside Wu Fei¡¯s head was an Ascension Crystal Core! However, because Wu Fei had only recently turned into a zombie, the core was a deep green color. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Rare (55%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: None)] Wang Tao had now spotted a pattern: for Level 2 Zombies with several abilities, the Crystal Core in their heads was likely to be one of their abilities plus either the Ascension or the Omnipotent Crystal Core. That meant, if a Level 2 Zombie possessed four abilities, then the Crystal Core it dropped could be one of those abilities or it could be either an Ascension or Omnipotent Crystal Core. Each kill would drop only one Crystal Core, and the probability for each type of core was probably one in six. Of course, this was just Wang Tao¡¯s spection; after all, he didn¡¯t know if there were other special types of cores besides the Ascension and Omnipotent Crystal Cores. Furthermore, Wang Tao was different from others; when he killed a Level 2 Zombie, in addition to the Crystal Core dropped by the zombie itself, he would also get a Loot Pack, which might contain Crystal Cores. So, the chances of him getting Ascension or Omnipotent Crystal Cores were likely much higher than for ordinary people¡­ Zombie Wu Fei dropped three packs. The first pack contained a Crystal Core Gift Bag with a total of four Crystal Cores. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Super Strength] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: Strength is proportionate to body size, inadequate body size leads to negative growth in strength)] It was no surprise that Wu Fei, with his great strength, had the Power attribute. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Self Detonation] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: None)] Wang Tao already knew Wu Fei had fused with Self Detonation ability, so it was not unexpected. Ability Users and zombies who had learned Self Detonation ability after the fact were different from innate Self-exploders. If a Self-exploder wasn¡¯t shattered on death, it would still detonate, just dyed by ten seconds. However, Ability Users or zombies that learned Self Detonation wouldn¡¯t explode upon death ¨C after all, the Self Detonation Crystal Core had no side effects, and they did not possess the Self-exploder¡¯s vtile body. The third core was an Omnipotent Crystal Core! [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: None)] This was a great find, and Wang Tao already had an ordinary Level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Core; synthesizing it with this one would yield an Epic Crystal Core. The only regret was that after the fusion, the purity would only reach 90%, not the perfect 100%¡­ The fourth Crystal Core made Wang Tao raise his eyebrows. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Rib Spur] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: Reduced defensive power when using abilities)] (Rib Spur: Ribs grow out of the body to be a weapon. If the attack is sessful, it can deal a fixed amount of damage to the enemy¡¯s HP (at least too, and no more than one¡¯s own HP), and paralyze them for a certain period, but the user also loses (damage dealt -1) HP. If the attack fails, neither party loses HP] Seeing the properties of this core, Wang Tao was reminded of when Wu Fei had turned into a zombie. He had a full HP of 5,000, which meant he could deal a maximum attack of 5,000 HP. After a sessful attack, he would lose 4,999 HP, which left him with just a sliver of life, making it easy for Wang Tao to kill him afterwards¡­ This ability had many limitations; if one only had a sliver of remaining HP, it would be extremely dangerous. Moreover, this limitation was inherent to the ability itself, not a side effect. Therefore, even if Wang Tao had several simr Crystal Cores, he couldn¡¯t eliminate the self-damage mechanism through synthesis. Nheless, this ability was formidable. If Wu Fei had more than 10,000 HP, wouldn¡¯t he be able to instantly kill the Gori zombie? However, the ability¡¯s description did say that sess wasn¡¯t guaranteed; failure could depend on luck, the enemy¡¯s defensive power, and other factors. Thus, the ability wasn¡¯t invincible. But regardless, this ability was indeed powerful! Especially when teamed up with others, as it was with Wu Fei and Wang Tao ¨C even if Wu Fei couldn¡¯t directly kill the Gori zombie, he could still paralyze it for a while, giving Wang Tao a chance to finish it off! The second pack Wu Fei dropped contained Strength Potions. [Strength Potion (Small) x5] A set of five Strength Potions, not bad at all. The third pack surprised Wang Tao. [Deactivating Potion (Experimental) x5] [Deactivating Potion (Experimental): Can reduce the activity of the zombie virus in the infected for 3-10 days. When the virus¡¯s activity is reduced, mutation into a zombie will not ur.] Could it be because Wu Fei used too many Inhibitors that he had dropped this ¡°Deactivating Potion (Experimental)¡±? This item was somewhat simr to an Inhibitor, serving to suppress the zombie virus, but there were significant differences. The Inhibitors produced by Hope Research Institute did not specify how long their effectssted ¨C it could be one day, or it could be one month¡­ Beforeplete mutation into a zombie, an Inhibitor could be used. And during the fusion with a Zombie Core, it was also possible to use an Inhibitor, which could slightly reduce the impurities in the body. However, this Inhibitor had serious side effects; aside from being extremely painful to use, using it excessively could even lead to death. Chapter 286 - 147: Harvest (End of the Month for Monthly Pass)_2 Chapter 286: Chapter 147: Harvest (End of the Month for Monthly Pass)_2 The Deactivating Potion seemed quite straightforward. ording to the description, it could reduce the activity of the zombie virus for 3 to 10 days. When the activity of the virus was reduced, there would be no mutation into zombies. It was unclear what factors rted to the reduced duration; perhaps it was connected to the length and severity of the infection. Regardless, even if we consider only three days, one would be absolutely free from worry about turning into a zombie for those days. Moreover, this deactivating potion had no side effects and did not lead to death. Wang Tao figured that under normal circumstances, an ordinary inhibitor might be more useful, but for those severely infected, this ¡°Deactivating Potion (Experimental)¡± might be better. However, the duration of 3 to 10 days was still too short. Relying on this potion to extend life after being infected was impossible; it could only be used as an emergency product¡­ Wang Tao then turned his attention to the loot from killing the gori zombie. There was also a Crystal Core and three packages. Neither the gori zombie nor Zombie Wu Fei had items like the green-eyed zombie¡¯s eyes. The Crystal Core from the gori zombie¡¯s head was of Purple Quality. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Roar] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Irritability)] [Roar: Consumes energy to emit a daunting roar that can cause enemies to suffer dizziness and lose HP] This was the ability the gori zombie had used earlier, a crowd-controlling Ability with an evenrger range than Shockwave, which had caused Wang Tao and his group a lot of trouble. The introduction alone might not convey its power, but Wang Tao had seen just how formidable the gori zombie was! Anyone who heard the roar would likely be affected to some degree. And this Roar not only caused dizziness but could also make one lose HP! No wonder it had instantly killed so many survivors and zombies¡­ Another ability rted to sound was Screaming. However, Screaming was nearly useless, serving at most to attract zombies. But Roar was powerful, capable of killing zombies outright! Then, Wang Tao looked at the first package dropped by the gori zombie. Inside were a full five Crystal Cores! [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: None)] Another Ascension Crystal Core! And it was of Excellent Quality! Wang Tao had hesitated before about whether to merge the Ascension Crystal Core dropped by Zombie Wu Fei, especially since that core¡¯s sess rate was only 55%¡­ But now, seeing this core, Wang Tao decisively decided to merge this Excellent Quality Crystal Core! Without a second thought, Wang Tao popped the core into his mouth. Instantly, a warm surge of energy flowed through his limbs and body. It was a sess! Wang Tao quickly checked his attributes. His HP remained unchanged, but his Mana cap had risen to 4800! The internal impurity had also changed, now sitting at 2%. By his calctions, the exact figure was 2.2%¡­ Then there was the icon for Precision Shooting. The ¡°+10¡å number that used to be in its upper right corner was gone, and now there was a ¡°2¡± in the lower left corner, indicating that his Precision Shooting had also leveled up to a Level 2 Ability! Now, Wang Tao¡¯s abilities ¨C Shockwave, Toughness, Precision Shooting, and Self-healing ¡ª had all be Level 2 Abilities! Wang Tao felt stronger than he had ever been before! Of course, if he were to fight the gori zombie now, he would still lose, for he himself was not yet Level Two. Calming his excited heart, Wang Tao continued to inspect the Crystal Cores. The second Crystal Core in the package was a Red Self-healing Crystal Core. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Self-Heal] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Diminished sense of touch)] [Self-Heal: During its duration, it can slowly heal certain injuries] Seeing this Self-healing Crystal Core, Wang Tao felt a sudden impulse to merge it. But he quickly regained hisposure; although he had five [Detoxification Potions] that could clear 5% impurities, this core had side effects! Wang Tao didn¡¯t want his body to suffer from them! Of course, there was another point ¨C he was still Level 1, and apart from the Ascension Crystal Core, he couldn¡¯t merge any Level 2 Crystal Cores¡­ [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Super Strength] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Strength is proportionate to body size; insufficient body size leads to negative strength growth)] [Power: Passive Ability; significantly increases Strength] The third Crystal Core was for Strength, which was within Wang Tao¡¯s expectations. Since the gori zombie was so strong, typically hurling cars and rocks, having the Power ability made sense. Wang Tao liked the Strength ability as well, but unfortunately, he no longer had the chance to merge with other cores. He would wait to level up to Two and see if there was any way to continue merging different types of cores¡­ The fourth Crystal Core in the package was another Omnipotent Crystal Core, also Level 2! [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: None)] Although it was of Excellent Quality, the Omnipotent Crystal Core dropped by Zombie Wu Fei was of even better quality, perfect for creating an Epic Omnipotent Crystal Core! Still, as before, merging two Level 2 Crystal Cores would result in an Epic Crystal Core with 10% impurity and a side effect. Since the Omnipotent Crystal Cores had no side effects, Wang Tao could use them. Other cores, however, would still carry side effects. Wang Tao looked at thest Crystal Core, and it caused his eyes to widen in surprise. Chapter 287 - 147: Harvest (End of the Month for Monthly Pass)_3 Chapter 287: Chapter 147: Harvest (End of the Month for Monthly Pass)_3 [Level 2 Crystal Core-Frenzy] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: HP reduction by 10,000 after fusion)] [Frenzy: When HP is below 30%, Frenzy is automatically triggered, which can only ur once per day. Upon triggering, HP, Mana, Physical strength, and Spirit arepletely restored; the body size increases, all negative statuses are removed, Attack power considerably increases, speed increases to a certain extent, and defensive power decreases to a certain extent. Frenzysts for 1 hour, after which it returns to normal.] This was the ability that the Gori zombie had used before! Wang Tao thought it might be an exclusive ability of a Zombie Lord, but it turned out to be an Ability! This Ability is incredibly powerful! Even though defense decreases, every other aspect isprehensively enhanced, and it even restores you to full HP and Mana! Wang Tao hadn¡¯t forgotten the feeling of despair when he saw the Gori zombie¡¯s HP suddenly recover to full¡­. If he learned this Ability¡­ Wouldn¡¯t he essentially have two lives like the Gori zombie? However, as strong as this Ability is, its side effect is outrageous! Reducing defense isn¡¯t a big deal, since having an extra life justifies losing some defensive power. But to fuse with this Crystal Core, one would need to deduct 10,000 HP¡­ He thought the side effect of Healing Light was already twisted, with the first fusion reducing by 5,000 HP and each subsequent one by 1,000. If you fused with 10 Cores, wouldn¡¯t that deduct 14,000 HP? Butpared to Frenzy, Healing Light was just a minor issue. This side effect cuts 10,000 HP after each fusion. Since it¡¯s not specifically marked, it implies that each fusion would reduce the HP by 10,000! That¡¯s a hundred thousand blood for 10 Crystal Cores! Who has that much HP to spare? And if Wang Tao wanted to fuse with it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to, even if he advanced to Level Two, because his own HP was only in the thousands, not enough to deduct¡­ This Crystal Core is truly enviable! If Wang Tao now had around 12,000 HP and the opportunity to fuse, he might fuse without hesitation! After all, it¡¯s a second life, and one that enhances most Attributes! ¡°Ah, what a pity, I don¡¯t meet the conditions¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed. Reluctantly, he shifted his gaze away from the tempting Crystal Core to the other spoils ofbat. The second package dropped by the Gori zombie contained Strength Potions, just like the ones from the zombie Wu Fei. [Strength Potion (Small) x5] The third package, thest of the spoils, caught Wang Tao¡¯s eye. [Strength Growth Potion x5] [Strength Growth Potion: After injection, Strength will receive a certain degree of permanent Enhancement.] ¡°Strength Growth Potion¡± and ¡°Strength Potion (Small)¡± seem only a few words apart, but the effects are vastly different. The effect of the Strength Potion (Small) is: After injection, overall Strength is increased by 10%-100% (the stronger the constitution, the greater the increase),sting for 1 minute with a cooldown of 12 hours. The Strength Potion actually provides a substantial increase, and with Wang Tao¡¯s physical condition, the Enhancement is around forty to fifty percent. However, it¡¯s a temporary ability,sting only one minute, yet with a cooldown of 12 hours. But this Strength Growth Potion permanently increases one¡¯s own Strength! While it doesn¡¯t specify how much, it¡¯s likely not as much as the Strength Potion (Small), but it¡¯s permanent! Without a second thought, Wang Tao injected one into himself. Pfft- After the Potion was injected, it didn¡¯t immediately enhance his Strength like the Strength Potion did. Instead, it felt simr to the physical enhancement after killing a zombie, gradually increasing Wang Tao¡¯s Strength! Although the increase wasn¡¯t dramatic, it was definitely noticeable! Wang Tao clenched his fist, feeling the newfound Strength coursing through him. He immediately used the remaining four Strength Growth Potions. Pfft- Momentster, Wang Tao secretly eximed in delight! Using five Potions at once made the Strength gain even more apparent, akin to the sensation of enhancement when his HP was at 1,000! It was deep into the night by now. Han Rui had already fallen asleep, Ding Yuqin and Li Qiuyu were also drifting off, the lights were out, and only the faint moonlight bathed their figures. The reason Li Qiuyu was here was she had been greatly frightened, as, at one point, she was down to just 10 HP and near death. Ding Yuqin, who was innately kind-hearted, coupled with a few words from Han Rui, invited Li Qiuyu to sleep over with her. After all, everyone was sleeping in their clothes, even keeping their Weapons in hand, so there was no embarrassment. Wang Tao, seeing that the women had all fallen asleep, also intended to just lie down and sleep. However, seeing that his HP bar hadn¡¯t fully recovered, he felt somewhatpulsive. Medical packs and Self-healing Abilities weren¡¯t omnipotent, and more severe wounds couldn¡¯t heal quickly ¡ª Wang Tao was a living person, not data, after all. After pondering for a moment, Wang Tao went over, picked up Ding Yuqin, and brought her close to him, while also covering her mouth. ¡°Mmm¡ª¡± Ding Yuqin, who had just fallen asleep, was startled. Once she saw by moonlight that it was Wang Tao, she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°You, what are you trying to do¡­¡± She whispered. ¡°You.¡± Wang Tao wanted to replenish his HP to full. And after experiencing several life-or-death situations that day, he desperately needed to vent and rx. Ding Yuqin blushed, gave Wang Tao a nce, and in truth, she had the same thought too, since she had also been scared out of her wits that day but was too embarrassed to bring it up. ¡°Sister Qiu Yu is still here¡­¡± Ding Yuqin said hesitantly. ¡°Then it¡¯s up to you whether you make noise or not.¡± Wang Tao gave a mischievous smile, then leaned in to kiss her. ¡°Mmm¡ª¡± The next day. The survivors woke up to find, to their delight, that the Mad Demon Zombies had left! ¡°Qiu Yu, aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Han Rui, noting Li Qiuyu¡¯s odd demeanor, asked curiously. ¡°Cough cough, of course I¡¯m happy¡­¡± Li Qiuyu stole a nce at Wang Tao and then quickly lowered her head. Chapter 288 - 148: Ascension (Seeking Monthly Pass at Month’s End)_i Chapter 288: Chapter 148: Ascension (Seeking Monthly Pass at Month¡¯s End)_i Wang Tao looked at the Weakness status below his HP bar with some helplessness. He just remembered that he had used a Rejuvenation Potion yesterday and was going to be in a weakened state for the whole day today. ¡°Are you still going to hunt Elite Zombies today?¡± Ding Yuqin looked at Wang Tao. ¡°Yes.¡± Wang Tao nodded. His strength had increased now, and even in a weakened state, hunting Level Elite Zombies was still no problem. Of course, this also had to do with the Gori zombie¡¯s death. There were no more Level Two zombies in the county now, otherwise Wang Tao would definitely be more cautious. Then you need to be careful, are you sure your injuries are really okay?¡­¡± Ding Yuqin grabbed Wang Tao¡¯s arm and asked with some concern. ¡°Haha, I replenished all my HP on youst night, and I¡¯m in great shape now!¡¯ Wang Tao said with augh. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying-never serious!¡± Ding Yuqin gently punched Wang Tao in the chest. Wang Tao shrugged. These days, telling the truth meant no one believed you. ¡°Do you need me to apany you?¡± Han Rui came over at this time. Although she was also in a weakened state today, she slept wellst night and felt quite spirited. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go together. Just in case I trigger a Sleeping State again, it¡¯s good to have apanion.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. He was now just one HP drop away and could easily hunt any Level 1 Elite Zombie; theoretically, he could handle it alone. But if it was like before, and every increase of 1000 HP put him into a Sleeping State, then he would still need someone to assist him. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll get ready¡­¡± Han Rui immediately began to put on her gear. However, as she was gearing up, she suddenly asked out of curiosity: What¡¯s with Li Qjuyu today? There¡¯s something off about her ever since she got up this morning¡­¡± Ah?¡± Upon hearing this, Ding Yuqin seemed to think of something, her face turned red, and she muttered softly, ¡°She couldn¡¯t have stayed awake all night could she¡­¡± Wang Tao:¡±¡­¡± If that was the case, then things might be a bit awkward. But no matter, it¡¯s not like he was losing out. Alright, you rest up at home, sis, we¡¯re heading out.¡± ¡°Okay-¡± Ding Yuqin nodded. As Wang Tao went downstairs, he happened to bump into Li Qjuyu at the stair corner. ¡°Ouch~¡± Li Qjuyu almost fell, but fortunately, Wang Tao caught her. What¡¯s wrong with you, looking so out of it¡­?¡± ¡°Cough, it¡¯s nothing, thanks¡­¡± Lt Qjuyu quickly extricated herself from Wang Tao¡¯s embrace, looked at Wang Tao, then looked at Han Rui, her expression somewhat unnatural. ¡°As long as you¡¯re okay.¡± Wang Tao nodded and then went downstairs. Han Rui trailed half a step behind, then turned around and yfully winked at Li Qjuyu. She thought Li Qjuyu was trying to create opportunities on purpose. Li Qiuyu, thinking that Han Rui had also been awake the night before and knew about her insomnia, blushed deeply. Once Wang Tao and Han Rui¡¯s figures disappeared, Li Qjuyu sighed weakly. ¡°Doi really need to find a man to rely on¡­ Yesterday was just too frightening¡­¡± Downstairs, Wei Zhenguo and the others were also there, and they were all in a weakened state today. ¡°Wang Tao, leave the rebuilding of the base to us, you go ahead and ascend to Level Two with peace of mind!¡± Upon seeing Wang Tao, Wei Zhenguo patted his shoulder with a serious expression. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll leave it to you guys to work hard.¡± Besides theprehensive building, which was still intact, other areas of the Shuize Base had suffered varying degrees of destruction. Especially the walls and the gate surrounding the base, which had been smashed by the Gori zombie. The main task now was to repair these areas, otherwise, they couldn¡¯t fend off the zombies. Of course, the first thing to do was to clean up all the zombie corpses inside the base. The Gori zombie¡¯s roar from the previous day had directly killed many Ordinary zombies and Mad Demon Zombies, and there were far more of them dead than there were survivors, with rotting bodies scattered everywhere downstairs. Wang Tao and Han Rui went outside the base and found their off-road vehicle. The car was dirty and had many impact marks, but overall, there were no problems, and it still started. Hum- The electric motor of the car hummed as Wang Tao drove away from Shuize Base. They drove for quite a while without encountering many zombies. ¡°It feels like it¡¯s also a bit different out here¡­¡± Han Rui spoke up, finding it strange. ¡°It should be because the zombies nearby all came to our base before, and a lot of them were indiscriminately killed by the Gori zombie¡­ Let¡¯s go a bit further and take a look.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The rarer something is, the harder it is toe by. Elite Zombies, which used to be amon sight, are nowhere to be found now, with only some Ordinary zombies and Mad Demon Zombies wandering the streets¡­ Wang Tao set out in the morning and finally found a Rioters zombie wielding a Big Hammer near a hospital by evening. ¡°Not easy at all!¡± Wang Tao sighed, then immediately got out of the car and, from about ten meters away from the zombie, threw his axe. St¡ª [-3200] [0/3300] The Terrorizer was instantly killed. Wang Tao hurriedly looked at his HP bar. [5000/5000] He gained only 1 HP from killing this zombie, but his HP had reached 5000! Wang Tao felt that something hade into his mind¡­ He closed his eyes to contemte. ¡°Wang Tao, how are you feeling?¡± Han Rui asked with concern. Wang Tao opened his eyes, his expression a bit odd. ¡°I¡¯m fine, let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao first rushed over to collect the loot from the Terrorizer, then hurriedly drove Han Rui back in the car. Chapter 289 - 148: Ascension (Seeking Monthly Pass at Month’s End)_2 Chapter 289: Chapter 148: Ascension (Seeking Monthly Pass at Month¡¯s End)_2 ¡°Wang Tao, aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Han Rui looked at Wang Tao with some surprise. Previously, every time he killed some zombies, that is, every time he gained a whole thousand HP, he would feel drowsy, as if his body was ¡°auto upgrading.¡± After sleeping, his strength would increase. But now, after Wang Tao had killed an Elite Zombie, he was supposed to move up to Level 2, so why did he still appear to be so spirited? Seeing the confusion in Han Rui¡¯s eyes, Wang Taoughed. ¡°I¡¯ve discovered something interesting¡ªthis timing of ascending to Level 2 can be chosen at will! It¡¯s no longer like before where I would fall asleep immediately!¡± ¡°Ah? That¡¯s great then!¡± Han Rui was immediately overjoyed upon hearing this. In the past when she went out to kill zombies, she would uncontrobly feel the need to sleep at critical moments, which was extremely ufortable. After all, she was outside, where dangers lurked everywhere! Falling asleep meant a high chance of never waking up! But there was no way to control this¡­ Therefore, it was best to form a team, at least with more than two people, in order to go out hunting zombies. This way, if one person needed to sleep, another could quickly bring them back to the base. Wang Tao had always gone out with Han Rui, and the two of them took care of each other. But this still had significant limitations and was prone to idents. If they could control the timing themselves, waiting to sleep until they were back at the base or in a safer ce would be much better! ¡°What does it feel like then?¡± Han Rui asked further. She too had reached the upper limit of Level 1 and yearned for Level 2. ¡°How should I put it, it¡¯s kind of a sensation that¡¯s like knowing you canbine several Crystal Cores. I feel that within the next three days, I can choose any time to sleep, and then I¡¯ll be a Second-order Superpower Owner! If I don¡¯t make a choice, then in three days from now, I¡¯ll automatically fall asleep, waking up as a Second-order Superpower Owner¡­ As for how long I¡¯ll need to sleep, I feel like it should be around 24 hours¡­¡± Wang Tao described what he had felt. ¡°Then that¡¯s really not bad at all!¡± Han Rui also showed a smile on her face. Although there are restrictions, having to choose a time within three days and needing to sleep for 24 hours, three days is not a short time. If one can¡¯t find a safe ce within three days, that¡¯s just bad luck¡­ ¡°Congrattions!¡± Han Rui was very happy for Wang Tao. ¡°Haha, but there¡¯s a bit of a situation with this ascension; I need to go back and study it a bit¡­¡± Soon, the two of them returned to the base, just as the sun hadpletely set. Although the crisis had resulted in the death of many people in the base, three hundred people survived, and they were all strong. Therefore, in terms of building the base, work progressed rather swiftly. In just one day¡¯s time, the corpses of the zombies inside the base had been thrown out, and some of the damaged walls and barbed wire had also been repaired. Except for the main gate, the defenses everywhere else in the base had returned to the pre-disaster levels. The main gate, which had been the focus of the Gori zombie¡¯s attack, was smashed to pieces. After discussing, Wei Zhenguo and the others decided to make two pure metal gates! The previous gate was called a big iron gate, but it was actually just iron sheeting on the outside with wood inside. Such a gate could stop Ordinary Zombies with no problem, but it was insufficient to stop monsters like the Gori zombie. If the gate was made entirely of metal, it¡¯s likely even the Gori zombie couldn¡¯ t break through. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just about the gate; the surrounding walls also needed to be reinforced, preferably all metal. After all, there was no shortage of abandoned vehicles outside, so metal materials were plentiful. However, this wasn¡¯t something that could be done overnight; for now, they could only focus on getting the big iron gate set up. As for the current gate, it was a patchwork of the previously shattered old one, just to make do. It was still capable of stopping some Ordinary Zombies. ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re back. How was the harvest?¡± Seeing Wang Tao return, Wei Zhenguo and the others hurried over. ¡°It¡¯s basically stable. I can ascend to a Second-order Superpower Owner in at most three days or as soon as tomorrow!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± The few people were very excited to hear this. The Level 2 Zombies inside Shuize County should all be dead by now, at least they shouldn¡¯t reappear in the short term, and Wang Tao was about to be a Second-order Superpower Owner. This meant that while they might not dominate Shuize County, at least they wouldn¡¯t have to live in fear as before! Even if more Level 2 Zombies appearedter, Wang Tao¡¯s strength would surely grow even stronger, and killing Level 2 Zombies should be no problem. Then they could also obtain an Ascension Crystal Core and undergo Level 2 Ascension! As the saying goes, without destruction, there can be no construction; the ancients did not deceive me, the good days for the base might being! Wang Tao discussed the situation of Level 2 Ascension with them, and like Han Rui, they were all very happy. Having the freedom to choose the timing of ascension would be amazing! ¡°Then when do you n to ascend?¡± Zhen Guo asked. Wang Tao thought for a moment and replied: ¡°Tonight. I¡¯ll go home to prepare and can ascend, which might take around 24 hours. By this time tomorrow, I¡¯ll be a Second-order Superpower Owner!¡± ¡°Good!¡± Everyone nodded. ¡°Oh, and here are some Crystal Cores for you guys.¡± Wang Tao took out some Level 1 Synthetic Crystal Cores he had on hand, as well as an Ascension Crystal Core that the zombie Wu Fei had dropped. ¡°An Ascension Crystal Core?¡± Everyone was somewhat surprised to see the green Crystal Core. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t need this Ascension Crystal Core anymore, so you guys see who could use it. This Core only has a 55% sess rate, so I suggest picking someone who¡¯s lucky, haha!¡± Chapter 290: 148: Ascension (End of the Month for Monthly Pass) 3 ¡°Great! Thank you! Let¡¯s discuss this shortly!¡± Zhen Guo and hispanions¡¯ eyes all lit up a bit, after all, this was an Ascension Crystal Core. If they could seed, one of their abilities could be upgraded to Level Two! Level One facing Level Two, there was basically no chance of winning. But with a Level Two Ability, their odds of victory increased significantly. And a Level Two Ability against a Level One Zombie was practically a one-hit kill¡­ At this moment, Ren Jie suddenly asked: ¡°So, are we still going to have our celebration tonight?¡± It was only then that Wang Tao remembered they had previously nned to hold a celebration tomemorate the three-month anniversary of Shuize Base. The purpose of the party was to let the survivors rx a bit, they were all too tense every day, staying in this state for too long might lead to problems. After the announcement of the party, it received the approval of all survivors. The specific date was set for these few days, but no one could have expected the gori zombie to appear suddenly¡­ After discussing for a while, Zhen Guo and the others said: ¡°Let¡¯s continue with the event, since the survivors don¡¯t have work at night, it won¡¯t be a waste of one or two hours. However, we¡¯ll make some slight changes to the content, and turn it into a memorial for those who sacrificed themselves and an awards ceremony for those who made significant contributions¡­¡± ¡°People like Wu Fei, who indirectly saved our base, and Wang Tao, who directly saved everyone in the base, their deeds must be known by the survivors! Those who made contributions must be rewarded, even if only verbally¡­¡±
¡°Then we¡¯ll bring out more food and let everyone eat their fill. We lost a lot of hands this time, but the food hasn¡¯t suffered much, so we actually have an abundance of food now¡­¡± Zhen Guo had a lot to say. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll go and make some basic preparations. How about the day after tomorrow for the time? Wang Tao will ascend to Level Two tomorrow; the day after, he can show himself in front of everyone and stabilize morale! What do you think, Wang Tao?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Wang Tao naturally had no objections. ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s decided!¡± Soon, the news of the party being held as scheduled spread. A rare smile appeared on the faces of the survivors, not because they were eager to watch a performance at the party, but because themittee announced that many people would be rewarded at this party¡ªfor those who performed well and helped their peers during the crisis. Not only would their names be engraved on therge iron gate to be madeter, but they would also receive better welfare benefits in the future! Huo Ziyi was pleased to hear this news and decided to take the initiative. She didn¡¯t want to live in fear anymore, well aware that the women who were close to Wang Tao had all be Ability Users. Even if she became subordinate to Wang Tao, it would be better than having no background at all¡­ At this time, Wang Tao had returned to his vi with Han Rui. Since Ding Yuqin had run to the main building the moment the zombies came, there was nobody at home and naturally no zombies were attracted. Thus, the house was unaffected, and even therge Green Vine on the balcony hadn¡¯t lost a single leaf. Wang Tao drank some nutrient solution briefly and theny down on the bed. Han Rui and Ding Yuqin did not disturb him. Today, after reaching 5000 HP, Wang Tao discovered three rather peculiar conditions and had been studying them, finally understanding what they meant. The first was that he could now control the timing of his sleep, or more urately, his Ascension. He could ascend whenever he wanted within the next three days. The second was that Wang Tao had an inkling that if he ascended to Level Two, he could choose to delete one of his Level Two Abilities. Deleting an ability would free up a slot for him to fuse a new Ability! In other words, although he currently couldn¡¯t fuse new types of Crystal Cores, he could rece an ability, or even all four! And this deletion was not just literal; it involved the transfer and inheritance¡ª the Ability he deleted could be transferred to others, but would be downgraded by one level. For instance, if Wang Tao no longer wanted Shockwave, he could transfer his ¡°Level Two +1¡± Shockwave to Ding Yuqin, and once transferred to her, it would be ¡°Level One +10¡±.
At first nce, this might seem like a loss of one Ascension Crystal Core, not particrly profitable, right? But not exactly! Firstly, besides Wang Tao, other people¡¯s Crystal Core fusions were not guaranteed to seed. Counting the failures, that would be many more Cores used! And more importantly, the inherited ability would carry over half of the original host¡¯s impurities in that Ability, but without any side effects!
To put it simply, if Wang Tao transferred Shockwave to Ding Yuqin, for her, it would not only be a +10 Level One Ability but also one with fewer impurities and side effects. Of course, Wang Tao¡¯s Abilities had no side effects to begin with. If it were someone else, for example, if an Ability User needed to fuse 20 Crystal Cores to reach Level Two, then the impurities in that Ability would be around 10%. Upon transferring it, the original user would retain 5% impurities, and the recipient would get a +10 Ability with just 5% impurities, but no side effects! To inherit an Ability, it had to be done within three days after his Ascension; if he didn¡¯t find a recipient by then, it would just be a simple deletion. This mechanism was quite powerful, and Wang Tao could already foresee that if humans held on, an increasing number of people would ept inheritances! However¡­ Wang Tao himself seemed to have no use for this inheritance power. This brings us to the third discovery¡ª Wang Tao noticed some changes in his HP bar¡ªhis 5000 HP limit had not changed, but between his own HP and mana bars, a new grey bar appeared showing 5160. This grey bar was a new feature that allowed him to extract and fuse Abilities! Chapter 291: 149: Special Energy (Please Support with Monthly Votes)_l Wang Tao¡¯s gaze focused on the grey HP bar, and several lines of exnation popped up. [Current Special Energy: 5160] [Special energy is obtained from killing zombies above your level] [Special energy can be used for extraction and fusion of abilities] [Extraction abilities: Turn a learned ability into a crystal core of the current level. Extracting a Level 1 Special Ability consumes 1000 special energy; Extracting a Level 2 Ability consumes 5000 special energy; Extracting a Level 3 Ability consumes 30000 special energy.] [Ability Fusion: Fuse two learned abilities of the same level. If fusion is sessful, the ability has two traits, and its level is the average of both. If fusion fails, the primary ability remains, and the secondary ability disappears. Fusing a Level 1 Ability consumes 1000 special energy; Fusing a Level 2 Ability consumes 5000 special energy; Fusing a Level 3 Ability consumes 30000 special energy.] This grey bar represents special energy, which appears from killing zombies above his level! It probably didn¡¯t show up before because he had no use for it, but now that he is about to reach Level 2 Ascension and can use it, it has be visible. And this grey bar also disys the specific numbers of special energy obtained. The numbers, in the order they were received, are: 960,600,1080,1560, 960¡­ Five sets of numbers in total, and Wang Tao had just killed five Level 2 Zombies. And he distinctly remembered the first number, 960 ¨C wasn¡¯t it the HP he gained from killing the Level 2 Zombie Shao Yong? So does that mean these numbers respectively represent the special energy converted from the HP he gained from killing zombies Shao Yong, the Hooded Zombie, the Green-eyed Zombie, the Gori Zombie, and Zombie Wu Fei?
With over 5000 special energy, he could extract one of his four learned abilities and then learn other abilities! Even, he could extract an ability to give to someone else, effectively passing it on. However, he can¡¯t extract right now because the notification above says he can only extract Level 2 abilities after he has achieved Level 2 Ascension. And Wang Tao hasn¡¯t decided which one to extract since all four abilities he currently uses are very important to him. Wang Tao was more concerned with ability fusion. Having learned four abilities, if he could fuse these four into one, wouldn¡¯t that free up three ability slots? Of course, this was only theoretical at this moment since the fusion also has a rate of failure, which would be quite unfortunate. Just like with extraction, he also can¡¯t perform fusion yet and must wait until he officially bes a Second-order Superpower Owner before he can utilize these two abilities. Wang Tao checked everything carefully again and, finding no issues, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Begin Ascension! Wang Tao felt a warm andfortable sensation throughout his body. Then he gradually lost consciousness¡­ The next day, 6 AM. It had started to drizzle outside. Within Shuize Base, survivors had no time to grieve; they were all busily engaged in post-disaster reconstruction. Although the outer defense was fixed the day before, therge number of zombies entering the base still caused a lot of destruction. And the defense needed to be reinforced, so everyone was busy with their tasks. Of course, themittee wasn¡¯t stingy; they provided plenty of food. Although it wasn¡¯t unlimited, it was definitely enough to ensure everyone was well-fed and also came with many Contribution Points. Inside theprehensive building. ¡°You actually seeded?¡± Xiang Hongbin stared incredulously at Wei Zhenguo.
The green Ascension crystal core that Wang Tao presented them yesterday, after some discussion, everyone decided to let Wei Zhenguo use it. Ideally, it should have been for Xiang Hongbin, being the second-strongest person in the base, but Xiang Hongbin really didn¡¯t trust his own luck, so he offered the opportunity to someone else. Just like when Feng Ming¡¯an fused the vomiting crystal core, it was because Xiang Hongbin didn¡¯t trust his luck and let Feng Ming¡¯an have it. Unexpectedly, Wei Zhen Guo actually seeded! A 55% chance¡­ it could only be said that Wei Zhenguo was lucky!
¡°Haha, I¡¯ve always been lucky!¡± Wei Zhenguoughed heartily, then said, ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt some Elite Zombies to try out the effect of my Level 2 Ability soon!¡± After a sessful fusion, the Ascension crystal core Wei Zhenguo obtained was Rush. He wanted to test the power of a Level 2 Rush. ¡°Okay, shall I join you?¡± Xiang Hongbin was also looking forward to it. ¡°No problem!¡± The two of them delegated their tasks and then left the base in a car. ¡°Damn, where are the Elite Zombies on this street? When you don¡¯t need them, they¡¯re everywhere, but when you do, you can¡¯t find a single one!¡± Xiang Hongbin cursed as he looked at the zombies outside the car. Wei Zhenguo also felt somewhat helpless. He certainly didn¡¯t hope for too many zombies to appear, but he was eager to find an Elite Zombie to test his strength. ¡°Let¡¯s go further outside.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± After driving a while longer, Xiang Hongbin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°There¡¯s a Self-exploder!¡±
Not far ahead, a zombie with its internal organs protruding from its chest was moving sluggishly. ¡°That¡¯s the one!¡± Wei Zhenguo immediately got out of the car. From his position, more than thirty meters separated him from the Self-exploder, with a few Ordinary Zombies in between, so the Self-exploder naturally didn¡¯t notice him. ¡°You get ready. If I can¡¯t kill the Self-exploder in one second, causing it to Self Detonate, you need to drive over quickly to pick me up.¡± Wei Zhenguo was still a bit unsure of himself. ¡°You can count on me!¡± Xiang Hongbin patted his chest, confident that Wei Zhenguo could kill the Self- exploder in a second, but prepared for the worst just in case. Chapter 292: 149: Special Energy (Please Support with Monthly Votes )_2 Wei Zhen Guo found the right angle and instantly initiated a Rush. Whoosh A streak of white light shed by, and all the zombies on the path, including the self-exploders, were smashed into a bloody mist! The self-exploders didn¡¯t have any chance to self-detonate. ¡°Holy shit! Badass!¡± Seeing this, Xiang Hong Bin was utterly amazed, then hurriedly drove over. On the other side, Wei Zhen Guo, seeing his own achievements, suddenly got a little excited. The Level 2 Rush Ability was truly extraordinary! But suddenly, he paused. Why did he feel like he could ascend to Level 2 now? ¡°Old Wei, awesome!¡±
Xiang Hong Bin drove over and gave Wei Zhen Guo a thumbs up. But Wei Zhen Guo frowned and said to Xiang Hongbin: ¡°I feel like I can ascend to Level 2¡­¡± ¡°What? You¡¯ve already integrated four types of Crystal Cores, don¡¯t you need four Ascension Crystal Cores to reach Level 2? Wang Tao did it that way!¡± Xiang Hong Bin was somewhat puzzled. ¡°But I just have this feeling that I could ascend to Level 2 at any moment¡­ Let me concentrate and feel it again.¡± Wei Zhen Guo picked up the Crystal Core from the self-exploder and got into the car. After concentrating in the car for a while, he finally said with certainty: ¡°It¡¯s true! I can ascend to Level 2 now, and I don¡¯t need to sleep for 24 hours, just 6 will do! I also feel that after advancing, I can choose to delete this Rush Ability or pass it on to someone else¡­¡± Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s feeling was somewhat simr to Wang Tao¡¯s earlier; he could pick any time to advance, and both deleting an Ability and passing it on seemed possible to him. However, unlike Wang Tao, who had to choose his advancement time within three days, Wei Zhen Guo had no specified time; he could advance whenever he liked. Then there was the fact that Wang Tao felt he could delete or pass on any Ability at will, while Wei Zhen Guo could only choose his Level 2 Rush Ability for deletion or inheritance, since it was the only one that was a Level 2 Ability. Level 1 Abilities couldn¡¯t be deleted or passed on. ¡°Ah? You really can advance, and in a different way than Wang Tao? Wang Tao probably didn¡¯t lie to us, otherwise he would¡¯ve advanced already, no need to almost get himself killed¡­ That also means, you two are indeed different¡­¡± Xiang Hong Bin scratched his head, unsure of the reason, but he already knew the oue¡ª Wang Tao needed four Ascension Crystal Cores, and after assembling them, he had to advance within three days, or he would automatically advance after three days. Wei Zhen Guo only needed one Crystal Core to advance, and he had no time restrictions¡­ With Wang Tao¡¯s acknowledged strength, could this be the price of being powerful? Both of them looked at each other with surprised expressions, but it wasn¡¯t a big problem; they could just discuss it with Wang Tao after hepleted his advancement and learn more then. ¡°Since you can advance now, when do you n to start?¡± asked Xiang Hong Bin.
¡°Haha, I can¡¯t wait any longer. I¡¯m going back right now to try advancing. I might even reach Level 2 before Wang Tao!¡± Wei Zhen Guoughed heartily. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head back now!¡± Xiang Hong Bin immediately drove back to the base.
Meanwhile, at the base of Shuizhe Mountain. A zombie emitting green vapors appeared from the woods. ¡°Hehheh¡­¡± The zombie tilted its head, then started moving toward the south. The second one, the third one¡­ Countless zombies emitting green vapors emerged from the woods, all heading south. When Wei Zhen Guo and the others returned to the base, it was just 12 noon. After a quick meal, Wei Zhen Guo decided it was time to start his Level 2 Ascension. ¡°I¡¯ll start ascending now; I should be able to wake upby sixin the evening!¡± Since he could ascend with just one Ascension Crystal Core, there was no need to search for more. Although he guessed that using four Ascension Crystal Cores might allow him to delete or pass on all four of his Abilities to others, that was totally unnecessary! He had noints about his Abilities, and he would have to be insane to delete or pass on even this Rush Ability. So now that he could ascend, he would simply go for it. After he shared the news with the othermittee members, they were all intrigued. Wang Tao being so strong was evidently for a reason; even the conditions for his Ascension were different from others¡­ As for Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s decision to ascend now, everyone agreed. After all, having an additional Second-order Superpower Owner in the base meant more strength.
Having returned home, Wei Zhen Guo quickly fell into the sleep necessary for Ascension. 4 PM. A member of the Security Army on rooftop duty suddenly furrowed his brows. ¡°What is that¡­¡± He quickly picked up the binocrs and looked toward the north of the base. Upon seeing clearly, he broke out into a cold sweat. ¡°No good! Arge number of zombies areing from the north! Loads of them!¡± The Security Army member hastily reported over the radio. Shortly after, the entire base was plunged into a frantic atmosphere. After all, the base had only been attacked by zombies the day before yesterday, resulting in heavy losses, casting a shadow over everyone¡¯s hearts. ¡°What¡¯s happening? How many zombies are there?¡± Xiang Hong Bin, who had been practicing Throwing Knife, quickly put down his knives and went to the top of the main building. ¡°Commissioner Xiang, look to the north!¡±
The Security Army handed him the binocrs. ¡°Hiss ¡± After one nce, Xiang Hong Bin took a sharp intake of breath. In the binocrs, countless zombies could be seen, all of them a new type with green vapors emanating from their bodies! They had already crossed the bridge over the river and were rapidly approaching the base¡¯s north gate! Chapter 293: 149: Special Energy (Please Support with Monthly Votes )_3 Shuize Base was originally Shuize University, which had several gates; however, the other gates had all been sealed off, leaving only the main gate on the south side open. ¡°Where did all these zombiese from?!¡± Xiang Hongbin was somewhat baffled. He had gone around Shuize County many times and had never seen zombies of this kind, especially not in such numbers! Ren Jie and the others quickly caught up. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent the word down, instructing most of the survivors to take refuge in thepound building. Wang Tao and Old Wei have also been moved over¡­ What exactly is the situation?¡± As soon as Ren Jie heard about therge number of zombies heading toward the base, he immediately sent out the notice without hesitation, directing those survivors with littlebat ability to take shelter in thepound building. After all, they had already learned their lesson fromst time. If they could have reacted faster when they encountered the gori zombies, maybe more than a hundred lives would not have been lost. Once he had made sure everyone was arranged, he then ran up to join the others. Another member of the Security Army quickly handed over the binocrs to Ren Jie. ¡°¡­¡± After looking through the binocrs, Ren Jie fell silent for a moment before swearing, ¡°Damn it!¡± The number of zombies at the north gate of the base looked to be in the thousands!
How could so many zombies suddenly appear? Moreover, he had never seen this type of zombie before and didn¡¯t know their strength¡­ With so many zombies, it was unlikely they were all Level Two, but they clearly differed from ordinary zombies¡­ If these were all Level 1 Elite Zombies, that could be even more terrifying than the Mad Demon Zombies! The only silver lining now was that they had managed to repair the base¡¯ s defenses, and among the group of approaching zombies, there were no individuals with massive physiques like the gori zombies, so theoretically, the base should be able to hold them off¡­ ¡°That ce¡­ they¡¯reing from Shuizhe Mountain! I remember Wang Tao mentioning that students from Shuize University were on Shuizhe Mountain. Could these all be students from Shuize University?¡± Lu Gang suddenly spoke up. When they arrived at the base, there were no people or zombies at Shuize University. It was said that the university was renovating several buildings, but it¡¯s unknown whether there was shoddy construction involved, as the strange smell lingered, prompting the university to give students a few days off. However,ter on, Wang Tao mentioned that while the university said it was a holiday, it also organized a sketching and photography trip. Many students went into the Shuizhe Mountain for this outing, and the fees were not cheap. At the time of the virus outbreak, many students were still on the mountain. With over twenty thousand students at Shuize University¡­ how many zombies could there be on that mountain! Hearing Lu Gang mention this, everyone else started to make the connection. They took another careful look through the binocrs, and while they couldn¡¯t make out the features of the zombies to the north, their clothes were rtively trendy and vibrant, likely belonging to the students of Shuize University¡­ ¡°Crap, these zombies¡­ they wouldn¡¯t being to reim their school, would they?¡± Xiang Hongbin made a joke that fell t. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Lu Gang asked with a frown. The timing of these zombies¡¯ arrival was truly distressing, exactly when Wang Tao and Wei Zhenguo were both in the midst of their Ascension, leaving the base without its two strongestbatants¡­ Ren Jie turned to Xiang Hongbin, who was abatant. He would know whether they could fight or not. ¡°We can only stay put in the base for now. Since there are norge specimens among these zombies, they shouldn¡¯t be able to breach our defenses. We¡¯ll wait for Old Wei and Wang Tao to awaken before deciding our next move¡­ However, for safety, let¡¯s keep the nonbatants in thepound building at all times,¡±
Xiang Hongbin had been scared by the previous gori zombie incident. ¡°Alright!¡± These zombies looked stiff in the body, but they moved at a not-so-slow pace. It took them less than twenty minutes to reach the base¡¯s north gate. The north gate of the base waspletely sealed off, not just to zombies, but even the people inside the base could not open it. Plus, the walls here were very high, so these zombies had no way to get in. Xiang Hongbin and the others had initially thought that these zombies would be like the ordinary ones, all crowding in one ce, incapable of improvisation.
Unexpectedly, once they realized they couldn¡¯t get in, they didn¡¯t just linger at the north gate but gradually began to encircle the entire base! Seeing this unfold, everyone had a bad feeling. The base was sorge that there were bound to be ces with weaker defenses. If the zombies found them¡­ Fortunately, after surrounding the base, these zombies only roared chaotically and did not try to climb the walls like the Mad Demon Zombies. It appeared these zombies didn¡¯t know how to climb. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But then, half an hourter, at five o¡¯clock, Xiang Hongbin¡¯s face suddenly went pale. A light green fog became visible to the naked eye within the base! ¡°These zombies are poisonous! Cough, cough¡­¡± He felt suddenly much weaker and was seized by a violent cough. Everyone who inhaled the fog seemed as if they had been hit with a Weakness Potion, instantly bing listless and coughing! ¡°Quick, cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel¡­ Cough, cough¡­¡± Ren Jie ordered. Not knowing if it would help, they had no other choice. There was some protective gear like hazmat suits in the base, which Xiang Hongbin hurriedly found and had everyone put on. After putting on a gas mask, Xiang Hongbin felt much better. He stopped coughing, and although he was not immediately relieved from the state of weakness, he was slowly recovering.
¡°Thankgoodness these zombies can¡¯t get in¡ª¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he saw a few particrly agile-looking zombies, shrouded in faint green smoke, pushing against therge main gate! They attracted more zombies to the area. Soon, the south main gate was overrun with zombies! This gate had been damaged by the gori zombies before and was only patched up; its defensive power was definitely not as good as before. Then, to the horror of all watching, the zombies caused the gate to buckle and deform. And with a ¡°bang,¡± the gate fell apart and copsed to the ground. ¡°Hehheh¡­¡± Countless zombies, surrounded by green fumes, entered the base. The green fog inside the base thickened. The zombies reached the base of thepound building, and the green smoke billowed to the sky! ¡°It¡¯s over¡­ If we can¡¯t break out, we might all be poisoned to death¡­¡± Chapter 294: 150: Poisonous Fog Zombie (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Votes)_i Seeing more and more zombies gathering downstairs and the green poisonous fog growing denser, Xiang Hongbin and his group were left with no choice but to decide to make a break for it! While severalmittee members had gas masks, the others did not. If everyone else was poisoned to death, then what would be the point of them being the only survivors? Besides, it wasn¡¯t certain that they would survive either. If they didn¡¯t make a move now while they still had the numbers and before everyone hadpletely lost theirbat power, then they would have no choice but to wait for death when most people had be incapacitated! ¡°Are Wang Tao and Old Xiang okay?¡± Xiang Hongbin asked as he strapped several firefighter axes to his body. ¡°They seem to have some immunity to this poison in their sleeping state¡­ But just to be safe, I¡¯ve put gas masks on them too¡­¡± Ren Jie replied. ¡°Alright, that puts my mind at ease!¡± Xiang Hongbin nodded, then went downstairs. Looking at the group of people who covered their mouths and noses with cloth, he sighed internally before speaking with a resolute tone: Everyone, I will not say much more. I just want to tell you, this is the end of the world! If you want to be safe, then you have to fight for your life! If we don¡¯t take out those poisonous zombies outside, we will surely die. But if we go out and deal with them now, we still have a chance to live! So, follow me and rush out!¡±
¡°Rush!¡± Wang Tao and Wei Zhenguo were still asleep, so Xiang Hongbin, being the strongestbat force of the base, had to set an example. Squeak¡ª The iron gate downstairs opened, emitting sharp, scraping sounds. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The zombies, sensitive to noise, detected the movement and immediately rushed frantically towards the door. Then. Boom¡ª A faint white glow shed by as Xiang Hongbin made a rush from inside the building straight outside. He knocked over a dozen zombies, but they didn¡¯t die! ¡°They didn¡¯t die!¡± Xiang Hongbin was taken aback. With that one rush, he could instantly kill mad demon zombies and some HP-weak elite zombies! But these poisonous fog zombies, they didn¡¯t die? Boom¡ª Promptly, several other rushes urred-there was no shortage of ability users who had learned the Rush Ability. However, like Xiang Hongbin, most of them couldn¡¯t instantly kill these poisonous fog zombies. There were still instances of kills, but those were when several people rushed onto the same zombie at the same time¡­ Seeing this situation, Xiang Hongbin¡¯s expression turned grim. Even without the poisonous fog, these zombies were stronger than the mad demon zombies! Probably not inferior to the elite zombies, it¡¯s just not clear if these zombies were elite zombies¡­ But now that they had already charged out, it was pointless to talk about anything else; they had no choice but to fight!
Bang- Xiang Hongbin unleashed a shockwave at the group of poisonous fog zombies that he had knocked to the ground. The zombies were hit by the shockwave and flung about in disarray, but still, none died. It was only after the second shockwave that some of the poisonous fog zombies finally died at his hands. ¡°At least two or three hits are needed to kill these zombies!¡± With his current strength, if he were to ambush elite zombies, it would also take two or three hits. This meant that in terms of defensive power, these zombies were essentially on par with elite zombies!
Although Xiang Hongbin could kill these zombies in a few hits, there were too many of them-possibly tens of thousands! If they were all before him, then even if his axe became blunt from chopping, he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill them all! What troubled Xiang Hongbin even more was that, even after killing these zombies, their bodies would still release green poisonous fog! ¡°Damn it, not even a Crystal Core! They¡¯re not elite zombies after all¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin took the opportunity to pry open the head of a poisonous fog zombie and found that there was no Crystal Core inside. However, there was still some good news; Xiang Hongbin discovered that these zombies had no other attacking abilities apart from being high in HP and defensive power and able to release poison. Compared to many elite zombies, these poisonous fog zombies were rtively easier to deal with in head-onbat. Of course, this rtive ease was only inparison to Xiang Hongbin. For others, these poisonous fog zombies were not so easy to handle. Especially after many had inhaled the poisonous fog, their strength diminished significantly. Already difficult to fight, and now with theirbat power reduced, they became even harder to tackle. ¡°Ah-¡± An ability user suddenly screamed in agony as a zombie bit into his neck from behind. He writhed wildly, trying to break free, but more zombies crowded in, and he quickly fell silent without a chance to use his inhibitor¡­ ¡°Shit!¡± Xiang Hongbin cursed quietly, then smashed the head of the zombie that had just tangled with him. He witnessed the scene from a distance, but was surrounded by zombies and couldn¡¯t offer support. He could only redirect his anger towards these zombies.
But this casualty was just the beginning. Soon, casualties started to ur one after another. Those with luck on their side were saved by theirpanions and quickly drank an inhibitor. The unlucky ones were bitten to death on the spot without a chance to use their inhibitor. Xiang Hongbin watched as survivors kept dying one after another, heedless of the danger, he charged into the throng of zombies and killed over a dozen in just a few moments, hisbat power seeming to grow even stronger. But he alone was not enough; there were simply too many zombies! In one moment, as Xiang Hongbin swung his axe at a poisonous fog zombie, the creature dodged by tilting its head, avoiding the strike, and then it pped him hard across the chest. Chapter 295: 150: Poisonous Fog Zombie (Seeking Monthly Votes )_2 Bang- Hong Bin was sent flying andnded amidst a horde of zombies! Whoosh¡ª A streak of light from a Rush skill shed by, and Han Rui arrived just in time to snatch Hong Bin out of the jaws of death. ¡°Holy shit! How is it so strong, cough cough¡ª¡± Blood spilled from the corners of Hong Bin¡¯s mouth as Han Rui dragged him away. Turning her head, Han Rui gazed at the zombie that was obviouslyrger than the other Poisonous Fog Zombies, and sensing the significantly greater strength within its body, she said solemnly, ¡°This is a Level 2 Zombie!¡± ¡°What? A Level 2 Zombie!¡± Hong Bin¡¯s face immediately turned pale. If it were just an Elite Zombie, then it might only be a bit stronger or have some other characteristic traits. It would still be manageable.
But if it were a Level 2 Zombie, that would mean an enhancement in all aspects! Even the weakest Level 2 Zombies would be hard to handle by their Level 1 selves, especially since Wang Tao and Wei Zhen Guo were not among them¡­ ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Before Hong Bin could finish speaking, he saw the zombie that had attacked him sprint at aparatively high speed directly into the crowd. Then, it swung its palm that was emitting green smoke. Bang- In an instant, several survivors were sent flying, coughing up blood in midair. But they were the fortunate ones; the unlucky ones had their heads struck directly, smashing open like watermelons! ¡°Damn, it really is a Level 2 Zombie!¡± Witnessing this scene, Hong Bin no longer harbored any illusions. Suchbat power that instantly killed Level 1 ability users had to belong to a Level 2 or higher zombie! But why, why would there still be Level 2 Zombies!? They couldn¡¯t even deal with ordinary Poisonous Fog Zombies, and now there was a Level 2 Zombie; how were they supposed to live through this! Hong Bin himself wasn¡¯t afraid; at worst, he would die, feeling that surviving this long in the apocalypse was already a profit. It was just that he found it painful to watch these survivors die¡ªafter all, they were the people he was protecting! ¡°Shall we two go and try to handle this Level 2 Zombie?¡± After catching his breath, Hong Bin looked to Han Rui and said. ¡°Yes!¡± Han Rui¡¯s expression was resolute. If they allowed this Level 2 Zombie to rampage among the crowd, then more survivors would die. They had to step in! ¡°And me!¡± Feng Ming¡¯an, holding a homemade spear, rushed over. His only skill was the Slime Spitter Ability, but it was a very good control ability. If someone could coordinate with him, it should be rather effective. ¡°I¡¯m in too!¡±
The voice of Lu Gang came through the walkie-talkie. Everyone looked up to see an arrow protruding from a window of theprehensive building. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s¡­ rush!¡± Hong Bin briefly outlined his n, and then Han Rui was the first to charge forward.
Boom¡ª With a Rush, Han Rui knocked over a few ordinary Poisonous Fog Zombies and got close to the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. The appearance of Han Rui immediately caught the attention of the zombie, which roared and ran quickly towards her. But just as it charged to Han Rui¡¯s front, a sh of white light appeared, and Hong Bin, apanied by Feng Ming¡¯an, materialized behind the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. Then Feng Ming¡¯an vomited a stream of slime at the zombie. rgh¡ª Arge lump of white slime spewed out, covering the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombiepletely! The zombie¡¯s speed began to slow, and its body turned stiff. ¡°It¡¯s effective!¡± Feng Ming¡¯an immediately rejoiced. He had rarely used his Slime Spitter Ability on Level 2 Zombies before. It was ineffective against the Gori Zombie, and the Hooded Zombie was too fast for him to hit, which almost made Feng Ming¡¯an despair. Fortunately, it now worked on this Level 2 Zombie, and it was effective. Whoosh¡ª
At that moment, a stainless steel arrow suddenly flew out from theprehensive building and rapidly approached the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. Pu-ch¡ª The arrow prated the zombie¡¯s ear and lodged inside its head. The Poisonous Fog Zombie¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°Eh? Did it die?¡± Before they could rejoice, the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie suddenly let out a roar and the solidified white slime on its body burst open. Whirr¡ª The Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie instantly broke free! With the arrow still sticking out of its head, it frantically attacked the people around. Bang! The unlucky Hong Bin became the primary target and was once again pped away by the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. Han Rui and Feng Ming¡¯an took the opportunity to strike the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie a few times but felt it was ineffective. ¡°Hehe¡­¡±
After being attacked, the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a green substance, flying straight at FengMing¡¯an. Feng Ming¡¯an, seeing he couldn¡¯t dodge, simply opened his mouth and vomited at the green substance. rgh¡ª The white slime instantly merged with the green substance and enveloped it. However, this green poisonous fog seemed corrosive, and within the blink of an eye, Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s white slime waspletely corroded! But by then, Han Rui had already grabbed Feng Ming¡¯an and used her Rush Ability to flee. ¡°Damn! No wonder it¡¯s a Level 2 Zombie, so tough to beat!¡± Hong Bin said with a grim expression. If they didn¡¯t take down this Level 2 Zombie, the other survivors would eventually be killed by the zombies! ¡°Should we use the anti-materiel sniper rifle?¡± The voice of Lu Gang came from the walkie-talkie. The anti-materiel sniper rifle was powerful, and if they found the right opportunity, there was a good chance that they could kill this Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. But the problem was that the sniper rifle was loud, and if they fired it, they would likely draw the nearby Mad Demon Zombies as well!
Chapter 296: 150: Poisonous Fog Zombie (Seeking Chapter 296: Chapter 150: Poisonous Fog Zombie (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Votes)_3 There were already so many Poisonous Fog Zombies here; if we attracted a Mad Demon Zombie as well, that would be adding fuel to the fire! Hongbin hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly. ¡°Use it! We have no choice, if we can take down this Level 2 Zombie, then it¡¯s worth it even if we attract a Mad Demon Zombie!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lu Gang responded, then took out his ck and thick sniper rifle, ¡°But you guys need to create an opportunity for me¡­¡± ¡°No problem, just wait!¡± After discussing with the others, Hongbin and his groupunched another attack on the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. They nned to execute the same strategy as before, with Han Rui drawing the zombie¡¯s attention while Hongbin and Feng Ming¡¯anunched a surprise attack from behind to control the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie, even if just for a second, which would be enough time for Lu Gang to shoot. However, this time an ident urred. When Han Rui rushed forward to attract the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie¡¯s attention, it seemed to activate a sprint ability, instantly covering several meters and appearing before Han Rui. Bang-
Han Rui was pped away by a palm. ¡°Pfft-¡± Fortunately, Han Ruinded among the survivors without being attacked by other zombies, but she spat out arge mouthful of blood. Hongbin didn¡¯t have time to worry about Han Rui; he immediately sprinted with Feng Ming¡¯an to the back of the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie, where Feng Ming¡¯an vomited at the zombie. Vomit¡ª Arge amount of white slime once again immobilized the Level 2 Zombie. The zombie¡¯s body stiffened, and at the same time, a loud gunshot rang out. Bang! Half of the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie¡¯s face was gone! However, it didn¡¯t die; the solidified slime on its body exploded instantly, and with a furious roar, it charged straight at Feng Ming¡¯an. This zombie clearly wasn¡¯t as perceptive as the Hooded Zombie and the Gori Zombie; it didn¡¯t realize who had attacked it and instinctively assumed that Feng Ming¡¯ an was the attacker. But Feng Ming¡¯an was well-prepared. Knowing that his attack power wasn¡¯t strong and difficult to improve, he had worked harder on his defense. He took out the homemade steel shield from his back and held it directly in front of him. ng¡ª The zombie¡¯s attack struck the shield, nearly knocking Feng Ming¡¯an off his feet, but fortunately, Hongbin was behind him to brace him. ¡°What a huge strength!¡± Feng Ming¡¯an shook his numb arm. ¡°Give me the shield; you find a chance to spit at it one more time!¡± After taking the shield from Hongbin, he charged straight at the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. Bang!
The two collided. The Rush Ability was indeed powerful; Hongbin briefly held his own against the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie, and while he did, Feng Ming¡¯an ran to the zombie¡¯s back. Vomit¡ª Arge cluster of white slime once again immobilized the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie!
Seeing that Feng Ming¡¯an was in position, Hongbin immediately withdrew to avoid being hit by the vomiting slime. Bang¡ª Another loud gunshot rang out. St¡ª This time, the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie¡¯s head burst like a watermelon, and at the same time, a blue crystal core popped out. ¡°It¡¯s dead!¡± Hongbin quickly picked up the Crystal Core and then hustled back to the base of theprehensive building with Feng Ming¡¯an. ¡°The Level 2 Zombie is dead; nobody needs to be afraid. As long as we kill these Ordinary Zombies, we will be safe!¡± Hongbin loudly encouraged the survivors. Hearing that the inside Level 2 Zombie had been killed, everyone indeed seemed to be on a adrenaline rush, attacking much more fiercely. Hongbin, carrying Feng Ming¡¯an, joined Han Rui. The three of them had suffered varying degrees of injury, with Han Rui suffering the most. The blow from the zombie was too fierce; she felt as if her internal organs had shifted. Next was Hongbin, who still had blood in his mouth, presumably suffering internal injuries as well, but since his defense was higher than Han Rui¡¯s, his injuries were rtively lighter.
Feng Ming¡¯an was better off; he wasn¡¯t hurt much, but the continuous use of the Slime Spitter Ability, especially at full volume, caused his face to turn pale, and his stomach was in great difort. ¡°The Mad Demon Zombie has already been attracted¡­¡± Han Rui looked at the mad demon zombies attracted by the gunfire, running towards the base, her expression extremely ugly. There was no choice in the matter, between mad demon zombies and Level 2 zombies, a sacrifice had to be made. In everyone¡¯s minds, the Level 2 zombies were still the most terrifying. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we continue to fight!¡± Han Rui struggled to stand up. Both she and Xiang Hongbin were seriously injured, but survivors were periodically bitten to death by zombies. If they didn¡¯t act, even more people would die! ¡°Fight!¡± Xiang Hongbin also took a deep breath and then charged back into the horde of zombies. Ten minutester, Xiang Hongbin rescued a survivor and, gasping for breath, said: ¡°These zombies, it¡¯s like they can never be fully eradicated¡­¡± He felt he had already killed many Poisonous Fog Zombies, but now there were still so many, and the fog was even denser! There was simply no way to fight this!
Feng Ming¡¯an next to him hadn¡¯t had the chance to speak when he suddenly felt a pain in his back. Thud- Feng Ming¡¯an was instantly sent flying, tasting blood in his mouth as it stained his face mask red. By the time Xiang Hongbin and Han Rui reacted, Feng Ming¡¯an had already fallen into the zombie horde. ¡°Old Feng!¡± Xiang Hongbin instinctively called out, but Han Rui immediately pulled him away. It was then he noticed that where they had just been standing, a Poisonous Fog Zombie appeared, one that was even bigger than the Level 2 zombie they had killed before! ¡°This zombie, it suddenly jumped in from outside. By the time I noticed, it was already toote!¡± Han Rui quickly exined. ¡°A Level 2 Zombie! How can there still be Level 2 zombies!¡± Xiang Hongbin eximed in shock. ¡°Da da da¡ª¡± At that moment, intense gunfire erupted from the building, all directed at Feng Ming¡¯an¡¯s position. Xiang Hongbin didn¡¯t know whether they could save Feng Ming¡¯an, because he had no time to think¡ª the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie immediately spat a mouthful of green liquid at Xiang Hongbin.
Sizzle¡ª Xiang Hongbin dodged most of the liquid, but some stillnded on him. He felt his gas mask sizzling and quickly removed it, only to see that the mask had been corroded! ¡°Cough cough¡ª¡± Without the mask and inhaling the outside poisonous fog, Xiang Hongbin felt extremely ufortable. The corroded mask was emitting dense green vapors that drilled into Xiang Hongbin¡¯s nose, instantly making him feel a heavy weight in his body. As the zombies came at him, Xiang Hongbin tried to dodge, but found he was unable to move his feet¡­ ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± Despair filled Xiang Hongbin¡¯s eyes. Whoosh¡ª Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Xiang Hongbin and sent the Level 2 zombie flying. Bang! The zombie flew more than ten meters and crashed heavily into the horde. ¡°Old Wei!¡± Seeing the familiar figure, Xiang Hongbin was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with excitement. ¡°You¡¯ve sessfully reached Level 2!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Wei Zhenguo, who wasn¡¯t even wearing a gas mask, nced at everyone and confidently shouted ¡°Everyone fall back, leave the rest to me!¡± Only after ascending to Level 2 could one understand how powerful it was! He could sense that the zombie in front of him was a Level 2 zombie, but not an exceptionally strong one, probably just like him, newly ascended to Level 2 not long ago. He was confident he could handle a Level 2 zombie like this! So, Wei Zhenguo quickly charged at the Level 2 zombie! As long as he dealt with this Level 2 zombie, the Level 1 zombies posed no problem to him! But suddenly, he came to a screeching halt! He saw one, two, three¡­ more than ten of the same kind of bulky Poisonous Fog Zombies slowly emerging from the horde! Their pale white eyes were fixed dead on Wei Zhenguo. Wei Zhenguo:¡±¡­¡± Chapter 297: 151 Fusion of the New Superpower_l Chapter 297: Chapter 151 Fusion of the New Superpower_l Wei Zhen Guo subconsciously rubbed his eyes. ¡°One, two, three¡­ Eleven Level 2 Zombies! Is this for real? Weren¡¯t all the Level 2 Zombies in Shuize County gone? Where did thesee from?¡± He had woken up to find the base surrounded by zombies, and after quickly grasping the situation, he immediately rushed out. He still didn¡¯t know where these zombies hade from. Of course, now was not the time to fret over the origins of the zombies but how to handle so many Level 2 Zombies! Fight? This was eleven Level 2 Zombies we¡¯re talking about! The chances of him being able to defeat them were next to none! Run? Wei Zhen Guo turned to look at those hopeful eyes behind him; he couldn¡¯t run! He wasn¡¯t the sort to abandon the base and flee for his life! And to be honest, it wasn¡¯t certain whether he could even manage to escape¡­ ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s first try and test their strength!¡±
Wei Zhen Guo set his sights on the Level 2 Zombie he had knocked away earlier and then activated Rush. Whoosh- Bang! He once again mmed into the zombie with pinpoint uracy. ¡°Hehheh¡­¡± The Poisonous Fog Zombie was left somewhat dazed by the impact but didn¡¯t fall down this time. Seizing the opportunity, Wei Zhen Guo picked up an axe and chopped down on the Poisonous Fog Zombie¡¯s head. Crack¡ª Wei Zhen Guo thought he heard the sound of bone cracking, but the Poisonous Fog Zombie was not to be taken lightly. It stretched out its arms, grabbed hold of Wei Zhen Guo and then opened its gaping mouth, aiming to bite down on his neck. Wei Zhen Guo felt the zombie¡¯s arms were like iron hoops, binding him tightly. ¡°Ah! Get off me!¡± With all his strength, Wei Zhen Guo finally broke free from the zombie¡¯s embrace just before getting bitten, and then forcefully kicked the zombie. Bang¡ª The zombie was sent flying by the kick. Taking advantage of the momentum, Wei Zhen Guo chased after it, and the moment it hit the ground, he was beside the zombie, lifting his axe and chopping down towards its head. Crack¡ª Another sound of bone cracking followed. Wei Zhen Guo knew that one more axe blow and the zombie would be dead! But by then, the other Level 2 Zombies had already approached.
If he swung his axe one more time, he would undoubtedly be met with a group beating! In the blink of an eye, Wei Zhen Guo steeled his heart and delivered the third axe blow. Squelch! The zombie¡¯s head exploded, and it stopped struggling instantly.
By now, however, the other Level 2 Zombies had surrounded Wei Zhen Guo. They iled their arms, aiming their dark, ink-like ws at him. With no time to extract the Crystal Core, Wei Zhen Guo evaded the attacks from several zombies using his exquisite footwork. However, he was still struck by an attack to his chest. Bang! Wei Zhen Guo was knocked back several meters. ncing at his deformed chest te, his expression turned grim. Although he seemed unharmed, only he knew the full weight of the zombie¡¯s p! Wei Zhen Guo felt that these Level 2 Zombies were not as strong as he had thought, certainly weaker than the Hooded Zombies. But these were still Level 2 Zombies, not to be confused with Level 1 Zombies! And the number was simply terrifying! He basically had no chance of winning! ¡°Hehheh¡­¡± Looking outside, the number of Mad Demon Zombies was increasing, and some of them were even fighting with the Poisonous Fog Zombies¡­ Wei Zhen Guo knew that the only way to win against these zombies was to wait for Wang Tao to wake up! ¡°There are too many Level 2 Zombies; I can¡¯t beat them. Hold them off, wait for Wang Tao to wake up!¡± Wei Zhen Guo turned back and said to Xiang Hongbin and the others.
Xiang Hongbin and the others were numb with shock. They had thought that once Wei Zhen Guo woke up, he¡¯d be able to turn the tide of battle. But they hadn¡¯t expected there to be so many Level 2 Zombies! Even though Wei Zhen Guo had managed to kill one Level 2 Zombie at the cost of personal injury, there were still ten more to go! ¡°It¡¯s not easy to drag this out, the poison fog emitted from these zombies makes us weak, causes coughing. Some people are even coughing up blood!¡± Feng Ming¡¯an spoke somewhat helplessly. Wei Zhen Guo hadn¡¯t really paid attention to this issue, because the poison fog from Level 1 Zombies didn¡¯t affect him much as a Level Two. He could feel a slight reduction in his strength, but it was minor and didn¡¯t impact hisbat ability. It was only the poison fog from the Level 2 Zombies that made him somewhat ufortable¡­ But for others it was different, Abilities Users like Xiang Hongbin were weakened and the rest might even face a risk to their lives! While Wei Zhen Guo was contemting, two more Level 2 Zombies attacked, the rest of the Level 2 Zombies charged at others. He quickly defended against a few strikes, then turned his head and asked: ¡°When did Wang Tao start his Level 2 Ascension yesterday?¡± ¡°Around eight o¡¯clock in the evening¡­¡± Han Rui gave it some thought before replying. It was just past six now, still two hours to go! After momentarily pushing back the two Level 2 Zombies in front of him, Wei Zhen Guo turned and shouted to everyone:
¡°Folks, we just need to hold on for two more hours! If we can just endure for another two hours, we¡¯ll be saved! We must keep fighting, even if it costs us our lives, until we reach that two-hour mark!¡± The worst thing about ¡°holding on¡± is not having a precise time. Saying to hold on is futile if there is no hope in sight, as there¡¯s no motivation to do so. But give them a specific time, for example, that holding on for two more hours could lead to rescue, and the willpower naturally surges. Even though some people were at their limit, they forced themselves to gather their spirits and engaged in a desperate fight with the zombies. After all, they had no other option! ¡°Use all avable weapons, call out everyone who can fight, all we need is tost two hours! If we can¡¯t make it for two hours, then we¡¯re left with only one path: death!¡± Chapter 298: 151 Fusion of the New Superpower ! Chapter 298: Chapter 151 Fusion of the New Superpower ! Wei Zhenguo immediately spoke into the inte. ¡°Cough cough, okay!¡± Ren Jie¡¯s voice came from inside. This was a moment of life or death for Shuize Base, no one could escape, they couldn¡¯t hold anything back, they could only make ast stand! Soon, a group of people emerged from theprehensive building. Men and women, old and young, they carried homemade weapons, their frightened expressions mingled with determination. Ren Jie, with a pistol in hand, walked at the forefront, followed closely by Liu He with a backpack on his back. Gao Hua held two axes, trailing behind Ding Yuqin by a step. A fierce look on his face, he said, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t worry, my life was given by elder brother, even if I die, I will protect you!¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡±
Ding Yuqin was somewhat nervous, but she did not shrink back. Li Qiuyu, Huo Ziyi, and a host of other women followed behind Ding Yuqin with fearful faces. Ren Jie had ordered these women to follow Ding Yuqin¡¯smand. They were not the main force inbat, but were there to help prepare ammunition, medical supplies, inhibitors, etc. If they had the ability to kill zombies, they could join the fight. If not, they were to be honest and handle logistics. Wei Zhenguo had already brought out all of the base¡¯s trump cards; if they could not hold out for another two hours, then there was nothing more he could do. As for whether they could be rescued after holding out for two hours, Wei Zhenguo didn¡¯t want to think too much about it, because he needed to give himself some hope. After the survivors came out, they immediately attracted the attention of the zombies downstairs. These poisonous fog zombies and mad demon zombies all ran toward the crowd. ¡°Da da da¡ª¡± However, a group from the Security Army rushed out of the building, instantly stopping the zombies¡¯ advance with their bullets. The green poisonous fog was getting thicker and darker, and since it was drifting upwards slowly, it severely affected the vision of the Security Army. They could no longer see the zombies clearly from above, and if they didn¡¯te down, their bullets were certain to hit theirrades. There were many sandbags underneath theprehensive building. More than a dozen members of the Security Army immediately used the sandbags as cover, hiding behind them to attack the zombies. The survivors took up arms and also crouched behind the sandbags, ready to kill any zombies that broke through. In thest crisis with the gori zombies, more than half of the people inside Shuize Base had died. Now, those who were left, with a few exceptions, all had HP over a thousand. Their physical fitness was much stronger than that of ordinary people. Although they couldn¡¯t kill these zombies in one second, at least they weren¡¯t unable to breach their defenses. As long as they had enough people and urate hits, they could kill the poisonous fog zombies and mad demon zombies by working together in groups. With the addition of these remaining people, the ability users who hade out to fight suddenly felt the pressure ease. But they had no time to rest, because the Level Two zombies had found them! These Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies, although not strong among their kind, were still very tough even for Xiang Hongbin and the others,bined with Lu Gang¡¯s sniping. So, when these Level 1 ability users faced the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies, they had virtually no power to fight back! In just a few minutes, several ability users were bitten to death by the Level 2 zombies.
¡°Ah!¡± Seeing this, Wei Zhenguo¡¯s eyes turned red with anger. He immediately charged forward, drawing the attention of the Level 2 zombies to himself. Originally, Wei Zhenguo¡¯s n was to let others bear the brunt of the Level 2 zombies¡¯ attacks while he and Xiang Hongbin focused their strength on a single Level 2 zombie.
After all, killing one Level 2 zombie would greatly reduce the pressure on everyone. But the Level 2 zombies easily overpowered the ordinary Level 1 ability users. These people had almost no ability to resist and were in after just a few blows! Wei Zhenguo had to change tactics, bing a firefighter, rushing to wherever there was danger. Although this indeed saved many people, there was now little chance of killing a Level 2 zombie. Nevertheless, the casualties continued to rise. Wei Zhenguo¡¯s eyes turned even redder, and he unleashed unprecedentedbat power, managing to hold off five Level 2 zombies by himself! As for the remaining five, he was powerless to do anything about them, and had to leave them to others. Xiang Hongbin injected himself with a Rejuvenation Potion and, like a return to light, temporarily stood in the way of a Level 2 zombie¡¯s advance. Han Rui and Feng Ming¡¯an joined forces to hold off a Level 2 zombie, but they were being pushed back. Ren Jie and Liu He, along with a few ability users, held back a Level 2 zombie. Their strength was not great, and the reason they could keep the zombie at bay was purely because Liu He¡¯s backpack was full of homemade bombs! He distributed several bombs to each person, which held off the Level 2 zombie. This Level 2 zombie looked the most miserable of them all, its body torn and bones exposed, yet itsbat power was undiminished. The group¡¯s homemade bombs couldn¡¯t be thrown at will, and they were afraid of hitting their own, which made them hesitant¡­ Thest Level 2 zombie was tackled by a group of more than twenty ability users. Butpared to the Level 2 zombie, these people were falling far short. Even with their numbers, they had no advantage¡ªthey struggled to breach the zombie¡¯s defenses, while a single blow from it could leave them dead or crippled!
¡°Inhibitor! Inhibitor!¡± Someone who had been scratched by a zombie ran back, yelling desperately. The time for the zombie virus to cause mutation and infection could be from one minute to 24 hours, and if luck was bad, there might be no hope after a minute! Chapter 299: 151 Fusion of the New Superpower 3 Chapter 299: Chapter 151 Fusion of the New Superpower 3 Li Qiuyu quickly took out a bottle of inhibitor and jogged over to hand it to the other person. ¡°Thank you!¡± The other person quickly chugged it down. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ah¡­¡± Then he clenched his fists tightly, veins throbbing angrily all over his body, and let out a painful roar from his mouth. Li Qiuyu, seeing the person in pain, was very afraid, worried that he would turn into a zombie. Seeing this, Ding Yuqin exined to Li Qiuyu: Qiu Yu, don¡¯t worry, this is normal. Once he gets through this, he¡¯ll be fine! They are all real men; they can get through this!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡±
Li Qiuyu didn¡¯t dare to look any longer, and quickly took out several more bottles of inhibitor to deliver to others in need. Suddenly, Li Qiuyu¡¯s body stiffened-a feeling of being watched lingered in her heart. She looked around nervously, but all she saw were survivors, zombies, and green smoke in the distance; she didn¡¯t discover anything. Li Qiuyu shivered subconsciously and hurriedly continued to distribute the inhibitor. Outside Shuize Base, atop a certain building, a figure with red-glowing eyes was watching Li Qiuyu intently. Ascending felt amazing. After falling asleep, Wang Tao was in a strange state where ¡°he was conscious and could feel himself, but not the outside world.¡± It was somewhat like a lucid dream¡ªhe knew he was dreaming, but he couldn¡¯t wake up or change the dream. Wang Tao could clearly sense his body getting stronger bit by bit, a sensation that was very distinct and exhrating! It even made Wang Tao think he never wanted to wake up. Of course, Wang Tao knew this was impossible. He only had 24 hours, and he was bound to wake up when time was up-Wang Tao had discovered that the longer he slept during ascension, the greater the increase in his strength! And the length of sleep was rted to how many ascension crystal cores he merged, or rather, how many Level 2 Abilities he had! During Level 2 Ascension, having one Level 2 Ability meant six hours of sleep, which equated to six hours of strengthening time. Since all four of Wang Tao¡¯s abilities were Level 2, he would sleep for 24 hours! Only then did he understand that it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary to raise all abilities to Level 2 before formally ascending. As for why he had to merge four ascension crystal cores¡­ he didn¡¯t know, he could only say that he indeed was different from others. However, this was good because ascending to Level 2 after merging four ascension crystal cores was the way to maximize strength improvement! If he hurried to advance after merging only one ascension crystal core, it would be somewhat of a waste¡­ Bored, Wang Tao started studying his attribute panel. Then he discovered he could now control the special energy in the grey bar. He had 5160 special energy, and all his abilities were Level 2 Abilities. Thus, whether he extracted or fused, each time would consume 5000 energy. There was no need to think about it; it must be fusion. Extraction meant he could switch to a new ability, and his old ability could be used by others.
But fusion meant he could merge two abilities into one! It was as if he could learn an additional ability! However, fusion had a sess rate, and Wang Tao needed to see if there was a chance for fusion. If there really was no chance, then he wouldn¡¯t go through with it. As Wang Tao thought about fusion, a table appeared in front of him in an instant. The table listed the several fusion methods for his four abilities, and each method¡¯s probability of sess.
[Shockwave + Precision Shooting (10%)] [Shockwave + Toughness (10%)] [Shockwave + Self-healing (15%)] [Precision Shooting + Toughness (40%)] [Precision Shooting + Self-healing (55%)] [Toughness + Self-healing (95%)] Seeing this information, Wang Tao immediately excluded the first five options; after all, the maximum chance was only 55%, not worth the risk. The sess rate for fusing ¡°Toughness¡± with ¡°Self-healing¡± was as high as 95%! Wang Tao felt his luck was usually good, so this probability shouldn¡¯t lead to failure, right? After pondering for a moment, Wang Tao decided to fuse these two abilities! As for which was the primary and which was the secondary, Wang Tao ced ¡°Self-healing¡± in the primary position and ¡°Toughness¡± in the secondary. If the fusion failed, the primary ability would remain unchanged, but the secondary ability would disappear. Self-healing was a rarer ability, and he had collected it with difficulty, so it was safer to put it in the primary position. At the moment of deciding to fuse, Wang Tao saw his special energy in the grey bar decrease by a full 5000, leaving just 160.
The icon for his Toughness ability entered the Self-healing ability icon, and after a sh of colorful light, a new prompt appeared. [Fusion sessful, acquired new superpower: Level 2 Tier 1-Barrier] [Barrier: During duration, it can enhance defense and slowly recover certain injuries (side effect: none)] Seeing this new superpower ¡°Barrier,¡± Wang Tao was pleasantly surprised. He had indeed managed tobine the two abilities into one! He now had only three abilities left, which meant he could fuse an additional new ability! Just as Wang Tao was thinking about which new ability to fuse, he seemed to slowly begin to sense some movement from the outside world. ¡°I¡¯m waking up!¡± At a certain moment. Wang Tao suddenly opened his eyes. Then he realized something was pressing on his face, partially obstructing his vision. Wang Tao touched his face. ¡°A shattered gas mask?¡±
He hurriedly sat up, finding that he was not in his vi room but in theprehensive building. The room was in ruins, all ss items including the windows had shattered, as if there had been a severe explosion. ¡°Something¡¯s happened!¡± Wang Tao first checked his attributes, which showed no negative states, and then he opened the door to the room. Just as he was about to listen outside, he heard a sudden ¡°thud,¡± as if something heavy had hit the ground. His second-order superpower owner¡¯s intuition sensed that a very powerful Level 2 zombie had appeared outside! Wang Tao quickly went downstairs and kicked open the front door with one foot. Bang- Chapter 300: 152 Tragic_l Chapter 300: Chapter 152 Tragic_l ¡°What time is it¡­¡± Han Rui leaned against the corner, her face covered in blood, with a broken gas mask nearby. She felt that her mouth was the only part of her that could still move. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin struggled to lift his wrist, but he found his watch was shattered at some point, ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­ But it¡¯s definitelyte, the sky¡¯s already dark¡­¡± ¡°We must be about to die¡­¡± A survivor murmured to himself. No one answered him. Bang- Wei Zhenguo, who was fighting thest four Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies in the distance, was sent flying by one of the zombies, then hended in the middle of the group. ¡°Heh¡­ Old Wei, aren¡¯t you ignoring the facts, saying you could easily handle these zombies?¡± Xiang Hongbin forced a smile and said.
¡°Damn!¡± Wei Zhenguo cursed as he struggled to get up, but his left leg gave out and he ended up kneeling on one knee. The strength of these Level 2 Zombies was far lesspared to the Hooded Zombies and Gori Zombies they had encountered before. But even the weakest among them was still a Level 2 Zombie! Wei Zhenguo fought as if his life depended on it, and with the assistance of the others, especially the lethal shots fired by Lu Gang with his anti-material sniper rifle, they had barely managed to kill eight Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies. But there were still three left! All the survivingbatants were at the end of their strength. Many were on theirst breath, and facing these three Level 2 Zombies, they had no energy left to resist¡­ ¡°Is today really the day we die¡­ I can¡¯t ept this!¡± Wei Zhenguo felt extremely bitter. He had just reached Level 2 today, thinking he would be able to dominate Shuize County, but as soon as he left the base, he encountered so many Level 2 Zombies¡­ He was not willing to ept this! ¡°Hehe¡­¡± In the darkness, three Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies, along with arge group of Poisonous Fog Zombies, closed in on the group, and outside, a pack of Mad Demon Zombies was eagerly waiting for their turn. Click-click¡ª The Security Army soldiers pulled their triggers, but no bullets remained. ¡°It feels like these zombies have be smarter¡­ They didn¡¯t just swarm and overrun us; are they actually enjoying watching us slowly perish?¡± Ding Yuqin felt somewhat desperate. Everyone was silent, with no idea how to answer. There was indeed something off about these zombies. The base was already in dire straits¡ªfacing ten Level 2 Zombies along with countless Poisonous Fog Zombies and Mad Demon Zombies, after all. But unexpectedly, most of the zombies suddenly stopped their attack. Some Poisonous Fog Zombies even deliberately tried to block the Mad Demon Zombies! Only those Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies and the ordinary Poisonous Fog Zombies surrounding them were still attacking the people. It was as if¡­ the zombies were providing the survivors with a fair fighting chance?
Even so, everyone was on the verge of copse¡­ It was already dark, with only the feeble light from the emergencymps beneath the multi-purpose building providing any illumination. Where the light didn¡¯t reach, among the green poisonous fog, the zombies appeared sporadically, creating a chilling scene. Watching the approaching zombies, Wei Zhenguo was ready to fight against them when Ren Jie suddenly stood up. ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn¡­¡±
¡°Huh? Old Ren? What can your old bones do?¡± Xiang Hongbin said with a weakness in his voice, showing his disdain. ¡°What can I do? Haha, maybe I can take one with me, cough cough¡­¡± Ren Jie wasn¡¯t abatant and had been working in logistics at the back. Now that the ammo was almost gone, there wasn¡¯t much logistics work left for him to do. ¡°You¡­ what are you nning to do?¡± Wei Zhenguo turned his head and red at Ren Jie. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to kill zombies! Haha!¡± Ren Jieughed out loud, and as he stood up, five more people stood up after him, all of them women. Seeing this scene, Xiang Hongbin, as if remembering something, stared at Ren Jie in amazement. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, follow me to kill zombies!¡± Ren Jie took a big step forward, with the five women closely following behind him. ¡°Ren Jie!¡±
Xiang Hongbin yelled out. Ren Jie turned to nce at him, then resolutely ran towards the swarm of Poisonous Fog Zombies, apanied by the women, charging at the zombies. The zombies noticed the targets and immediately ran towards Ren Jie¡¯s group. ¡°Ren Jie¡ª¡± Wei Zhenguo roared. They saw Ren Jie and the women collide with the zombie horde, and without even resisting, they were easily seized by the zombies. Then. Boom¡ª A loud explosion ensued, and Ren Jie along with the women became a cloud of blood mist. Dozens of zombies were blown to pieces, including one Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie! ¡°Ren Jie¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo gazed at the vast cloud of blood, his expression somber. He knew Ren Jie had fused with a Self-Destruct Crystal Core. The five women who followed Ren Jie were those unfortunate souls Wang Tao had previously saved from Cao Xin. Ren Jie had persuaded them to also fuse with Self-Destruct Crystal Cores.
Ren Jie probably didn¡¯t expect that he would actually have to use his self-destruct ability, but he had been preparing for it all along. The self-destruction of the six people not only killed more than a dozen ordinary Poisonous Fog Zombies, but it also killed one Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie, leaving only two Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies remaining. It seemed as if there was some hope once more? But there were still two Level 2 Zombies and countless Level 1 Zombies! Was there really any hope? ¡°I¡­ I think I might be able to kill a zombie too¡­¡± Liu He, limping, walked over with a backpack, the zipper undone to reveal some red LEDs and various colored wires inside. ¡°So you want to be an idiot and throw your life away too?¡± Xiang Hongbin immediately red at him.. Chapter 301: 152 Tragic_2 Chapter 301: Chapter 152 Tragic_2 ¡°If blowing up a Level 2 Zombie means I don¡¯t die in vain, then it¡¯s worth it! Thest bomb I just made is very stable!¡± Liu He swallowed hard and walked straight toward the zombie with his backpack in his arms. The bomb was indeed stable¡ªbecause it was a semi-finished product. He didn¡¯t have time to make a remote control, so he had to detonate it by hand. ¡°Liu He, don¡¯t be foolish!¡± Wei Zhenguo quickly shouted. Liu He was a rare technical talent, and if he survived, he would be highly valued in any settlement, even in the post-apocalyptic world! Liu He turned to nce at Wei Zhenguo, then looked at the bite mark on his arm before shaking his head with a smile. He was already infected and could only rely on inhibitors to stay alive. Plus, he was someone who hated pain and was cowardly. He didn¡¯t want to experience the excruciating pain of using an inhibitor again.
So, he chose to escape and, by the way¡­ perhaps this could count as being a hero for once? ¡°Liu He!¡± Boom¡ª A dazzling fireball lit up the entire night sky. Apanied by a huge explosion, the ss in all the nearby buildings shattered. The air was sucked into the center of the explosion and then led to a secondary st. Boom¡ª The terrifying heat wave and shockwave spread in all directions, blowing the survivors away. Xiang Hongbin even got a mouthful of mud. ¡°Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, you little brat! Wait till I get down there, I¡¯ll beat you up!¡± Xiang Hongbin cursed as he looked at the fireball. This explosion was much more powerful than the self-detonation earlier, not only killing another Level 2 Zombie but also wiping out arge number of Ordinary Poisonous Fog Zombies nearby! Moreover, when the bomb detonated, it burned all the oxygen nearby, creating a localized vacuum. As the surrounding gases were drawn in, they brought along much of the green poisonous fog and caused a secondary explosion. This second explosionpletely burned off the green poison fog in the area! The air around theprehensive building instantly became fresh, significantly alleviating the survivors¡¯ feelings of weakness! ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Roar-¡± The Poisonous Fog Zombies that were in ¡°spectator¡± mode became agitated, wanting to rush into the mes, but the intense heat made them halt. Some circled around the fire, appearing restless; others looked toward the survivors but just stared at them without approaching. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin stood up enduring the pain.
He held thest two homemade bombs in his hand, not sure if they would be enough to kill a Level 2 Zombie, but he had to try. Just as he got up, arge hand stopped him. ¡°There¡¯s onest Level 2 Zombie left, and it¡­ is mine!¡± Wei Zhenguo disyed an ugly smile on his face.
The deaths of two importantpanions had filled Wei Zhenguo with extreme anger. Under this rage, he suddenly felt as though the pain in his body had vanished, reced with a surge of strength! He didn¡¯t know if this was a ¡°return to light¡± moment, but he knew it was his time to act. ¡°Are you up for it? Cough, cough¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin looked at Wei Zhenguo and mocked. ¡°Heh, certainly more than you are!¡± Wei Zhenguo took a deep breath and then charged straight to thest Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. This zombie had also been hit by the explosion, with its left side skinpletely torn, bones even visible. But a zombie is still a zombie; as long as its head was intact, no matter how severe its injuries, it wouldn¡¯t die. Bang! Wei Zhenguo, wielding his now-blunted axe, smashed it on the head of the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. The zombie didn¡¯t dodge. After taking the hit, it immediately reached out to grab Wei Zhenguo¡¯s chest. Relying on his steel armor, Wei Zhenguo didn¡¯t dodge either, bearing the zombie¡¯s attack and fiercely chopped twice more on the head of the Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombie. Squish¡ª
The final axe blow finally shattered the zombie¡¯s skull. After killing the Level 2 Zombie, Wei Zhenguo¡¯s held breath finally gave out, and he copsed to the ground. ¡°Level 2 Zombies, not¡ªand are nothing more¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo smirked. Now he had no strength left at all, unable even to wield his axe, let alone walk. As he saw Level 1 Toxic Mist Zombies closing in from all around, Wei Zhenguo closed his eyes. He had done his best. Bang¡ª Suddenly, a faint white light shed by. Wei Zhenguo opened his eyes to see Xiang Hongbin, having somehow charged to his side. ¡°Old Wei, I admit you¡¯re better than me. So, you¡¯ve got to survive, hear me!¡± Xiang Hongbin, his face covered in blood, grinned and then grabbed Wei Zhenguo¡¯s arm, using all his might to throw him. ¡°Xiang Hongbin¡ª¡± Wei Zhenguo felt the world spinning and instinctively closed his eyes.
Thud¡ª When he opened his eyes again, he saw Xiang Hongbin being overwhelmed by a group of zombies, disappearing into the darkness while he hadnded beside Lu Gang. ¡°Old Xiang!¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s eyes reddened. Lu Gang clenched his fists tightly. The survivors grieved in silence, unable to hold back their tears. ¡°Wang Tao, when will you wake up¡­¡± Watching one familiar face after another depart, Han Rui silently chanted Wang Tao¡¯s name in her heart. s, she no longer had the strength to go inside the building; she didn¡¯t even know if Wang Tao would be killed by the green smoke. ¡°Everyone, cough, cough¡­ the Level 2 Zombies are all dead, and the poison smoke has been dispersed. Let¡¯s go back inside the building, rest for a moment, and then deal with these Level 1 Zombies!¡± Chapter 302: 152 Tragic 3 Chapter 302: Chapter 152 Tragic 3 Wei Zhenguo, stifling his grief, turned to address the survivors. ¡°The Level 2 Zombies are all dead, but there are still many Level 1 Zombies alive. We don¡¯t know why these Level 1 Zombies aren¡¯t attacking us, but we can¡¯t bet that they won¡¯te over.¡± Previously, they didn¡¯t stay inside the building because it was filled with poisonous fog unfit for people. Now that the fog had been burned off, Wei Zhenguo thought of having everyone return to the building. However, just at that moment, with a ¡°thud,¡± arge zombie that resembled a warty toad, with limbs syed upon the ground, fell from the sky andnded in front of the group, blocking their way back to theprehensive building. ¡°What¡­ what the hell is that?¡± With the arrival of this toad zombie, the zombies previously in a ¡°spectator¡± state immediately began writhing and started surrounding the survivors. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± All hope had drained from everyone. ¡°Another Level 2 Zombie¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s eyes almost burst with fury.
After sacrificing so many people, they still couldn¡¯t escape¡­ His hatred was profound; he hated that he wasn¡¯t strong enough! Ding Yuqin, Han Rui, and Li Qjuyu huddled together. ¡°Are we going to die¡­¡± Ding Yuqin held Han Rui¡¯s and LiQiuyu¡¯s hands tightly, her whole body trembling slightly. No one is unafraid of death: she was no exception. But she didn¡¯t want to die; she still wanted to live through this apocalypse with Wang Tao¡­ Of course, having Han Rui along was fine too; she simply didn¡¯t want to die. But now, everyone, including herself, was at the breaking point. They were no match for even an ordinary zombie, let alone this one that looked incredibly strong. So, it seemed she was indeed about to die. ¡°Wang Tao, haven¡¯t you woken up yet¡­ please wake up soon!¡± Ding Yuqin thought of Wang Tao¡¯s face, silently chanting his name in her heart. Han Rui let out a sigh. ¡°So, we are going to die after all¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t afraid of death, but being unafraid and not wanting to die were two different things. She now felt regret; if only she had met Wang Tao sooner¡­ ¡°WangTao, I¡¯ll see you in the next life¡­¡± Han Rui murmured to herself. Li Qjuyu¡¯s gaze was somewhat vacant. She felt so strange¡ª At the beginning of the virus outbreak, she was terrified of dying. But after witnessing the tragedy of her loved ones, she wanted to die; if it weren¡¯t for her daughter keeping her going, she may havemitted suicide. Then, when the gori zombie passed by, she was really about to die, and she became afraid again, not wanting to die¡­
But now, it was no longer about whether she wanted to die or not¡ªshe was truly about to die. Yet¡­ she really didn¡¯t want to die! She didn¡¯t just not want to die; she wanted to be stronger! After seeing so many Ability Users, she understood the importance of power. If she had that kind of power, could she not go to find her daughter? And perhaps her daughter was being protected by an Ability User, or maybe her daughter was an Ability User herself!
If that was the case, then she had even more reason not to die¡ªshe wanted to live; she wanted to see her daughter! Li Qjuyu suddenly thought of Wang Tao; when would he wake up? Could Wang Tao save her once more? She swore that if Wang Tao could indeed save her life again, allowing her to keep the hope of seeing her daughter alive, then she would be indebted to him for life! Bang¡ª Suddenly, just when everyone was lost in despair, the main door of theprehensive building swung open with a loud bang. The crowd instinctively looked over and saw a tall, muscr man about 1.9 meters in height kick open the gate and appear behind the toad zombie. ¡°Wang Tao?¡± Wei Zhenguo and the others could hardly believe their eyes. Wang Tao ignored everyone and looked at the monster in front of him. [HP: 9263/12000] [Mana: 3150/5000] [Grade:Level 2 ¨C Lord] After Wang Tao¡¯s Level 2 Ascension, he could see more things. Not only could he see the health bar but also the mana bar and the grade.
This was a Level 2 zombie that was even stronger than a gori zombie! But, Wang Tao was no longer the same person he had been before! Whoosh¡ª With a few strides, Wang Tao instantly moved behind the toad zombie and then, gathering strength in his right foot, he brutally kicked the still unaware toad zombie¡¯s butt. Bang! The toad zombie was sent flying by Wang Tao¡¯s kick, crashing into the zombies that were madly rushing over. tter¡ª This toad zombie didn¡¯t lose much HP, but many of the ordinary zombies were squashed under it. With the toad zombie out of the way, Wei Zhenguo and the others immediately unleashed an unprecedented energy and limped over to Wang Tao¡¯s side. ¡°WangTao! It¡¯s so good that you¡¯ve woken up!¡± Wei Zhenguo¡¯s eyes were red as he patted Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sorry, I hope I¡¯m not toote.¡± Seeing everyone¡¯s sorry state, especially the absence of some familiar faces, Wang Tao sighed. ¡°No, you arrived just in time!¡±
Everyone naturally didn¡¯t me Wang Tao, as they all knew that the time of his awakening after his Level 2 Ascension was fixed. It was good enough that he woke up on time; he couldn¡¯t possibly wake up any earlier. ¡°Wang Tao¡­¡± Ding Yuqin and Han Rui quickly came over and hugged Wang Tao; they felt that not only had he grown taller, but he was also more muscr! Li Qjuyu instinctively wanted to hug him too, but seeing the actions of the two women, she stopped herself. Wang Tao saw that the toad zombie had created some chaos among the zombie group and wouldn¡¯t be able toe over for a while; he immediately said to everyone: ¡°Everybody, get inside first.¡± The group hurriedly ran into theprehensive building. Wang Tao took out a medical kit for everyone¡¯s use, and while vigntly watching the zombies outside, he asked: ¡°What exactly happened?¡± ¡°Some poisonous fog zombies suddenly appeared this evening, and it seems they were all students from Shuize University¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo quickly ran through the chain of events. Li Qjuyu¡¯s pupils shrank when she heard that these zombies were Shuize University¡¯s students, but she did not interrupt Wei Zhenguo. After listening to Wei Zhenguo¡¯s ount, Wang Tao¡¯s face showed anger.
He hadn¡¯t expected that there would be so many zombies inside Shuizhe Mountain, and that they woulde to Shuize Base at this time! Lucky for him, he had started his Ascension early; otherwise, not to mention the others, even he could have been in mortal danger! ¡°These zombies, they deserve to die!¡± Chapter 303: 153: Slaying_i Chapter 303: Chapter 153: ying_i ¡°You guys stay here, I¡¯ll go out and take a look!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± Wang Tao stepped out of the building again. After listening to Wei Zhenguo and the others, andbining his own observations, Wang Tao felt something wasn¡¯t quite right. First of all, the zombies weren¡¯t swarming over, which was illogical. After all, zombies wouldn¡¯t offer you a fair fight by following any sort of martial ethics¡¯ right? Next, the toad zombie outside, although it had an HP cap of 12,000, wasn¡¯t at full health but at just over 9,000 instead, which was also odd! Usually, zombies wouldn¡¯t fight each other, and aside from Shuize Base, there were no other survivors in Shuize County. So how did the toad zombie¡¯s HP reduce? Could there be other survivors around, or other violent zombies like the gori zombie? Therefore, Wang Tao needed to find out what was really going on¡­ If there was indeed another formidable zombie or a survivor hiding in the shadows, then he would need to be careful! Outside the building, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes emitted a faint green glow. He could clearly see that the group of zombies in the darkness did not attack the building, and while the toad zombie roared at them, they milled about in confusion, as if¡­the foot soldiers couldn¡¯t understand the general¡¯smands!
Wang Tao didn¡¯t know the reason for this, but he knew it was an opportunity! Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao charged straight towards the toad zombie. After ascending to Level 2, Wang Tao¡¯s physical fitness had been enhanced in all aspects, including his speed. In the blink of an eye, he was near the toad zombie. The toad zombie immediately turned its head, then with a push of its hind legs, it leaped up towards Wang Tao. ¡°Get lost!¡± Wang Tao kicked it in the stomach to halt its charge, and then he viciously swung his axe at its head. [-543] [8670/12000] ¡°Damn, the damage is so low?¡± This was Wang Tao¡¯s first serious attack since bing a Level 2, and the damage didn¡¯t even break a thousand? ¡°Roar-¡± The toad zombie roared angrily, opened its mouth, and a long tongueshed out towards Wang Tao. Wang Tao lifted his right arm, and the tongue hit the Rush Arm Guard. [-6] [4994/5000] [+6] [5000/5000] Seeing that he only lost 6 HP and it was immediately restored to full, Wang Tao felt bnced again. Although his damage output felt low, his defense was high!
His Second-order Superpower Owner¡¯s inherent defense, plus the protective capabilities of the Rush Arm Guard, coupled with the barrier Ability¡¯s defense and blood regeneration¡­stacking these together was no joke! Now sure he could withstand the toad zombie¡¯s attacks, Wang Tao became much bolder in his fighting style. Considering he was fully equipped, as long as he protected his head, he could withstand the enemy¡¯s attacks everywhere else! Wang Tao ignored the attacks from the many ordinary Poisonous Fog Zombies around him and struck the toad zombie¡¯s head with another axe blow.
[-612] The toad zombie couldn¡¯t dodge it and received over six hundred damage, but then a tumor on its body burst. Pff- A disgusting yellow-green liquid sprayed out, and Wang Tao, not knowing what it was, immediately backed away from the attack. When the liquid hit the ground, it made a sizzling noise, and a cloud of green mist emerged from it. The green mist spread quickly. Wang Tao identally inhaled some and then saw a negative status appear below his HP bar¡ª [Weakness 10%, Immunity lowered by 10%, Cough, Intermittent bleeding. Duration: 3 seconds] ¡°Is this the poison fog?¡± When Wang Tao woke up, most of the poisonous fog had been cleared by Liu He, so he wasn¡¯t aware of its exact effects. Now seeing the explicit effects of the poison fog, Wang Tao was a bit surprised; it had quite a variety of functions! He immediately got away from the poison fog, and after three seconds, the negative status disappearedpletely.
Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the negative effect wasn¡¯t permanent or longsting, it was manageable. However, considering the toad zombie might continue to produce this poison fog, and if poison fog was everywhere with no ce to hide, it would still affect him. Therefore, Wang Tao decided to make it a quick battle. He immediately used a Running Potion and a Strength Potion. Feeling the more abundant energy inside his body, Wang Tao produced a Slime Grenade in his hand. He didn¡¯t expect the Slime Grenade to hold the zombie for long; he just wanted to see whether he could freeze the fluids when the tumorous growths on the toad zombie burst. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao held his breath and charged into the green poisonous smoke. The toad zombie immediately swung its arm, reaching for Wang Tao¡¯s chest. Wang Tao didn¡¯t dodge or evade; in his hand suddenly appeared a thick Reinforced Concrete Hammer. Blunt weapons were more effective against zombies with high defensive power than sharp weapons. Bang! [-54] [4946/5000]
The p of the toad zombiended solidly on Wang Tao¡¯s chest. It dealt over fifty damage to his HP. [+10] But with his Barrier ability restoring 10 HP every second, he immediately regained 10 HP. At the same time, Wang Tao¡¯s hammer also struck the toad zombie¡¯s head. Bang! [-826] [7232/12000] That blow dealt over eight hundred damage to the toad zombie, far more than what the axe had done. ¡°Roar-¡± The toad zombie roared in anger as some of the tumors on its body swelled up Before the tumors could burst, Wang Tao threw the Slime Grenade. Chapter 304: 153: Slaying_2 Chapter 304: Chapter 153: ying_2 Phut¡ª Arge glob of mucus instantly enveloped the toad, and although it struggled free within two or three seconds, the liquid from its tumorous explosions had fused with the white mucus. Sizzle¡ª The white mucus was instantly corroded, but the yellow-green liquid no longer emitted poisonous mist. Seeing it was effective, Wang Tao immediately grinned. Then he swung his hammer again. Bang! [-8951 [6337/12000] Nearly nine hundred damage showed up, the toad zombie was down to half its
HP! The toad zombie seemed to bepletely enraged and let out a roar that was somewhat different from before. Instantly, the surrounding zombies that were milling around all let out a roar and turned their gazes towards Wang Tao, before charging at him. If it were before his Level 2 Ascension, Wang Tao would definitely have retreated, because no matter how strong he was, he couldn¡¯t withstand the attack of so many zombies. But now he was at Level Two! Wang Tao raised the Reinforced Concrete Hammer high and mmed it into the ground just like the Rioters zombies, sending out a visible shockwave from himself at the center, spreading outward in all directions! Thud¡ª Amidst a dull boom, the shockwave visibly spread out from Wang Tao as the epicenter to the surroundings! [-4.OOO] [-4200] [-41271 [-4100] [¡­] In an instant, all the surrounding Poisonous Fog Zombies were shattered! ¡°As expected, it¡¯s the toad zombie¡¯s defense that¡¯s too high!¡± Wang Tao had almost begun to doubt whether his attack power had decreased. With the distraction of these zombies gone, Wang Tao once again focused on the toad zombie. The toad zombie let out another roar, louder than before, and all the Poisonous
Fog Zombies around the base began to madly rush towards Wang Tao! ¡°An ability to control other Poisonous Fog Zombies?¡± This time Wang Tao was sure, these Poisonous Fog Zombies were definitely being controlled! But why hadn¡¯t the toad zombie ordered the attack before? Could it be harboring some plot?
Looking at the horde of zombies charging at him, Wang Tao didn¡¯t y tough this time and backed off a bit. After all, with his Night Vision Ability, he could see very clearly that there were no fewer than eight thousand, if not ten thousand, Poisonous Fog Zombies around him, and he didn¡¯t need to waste time with so many of them. Wang Tao nned to lure them out and then throw a few Self-Destruct Bombs to see if he could kill them! However, as Wang Tao was running out, he suddenly saw a body missing both legs and a right arm on the ground¡ªno, not a body, he was still alive! ¡°Old Xiang!¡± Seeing half of Xiang Hongbin still alive, Wang Tao was shocked and felt a bitter taste in his heart. Wei Zhenguo had told him before that Xiang Hongbin and the others had bravely sacrificed themselves. But unexpectedly, Xiang Hongbin was still alive, although now in a tragic state at death¡¯s door, but still not turned into a zombie! Probably because just now these zombies were all in a state of chaos and didn t attack him. Without a second thought, Wang Tao picked up Xiang Hongbin and ran, then took out a Deactivating Potion (Experimental) from his Space Backpack and stabbed it into Xiang Hongbin. [Deactivating Potion (Experimental): Can reduce the virulence of the zombie virus in an infected person for 3-10 days. After the virulence of the zombie virus is reduced, mutation into a zombie will not ur] Plunk¡ª As the potion entered his body, Xiang Hongbin convulsed slightly, but still didn¡¯t wake up. With the Deactivating Potion, Xiang Hongbin would at least not turn into a zombie for a minimum of three days. Afterwards, an inhibitor would be needed.
Of course, an inhibitor could be used right now to save a bottle of Deactivating Potion. But using an inhibitor was too painful. Either one needed a strong body or a strong will to endure it, otherwise, it was unbearable. With Xiang Hongbin¡¯s body in this state and in aa¡­ Wang Tao felt it was safer to use the Deactivating Potion. Wang Tao carried Xiang Hongbin on his back and continued running towards the outside of the base. The Poisonous Fog Zombies also abandoned the base and chased Wang Tao led by the toad zombie. As for the Mad Demon Zombies that were blocked by the Poisonous Fog Zombies before, they also followed suit towards Wang Tao. Looking at the tide of zombies behind him and listening to their creepy roars, Wang Tao felt a tingling in his scalp. All of the zombies together, there were surely over ten thousand! If he was surrounded and attacked by them, he didn¡¯t know if he coulde out alive. But fortunately, Wang Tao had Night Vision Ability; in the dark, he moved effortlessly, not giving these zombies the chance to surround him. Wang Tao ran for a long time until he felt some distance from the base. Then, seizing the opportunity, he climbed to the rooftop of a five-story building. He took several Self-Destruct Bombs from his Space Backpack and threw them down. The Self-Destruct Bombs, resembling hearts, started to beat the moment they appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. Wang Tao threw them and before they could even hit the ground, they exploded in mid-air! Boom- Several powerful explosions shook the building until it swayed. Below was a sea of blood mist. Seeing there were still many zombies downstairs, Wang Tao had no qualms about taking out more Self-Destruct Bombs. Boom-
Boom¡ª Rumble¡ª Wang Tao had no idea how many Self-Destruct Bombs he had thrown. When he felt the building beneath him about to copse, he stopped immediately. ¡°Run!¡± Boom¡ª The five-story buildingpletely copsed, and Wang Tao emerged from the debris, face covered in dirt and dust. After getting out, Wang Tao saw the toad zombie not far away, along with a few of its decimatedrades. The toad zombie itself hadn¡¯t lost much HP from the st and was now at 5500. After all, Wang Tao¡¯s primary target was other zombies, so it easily evaded them. Chapter 305: 153: Slaving 3 Chapter 305: Chapter 153: ving 3 But the other Poisonous Fog Zombies and Mad Demon Zombies were either blown to pieces or crushed under the copsed buildings. Now, standing in front of Wang Tao, there were less than ten remaining. However, to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, among these ten zombies, there were actually two Level 2 Zombies! [HP: 1239/5000] [Mana: 768/1000] [Level: Level 2 Elite] The first Level 2 Zombie had only 1200 HP left. [HP: 1004/5000] [Mana: 806/1000] [Level: Level 2 Elite] The second Level 2 Zombie had only 1000 HP left.
¡°These two zombies must be the weaker Level 2 Zombies that Zhen Guo was talking about¡­¡± 5000 HP is the threshold for Level 2, so these must have ascended to Level 2 not long ago, and both zombies had very little mana. In Wang Tao¡¯s opinion, zombies with more mana are stronger. Of course, the biggest difference is in the level. The Toad zombie¡¯s level is [Level 2 ¨C Lord], while these two Level 2 Zombies¡¯ level is [Level 2 Elite], which is clearly one level lower. Wang Tao then looked at one of the ordinary zombies. [HP: 2983/4.000] [Mana: 0/0] [Level: Level 1 ¨C Ordinary] This zombie was even weaker. It had no mana, which meant it had no Crystal Core. As for the green poisonous fog it carried, it was probably not an Ability, but some kind of talent or hidden ability¡­ ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Toad zombie red at Wang Tao furiously. Then it let out a roar and charged at Wang Tao. Wang Tao did not n to fight it yet, but instead ran towards the two Level 2 Zombies. Thud¡ª Wang Tao swung his hammer down and instantly burst the head of one of the Level 2 Zombies. [-1004] [0/5000] They were truly much weaker! ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The other Level 2 Zombie lunged at Wang Tao. He raised his Big Hammer and unleashed a Shockwave. St¡ª
[-1239] [0/5000] [-2983] [0/4000]
[¡­] This Level 2 Zombie¡¯s head also burst, and at the same time, he killed the surrounding zombies as well. Wang Tao quickly collected the spoils of war, then swiftly nced at his own HP bar. Killing ordinary zombies still didn¡¯t increase his HP, killing these two Level 2 Zombies added 80 each, a total of 160¡ªwait, only 80 HP? Wasn¡¯t that too little? Wang Tao clearly remembered that when he killed the zombie Shao Yong before, he gained 960 HP¡­ In addition to gaining HP, Wang Tao¡¯s Special Energy bar showed no changes, killing these two zombies didn¡¯t add any Special Energy. This was within Wang Tao¡¯s expectations, since it was said that only killing higher-level zombies would grant Special Abilities, and these two weak Level 2 Zombies clearly didn¡¯t meet Wang Tao¡¯s conditions for a higher-level kill. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Once again, the Toad zombie leaped high, pouncing towards Wang Tao. Wang Tao swung his Big Hammer, and as the Toad zombiended on him, Wang Tao smashed its head with a fierce blow, as if he were ying baseball. Bang! The toad zombie was sent flying back with even greater speed than when it had initially pounced. [-1024] [4476/12000] But as it flew back, it suddenly opened its mouth wide, and a thick,rge tongue shot towards Wang Tao¡¯s chest at high speed.
Because of the tongue¡¯s swift movement, and the fact that Wang Tao had just sent the toad zombie flying, he didn¡¯t react in time. Thump¡ª The tongue smashed directly into Wang Tao¡¯s chest. [-431] Wang Tao felt a stuffiness in his chest followed by an intense, piercing pain, and he almost couldn¡¯t catch his breath. ¡°Damn!¡± This tongue attack from the toad zombie was clearly much stronger than thest, with its tongue noticeablyrger. Even though Wang Tao had activated his Barrier and was wearing stubborn armor, he still lost over four hundred HP! If Wang Tao had no defence abilities or equipment, wouldn¡¯t that hit have almost killed him? Having initially felt a bit overconfident after exchanging blows with the toad zombie, Wang Tao quickly became more cautious. While he was strong, a Level 2 Zombie Lord was not weak at all! There was a chance he could be turned over! For safety¡¯s sake, Wang Tao used a defence potion. After all, he wasn¡¯t a zombie; even if the zombies couldn¡¯t hit his head, being hit anywhere else would cause him to lose HP, and humans had far more weaknesses than zombies! If he were to endure a few more hits of the magnitude he had just experienced, it was uncertain if he could withstand them. The defence potion took immediate effect, and feeling as if he had gained a very substantial power inside, Wang Tao immediately lunged towards the toad zombie with his Big Hammer in tow!
A momentter, the toad zombie¡¯s HP dropped to ¡°3566,¡± and Wang Tao watched it nervously yet expectantly. The toad zombie had a total of 12000 HP, and 30% of that was 3600. Wang Tao wanted to know if it had a Frenzy ability simr to the Gori zombie. The condition for triggering the Frenzy ability was when its HP fell below 30%. Although Wang Tao thought it was highly unlikely, since he had roughly figured out what abilities the toad zombie had, he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of it having the Frenzy ability, and if it did, he could synthesize it! Unfortunately, when the toad zombie¡¯s HP decreased below 30%, other than getting angrier, nothing happened. ¡°Damn it, what good are you!¡± Wang Tao suddenly felt irritated, then swung his Big Hammer and began attacking furiously. Several minutester, Wang Tao, having withstood several attacks from the toad zombie, finally delivered a crushing blow to its head. Pff- [-621] [0/12000] The toad zombie¡¯s HP bar emptied, and it dropped a pile of loot. Wang Tao quickly collected the loot and, while picking up the Crystal Core, nced at his own HP bar. ¡°Only 600 HP added¡­¡±
Wang Tao frowned. Although he felt the toad zombie wasn¡¯t as tough as the Gori zombie, it was definitely much tougher than the zombie Shao Yong, especially since it also had 12000 HP. Yet the HP he gained was even less than what he had got from killing Shao Yong. Could it be because, when he killed Shao Yong, he was Level 1, and now that he was Level 2, there was no bonus? Wang Tao, who loved gaming when he had free time, could onlye up with this exnation. Then Wang Tao looked at his Special Energy. ¡°Huh? It actually increased!¡± The Special Energy increased by 320! With the previous 160, he now had 480! Wang Tao had thought that earning Special Energy by killing higher level zombies meant ¡°Level 1 killing Level 2,¡± but it seemed that even as a Level 2, killing a Level 2 Zombie Lord also granted Special Energy! This was good news; otherwise, with his current abilities, thinking of killing a Level 3 zombie would be a dream. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t even certain if there were any Level 3 zombies yet¡­ ¡°Time to head back¡­¡± Wang Tao got hold of the well-hidden Xiang Hongbin, slung him over his shoulder, and ran back to base. However, when he arrived outside the base, Wang Tao suddenly knitted his brows. ¡°Something¡¯s not right¡­¡± Chapter 306: 154 Jiang Shixue_1 Chapter 306: Chapter 154 Jiang Shixue_1 The nights during the apocalypse were noisy, as zombies preferred the dark. Every night, the zombies would start their nocturnal activities. But now, Shuize Base was very quiet, eerily quiet. When Wang Tao had lured arge number of zombies away before, some Ordinary zombies hadn¡¯t left. They were all outside of Shuize Base. But now, Wang Tao didn¡¯t see any zombies, nor did he hear any roaring. It was as quiet as during the day. This was clearly not right! Could it be that something had happened to the base again? That would be incredibly unlucky. With a grim expression, Wang Tao made his way to the base of the main building and knocked on the door. ¡°Open up, it¡¯s me.¡± After a moment, Lu Gang opened the door, with Wei Zhen Guo and the others behind him. ¡°Wang Tao, are you alright?¡± Lu Gang quickly asked.
¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Wang Tao was relieved to see Lu Gang and the others unscathed. It was good that the base was safe¡ªthey had so few people left that they couldn¡¯t afford any more setbacks¡­ ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this?¡± After Wang Tao entered, the crowd saw the bloodied figure he was carrying and was immediately surprised. ¡°Old Xiang, Xiang Hongbin, he¡¯s not dead yet.¡± Wang Tao gentlyid Xiang Hongbin down, and everyone saw his pale face. ¡°Old Xiang!¡± After a moment of stunned silence, everyone crowded around excitedly. ¡°Is he¡­is he really not dead¡­¡± Wei Zhen Guo¡¯s eyes reddened, his hand reaching out to grab Xiang Hongbin, but afraid it was all a dream, he dared not touch him. ¡°He¡¯s still alive, but whether he can pull through depends on himself now¡­¡± Wang Tao felt that Xiang Hongbin had a high chance of survival since his HP had increased quite a bit after his treatment. But the greater the hope, the greater the potential for disappointment. Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to be too certain. ¡°Is there a doctor here? Someonee and treat Old Xiang¡¯s wounds!¡± Wang Tao called out. ¡°Me!¡± Chen Zhuang quickly raised his hand. His face and body were all covered in grime, which Wang Tao had not noticed upon his arrival. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll leave it to you!¡± Wang Tao patted Chen Zhuang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Chen Zhuang is thest doctor left in the base¡­¡± Lu Gang exined with a somber tone.
¡°Sigh¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed, then said, ¡°Everyone, take a good rest. I¡¯ve killed those Poisonous Fog Zombies. We¡¯re all safe now.¡± Although the crowd was stirred by this news, they were also very distressed. Wei Zhen Guo and the others went to take care of Xiang Hong Bin, while Ding Yuqin and Han Rui held Wang Tao¡¯s hands from each side, Wang Tao feeling their trembling bodies. ¡°Member Ren Jie, Commissioner Liu He, Commissioner Feng Ming¡¯an¡­they¡¯ve all made the ultimate sacrifice¡­Huo Ziyi is also gone. Before she died, she said she wanted you to see her newly choreographed dance¡­¡±
Han Rui said softly, her head lowered. Wang Tao¡¯s mind shed with images of Ren Jie and the others, recalling Huo Ziyi and her younger sisters dancing in front of him, their faces begging for praise¡­ Wang Tao gripped Han Rui¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°They were heroes!¡± ¡°Yes! They were all heroes!¡± Wang Tao had everyone go inside to rest and prepared to stand watch until dawn. Han Rui and Ding Yuqin decided to keep himpany for a while, as they had just rested and were not very tired. Looking at the two women, Wang Tao always felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. At that moment, Han Rui suddenly asked Ding Yuqin, ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Li Qiuyu?¡± With that, Wang Tao suddenly realized what was amiss¡ªhe hadn¡¯t seen Li Qiuyu since returning! When he had gone to attract the zombies, he clearly saw Li Qiuyu with Han Rui and the others! ¡°She¡­¡± Ding Yuqin hesitated for a moment, she had just been resting, and Li Qiuyu had been right by her side all along. But when Wang Tao came back, everyone had gone to see him, and it seemed she hadn¡¯t seen Li Qiuyu then¡­
¡°Let¡¯s go look for her!¡± The two women exchanged nces, each sensing a bad premonition. After all, for safety reasons, everyone had been together before. A few minutester, Wei Zhen Guo and the others also arrived, all of them looking very grave. Li Qiuyu¡­was missing! One of the room¡¯s windows showed signs of being tampered with, and from the outside no less! Someone, or something, hade in and taken Li Qiuyu without a chance for her to resist or make noise. And they, so many people, had not noticed anything! This was terrifying! If the intruder¡¯s target was them, were they all doomed? As for the possibility of Li Qiuyu leaving voluntarily, everyone thought it was improbable. After all, it was the middle of the night¡ªany fool knew this was not the time to go outside! ¡°You all get some rest. We¡¯ll talk about Li Qiuyu tomorrow. I¡¯ll keep watch, rest assured.¡± Looking at the scratch marks by the window, Wang Tao turned to the others and said. ¡°Okay¡­¡±
It was still night, and even if they went out to search for her, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do much. Wang Tao let Han Rui and Ding Yuqin go to rest while he sat alone in the hall. Wei Zhen Guo came by and discussed the matters regarding his Level 2 Ascension, but soon Wei Zhen Guo couldn¡¯t stay awake and went off to sleep. Wang Tao remained watchful until daybreak without incident. Upon seeing the next day¡¯s sun, all the survivors wept with joy. ¡°Let¡¯s collect whatever resources we can use¡­¡± Wei Zhen Guo immediately began giving orders. Sadly, with only twenty or thirty people left, the efficiency of reconstructing the base had dropped significantly. Wang Tao went up to the rooftop. It was still raining lightly, but it did not hinder his view. He carefully observed the surroundings. Chapter 307: 154 Jiang Shixue_2 Chapter 307: Chapter 154 Jiang Shixue_2 Yesterday¡¯s disappearance of Li Qiuyu made him quite uneasy. After his Ascension to Level Two, not only had his five senses improved significantly, but even his sixth sense seemed to have been enhanced. For something to make him feel so uneasy,st night¡¯s Toad zombie was not enough, it had to be at least a Gori zombie level! But this time, there shouldn¡¯t be any other Level 2 Zombies in Shuize county, this unease¡­ what exactly is it? Suddenly, Wang Tao saw a furtive figure climbing over the broken base wall, and when she lifted her head, Wang Tao was taken aback. ¡°Li Qiuyu?¡± ¡­ At the east wall of the base. Li Qiuyu had exerted some effort, but finally managed to climb inside. ¡°Hu~¡±
She took a heavy breath, then looked at her rain-soaked clothing, somewhat headache induced about how to exinter¡­ After making sure there was no one around, she immediately headed towards theprehensive building. ¡°Where did you go?¡± Out of the blue, a voice sounded behind her. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Li Qiuyu jumped in fright, she quickly turned around, only to see that Wang Tao had appeared not far behind her at some point. ¡°I¡­ I went to the Administration Building! Yes, I was so scaredst night, I identally ran into the Administration Building¡­¡± Li Qiuyu, looking at the nearby Administration Building, hurriedly exined. Wang Tao said nothing, walking step by step towards her with an expressionless face. After his Ascension to Level 2, Wang Tao had grown considerablyrger. Previously, he was one meter eighty, but now he stood one meter ny tall and with his muscr build, he exuded an overwhelming presence. Seeing Wang Tao approaching her, Li Qiuyu instinctively took a step back. ¡°I¡¯m asking you again, where did you gost night?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s tone was somewhat cold. Li Qiuyu had never seen Wang Tao like this before, she felt afraid and dared not meet his eyes. ¡°I, I was really in the Administration Building¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re disappointing me.¡± Wang Tao suddenly let out a sigh, then abruptly stretched out his hand, grabbing Li Qiuyu by the neck. ¡°Uh¡ª¡± Li Qiuyu¡¯s eyes widened immediately, her face a mix of disbelief and shock as she looked at Wang Tao. Seeing the cold indifference on his face, she frantically wed at Wang Tao¡¯s arms, trying to break free. But with her strength, she was no match for Wang Tao. She looked at him pleadingly with a desperate expression, though Wang Tao showed no mercy. Just then, Wang Tao suddenly felt as if a pair of eyes filled with rage, killing intent, and resentment was staring at his back!
Wang Tao was on high alert, yet his face remained undisturbed, he slightly loosened his grip on Li Qiuyu, then spoke softly, ¡°Can you talk now?¡± ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Li Qiuyu quickly covered her neck, coughing violently, then she looked at Wang Tao with a face full of suffering, ¡°I¡¯ll say¡­ cough, cough¡­¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t actually exerted much force just now, it just looked very scary. With his current strength, a little extra force would have been enough to kill Li Qiuyu.
However, with Li Qiuyu¡¯s delicate skin, the slightest rough handling was more than she could bear, and her neck showed some red marks as if she had been mistreated by Wang Tao. Wang Tao took Li Qiuyu to an office in the Administration Building, and only after entering the room did that watchful sensation finally disappear. Wang Tao felt a slight disappointment. Wang Tao sat on the sofa, while Li Qiuyu stood at the door, still afraid of him and hesitant to approach. ¡°Sit.¡± Wang Tao gestured next to him. Remembering the intimidating feeling from before, Li Qiuyu didn¡¯t dare to resist and obediently sat on the sofa, though she kept her distance from Wang Tao. Wang Tao shifted his position, sitting close to Li Qiuyu, and looked at the very tense Li Qiuyu. As he reached out his hand, Li Qiuyu¡¯s neck instinctively flinched. Wang Tao ced his hand on the red mark on Li Qiuyu¡¯s neck and said softly, ¡°Sorry, did I hurt you?¡± Li Qiuyu looked up, not sure what Wang Tao meant by that. However, since Wang Tao had always given her a good impression and seemed less frightening when not looking so stern, she felt somewhat relieved. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± Li Qiuyu spoke up, a hint of grief in her voice. ¡°How¡¯s your daughter doing?¡±
Wang Tao asked again. ¡°She¡­¡± In a sh, Li Qiuyu stood up abruptly, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at Wang Tao. ¡°You¡ª¡± Seeing Li Qiuyu¡¯s reaction, Wang Tao instantly understood. He had guessed right! The Poisonous Fog Zombies from the previous day hade from Shuizhe Mountain, and most of them were students from Shuize University, including Li Qiuyu¡¯s daughter. Li Qiuyu had disappeared suddenlyst night and had sneaked back today. Li Qiuyu lied to Wang Tao, whom she trusted deeply and owed her life to. Combined with that ominous re¡­ All these signs gave Wang Tao reason to suspect that Li Qiuyu had seen her daughter! And her daughter¡¯s condition might be far from good¡­ ¡°What are you talking about, I¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Li Qiuyu hurriedly denied it. But her denial only confirmed Wang Tao¡¯s suspicions even more. ¡°Couldn¡¯t your daughter have turned into a zombie? That¡¯s not right, if she had turned into a zombie, she wouldn¡¯t have any consciousness. Or¡­ is she like Wu Fei and Shao Yong, with too much Internal Impurity, on the verge of turning into a zombie?¡± ¡°You¡­ stop it¡­ wuwu¡­¡±
Wang Tao¡¯s words shattered Li Qiuyu¡¯sposure. She crouched on the ground, covering her face as she cried. Wang Tao forcefully pulled her back up, making her sit beside him, and then he helped her wipe away her tears. ¡°Stop crying; now can you talk? What exactly happened? You know, maybe I¡¯m the only one who can help you.¡± Chapter 308: 154 Jiang Shixue_3 Chapter 308: Chapter 154 Jiang Shixue_3 ¡°Wuu wuu¡­¡± Lying on Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder, Li Qiuyu cried for a while, then spoke with her head lowered, ¡°Last night¡­ while I had my eyes closed resting, I suddenly felt like someone was watching me. When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of blood-red pupils, and then I realized¡­ it was Little Xue!¡± ¡°Little Xue covered my mouth and took me outside. She then said that this ce would be very dangerous and told me to run out of the county town as soon as possible¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to escape on my own, and of course, I couldn¡¯t have gotten very far by myself. I wanted toe back and tell you all this¡­ wuu wuu, I kindly brought you the news, and you treated me like this¡­¡± Wang Tao automatically ignored Li Qiuyu¡¯sints and stroked his chin in thought. What kind of danger does ¡°very dangerous¡± imply? ¡°What exactly is happening to Jiang Shixue?¡± Wang Tao asked again. Li Qiuyu fell silent for a moment, then she looked up at Wang Tao with a pleading expression and said,
¡°Could you not kill her, no matter what she bes, she is still my daughter¡­¡± Seeing Li Qiuyu like this, Wang Tao frowned slightly. ¡°Could it be that Jiang Shixue has turned into a zombie?¡± ¡°No! She isn¡¯t a zombie! She¡¯s not!¡± Li Qiuyu immediately denied. ¡°Then what is she like? If you don¡¯t exin it clearly, don¡¯t me me. Powerful zombies are not allowed near the base!¡± Li Qiuyu struggled momentarily, but ultimately she revealed, ¡°¡­Little Xue, she gives me the feeling very much like a zombie, but she has her own thoughts! She recognizes me, and she can even speak! She¡¯s not a zombie!¡± Watching Li Qiuyu repeatedly emphasize that her daughter was not a zombie, Wang Tao felt that Little Xue was probably simr to Wu Fei, in that state of almost turning into a zombie but clinging to a single breath. Wu Fei¡¯s breath was his desire to repay Wang Tao. Little Xue¡¯s breath, perhaps, was seeing her mother, Li Qiuyu, safe. If that¡¯s the case, Little Xue could very likely turn into a zombie soon¡­ After all, Li Qiuyu just mentioned that Little Xue told her to run away alone and did not say she would protect her and run together. An ordinary person obviously wouldn¡¯t say such a thing¡­ ¡°Bring her to me, I have some questions to ask her.¡± Wang Tao said to Li Qiuyu. He wanted to know what this ¡°very dangerous¡± actually was. Without knowing the specific danger, it wouldn¡¯t be good to run! What if he ran right into the danger? ¡°She¡¯s already gone¡­ When I woke up this morning, she was nowhere to be found¡­¡± Li Qiuyu spoke with a painful expression on her face. ¡°Gone? No, she hasn¡¯t left, she¡¯s been watching you from the shadows!¡± Wang Tao was sure that the gaze fixing on him just now was undoubtedly Li Qiuyu¡¯s daughter.
¡°Ah?¡± Li Qiuyu was somewhat in disbelief, yet partially thrilled. If possible, she certainly didn¡¯t want her daughter to leave her. Even if others saw her daughter as a monster, it was enough for her not to view her that way, not to mention her daughter was still conscious and recognized her mother! ¡°Let¡¯s go, no time to dy, I¡¯lle with you!¡±
Wang Tao directly escorted Li Qiuyu to the spot where she had climbed in earlier. Upon arrival, Wang Tao felt he was being spied on. Not just him, even Li Qiuyu felt it too. ¡°Little Xue! Is that you, Little Xue? Come out, I need your help!¡± Li Qiuyu called out excitedly. After shouting for a while, her daughter did not appear, but a few ordinary zombies were attracted by the noise. Wang Tao stepped forward, shielding Li Qiuyu, and casually dispatched these zombies with a couple of shockwaves. Just then, Wang Tao felt something and abruptly turned around. He saw a figure wearing a dirty hoodie, with the hood concealing the face, petite in stature, standing behind Li Qiuyu! She lifted her head, revealing a pair of eyes that radiated a red glow. Li Qiuyu, upon seeing Wang Tao¡¯s movement, instinctively turned her head, and then she saw the petite figure. ¡°Little Xue!¡± She was so excited that she hurriedly tried to hug the other person, but she was easily avoided.
¡°¡­¡± There was no embarrassment on Li Qiuyu¡¯s face, only pain. Wang Tao watched the petite figure before him, his wariness mixed with surprise. His guess was not wrong; this Jiang Shixue was indeed in a state simr to Wu Fei¡¯s back then, but she was much stronger than Wu Fei! [HP: 9000/9000] [Mana: 8000/8000] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 100%] [Hidden Attributes: Eyes of Contract] [Eyes of Contract: Night Vision, control other people¡¯s thoughts to a certain extent] Nine thousand HP, eight thousand Mana! Just by these attributes alone, she was the strongest human survivor Wang Tao had seen so far¡ªif she could still be considered human. After all, her HP bar was in a state of red and green flickering; as soon as it turnedpletely red, she would be a full-fledged zombie!
Then, upon seeing Jiang Shixue¡¯s hidden attributes, some of Wang Tao¡¯s questions were immediately answered¡ª The zombies attacking the base, why they suddenly stopped their assault, were most likely influenced or even controlled by Jiang Shixue! The wounds on the toad zombie could also probably have been inflicted by Jiang Shixue! Her current state would likely affect her personality. She probably hadn¡¯t taken action before, being very indifferent. It was after discovering Li Qiuyu in the base that she decided to act¡­ ¡°Hello Jiang Shixue! Nice to meet you, my name is Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao politely extended his hand, but Jiang Shixue showed no intention of shaking hands. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t embarrassed, in fact, he even breathed a sigh of relief. He had actually beenpletely on guard! Wang Tao continued to ask: ¡°I heard from your mother that you said it¡¯s going to be very dangerous here soon. Can you tell us what kind of danger ising?¡± Jiang Shixue still did not answer. Her entire face was hidden inside a hood, and she wore a mask, so Wang Tao couldn¡¯t see her expression, only her red eyes. Wang Tao looked at her, and suddenly his eyes lit up¡ªemitting a green light! He could distinctly feel that Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes seemed to widen a bit, and the red glow in them brightened! However, Jiang Shixue still remained silent. Wang Tao had no choice but to bring Li Qiuyu into the conversation.
¡°If we don¡¯t know the specific danger, I won¡¯t be able to help your mother escape! If we run into danger, we¡¯ll all die¡­¡± Upon hearing this, the red glow in Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes fluctuated, and then she finally spoke. Her voice was hoarse, shrill, as if scratching ss. ¡°Monsters¡­ areing¡­ you¡­ will all die¡­¡± As she said the word ¡°monsters,¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s body seemed to tremble slightly, whether from fear of the monster or because she felt she had be one. ¡°Monsters? What kind of monsters?¡± Wang Tao asked urgently. Jiang Shixue was silent for a moment, as if organizing her words. ¡°ck¡­ massive¡­ red eyes¡­¡± Her words were abstract, and most people might not understand, but an image suddenly appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s mind! That ck shadow, which at the dawn of the apocalypse had ten thousand HP and nearly scared him to immobility! ¡°It¡¯s that one!¡± Chapter 309 - 155: Level 3!_1 Chapter 309: Chapter 155: Level 3!_1 Li Qiuyu looked at the dazed expression that shed across Wang Tao¡¯s face, and she was a bit confused. She didn¡¯t understand her daughter¡¯s abstract words, so how could Wang Tao? ¡°Can you be more specific?¡± he asked. ¡°How powerful is it, where does ite from, what does it want to do¡­¡± Wang Tao spoke as he walked towards Jiang Shixue. At the same time, his eyes asionally flickered with green light¡ªnot because Wang Tao had some special ability in his eyes, but because he felt that if he could show somemonalities with Jiang Shixue, perhaps she would lower her guard a bit. After all¡­ everyone was a monster. Sure enough, Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t dodge this time. She let Wang Tao approach and touch her head. At his touch, she disappeared in a whoosh, like a startled rabbit, and reappeared ten meters away. The red glow in her eyes grew even brighter, and Wang Tao felt the air around him grow colder as if he was enveloped by negative emotions like irritability, resentment, hatred, and the urge to kill. Hiss¡ª Wang Tao shivered. Her eyes are so strong! Much stronger than his own, which only had night vision and slightly enhanced sight! Wang Tao was envious. He didn¡¯t dare to approach her again, given Jiang Shixue¡¯s unstable condition. After all, if she turned into a zombie because of some stimulus, it would be rather embarrassing. Li Qiuyu was even more bewildered by the side. Since Jiang Shixue had taken her away, Jiang wouldn¡¯t even let her touch her. Li couldn¡¯t hug her daughter, let alone pat her! But Wang Tao had just rubbed Jiang Shixue¡¯s head¡­ Not only could Wang Tao understand her daughter¡¯s words, but he was also capable of having intimate interactions with her, something she couldn¡¯t do¡­ ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m the outsider?¡± Li Qiuyu felt a bit dispirited. Wang Tao, of course, was unaware of Li Qiuyu¡¯s thoughts. He softly soothed Jiang Shixue for a while. After a moment, the red glow in Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes grew weaker. ¡°It¡­ is very powerful. You¡­ can¡¯t beat it. It hates¡­ water, noise¡­ I¡¯ve been¡­ up close, touched it¡­ It¡¯s very powerful! I don¡¯t know¡­ what it wants¡­ but if you don¡¯t leave, everyone¡­ will die¡­¡± It hates water and noise? This was important information! Wang Tao silently took note. Besides, if Jiang Shixue had been able to get close to it, she was no simple character either! As for the monster being so powerful that the base couldn¡¯t defeat it, Wang Tao didn¡¯t doubt it. After all, three months ago it already had 10,000 HP¡ªwho knew how strong it had be after another three months¡­ Wang Tao nned to start moving the base as soon as he got back. Then he asked Jiang Shixue about those Poisonous Fog Zombies. Through her broken and abstract words, Wang Tao also got the gist of the matter. As he suspected, those zombies were influenced by Jiang Shixue! But Jiang Shixue¡¯s abilities were limited; she couldn¡¯tpletely control the zombies, just try to keep them from attacking the base. When the Toad zombie cameter, and it led the zombies in pursuit of Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue could no longer control them. The HP of the Toad zombie wasn¡¯t full indeed because Jiang Shixue had attacked it. But it wasn¡¯t because Jiang saw Li Qiuyu and then attacked the Toad zombie; it was because the Toad zombie was Jiang¡¯s senior in school, and they had some conflicts before. Jiang Shixue was now in a half-human half-zombie state, and the zombies wouldn¡¯t attack her, provided she didn¡¯t attack them. When she took Li Qiuyu away, she also killed all the zombies around the base, which was why it was so quiet when Wang Tao returned to the base. Regarding why those Poisonous Fog Zombies came to the base, Jiang Shixue exined it was because the Toad zombie sensed the Gori zombie was dead and it wanted to take over its territory¡­ ¡°Thank you so much! We¡¯re going to move the base now. Do you need any of this?¡± Wang Tao pulled out potions like Inhibitors and Deactivating Agents from his pocket. But when he looked up, Jiang Shixue had vanished. ¡°She seems to have this stuff¡­¡± Li Qiuyu said, pulling several bottles of inhibitors from her pocket with a sigh, ¡°She gave them to me¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go; we should head back first.¡± ¡°But Little Xue¡­¡± Li Qiuyu¡¯s face was filled with sadness. ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, we¡¯ll see her again.¡± Wang Tao offered reassuring words. But those words were just constion¡ªafter all, the zombies wouldn¡¯t attack Jiang Shixue voluntarily; she could simply hide among them and be untraceable. Not to mention, she might turn into a zombie soon¡­ Wang Tao took Li Qiuyu back to the base. But as soon as he entered the base, Wang Tao suddenly felt his hair stand on end and shivers ran down his spine! He recognized that feeling¡ªthe monster had seen him! ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Qiuyu looked at Wang Tao, who suddenly froze, and asked in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Without exining, Wang Tao blurted out and immediately grabbed Li Qiuyu by the waist and ran toward the main building at full speed. Wang Tao¡¯s perception was very strong; he was certain that the monster had arrived! He even suspected that Jiang Shixue¡¯s sudden departure was rted to the monster¡¯s arrival! ¡°Everyone, grab food, weapons, evacuate the base!¡± Wang Tao reached the bottom of the main building and bellowed. The survivors were somewhat stunned and some didn¡¯t even understand what was happening, since they had just received orders to rebuild the base. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Don¡¯t dawdle; if you¡¯re slow, you¡¯re dead!¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s emphasis, everyone understood this time. Trusting Wang Tao, they realized trouble might be at hand and immediately picked up whatever they could and ran outside. Chapter 310 - 155: Level 3!_2 Chapter 310: Chapter 155: Level 3!_2 Wei Zhen Guo, carrying the still unconscious Xiang Hong Bin, ran out and upon seeing Wang Tao, he immediately asked: ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°A big guy¡¯sing! I can¡¯t beat it!¡± As Wang Tao exined, he surveyed the surroundings. He didn¡¯t see anything, but that momentary feeling of being watched was definitely not an illusion! Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Wei Zhen Guo did not dare to dy and immediately signaled for the survivors to evacuate. Although it was regrettable to lose the base and supplies, their lives were more important! Due to the high number of casualties from the various disasters, there weren¡¯t many people left in the base, so the assembly was quick. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Head east!¡± Once everyone had gathered, Wang Tao immediately got into the vehicle. He hadn¡¯t seen the creature, but he had a hunch that the west might be even more dangerous, so he nned to head east. Hum~ Wang Tao¡¯s electric off-road vehicle took the lead, followed by five other vehicles. After leaving the base, they moved toward the east. Not long after the convoy left the base, a ck fog appeared inside. It paused for a moment, then, like a dark cloud, it trailed along the ground towards the east. ¡­ Six vehicles sped crazily down the road, with a swarm of Mad Demon Zombies behind them. Inside the car, Wang Tao briefly exined the current situation over the walkie-talkie. When they heard from Wang Tao that the ck Mist Monster he had previously encountered wasing, everyone gasped in shock. Wang Tao had described the creature as incredibly powerful, and they had no chance of winning¡ªlet alone a chance of victory, escaping was a problem in itself! The vehicles maintained high speed, crashing through abandoned vehicles and zombies and other obstacles, Wei Zhen Guo and Wang Tao used Shockwave to clear the path. Just as the road ahead seemed clear and everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, they suddenly felt an oppressive and terrifying presence, and then they looked up. Hiss¡ª All the cars braked immediately! Out of nowhere, on the rooftop of a six-story residential building ahead, there was a ck figure. Its eyes, glowing red, were staring at the convoy! ¡°Is this, this the shadow you mentioned? What a terrifying feeling¡­¡± Han Rui felt her mouth trembling. She had never experienced such a fearsome presence, not even the Gori zombie couldpare! Wang Tao stared fixedly at the ck Mist Monster on the rooftop¡ªit was indeed a shadow! When he first saw the creature, Wang Tao thought he hadn¡¯t seen it clearly and only caught a glimpse of a ck shadow. But now, he realized that this seemed to be a creatureposed entirely of a ck fog! Apart from the two red glints within the fog, he could see nothing else! Of course, appearances were not the most important thing; the creature¡¯s strength was! [HP: 35000/35000] [Mana: 32000/32000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord] [Internal Impurity: 50%] 35000 HP! 32000 Mana! Either attribute was despair inducing! Not to mention it was at a Level 3 standard! Wang Tao had earlier said that he didn¡¯t know if there were any Level 3 beings around, and now one had appeared, a Level 3, Lord Rank at that! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know how strong a Lord Rank was, but he did know that none of them could match it! This left no room for survival! However, Wang Tao noticed something strange; this creature did not seem to be a zombie? It had the attribute ¡°Internal Impurity.¡± Zombies would not have this attribute, as they are entirelyposed of impurities. Of course, these details were not important; the important thing was how to get away! If this creature was just passing by and had no interest in them, there was still a chance to escape. If it came for them¡­ ¡°Retreat! Retreat quickly!¡± Wang Tao immediately shouted into the walkie-talkie. Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s voice, many people snapped out of their shock. They had been paralyzed with fear by the creature¡¯s presence, just like Wang Tao once was. Hum~ The cars immediately shifted into reverse, backing away. They were currently in an alleyway, and turning the cars around was slow, so it was better to reverse straight back. But with a roar, a building behind them suddenly copsed, blocking their retreat! ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± Seeing this, everyone¡¯s faces fell into despair. When facing the Gori zombie and the Poisonous Fog Zombie, everyone had fought back desperately because they knew there was a possibility of victory, albeit slim. But now, faced with the ck Fog Monster, they felt no urge to resist at all, as they believed resistance was futile. Whether they resisted or not, they would die. Even Wang Tao was somewhat pessimistic. ¡°Maybe we should give up¡­¡± But in the instant that thought appeared, Wang Tao shuddered mightily and became alert. ¡°How could I so easily give up! Could this creature possibly influence the spirit?¡± If that were the case, there would be no chance to fight at all! Sweat broke out on Wang Tao¡¯s forehead, and he urgently shouted into the walkie-talkie, ¡°We can¡¯t give up! Everyone, don¡¯t give up! Stay alert!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice was loud, and upon hearing it, everyone regained their lucidity, sweating profusely. They had awakened, but how to get away? ¡°Drive forward, pass beneath it!¡± Wang Tao decisively ordered. He was uncertain whether the copsed building was the work of the ck Fog Monster, but now they had no choice. The ck Fog Monster was on the rooftop of the six-story building, and there was some distance between it and them. Perhaps they could drive straight through the street beneath it. Chapter 311: 155: Level 3!_3 Chapter 311: Chapter 155: Level 3!_3 ¡°` Of course, things were definitely not going to be that simple, everyone was prepared for battle. Then. Bang¡ª Several cars crashed into the walls on either side of the street. ¡°What happened!¡± Wang Tao looked toward Han Rui beside him. The car he was in was driven by Han Rui, who also hit the wall. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know what happened. I felt like I was driving straight ahead, how did I turn¡­¡± Han Rui was somewhat panicked.
She had been driving for many years, and she could definitely tell the difference between going straight and turning. But she was sure she was going straight, yet she ended up crashing into the wall! She didn¡¯t feel any problems with the car, nor did she think she made any mistakes, but she crashed into the wall anyway¡­ ¡°Continue, charge!¡± After hearing Han Rui¡¯s exnation, Wang Tao had a bad feeling, but he still shouted again. Several drivers immediately straightened their vehicles and rushed towards the intersection. Wang Tao kept his eyes on the ck Fog Monster that remained motionless on the rooftop, carefully observing Han Rui at the same time. Then he saw, just after the car started, Han Rui suddenly turned the steering wheel to the right. Bang¡ª The car hit the wall again! It wasn¡¯t just this car, the following cars also crashed into it. Han Rui had a bewildered look on her face. ¡°I, I really was driving properly¡­ How could this happen¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed; there was no more room for luck this time, it was that ck Fog Monster¡¯s doing! It must have some ability to affect the mind, and it was even an area-of-effect ability! However, this ability didn¡¯t seem to be too strong? Otherwise, there was no need to make cars crash into walls, making peoplemit suicide would be much simpler¡­ ¡°Get out of the car! Everyone, get out!¡± Wang Tao immediately said. It was clear that they couldn¡¯t continue driving; they had to get out and walk. Without the cars, the likelihood of escaping was even lower¡­ After everyone got out of the car, aside from Wang Tao and Wei Zhenguo, the others all had weak legs, copsing onto the ground.
¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Wang Tao quickly asked. Ding Yuqin clutched Wang Tao¡¯s hand with a terrified expression. ¡°Such a terrifying presence, I¡¯m scared, I can¡¯t move¡­¡±
The others were in the same state; they couldn¡¯t walk! ¡°Damn it!¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected that these vehicles, reinforced with thick steel tes, also had the function of blocking out presences? While they were inside the car, they were scared, but not to the extent that they couldn¡¯t walk because of weak legs. Only Wang Tao and Wei Zhenguo were able to stand, possibly because both were Level 2 Ability users. Having no other option, Wang Tao and Wei Zhenguo had to stuff everyone back into the vehicles. ¡°Huff¡ª¡± As soon as they got back into the car and closed the door, everyone took a deep breath. ¡°Just now¡­ it was terrifying!¡± Han Rui looked at Wang Tao with some fear lingering from before. The moment she got out of the car, she felt like she was about to die¡­ ¡°` Wang Tao felt a chill in his heart. This monster is trapping people to death! The car can¡¯t move forward, and people can¡¯t walk away, with our escape blocked as well¡­ aren¡¯t we sitting ducks!
At that moment, Wang Tao saw the mass of ck fog on the rooftop stir. It drifted down the building¡¯s facade like a dark cloud, floating leisurely toward the ground. And as it approached, the terror within the people in the car grew stronger! Not just them, even Wang Tao found his body bing somewhat stiff. Wang Tao felt that as soon as it fullynded and confronted everyone, no one would be able to move; they could only wait for death! We can¡¯t let ite near! We¡¯ve got to lure it away! Wang Tao looked at hispanions, who were low on HP, at Ding Yuqin¡¯s terrified little face, and at Han Rui, Wei Zhenguo, and the others¡¯ readiness to fight to the death. He took a deep breath and said solemnly: ¡°When the timees, find a chance to run away!¡± Everyone immediately turned to Wang Tao. ¡°Wang Tao, what¡­ what are you going to do?¡± Ding Yuqin clutched Wang Tao¡¯s hand nervously. A resolute expression appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll draw it away!¡± ¡°No! You¡­ you¡¯ll die!¡±
Before Ding Yuqin could speak, Han Rui immediately grabbed Wang Tao¡¯s other hand. She knew all too well the terror of this shadow. Although she had great faith in Wang Tao, she knew he was no match for it! ¡°Wang Tao¡­¡± Ding Yuqin gazed at Wang Tao, her face wet with tears, shaking her head. She didn¡¯t want Wang Tao to go to his death. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you! I¡¯m a Level 2 as well!¡± Wei Zhenguo said with a resoluteplexion. He knew that trying to lure the monster away meant certain death whether they seeded or not. He couldn¡¯t let Wang Tao face death alone. After all, it¡¯s just death; he wasn¡¯t afraid! But Wang Tao shook his head in refusal. ¡°No, Old Wei, you take them and run! Without your Level 2 strength, even if they managed to escape, survival in the post-apocalyptic world would still be uncertain. Not all Survivor Bases are as harmonious as ours¡­ You must protect them; that¡¯s your responsibility!¡± ¡°But you¡ª¡± Wang Tao had hit Wei Zhenguo¡¯s soft spot with his words. He was not afraid of death, but he was terrified of being unable to protect these people who trusted him! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m lucky! I definitely won¡¯t die, plus it¡¯s more convenient for me alone!¡± Wang Tao forced a casual smile on his face; he had a n in mind, but it was uncertain if it would seed¡­
Then Wang Tao immediately took a big bag from the trunk of the car. The bag was actually empty, but while taking it, Wang Tao had filled it with many objects from the Space Backpack. Swipe¡ª Wang Tao opened the bag, revealing various potions, Crystal Cores, medical kits, nutrient fluids, and other supplies. ¡°All these items are for you. You all know how to use them, so I needn¡¯t say more¡­¡± As Wang Tao spoke as if he was arranging his final affairs, tears welled up in everyone¡¯s eyes; Ding Yuqin and Han Rui turned especially pale. A tragic atmosphere lingered among them. ¡°Sob sob¡­¡± Li Qiuyu, who had been silent at the side, couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and began to cry with her mouth covered. However, Wang Tao suddenly reached out, seized Li Qiuyu, and pulled her out of the car. As everyone and Li Qiuyu looked on in utter confusion, Wang Tao ced his hand on Li Qiuyu¡¯s neck and shouted loudly: ¡°Jiang Shixue! Come out! Help me with something! Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill her!¡± Chapter 312: 156 Best of Luck_1 Chapter 312: Chapter 156 Best of Luck_1 Li Qiuyu, after being dragged out by Wang Tao, couldn¡¯t stand firm, her body having gone limp. She had been frightened badly and could only let Wang Tao hold her, curling up in his embrace. Wang Tao whispered in her ear: ¡°Sorry about this, I need to borrow your daughter for a bit!¡± Before Li Qiuyu could react, she saw Wang Tao suddenly shout: ¡°Jiang Shixue! Come out! Help me or I¡¯ll kill her!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone was somewhat dumbfounded, not understanding what Wang Tao was up to. Why was he treating Li Qiuyu like this? And who was Jiang Shixue? ¡°You¡ªwhat are you trying to do!¡± Li Qiuyu¡¯s eyes widened instantly, her face full of confusion as she looked at Wang Tao.
¡°I can¡¯t lure this monster away by myself, I need a helper.¡± Wang Tao told the truth. This ck Mist Monster could affect people¡¯s spirits, and Wang Tao felt he might not be able to withstand its Mental Attack. But Jiang Shixue should be able to, since she also had abilities rted to the spirit, and she had said that she had been close to this ck Mist Monster before. So Wang Tao nned to find Jiang Shixue for help. Hising out to lure the monster didn¡¯t mean he was going to throw his life away. However, Jiang Shixue definitely wouldn¡¯t appear easily, so he needed to use some special methods. As to whether Jiang Shixue was around, Wang Tao was certain. Because ever since he had escaped from the base, he felt a gaze asionally fixating on him, a very familiar sensation¡ªit was Jiang Shixue! Therefore, Wang Tao decided to take a gamble. If he won the bet, he would still have a chance of surviving. If he lost the bet, then he could only leave it to fate¡­ ¡°You, you can¡¯t drag Little Xue into this, she¡¯s already¡­¡± Li Qiuyu looked at Wang Tao in disbelief. Of course, she didn¡¯t want to die, but as a mother, she was even less willing to let her daughter die. If given a choice, she would rather take her daughter¡¯s ce! This was her selfishness as a mother¡­ Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is the only thing I can do.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t wish to do this, but he had no other choice. If the attraction failed, everyone would die! ¡°No, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Li Qiuyu¡¯s eyes started to look a bit ssy as she shook her head. The others were all puzzled, not knowing what Wang Tao was up to, only Han Rui and Ding Yuqin exchanged nces with each other, some disbelief in their eyes. The cluster of ck mist was still slowly descending upstairs. It seemed in no hurry to attack everyone, as if it were ying cat and mouse.
Suddenly, everyone felt a sh before their eyes. A petite figure, dressed in dirty clothes and a hooded head down, appeared not far from Wang Tao and Li Qiuyu. She lifted her head, and all everyone could see was a pair of red eyes. ¡°Let go¡­ or¡­ you die!¡±
Jiang Shixue¡¯s voice was very hoarse and stiff, sounding somewhat ufortable to hear. Li Qiuyu opened her mouth; she hadn¡¯t expected her daughter to actually be there! For a moment, her feelings were extremely mixed and intense. Wang Tao gave a wry smile and nced at the ck Mist Monster, which was about to reach the ground, feeling an ever-increasing pressure. He said to Jiang Shixue: ¡°Do me a favor, help me lure this monster away!¡± Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t seem to understand Wang Tao¡¯s words, her tone extremely stiff as she said: ¡°You¡­ let her go!¡± Wang Tao had just put his hand on Li Qiuyu¡¯s neck without actually squeezing, but seeing Jiang Shixue like this, he applied a bit of pressure. ¡°Ergh¡ª¡± Li Qiuyu immediately felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe, her face turning red. She red at Wang Tao fiercely; this was the second time! ¡°Help me with this, and she has a chance of surviving. Don¡¯t help me, and we all die.¡± Wang Tao looked at Jiang Shixue with an indifferent expression. ¡°¡­ Let her go! I¡­ agree!¡± Seeing that Jiang Shixue finally gave in, Wang Tao turned around and stuffed Li Qiuyu into the car, then closed the door firmly.
Li Qiuyu began frantically pounding on the car door from inside. ¡°Wang Tao! I hate you! If you get Little Xue killed, I will kill you! You must return safely with Little Xue, or else I swear I¡¯ll kill you with my own hands!¡± Looking at Li Qiuyu¡¯s state, Wang Tao smiled, then turned to the others. ¡°Take care everyone! I wille for you soon!¡± ¡°Wang Tao¡­¡± ¡°Big brother¡­¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t say any more, but ran towards Jiang Shixue and grabbed her arm, then ran towards the ck Mist Monster! As they ran, a Longbow suddenly appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. This was a trophy he had obtained from killing an archer zombie before. The bow was excellent, with great power, but it was difficult to operate, so Wang Tao usually used a crossbow. But after his strength had increased, the crossbow seemed somewhat insufficient, so Wang Tao had given it to Ding Yuqin. Jiang Shixue¡¯s red glow flickered slightly; she hadn¡¯t seen clearly where Wang Tao had pulled the bow from. While running, Wang Tao drew the bow and set an arrow. Under the ability of Precision Shooting, his arrow shot straight into the mass of ck mist.
But once the arrow entered the mist, nothing happened, and no damage notifications popped up above the mist. It was still at full HP. ¡°Didn¡¯t hit?¡± Wang Tao frowned slightly. He quickly shot several more arrows, all of which went into the dark mass, but still, no damage notifications appeared. ¡°¡­¡± Looking at the ck mist drawing closer, Wang Tao grew nervous. Was the ck Mist Monster this strong? Could itpletely ignore his attacks?! If he couldn¡¯t damage the ck Mist Monster, how was he going to lure it¡­ Chapter 313: 156 Best of Luck_2 Chapter 313: Chapter 156 Best of Luck_2 ¡°` Suddenly, Wang Tao felt that everything before his eyes had changed. There were no streets, no shadows, nor zombies and survivors, and Jiang Shixue was also gone. He was in a familiar air-conditioned room yingputer games, with a girl bringing him chunks of chilled watermelon. After feeding him a few pieces, she silently massaged his shoulders and legs¡­ What a beautiful scene, but it was too fake¡ªthe girl beside him was a two-dimensional paper figure¡­ Wang Tao sighed and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you something, help me smash it directly at that monster!¡± After speaking, a basketball-sized heart appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. It was a Self-Destruct Bomb. Jiang Shixue had said before that the ck Mist Monster hated water and noise, and this thing was loud enough! After the Self-Destruct Bomb appeared, it began to expand, looking like it was about to explode.
Then Wang Tao realized the Self-Destruct Bomb in his hand was gone. And then there was a bang. Wang Tao saw the scene before him shatter like a mirror¡ªJiang Shixue was sprinting with him, and they had crossed beyond that shadow! The HP of the ck Mist Monster had changed! [34995/35000] It had lost 5 HP! In an instant, Wang Tao felt his hair standing on end, with the red-glowing eyes in the ck mist staring intently at him. Wang Tao felt like it had gotten angry! Getting angry was good! ¡°Hurry up!¡± Wang Tao turned his hand and grabbed Jiang Shixue¡¯s arm, then activated the Rush Ability equipped on his gear. Whoosh¡ª In an instant, they moved forward over thirty meters. As soon as they had sprinted away, the mass of ck mist soundlessly appeared where they had just been. ¡°Teleport?¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t seen how the other moved. To him, it seemed like teleportation! However, this ck Mist Monster only used that abilityparable to teleportation once. Afterwards, it chased Wang Tao like a huge ck cloud gliding across the ground. Although the mass of ck mist looked light and fluttery, its speed was extremely fast. Wang Tao exerted all his strength, but not only could he not widen the gap, it was actually closing in. Wang Tao looked back and saw Wei Zhenguo¡¯s car slowly driving away, which made Wang Tao grin.
His goal was to attract the ck Mist Monster to allow Wei Zhenguo and the others to leave safely. The longer he attracted it, the greater their chances of getting away. Wang Tao¡¯s goal was a third of the way met. Now, he had two tasks left¡ªattract it for a sufficient length of time and figure out a way to shake off the ck Mist Monster! ¡­ Wang Tao discovered that Jiang Shixue could run even better than him.
Initially, it had been Wang Tao dragging Jiang Shixue along, but when he began to gasp for air, it was Jiang Shixue who led the run. And Jiang Shixue was faster than him, without panting for breath! If it weren¡¯t for Jiang Shixue, they might have been caught up to! Feeling the cold temperature of Jiang Shixue¡¯s palm, Wang Tao knew that she might soon turn into a zombie¡­ After the distance between the ck Mist Monster and Wang Tao had closed once again, Wang Tao¡¯s vision blurred and he found himself on a filming set, with the director telling him to get ready for his next scene. Unfortunately, this director was headless. Without a word, Wang Tao took out another Self-Destruct Bomb. ¡°Blow it up!¡± The bomb disappeared in an instant. Boom¡ª With a loud bang, the scene shattered, and Wang Tao returned to reality. At the same time, Wang Tao felt an intense killing intent so palpable it was almost tangible! He quickly turned around and saw that the ck Mist Monster had lost another 5 HP. ¡°This defensive power is really damn strong!¡± Wang Tao internally eximed. A Self-Destruct Bomb that could blow a Level Two Zombie to pieces or even kill it could only inflict 5 HP of damage to it¡­ But after being hit by the bomb, the ck Mist Monster¡¯s speed had slowed down a lot, and it temporarily couldn¡¯t catch up to the two of them. After persisting for a while, Wang Tao felt that Wei Zhenguo and the others must have gotten far away. So a Self-Destruct Bomb appeared in his hand, which he tossed casually.
Boom¡ª As the bomb exploded, another appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. Boom¡ª Boom¡ª Countless Self-Destruct Bombs were thrown by Wang Tao, rousing nearly every zombie in the county with the explosions. Jiang Shixue turned her head, her eyes glowing red and staring fiercely at Wang Tao. Wang Tao felt he could read from her eyes emotions named anger and frustration. Zombies were sensitive to sound, and given Jiang Shixue¡¯s current state, she was probably not much different from a zombie. Wang Tao could sense that she seemed to be holding back her anger. ¡°There¡¯s no way around it. Who would¡¯ve thought this monster also hates noise? Without creating chaos, we can¡¯t escape,¡± exined Wang Tao as he continued throwing bombs. Boom¡ª Boom¡ª Having run for who knew how long, the two of them returned to Shuize Base. Seeing the big river behind Shuize Base, Wang Tao¡¯s face lit up with joy. He was about to speak when suddenly, everything went dark in front of him, and a mass of ck mist appeared! Wang Tao¡¯s scalp tingled. He could see clearly that this time it wasn¡¯t an illusion; they had run into the ck Mist Monster!
Normally, as soon as the monster approached, Wang Tao would enter into hallucinations. Since Jiang Shixue wasn¡¯t affected by the hallucinations, he had her throw the bomb. As soon as the ck Mist Monster was affected, Wang Tao would be snapped back to reality. So, whenever Wang Tao felt himself entering into an illusion, he knew the ck Mist Monster was upon them. But now, the monster wasn¡¯t using illusions anymore; instead, it directly used that ability simr to teleportation and instantly appeared right in front of Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue. They hadn¡¯t even reacted before they ran headlong into it. ¡°` Chapter 314: 156 Best of Luck_3 Chapter 314: Chapter 156 Best of Luck_3 Wang Tao¡¯s vision was pitch ck; even as his eyes emitted a green glow, he still couldn¡¯t see a thing! Not only was his sightpromised, but Wang Tao also felt difficulty breathing, his body stiffened, and even his consciousness started to blur! ¡°I¡¯m dying¡­¡± Wang Tao felt a sense of fear; he thought he was starting to see his life sh before his eyes. Bang¡ª Suddenly, Wang Tao felt as if he had been fiercely kicked, a piercing pain shot through his belly. Then, his vision brightened¡ªhe had emerged from the ck mist! The ck mist churned tumultuously, as if Jiang Shixue was engaged in a fierce battle with the monster within! ¡°Jiang Shixue¡­¡± Wang Tao had mixed feelings, but he knew that if it weren¡¯t for Li Qiuyu¡¯s sake, Jiang Shixue wouldn¡¯t have saved him. Without any hesitation, Wang Tao immediately ran toward the west, following the river¡¯s direction, and took a Stealth Potion on the go. After all, the zombies in the county town were all riled up, and he would definitely be surrounded if he didn¡¯t use the Stealth Potion.
As for the direction of Wang Tao¡¯s escape, naturally, it was the opposite of the direction Wei Zhenguo and the others had taken. He didn¡¯t know how long Jiang Shixue could hold off the pursuit, but he guessed it wouldn¡¯t be long, considering the vast gap between Level 2 and Level 3. If the monster were to catch up again, Wang Tao definitely didn¡¯t want it to chase after Wei Zhenguo and the others; that would¡¯ve been a wasted effort. At that moment, Wang Tao suddenly heard a buzzing noise from the sky. ¡°Hm?¡± Wang Tao looked up. Small raindrops fell on his face, and he saw a dark shadow in the sky, causing him to freeze momentarily. ¡°An airdrop? Now of all times¡­¡± Wang Tao was tempted by the contents of the airdrop, but he dared not pick it up¡ªit was certainly a time to prioritize staying alive. However, to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, the ck Mist Monster behind him seemed to be attracted by the sound of the ne and immediately chased after the aircraft¡¯s flight path! Wei Zhenguo and his group had run eastward while Wang Tao had headed west; the ne seemed to fly from south to north, and the ck Mist Monster gave chase in the northern direction! Seeing this, Wang Tao first felt a surge of relief, then found himself in a dilemma. But in the end, he gritted his teeth and ran back. Arriving at the site where Jiang Shixue had fought with the shadow, the area was aplete mess, with no sign of Jiang Shixue or a corpse. Had she turned into a zombie? Or was she torn to pieces by the monster, or perhaps devoured? Wang Tao didn¡¯t know, but he once again felt a dangerous sensation¡ªthe ck Mist Monster seemed to be returning! Not daring to dy, Wang Tao immediately continued running westward along the river. But after only a few minutes, that faint sense of being watched returned! ¡°Damn it!¡± Wang Tao took a fierce decision, plunging into the river! His n to lure the monster out was to escape through the water. After all, Jiang Shixue had mentioned previously that the monster hated water. But Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if there were other monsters or zombies in the water¡ªsuch a presence would spell his doom! Right now, he had no other choice.
With a ssh, Wang Tao dove into the water andpletely disappeared. About ten secondster, a ck mist emerged at the spot where Wang Tao had jumped into the river, and a pair of glowing red eyes within it stared intently at the water, seemingly enraged. Eventually, it drifted away. ¡°Meow~¡±
¡­ Drip, drip, drip¡­ The rain fell upon the river, creating ripples upon ripples. Gurgle, gurgle~ Suddenly, bubbles started to appear on the water¡¯s surface, and then a burly figure burst out from the water. ¡°Ugh¡ªcough, cough¡ªhuff¡ª¡± Wang Tao gazed at the gloomy sky, then looked at the shore, relieved to see no monsters. He grinned wryly and thenboriously crawled onto the bank. He didn¡¯t know how long he had stayed in the water, nor did he know his location; he only knew that if he didn¡¯te up soon, he would truly suffocate. Wang Tao nced at his remaining HP, which was less than a thousand. He quickly applied every usable ability and potion avable. Shortly after, lying in the muddy ground by the riverbank, Wang Tao saw his HP finally start to regenerate, and he let out a sigh of relief. Enduring the pain, Wang Tao struggled to get up and found himself in a deserted and uninhabited vige. He had no idea whether it housed any zombies. Watching the rain grow heavier, Wang Tao knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to travel further that day and decided to rest in the vige overnight. However, just as Wang Tao was about to check the vige for dangers, a corpse floating on the river caught his eye¡ªnot a corpse, a zombie, a dying zombie!
Of course, none of that was the main point; what mattered was that it was Jiang Shixue! [HP: 66/18000] [Mana: 4235/16000] [Grade: Level 2 ¨C Lord] [Hidden Attributes: Eyes of Contract] Without a word, Wang Tao dived back into the river, and after nearly half an hour, he managed to drag a slender body ashore. ¡°Huff¡ª¡± Wang Tao had previously thought that if Jiang Shixue turned into a zombiepletely, she would definitely be a very powerful one. And sure enough! After she became a zombie, her HP and Mana both doubled, and her grade shot up straight to Lord Rank. Of course, she was critically wounded now, and with that HP, she¡¯d die upon contact. Even though she was critically wounded, being a zombie, the reason Wang Tao had taken so long was because he had to restrain her. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The zombie Jiang Shixue, now bound hand and foot by Wang Tao, red at him with glowing red eyes, and she let out a series of growls from her throat.
Wang Tao ignored the noises and continued dragging her by the legs into the dpidated vige. Chapter 315: 156 Best of Luck_4 Chapter 315: Chapter 156 Best of Luck_4 After a brief search around, Wang Tao found that there was no one and no zombies in the vicinity. So, he pried open the door of one of the houses and dragged Jiang Shixue inside. He blocked the door well to ensure zombies couldn¡¯t enter, and then Wang Tao took out several bottles of nutrient solution. ¡°Glug, glug~¡± After downing several bottles in one go, Wang Tao finally felt a lot better. ¡°They say, ¡®What doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger,¡¯ I hope life in the post-apocalypse will be smoother from now on¡­¡± After muttering to himself, Wang Tao turned his attention to Jiang Shixue. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± Jiang Shixue was still staring intensely at Wang Tao, as if she wanted to devour him. Wang Tao directly removed Jiang Shixue¡¯s hat and mask, revealing a terrifying face. ¡°No wonder she always wore a hat and mask¡­¡±
As a girl, having transformed into something neither human nor ghost, it must be hard to bear, and her reluctance to show her true face was understandable. But Wang Tao, having seen all sorts of ugly zombies, was naturally immune to Jiang Shixue¡¯s face. Moreover, Jiang Shixue had beautiful eyes. The eyes of ordinary zombies are pale and cataract-like, with the whites filled with ckened blood¡­ they look quite ghastly. But Jiang Shixue was different, her pupils were a fiery red and shimmering, as beautiful as rubies. Just like Wang Tao¡¯s green eyes. If he killed her, would these eyes drop out? A small wicked thought suddenly popped into Wang Tao¡¯s mind, but he quickly shook his head. If he had wanted to kill Jiang Shixue, he would have done it already, not wait until now. He felt that Jiang Shixue still had a chance of being saved, a 50% chance to revert to human! Wang Tao took out a potion from his Space Backpack. [Purification Agent (Experimental): When used on zombies infected and mutated for less than 3 days, has a certain chance to purify the virus in the body and a certain chance to cause self-detonation. Ineffective on zombies infected and mutated for over 3 days (Note: This potion is a trial version and may have some unknown side effects.)] This was an item that had dropped from a green-eyed zombie he had killed in the hospital. Jiang Shixue¡¯s infection and mutation were definitely under three days, meeting the usage criteria. But the chance was only 50%, and the other 50% chance was self-detonation! Either revert to human or die. Considering Jiang Shixue¡¯s current situation, she had no choice but to take the gamble. However, before preparing to administer the potion, Wang Tao saw the Zombie Culture Fluid in his Space Backpack. He had never found a use for this thing, but throwing it away seemed like a waste, so he had kept it. He had seen it just now when he took out the purification potion. So now, was there a possibility to culture Jiang Shixue first, then use the purification potion? Wang Tao thought it was worth a try!
Therefore, Wang Tao went back to the vige and gathered all sorts of steel pipes, iron chains, and the like, wrapping Jiang Shixue uppletely, locking her tight. Then with his left hand, Wang Tao took out a bottle of Zombie Culture Fluid, and in his right hand, he held the purification potion. The Zombie Culture Fluid was simr to the nutrient solution he drank, but with a very distinct yellow and ck biochemical symbol on it. Wang Tao had a total of 1000 doses of Zombie Culture Fluid, and this bottle ounted for one dose.
He first used an iron hoop to pry open Jiang Shixue¡¯s mouth, then poured the Zombie Culture Fluid in. Glug~ Jiang Shixue drank it uncontrobly. Then she froze, staring nkly at Wang Tao, the fierce light in her eyes seeming to fade away. Wang Tao looked at the HP bar below Jiang Shixue, disying two states. [Cultivation: Total 1% (99% can be added). Time remaining 59 minutes 59 seconds] [Weakness: All attributes reduced by 99%, time remaining 59 minutes 59 seconds] Jiang Shixue, in a state of cultivation, had a negative status of 99% weakness! Seeing this, Wang Tao¡¯s worries were eased. He had been worried that if Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP spontaneously recovered, he would be in danger. Then, Wang Tao directly took another 99 doses of culture fluid and poured them all into Jiang Shixue¡¯s mouth. The culture total became 100%, with the time remaining the same, exactly one hour. After confirming again that Jiang Shixue posed no immediate threat, Wang Tao leaned against the side and closed his eyes to rest. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t fall asleep, instead, he checked his attributes and backpack. Before, when Wang Tao discussed with Wei Zhenguo, he found out that after ascending to a second-order superpower owner, besides an all-around enhancement of physical fitness and a substantial increase in strength, there was an additional benefit¡ªthe internal impurities in the body decreased! Originally, his body¡¯s internal impurity level was at 2%, but after reaching level 2 ascension, it became 1%!
Afterparing and analyzing the number of crystal cores they had fused and the amount of internal impurities, they reached a conclusion¡ªafter ascending to level two, the internal impurities were directly eliminated by half! Wang Tao¡¯s internal impurity level, to be exact, was 2.2%, and now after level two ascension, it was 1.1%! Wang Tao had five bottles of cleansing potion at hand, each capable of eliminating 1% of the internal impurities. But now, with his internal impurities at 1.1%¡­ He was in a situation where one bottle was not enough, and two would be a waste. Therefore, Wang Tao nned to see if he could fuse a few more level two crystal cores to umte his impurity level to close to 2%, and then use two bottles of cleansing potion. Having been poor since childhood, Wang Tao had developed the good habit of being frugal. From hisst defeat of the toad zombie and two level two poisonous fog zombies, he had obtained a total of three crystal cores and four packages! The crystal core inside the toad zombie was a level two weak poisonous mist crystal core. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Weakness Poison Fog] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Body oozes pus)] [Weakness Poison Fog: Able to continuously release a green poisonous mist that causes weakness, coughing, lowered immunity, and intermittent HP reduction,sting for 3 seconds] The other two level two zombies also contained weakness poison fog crystal cores. One was excellent (40%), and one was ordinary (20%). They could be synthesized into a golden epic crystal core. However, Wang Tao was not particrly interested in this weakness poison fog. He could only fuse one more type of crystal core, and he not only had to choose one that suited him, but also one that would easily fuse with other abilities in the future¡ªWang Tao felt that simr types of abilities had a higher rate of sessful fusion with each other!
For instance, thebination of his self-healing and toughness abilities had a much higher rate of fusion sess than otherbinations¡­ Then there were the four packages, one of which was a crystal core gift bag. The other three contained 15 vulnerable mist grenades and three blueprints that could each create ten grenades. The effects of the vulnerable mist grenades were the same as the ability, but with the ability, ¡°as long as there¡¯s mana, one can keep releasing poison.¡± However, the effect of the grenadessted for three minutes. [Vulnerable Mist Grenade: Continuously releases a green poisonous mist that causes weakness, coughing, lowered immunity, and intermittent HP reduction,sting for 3 minutes] As for the materials required for the blueprints, they weren¡¯t rare, and Wang Tao would soon be able to produce them. Last was the crystal core gift bag. Inside were five crystal cores, all level two. One ascension, one jump, one loose tongue, one weakness poison fog, and one mental disturbance. Wang Tao had given the ascension crystal core to Wei Zhenguo and the others, keeping the rest for himself. Wang Tao had already seen the jump, loose tongue, and weak poison fog crystal cores; mental disturbance was the first time he¡¯d encountered one. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Mental Disturbance] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Head bes increasinglyrger)]
[Mental Disturbance: Can slightly affect a creature¡¯s spirit] This ability seemed not bad, as it appeared the toad zombie used this ability to lead the other ordinary poisonous fog zombies. However, he only had one crystal core at the moment, with no way to eliminate the side effect. Naturally, it was not Wang Tao¡¯s first choice. Right now, the level two crystal cores Wang Tao could fuse seemed to be limited to power, self-detonation, and omnipotent. The side effect of the power was rted to strength and body size, which was not a big deal for him, whereas self-detonation and omnipotent had no side effects. As for other crystal cores, they were either unsuitable or had side effects that were too horrifying¡­ ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll endure it a bit longer, see if I can get more level two crystal corester, or even decent level one crystal cores would do¡­ If all else fails, then I¡¯d have to fuse the omnipotent crystal core¡­¡± While Wang Tao was contemting, an hour passed quickly. The cultivation of zombie Jiang Shixue had ended, and her HP limit increased by 1000, reaching 19000. At the same time, not only had her weakness state ended, but she was also fully revitalized! Swoosh¡ª Zombie Jiang Shixue opened her eyes, and the bloodthirsty, mad, and violent expressions in those red eyes made Wang Tao¡¯s hairs stand on end. His sixth sense told him that he was definitely no match for zombie Jiang Shixue! Without a second word, Wang Tao immediately injected the pre-prepared purification potion into Jiang Shixue¡¯s body. Pfft¡ª In an instant, Jiang Shixue¡¯s body softened, and she closed her eyes again. ¡°You saved my life, so I¡¯ll try my best to save yours. Whether you can survive depends on your luck¡­ Good luck.¡± Chapter 316: 157: Brother, I want_1 Chapter 316: Chapter 157: Brother, I want_1 Rustle¡ª¡ª The sky was gloomy, and the heavy rain poured down incessantly. In a dpidated small town overrun with greenery, three well-covered survivors were taking shelter from the rain inside a broken house. One of them, a thin young man, looked up at the sky with a hint of fear and said, ¡°The rain is getting heavier, and I feel really ufortable. Let¡¯s head back¡­¡± Another man, wearing a security guard¡¯s uniform, rubbed his neck and said, ¡°This heavy rain has been going on for several days non-stop¡­ I¡¯m also starting to feel very ufortable¡­¡± Thest one, a tall man about 1.7 meters but very sturdy, dressed in camouge, sighed helplessly, ¡°Ah! Then let¡¯s go back, today¡¯s haul isn¡¯t great¡­¡± The middle-aged man shook his head,
¡°No way around it, the heavy rain is too much of an obstacle for us! Without the rain, we could stay outside for a day. But now, just a few hours in and we can¡¯t stand it¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, do you think the heavens really want to wipe us out¡­ When it used to rain, the zombies¡¯ perception would weaken, which made it a good opportunity to scavenge for supplies. But who knew the rain would be toxic now¡­¡± The young manined in a low voice. ¡°Heh, Little Li, be content. It¡¯s already great that we can go out to scavenge. When it rains, many people can¡¯t even step outside their doors!¡± The middle-aged man spoke with a smug tone. ¡°Haha, Brother Tian is right, always look on the bright side of life, and you¡¯ll find much more happiness!¡± The man in camougeughed heartily, ying the role of a life coach. ¡°Er¡­ that makes sense¡­ Brother Tian, Brother Yu, you¡¯re right!¡± Li Yi scratched his head. Thinking of how many people in the camp hid at home, not daring toe into contact with the rainwater, a smug look appeared on Li Yi¡¯s face. Although scavenging was dangerous, the benefits were plenty¡ªhe might not be the wealthiest in the camp, but he was definitely part of the upper echelon. Many people had to be careful about how they acted around him! The feeling of being on top, he could never have experienced that when he was just a Screw in the factory! Sometimes he even thought, perhaps the apocalypse wasn¡¯t such a bad thing! But then, as if something hit him, he blurted out, ¡°I wonder how Fatty¡¯s doing with his haul?¡± Mentioning the name Fatty, both the man in camouge, Yu Wei, and the middle-aged security guard, Tian Peng, exchanged nces, their expressions somewhat enigmatic. ¡°Shall we¡­ go check on him?¡± Tian Peng raised his eyebrows. ¡°He said he¡¯s heading to the Xinghe Community today, right? That means we¡¯ll have to take a detour¡­¡±
Yu Wei hesitated a bit. ¡°Hey! With the zombies practically blind now, taking a small detour won¡¯t matter! We¡¯re all friends here, we should look out for each other! And besides¡­¡± Tian Peng gave him a knowing look. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go check on him!¡±
Yu Wei finally nodded his head. Li Yi naturally had no objections; after all,pared to the other two, he was just a newbie and didn¡¯t really have a say in the matter. The three of them ate something quickly, then shouldered their backpacks and carefully made their way for over half an hour before finally reaching the outskirts of Xinghe Community. ¡°Whew¡ª¡± Upon seeing Xinghe Community, all three took deep breaths. Not out of exhaustion, but because they were drenched and ufortable from the ¡°toxic rain.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t do it anymore, shall we rest a bit after finding Fatty before we head back?¡± Tian Peng spoke somewhat helplessly. ¡°Yeah, I was thinking the same thing!¡± Yu Wei nodded in agreement. The gate of Xinghe Community was open, with several zombies dead at the entrance. Seeing those with their heads smashed, the three were somewhat taken aback. Li Yi eximed, ¡°Fatty is still so badass! These zombies probably didn¡¯t stand a chance against his hammer!¡±
Tian Peng shook his head with a hint of envy. ¡°If I had his strength, I could probably walk sideways in our town!¡± Yu Wei carefully surveyed the surroundings, then his eyes lit up and he pointed at a window of a house, ¡°Fatty¡¯s in there!¡± Three long green cloth strips hung outside that window. ording to the rules of their camp, green cloth strips meant the room was safe, red meant danger. Three green strips indicated that all nearby zombies had been killed and it was very safe. If it was someone else who hung three green strips, they would have to check cautiously, but if it was Fatty who did, there was no need. After all, Fatty was an honest man; if he said it was safe, it definitely meant he had personally wiped out all nearby zombies! The group confidently ascended the stairs and knocked on the door, Yu Wei spoke softly, ¡°Fatty, are you there? It¡¯s me, Old Yu, Yu Wei!¡± Momentster, the door opened. A young man about two meters tall, extremely burly, with a simple and honest face, opened the door. He had to stoop slightly at the doorway, and his massive frame almost blocked the whole entrance. When Fatty saw the trio outside, a smile appeared on his face, and he scratched his head somewhat awkwardly,
¡°You guys came. I was about to head back in a bit¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± Upon hearing this, Tian Peng hastily waved his hands, ¡°Wait before you go! We were just soaked in rain for a long time; we need to rest a bit!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Fatty invited the three inside. The house had been tidied up simply by Fatty and was rtively clean. Several Snake Skin Bags were ced in the center of the living room, shing obviously with the decor of the room. And upon seeing these bags, both Tian Peng and Yu Wei¡¯s eyes brightened. Chapter 317: 157: Brother, I want_2 Chapter 317: Chapter 157: Brother, I want_2 It took the three of them all morning to each find a small backpack¡¯s worth of supplies, yet Fatty alone was able to find two Giant Serpent bags! Indeed, people really shouldn¡¯t bepared! ¡°Cough¡­ Fatty, you¡¯re amazing! To find so much on your own!¡± Tian Peng rubbed his hands together. ¡°I really admire you, Fatty. Look at us, we searched all morning and only found this little bit¡­¡± Yu Wei patted his somewhat shrunken backpack, his expression helpless. Li Yi didn¡¯t feel his looting wascking, as he had enough for his own use. And who was Fatty? He was their camp¡¯s guardian deity! Whether it wasbat ability or scavenging ability, who couldpare with Fatty?
It was only normal for them to fall short! Li Yi was about to say, ¡°Actually, we¡¯re not that bad,¡± but before he could speak, Tian Peng suddenly said, ¡°How about it, Fatty, can you lend me some of your supplies? You know, I¡¯m thin-skinned, and if I take this little back, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be talked about¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Li Yi¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. Thin-skinned? Tian Peng harassed married women every night and never showed a thin skin! And borrowing supplies? Was that even something you could borrow? Just when Li Yi thought Fatty would refuse, Fatty just smiled and scratched his head. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough, Fatty! You¡¯re really like a brother to me!¡± Tian Peng immediately praised him, then skillfully went through Fatty¡¯s bags and quickly found where the food was stored. He grabbed the food and stuffed it into his pockets without any reservation. Li Yi watched, dumbfounded. Was this really happening? Had Fatty actually agreed? But what stunned him even more was when Yu Wei spoke up, his face filled with sorrow, ¡°Sigh, my wife has had a high fevertely, bedridden. I¡¯ve looked all morning and haven¡¯t found any fever medicine¡­ I don¡¯t know if she can make it¡­¡± Li Yi¡¯s eyes widened again. Yu Wei¡¯s wife had a high fever and was bedridden? Then who was the woman who had sent him off that morning? ¡°Medicine? I, I think I have some¡­¡± Fatty pointed to one of the Snake Skin Bags, somewhat bashfully. Before he had even finished speaking, Yu Wei had rushed over and rummaged through Fatty¡¯s organized supplies.
¡°Thanks so much! I was just worrying about not having medicine! Really grateful! If you ever need anything, Fatty, just say the word. I, Yu Wei, am at your beck and call!¡± However, despite having said he was missing fever medicine, he took away both family medical kits, leaving only thest one for Fatty. ¡°Um¡­¡± Fatty didn¡¯t object, merely scratching his head and smiling goofily.
¡°¡­¡± Li Yi was somewhat dumbstruck. Was the protector of their camp so easy to persuade? He had not been at the camp for long and was not very familiar with its ways, but this guardian deity was very different from what he had imagined¡­ For the shameless behavior of his twopanions, the young man felt a strong sense of disdain. This was nothing less than taking advantage of an honest person! He was ashamed to associate with them! At that moment, Tian Peng suddenly turned back to the young man and said, ¡°Little Li, didn¡¯t you say you haven¡¯t eaten even one meal today? You also mentioned you were extremely hungry. Fatty here has some ready-to-eat food. Would you like some?¡± ¡°What?¡± Li Yi was taken aback. They had just eaten before seeking out Fatty! Moreover, he still had a white tbread fromst night¡¯s meal in his backpack¡­ ¡°Little Li, you, you eat.¡± Fatty pointed to the food, speaking with a slight stutter. ¡°I¡­¡± Li Yi opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words. ¡°What are you waiting for! Come here! You can¡¯t let down Fatty¡¯s kindness!¡±
Tian Peng waved frantically at Little Li. Little Li wanted to refuse; after all, this was Fatty¡¯s supply. There was no difference between using such excuses to trick Fatty out of his supplies and stealing. However, unable to articte a refusal, especially after seeing Fatty¡¯s earnest gaze, Little Li subconsciously lowered his head and took a couple of steps forward, his face slightly red. By the time he regained his senses, he was already by Tian Peng¡¯s side. ¡°Take it, all this is Fatty¡¯s kindness. Don¡¯t be shy!¡± Tian Peng immediately stuffed some bagged food into Li Yi¡¯s hands. ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± Li Yi lowered his head and responded with a murmur. Indeed, it was Fatty¡¯s kind gesture, and refusing it would embarrass Fatty¡­ ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Watching the three pick through his belongings, Fatty showed no displeasure, only a silly grin. A momentter, all three backpacks were bulging, and although Fatty¡¯s supplies still seemed abundant, the valuable items had been picked clean, reducing the worth by at least half. Li Yi¡¯s cheeks were still red, and he found it hard to look directly at Fatty, but the middle-aged man and the camo-d man were more at ease, standing beside Fatty and happily chatting.
But it was mostly them talking, with Fatty listening. Around two in the afternoon, having rested sufficiently, the three prepared to return to the camp. In this rainy weather, it was already getting dark outside, and anyter might mean not being able to return at all. Fatty led the way, with Yu Wei and the others following behind. Before long, a few zombies stumbled through the rain towards them. But due to the noise of the rain, the zombies didn¡¯t notice them. Wielding a horned hammer, Fatty walked straight up to the zombies and struck them in the head. Chapter 318: 157: Brother, I want_3 Chapter 318: Chapter 157: Brother, I want_3 Pu-chi! The first zombie didn¡¯t have time to react before its head burst open. Fatty replicated the process, smashing down a few more times, easily blowing the heads off the other few zombies. The three people behind him all felt a bit envious watching this scene. Since they coulde out to search for supplies, they naturally could also kill zombies, but they couldn¡¯t do it as effortlessly as Fatty. ¡°Having Fatty around really makes a difference! So much peace of mind!¡± Yu Wei praised loudly. ¡°Yeah!¡± Tian Peng nodded in agreement. Li Yi suddenly asked in a low whisper,
¡°Then why don¡¯t we juste out to scavenge with Fatty? It would be so much safer¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Yu Wei and Tian Peng were stunned for a moment, then looked at Li Yi with somewhat peculiar expressions. ¡°Go out with him? Of course not¡­ You¡¯ll understandter¡­¡± The two didn¡¯t say much more. Li Yi was somewhat baffled, but now wasn¡¯t the time to ask more questions. The three of them carefully followed Fatty towards the direction of the camp when suddenly, they heard the sound of windows and doors breaking, and then saw a huge shadow emerge from the heavy rain, rushing towards them! Before the three could react, they saw Fatty¡¯s figure suddenly blocking in front of them. Bang! Fatty was sent flying directly into an old house, his fate unknown. The shadow that had sent Fatty flying entered after him. The group then made out that the one who had sent Fatty flying was a Charger Zombie with a half-muscr body! Instantly, the three were a bit nervous but also a bit thrilled! This was an Elite Zombie that could drop a Crystal Core! And a Fusion Crystal Core could turn someone into an Ability User! If they could be Ability Users, they would definitely be among the upper echelons in the camp! After all, there weren¡¯t many Ability Users in their camp. If Fatty weren¡¯t there, the three of them would naturally run as far as they could, but now with Fatty present, they were tempted. Because Fatty himself was an Ability User! But Fatty had just taken a hit for them; he couldn¡¯t be dead, right? The three didn¡¯t dare to go over, so they all found ces to hide. After a dozen or so seconds, they saw a figure suddenly fly out and fall to the ground. The three had thought it was Fatty and were already prepared to run, but to their surprise, it was the Charger Zombie that was thrown down! Following that, Fatty wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth and walked out of the abandoned house, carefully eyeing the Charger Zombie before shouting loudly,
¡°Are, are you guys alright?¡± The rain was too loud, the three could barely make out Fatty¡¯s voice, but they didn¡¯t dare to respond. Because the Charger Zombie was getting up again! If they drew its attention and were hit by it, they would undoubtedly be dead!
Not hearing a response, Fatty didn¡¯t speak again. Taking that hit for them had left him not lightly injured; after all, it was a frontal collision from a Charger Zombie. Fortunately, his thick skin and flesh held up, and he could still endure for now. However, Fatty didn¡¯t think he could kill this zombie, as this Charger Zombie was much stronger than the ones he had encountered before. Additionally, he was injured now¡­ so he was thinking about how to escape. Speed wasn¡¯t his forte; if he wanted to run, he could only use his wits. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Charger Zombie let out an angry roar and charged at Fatty once more. Fatty had been on guard for the Charger Zombie¡¯s moves and dodged in advance¡ªhis speed wasn¡¯t fast, so he could only rely on prediction. He guessed correctly, and the Charger Zombie brushed past him and then crashed into a thick por tree. Thud¡ª The Charger Zombie immediately felt dizzy. In this post-apocalyptic world, some trees had not only grown bigger but also as hard as metal. Unfortunately, the Charger Zombie had smashed into one of these trees. Seeing that the Charger Zombie looked a bit dizzy, Fatty didn¡¯t seize the opportunity to attack; instead, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. ¡°Run, run!¡±
He didn¡¯t know where Li Yi and the other two were hiding, so he could only shout like this. But to his surprise, instead of running away with him, the three rushed towards the Charger Zombie! ¡°This is an opportunity!¡± ¡°Kill the zombie! Not only can we enhance our strength, but we can also get a Crystal Core!¡± ¡°Charge!¡± The three, wielding homemade spears and long knives,unched an attack on the Charger Zombie. As a result, their attack on the Charger did not kill it, but seemed rather to have awoken the Charger from its dizzy state! The Charger roared angrily, and its thick right hand swung out. Bang! The three were sent flying. Puh¡ª Afternding, the three spat out a big mouthful of blood, feeling severe pain all over and unable to get up. ¡°Fuck! How can it be so tough!¡±
Yu Wei was a bit stunned; he had taken part in hunts to kill these Elite Zombies, but those Elites weren¡¯t this tough! His knife hadn¡¯t even broken the skin¡­ The Charger turned around to face them, looking ready to charge again, while Fatty was a bit too far from them¡­ The three instantly wore faces of terror. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± In that instant, they were full of regret. They wished they had just run away with Fatty! They even harbored some resentment¡ªwhy hadn¡¯t Fatty warned them before he ran? In the distance, Fatty desperately hurried towards the three, but it was clear he wouldn¡¯t make it in time with his speed. Swoosh¡ª The Charger Zombieunched into a charge. The three closed their eyes in fear, muttering prayers for divine protection. Then they heard a bang, and the sound of the Charger Zombie¡¯s running abruptly stopped. Chapter 319: 157: Brother, I want_4 Chapter 319: Chapter 157: Brother, I want_4 Fatty was somewhat dazed; he discovered that between the charger zombies and Yu Wei¡¯s group, there was a piece of reinforced concrete neither toorge nor too small. The charger zombie happened to collide with it and was knocked out cold! Did the charger zombie make a mistake? Was that piece of reinforced concrete there on the road just now? Before Fatty could make sense of what had happened, he saw a ck stick-like object suddenly fly through the air and urately embed itself in the charger zombie¡¯s eye socket. Thwack¡ª The charger zombie¡¯s body stiffened for a moment before crashing to the ground. Yu Wei¡¯s group heard themotion and opened their eyes in a daze. Once they saw the defeated charger zombie lying before them, they were immediately ovee with excitement. ¡°We¡¯re not dead! We¡¯re not dead!¡± ¡°This zombie is dead! Was it killed by a stone falling from the building next door? Ha ha! We are so lucky!¡± ¡°Quick! Dig out its Crystal Core!¡± ¡°Ah! I hurt all over, I can¡¯t move for now¡­¡±
¡°Me too¡­¡± After a moment of bewilderment, they quickly called out for Fatty. ¡°Fatty,e and take the Crystal Core!¡± Fatty didn¡¯t immediately dig for the Crystal Core; instead, he ran over to the three men, helped them to their feet, and leaned them against the wall under the eaves. After ensuring that their lives were not in danger, he then ran over to the charger zombie. Seeing the thirty-centimeter-long piece of rebar in the charger zombie¡¯s eye socket, Fatty knew his eyes hadn¡¯t deceived him; the charger zombie wasn¡¯t killed by a stone, it was skewered by the steel rod! He hurriedly extracted the zombie¡¯s Crystal Core and also pulled out the rebar. ¡°Fatty, let me see what the Crystal Core looks like!¡± Although Li Yi was sore all over, the joy of unearthing a Crystal Core made him temporarily forget the pain. However, Fatty didn¡¯t hand over the Crystal Core to him; instead, he looked around and suddenly focused on a specific spot. In the torrential and hazy rain, arge ck umbre slowly came into view. Beneath the umbre, a towering figure was faintly discernible. As the figure approached, it became clearer and clearer. Fatty unconsciously swallowed, suddenly feeling the same kind of pressure he felt when facing zombies! The man exerted a great pressure on him! Yu Wei¡¯s group noticed something was off with Fatty and hurriedly looked in the direction of his gaze. They then saw a tall figure with an umbre approaching them! No, not just one figure, but two! The two figures stopped a few meters away from the group, and only then could the group get a clear look at them¡ª One was a tall figure wearing a ck hoodie and a hood, hiding his face, and holding arge ck umbre in his right hand. In his left, he was leading a slender young girl. The girl was dressed in a clean red and white JK uniform, with a melon-seeded face,rge eyes, and exquisitely beautiful features; she looked like a high school student. She was tilting her head, looking at the group with curiosity.
The nearly two-meter-tall burly man and the one-and-a-half-meter-tall beautiful girl standing together was visually striking, and Yu Wei¡¯s group rubbed their eyes subconsciously. Is this the apocalypse? How are these two so clean and tidy? The girl looked as if she had just walked out of a school! Particrly her lively, curious, and somewhat naive big ck eyes; is this what the apocalypse is supposed to look like? As for the tall, burly man, he gave them an immense sense of oppression, clearly a power to be reckoned with!
Yu Wei was the first to speak: ¡°Ahem, hello, survivors. What are you guys¡­¡± He still hadn¡¯t figured out who had saved them. ¡°Passing by.¡± The towering figure adjusted the angle of the umbre, revealing the young, handsome face of Wang Tao from beneath the hat. Fatty then quickly took out a red Crystal Core and a thirty-centimeter-long piece of rebar, and stuttered: ¡°Tha-thank you, my name is Xu Xiaojun¡­ this is yours, your spoils of war¡­¡± Wang Tao nced at the chubby man in surprise; he hadn¡¯t expected him to voluntarily hand over the Crystal Core. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t interested in the red Level 1 Rush Crystal Core, but the girl he was holding by the hand lit up at the sight of it, pointing to the Crystal Core in Xu Xiaojun¡¯s hand and crisply saying: ¡°Brother, I want it!¡± Chapter 320: 158 Jiang Shixues Condition_1 Chapter 320: Chapter 158 Jiang Shixue¡¯s Condition_1 Hearing the girl¡¯s crisp voice, Yu Wei and the two others felt their hearts melting! Give it to her! Give it to her! However, they quickly saw that the thing the girl was referring to was the Crystal Core that would enable them to be Ability Users! Ah, this¡­ can¡¯t give it away! ¡°Fatty!¡± Yu Wei immediately called out to Xu Xiaojun. Xu Xiaojun turned around, looking somewhat puzzled. ¡°Ahem, that¡­ Fatty,e here for a sec, I have something to talk to you about!¡± Yu Wei eyed the Crystal Core in Fatty¡¯s hand, almost drooling! How could they hand over something that would make them Ability Users!
¡°Oh¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun made a sound but didn¡¯te over right away. He wiped the stains off the Crystal Core, then slightly bent over, cing the Crystal Core in front of the girl with a simple and honest smile on his face. ¡°Here you go¡­¡± The girl didn¡¯t take it but instead looked towards Wang Tao, showing excellent manners. Only after Wang Tao nodded did she happily take the Crystal Core and thank him very politely anddylike. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°No, no need to thank me, this, it¡¯s really yours¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun hastily waved his hand. Of course, it was obvious that the Crystal Core belonged to this strong man who killed the Rush Zombie, so giving it to them was the right thing to do. ¡°¡­¡± Yu Wei and the other two were somewhat dumbfounded. Aren¡¯t you a fool? Giving the Crystal Core away just because she asked for it? Wang Tao also casually took the rebar, which he had picked up on the road just moments ago. After returning both items that rightfully belonged to them, Xu Xiaojun smiled sheepishly and then quickly returned to Yu Wei¡¯s side. ¡°You, what did you call me for¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yu Wei wanted to curse him out, but he still depended on Xu Xiaojun to take him back, so he could only force out a smile uglier than crying, and said in a slightly reproachful whisper: ¡°Ahem, Fatty, how could you give the Crystal Core to someone else? It¡¯s your trophy; you can¡¯t just give it away because a pretty girl asked you for it¡­¡± Tian Peng and Li Yi also wore expressions of silent bitterness.
Was that just a Crystal Core they handed over? It was an opportunity to be an Ability User! Especially since it was a red crystal core! It was said that these had a high sess rate and belonged to the type where fusion was pretty much guaranteed. Giving away such an opportunity to be an Ability User, isn¡¯t that just nuts! ¡°Ah?¡± Xu Xiaojun was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, ¡°But, it, it was originally theirs¡­¡±
Hearing this, the expressions of Yu Wei and the others darkened even more. Originally theirs? Was Fatty out of his mind? Li Yi remembered some rumors from the camp that Fatty was a bit off in the head. He had been skeptical because, after all, this was an Ability User; could someone with a problem in the head be one? But looking at the situation now¡­ the rumors didn¡¯t lie! All three of them wanted to give Xu Xiaojun a good talking to, but they also knew that now wasn¡¯t the time for that. If another Elite Zombie showed up, they might not be so lucky. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back!¡± Yu Wei said with a dark face. ¡°Mhm!¡± Xu Xiaojun first nodded and then asked with concern, ¡°Can you all, still, walk?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yu Wei grated out through clenched teeth. He was the strongest of the trio and had the lightest injuries. Li Yi was next; although he was the youngest and looked frail, he was actually quite strong. The worst injured was Tian Peng; he felt as if he had no strength left in his body and couldn¡¯t walk any more. Therefore, Xu Xiaojun took the initiative to carry him on his back. Tian Peng was sullen throughout, not even uttering a word of thanks. He was still dwelling on the Crystal Core matter. If only it had been given to him, how great would that have been!
Then, Xu Xiaojun went over to Wang Tao and invited him saying: ¡°Um, do you, do you have a ce to stay? If not,e to our camp?¡± Yu Wei and the others didn¡¯t say anything about Xu Xiaojun¡¯s invitation because their camp was short on people, and naturally, they would want to invite any survivors they encountered. ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Then, then big brother, you, you follow me¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun realized he didn¡¯t know Wang Tao¡¯s name, so he simply called him big brother. ¡°I¡¯m Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao introduced himself. As for the girl next to him, he didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of introducing her. Yu Wei and Tian Peng¡¯s gaze lingered on Wang Tao for a moment before involuntarily shifting to the girl. After all, such a pretty and clean girl was almost extinct in this post-apocalyptic world. If she went to their camp, it would likely cause quite themotion¡­ Of course, with Wang Tao¡¯s build there, and seeing he was not an easy one to mess with, there could be some drama to watch after they got back¡­ The two harbored some schadenfreude.
But they quickly stopped thinking about these things that were none of their business. They were all fixated on how to get that Crystal Core back from the beautiful girl¡¯s hands! Especially since the girl hadn¡¯t fused with the Crystal Core after getting it but simply yed with it in her hand¡­ it infuriated them even more; it was a sheer waste! Steal it? Rob it? Deceive her? It seemed like it wasn¡¯t necessarily impossible¡­ And the youthful Li Yi, upon seeing the girl, felt as if he had fallen in love! If she were his girlfriend, letting her y with a Crystal Core wouldn¡¯t bother him at all. Unfortunately, there was a big guy next to her who looked like bad news¡­ As for Xu Xiaojun, his mind wasn¡¯t filled with many thoughts. He vigntly scanned the road while thinking that in the future, he too wanted to be a strong person like Wang Tao! Chapter 321: 158 Jiang Shixues Condition_2 Chapter 321: Chapter 158 Jiang Shixue¡¯s Condition_2 After all, Wang Tao had just thrown a piece of rebar and killed a Rush Zombie; his strength was much stronger than theirs! Wang Tao held an umbre in one hand and the girl¡¯s hand in the other, following leisurely behind the group. Feeling the icy temperature in the palm of his hand, Wang Tao turned his head to look at the pretty JK girl, his eyes filled with helplessness. This girl was none other than Jiang Shixue. Half a month ago, the very unstable Jiang Shixue had saved Wang Tao from the clutches of a ck Mist Monster. Fortunately, at that time, an airdrop ne happened to pass by, drawing the attention of the ck Mist Monster, allowing Jiang Shixue to escape via water. By the time Wang Tao saw her again, Jiang Shixue was already a dying zombie. In Wang Tao¡¯s possession was a Purification Potion, which had a chance of reviving Jiang Shixue or causing her to self-immte. He had no choice but to let Jiang Shixue take the gamble. And before using the Purification Potion, Wang Tao had also administered some Zombie Culture Fluid to Jiang Shixue, bringing her to the pinnacle of her condition.
Then¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t know if the Purification Potion was really a sess¡ª Jiang Shixue came back to life, but her state and Attributes¡­ were vastly different from humans! Wang Tao checked Jiang Shixue¡¯s Attributes again. [HP: 19200/19200] [Mana: 16000/16000] [Grade: Level 2 ¨C Lord] [Internal Impurity: 100%] [Hidden Attributes: Eyes of Contract] These attributes were definitely non-human! It wasn¡¯t that her attribute values were exaggerated¡ªof course, those numbers were indeed exaggerated, being three times Wang Tao¡¯s, enough to pin Wang Tao to the ground and rub him into the dirt! Setting aside the numbers, some of her attributes were simply not human¡ª First, human levels would only show the grade, not Elite or Lord, which were non-human attributes! Yet, Jiang Shixue disyed ¡°Level 2 ¨C Lord¡±¡­ Secondly, an Internal Impurity of 100% practically meant one was a zombie, bound to turn within a couple of days at most! But Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t transform into a zombie. Even with 100% Internal Impurity, her condition remained normal, with her HP bar never shing, always a healthy green. She didn¡¯t exhibit any characteristics of a zombie and looked just like an Ordinary human girl. However, Jiang Shixue¡¯s body temperature was different from humans. It was the end of July, and it was hot. Even with heavy rain, it would feel sultry. But Jiang Shixue was like a small air conditioner, able to cool Wang Tao off directly by his side. That¡¯s why Wang Tao especially liked holding her hand¡ªnot for any other reason, just to feel cooler. Lastly, there was the issue with Jiang Shixue¡¯s memory¡ªshe¡­ seemed to have amnesia! Wang Tao vividly remembered the scene when Jiang Shixue woke up and first called him ¡°Daddy¡± when she saw him¡­
Many of Jiang Shixue¡¯s memories were gone, including her family and rtives, as well as somemon life knowledge. Her current life experience was like that of a child, not understanding many things. It was unclear if her intelligence had declined, but she was frequently dazed and cute. The destructive power brought by someone with superhuman strength butcking life experience was truly terrifying! In those early days, she had given Wang Tao quite a hard time¡ª
Giving her water, she could instantly crush a steel water sk; asking her to eat, she could chew up and swallow a stainless steel bowl; holding her hand to hurry along, she could immediately outpace Wang Tao, dragging him on the ground for kilometers; telling her to check the vige for zombies, she¡¯d tie up all the zombies in the entire vige and bring them to Wang Tao¡­ Every time he thought of these events, Wang Tao would be on the verge of tears! But the good thing was, Jiang Shixue was very obedient. As long as Wang Tao told her what she did was wrong and taught her what was right, she would change. Wang Tao made her call him brother, otherwise, it would attract the Harmonious Beast¡­ After half a month of teaching, Wang Tao had finally cultivated Jiang Shixue into a littledy¡ªat least on the surface. In reality, this little girl¡¯s temper was not that great! Previously, they encountered a Level 2 Zombie that could Stealth and was very fast. After Wang Tao was attacked, he and Jiang Shixue counterattacked. The zombie appeared somewhat intelligent, fleeing upon realizing it couldn¡¯t win. Wang Tao had no intention to chase, as the other was too fast and he was unfamiliar with the area, making it unnecessary to take risks. But Jiang Shixue, with her eyes red, refused to let it go and chased it for a day and a night. Once she caught up, not only did she kill that zombie, but she also wiped out all the zombies in that ruined town! When Wang Tao found her, he realized they were lost¡­ This was also why Wang Tao appeared in front of the group and decided to follow Xu Xiaojun to their camp. He wanted to learn about the nearby situation, see if there were any Level 2 Zombies, inquire about his current location, and check if there were any maps¡­ Wang Tao still didn¡¯t understand what exactly was going on with Jiang Shixue now, something like half-human, half-zombie? The current Jiang Shixue could be attacked by zombies, but she was immune to the zombie virus! However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t a scientist, and he decided to give up on things he couldn¡¯t understand. After all, as long as they were alive and safe, that was all that mattered.
Wang Tao nned to teach Jiang Shixue more about life knowledge and the principles of getting along with others, turning her into a truedy. He would try to keep her away from fighting as much as possible. If she went berserk, Wang Tao¡¯s strength was utterly inadequate to stop her¡­ Chapter 322: 158 Jiang Shixues Condition_3 Chapter 322: Chapter 158 Jiang Shixue¡¯s Condition_3 ¡°Wang, Brother Wang, we will arrive in two or three minutes¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun suddenly turned around and said to Wang Tao. ¡°Good.¡± Wang Tao nodded his head. The route Xu Xiaojun chose was still very safe, with only a few ordinary zombies appearing along the way, which Xu Xiaojun had headshot. Yu Wei and the other two also visibly rxed; they had all sustained serious injuries, and even with Xu Xiaojun by their side, they still felt insecure. It wasn¡¯t until they entered the camp that they couldpletely let down their guards. Wang Tao found these people quite interesting. Yu Wei, Tian Peng, and Li Yi were not Ability Users and had no Internal Impurities, indicating they hadn¡¯t fused with any Crystal Cores, but they all had an HP of 1000, had killed quite a few ordinary zombies, and were at the ceiling of what ordinary people could achieve. But even at their ceiling, they were still within the category of ordinary people. Facing Elite Zombies with high HP was still very difficult for them. However, these three obviouslycked self-awareness, daring to fight against Charger Zombies with 3000 HP¡­ All one could say is that their courage wasmendable.
If it hadn¡¯t been for Wang Tao asking Jiang Shixue to throw a stone over, these three would have died long ago¡­ Then there was Xu Xiaojun. Xu Xiaojun was broad-shouldered and robust, standing two meters tall and a bit overweight¡ªalthough you could also say he was husky. He was different from Wang Tao, although Wang Tao was also tall, most of his body was muscle, and his physique was very harmonious, with a special kind of beauty. Xu Xiaojun, on the other hand, was mostly fat and had a big belly. He looked like a fatty. But Wang Tao knew that generally, the bulkier someone like that was, the stronger and more defensively robust they were. If Wang Tao had a simr level of strength, and the two had to fight, it wasn¡¯t clear who would win¡­ Xu Xiaojun had an HP of 1995, just shy of reaching 2000. He must have killed at least a dozen Elite Zombies, so his strength was still quite impressive. Plus, he had a Hidden Attribute. [Stick to One¡¯s Heart: Not easily confused or led astray by external affairs.] This Hidden Attribute seemed quite impressive, though its specific effect was unknown. Xu Xiaojun had a bit of a stutter when he spoke, akin to social anxiety. To Wang Tao, he seemed a bit simple and clueless. Yet, he was a very nice person, not only did he cover his teammates from fatal damage, but after Wang Tao killed the Elite Zombie, he personally delivered the Crystal Core. It was important to note that this was a Crystal Core that could turn an ordinary person into an Awakener! And it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary person¡ªXu Xiaojun himself might have made use of it, since he probably hadn¡¯t learned many Abilities. Despite this, he didn¡¯t hesitate to pass the Crystal Core to Wang Tao. Therefore, Wang Tao had a very good first impression of him. ¡°We¡¯re here, this, this is our camp!¡± At that moment, Xu Xiaojun turned his head and revealed a rather simple and honest smile to Wang Tao. The location of this survivor camp wasn¡¯t in the town center but a ce called ¡°Fish Bay Agritainment.¡± The agritainment was by argeke, surrounded by water on three sides with only one road in and out. As long as this road was well defended, there was no need to worry about zombies.
One had to say, this ce was quite nice, with beautiful scenery, plentiful water sources, and great security. It was just unclear whether there were fish in the water and if fishing was possible? When Wang Tao previously traveled along Shuize River, he asionally caught some fish that seemed to have mutated, growing veryrge. With his appetite, he couldn¡¯t finish one in a single meal¡­ Of course, before eating, Wang Tao would carefully investigate to ensure they were not poisonous. While Wang Tao was pondering this, the group arrived outside Fish Bay Agritainment.
Since there was only one road to enter or exit the base, they had put a lot of effort into it, setting up various obstacles. Even if zombies broke in, it would take them a long time to get past these barriers. At the entrance, two people wearing homemade Armor and holding spears were on guard in a pavilion. Seeing Xu Xiaojun and his group, they immediately opened the door and checked their eyes for any signs of infection. This was the same eye check that everyone at Shuize Base had gone through. Those who were infected with the zombie virus had different eyes, and it was rtively easy to tell them apart. However, this referred to people that were bitten by zombies or infected with the virus through blood contact. If it was someone with too many Internal Impurities, it wouldn¡¯t be immediately noticeable without a detector. The two guards were quite surprised when they saw Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue, a hefty man holding an umbre leading a beautiful girl who looked like a student¡­ It was a sight they had never seen, but it seemed harmonious to them. Especially when the girl blinked herrge eyes, looking at them with curiosity, they instantly felt as though they were about to die. ¡°May I ask if you are¡­¡± One of them hurriedly approached Wang Tao to ask. He felt Wang Tao¡¯srge frame meant he was not to be underestimated. Whether he was as strong as Fatty or not, he likely wasn¡¯t weak, so he was very polite. ¡°Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao nodded slightly. ¡°Mr. Wang Tao, wee to our Fish Bay Camp! I believe that once you learn a bit more about our base, you will definitely want to stay!¡± The man was very enthusiastic.
In a post-apocalyptic world, survivors themselves were a resource. Whether it be a small camp or arge base, development couldn¡¯t be separated from the inclusion of survivors. Therefore, when encountering survivors, it was natural to want to retain them if possible. After all, a small portion of strong survivors preferred not to be constrained and liked roaming outside the camps. Chapter 323: 158 Jiang Shixues Condition_4 Chapter 323: Chapter 158 Jiang Shixue¡¯s Condition_4 After most of humanity had been infected and mutated, there were plenty of supplies left behind. As long as one was strong enough, it was possible to survive out in the wild. Just like at the Fish Bay Survivors¡¯ Camp, they had been scavenging the small town for three to four months and were still able to find various supplies¡­ After bypassing these obstacles, the full view of the Fish Bay Agritainment became visible. In simple terms, it was a collection of buildings that were neither Western-style nor traditional, but the area wasrge enough to house many people. Because it was still raining, the survivors were all inside, with few people outside. The arrival of Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t attract much attention. Wang Tao noticed that thekeside around the Agritainment was fenced off with wire mesh, which made him curious. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Theke was full of water, and the zombies couldn¡¯t get across, so what was the wire mesh for? ¡°Hey, it¡¯s because the fish in thiske are huge, and they¡¯re very aggressive! Someone was fishing by theke before, and ended up being dragged in and eaten by the fish. Since then, we put up the wire mesh¡­¡± Yu Wei exined.
Hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. Fish that could eat a person¡ªhow big could they be! He felt an urge to try his hand at fishing. However, since this was someone else¡¯s territory, Wang Tao simply entertained the thought. When Xu Xiaojun and his group entered, they needed to hand over a certain proportion of supplies¡ªthe rule of their camp. Therefore, people who went out to scavenge had to contribute their findings. After all, only they had the ability to go out. If they didn¡¯t contribute to the camp, the others inside wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. Of course, contributions came with rewards. Those capable of venturing out had a superior status in the camp, with ordinary people serving them. As for the specific proportion of contributions, it depended on the team, because each expedition was typically undertaken by teams made up of several people. The base rule was that each team contributed a minimum of 10% and there was no maximum limit. If you were charitable, you could contribute it all. Yu Wei¡¯s small team would contribute 10%¡ªthis was within Wang Tao¡¯s expectations. But to his surprise, Xu Xiaojun almost handed over all of his supplies! ¡°Why is Fatty contributing so much?¡± Li Yi next to him was also somewhat surprised. Yu Wei and Tian Peng nced at Li Yi, with Tian Peng whispering: ¡°Now you see why we don¡¯t go out with him¡ªanyone who goes out with Fatty bes part of Fatty¡¯s team, and Fatty¡¯s team is required to contribute 90% of the supplies!¡± ¡°Hiss¡ªwhy is it like this?¡± Li Yi was somewhat shocked. Although he thought Fatty seemed a bit simple-minded, he wasn¡¯t a fool! It was one thing for them to swindle some supplies, but how could the camp demand so much from him! Weren¡¯t they afraid that Fatty would be unwilling? As if answering his thoughts, Yu Wei exined: ¡°The contribution proportion is entirely voluntary. We didn¡¯t force him, and no one would dare force him. This was Fatty¡¯s own choice¡­¡±
¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao found Xu Xiaojun to be rather interesting. In these apocalyptic times, was there really someone who only wanted to give without expecting anything in return? Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue naturally didn¡¯t need to contribute supplies, unless they decided to be permanent residents of Fish Bay Camp. Once the supplies were sorted, Yu Wei and the others went off to find a doctor for treatment. There was a doctor within Fish Bay Camp, but you had to provide a certain amount of supplies for each treatment, and there was no guarantee of being cured.
As the trio left, Wang Tao overheard them quietly talking about something to do with a Red Crystal Core. Wang Tao¡¯s brow raised, hoping these guys weren¡¯t looking for trouble. Although he didn¡¯t need that Crystal Core, that didn¡¯t mean he was willing to hand it over for nothing. ¡°Brother Wang, I¡ªI¡¯ll take you inside! They¡¯re¡ªall inside¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun pointed towards arge gate within theplex. ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao nodded, following Xu Xiaojun through the gate. Whoosh¡ª As the door opened, a wave of noisy chatter apanied by an unpleasant smell of sweat wafted over. Chapter 324: 159 Granary_1 Chapter 324: Chapter 159 Granary_1 ¡°Big, big, big! Damn! Why is it still small!¡± ¡°Ahahaha, I won again!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Old Chen, I heard you recently got yourself a pretty little wife? Cough, you know what I mean¡­¡± ¡°Get lost! This wife is not for sale! Ours is true love!¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s what you saidst time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Food¡¯s been kind of scarcetely, can you lend me some of yours?¡± ¡°I barely have enough for myself! If you¡¯re short on food, why don¡¯t you go find some?¡± ¡°Sigh, who would¡¯ve known this heavy rain wouldst so long and not stop! I can¡¯t stand this toxic rain; I can only wait for the weather to clear before going out¡­¡±
¡°¡­¡± ¡°Take a look! Fresh from town, cold medicine for sale, cheap prices, no deception!¡± ¡°Damn it, this medicine¡¯s all melted, and you¡¯re still charging so much!¡± ¡°Just say if you want it or not!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it! But make it cheaper¡­¡± ¡­ This was a somewhat dimly lit hall, popted with quite a few survivors. Some were ying dice or cards, some were chatting, and others had set up stalls¡­ It seemed very chaotic. Both Xu Xiaojun and Wang Tao were burly men, and as soon as they stood at the entrance, they pretty much blocked the lightpletely. The hall instantly darkened. Most of the people instinctively turned to look. Upon seeing Xu Xiaojun, many were somewhat dumbfounded. Fatty doesn¡¯t likeing to ces like this, why did hee today? Did he change his mind? But when they saw Wang Tao, everyone¡¯s eyes lit up. In their minds, four words instantly appeared: New guy, easy to con! And finally, when they saw the beautiful, curious girl who emerged from behind Wang Tao, nearly everyone¡¯s mouth dropped open! ¡°Holy shit! Such a pretty and clean girl!¡± ¡°Is she brought here for trade? With such good looks, she must be expensive! Probably can¡¯t afford her¡­¡± ¡°None of you try topete with me; I want to take her as my goddaughter!¡± ¡°Dream on, if she were my wife, I could ensure she doesn¡¯t starve to death. But if she were your daughter, she¡¯d be lucky to live half a month!¡± ¡°¡­¡±
Many were appraising Jiang Shixue, as if she was a piece of merchandise. Hearing thesements, Wang Tao frowned a bit. He didn¡¯t really care about other people¡¯sments; he was just worried Jiang Shixue would be unhappy. Thest creature that made Jiang Shixue unhappy now has grass growing over its grave that¡¯s several meters tall. Fortunately, Jiang Shixue¡¯s face showed no signs of annoyance or unhappiness. She was merely curious, intrigued by everything she hadn¡¯t seen before.
But as Wang Tao looked at Jiang Shixue, she suddenly looked up and met his gaze, her red lips parting slightly. ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t like them? Should I make them shut up?¡± ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no need!¡± Wang Tao quickly tugged on Jiang Shixue¡¯s small hand. When she talks about shutting up, she means it literally. ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t say much else and continued to observe the situation inside. ¡°Wee to Fish Bay Camp, sir! I am Lu Qi, the owner of Fish Bay Agritainment. These days, everyone just calls me Eldest Lu.¡± A middle-aged man with a big belly and a bald head walked up to Wang Tao. He spoke with a hint of arrogance, as after all, he had built the camp from scratch, and he had many people under hismand¡ªsome arrogance was natural. Yet his strength wasn¡¯t very impressive. Although an Ability User, his HP wasn¡¯t even 2,000, and his overall strength might not even match Xu Xiaojun¡¯s. But Eldest Lu had a Hidden Attribute. [Hidden Attributes: Danger Perception] [Danger Perception: A certain prewarning of iing dangers]
This Hidden Attribute is nice, a real lifesaver in the post-apocalypse! When Eldest Lu came to Wang Tao¡¯s side, his expression suddenly became solemn. From a distance, he hadn¡¯t felt anything towards Wang Tao, but upon approaching him, he felt an immense pressure! This pressure far exceeded what he felt from Xu Xiaojun! This man¡­ is so strong! He felt that if he provoked this person, he would surely die! Eldest Lu had survived thus far thanks to his sixth sense, so he immediately dropped his arrogance and stood up much straighter. ¡°My name is Wang Tao. I¡¯d like to inquire about our exact location, what¡¯s around here, and a map would be ideal, if avable.¡± Wang Tao got straight to the point. In the course of fleeing for his life, everything he carried had been destroyed. Forget about a map, even his security uniform was gone. Fortunately, he had a set of Attribute-enhanced clothes; otherwise, he would be dressed just like the other survivors. Jiang Shixue was wearing a set of Attribute-enhanced clothes as well. Besides being durable, these clothes had no other features. ¡°No problem at all! Come this way, please! Little Jun, youe as well!¡± Eldest Lu warmly led Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun inside. As for Jiang Shixue by Wang Tao¡¯s side, he didn¡¯t ask; he didn¡¯t even spare her a second nce. ¡°Alright.¡±
Wang Tao followed. This Eldest Lu seemed to be a smart man, which meant Wang Tao could save himself a lot of words. The others, seeing Eldest Lu suddenly so polite, were immediately taken aback. There was only one kind of person who could make Eldest Lu so courteous¡ªa true powerhouse! In an instant, the volume of conversations among some people dropped significantly. They weren¡¯t foolish; if he really was a powerhouse, it would be better not to offend him, even in mere words. Eldest Lu led Wang Tao to an office, which was decorated ostentatiously, appearing quite gaudy. After inviting Wang Tao to sit, he also served him tea, which made Wang Tao raise his eyebrows slightly. Chapter 325: 159 Granary_2 Chapter 325: Chapter 159 Granary_2 Did Eldest Lu sense some danger to himself? Otherwise, why would he be so polite? Regardless of his politeness, Wang Tao does not drink water provided by strangers, nor does he eat their food. So Wang Tao politely declined. Seeing this, Eldest Lu did not show any displeasure; instead, his expression became even more serious. Being so cautious, he really must be an experienced survivor of the post-apocalyptic world! Eldest Lu poured some hot tea for himself and Xu Xiaojun before starting to exin: ¡°The reason we call it Fish Bay Agritainment is because this ce is called Fish Bay. Fish Bay is located at the bottom of Jinbi County¡­¡± Hearing about Jinbi County, Wang Tao understood immediately. He knew of Jinbi County¡ªit was the westernmost county of Huangfeng City, and westward from there was Zijing City. From Zijing City further west, one would reach the capital of Wuyang Province, Wuyang City. At that time, Wei Zhenguo and his group had headed east while the ck Mist Monster was chasing after Wang Tao. Worried about leading the monster to Wei Zhenguo¡¯s group, Wang Tao deliberately ran in the opposite direction.
¡°As for the map¡­¡± A troubled look appeared on Eldest Lu¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Wang, as you know, there is no way to print anymore; paper maps are scarce, especially the more detailed ones. We don¡¯t have many maps on hand¡­¡± Eldest Lu indicated that it was difficult. Difficult, but that meant it was possible¡ªit just depended on whether the benefits were sufficient. ¡°You name the price.¡± Wang Tao said directly. ¡°This¡­¡± Eldest Lu feigned hesitation before tentatively asking, ¡°Mr. Wang, you seem quite strong, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Then, I would like to ask Mr. Wang for a favor, to help us kill a zombie. Would you be willing to do that?¡± Upon hearing Eldest Lu¡¯s request, Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Kill a zombie? Let¡¯s hear it.¡± He had thought Eldest Lu would ask for food or Crystal Cores or something of the sort¡ªWang Tao certainly had those, and as long as the requests weren¡¯t too excessive, he wouldply. But unexpectedly, he actually wanted Wang Tao to help him kill zombies? This became interesting¡­ ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, our ce is close to the county town, and there¡¯s a formidable zombie there blocking our way. We¡¯ve tried to kill it before but have always failed. We are organizing another hunting expedition soon, and I think Mr. Wang is very capable, so I wanted to ask if you could lend us a hand¡­¡± Eldest Lu exined. It wasn¡¯t easy toe across a strong survivor; he couldn¡¯t waste this opportunity! ¡°Hmm? The county is so big, why don¡¯t you take a detour from another ce instead of going through there?¡±
Wang Tao felt that Eldest Lu wasn¡¯t telling the whole truth. Unless there was one of those Lord Zombies like the Gori Zombies, known to roam around. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Seeing that Wang Tao was observant, Eldest Lu coughed twice, hesitating about whether to tell him. ¡°I have no problem helping you kill the zombie, but I need all the information. After all, I¡¯m risking my life here. If you hide anything, I definitely won¡¯t agree,¡± Wang Tao added.
Having heard Wang Tao¡¯s conditions, Eldest Lu gritted his teeth. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be said. The ce where the zombie stays is our county¡¯s grain storage! Our target is that grain storage¡­¡± ¡°A grain storage!¡± Wang Tao realized, so that¡¯s why Eldest Lu insisted on killing that road-blocking zombie¡ªit was because there was a grain storage! Stockpiling grain for famine has always been a tradition in Qian Country. Wang Tao didn¡¯t know exactly how many grain storages there were nationwide, but he knew that every county had at least one storage! Shuize County, where Wang Tao was, also had one, but the army had taken away all the grain. ¡°I had thought before that, once the overall strength of our camp improved, we would go and hunt that zombie. But before this heavy rain, I saw that zombie appeared to have some ideas about the grain storage, always trying to get in¡­ So I worry that if it gets in there first and ruins the food, that would be a huge loss!¡± Eldest Lu¡¯s face looked a bit grim. Given the storage conditions of these grain storages, they shouldst for a long time, provided there is no external disturbance. However, if zombies start causing destruction, it¡¯s hard to say how long the grains couldst. That¡¯s why Eldest Lu felt a sense of urgency. If they could get their hands on the grain, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food for a long time! Furthermore, the grain could be nted; even though they wouldn¡¯t be as good as specialized seeds, even a lower yield would mean victory as long as it could grow. ¡°Of course, let¡¯s keep matters separate. If Mr. Wang does our camp a favor, the map will be a personal gift from me. In addition, you will also have a share of the grain we obtain!¡± Seeing that Wang Tao didn¡¯t respond, Eldest Lu quickly asked. He didn¡¯t know the extent of Wang Tao¡¯s strength, but he felt Wang Tao might be stronger than Xu Xiaojun, who was the strongest in their camp!
So, after sensing a dangerous aura from Wang Tao, his first reaction wasn¡¯t to hide but to recruit Wang Tao! ¡°It¡¯s not out of the question, but I need to know the strength of this zombie. If it¡¯s too strong, then I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t go and get myself killed. If it¡¯s average strength, then we can talk,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Although the strength of Fish Bay Camp wasn¡¯t great, they did have several Ability Users and many people. If they all took action, handling ordinary Level 1 Elite Zombies shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Chapter 326: 159 Granary_3 Chapter 326: Chapter 159 Granary_3 So, Wang Tao suspected that this might be a Level 2 Zombie. If it really was a Level 2 Zombie, then even if Eldest Lu didn¡¯t allow him to go, he would have to take a look. After all, there were many benefits to killing a Level 2 Zombie, and Wang Tao had been searching for one on his journey¡­ ¡°You can rest assured about that, we¡¯ve tested it already. This zombie is strong, but not ridiculously so. With so many of us in the camp, plus Mr. Wang, you¡¯re definitely able to deal with it! After all, we wouldn¡¯t joke about our own lives.¡± Eldest Lu immediately assured him. ¡°Good, then I¡¯m in,¡± Wang Tao nodded. Seeing Wang Tao agree, Eldest Lu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Haha, great! But let¡¯s agree on the distribution of the food we¡¯ll get afterwards! I¡¯m thinking that we distribute it based on the contribution to killing this zombie. Those who contribute more, get more, and those who contribute less, naturally get less¡­¡± Seeing that Wang Tao didn¡¯t speak, Eldest Lu continued: ¡°Of course, quantifying contribution is quite subjective. After all, we can¡¯t really tally up who caused how much damage¡­ So, to prevent any disputes, I propose that as long as you participate, the minimum share of food for Mr. Wang will be no less than 5%!¡±
It¡¯s hard to say exactly how much food there is in a county-level grain reserve, but it¡¯s definitely a lot. If the food is still edible, 5% is certainly a substantial amount. Eldest Lu was quite generous; he had decided that Wang Tao was very strong. Having such a powerful person join them would greatly increase their chances of sess. Even if Wang Tao wasn¡¯t helpful, giving 5% of the food in exchange for a good impression was a profitable deal! Of course, he didn¡¯t know exactly how strong Wang Tao was. If he did, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have promised a guaranteed 5%. Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much either, he just nodded his head. ¡°Okay. Just let me know when we¡¯re leaving. But let me be clear upfront, I will definitely check out this zombie myself. If I feel that we can¡¯t handle it, I reserve the right to back out at any time.¡± ¡°Haha, no problem at all!¡± With a smile, Eldest Lu then took out something that looked like a book from a nearby cab. Wang Tao raised his eyebrows when he saw it¡ªit was a map. ¡°This is a map I bought before, with ns to go on a road trip¡­ but then the apocalypse happened. Anyway, I won¡¯t be using it, so I¡¯ll give it to Mr. Wang!¡± Eldest Lu¡¯s gaze held a hint of vicissitude. His original n was to hire a professional to manage his resort while he and his family went on a nationwide road trip. Now he had money and time. Unfortunately, the road trip would never happen, and he was left all alone. ¡°Then I thank you!¡± Looking at thetest edition of the map, Wang Tao¡¯s face showed a smile. This wasn¡¯t just a single sheet; it was an entire book of maps, detailing each city¡¯s situation. With this map, as long as he didn¡¯t venture into deep forests or remote hills, he would basically never get lost again. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s all about helping each other out!¡± Eldest Luughed heartily, then said, ¡°We have plenty of rooms here. Shall I have someone prepare one for Mr. Wang? When it¡¯s time to hunt the zombie, I¡¯lle get you. It will likely be within the next few days¡­¡± Eldest Lu had originally nned to wait for clear weather before hunting the zombie, but the rain kept pouring down, and he didn¡¯t know when it would stop. Now that Wang Tao had joined, he felt they could go hunting in the toxic rain. Given their strength, they could endure half a day in such rain. If they couldn¡¯t deal with the zombie in half a day, that would mean the zombie was too strong, and they¡¯d have to flee¡­ ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao nodded.
Then Eldest Lu called over a mboyantly dressed middle-aged woman to arrange Wang Tao¡¯s amodation. Xu Xiaojun, who had been silent all this time, wanted to follow Wang Tao, but was stopped by Eldest Lu. After Wang Tao left, Eldest Lu eagerly asked Xu Xiaojun: ¡°Fatty, is this Wang Tao really that strong?¡±
¡°Mhm!¡± Xu Xiaojun nodded. ¡°I knew it!¡± Eldest Lu was overjoyed. Xu Xiaojun was an honest person, never one to lie. If someone else imed that a person was strong, it might just be apliment. Buting from Xu Xiaojun, it was a fact! It was even possible that Xu Xiaojun had sparred with him! Eldest Lu continued to inquire about Wang Tao. Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t hold back and told him everything he knew. Upon hearing that Wang Tao killed an Elite Zombie with just a steel rebar, Eldest Lu¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°Could he be an Ability User with a Ranged Attack? That¡¯s fantastic! We¡¯recking a proper ranged attack, and he¡¯ll just fill in our gap!¡± And when Xu Xiaojun mentioned he gave the red crystal core to Wang Tao, Eldest Lu looked at Xu Xiaojun as if he were looking at an idiot. He knew, strictly speaking, that the crystal core was Wang Tao¡¯s trophy. But Xu Xiaojun had also suffered a few attacks from the Rush Zombie; didn¡¯t he deserve some credit for his hard work? Couldn¡¯t he have been a bit more shameless? Moreover, since Wang Tao had given the red crystal core to his girlfriend to y with, it showed he didn¡¯t need it! ¡°He doesn¡¯t need it, but you do! Our camp does! You could¡¯ve traded it for something else!¡±
Watching Eldest Lu¡¯s look of exasperation, Xu Xiaojun scratched his head. He actually wanted that crystal core too; he felt he could assimte it. But he refrained. After all, it wasn¡¯t his to take. ¡°Sigh, never mind. You take himter to familiarize with our camp. If we could get him to stay, that would be perfect¡­ I need to figure out what to use to trade for that crystal core in his hands! If I had known earlier that he had a spare crystal core, I would¡¯ve definitely asked for it! Oh, and I need to warn everyone in the camp not to mess with this ¡®newbie¡¯¡­¡± Chapter 327: 160: The Zombies Are Stronger Again_1 Chapter 327: Chapter 160: The Zombies Are Stronger Again_1 ¡°Mr. Wang, do you have any further instructions? Whatever instructions you have, I can fulfill them for you~¡± Looking at the somewhat attractive middle-aged woman flirting in front of him, Wang Tao smiled slightly. ¡°Thank you, but no need. Please go back.¡± The woman¡¯s expression stiffened. She asked again, unwilling to give up. After confirming that Wang Tao really didn¡¯t have any other instructions, she left with a look of disappointment. The sight of Wang Tao¡¯s muscr body had made her envious! It was a shame that he wasn¡¯t interested in her. Although the girl with Wang Tao was indeed much prettier than she was, she could guarantee that she had more experience¡­ Once the woman had left, Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief. It was his first time encountering such a zealous and hospitable woman and he felt somewhat out of his element. ¡°Brother, I felt like you wanted to keep her, but why did you let her go?¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly looked at Wang Tao and asked with curiosity on her face.
¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao rubbed Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair a bit irritably. ¡°Adult matters, kids shouldn¡¯t interrupt.¡± Hearing this, Jiang Shixue was somewhat puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say yesterday that I¡¯m not a child anymore?¡± ¡°¡­Okay, because she¡¯s not as pretty as Little Xue, I didn¡¯t want her to stay around me for long,¡± Wang Tao shrugged. ¡°I see¡­ Thank you for thepliment, Brother,¡± Jiang Shixue said, her face breaking into a sweet smile. Although she couldn¡¯t remember many things that weremon knowledge, as long as Wang Taoplimented her, she felt very happy. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t too picky about where he stayed, as long as it was clean. Jiang Shixue was even less fussy; she still retained some zombie habits and could sleep anywhere with just a pad to lie down on¡­ After a while, Xu Xiaojun arrived. He said he would take Wang Tao on a tour around the camp. Fish Bay Camp was actually quiterge, with over one hundred and fifty people. It was like a small society, with all kinds of upations represented. Food was the hard currency here. If you had food, you could have almost anyone in the camp serve you. Of course, to do so, you would need arge amount of food, which very few people had. Survivors were the foundation of the camp but at the same time, they were the cheapestmodity. Following Xu Xiaojun, Wang Tao went again to that spacious hall and saw many survivors offering themselves for hire. There were men and women, old and young. As long as someone offered food, they would do anything asked of them. Of course, this didn¡¯t include going out to scavenge for supplies. If they had the ability to find supplies, they wouldn¡¯t be hiring themselves out in the first ce. To say ¡°hiring¡± was really to sell oneself to someone powerful. It wasn¡¯t quite very, as there were rules in the camp, but it was pretty close. They were guaranteed their lives, but nothing else. Fish Bay Camp only provided amodation, not food. If you wanted food, you either did the jobs assigned by Eldest Lu, or you found a way on your own. There were only so many jobs avable in the camp, certainly not enough to sustain everyone. So the rest had to figure it out for themselves.
The moment Wang Tao arrived, many such people set their eyes on him. After all, with his formidable size, even a fool could tell that he was a big sturdy leg to cling to! ¡°Big brother, buy me! I can wash clothes, cook, and warm your bed¡­¡± ¡°Just one meal a day, Brother, I¡¯ll do anything you ask¡­¡±
¡°¡­¡± Looking at these men and women with desperate faces, Wang Tao sighed inwardly, but did not soften; after all, he was no savior. Without lingering long in that ce, Wang Tao headed toward the stalls. Xu Xiaojun told Wang Tao that he heard the stalls sometimes sold good stuff. However, he hadn¡¯t been there much and wasn¡¯t very clear on it. ¡°Big brother, need a knife? This is a good knife made overseas! Sharp enough to slice hair, strong enough to cut through iron! It¡¯s a great assistant in killing zombies!¡± No sooner had he arrived than someone started pitching their product to Wang Tao. Looking at the ¡°good knife¡± that even had some notches on its de, Wang Tao peered deeply at the seller. The man felt as though he was being targeted by a ferocious beast, struggling to breathe properly. One secondter, the man hastily retreated, drenched in cold sweat. After Wang Tao walked away, the seller finally took a deep breath, feeling as though he had narrowly escaped death. ¡°Whew¡ªso strong! He feels even more terrifying than those zombies!¡± He had just seen a new facee by and thought to test the waters. Though Eldest Lu was quite courteous to this man, there were always those ready to try their luck no matter where they were. Their rule here was ¡°buy and leave,¡± and once a transaction waspleted, it couldn¡¯t be reversed, a rule even Eldest Lu had to abide by, But he hadn¡¯t expected this man to be so much more terrifying than Eldest Lu!
In that instant, he truly thought he was going to die¡­ Many people had noticed this interaction, and when they saw the knife seller hastily retreating from Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, they immediately felt a chill. This neer was clearly not someone to be trifled with! Those who had wanted to swindle a deal or had designs on the girl with Wang Tao immediately curbed their ns. They had survived so long in Fish Bay Camp by being sharp-eyed¡ªnever missing a chance to take advantage of someone, but never messing with those they couldn¡¯t afford to offend. This new, bulky neer was obviously in thetter category. With no unwise souls approaching, Wang Tao felt much morefortable. He had heard from Xu Xiaojun that there were many stalls around, so he was looking to see if there were any weapons suitable for Jiang Shixue¡¯s use. Perhaps due to habits acquired as a zombie, Jiang Shixue preferred to fight with her ws. Although she wasn¡¯t afraid of the zombie virus, those little white and tender hands getting hurt would be such a pity. Chapter 328: 160 Zombies Have Become Stronger Again_2 Chapter 328: Chapter 160 Zombies Have Be Stronger Again_2 Unfortunately, even after browsing through all the stalls, Wang Tao didn¡¯t find any suitable weapons. As for those so-called exquisite knives and precious swords, Wang Tao felt they were probably not as tough as Jiang Shixue herself. They might be considered weapons to others, but for Jiang Shixue, they would likely be a hindrance. However, it wasn¡¯t aplete loss¡ªWang Tao did find something quite unexpected at thest stall. ¡°They¡¯re actually selling Crystal Cores?¡± Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, the stall owner immediately beamed and said: ¡°Buddy, take a look. Do you like any? The prices are cheap, fair to both young and old! Each Crystal Core represents an Ability User, guaranteed that you won¡¯t be cheated or take a loss!¡± Seeing the vendor¡¯s enthusiastic demeanor, Wang Tao might¡¯ve thought these were fake Crystal Cores, but the Attributes clearly stated they were Level 1 Crystal Cores! At that moment, someone nearby, perhaps wanting to do Wang Tao a favor, spoke up: ¡°Brother, think it over carefully. These are all White Crystal Cores, and military sources say that these have the lowest sess rate of fusion! But that¡¯s not the main point¡ªthe main point is that no one knows what Abilities these few Crystal Cores possess! As everyone knows, these Abilities all have side effects, who knows what sort of side effects these have¡­ Even if you manage to sessfully fuse, what if it¡¯s an Ability that¡¯s weak, but has strong side effects? You¡¯ll regret it to death¡­¡± ¡°Scram, scram, scram!¡±
The Crystal Core vendor immediately waved his hands in disdain, but he didn¡¯t get too upset. After all, this wasmon knowledge, and Wang Tao surely knew it as well. It was just inappropriate to say it out loud¡­ Upon hearing this, Wang Tao paused and had a sudden realization. He had subconsciously overlooked one thing¡ªonly he could see the Attributes of a Crystal Core, while others could not. Back at Shuize Base, when the base folks obtained Crystal Cores, they would let him have a look to check their Attributes. The Crystal Cores the base folks used were also handpicked by Wang Tao, so there were no cases of excessively strong side effects or utterly useless Abilities. But without Wang Tao, the result would be drastically different. They would have to go through a slow process of experimentation to learn about the Abilities and side effects of these Crystal Cores. Moreover, there were varying sess rates even for the same Crystal Core, which made it quite a hassle to learn the specifics of a certain type of Crystal Core. The vendor Wang Tao was speaking to was likely in such a situation. Here, six Crystal Cores were on disy, all White Crystal Cores, which meant they had a 20% sess rate. If one of these six Crystal Cores seeded, it would be a win, but if none did? A huge loss! This was the reason why no one wanted the few Crystal Cores he disyed¡ªthe fusion sess rate was too low, and nobody knew the specific Abilities and side effects of the Crystal Cores. Of course, there was another crucial point¡ªhis asking price was high, requiring a lot of food to exchange for a Crystal Core. If the price were lower, naturally, there would be takers willing to take a risk. But with his high price, it wasn¡¯t worth the risk anymore. ¡°What do you think? Bro, want to try buying a couple? I can tell you must be an Ability User, right? Since you have experience with sessful fusion before, your sess rate is bound to be much higher!¡± Obviously spouting nonsense, the stall owner just chattered away. Wang Tao didn¡¯t care and asked curiously: ¡°How do you have so many Crystal Cores in your possession?¡± The man wasn¡¯t an Ability User and didn¡¯t seem capable of collecting so many Crystal Cores. ¡°Hey! Eldest Lu is my cousin!¡± The vendor scratched his head somewhat embarrassingly.
Wang Tao immediately understood; that made sense. ¡°I¡¯ll take all six of these Crystal Cores.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, the vendor froze for a moment, then frowned slightly, ¡°Buddy, forgive me for being blunt, but do you have that much food? It looks like you haven¡¯t brought that much.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the food, but I have this. Is this enough?¡±
Wang Tao took out the Red Crystal Core he had obtained from killing the Rush zombie today. Not only the vendor, who was Eldest Lu¡¯s cousin, but all the people around were stunned as well. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not kidding, right? Are you sure you want to use this Red Rush Crystal Core to exchange for these six White Crystal Cores?¡± The vendor was full of disbelief. It was a Red Crystal Core, and one whose function he knew, since their base had a person with the Rush Ability! The value of this Crystal Core was far beyond the others! ¡°Just tell me, will you exchange it or not?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As soon as he was sure Wang Tao wasn¡¯t joking, the stall owner immediately nodded in agreement. So, Wang Tao traded away the Red Rush Crystal Core for six trash White Crystal Cores. This exchange immediately drew the attention of many, and many people, envious and jealous, were already congratting the vendor for bing an Ability User. Wang Tao didn¡¯t linger any longer; after confirming there wasn¡¯t anything else worth his attention here, he left. He traded for these six Crystal Cores because they were two ¡°Omnipotent¡± Crystal Cores, two ¡°Self-healing¡± Crystal Cores, and two ¡°Precision Shooting¡± Crystal Cores! Omnipotent, Self-healing, and Precision Shooting were all rtively rare, and thus it was a huge win for him since he could perform Synthetic fusion.
This incident also served as a reminder for Wang Tao that if he had the chance to go to more popted Survivor Bases in the future, he may have the opportunity to pick up unrecognized Crystal Cores for a bargain. Of course, thinking about such things was still premature. On his journey so far, Fish Bay Camp was thergest Survivor Base he had encountered, and it would be rather difficult toe across arger Survivor Base¡­ Chapter 329: 160: The Zombies Are Stronger Again_3 Chapter 329: Chapter 160: The Zombies Are Stronger Again_3 After temporarily settling down at Fish Bay Base, Wang Tao had nned to check out the Level 2 Zombie in the granary the next day. If the opponent wasn¡¯t very strong, he could have dealt with it right away, as Wang Tao was indeed in dire need of a Level 2 Crystal Core. But when he woke up, the sky had cleared. Eldest Lu had been ready to head to the granary for a while, but the continuous rain had caused dys. He had thought, with the addition of Wang Tao, they could brave the rain to get there. But to his surprise, the weather turned fine! Well then, there¡¯s no day like today, let¡¯s go now! Since it had been raining heavily for the past few days, many survivors had stayed indoors, and the camp¡¯sbat power was at its peak. So, Eldest Lu immediately invited Wang Tao, saying they would head straight to the granary today. Wang Tao, of course, had no objections. Soon, arge group of people gathered in the camp. Xu Xiaojun and Yu Wei were also there. However, Yu Wei and his group seemed unable to look Wang Tao in the eye, not knowing what had happened.
Standing in the middle of the hall, Eldest Lu gave an inspiring speech, then briefly introduced Wang Tao. He said that Wang Tao was their external support, that Wang Tao and Little Jun were the main forces of thisbat, and that everyone should try to cooperate with them both. The others weren¡¯t surprised by this. After all, Eldest Lu had already cautioned everyone the previous night, saying that Wang Tao was a strong fighter and must not be offended. So even if some people felt unconvinced inside, they wouldn¡¯t show it, but instead apuded vigorously. After the mobilization meeting was over, Eldest Lu came to Wang Tao with an apologetic expression and said: ¡°Mr. Wang, I realized yesterday that someone may not have treated you well, so I disciplined them a bit. I hope you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine.¡± Honestly, Wang Tao didn¡¯t even know who Eldest Lu was talking about. After all, not everyone was significant enough to be remembered by Wang Tao. Seeing that Wang Tao wasn¡¯t really angry, Eldest Lu immediately felt relieved. The mentality of the strong was indeed different! Last night, he found out that Yu Wei was spreading rumors in the camp that Wang Tao had a Red Crystal Core. Moreover, Wang Tao had traded that Red Crystal Core to his cousin, who became an Ability User overnight! This was as good as Wang Tao giving the Crystal Core to him! Eldest Lu immediately called Yu Wei for questioning, afraid there might be some conflict between them and Wang Tao. Fortunately, Wang Tao probably didn¡¯t care about a minor character like Yu Wei. This put Eldest Lu at ease, as long as there were no major conflicts. Soon, everyone was ready. Excluding Wang Tao, there were a total of 30 people going out on this mission, essentially the strongest 30 of the base. If they couldn¡¯t take down that zombie, they were out of options¡­ ¡°Mr. Wang, are you taking your sister with you?¡± Seeing Wang Tao leading Jiang Shixue, Eldest Lu didn¡¯t quite understand. Was it really appropriate to bring a girl who was helpless against a crisis?
¡°Yes.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t exin much. He couldn¡¯t really say that all these peoplebined weren¡¯t a match for Jiang Shixue alone, could he? ¡°Fine!¡±
Since Wang Tao saw no issue, Eldest Lu didn¡¯t say any more; maybe Wang Tao¡¯s sister was also an Ability User¡­ although she didn¡¯t look like one at all. Eldest Lu personally led everyone away from the camp. They did not have a car, so they walked. Even if they had one, they wouldn¡¯t dare to drive, since the zombies¡¯ diminished perception was returning now that the rain had stopped. Wang Tao, holding Jiang Shixue¡¯s little hand, walked in the middle of the group. The two had apletely different vibe from the others; it was like they were out for a stroll, causing the others to frequently nce their way. Not long after they left the camp, they spotted a few ordinary zombies appearing. Such minor opponents naturally did not require Ability Users to act; the ordinary people with 1000 HP immediately stepped up. However, unexpectedly, what should have been an easy fight against these ordinary zombies took quite a while to resolve. Eldest Lu¡¯s face immediately turned sour, feeling slightly embarrassed in front of Wang Tao. And Wang Tao frowned. Because the zombies¡¯ HP had increased again! Previously, these ordinary zombies had 1000 HP, but now they had 2000 HP! When Eldest Lu said ¡°again,¡± it was because these zombies¡¯ HP had already increased once before. When the virus outbreak urred, the minimum HP for an ordinary zombie was 500.
Then there was heavy rain, and the minimum HP for ordinary zombies rose to 1000. And now, after another heavy rain, ordinary zombies¡¯ HP had reached 2000! Is it possible that with each heavy rainfall, the zombies¡¯ HP doubles? If that¡¯s really the case, can other humans keep up with this rate of evolution¡­ After killing the zombies, the group continued to advance. Later, they didn¡¯t encounter any more zombies; after all, this ce was remote, with few people around. When they were almost at the location of the granary, they finally encountered another group of ordinary zombies, about a dozen or so. But this time it wasn¡¯t just 2000 HP zombies, there were also zombies with 2500 and even 3000 HP! The team¡¯s pace slowed down considerably. Eldest Lu finally sensed something was wrong, as he personally fought with these ordinary zombies and discovered that they had suddenly be difficult to kill! An Ability User himself, he found it quite time-consuming to kill just one ordinary zombie¡­ This made him look quite troubled. On the way to hunt the granary zombie, he suddenly felt uncertain. But since they had alreadye this far, it wouldn¡¯t be worth it to turn back now¡­ ¡°We¡¯vee all this way, let¡¯s go and see!¡±
After making up his mind, Eldest Lu continued to lead the team forward. Soon, everyone arrived near the granary. Wang Tao didn¡¯t see the granary right away, as it was surrounded by buildings, but he immediately spotted three Level 2 Zombies, not just one as Eldest Lu had mentioned. They were all dressed in workwear, as if they were originally employees of the granary. [HP: 10000/10000] [Mana: 4000/4000] [Level: Level 2 Elite] All three zombies had 10000 HP! Wang Tao grinned; his luck today was pretty good! Chapter 330: 161: Four Level 2 Zombies_1 Chapter 330: Chapter 161: Four Level 2 Zombies_1 ¡°` Even among zombies of the same level, their strength can vary. Under ordinary circumstances, the more HP and mana they have, the stronger they are. At the same time, Ordinary Zombies are weaker than Elite Zombies, and Elite Zombies are weaker than Zombie Lords. With Wang Tao¡¯s current strength, dealing with a Level 2, Zombie Lord with a lot of HP could be somewhat strenuous, but handling a Level 2, Elite Zombie would be much simpler. Although thebined HP of these three Level 2, Elite Zombies was 30,000, Wang Tao felt the problem was not significant. ¡°Why do I feel like those three zombies seem really formidable¡­¡± Eldest Lu¡¯s Hidden Ability ¡°Danger Perception¡± kicked in, as he murmured doubtfully to himself. Seeing this, Wang Tao spoke up directly: ¡°All three are Level 2 Zombies.¡± ¡°All of them are Level 2 Zombies?!¡±
Upon hearing this, everyone instantly gasped in shock. They had previously guessed that the Zombie in the granary was probably a Level 2 Zombie, which is why so many of them hade. But what they had mentally prepared for was one Level 2 Zombie! Let alone three¡ªthey felt that even two Level 2 Zombies would be more than they could handle! Even facing a single Level 2 Zombie, they would likely suffer casualties. However, because there were many of them, everyone thought the losses wouldn¡¯t be theirs to bear, which gave them the courage toe out together¡­ ¡°What now? Scared?¡± Wang Tao asked while looking at Eldest Lu with a smile. Eldest Lu¡¯s eyes brightened when he saw Wang Tao¡¯s seemingly rxed demeanor. He approached Wang Tao and whispered: ¡°Mr. Wang, have you ever killed a Level 2 Zombie before?¡± Eldest Lu had previously addressed Wang Tao as ¡°you,¡± but now he had switched to ¡°you¡± with respect. ¡°I have.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Then do you think we can handle these three Level 2 Zombies?¡± Eldest Lu asked again. ¡°You can¡¯t, but I can.¡± Wang Tao was blunt. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± Eldest Lu had already tried to overestimate Wang Tao, but he found he had still underestimated him! Wang Tao was even stronger than he imagined! He had actually killed a Level 2 Zombie before! And he was so confident in saying he could take down these three zombies!
¡°Mr. Wang, are you sure? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but as you yourself said, these are three Level 2 Zombies¡­¡± Eldest Lu quickly asked again. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡± Wang Tao nodded once more.
¡°Great! Then we¡¯ll leave everything to Mr. Wang! What do you need us to do? We¡¯ll follow your orders!¡± Eldest Lu sensed a strong feeling of danger emanating from these three zombies, but that feeling weakened whenever he moved closer to Wang Tao! Eldest Lu had great faith in his sixth sense and believed that Wang Tao wasn¡¯t bluffing. He truly could handle these three Level 2 Zombies! Considering Wang Tao¡¯s request for a map, it seemed likely that he wouldn¡¯t stay at their camp, so Eldest Lu needed to seize this opportunity. If Wang Tao were to leave, then they would have no one to deal with these three Level 2 Zombies! After all, their county¡¯s granary was right behind these three zombies! ¡°Alright, you guys help me to distract two of the Level 2 Zombies. I¡¯ll go deal with the other one first.¡± ¡°¡­Okay!¡± Eldest Lu clenched his teeth and agreed. Even though facing two Level 2 Zombies was very dangerous, there might be no other opportunity like this! Of the three zombies, two were together, while the other one was a little further away. Eldest Lu immediately gave the order for everyone to get into position, ready to attack the two Level 2 Zombies that were together. Wang Tao, along with Jiang Shixue, approached the other Level 2 Zombie. The bodies of these three Level 2 Zombies were slightlyrger than those of Ordinary Zombies, and they all seemed to be a bit overweight, although it was unclear whether they were fat to begin with or if it was a mutation after bing zombies.
Wang Tao didn¡¯t let Jiang Shixue make a move; he walked out himself, holding a Firefighter Axe. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± No sooner had Wang Tao appeared, and without even stepping out, he immediately caught the attention of the zombie, which twisted its body and hurriedly walked towards him. ¡°Perception is quite sharp¡­ but the speed seems slow¡­¡± Just as Wang Tao internallymented on its slow speed, he saw the zombie suddenly open its mouth. Pfft¡ª A mass of ck substance was spat out from its mouth. Wang Tao was still some distance away and dodged it instantly. He looked back to see that the substance the zombie had spat out was a mass of ck granules that immediately began sizzling upon hitting the grass on the ground. ¡°A corrosive ranged attack?¡± Wang Tao frowned and looked at Eldest Lu, who hadn¡¯t mentioned the zombie having a ranged attack. Eldest Lu had already taken people to draw the attention of the other two Level 2 Zombies. They had also been spat upon by the zombies just now. Unfortunately, their luck was not very good, as one of them got hit. His entire left leg was stained with the ck granules and began to corrode rapidly; his teammates quickly tore a piece of cloth from their clothing and stuffed it in his mouth, preventing him from crying out in pain. If they identally attracted the Mad Demon Zombies, it would spell even more trouble. Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, Eldest Lu shook his head repeatedly.
¡°These zombies didn¡¯t have the ability for ranged attacks before, they were just incredibly strong!¡± Seeing this, Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much. There was probably no need for Eldest Lu to deceive him, as it would bring Eldest Lu no advantage. So this either meant that Eldest Lu was lucky before and the zombies didn¡¯t use this ability, or that the zombies evolved a new capability after the heavy rain. Wang Tao felt it was most likely thetter. ¡°` Chapter 331: 161: Four Level 2 Zombies_2 Chapter 331: Chapter 161: Four Level 2 Zombies_2 However, now was not the time to ponder these things. After confirming the zombie possessed long-range attack ability, Wang Tao grew even more cautious. After several dodges with great agility, Wang Tao finally got close to the zombie. Bang! Without a word, Wang Tao directly chopped down on the zombie¡¯s head with his axe. [-2149] [7851/10000] Seeing the damage numbers, Wang Tao was very satisfied. With his currentbat power, five axe chops would ensure death. After being attacked, the zombie once again opened its mouth. Wang Tao deliberately stood to the side of the zombie, and when he saw it turn its head to bite, he easily dodged the attack and followed with another chop of his axe. [-2239]
[5612/10000] It seemed like the zombie was thoroughly enraged as it violently swung its arms towards Wang Tao. Bang! The zombie¡¯s pnded on Wang Tao, but the damage was blocked by his stubborn armor and high defense. Nheless, the force of the blow pushed Wang Tao back several steps. ¡°Such strength! This zombie must possess the ¡®Power¡¯ ability¡­¡± As Wang Tao took steps back, he instantly threw his axe. The axe hit the zombie squarely on the head. [-2612] [3000/10000] This axe hitnded on the wound Wang Tao had caused earlier, causing much more damage. The zombie was left with only three thousand HP! Not giving the zombie any chance to attack further, Wang Tao once again produced an axe in his hand, charged forward, knocked down the zombie, and then he swung two more chops at the zombie¡¯s head. [-2532] [-568] [0/10000] The zombie¡¯s HP bar dropped to zero. Without even using Shockwave, Wang Tao effortlessly dealt with the Level 2 Zombie. This zombie may have had high HP, but its overall strength was not strong, making it one of the weakest Level 2 Zombies Wang Tao had encountered thus far. After killing this zombie, Wang Tao¡¯s maximum HP increased by 260, reaching 6310! Since escaping from Shuize County, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t encountered any Level 2 Zombies. His HP, which previously was just over five thousand, was mostly acquired by killing Level 1 Elite Zombies. However, after upgrading to Level Two, when he killed Level 1 Elite Zombies, the HP gained was halved. For instance, if he used to gain 50 HP, he would now only gain 25¡­
Wang Tao checked his Special Energy, which hadn¡¯t increased. This zombie was too easy for him, not counting as an over-leveled kill. After collecting the Loot Pack and having Jiang Shixue dig out the Crystal Core, Wang Tao immediately ran towards Eldest Lu. Half of their thirty people already had injuries. A Ten Thousand Blood Level 2 Elite Zombie was still too difficult for them! While still at a distance from the other side, Wang Tao swung his axe into the void.
Whoosh! A visible Shockwave instantly flew towards the two zombies. Bang! Bang! Though the two Shockwaves didn¡¯t hit the zombies¡¯ heads, they made the zombies flip over. Eldest Lu and the others instantly felt the pressure decrease. ¡°Mr. Wang Tao, these two zombies are formidable; be careful!¡± Seeing Wang Tao charging over, Eldest Lu even kindly reminded him. But he quickly realized something. ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t Mr. Wang dealing with another zombie? Is it done?¡± He hurriedly turned his head, only to find that the ce where Wang Tao had been was now devoid of the Level 2 Zombie. ¡°Truly, is it resolved? He¡¯s that strong?!¡± Eldest Lu was aware Wang Tao could handle Level 2 Zombies, but he didn¡¯t realize it would be settled so quickly!
The others were also shocked; this neer was just too strong! Now aware of these zombies¡¯bat patterns, Wang Tao decided it was time for a quick resolution. In less than two minutes, he single-handedly killed both zombies. Everyone, including Eldest Lu and Xu Xiaojun, were left dumbfounded. Jiang Shixue hurried over and began digging out the Crystal Cores from the zombies¡¯ brains. She really liked these shiny things. ¡°Alright, the zombies are dealt with, go check on the food supply,¡± Wang Tao turned and said to Eldest Lu. ¡°Yes!¡± Eldest Lu instinctively responded, as if Wang Tao were the real boss. No one else thought there was anything amiss with that. The granary was locked, but with no Level 2 Zombies around anymore, they would be able to break the lock open soon. The lock was quiteplicated, but since they were going to pick it, Wang Tao feltzy to open it himself. However, just then, after collecting the Crystal Cores, Jiang Shixue suddenly looked up towards a certain direction. A few secondster, Wang Tao also looked over there. After seeing that fleeting Red HP bar, Wang Tao was stunned for a moment and then looked at Jiang Shixue. ¡°Brother, there¡¯s a big zombie,¡± Jiang Shixue said, tilting her head.
¡°Then it seems I wasn¡¯t seeing things. Let¡¯s chase after it and take a lookter!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes gleamed faintly with a red glow. Wang Tao approached Eldest Lu and said: ¡°I won¡¯t be going back with you guys.¡± ¡°Ah? Mr. Wang, we haven¡¯t thanked you yet!¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Eldest Lu replied hastily. He had wanted to keep Wang Tao at the campsite, although he knew the chances were slim, but it was worth a try. He was even willing to offer leadership to Wang Tao if needed, because Wang Tao was just too powerful, and a good person as well! ¡°No need to thank me. Just leave me a portion of my share of the food. I need to leave for something else first.¡± ¡°¡­Alright! Rest assured, Mr. Wang, we will definitely reserve your share of the food!¡± Eldest Lu immediately assured him. As for the problem of too much food for Wang Tao to carry away, Eldest Lu didn¡¯t consider it. Since he promised to allocate food to Wang Tao, he certainly wouldn¡¯t break his word.
Chapter 332: 161: Four Level 2 Zombies_3 Chapter 332: Chapter 161: Four Level 2 Zombies_3 ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded and then led Jiang Shixue away directly. The others were somewhat baffled, not knowing why the big shot suddenly left. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, hurry and pry the lock open! Whether our camp can settle down peacefully depends on how much food we have here!¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± ¡­ ¡°Did you see where it went?¡± Wang Tao had chased for a while, but then he lost track of the zombie. ¡°I think¡­ it¡¯s over there!¡± Jiang Shixue pointed at a factory building.
¡°Let¡¯s go, keep chasing!¡± Wang Tao continued the chase with Jiang Shixue to the top floor of the factory, but the top floor waspletely empty, with no zombies in sight. ¡°It¡¯s below!¡± Jiang Shixue pointed to a pile of trash on the ground floor. This was a waste disposal factory, and there was a pile of unprocessed trash inside. Among these trash piles, there was a green zombie with a body covered in pustules, hunched over, and roughly the same size as a human! ¡°Found you!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s face showed a hint of excitement upon spotting the zombie. Because this was a Zombie Lord with 20,000 HP! [HP: 20000/20000] [Mana: 20000/20000] [Grade: Level 2 ¨C Lord] Not only did it have 20,000 HP, but it also had 20,000 Mana! With these attributes, Wang Tao felt it was at least three times stronger than a gori zombie! Even Jiang Shixue¡¯s attributes weren¡¯t as high as its! If it were before, when Wang Tao had just over 6,000 HP, he probably wouldn¡¯t chase after such a high-level zombie. After all, its attributes were too strong. But now things were different, he had Jiang Shixue by his side! Jiang Shixue had 19,000 HP and 16,000 Mana. She was also a Level 2, Lord, not much inferior to this zombie! That was the capital Wang Tao relied on to chase it down. Although he had no idea why this zombie would run away upon seeing humans, now that he had set his sights on it, there was no reason for it to survive. This zombie, Wang Tao was determined to kill!
¡°Attack!¡± Wang Tao directly ordered Jiang Shixue to take the lead. After all, he only had a little over 6,000 HP, so he needed to be more cautious. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t hesitate at all and jumped down directly.
However, to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, the green pustule-covered zombie immediately ran off, and its speed was incredibly fast! But this was a dead end, and Jiang Shixue blocked the only path, so the zombie ran in a circle and returned to its original spot. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± The zombie growled at Jiang Shixue, but Wang Tao felt it seemed somewhat blustering but inwardly cowardly¡­ Swoosh¡ª Jiang Shixue¡¯s calves tightened, and she charged toward the pustule-covered zombie. Her speed was not slow, reaching the zombie¡¯s side in the blink of an eye. Bang! Jiang Shixue threw a punch directly at the pustule-covered zombie, and it was sent flying into the wall, creating spiderweb cracks all around it. Jiang Shixue¡¯s body was almost as tough as a zombie¡¯s, some ordinary weapons weren¡¯t as hard as her own body. So until Wang Tao found her a suitable weapon, she fought with her bare fists. However, what surprised Wang Tao was that Jiang Shixue¡¯s punch only took away 50 of the zombie¡¯s HP! Wang Tao rubbed his eyes; he hadn¡¯t seen wrong, it was indeed 50! Could this zombie have used some sort of defensive Ability? ¡°`
Otherwise, how could she have only 50 HP left? This was Jiang Shixue with nearly 20,000 HP! Although Jiang Shixue couldn¡¯t see the specific damage numbers, she frowned nheless. The zombie¡¯s skull in front of her felt incredibly hard! Whoosh¡ª¡ª Jiang Shixue, not convinced, charged again. But this time, the pus-filled zombie reacted, dodging Jiang Shixue¡¯s attack and continuing to run away. Just as it was about to charge out of the junkyard, Wang Tao suddenly dropped from the sky,nding an axe strike on the pus-filled zombie¡¯s head. Bang! [-15] ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s hands were numb from the shock of the blow, and he stared dumbfounded at the damage number. He had jumped from the fourth floor, attacking from above, and scored a direct hit on the zombie¡¯s head. And that caused only 15 points of damage? The blow seemed to daze the pus-filled zombie a bit, and its body wobbled slightly. Seeing this, Wang Tao swung his axe again.
This time, the axe was imbued with a shockwave. Bang! [-9] [-4] [19922/20000] ¡°¡­¡± Seeing these damage numbers, Wang Tao was at a loss for words. Whoosh¡ª¡ª The pus-filled zombie did not attack Wang Tao, but immediately ran backward. Bang! However, Jiang Shixue was blocking its path, her delicate fists striking simultaneously on the pus-filled zombie¡¯s head. [-57] [19865/20000]
Whoosh¡ª¡ª The pus-filled zombie was hit so hard it was sent flying,nding in the pile of garbage again. Wang Tao walked over to Jiang Shixue, keeping an eye on the zombie while quietly asking, ¡°Little Xue, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get through, it¡¯s too hard¡­¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes were red, not from anger, but because she felt like she had discovered a fun new item. She charged in once more. This time, Wang Tao did not follow but stood guard at the entrance of the yard instead, to prevent the zombie from escaping¡ªyes, the zombie was actually trying to escape! Wang Tao had been somewhat disbelieving before; after all, since when did zombies run away upon seeing humans? But now he was certain, this zombie was not fighting back or striking back, it only ran! This surprised Wang Tao greatly¡ªthis was a Level 2, Zombie Lord with 20,000 HP! It had no attacking ability? Its first reaction to seeing a survivor was to run away? However unlikely it seemed, this was the reality right in front of him. And the zombie¡¯s defensive power was too absurd; even the strong Jiang Shixue couldn¡¯t make an impact¡­ Wang Tao was dying to know what the Crystal Core of this zombie looked like! Could he learn this kind of defensive ability? The battle between Jiang Shixue and the pus-filled zombie wasn¡¯t fierce because the zombie was constantly dodging. It would asionally throw a punch back at Jiang Shixue, but hitting her was like tickling¡ªit didn¡¯t make her lose a single drop of HP¡­ Jiang Shixue fought with it for several minutes, and the pus-filled zombie had only lost a little over 200 HP, still leaving it with 19,500 HP! It was already highly defensive and fast, making Jiang Shixue¡¯s hits not a sure thing¡­ Wang Tao waspletely numb to it by this point, realizing that if things went on like this, even fighting until dark wouldn¡¯t kill it! ¡°` Chapter 333: 162 Magical Stomach Pouch_1 Chapter 333: Chapter 162 Magical Stomach Pouch_1 Bang! When Jiang Shixue mmed the pus-filled zombie against the wall again, there was a loud crash. The wall was smashed open, revealing the street outside. ¡°Not good!¡± Wang Tao immediately tried to intervene, but it was a step toote; the green pus-filled zombie had already escaped through the opening. ¡°After it!¡± Wang Tao did not want to let it go. After all, although the zombie had high defense, it wasn¡¯t very good at attacking. Moreover, it seemed tock blood regeneration abilities, so with some more time, they could definitely kill it. Wang Tao was very curious about what kind of crystal core was inside the zombie¡¯s body. The two gave chase, and Jiang Shixue had a keen nose. As long as she was within a certain range of the pus-filled zombie, she could roughly pinpoint its location. Plus with Jiang Shixue¡¯s speed, they never lost sight of it. However, neither of them managed to inflict any damage on the pus-filled zombie, and by sunset, the zombie still had 17,000 HP!
¡°Can¡¯t go on, need to rest a while!¡± Although Wang Tao did not want to let the zombie go, he had no other choice. He wasn¡¯t Jiang Shixue; his body was still human. After such a long period of running, he waspletely out of strength. He could have used a generator potion to recover, but it came with a weaknesssting a whole day. Moreover, even if he used the potion, it wasn¡¯t certain they could kill the pus-filled zombie¡­ so they had to give up for the time being. As for Jiang Shixue, she wasn¡¯t even out of breath, which Wang Tao admired greatly. ¡°Brother, I can go after it by myself!¡± Jiang Shixue volunteered. ¡°No need, it¡¯s going to be dark soon. It¡¯s too dangerous outside, and I¡¯m notfortable with you going alone.¡± Wang Tao grabbed Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand. Jiang Shixue might be strong, but she was a bit clueless at times. Wang Tao had worked hard to save her and did not wish for her to get into trouble again. ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue was very obedient. If Wang Tao told her not to go, she would not. She let Wang Tao hold her hand obediently. The two found an abandoned little house where they prepared to rest for the night. As for the food Eldest Lu had left for him, Wang Tao nned to go there tomorrow. He believed that after witnessing his strength, Eldest Lu wouldn¡¯t y tricks. Night time. Wang Taoy casually on the bed, with Jiang Shixue lying beside him, tightly holding onto his arm. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if it was the past events that had affected Jiang Shixue or if she always saw him as a fatherly figure¡­ Although she was powerful now, she seemed tock a sense of security. Every time it came to sleeping or resting, she liked to stay close to Wang Tao. Of course, there was nothing untoward between them, as they were both fully clothed. Wang Tao checked the loot from the three Level 2 Elites zombies they had killed that day.
All three zombies were of the same kind, and the items they dropped were simr. First was the crystal core. There was a power crystal core, which he had seen before. The other two were ¡°spittle nails,¡± one excellent and one of excellent quality. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¡¤ Spittle Nail]
[Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Food consumption increases several times)] [Spittle Nail: Can store one-tenth of the food eaten in the stomach and then spit it out as a weapon] This ability was quite interesting. To spit out eaten food and use it as a ranged attack! Wang Tao recalled the attacks of those three zombies; those ck particles¡ªwait, could those be rice grains? Wang Tao suddenly frowned. They mainly consumed rice here, and the granaries were likely storing rice grains. If it really was rice grains, it indicated a problem¡ªthat these zombies had entered the granaries! If that was the case, it was a problem! Eldest Lu believed that the granaries hadn¡¯t been tampered with, but what if the zombies had interfered with them? And there might still be zombies inside¡­ However, Eldest Lu had a danger perception hidden ability. If there were true danger, he should be able to detect it¡­ With no more concerns, Wang Tao turned his attention back to the loot. The three zombies had each dropped the same loot bags, which contained simr items. Wang Tao had figured out that he only received an increased reward if he achieved an over-leveled kill against Level 2 Lords or Level 3 zombies. The reward for such a kill was tripled!
That included a threefold increase in both the HP limit and the number of loot bags. So when he killed the toad zombie, it dropped three loot bags, but killing a Level 2 Elite zombie only resulted in one bag. Of course, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t picky; one was better than none. Moreover, the item that dropped was quite interesting. [Magical Stomach Pouch *3] [Magical Stomach Pouch: Contains apressed low-temperature space that can store a certain amount of food, but filling it will consume one-tenth of the food] Wang Tao took the magical stomach pouch in his hand. Although it was called a stomach pouch, it didn¡¯t look frightening and resembled a genuine leather water bag. It had a movable opening at the top. When opened, it was pitch-ck inside, and nothing could be seen. Wang Tao tried it, and only food could be put inside. Other items wouldn¡¯t fit, and even if forced in, they would be ejected. He wondered what governs this, but found it incredibly fascinating nheless. This was somewhat simr to his storage backpack. However, his backpack could only hold items with visible names, and anything without a visible name couldn¡¯t be stored in it. But once items were inside, it was as if time stood still. As long as he didn¡¯t interact, nothing inside would change. Additionally, the space in his storage backpack was infinite. Chapter 334: 162 Magical Stomach Pouch_2 Chapter 334: Chapter 162 Magical Stomach Pouch_2 But this Magical Stomach Pouch could only hold food, and it didn¡¯t stop time inside. Rather, it preserved the contents like a refrigerator, and the space was limited. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t able to test how much space it had, but it seemed to be rted to the size of this stomach. The three ¡°Magical Stomach Pouches¡± he held varied slightly in size. Of course, even if it didn¡¯t measure up to the Space Backpack, it was definitely a great find! Wang Tao filled thergest of the stomach pouches with some food and nutrient fluids, then strapped it around Jiang Shixue¡¯s waist, making it her snack bag. He could hang one on himself, which woulde in handy for deceiving others in the future. Jiang Shixue suddenly opened her eyes. ¡°Did I wake you?¡± Jiang Shixue looked curiously at the Magical Stomach Pouch on her waist, but she shook her head. ¡°That green zombie appeared today. I smelled it!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Wang Tao immediately sat up.
He was still bothered that he hadn¡¯t killed that zombie during the day, and now the creature had shown up again at night, near him of all ces! Should he continue to go after it? Wang Tao was torn, as it was a good opportunity. If he missed it again, there was no telling where the zombie would go. But¡­ this was the night! The nights in the post-apocalyptic world were almost apletely different world from the daytime. During the day, many zombies were in a dormant state and would not appear within sight. If survivors stayed away from those areas or didn¡¯t make any loud noises, the zombies wouldn¡¯t wake up. But at night, all zombies became active. The dangers of the night were easily more than ten times greater than those of the day! Of course, if it was just before a heavy rain, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t have been afraid. Back when he was at Shuize Base, he had gone out at night to kill the Toad zombie, along with many other zombies. But now, after another heavy rain, the zombies¡¯ HP had doubled, and the nights were definitely far more dangerous¡­ ¡°Brother, I can go kill it,¡± Jiang Shixue said, seeing Wang Tao¡¯s hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡± Wang Tao instinctively refused at first, but then he thought that, although the zombies had grown stronger, he still had Jiang Shixue! It was just the night. He had operated at night before, and if things got dangerous, he could simply run¡­ With his and Jiang Shixue¡¯s speed, he doubted many zombies could catch up to them! So Wang Tao immediately said: ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡± He had never seen a zombie like this one, which didn¡¯t attack humans. He was eager to know what was the deal with this zombie. ¡°Okay!¡±
After preparing, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue left the room. As soon as they stepped out, all sorts of eerie howls reached them, many sounding as if they were right by their ears, making their skin crawl. Wang Tao¡¯s eyes began to glow green, turning the pitch-ck night into daylight. He looked back and locked gazes with Jiang Shixue¡¯s blood-red eyes. He could see that Jiang Shixue¡¯s face was happy. She always seemed thrilled whenever Wang Tao¡¯s eyes glowed like hers.
¡°Lead the way, Little Xue.¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue sniffed and pointed in one direction. ¡°It¡¯s that way!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡± Wang Tao followed behind Jiang Shixue as she led the way. There were many zombies at night, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t let Jiang Shixue move too quickly. If they rmed too many zombies, they could not only fall into danger but also alert their target inadvertently. It was too bad that the Stealth Potion was ineffective at night, or Wang Tao would certainly have given himself an injection. As for Jiang Shixue, possibly due to having been transformed from a zombie, she had a natural Stealth effect. As long as she didn¡¯t get too close to the zombies, they couldn¡¯t perceive her. After about twenty minutes of walking, Jiang Shixue stopped. ¡°It¡¯s right there!¡± Following Jiang Shixue¡¯s gaze, Wang Tao spotted the green pus-filled zombie from the daytime. Its HP hadpletely recovered. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s it doing?¡± Wang Tao was puzzled. He saw the pus-filled zombie crouched on the ground, gnawing at a corpse.
Wang Tao could clearly see that the body was not human but a zombie! This pus-filled zombie was eating other zombies? A few Ordinary zombies passed by as if they didn¡¯t see the pus-filled one, and it didn¡¯t pay them any attention either, continuing to focus on its meal. At this sight, Wang Tao frowned. If this pus-filled zombie fed on other zombies, then why didn¡¯t the other zombies attack it? And why didn¡¯t the pus-filled zombie ambush the Ordinary zombies? Looking at the rotting body being gnawed at, Wang Tao suddenly furrowed his brows. ¡°This guy, could it be a Carrion Eater?¡± The zombie corpse on the ground had clearly been dead for a while, probably not killed by the pus-filled one¡­ Regardless of what it was eating, its HP bar was Red, meaning it was hostile to humans. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t let it go! ¡°Prepare for a sneak attack!¡± After failing to kill the zombie during the day, Wang Tao had reflected on it. He felt he should have trapped the zombie first, then dealt with it. Although it had high Defense, it didn¡¯t have much Attack strength, so as long as he could confine it, he could wear it down to death! Wang Tao currently didn¡¯t have chains ors, but there were other ways to trap it¡ªhe discovered during the fight that day that he could cause it Dizziness! So Wang Tao thought, as long as he could keep the pus-filled zombie in a state of Dizziness, that would be equivalent to trapping it.
Chapter 335: 162 Magical Stomach Pouch_3 Chapter 335: Chapter 162 Magical Stomach Pouch_3 And the way to make it dizzy, naturally, was to keep hitting its head! This time, Wang Tao didn¡¯t take the firefighter axe, but grabbed a horned hammer instead; he felt that using a hammer would be more suitable against creatures with high defense. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue slowly approached the pustule zombie, getting as close as possible before hiding behind some ruins. Wang Tao took a deep breath. ¡°Rush!¡± Whoosh¡ª¡ª Without initiating the rush, Jiang Shixue¡¯s speed was faster than Wang Tao¡¯s; she instantly charged to the side of the pustule zombie. Bang! Then, she fiercely punched the pustule zombie on its head. The pustule zombie hadn¡¯t even reacted before it was sent crashing face-first to the ground. Upon seeing the damage Jiang Shixue had caused, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened¡ªnot because it was too low, but because it was too high!
[-3284] [16717/20000] Jiang Shixue¡¯s punch actually inflicted over three thousand damage on it! During the day, Jiang Shixue¡¯s punches could only deal around fifty damage; this was several tens of times more! Could it be a different zombie? Or did this zombie¡¯s defense involve some ability that wasn¡¯t activated at the moment? Or perhaps, this kind of zombie undergoes different changes between day and night? Wang Tao was puzzled, but he didn¡¯t stop moving. As Jiang Shixue sent the pustule zombie flying, Wang Tao had already preemptively rushed to where the pustule zombie wouldnd. Wang Tao hoisted the hammer up. Bang! [-1723] [14994/20000] With this blow, Wang Tao directly knocked off eighteen hundred of its HP, a hundredfold increasepared to his daytime damage! At the same time, the pustule zombie was plunged into dizziness. Jiang Shixue charged over again. Bang! [-3522] [11472/20000] Another three thousand damage! The pustule zombie was now left with half its HP, falling into dizziness once more.
Excitement surged in Wang Tao¡¯s heart; a few more hits and it would be dead! Thud! Wang Tao hammered at the pustule zombie again. [-1782]
[9590/20000] Anotherrge chunk of damage, and the pustule zombie¡¯s health bar dropped below fifty percent in an instant. But just then, as if sensing something, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue both whirled around suddenly. They saw some shaking in the grass not far away. Then, whoosh¡ª¡ª A red figure suddenly leaped from the grass; Wang Tao didn¡¯t even get a clear view of its HP bar before the creature was already on his face! Bang! However, just as the blood-red figure was about to tackle Wang Tao to the ground, Jiang Shixue acted faster than it hadunched, directly ramming her head into the side of the blood-red figure and sending it flying. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡± The figure did a somersault, roared angrily, and stood up. Wang Tao finally saw it in full. ¡°What the hell!¡± Its skin was deathly pale, devoid of any hair, with copious amounts of red blood dripping from its body, its ribs protruded outward from its abdomen, its nails were elongated, and its mouth split into three parts¡­ In those pale eyes with a tiny ck pupil, it was staring intently at Wang Tao. Cruel, brutal.
Of course, the appearance wasn¡¯t the most terrifying part, the most terrifying were its attributes¡ª [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 20000/20000] [Level: Level 3¡¤Elite] ¡°Damn it! Level 3?!¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected to encounter a Level 3 Elite Zombie! The gap between levels was huge! When Wang Tao was at Level 1, he nearly lost his life fighting a Level 2 Zombie. But at Level 2, fighting a Level 2 Zombie was much easier; even if he couldn¡¯t win, he could still run. One-on-one, a Level 2 Zombie couldn¡¯t do anything to him. But now, this was a Level 3 Zombie! The gap between Level 3 and Level 2 was naturally vast, and Wang Tao had only recently advanced to Level 2 with just over six thousand HP¡ªnothingpared to thirty thousand! He couldn¡¯t win! Wang Tao instantly judged that he stood no chance, and even with Jiang Shixue, who had nearly twenty thousand HP, they couldn¡¯t beat this zombie! ¡°This is a Level 3 Zombie, let¡¯s go!¡±
It was a shame about the pus-filled zombie; it was so close to dying. But right now, their lives were more important. It would be disastrous to lose their lives over trying to kill a zombie. However, at this moment, without Wang Tao¡¯s consent, Jiang Shixue suddenly rushed towards the Blood-red Zombie! ¡°Little Xue!¡± Wang Tao subconsciously cried out, fearing Jiang Shixue might encounter some mishap. ¡°Brother, you go kill that green zombie, I¡¯ll hold it off!¡± The pus-filled zombie had taken the chance to run, but it was still within Wang Tao¡¯s line of sight. Seeing Jiang Shixue already engaged with the Blood-red Zombie, Wang Tao hesitated for a moment, then immediately rushed towards the pus-filled zombie. If he kept hesitating, it would be irresponsible towards Jiang Shixue¡¯s life! Using all his strength, Wang Tao barely caught up to the pus-filled zombie. Then, several Surgical Knives appeared in his hand. Whoosh whoosh whoosh¡ª The Surgical Knives all flew towards the pus-filled zombie¡¯s head, hitting it in an instant! Thud! The Throwing Knife that struck the zombie¡¯s iput didn¡¯t inflict much damage, but it made it stumble and fall head over heels. Wang Tao took the opportunity to leap up andnd squarely on the zombie. Like ughtering a pig, Wang Tao pressed down on the zombie with his weight and legs, pinning it firmly.
Then he lifted the hammer and started smashing it into the zombie¡¯s head like crazy. [-1823] [-1896] [-1965] [-2037] [-1369] [0/20000] Atst, with a squelch, the pus-filled zombie¡¯s head was crushed by Wang Tao! The pus-filled zombie¡¯s HP bar hit zero! But as the pus-filled zombie died, the pus sacs on its body suddenly burst, spilling out a yellow-green fluid, and a smell emerged that was disgusting yet familiar to Wang Tao! ¡°Zombie Culture Fluid?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time for surprise; he quickly collected the Zombie Core, the spoils of battle, and the culture fluid, then rushed back to where Jiang Shixue and the Blood-red Zombie were fighting. Seeing Jiang Shixue, all covered in blood yet still standing strong, Wang Tao didn¡¯t say a word. He just grabbed Jiang Shixue¡¯s waist and immediately initiated a Rush! Retreat! Chapter 336: 163: Two Level 3 Zombies_1 Chapter 336: Chapter 163: Two Level 3 Zombies_1 Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao, holding Jiang Shixue, activated the built-in Ability Rush of his equipment. In an instant, he sprinted more than thirty meters, distancing himself from the blood-red zombie. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The blood-red zombie let out an angry roar and charged towards Wang Tao at high speed. ¡°Such speed!¡± After the Rush had ended, Wang Tao looked back at the zombie. It was fast, but not fast enough to catch up with him, for Wang Tao¡¯s maximum sprint speed was not slow. ¡°Brother, I can walk by myself,¡± the Jiang Shixue in his arms called out. Upon hearing this, Wang Tao immediately set her down. After all, Jiang Shixue was even faster than Wang Tao. Although she was covered in blood, her injuries were not too severe, and escaping was certainly not a problem for her. The Level 3 zombie behind them likely did not have a Speed Ability, especially since Wang Tao had taken a Running Potion, it was gradually left behind.
Just as they were about to escape, a blood-colored figure suddenly appeared ahead! It seized the opportunity and lunged at Wang Tao! Wang Tao was unable to dodge in time and was tackled to the ground. ¡°Such strength!¡± Wang Tao felt as if he was pinned down by a mountain,pletely unable to move! ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The blood-red zombie clutched Wang Tao tightly, then its triple-parted mouth split open, revealing rows of ferocious teeth, and it aimed for Wang Tao¡¯s face, about to bite. Bang! Jiang Shixue suddenly appeared from the side, kicking the blood-red zombie and sending it flying. Then she grabbed Wang Tao and ran. This dy allowed the other blood-red zombie from behind to catch up. ¡°Damn it!¡± Wang Tao cursed inwardly. He had almost escaped from one blood-red zombie, and now another one had appeared! Being pursued by two Level 3 zombies, Wang Tao was feeling the pressure. Even though he was not seriously injured, continuing like this wasn¡¯t a solution. ¡°We need to find a ce to hide!¡± Wang Tao looked around but saw no ce to take cover¡ªordinary houses would certainly not hold back zombies of this caliber. After being dragged by Jiang Shixue for a while, Wang Tao saw a warehouse-like ce ahead. ¡°Hmm? A food storehouse?¡± Unbeknownst to them, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue had fled to the vicinity of the food storehouse. Therge doors of the storehouse were open, not a soul was around, and some scattered grains were on the ground.
Eldest Lu and the others must have already sessfully transferred the food, but there were still plenty of bloodstains and signs of battle. Clearly, they must have had some ident while transferring the food¡ªit might even be possible that there were zombies inside the storehouse! But since they were able to transfer the food, they must have escaped the danger. Even if there were zombies inside, they would likely be simr to the Level 2 zombies, which Wang Tao could handle. Looking at the thick iron door and the reinforced concrete walls, Wang Tao immediately said to Jiang Shixue:
¡°Let¡¯s go inside the storehouse!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± They entered the storehouse, then each pushed one of the heavy iron doors to close it and secured the chain and bolt behind the door. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The two blood-red zombies had already caught up. Seeing Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue enter the storehouse and lock the door, they seemed even angrier. They howled outside and violently pounded on the door. But the door was very sturdy, they couldn¡¯t get in. Themotion of the two blood-red zombies at the door eventually faded away, and it was unclear whether they had left or hidden themselves. After confirming the door was secure, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to assess the storehouse¡¯s interior. The storehouse had two levels, one above ground and one below. The ground level was now empty, and it was unclear if everything had been moved by Eldest Lu¡¯s team. Wang Tao felt the storehouse was quiterge; it was unlikely that Eldest Lu could have moved everything so quickly, suggesting that the food did not fill the entire space. There was also a heavy iron door on the way to the underground storage. The door was chained shut, and it was unknown what was inside. Wang Tao was not in a hurry to go there; he used some medical packs on himself and Jiang Shixue and then took out some nutrient solution to replenish their energy. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±
Looking at some wounds on Jiang Shixue¡¯s fair skin, Wang Tao asked with concern. Luckily, Jiang Shixue was not afraid of the zombie virus, or she would have been infected. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt,¡± Jiang Shixue shook her head. After fighting with the Level 3 zombie for a while, Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP had already dropped by one-third! For ordinary humans, this would likely be difficult to endure. But it was not much for Jiang Shixue. Wang Tao wiped the blood off her and treated the wounds. Jiang Shixue obediently let Wang Tao attend to her, her eyes glowing red as they kept fixed on him. ¡°All done.¡± After a simple dressing, Wang Tao was ready to check the underground storage. He wanted to know if Eldest Lu had left the share of food they had agreed upon for him. Even though he couldn¡¯t carry the food away, he could use the Food Compressor to turn it all into nutrient solution to carry with him. Wang Tao removed the chain and opened the iron door leading underground, which was not as spacious as above ground but divided into six areas. In the first area, there was a pile of sacks, Wang Tao checked, and these sacks were all filled with rice grain. ¡°Not bad!¡±
A satisfied smile appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face¡ªthis Eldest Lu was sensible. But Wang Tao smelled a scent of blood¡­ it wasn¡¯ting from the first area, but further back! Just then, Jiang Shixue tugged at the hem of Wang Tao¡¯s clothing, her eyes suddenly zing with red light. ¡°I¡­ I can smell that blood-red zombie¡¯s scent!¡± Chapter 337: 163: Two Level 3 Zombies_2 Chapter 337: Chapter 163: Two Level 3 Zombies_2 ¡°What!¡± Wang Tao instantly became alert. There are Level 3 undead in this underground grain storage? Were those two Level 3 undead that we encountered earlier from somewhere else? Or is there a third Blood-red Zombie here?! ¡°But¡­ the aura feels slightly different, much weaker¡­¡± Jiang Shixue frowned again. ¡°Much weaker?¡± Wang Tao had been ready to grab Jiang Shixue and run, but hearing that it was much weaker, he suddenly had another thought. They had both descended, and if it were the previous two zombies, they would definitely attack them, but no zombies had appeared so far. Moreover, Jiang Shixue said she felt the other party was weaker¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out!¡±
Wang Tao decisively spoke. He had already surveyed the ground floor, where the visibility was wide, and the walls and ceiling were solid, with no openings for anything toe through. There was a big iron door between the ground level and the basement¡ªif they did encounter any danger, they could escape to the ground level and then shut the big iron door. ¡°Okay!¡± Jiang Shixue naturally listened to Wang Tao. The two cautiously walked inside. The second section was empty, with no grain left. The third section contained bones with blood traces on them, which appeared to be human bones! Wang Tao became even more cautious. Then, the two proceeded to the fourth section. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± Seeing the situation in the fourth section, Wang Tao involuntarily took a sharp breath of cold air. This section was filled with dark red flesh! ck tendons connected the flesh like a spiderweb, and the flesh seemed to be faintly pulsating¡­ as if it were alive! No, not as if, it was indeed alive! Because Wang Tao could see the HP bar! [100000/100000] A hundred thousand HP! This was the creature with the most HP that Wang Tao had ever seen! It had much more than the two thirty-thousand HP zombies he had just encountered! However, besides disying a hundred thousand HP, it did not show any other attributes, such as Mana or Level.
This made Wang Tao puzzled¡ªperhaps this creature had no level? And it seemed not to have noticed him. It did not react to Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue¡¯s arrival. Wang Tao asked Jiang Shixue, and she too couldn¡¯t perceive what the creature was, but like Wang Tao, she felt that this thing seemed to be alive. So, Wang Tao took out a Surgical Knife. Shoo¡ª
[-2384] [97616/100000] Throwing Knife inflicted over two thousand damage, which wasn¡¯t low, but it hardly affected the hundred thousand HP bar. After Wang Tao threw the Throwing Knife, he immediately prepared for the creature¡¯s counterattack. Strangely however, it didn¡¯t even respond, forget about retaliating. ¡°Could it be because the damage was too low? Or is it that¡­ this thingcks intelligence?¡± Wang Tao temporarily stopped attacking and instead, holding Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand, moved to the fifth section. This mass of flesh wasn¡¯t confined to the fourth area; it also connected to the fifth. Seeing what was in the fifth section, Wang Tao¡¯s scalp tingled! ¡°This is the aura!¡± Jiang Shixue pointed at several figures in the fifth section. The fifth section was also covered with that flesh, but among the mass, there were three kneeling figures! The lower halves of these three figures were covered by the flesh, while their upper halves still retained some human features, but they were slowly transforming into the form of Blood-red Zombies! ¡°They are¡­ cultivating those Level 3 undead!¡±
Wang Tao¡¯s face looked grim. Zombies were already rampant in the world, but if these zombies could breed new ones, humanity¡¯s plight would be even more difficult! ¡°Kill them!¡± These three figures all had HP bars, but like the flesh beneath them, they showed no other attributes. [10000/10000] [12000/12000] [15000/15000] The three figures had different HP bars. Wang Tao suspected that they might turn into Blood-red Zombies once they reached thirty thousand HP. Were they like zombie embryos now? Without hesitation, Wang Tao took a hammer and sent several Shockwaves towards them. [-3346] [-3857] [-3167] [¡­]
Momentster, all three figures shattered. Their defensive power was very low before they turned into Blood-red Zombies. Inside their skulls, there were no Crystal Cores and they gave no HP to Wang Tao, but they did drop three packages. Wang Tao collected the packages from the air without checking them and instantly sent out Shockwaves at the mass of flesh. When he attacked the three figures just now, the Shockwaves also hit the flesh below them, causing a loss of twenty thousand HP, leaving eighty thousand. Wang Tao had Jiang Shixue join him in the attack, and in no time, the HP bar was cleared. The flesh twitched momentarily and then stopped moving; its color also began to slowly darken. This mass of flesh didn¡¯t bring any HP benefits to Wang Tao, but did drop a package. While collecting the spoils, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t had a chance to rx when suddenly a ¡°bang, bang, bang¡± sound came! It wasing from the sixth section! Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue immediately ran over to take a look. But the sixth section was filled with clutter, with the area almostpletely obscured. It was unclear what was inside. However, after observing for a while, Wang Tao suddenly stopped short. There was someone inside!
Through some cracks, he could see a green HP bar inside, but couldn¡¯t make out who or what it was. After a moment of hesitation, Wang Tao said to Jiang Shixue: ¡°Little Xue, let¡¯s clear this stuff away!¡± Chapter 338: 163: Two Level 3 Zombies_3 Chapter 338: Chapter 163: Two Level 3 Zombies_3 ¡°Okay~¡± After some effort, Wang Tao finally cleared the debris in Zone 6 and saw the person inside. ¡°Xu Xiaojun?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; the person inside was Xu Xiaojun! However, Xu Xiaojun was covered in wounds, barely alive and had fallen into unconsciousness. He had just over a hundred HP, on the brink of death. ¡°Thud, thud, thud¡ª¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao heard noises, and he and Jiang Shixue quickly looked toward the source. The sound wasing from the pile of debris behind Xu Xiaojun! ¡°It¡¯s the zombies from before!¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly said.
¡°The zombies from before?¡± Wang Tao checked again and then realized, ¡°This is an entrance, leading to the outside¡­ I see!¡± Wang Tao seemed to understand the reason¡ª He had just encountered those two blood-red zombies outside, which must havee from this granary; this was theirir! A door blocked the way between the ground and the underground, so the zombies couldn¡¯t get up, and they had been using the hole behind Xu Xiaojun toe and go. But for some reason, Xu Xiaojun had blocked this hole, causing the two zombies to be unable to get back in after going out, so they kept mming against it¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s wake him up first to see what¡¯s going on!¡± Wang Tao immediately took out a medical kit to restore HP to Xu Xiaojun. Then he helped him treat the wounds superficially. Xu Xiaojun had steel armor on, which was tightly wrapped around him, so he was not infected. About ten minutester, Xu Xiaojun slowly woke up. Then, his body shook as he tried to attack Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue! ¡°Are you infected?¡± Wang Tao easily held down Xu Xiaojun¡¯s hand, puzzled. Xu Xiaojun had a green HP bar and showed no symptoms of infection, so why was he suddenly attacking him? Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Xu Xiaojun froze. ¡°Brother Wang?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me. Why are you attacking me?¡± Wang Tao asked, frowning. ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t know it was you¡­ but your eyes¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun was confused, but still responded immediately.
It was pitch ck in the granary, and, having just woken up groggy, he saw a pair of green eyes and a pair of red eyes staring at him! Who wouldn¡¯t panic? For a moment, Xu Xiaojun thought he was going to die¡­ ¡°Oh, I almost forgot¡­¡±
Wang Tao then remembered the granary had no light, and both he and Jiang Shixue could see in the dark, so they had overlooked this fact. Moreover, both of their eyes glowed, which frightened Xu Xiaojun. Wang Tao took out a shlight and illuminated the surroundings. Xu Xiaojun instinctively squinted, and after adjusting to the light, he clearly saw that it was indeed Wang Tao in front of him, only Wang Tao¡¯s eyes were emitting a faint green light, and beside him was his sister, Jiang Shixue, whose eyes emitted a red light! These siblings were so scary! ¡°What happened to you? Where are the others?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t exin any further and instead asked directly. ¡°I¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun looked around and then suddenly his shoulders slumped, an air of defeat about him, and his face showed a hint of bewilderment. Wang Tao didn¡¯t say anything, just quietly watched him. Although Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t say anything, Wang Tao felt it might have something to do with the people from Fish Bay Camp. ¡°I¡­ they left, and I was left behind¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun¡¯s face showed a trace of pain, his speech bing much smoother. ¡°It¡¯s okay, take your time.¡±
Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind the filth and sat down beside him; Jiang Shixue sat down next to Wang Tao. Both of them looked at Xu Xiaojun. Feeling the gaze of a pair of green eyes and a pair of red eyes, Xu Xiaojun was still somewhat overwhelmed. He organized his thoughts and then began to exin slowly: ¡°Today, after Brother Wang left¡­¡± In the morning, after Wang Tao had dealt with the three Level 2 zombies, he also spotted the green pus-filled zombie and so he and Jiang Shixue chased after it. Only some ordinary zombies remained around the granary, which the group quickly dispatched. Then they naturally started to move the grain from the granary. However, there was less grain inside the granary than they had expected, and after moving some of it, they discovered there was an underground warehouse. The door to the underground warehouse was locked, but it was quickly pried open by the group. It was very dark below, divided into different areas, and they couldn¡¯t see everything with shlights. But they could see there was grain inside. Everyone waited at the entrance for a while, even deliberately making some noise, but the underground granary was quiet, with no sounds or anythinging out. This made everyone let down their guard. So, Eldest Lu sent people down to bring up the grain. Eldest Lu, Xu Xiaojun, and the other Ability Users didn¡¯t go down because they had to keep watch outside, to prevent zombies from approaching. Unexpectedly, all those who went inside went silent¡­ Eldest Lu rushed to check carefully, but his precognitive abilities didn¡¯t sense anything.
Eldest Lu trusted his Perception deeply, and since he sensed nothing, it meant there was no danger, or the danger was minimal. So, Eldest Lu had everyone go down to move the grain. He thought that even if there was danger, they could handle it! After all, there was so much grain; it couldn¡¯t go to waste! Xu Xiaojun naturally went down too. However, only then did they discover three incredibly terrifying zombies below! Several of them died upon first contact. They were stronger than the Level 2 zombies Wang Tao had killed before! Upon seeing the situation, Eldest Lu didn¡¯t think twice and immediately ordered a retreat. But it¡¯s easy to go down, harder to get up! At this point, they needed someone to hold the rear, and Xu Xiaojun readily took on the responsibility as the strongest in the camp. Xu Xiaojun tried to block the zombies and attract their attention. Once the others got out, they were supposed to pull him out. But to Xu Xiaojun¡¯s surprise, the survivors didn¡¯te back for him after they left; instead, they locked the door, leaving him alone inside¡­
Chapter 339: 164 Abandonment_1 Chapter 339: Chapter 164 Abandonment_1 ¡°You¡¯ve been abandoned.¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly spoke with a piercing sharpness. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun nodded, his eyes empty. Jiang Shixue looked up at Wang Tao, her head filled with fragmented memories of him. She couldn¡¯t recall the specifics, but she knew it was Wang Tao who had saved her. If not for Wang Tao, she would have been dead by now. She hadn¡¯t been abandoned. Wang Tao felt Jiang Shixue¡¯s gaze and rubbed her hair, then turned to Xu Xiaojun and asked, ¡°Then how did you survive here?¡± Xu Xiaojun closed his eyes, his face contorted in pain. ¡°At that time, many people died. Those three zombies seemed somewhat afraid of light; they didn¡¯t chase after us but ate the bodies of mypanions instead. I ran in the chaos. I could have had the chance to escape¡­ When I saw that the door was locked shut, I suppressed my difort and hid amongst the flesh and blood¡­ Perhaps it was because I was covered in the scent of meat and blood, the zombies didn¡¯t notice me¡­¡±
¡°But I knew that wouldn¡¯t work forever; sooner orter, I¡¯d be discovered. Just when I was trying to figure out what to do, I noticed the zombies seemed to disappear¡­ I mustered the courage to go out and found a hole leading outside¡­¡± ¡°I thought I could escape to freedom and was ready to climb out, but one of the zombies was outside. It found me! I had no choice but to block the hole with everything I could find in the granary.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know if the zombies buried in the flesh would wake up, and I knew I was no match for them, so I barricaded myself in here too. I wanted to die with some dignity¡­ When I woke up again, I saw Brother Wang¡­¡± Having heard Xu Xiaojun¡¯s exnation, Wang Tao now understood the whole story. In short, Eldest Lu and his group came to the underground warehouse and encountered those blood-covered zombies, nearly getting wiped out. Had it not been for Xu Xiaojun covering their retreat and the zombies preupied with feeding¡­ all of them would likely have died. But they abandoned Xu Xiaojun, who had to hide and save himself. When he saw the zombies leave, he prepared to escape, only to find a zombie at the exit. With no other options, he blocked the hole. Xu Xiaojun couldn¡¯t see the zombies¡¯ HP bars, nor did he know that the zombies yet to fully develop inside the flesh had no attacking ability. So, fearing they would wake up, he dared not attack. Thus, he barricaded everything around him, preparing for a somewhat respectable death. But then, Wang Tao arrived¡­ ¡°It¡¯s true that appearances can be deceiving!¡± Wang Tao remarked with a sigh. He thought Eldest Lu was smart enough not to abandon a teammate ¡ª not because he was kind-hearted, but as a leader, abandoning a teammate in front of others would not sit well. How would that make the others feel? Even if it was just for show, he should have at least tried to help Xu Xiaojun. Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s reflection, Xu Xiaojun suddenly spoke up: ¡°Eldest Lu¡­ he¡¯s dead¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Okay, that would exin it¡­ So he died! Wang Tao felt a twinge of regret. He had previously thought that Eldest Lu¡¯s Hidden Attributes, which allowed him to anticipate danger early, were quite impressive. Now, it seemed that even such abilities were not infallible. Wang Tao then asked Xu Xiaojun for more details about those zombies.
¡°There¡¯s one more, three in total¡­ afraid of light¡­ they stay in theirir during the day and go out at night¡­¡± Wang Tao stroked his chin, not expecting there to be another one. It was fortunate they hadn¡¯t encountered it, or things could have been troublesome. Moreover, Wang Tao didn¡¯t expect such a clear weakness in a Level 3 zombie¡­ This aversion to light seemed worse than the Terrorizer¡¯s. Terrorizers are sensitive to light, but it¡¯s only their eyes that are affected, and they can move freely outside during the day.
As for this Blood-red Zombie, it doesn¡¯te out during the day at all. Even earlier, when Eldest Lu and his group made noise outside, the zombie remained in itsir¡­ obviously, it was more light-sensitive than the Terrorizers! Could he possibly exploit this weakness? After all, this was a Level 3 zombie! Wang Tao felt a bit greedy. Yet it was night, and besides a shlight, he had no other sources of light. He didn¡¯t know if the shlight¡¯s light would be effective¡­ If only they could find where the zombies hid during the day. ¡°Thud, thud, thud¡ª¡± asional thumping sounds still came from outside the hole. Xu Xiaojun grew tense, while Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue remained rtively calm. Xu Xiaojun had securely blocked the entrance, so the zombies couldn¡¯t get in. Wang Tao pulled out a few bottles of nutrient solution, handing them to Xu Xiaojun: ¡°Eat something, then rest. We¡¯ll discuss things tomorrow in daylight.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you!¡± Xu Xiaojun epted them gratefully. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he trusted Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t harm him, so he downed it immediately. Sour and sweet, it was quite tasty.
Shortly after, Xu Xiaojun felt his strength returning. He was surprised, but didn¡¯t ask further. After confirming that Wang Tao didn¡¯t need him to take over the night watch, hey down on the ground and soon, soft snoring filled the air. Wang Tao found Xu Xiaojun quite interesting. After going through this ordeal, it seemed his stutter was gone? Wang Tao looked at Jiang Shixue. ¡°Little Xue, you should rest too,¡± he said. Jiang Shixue had also been injured in the fight with the Blood-red Zombie. Although Wang Tao had treated her with a first aid kit, some wounds needed more time to heal. Chapter 340: 164 Abandonment_2 Chapter 340: Chapter 164 Abandonment_2 ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue then leaned directly on Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder. After a moment, she seemed to feel a bit ufortable and lifted Wang Tao¡¯s hand, resting it on her own shoulder, and then she closed her eyes contentedly. Wang Tao smiled and gently wrapped his arm around Jiang Shixue¡¯s shoulder, but his mind was already focused on his Space Backpack. The night had been dangerous, but the rewards were substantial. First was the loot from killing that green pustule zombie. It was a Level 2, Zombie Lord, so for Wang Tao, it counted as killing beyond his level. Wang Tao¡¯s HP cap increased directly by 2760! Now, it has reached 9590, just over four hundred shy of ten thousand. After the Level 2 Ascension, there was also a slight increase in physical fitness each time a full thousand HP was gained. However, while at Level 1, he needed to sleep to gain the increase, but after reaching Level 2, he no longer needed to. The upgrade came moments after gaining HP, which was much more convenient than before. The only question was whether he would be forced to sleep again once he reached ten thousand HP¡­ Regarding the pustule zombie, since it was a kill beyond his level, it naturally had Special Energy, adding the same amount of HP, which was 2760!
Wang Tao¡¯s current Special Energy was 3240! If he could kill another pustule zombie, he could gather five thousand Special Energy, and then he could synthesize a Level 2 Ability once more! Continuing to review the other spoils from the pustule zombie¡ª 100 servings of Zombie Culture Fluid, a Crystal Core, and three packages. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected the pustule zombie to have Zombie Culture Fluid on it! Then Wang Tao remembered that when he was about to kill the pustule zombie, a Blood-red Zombie emerged and stopped him. Could it be suspected then, that this pustule zombie was also a target of the Blood-red Zombies? Or were they in cahoots? After all, the Zombie Culture Fluid is for cultivating zombies, and those Blood-red Zombies were breeding new zombies in theirir¡­ Wang Tao felt this possibility was very likely! The pustule zombie had burst out a total of 100 servings of Zombie Culture Fluid, much less than the 1000 servings from the previous Green-eyed Zombie. Obviously, Wang Tao had no use for these Culture Fluids, but Jiang Shixue still could use them. After resurrecting Jiang Shixuest time, Wang Tao tried again to see how she felt about the Zombie Culture Fluid. Wang Tao thought it smelled terrible, but Jiang Shixue found it very fragrant¡­ and she said it seemed to strengthen her! However, she couldn¡¯t use it indefinitely; she had to rest for a while after each use. Jiang Shixue could continue to use it now, but since Wang Tao and she had been on the move, there wasn¡¯t time to use it after arriving at Fish Bay Camp and resting for only a day. Wang Tao nned to find some timeter to let Jiang Shixue cultivate a bit. After all, the previous use of Zombie Culture Fluid instantly added 1000 HP for Jiang Shixue, and she gained aprehensive boost in physical fitness¡­ Wang Tao looked at the Crystal Core that burst out of the pustule zombie. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Carrion Eater] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Body undergoes some sort of deformity)] [Carrion Eater: Digestive system enhancement, saliva can digest the virus in decayed zombie corpses with reduced activity, the esophagus won¡¯t be infected by the zombie virus, the stomach sack can absorb energy from decayed corpses]
Wang Tao thought that Carrion Eater was an incredible ability! After all, in the post-apocalyptic world, resources were scarce, and one had to scavenge in cities or grow their own food. If he had this Carrion Eater ability, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about starving. Because with this ability, he wouldn¡¯t fear the zombie virus in decayed bodies! After all, zombies were everywhere, and by killing just any ordinary zombie, he¡¯d probably have food tost a long time. But the problem was whether humans could ept eating decayed bodies.
If it were decayed animals, it would be just disgusting¡ªeat it with pinched nose if truly starved. But zombies were transformed from humans¡­ It was not just an assault on the senses but also a psychological one. How many people could ept eating zombies? Wang Tao¡¯s evaluation of the Crystal Core was: it¡¯s an incredible ability, but he didn¡¯t want it. In the future, when he goes torge Survivor Bases, he¡¯ll see if he can trade it. Wang Tao believed that someone would definitely like this ability. He himself couldn¡¯t ept eating zombies, even if it wouldn¡¯t infect him with the zombie virus. Then there were three packages that burst out from the pustule zombie. The first package contained the long-missed Crystal Core Gift Bag with a total of five Crystal Cores! [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: None)] The first one was a Level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Core, and it was of outstanding quality! Wang Tao already had three Level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Cores: Ordinary (20%), Excellent (40%), and Excellent (60%). With this one, he¡¯d be able to synthesize two Epic Crystal Cores! Of course, since this was a Level 2 Crystal Core with only 45% purity, if he used just two Crystal Cores for synthesis, 10% impurity would remain. But Wang Tao wasn¡¯t worried about it now, as he still had five Cleansing Potions to reduce the Internal Impurities that he hadn¡¯t used.
[Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Running] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Doubled physical strength consumption)] [Running: Passive Ability, enhances the speed of running] The second Crystal Core was the Running Crystal Core which Wang Tao hadn¡¯t seen before, much like the Power Crystal Core, it was a Passive Ability. Wang Tao thought this Crystal Core was not bad¡ªif he fused this Ability, it would greatly enhance his survivability. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Timed Defense] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] Chapter 341: 164 Abandonment_3 Chapter 341: Chapter 164 Abandonment_3 [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Greatly reduced defense at night)] [Timed Defense: Passive Ability, increased defensive power during the day, unchanged at night] The third crystal core was also a passive ability. This Timed Defense ability made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes light up. After all, he had witnessed the formidable defense of the pus-filled zombie. If he could use this Timed Defense along with the Barrier Ability, he wondered whether his defense could reach the level of the pus-filled zombie. However, the side effect of greatly reduced defense at night was quite significant. Since Timed Defense itself doesn¡¯t increase defense at night, coupled with this side effect, the night would be a weakness. No wonder that after nightfall, the damage inflicted by Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue when attacking the pus-filled zombie increased so much. If Wang Tao wanted to merge this ability, he would have to gather three crystal cores and eliminate this side effect. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Perception]
[Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Perception ability weakened by 50% if not merged by a female)] [Perception: Consumes energy to sense surrounding life forms] The fourth crystal core turned out to be a Perception Crystal Core! In the few months since the apocalypse began, Wang Tao had only seen Han Rui with the perception ability, and even hers was only at +1. There might be no choice but to rely on Omnipotent Crystal Cores for leveling upter, because Perception Zombies were so rare that Wang Tao had never encountered one. It was unexpected that the pus-filled zombie possessed perception ability! But Wang Tao felt that the pus-filled zombie¡¯s perception wasn¡¯t very strong either? When he and Jiang Shixue suddenlyunched an attack, it didn¡¯t even react¡­ Wang Tao then looked at the side effect, which stated that only a female could fully utilize the power of this crystal core; if a male merged it, the ability would be weakened by 50%! So, was the pus-filled zombie possibly male? Wang Tao felt discriminated against. Why should his ability be weakened by 50% if he merged it? Wang Tao really wanted to merge this crystal core; after all, it was like installing a radar for himself. But this side effect was too severe, reducing the ability by 50%! There was nothing he could do for now; he would have to save up and see if he could gather three crystal cores to remove this side effect before merging. Thest one was an Ascension crystal core. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Impurities: 45% (No side effects)] His luck was not too bad, he obtained an Excellent quality Ascension crystal core. Wang Tao probably wouldn¡¯t need it, but it was precious and could be exchanged with others in the future. The crystal cores from the Crystal Core Gift Bag were all good, making the risk that Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue took worth it.
Then Wang Tao turned his attention to the other two packages. The second package contained potions. [Running Potion (Small) x5] [Defense Potion (small) x5]
¡°5 Running Potions and 5 Defense Potions, not bad.¡± Although Wang Tao had the recipes for these potions, hecked the key materials to make them and could only obtain them through loot dropped by zombies. These 10 potions shouldst him for a while. Thest package contained something that slightly surprised Wang Tao; it was actually a blueprint for a pair of shoes! [Running Battle Boots Blueprint x1] [Running Battle Boots Blueprint: Allows for the crafting of a pair of Running Battle Boots. Required materials: Iron Block x5, Steel Wire x5, Screw x5, Rope x5, Nail x5, Rubber x5, stic x5, Cable x5, Electronic Component x5, Battery x5] [Running Battle Boots: Durability +10, defensive power +10, running speed +10] The shoes actually increased running speed! This made Wang Tao very happy, as running speed was quite important to him since he didn¡¯t have any abilities specifically aimed at increasing speed. The materials required for making the shoes weren¡¯t much, and with a thought, Wang Tao took them all out. In the darkness, a sh of rainbow light shone and a pair of ck boots resembling military shoes appeared in front of Wang Tao. Jiang Shixue had already opened her eyes and curiously observed the shoes. She is a light sleeper, and the rainbow light just now had obviously caught her attention. Wang Tao immediately put on the new shoes and instantly felt that they were much morefortable than his previous shoes! He couldn¡¯t test the speed just yet, but Wang Tao felt it should significantly increase. Even without a speed boost, the durability andfort level alone made them worthwhile.
Wang Tao, noticing Jiang Shixue¡¯s curious expression, briefly exined that these were his new equipment. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t ask further and continued to sleep leaning on Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder. Embracing Jiang Shixue¡¯s shoulders, Wang Tao turned his gaze back to the Space Backpack. He had finished examining the loot from the pus-filled zombies but had yet to check the packages from the three undeveloped zombies and the mass of flesh in the zombies¡¯ir. There were four packages in total. The packages from the three undeveloped zombies all contained the same thing, three Level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Cores! One Excellent, one Excellent (60%), and one Excellent (80%)! This came as a pleasant surprise to Wang Tao; with these three, he could synthesize another Epic Omnipotent Crystal Core! Omnipotent Crystal Cores themselves have no side effects, only impurities. By synthesizing two Omnipotent Crystal Cores into an Epic Omnipotent Crystal Core, one core would have only 0.1% impurity. He calcted that he currently had 1.1% impurity in his body. If he could merge nine 0.1% impurity Omnipotent Crystal Cores, that would be exactly 2% impurity, which meant he could use two Cleansing Potions without any waste to remove all impurities! Now he only had three Epic Omnipotent Crystal Cores, so he would continue to collect more! As for the loot from the huge mass of flesh, it made Wang Tao raise his eyebrows. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Extraction] [Quality: Epic (100%)]
[Purity: 45% (Side effects: None)] [Extraction: After merging, one can freely choose to extract a Level 2 Ability from oneself. The extracted ability will form a new crystal core without side effects.] This Extraction¡­ is almost like his ability to extract powers! It seems that aside from the inheritance during level ascension, Extraction Crystal Cores could also be used to change abilities! Although he didn¡¯t need it himself, others might. Wang Tao could already imagine the value of this crystal core! It was just unknown what kind of zombies others would have to kill to get this Extraction Crystal Core¡­ Chapter 342: 165 Slanderous Accusation_1 Chapter 342: Chapter 165 nderous usation_1 The night passed without incident. Wang Tao woke up and nced at his watch, it was already six in the morning. As soon as he made a move, Jiang Shixue also woke up, while Xu Xiaojun was still sleeping. Xu Xiaojun¡¯s injuries were quite serious, and even though Wang Tao had used a medical kit on him, he would need a long time to recover. Wang Tao directly woke him up. ¡°I¡¯m going out, you rest here for now. I didn¡¯t lock the door, so you can leave on your own or wait for me toe back.¡± The underground grain cer was still dark, and Wang Tao left some nutrient solution and a shlight for Xu Xiaojun. ¡°Okay, thank you¡­¡± The groggy Xu Xiaojun quickly expressed his gratitude. Wang Tao patted Xu Xiaojun¡¯s shoulder, then he and Jiang Shixue went upstairs.
A few Ordinary Zombies were around the granary, which Wang Tao easily took care of. He and Jiang Shixue carefully searched the area but didn¡¯t find the two Blood-red Zombies fromst night. Although there were some scratch marks, they couldn¡¯t determine where the opponent had gone. If the other party was photophobic, they were most likely resting in some dark corner¡­ Wang Tao had originally nned to leave after obtaining the map, but now he changed his mind; he decided to wait and see if there was an opportunity to find those three Blood-red Zombies during the day. If he really couldn¡¯t find them, then so be it; he wouldn¡¯t lose anything. But if he could find them during the day, he might hit the jackpot. As for the evening, there was a high probability of finding them, but the problem was, if he found them, he might not be able to fight them off¡­ after all, there were three Level 3 Zombies! Upon returning to the underground grain cer, Xu Xiaojun had fully awakened and was doing stretching exercises. ¡°You¡¯re recovering nicely!¡± Wang Taoplimented. Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaojun quickly jogged over, his face earnestly filled with gratitude: ¡°Thanks for your help, Brother Wang. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have died a long time ago¡­¡± ¡°It was nothing, don¡¯t mention it!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile, then asked, ¡°What are your ns now?¡± ¡°I¡­ I n to go back¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun replied with his head lowered. If it weren¡¯t for wanting to thank Wang Tao in person again, he might have left as soon as he woke up. ¡°Go back? Go back where?¡± Wang Tao was momentarily stunned. ¡°Back to Fish Bay Camp¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun¡¯s tone was somewhat downcast.
¡­ Wang Tao frowned slightly; after the way people at Fish Bay Camp had treated him, why would he go back there? Wang Tao took a close look; he didn¡¯t see any anger or desire for vengeance in Xu Xiaojun¡ª he genuinely wanted to go back. ¡°Alright, be careful on the road then.¡±
Wang Tao shook his head somewhat speechlessly. This was someone else¡¯s choice, and he wasn¡¯t going to interfere. ¡°Um¡­ then, Brother Wang, I¡¯m leaving. You are my lifesaver, but I don¡¯t have anything to thank you with right now¡­ When I get the chance, I will definitely repay you¡ª¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Wang Tao quickly interrupted Xu Xiaojun, then patted his shoulder and said: ¡°Thest person who said that to me is no longer with us. I just hope you can keep on living well.¡± ¡­ Xu Xiaojun left. Watching his forlorn figure walking away, Jiang Shixue felt puzzled. ¡°Is he going for revenge? But I didn¡¯t feel any killing intent.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not revenge, he¡¯s just going home.¡± Wang Tao exined. ¡°But why doesn¡¯t he seek revenge after they wronged him? Shouldn¡¯t he kill them all?¡±
Jiang Shixue was somewhat confused. ¡­¡±Killing them all isn¡¯t necessary, there were many people involved in this operation, just find the main culprit. But everyone makes their own choices, we don¡¯t need to get involved, just respect their fate.¡± ¡°Oh~¡± It was unclear whether Jiang Shixue understood, but she nodded her little head regardless. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll continue to look for traces of those Level 3 Zombies, and also keep an eye out for Elite Level 1 Zombies or Level 2 Zombies. If you see them, don¡¯t kill them; leave them for me to finish off.¡± Wang Tao was still 410 HP short of reaching 10,000 HP, and he wanted to see if there would be any change when he hit 10,000 HP. ¡°Okay, brother~¡± ¡­ Xu Xiaojun returned to the outskirts of Fish Bay Base feeling somewhat dejected. The people on guard duty at the entrance were shocked to see Xu Xiaojun, as if they had seen a ghost. ¡°You, you¡¯re not dead!¡± One of the guards blurted out unintentionally. These words made Xu Xiaojun frown; it sounded almost like a curse for him to die?
However, Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t dwell on it; he spoke very politely: ¡°I didn¡¯t die, I¡¯vee back. Could you please open the gate, thank you.¡± Xu Xiaojun was two meters tall with a burly frame, towering over the average person. Most people seemed like dwarfs inparison. However, Xu Xiaojun used to stammer and had a simple and honest smile, which made others not feel afraid of him. Many people would even tease him to his face, as Fatty¡¯s good temper was recognized by the entire camp. But now, Xu Xiaojun wasn¡¯t stammering anymore, the naive smile had disappeared from his face, there were wounds on his arm, and he had an axe stained with ck blood hanging from his waist¡­ This left the two guards feeling an immense pressure! Xu Xiaojun¡¯s current oppressive presence was too strong, and it frightened anyone who saw him! ¡°Just, just wait a moment, I, I need to notify someone first!¡± The guard started to stammer, whereas Xu Xiaojun did not. ¡°Okay.¡± Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t ask why, as he wasn¡¯t someone who often questioned the reasons. After agreeing, he simply stood quietly and waited. The guard ran toward the camp, even tripping over once along the way, seeming quite frantic.
The other guard, meanwhile, watched Xu Xiaojun with a face full of vignce and caution, his hand even resting on the homemade spear beside him. Chapter 343: 165 Slanderous Accusation_2 Chapter 343: Chapter 165 nderous usation_2 It was as if the figure standing before him was no longer their camp¡¯s guardian deity but a terrifying zombie. Xu Xiaojun was somewhat puzzled, not understanding why this person was so wary of him; he hadn¡¯t been infected with the zombie virus, had he? Nevertheless, Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t say much. He was never much of a talker to begin with, and after what had happened, he talked even less. The more silent he remained, the more pressure the guard felt, to the point where cold sweat started to appear on his forehead. Who knows if it was a minute, or ten, or even longer¡­ Finally, people from the camp came out, and not just a few but a whole crowd, as if the entire camp hade. Seeing so many people, Xu Xiaojun¡¯s face, for once, disyed a rare smile. These people were here to wee him¡­ right? ¡°You actually didn¡¯t die? You still have the face toe back!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just die! You¡¯ve killed so many of us, isn¡¯t that enough, or do you want to kill the rest of us too bying back?¡± ¡°My husband is dead, yet you¡¯re still alive? Why didn¡¯t you die!¡± ¡°Eldest Lu died because of you! Even if you¡¯re alive, you should be living in disgrace! How dare youe back so brazenly!¡±
¡°You want to get us all killed at this base, don¡¯t you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Listening to the cacophony of voices, Xu Xiaojun was dumbfounded. His mind couldn¡¯t catch up with what was happening. At this moment, Yu Wei, walking at the forefront, spoke up with a face filled with hatred: ¡°Xu Xiaojun, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still alive. But it¡¯s not just about you being alive; how do you have the shame toe back here? If it weren¡¯t for you, so many of us wouldn¡¯t have died, and Eldest Lu wouldn¡¯t have either! Tell me, how do you have the face to return!¡± ¡°Because I caused so many deaths?¡± Xu Xiaojun understood this time, but he was stillpletely at a loss. Their deaths had nothing to do with him, did they? If anything, it was all rted to Eldest Lu. After all, it was Eldest Lu who gave the order. The first two who went down had already fallen silent, yet Eldest Lu thought there was no problem, and everyone trusted his sixth sense. That trust led to massive casualties¡­ What did that have to do with Xu Xiaojun? If he hadn¡¯t risked his life to cover their retreat, probably none of them would have made it back alive¡­ ¡°I¡­¡± As Xu Xiaojun looked like he was about to say something, Tian Peng immediately spoke loudly, interrupting him. ¡°Xu Xiaojun, are you trying to argue that you have nothing to do with this? That it¡¯s all Eldest Lu¡¯s fault? Haha, you¡¯re so naive. Do you think we¡¯ll believe you? You think Eldest Lu¡¯s death means there¡¯s no one left to testify against you, is that it? But you didn¡¯t expect us to still be alive! You wanted to feed us to the zombies so you could escape? Too bad, we were lucky enough to survive!¡± ¡°¡­¡± What? He wanted to feed them to the zombies to save himself? Xu Xiaojun felt like his CPU was overheating¡ªwasn¡¯t it him who embraced certain death so his teammates could survive? Xu Xiaojun wasn¡¯t articte; he struggled to organize his thoughts, considering how to exin himself. But his silence made everyone think he had admitted guilt.
In fact, there were still some who didn¡¯t believe Xu Xiaojun could have done such a thing. After all, he was their protector, a genuinely nice guy. Whenever anyone had a problem, they¡¯d ask Xu Xiaojun. When there was no food, they¡¯d borrow from Xu Xiaojun, and he¡¯d never refuse. Could such a good man have possibly done those things? But when they saw Xu Xiaojun ¡°agree¡± by his silence, they suddenly felt they had misjudged him! ¡°You can never judge a book by its cover!¡± ¡°Xu Xiaojun was only pretending before! In fact, he¡¯s really dark-hearted! He gives you little favors, ying the nice guy, but when ites to the crunch, he betrays his teammates!¡±
¡°We were almost duped by Xu Xiaojun!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Abuse and scorn filled the air at once. Xu Xiaojun lifted his head, watching these familiar faces grow increasingly alien. He had finally sorted out his words. ¡°Please believe me, I didn¡¯t cause anyone¡¯s death; I was covering the rear for everyone. If it wasn¡¯t for me, none of you would have survived¡­¡± These words caught Yu Wei and Tian Peng off guard for a moment. Howe Fatty was suddenly speaking so clearly? They quickly pondered how to counter Xu Xiaojun¡¯s statement. However, at that moment, an ordinary survivor suddenly spoke up: ¡°Haha, and you still say it wasn¡¯t you! Look, now you¡¯re not even stuttering! That proves your stuttering was just a disguise too! If even something like stuttering was faked, then there¡¯s no doubt about the rest! You scheming person, get out of our camp!¡± Others, hearing this, found it made sense. So, everyone began to shout in unison: ¡°Get out of our camp!¡± ¡°Get out of our camp!¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t, please listen to my exnation¡­¡± ¡°No need for exnations! Get out of our camp!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun still wanted to continue exining, but seeing these people, whom he had once helped, now looking at him with such hate and telling him to get lost¡­ he instantly lost all desire to speak. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± Suddenly, several zombies¡¯ shrieks echoed. The noisy crowd instantly fell silent. ¡°There are zombies!¡± A few ordinary zombies, as if attracted by the noise, staggered toward the entrance of Fish Bay Camp. There were many obstacles between these people and Xu Xiaojun; if the gate wasn¡¯t opened, the zombies wouldn¡¯t get in. Yet many were frightened enough to start backing away. Xu Xiaojun watched these people unwilling to give him a chance to exin, yet silenced by the screams of a few ordinary zombies¡­ He suddenly found the irony overwhelming. Chapter 344: 165 Slanderous Accusation_3 Chapter 344: Chapter 165 nderous usation_3 Xu Xiaojun turned his head, grabbed the firefighter axe, and with one blow for each, he took down the few zombies. Then he looked back at the crowd without saying a word, leaving with a trace of dejection. Watching Xu Xiaojun¡¯s retreating figure, many people heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew¡ªfinally he¡¯s gone. I was afraid he was going to make ast stand against us!¡± ¡°Hmph, just because he¡¯s big and looks a bit scary. But he¡¯s also afraid of so many of us; if he dared to make a move, we could have taken him down in minutes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s best that scum like him left; just looking at him was bad luck!¡± The crowd muttered and cursed. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. From now on we¡¯ll have to rely a lot on Eldest Yu Wei!¡± Upon hearing this, Yu Wei immediately spoke with a smile: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. Now that I have be the new leader of our camp, I will fulfill the responsibilities of a leader. I will definitely lead everyone to survive in this apocalypse! Let¡¯s all head back; don¡¯t let one bad apple spoil the mood¡­¡± In the crowd, Li Yi, who hadn¡¯t been at the camp long, had aplex expression but eventually let out a helpless sigh and followed everyone back.
¡­ From dawn to dusk, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue searched near the granary but didn¡¯t see any shadow of a blood-red zombie. However, Wang Tao was not disappointed because the more this was the case, the more it proved one thing¡ªthe zombies were extremely afraid of sunlight! If they could exploit this weakness, Wang Tao felt that he and Jiang Shixue definitely had a chance to hunt down a Level 3 zombie! ¡°They shoulde out at night¡­¡± Wang Tao stroked his chin, deep in thought. He wondered if he could track them tonight if the zombies really came out and see where their new nest was¡­ then go eliminate them during the day! ¡°Brother, look!¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly tugged at Wang Tao¡¯s clothes. Wang Tao looked in the direction Jiang Shixue was pointing and saw a burly figure squatting amidst the ruins. He was very tall, but curled up tightly. The setting sun shone on him, casting an inexplicable sense of loneliness. ¡°Hmm? Xu Xiaojun? What¡¯s he doing here?¡± Wang Tao was surprised, then led Jiang Shixue over. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Wang Tao suddenly spoke up, startling Xu Xiaojun. He quickly turned his head and saw that it was Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue, then he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a bewildered look, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, I was just spacing out¡­¡± Just by looking, Wang Tao knew that something must have happened to him after he returned to Fish Bay Camp. Wang Tao sat next to him, curiously asking,
¡°Can you talk about it?¡± Xu Xiaojun hesitated for a moment, but there was nothing he couldn¡¯t say. Eventually he spoke, ¡°They said¡­ I caused the death of the others¡­¡± Listening to Xu Xiaojun¡¯s ount of what happened, Wang Tao didn¡¯t show much surprise on his face.
Because Wang Tao was well aware that when those people locked the door and left Xu Xiaojun in the underground granary to attract the zombies, they had already severed all ties with him. To them, the best oue would be Xu Xiaojun¡¯s death. What Wang Tao didn¡¯t expect, though, was that upon their return to the base, they would nder Xu Xiaojun as the one who killed the others. Normally, shouldn¡¯t they have praised Xu Xiaojun for sacrificing himself for everyone¡¯s sake, being the camp¡¯s hero, and having his spirit perpetuated within the camp? Did those people know that Xu Xiaojun hadn¡¯t died? So they prepared in advance? But that didn¡¯t seem right; after all, they couldn¡¯t have predicted Wang Tao¡¯s actions. After much thought, Wang Tao figured it might be because they needed a scapegoat to be held ountable for the incident. Such an almost-total annihtion was a huge burden, not something everyone could shoulder. If Eldest Lu were alive, the me would certainly fall on Eldest Lu, and his reputation would greatly suffer. But Eldest Lu was dead. Of course, even if Eldest Lu were dead, he could still be med, but in doing so, Eldest Lu¡¯s reputation would bepletely ruined. If some people wanted to do certain things and that required Eldest Lu¡¯s reputation for endorsement, then the me couldn¡¯t fall on Eldest Lu. For instance¡­ something like Eldest Lu naming someone as the new leader with his dying breath! If Eldest Lu couldn¡¯t be med, then Xu Xiaojun was the perfect candidate. After all, he was strong, he was the camp¡¯s guardian deity, and he was qualified to take the me. Of course, personal vendettas might also y a part. Maybe some were jealous of Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strength or simply didn¡¯t like his face.
Xu Xiaojun was always a good person in the base, but good guys aren¡¯t necessarily liked by everyone; who knows what they really said about him behind his back. To some extent, making everyone like Xu Xiaojun was much harder than making everyone fear him! If he had the power to intimidate, to make everyone fear him, such an incident wouldn¡¯t have urred. As for Xu Xiaojun¡¯s return alive, it must have been beyond many people¡¯s expectations. They must have been terrified upon seeing Xu Xiaojun, always on guard in case he would attack them. But looking at Xu Xiaojun now, he probably hadn¡¯t made a move. Wang Tao shared his thoughts with Xu Xiaojun. After listening, Xu Xiaojun¡¯s expression instantly became nk, followed by a look of pain. ¡°They¡­ they really didn¡¯t like me¡­¡± Wang Tao refrained from saying more, simply patting Xu Xiaojun on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m nning to find a ce to rest for the night. What about you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun shook his head nkly. ¡°Thene with me. I¡¯ll be staying in the county town for a few days. You might be able to help me out.¡±
Wang Tao invited him. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Xu Xiaojun had nowhere else to go. He followed Wang Tao to a three-story building. Wang Tao had chosen this ce specifically because it had a view of the granary. Wang Tao moved away the debris that had been blocking the entrance to the underground granary, exposing the entrance. He wanted to see if the blood-red zombies would return. After all, this was their oldir. Chapter 345: 166: A Baked Pancake_1 Chapter 345: Chapter 166: A Baked Pancake_1 Night fell. Xu Xiaojun looked at Wang Tao. ¡°Brother Wang, let me go with you, my wounds have healed already!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re too weak.¡± Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun felt a bit embarrassed. Actually, it wasn¡¯t that Xu Xiaojun was too weak; the main issue was that he couldn¡¯t see in the dark, so he couldn¡¯t keep up with Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue. Otherwise, he could at least carry a backpack. Wang Tao asked Xu Xiaojun to rest here while he and Jiang Shixue climbed to the rooftop. From evening to nightfall, there was still no change around the grain warehouse today.
Wang Tao felt that those blood-colored zombies would only appear when the darkness of night truly settled in. The cool breeze of the night was refreshing, and Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue quietly waited on the rooftop. At one moment, the clouds obscured the few stars, making the night even darker. Jiang Shixue tugged at Wang Tao¡¯s clothes. ¡°They¡¯ve appeared!¡± Following the sound, Wang Tao saw a red figure slowly emerging from the night. That familiar figure was the Level 3 Zombie they had seen before! The Blood-red Zombie didn¡¯t notice Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue on the rooftop; it circled the grain warehouse, as if searching for something. Soon, the Blood-red Zombie found the hole. Feeling excited at the sight of the hole, it still didn¡¯t go in but walked elsewhere instead. It really was ¡°walking,¡± just like an ordinary zombie wandering outside. If not careful, one might really mistake it for an ordinary zombie. ¡°Why does it feel like it¡¯s baiting¡­¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help butment. If someone carelessly startled it, it would definitely burst out with astonishing speed and pounce on the target! Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue waited a while longer and saw that the Blood-red Zombie was still wandering nearby. Aside from it, other Blood-red Zombies did not appear. ¡°Let¡¯s go check other ces first.¡± Wang Tao said to Jiang Shixue by his side. ¡°Okay~¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯te out tonight just to see if the Level 3 Zombie was there, but also to look for those green pustule zombies. After all, pustule zombies have very low defensive power at night, and they don¡¯t have much attacking ability either. If they could encounter one, it would be a sure experience pack for Wang Tao.
Although attacking a pustule zombie could attract a Level 3 Blood-colored Zombie, as long as they weren¡¯t swarmed, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue could definitely run away. During the day, Wang Tao had already tested his Combat Boots, and he could only say they were very strong! Originally, his speed was not as fast as Jiang Shixue¡¯s, but now that he wore these boots, Wang Tao¡¯s pace was on par with hers. He didn¡¯t even have ten thousand HP, while Jiang Shixue had nearly twenty thousand. This showed just how powerful the boots were.
With this life-saving gear, although Wang Tao still couldn¡¯t contend with a Level 3 Zombie, escaping should not be a problem. The two of them carefully scouted around but didn¡¯t see any green pustule zombies. However, they did see a Level 2 Zombie. ¡°Level 2 ¨C Berserker!¡± Seeing the hulking figure with a Giant Axe, Wang Tao was immediately excited. He had seen many Level 1 Berserkers, but he had nevere across a Level 2 Berserker before. Strictly speaking, other than the Gori zombie, it seemed like Wang Tao had not seen any other zombies that had ascended from Level 1 to Level 2. Zombies like Berserkers, Attackers, and Self-exploders¡ªWang Tao had not encountered any at Level 2. The Level 2 Zombies that Wang Tao had seen seemed like they were inherently Level 2, such as the Toad zombie, Pustule zombie, etc. Wang Tao even worried that those zombies couldn¡¯t ascend to Level 2, then how would he obtain their Crystal Cores? After all, his Shockwave and Precision Shooting abilities originally came from Level 1 zombies. Fortunately, now that he saw a Level 2 Berserker, Wang Tao could rx. It might simply be that there were presently few Level 2 Zombies, and he hadn¡¯t encountered them. Wang Tao prepared to hunt down this Level 2 Berserker, but for safety, he and Jiang Shixue took care of the other normal zombies nearby first. After all, with a Level 3 Zombie outside, if the other zombies made a racket and attracted the Level 3, it would be quite troublesome.
Wang Tao looked at the Level 2 ¨C Berserker. [HP: 10000/10000] [Mana: 2000/2000] [Level: Level 2 Elite] The Level 2 ¨C Berserker¡¯s stature was muchrger than a Level 1¡¯s, with an estimated height of two and a half to two and six meters, baring its upper body, muscles intertwined all over. However, in its hands was not a Reinforced Concrete Hammer or a streetlight but a somewhat simple, worn metal Two-Handed Giant Axe that exuded a heavy presence! But its attributes were rather ordinary, only ten thousand HP and two thousand Mana. Of course, ¡°rather ordinary¡± was rtive to Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue. To someone like Xu Xiaojun, who had about two thousand HP, this zombie was still terrifying. Wang Tao rushed toward the Berserker. His speed was swift, and he was only discovered when he drew near the Berserker¡¯s back. The Berserker roared and lifted the Giant Axe with both hands, ready to attack Wang Tao. ¡°Toote!¡± Wang Tao chopped the zombie right in the head with his axe. Bang!
[-2251] [7749/10000] The Berserker¡¯s defense was still rather high; even with Wang Tao¡¯s full-strength chop, only two thousand HP was taken off. After chopping, Wang Tao retreated, and just as the Berserker¡¯s Giant Axe was about toe crashing down, suddenly a clump of white slime appeared, instantly sticking the Berserker in ce. The Giant Axe in its hand failed to hit the ground. The Berserker¡¯s attack was too noisy, and Wang Tao was afraid it would attract the Level 3 Zombie, so he used a Slime Grenade. Chapter 346: 166: A Pancake_2 Chapter 346: Chapter 166: A Pancake_2 The Slime Grenades could only immobilize the Terrorizer for a few seconds, but it was enough time. Jiang Shixue made her move and Wang Tao followed up. After the effects of the slime wore off, the Terrorizer fell to the ground with a thud. Wang Tao quickly gathered the loot and then nced at his HP. [9950/9950] While searching for traces of Level 3 Zombies today, Wang Tao encountered a few Level 1 Elite Zombies. After killing them, his HP had increased slightly. The Terrorizer had provided him with an additional 260 in HP limit, just a bit shy of reaching 10,000 HP! Wang Tao then turned his attention to the spoils of battle. A Crystal Core and a package. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Shockwave] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Light sensitivity)]
Atst, he had obtained a Level 2 Shockwave Crystal Core, but unfortunately, its purity was 5% lower than that of a Level 1 Core. After fusing two Crystal Cores, there would still be 10% impurities remaining. Impurities weren¡¯t a big deal, but that side effect was something Wang Tao definitely did not want. He would have to keep collecting until he had three Shockwave Crystal Cores to fuse together. Wang Tao looked at the Terrorizer¡¯s package, which contained an unexpected surprise. [Improved Worn-Out Great Axe Blueprint x1] [Improved Worn-Out Great Axe Blueprint: Can forge a two-handed giant axe. Required materials: Two-Handed Axe x1 (the quality of the core material will affect the resulting product¡¯s quality), Level 2 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x10, Steel Wire x10, Gear x10, de x10, Nails x10, Screws x10] [Improved Worn-Out Great Axe: Attributes unknown] It turned out to be a weapon crafting blueprint! For so long, Wang Tao had only ever seen one weapon crafting blueprint, which was the blueprint for the Precise Crossbow. Now this was the second blueprint he had encountered. However, the list of materials required to forge this giant axe was extensive, needing a Level 2 Zombie Crystal Core! The other items he had crafted using blueprints, apart from potions and Hand Grenades, only the Food Compressor required a Crystal Core. The blueprint also kindly reminded that the quality of the core material would affect the final product¡¯s quality. And that core material was the Two-Handed Axe. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have a Two-Handed Axe at hand¡ªwait, perhaps he did! He looked over at the corpse of the Terrorizer and saw a huge axe lying nearby; he had nearly forgotten about it! [Broken Giant Axe x1] This axe, like other weapons dropped by zombies, only disyed a name, not specific attributes. Wang Tao had plenty of materials on him, including Crystal Cores, and now he had the core material, the axe, too. He looked back at the blueprint, and a ¡°Forgeable¡± prompt appeared. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue searched the vicinity but did not find any other Level 2 Zombies, nor did they see any Level 1 Elite Zombies. Wang Tao found a rtively enclosed room, and the two of them walked in. There were only a few Ordinary Zombies inside the room, which Wang Tao easily dispatched. He then took out the giant axe and other materials, ready to start the crafting process.
As for the Zombie Crystal Cores, Wang Tao chose an Ordinary Quality Weak Poisonous Mist Crystal Core. He had no shortage of Level 2 Crystal Cores, and the most abundant among them were Weakness Poison Fog Cores, totaling 14. These were obtained during the attack on the Shuize Base by a Toad zombie apanied by more than ten Level 2 Poisonous Fog Zombies. When Wang Tao and Han Rui parted ways, they left many Level 1 Crystal Cores with them, but Wang Tao took the Level 2 Cores for himself. These Weakness Poison Fog Cores were also in his possession.
Once all the materials were ready, Wang Tao focused his thoughts, and a burst of rainbow light shed by. All the materials disappeared, and a two-handed giant axe, very simr to the one dropped by the Terrorizer, materialized. The axe was two meters long, rather simple-looking and even had several notches, befitting its ¡®worn-out¡¯ name. [Improved Worn-Out Great Axe] [Level 2 (Excellent)] [Attack power +30, Durability +30, Attack speed -(5%~50%)] The attributes of the axe were somewhat beyond Wang Tao¡¯s expectations¡ªit actually had a level! The weapons Wang Tao had crafted with blueprints before did not have levels. Could it be because a Level 2 Crystal Core was incorporated during the weapon¡¯s crafting process? Wang Tao believed that to be the reason. However, he had used an Ordinary Quality Level 2 Crystal Core, but the weapon turned out to be of excellent quality. Considering that the blueprint did not indicate any rtionship between the Core¡¯s quality and the final product¡­ Wang Tao surmised that the quality of the Crystal Core probably had no bearing on the resulting weapon and that it was likely a matter of luck. This giant axe provided an additional 30 points to attack power. Wang Tao did not have an attack power stat on his attribute panel, so he wasn¡¯t sure what the 30 points signified. However, the Precise Crossbow he had previously crafted had an attack power bonus of +10, and it could no longer keep up with his strength, so he had given it to Ding Yuqin.
This giant axe, with +30 attack power, should be stronger than the Precise Crossbow, right? The second attribute, +30 durability, was impressive to Wang Tao. Thus far, he had only one piece of equipment that had worn out¡ªthe security uniform he wore during his encounter and escape from the ck Mist Monster, which had a durability of +1¡­ It was evident that the durability of +30 on this axe was incredibly sturdy. As for the final attribute, the reduced attack speed, Wang Tao guessed the variable range was due to individual differences. Someone with greater strength would experience a smaller reduction in attack speed, while someone with less strength would suffer a greater reduction, and those even weaker might not even be able to lift the axe. Chapter 347 - 166: A Pancake_3 Chapter 347: Chapter 166: A Pancake_3 Wang Tao tried it out, and the axe was very heavy. The previous Reinforced Concrete Hammer and streetmps couldn¡¯tpare. He was indeed able to swing it, but it would be a bit cumbersome after prolonged use. ¡°What a huge axe!¡± Jiang Shixue spoke from the side. ¡°Little Xue, do you want to give it a try?¡± Wang Tao suddenly remembered that he had someone with great strength right by his side. ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue took it over and, imitating Wang Tao¡¯s movements, swung it a few times. It seemed she could handle it with even more ease than Wang Tao. But Jiang Shixue frowned. ¡°This axe affects my speed; I don¡¯t like it.¡± Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t have a specific Speed Ability, but her speed was not slow, and she often relied on her speed tounch attacks. If she were to use this axe, it might actually be a handicap. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll find you a better weapon in the future.¡± Wang Tao ruffled Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair. The axe was also quite cumbersome for him, but he had the Space Backpack, which allowed him to stow it away when not needed and take it out when necessary. So there were no problems in terms of portability. Of course, during realbat, this weapon was indeed too heavy and could prevent him from performing at his best. It was best used as a special attack move. Wang Tao put away the weapon and continued to stroll around with Jiang Shixue, hoping to find a zombie to test the new weapon on. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side; the two wandered untilte into the night and couldn¡¯t even find a Level 1 Elite Zombie, let alone a Level 2 Zombie. Wang Tao felt somewhat helpless. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and see if that Level 3 Zombie has returned to its nest yet.¡± ¡°Okay~¡± They hadn¡¯t reached near the grain storage yet when they suddenly saw firelight appear in the distance. In the pitch-ck night, that firelight was very conspicuous. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Fish Bay Camp? Did something happen to them?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows rose; it was in the direction of Fish Bay Camp. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t like to meddle in others¡¯ affairs, especially since the only two people he had a decent impression of from the entire Fish Bay Camp were Eldest Lu, who had died, and Xu Xiaojun, who was with him now¡­ Arriving back at the grain storage, they could see that the Blood-red Zombie was still wandering around nearby. Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to move forward, after all,bined he and Jiang Shixue were no match for the Level 3 Zombie. The two returned to the small building they had been staying in. ¡°Hmm? Where¡¯s Xu Xiaojun?¡± Wang Tao noticed that Xu Xiaojun was gone. There were crooked lines scratched into the wall. ¡°Brother Wang, something happened at the camp, I¡¯ve gone back.¡± Wang Tao was speechless. Normally, one should sever ties with a camp that abandoned them. Yet Xu Xiaojun had gone back. If he had gone back, so be it; enduring a bit wasn¡¯t impossible. But after Xu Xiaojun returned, he was met with humiliation and nderous usations. The fact that he didn¡¯t react violently on the spot was saintly. If it were Wang Tao, he would have made sure those people understood why the flower was so red. And now, in the middle of the night, seeing that something had happened at the camp, Xu Xiaojun ran back¡­ Could it be that he was a ¡®lickspittle,¡¯ feeling his previous wounds were not deep enough? Wang Tao really couldn¡¯t understand. But it was the same old story: drop the heroplex and respect others¡¯ fates. If Xu Xiaojun really wanted to go to his death, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t stop him. The two continued to monitor the grain storage until daylight. Wang Tao clearly saw that before dawn, that Level 3 Blood-red Zombie crawled back through that hole! ¡°Very good!¡± A smile appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. Now that he knew the oldir of this Level 3 Zombie, there was no rush. He would slowly try to force the zombie out¡ªhe wanted to see just how much its abilities would be weakened if it came out during the day! If it was weakened significantly, then he and Jiang Shixue would not hesitate! In the morning, Wang Tao caught up on some sleep. Although his need for sleep had decreased since his abilities had improved, staying up all night from time to time didn¡¯t really affect him. But Wang Tao was targeting a Level 3 Zombie next, so he had to be more cautious. At noon, Jiang Shixue woke him up. ¡°Fatty hase back.¡± Looking at Xu Xiaojun, who was once again dirty and injured, Wang Tao smirked. ¡°You weren¡¯t chased out again, were you?¡± Xu Xiaojun¡¯s expression was a mix of embarrassment and sadness. ¡°Everyone¡­ they¡¯re all dead¡­¡± ¡°What? Everyone¡¯s dead? What happened?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s face became serious. ¡°Last night, to celebrate the new boss taking charge, they held an inauguration ceremony¡­ but it attracted the two terrifying zombies from the underground grain storage! The camp¡¯s barriers couldn¡¯t stop these two zombies at all, and no one in the camp could resist, so it was a massacre¡­¡± ¡°When I got there, nearly everyone was dead. Only Li Yi managed to jump into the water and temporarily escape disaster, but half his body was eaten by fish in theke¡­ it was just the upper half left¡­ these were Li Yi¡¯sst words to me¡­¡± After hearing Xu Xiaojun¡¯s story, Wang Tao felt quite shaken. Indeed, it seemed it¡¯s not easy to evade fate forever! Those people who previously encountered the Level 3 Blood-red Zombie and abandoned Xu Xiaojun had just managed to save their lives. But now, they had paid back everything, with interest. After reflecting on the event, Wang Tao suddenly looked at Xu Xiaojun and asked: ¡°I¡¯m curious, seeing as they abandoned you, why did you still go back to save them?¡± Could it be that Xu Xiaojun was really a fool who couldn¡¯t differentiate good from bad? Xu Xiaojun looked at Wang Tao, then said with his head lowered: ¡°¡­ When the virus outbreak started, my family sacrificed themselves to protect me, and I somehow escaped, but I had no food and was about to starve to death. Uncle Lu, Eldest Lu¡¯s father, came by; he gave me a pancake¡­¡± ¡°Afterwards, when I unexpectedly encountered Uncle Lu again and learned that his son had a survivors¡¯ camp, I followed Uncle Lu to Fish Bay Camp. Later, Uncle Lu got infected; before he died, he asked me to help Eldest Lu manage Fish Bay Camp, and I agreed¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to manage a camp; all I could do was to follow what I knew¡ªI wanted to gain their favor, I desperately protected them, and I gave them most of the supplies I scavenged¡­ I had to earn that pancake Uncle Lu gave me. But¡­ I truly, did my best.¡± Chapter 348 - 167: Fatal Acupoint_1 Chapter 348: Chapter 167: Fatal Acupoint_1 Wang Tao once thought Xu Xiaojun was a fool. But after listening to Xu Xiaojun recount his experiences, he realized that Xu Xiaojun was not a fool but someone with a heart of gold! When Eldest Lu¡¯s father gave Xu Xiaojun a pancake that saved his life, Xu Xiaojun dedicated his life to repaying the entire camp! Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t know how to manage the camp, but he helped in his own way, doing everything he could for the camp. Even when abandoned and ndered, Xu Xiaojun never forgot his promise to Uncle Lu. To the uninformed, Xu Xiaojun seemed like a fool, but only he knew that he was merely fulfilling his vow. ¡­ Wang Tao patted Xu Xiaojun on the shoulder. ¡°Well done!¡± Wang Tao admitted to himself that he could not do this; while he also believed in repaying kindness, if someone failed to appreciate his efforts, he would not indulge them. So Wang Tao admired Xu Xiaojun, who was able to maintain such a pure heart in the apocalypse¡­ It was truly rare. ¡°Have you thought about where you¡¯ll go from here?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun said, his head lowered. His home was gone when the virus broke out, the camp had be his second home, but now that too was gone. ¡°Then you¡¯ll follow me from now on.¡± Wang Tao suddenly said with a smile. Xu Xiaojun looked up suddenly, then said uneasily, ¡°¡­I, I can¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m too weak and will only hold you back¡­¡± In truth, he wanted to follow Wang Tao. Because Wang Tao was kind, and also strong. But he knew his own limitations; his strength was nothingpared to Wang Tao¡¯s, and he would just be a drag. ¡°Weakness can be improved. When I make friends, I never look at their strength. After all, no one is as strong as me. What I care about is their character.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s smile was radiant. It seemed like he was showing off, but he also indirectlyplimented Xu Xiaojun. ¡°I¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun¡¯s face showed excitement, but he remained nervous. ¡°Let¡¯s settle on that then,¡± Wang Tao said, patting Xu Xiaojun on the shoulder. ¡°I have a big tasking up in the next couple of days. Rest well.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Xu Xiaojun snapped to attention unconsciously. ¡­ The big task Wang Tao had in mind was to hunt down a Level 3 Blood-colored Zombie! After all, this Level 3 zombie had a weakness to light, and currently, there was only one zombie in the nest, with the other two temporarily absent. So Wang Tao needed to act quickly. He had nned to research for a few more days, but decided to take action that afternoon! If he dyed any further, the other two Level 3 Blood-colored Zombies might return to the nest, making them much harder to deal with. For dealing with this zombie, Wang Tao came up with three ns. The first n was the simplest: lure it out by the entrance of itsir, see how much the sunlight would weaken its strength. Of course, it might note out since Eldest Lu had already tried luring it before. So the second n was to attack it. Wang Tao felt this kind of zombie must possess some intelligence, since they could cooperate in hunting. And a creature with some intelligence should be able to be guided by emotion, that is to say, can be angered. As long as he could anger it, he should be able to lure it out¡­ Wang Tao thought this n had the highest chance of sess. And the third n was more brutal: simply blow up the grain storage! Wang Tao had plenty of Self-Destruct Bombs on hand, blowing up a grain storage was no big deal. However, it would create too much noise, and nobody knew what dangers it might attract. So this was a backup n, one that Wang Tao hoped he wouldn¡¯t need to use. ¡°Let¡¯s make a trip to Fish Bay Camp!¡± Wang Tao took Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun, once again heading to Fish Bay Camp. Since they were looking to lure the Level 3 zombie, relying on noise and human scent alone might not be enough. Wang Tao thought some blood smell would be best. When the virus erupted, not only humans suffered; animals were also unlucky. Especially those that were captive; most were eaten by zombies. As for the condition of wild animals, Wang Tao did not know as he hadn¡¯t seen any so far. So finding fresh meat was now very difficult. But no worries, if there was no meat, fish would do. Fish Bay Camp was located by ake, which was full of fish. And these fish might have mutated, not only growing to an exaggerated size but also bing man-eaters. ording to Xu Xiaojun, despite growing bigger, these fish still looked like regr fish and had not turned into Zombie Fish. So Wang Tao figured this fresh flesh would likely attract the zombies. The current Fish Bay Camp was a charred ruin, with the surrounding wire fences also destroyed. Wang Tao found a rtively thick steel pipe, then tied it to the head of the pipe with a hemp rope, using a mineral water bottle in the middle of the rope as a float. On the other end of the rope, he used arge iron hook, which had a burnt bone hanging on it, picked up from the ruins, whether it was human or zombie he didn¡¯t know; he just thought of it as recycling. Once ready, Wang Tao lifted the makeshift fishing rod with both hands and threw it mightily into theke. Whoosh¡ª The iron hook with therge bone plunged into theke. Wang Tao didn¡¯t really know how to fish, but he liked fishing. Before the apocalypse, he often watched live streams or short videos about fishing. As for why he didn¡¯t fish himself, of course, it was because he didn¡¯t have the time¡­ Now, it seemed his wish was fulfilled; he could fish here as long as he wanted, without anyone calling him to go to work¡­ Chapter 349: 167: Fatal Acupoint_2 Chapter 349: Chapter 167: Fatal Acupoint_2 But after waiting a long while, no fish bit the bait, and his hand was getting a bit sore. After all, holding this thick steel pipe was tiring. ¡°Maybe I need to chum the water first¡­¡± After thinking it over, Wang Tao took out a bottle of nutrient solution and, after opening the lid, threw it near the float. A momentter, Wang Tao felt something tugging at his rod. He waited a little, then suddenly heaved upwards. Whoosh¡ª Water sshed everywhere as Wang Tao yanked a huge grass carp out of the water. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Wang Tao let out an involuntary curse. He had heard that thiske¡¯s fish were big, but he hadn¡¯t expected them to be this big¡ªthis grass carp had to be the size of an ordinary human! Bang!
Wang Tao flung the grass carp onto the shore, and Xu Xiaojun hurriedly went over to hold it down. Subduing these fish in the water would have been troublesome, even for Xu Xiaojun, who might not have been able to hold them. But now on the shore, Xu Xiaojun easily handled the big fish. Wang Tao originally thought one fish would be enough to use as bait, but looking at this big fish, he suddenly felt a craving. ¡°Let¡¯s fish another one! To satisfy the craving!¡± Recently, he had been eating nutrient solution every day and his mouth was yearning for some taste, craving fish. As for whether the fish had ever eaten human flesh or the like, Wang Tao didn¡¯t care. Even if the fish had eaten people, it would have digested them, which didn¡¯t mean Wang Tao was eating humans. Plus, he just wouldn¡¯t eat the innards. This big grass carp had a strong life energy; even on shore, it was still thrashing about vigorously. Wang Tao asked Xu Xiaojun to watch it, and continued fishing. A short whileter, he pulled up another one. It was also a big grass carp, evenrger than the one before. Wang Tao handed this fish over to Jiang Shixue. ¡°This will be our dinner!¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue was petite, and the fish were muchrger than her. The big fish flopped about next to her as if it wanted to eat her. Jiang Shixue directly threw a punch, knocking the fish out cold in an instant. Then she hoisted the fish and walked off. Xu Xiaojun, who was pressing down hard on the other big fish, cursed himself for being stupid when he saw this, and then with a couple of punches, he also knocked out the big fish under him. Wang Tao returned to the vicinity of the granary, telling Jiang Shixue to take the fish to where they stayed the previous night. He then made a lot of cuts on the big fish Xu Xiaojun was holding. Suddenly, the big fish came to, struggling frantically, with much of its blood flowing out.
Wang Tao tied the big fish tight and then flung it right into the underground granary¡¯s hole. p, p¡ª The blood-covered big fish thrashed wildly at the hole, but it couldn¡¯t escape because it was tied up with rope. Wang Tao and the other twoy in wait nearby, keeping a close eye on the hole.
At a certain moment, a light shed in both Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes! ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Both of them sensed a terrifying presence. But to Wang Tao¡¯s disappointment, it seemed to just nce into the hole and then leave. ¡°Can it really hold back?¡± Watching the ordinary zombies being drawn in from around them, Wang Tao was somewhat confused. These ordinary zombies wereing, but the Blood-red Zombie wouldn¡¯te out? Xu Xiaojun went to deal with the ordinary zombies, and Wang Tao continued to wait for a moment. But still to no avail, the Blood-red Zombie did not appear. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, don¡¯t me me!¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue came to the entrance of the underground granary together. Xu Xiaojun was too weak, so he was not asked toe over. They opened the door, and it was pitch dark inside, emitting a gloomy atmosphere. However, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue had night vision, so they didn¡¯t fear any surprise attacks. Without hesitation, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue went straight down. It was safe at the entrance, as they weren¡¯t attacked at all, but as they went deeper, a terrifying and fierce figure suddenly appeared behind Wang Tao!
Swish¡ª The Blood-red Zombie pounced directly at Wang Tao, but Jiang Shixue punched it and sent it flying. Although the punch didn¡¯t cause much damage, the Blood-red Zombie was clearly angered. It roared and charged straight at Jiang Shixue. In this rtively narrow space, neither Wang Tao nor Jiang Shixue could utilize their full power. After exchanging a few moves with the Blood-red Zombie, they immediately retreated. The Blood-red Zombie was relentless, unwilling to let Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue go. Fortunately, they were strong enough to withstand an attack from the Blood-red Zombie, and Wang Tao made it back to the surface. ¡°Phew¡ªsuch a high attack!¡± Wang Tao rubbed his somewhat numb back. He had just taken a hit from the Blood-red Zombie on the back, and even with stubborn armor and Barrier Ability, he still lost over three hundred HP. Probably if it had been Xu Xiaojun who came, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand a single hit. The two of them kept alert, watching the entrance. They saw the Blood-red Zombie roar at Wang Tao from below and then dive into the darkness. Even when Wang Tao shone a shlight on it, it wouldn¡¯te out. ¡°Seriously¡­ Can it really hold back?¡± Wang Tao frowned.
Could it be that this zombie had no intelligence at all? Didn¡¯t get mad? Nevertheless, Wang Tao, not quite ready to give up, took another risk with Jiang Shixue. But he could clearly feel that the zombie was indeed a bit angry, and it seemed to remember him¡­ But even so, the zombie still did not chase them out. Wang Tao had thought this to be the most likely sessful strategy, but it failed just like the first n. ¡°Should we proceed with the third n?¡± Jiang Shixue tilted her head and looked at Wang Tao. Wang Tao nced at the sky; the sun was already setting. After a brief hesitation, Wang Tao firmly nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s do it! If we wait until tomorrow and the other two zombies return, it could get even more troublesome! There¡¯s still some time before it getspletely dark; that should be enough!¡± Chapter 350: 167: Fatal Acupoint_3 Chapter 350: Chapter 167: Fatal Acupoint_3 The third n was to destroy the granary and st the Blood-red Zombies out! Although this n was very risky, Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. ¡°Little Jun, you go to Fish Bay Camp. Clean up all the zombies around, and then set up some simple defensive facilities¡­¡± Wang Tao instructed Xu Xiaojun. The noise from blowing up the granary would be huge, and it would definitely attract many zombies. Wang Tao had to leave himself an escape route. The defensive capabilities of Fish Bay Camp were ordinary, but its location was rtively remote with fewer zombies around, and there was only one way into the camp. If anything dangerous arose, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue could fend it off for a while. ¡°Yes!¡± Xu Xiaojun immediately returned to Fish Bay Camp. Meanwhile, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue cleaned up any ordinary zombies around the granary. Only after confirming there were no zombies around did Wang Tao take out the Self-Destruct Bomb.
The slightest noise could set off these bombs, so he had to make sure everything was quiet around him. The days of the apocalypse were very quiet. As long as there were no zombies, these Self-Destruct Bombs were rtively stable. Wang Tao cautiously ced the bombs inside the granary. After setting all the dozen or so bombs, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. While cing these bombs, he had to be fully alert. If his hand trembled even slightly, it wouldn¡¯t just be one or two bombs going off, but all twenty-something bombs exploding at once! Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure how powerful that would be, but he knew he definitely couldn¡¯t withstand it. Of course, Wang Tao had a contingency n, which was to store the bombs in his Space Backpack right before they exploded but hadn¡¯t detonated yet. This way, he could avoid an explosion. But this required quick hands and also some luck. It wasn¡¯t something to attempt unless absolutely necessary¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s move back a bit¡­¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue left the granary, looking towards the underground granary entrance, he took a deep breath. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t learned professional demolition. He was unclear about how many explosives were needed to bring down the granary or where the bombs should be ced¡­ But he knew that with enough force, bricks would fly. As long as there were enough bombs and the force was powerful enough, it didn¡¯t matter what it was, everything would be sted away! ¡°Are we not cing any bombs at this entrance?¡± Jiang Shixue asked softly with curiosity. Because there were Self-Destruct Bombs throughout the rest of the granary, only the entrance from the underground granary to the outside was left untouched. ¡°If we also put bombs here, then after the explosion, we¡¯d really bury the zombies inside. What we want is not to bury them, but to flush them out. So we have to leave an exit for them to escape through¡­¡± Wang Tao exined. ¡°Oh~¡± Jiang Shixue nodded her head, seemingly having learned something new. After ensuring everything was set, Wang Tao took out the Alloy Recurve Bow from his Space Backpack. He rarely used Bow and Arrows.
Usually, in closebat, he used axes, hammers, and other melee weapons; at mid-range, he used Throwing Knives or Flying Axes; as for long-range¡­ Wang Tao hadn¡¯t engaged in long-rangebat for a long time. It wasn¡¯t he didn¡¯t want to, but often, either his view was blocked by buildings or thebat was too sudden, leaving no chance for long-distance sniping. Of course, just because Wang Tao used it rarely didn¡¯t mean his skills werecking. He had practiced Arrow Technique for quite a while now, and even without Precision Shooting, his uracy was not a problem. Wang Tao drew the bow and nocked an arrow, aiming it at one of the Self-Destruct Bombs.
Whoosh¡ª The arrow flew in a parab, thennded precisely on a Self-Destruct Bomb. Thump, thump¡­ The Self-Destruct Bomb immediately started to swell. Boom! A loud st, the Self-Destruct Bomb exploded! Then, the noise caused by this bomb set off the other bombs. Boom¡ªBoom¡ªBoom¡ª In an instant, a series of explosions rang through the granary. Wang Tao had already stuffed his ears with cotton ahead of time. Seeing that Jiang Shixue was still foolishly watching, he quickly covered her ears. Boom¡ªBoom¡ªBoom¡ª The sound of so many bombs exploding at once was enormous, as if the entire town was boiling over. Dust filled the air around the granary, and Wang Tao watched clearly as the granary copsed, then slowly sank into the ground! And at this moment, from the hole that remained unexploded, suddenly a blood-red figure shot out.
Rush! Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue had been ready. The moment they saw the zombie¡¯s figure, they sprinted towards it. ¡°Wait! What¡¯s happening?¡± But suddenly, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened. For he saw that, the instant the zombie emerged, its body started to crack and smoke as if it was being burnt by fierce mes. It let out a painful scream! The HP bar plummeted crazily! In just a few seconds, only a sliver of HP remained! ¡°Damn!¡± Wang Tao knew sunlight was its weakness, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be this terrifying¡ªit wasn¡¯t just a weakness, it was like an Achilles¡¯ heel! Instant death upon contact! Without time to think, Wang Tao immediately swung his axe. A Shockwave was emitted, smashing into its head. Spurt¡ª [-287] [0/30000] The Blood-red Zombie fell to the ground, then its entire body turned into ashes.
¡°Is it¡­ over just like that?¡± Stunned, Wang Tao walked over with Jiang Shixue. At this time, the sounds of explosions attracted the attention of other zombies nearby, including arge group of Mad Demon Zombies! ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± Wang Tao had no time to think, hastily going to collect the loot. ¡°Ah? No Crystal Core?¡± Only then did Wang Tao realize, after the Blood-red Zombie died, it had not left a Crystal Core! Although it was evaporated by the sun, Crystal Cores weren¡¯t afraid of the sun. It might be that it truly didn¡¯t have a Crystal Core¡­ However, even though there were no Crystal Cores, the three Loot Packs it dropped were still satisfying for Wang Tao. Wang Tao threw out a few more Self-Destruct Bombs, the sound of the explosions diverted many zombies¡¯ attention. Holding Jiang Shixue, Wang Tao instantly Rushed more than thirty meters, getting away from the battlefield. ¡°Run!¡± The two of them sprinted towards Fish Bay Base.
Chapter 351: 168 Ultraviolet Light_1 Chapter 351: Chapter 168 Ultraviolet Light_1 Pft! Wang Tao swung his axe, dealing with thest zombie that was chasing them. ¡°Good, not too many zombies followed us¡­¡± The explosion just now had been loud, and Wang had intentionally thrown a few Self-Destruct Bombs to divert the zombies¡¯ attention. Plus, since the two of them had run fast, not many zombies had followed. The small group of zombies that dide was easily taken care of. However, Wang Tao¡¯s expression remained serious. The zombies that had followed included Mad Demon Zombies. In the past, Mad Demon Zombies had an HP of 2000, but now, the HP of Mad Demon Zombies had reached 4000! For him, Mad Demon Zombies with 4000 HP were naturally no threat. But what if the HP of the Mad Demon Zombies exceeded 5000, reaching Level Two? With the number of Mad Demon Zombies, that would be troublesome! ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Shaking his head, Wang Tao didn¡¯t dwell on it any longer and headed to Fish Bay Camp with Jiang Shixue. Xu Xiaojun had already built a simple cabin and put up some fences around it. Although it didn¡¯t seem to have much defensive power, at least it kept the zombies out of sight.
Zombies also had vision, especially some powerful zombies that could see from afar. Some coverings were necessary. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± Xu Xiaojun saw that Wang Tao and hispanion were unharmed, and he finally rxed. The explosion earlier had frightened him greatly. He didn¡¯t know where Wang Tao had gotten so many bombs, and he was terrified that Wang Tao and hispanion might have been blown up. Fortunately, they returned safely. ¡°It will be night soon. Tonight we¡¯ll just make do here and take turns keeping watch.¡± Wang Tao looked at the sky and said. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Huh? You brought that fish over too?¡± Wang Tao saw a big fish inside the cabin, which seemed to be the one he had caught earlier. Wang Tao had thought about using the Blood-red Zombie as bait, so he had taken the fish as dinner. But, unexpectedly, the Blood-red Zombie wouldn¡¯t show up, leaving no choice but to use bombs. After the explosion, they had to run, so the fish would have been wasted. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t expect that Xu Xiaojun, who looked rough and tough, was actually quite considerate¡­ ¡°Heh, I didn¡¯t want it to go to waste, so I brought it over.¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head. ¡°Alright, before it gets dark, let¡¯s cook the fish!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Although Fish Bay Camp was in ruins, they could still find some pots and pans. Wang Tao found arge pot, ced the fish Xu Xiaojun had prepared into it, and then added some Purified Water from his Space Backpack. Seeing Wang Tao suddenly produce a jug of water, Xu Xiaojun was stupefied. But he didn¡¯t ask too many questions. It was the apocalypse now, and abilities like a storage space appearing were quite reasonable. Without a lighter on him, Wang Tao shaved some wood shavings, took a stick, and began to make fire by friction. With his extremely fast hand movements, mes sparked to life in a moment.
The fish wasrge, and even after a lot had been discarded, there was still plenty of meat left. Wang Tao made some of the fish into fish soup, and the rest into grilled fish. If it was safe for the next couple of days, Wang Tao nned to catch a few morerge fish and turn them into nutrient solution. The food left over in the underground food store had already been turned into nutrient solution by Wang Tao. There were lots of nutrient solutions in his Space Backpack, but they were all rice-vored, quite nd, so he needed other vors to mix things up a bit¡­
Xu Xiaojun quickly set up a simple grill, and Wang Tao had him take care of grilling the fish. Jiang Shixue looked at Wang Tao with longing eyes. ¡°You can help grill the fish, too.¡± Wang Tao immediately shrugged. ¡°Okay~¡± Joy spread across Jiang Shixue¡¯s little face. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have many seasonings with him, just salt and chili. But that was enough; it was the apocalypse after all, no need to be too picky, it was good enough to be able to eat. After the sun had set, both the boiled fish and the grilled fish were ready. Wang Tao quickly extinguished the me to avoid attracting zombiesrge fires would repel zombies, but small mes might attract their attention. So it was better to be cautious, especially since there were two Level 3 zombies outside. ¡°It¡¯s so fragrant!¡± Jiang Shixue took a big sip of the fish soup and immediately praised it. ¡°Hmm, not bad.¡± Wang Tao also thought it tasted quite nice.
He saw Xu Xiaojun holding his bowl in a daze, so he asked, ¡°Little Jun, aren¡¯t you eating?¡± ¡°Oh oh, yes¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun snapped out of it, hurriedly took a sip of the soup, and ate a piece of fish meat. ¡°Delicious!¡± ¡°Haha, if you like it, eat more.¡± Wang Taoughed heartily. This was an affirmation of his cooking skills. ¡°Yeah!¡± Xu Xiaojun nodded vigorously. He devoured the meal voraciously, and before he knew it, a tear dropped into his bowl. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time since the apocalypse began that someone, besides Uncle Lu, had invited him to eat¡­ After dinner, Wang Tao asked Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue to rest while he took the first watch. With all the defenses of Fish Bay Camp gone and the big explosion at the food store, Wang Tao had to be cautious to prevent zombies froming over. While keeping watch, Wang Tao also took the time to check the loot from killing the Level 3 zombie today. The fact that the Level 3 Blood-colored Zombie had no Crystal Core took Wang Tao by surprise.
It had Mana; in theory, having Mana meant having an Ability, and having an Ability should mean having a Crystal Core. But it could also be an exception. After all, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t seen it use any Special Ability; it relied entirely on physical Strength¡­ No Crystal Core then, no Crystal Core it is; there were still plenty of other gains. Wang Tao looked at his HP. His HP had increased by 4500! Now it was at [14450/14450]! Chapter 352: 168 Ultraviolet Light_2 Chapter 352: Chapter 168 Ultraviolet Light_2 The HP cap increase was quite substantial; however, this was due to an over-level kill which tripled the amount. Normally, it should have been 1500¡­ But regardless, this HP boost feels great! 30,000 HP is Level 3, and Wang Tao is not far from reaching Level 3 now. When he had reached 10,000 HP, it did not trigger any sleep mechanism; he could feel a direct and considerable strength increase. This was great; it wasn¡¯t as troublesome as before. And since it was an over-level kill, there was naturally Special Energy involved. Wang Tao¡¯s Special Energy also increased by 4500, and now it was at 7740! He needed 5000 Special Energy to fuse a Level 2 Ability, so he was ready for another fusion! But he¡¯d have to think carefully about which abilities to fuse¡­ Last was the loot, the blood-red zombie had dropped three bags. And inside the first bag was a Crystal Core Gift Bag. Wang Tao found this somewhat speechless, as the zombie itself didn¡¯t drop a Crystal Core, but the bag contained one¡­ that was kind of interesting. There were four Crystal Cores in total inside the bag. Upon seeing the attributes of the first Crystal Core, Wang Tao¡¯s face lit up with joy.
[Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: None)] This was a Crystal Core that was even bigger than the Level 2 ones. ¡°It¡¯s actually a Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core¡­¡± Although he couldn¡¯t use it right now, it would be essential when he ascended to Level 3 in the future. Having this Crystal Core would save him a lot of time. And as Wang Tao had guessed, the purity had decreased by another 5% with Level 3, only at 40%¡­ [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Energy Boost] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: None)] [Energy Boost: Increases the Mana cap by 1000] The second Crystal Core was an Energy Enhancement one, and on seeing this Core¡¯s description, Wang Tao furrowed his brows. This was a Core that directly increased the Mana cap. 1000 Mana was a lot, equivalent to the Mana added by ten Level 1 Crystal Cores or five Level 2 ones. But just increasing Mana wasn¡¯t very useful; it had to be used in conjunction with other abilities. This Crystal Core could be said to be good, but also somewhat of a redundant feature¡ªwait a minute! Wang Tao suddenly thought of something! He could fuse his own abilities. If he were to fuse this ability with another, wouldn¡¯t that negate the redundancy? And he also had the Extraction ability. If he fused this Core to gain a 1000 Mana cap increase and then extracted the core, would he keep the increased Mana cap? If the enhanced Mana cap remained, wasn¡¯t that akin to exploiting a bug?
Unfortunately, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t reached Level 3 yet, so he couldn¡¯t do the fusion. Otherwise, he would have certainly given it a try! ¡°I¡¯ll keep the Crystal Core for now and try itter to see if it works!¡± [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C HP Boost] [Quality: Excellent (40%)]
[Purity: 40% (Side effect: None)] [HP Boost: Increases HP cap by 1000] The third Crystal Core was an HP Enhancement Core that could increase the HP cap by 1000. It might seem simr to the Energy Boost Crystal Core, but HP and Mana were different, as HP had a cap. If other abilities hadn¡¯t ascended, then the HP would be capped, and this HP boost would be irrelevant¡­ Plus, killing zombies also awarded increased HP cap, which definitely seemed more cost-effective than fusing Crystal Cores. After all, Wang Tao got an increase of 4500 HP from killing a Level 3 zombie, whereas this Core only added 1000 HP. This HP Enhancement Crystal Core was somewhat underwhelming¡­ Unless it could break through the cap. For example, if you were stuck at 4999 HP and it could boost you to 5999 HP, then this Core would be useful. ¡°I¡¯ll test it outter when I have the chance, to see what exactly this HP boost is all about.¡± [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Body Constitution Boost] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: None)] [Physical Enhancement: Provides an all-around enhancement of physical constitution] Thest Crystal Core was a Body Constitution Enhancement one, and this too came as a surprise to Wang Tao.
Personally, he felt this Core was better than the HP Enhancement, being on par with the Energy Boost Core. However, simr to the Energy Boost Core, if used alone, the effects might not be great. But ifbined with other abilities, it should be quite remarkable. Of course, Wang Tao could fuse and extract abilities. So he also put this type of Crystal Core into his experimental category, hoping to synthesize or extract itter to see. If he could fuse the HP Boost, Energy Boost, and Physical Enhancement into a single ability, that would be awesome! Wang Tao stored the Crystal Cores, then turned his attention to the second bag that the blood-red zombie had dropped. This bag contained potions. [Strength Growth Potion x5] [Agility Increase Potion x5] [Mental Boosting Potion x5] A total of 15 potions! And they weren¡¯t for temporary state enhancement; they were for permanent attribute boosts! [Strength Increase Potion: After injection, strength will receive a certain degree of permanent enhancement] [Agility Increase Potion: After injection, agility will receive a certain degree of permanent enhancement] [Mental Boosting Potion: After injection, spirit will receive a certain degree of permanent enhancement] Wang Tao had previously killed a gori zombie that dropped five Strength Growth Potions. After injecting them, he had felt the effects were quite profound.
Without hesitation, Wang Tao promptly injected the 15 potions into his body one by one. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± After the injection wasplete, Wang Tao felt wonderfully refreshed. The enhancement was obvious! Chapter 353: 168 Ultraviolet Light_3 Chapter 353: Chapter 168 Ultraviolet Light_3 He felt that his strength had greatly increased, his reaction speed had quickened, and he was no longer sleepy all of a sudden! However, it was difficult to say exactly how much his strength had improved, this would only be known after testing, which clearly wasn¡¯t appropriate at the moment. Then, Wang Tao looked toward thest package, which contained two items. They were a ¡°High Power Ultraviolet shlight x1¡± and ¡°Small ultraviolet illumination res x20.¡± ¡°High Power Ultraviolet shlight: Capable of emitting ultraviolet light, but due to its high power, the energy consumption is high, resulting in a rtively short duration. Energy can be replenished with batteries.¡± This was a very ordinary-looking square shlight, only the size of a palm. It didn¡¯t seem to be associated with high power in any way. This shlight used batteries, but not ordinary ones; instead, it ran on material batteries obtained from killing zombies. Wang Tao aimed the shlight into the darkness and switched it on. Whoosh¡ª Arge cluster of intense purple light instantly appeared on the ground before him. ¡°Wow! No wonder it¡¯s called high-power. It¡¯s so bright!¡± Wang Tao quickly turned off the shlight; he didn¡¯t want to attract zombies with it.
But Wang Tao was puzzled, why a ultraviolet shlight? Such purple light was ufortable to look at and seemed unsuitable for nighttime use¡­ However, after seeing the second item, Wang Tao understood why it was ultraviolet. ¡°Small ultraviolet illumination re: After igniting, it can emit a strong ultraviolet light within a certain range for 25 seconds. The ultraviolet light can block or burn certain mutated zombies that fear ultraviolet light.¡± ¡°So the Blood-red Zombies are not scared of ordinary light, but ultraviolet light? No wonder when I shone the shlight on it before, it didn¡¯t react much, but when sunlight hit it, it turned to ash straight away¡­¡± Only now did Wang Tao realize that the weakness of these Blood-red Zombies was actually ultraviolet light, and it had to be arge amount to be effective. Ordinary lights also emit ultraviolet light but far too little to affect them¡­ The Small ultraviolet illumination res had a tubr shape, simr to signal res. Overall, they were quitepact and could be carried around. As for the exact effect of the re, it couldn¡¯t be tested just yet, since he only had 20 of them, and they needed to be saved for critical moments. And this loot was quite interesting ¡ª after killing Blood-red Zombies, the corresponding weapon equipment dropped! If he were to encounter Blood-red Zombies again, it might not be so troublesome! After putting away the spoils, Wang Tao took another look at the Level 2 Crystal Core in his hand. He had quite a few Level 2 Crystal Cores, but excluding those rted to Ascension and Omnipotent, most of the cores were unique. The only ones he had in abundance were the Weakness Poison Fog cores, with about ten. Next were the Power Crystal Cores, with three. The Ability of Weakness Poison Fog didn¡¯t seem suitable for Wang Tao, so he didn¡¯t consider it. He could, however, synthesize one without side effects and impurities ¡ª an Epic Strength Crystal Core; and he did want the Power Ability. But the problem was, if he fused Crystal Cores now, he had to consider whether it would be easy to integrate abilities in the future. Power was a Passive Ability, while his other three abilities were all active Abilities. Wang Tao felt that the chances of integrating Power with the other three cores were very low¡­ So integrating it now seemed inappropriate. So after much thought, he found that he still couldn¡¯t fuse any Level 2 Crystal Cores for the time being. He still needed to save up. What a pity that these more than nine thousand units of Special Energy probably wouldn¡¯t be used for a while. ¡­
The next day, early morning. As Wang Tao opened his eyes, he saw Jiang Shixue staring at him. Fortunately, Wang Tao had already be ustomed to Jiang Shixue¡¯s asional strange behaviors, or he might have been startled. ¡°Good morning, Little Xue.¡±
¡°Morning~¡± Wang Tao came out and saw Xu Xiaojun patrolling nearby. It was Wang Tao¡¯s turn to stand guard the previous night, and Xu Xiaojun took theter shift. Jiang Shixue had been sleeping the whole time, but her sleep was light, and she would wake up immediately if there was any disturbance. ¡°Little Jun, are you tired? If you are, go get some more sleep.¡± Wang Tao asked with concern. ¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯m not tired.¡± Xu Xiaojun promptly patted his chest and assured him. ¡°All right.¡± Seeing Xu Xiaojun looking spirited, Wang Tao nodded with a smile. There were still some fish left from yesterday, and the three of them had it for breakfast in a simple manner. During the meal, Wang Tao suddenly realized that the three of them seemed to have quite an appetite¡ª He didn¡¯t mention himself since he had always had a big appetite, which only increased after bing an Ability User. Xu Xiaojun was even bulkier than him, and his food intake wasn¡¯t small either.
As for Jiang Shixue, she looked thin and small, but she had thergest appetite among the three, like a bottomless pit. After all, she was currently in a Half-human half-zombie state, so the big appetite made sense. ¡°We¡¯ll need to prepare more food in the future!¡± Wang Tao felt a bit of regret, although he had many nutrient solutions, just consuming nutrient solutions wasn¡¯t ideal. Fortunately, Wang Tao had three Magical Stomach Pouches, which could hold a lot of food. ¡°Here, take this.¡± Wang Tao handed a stomach pouch to Xu Xiaojun. ¡°Is this¡­ a water bag?¡± Xu Xiaojun was somewhat puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s a container for storing food.¡± Wang Tao briefly demonstrated, and Xu Xiaojun looked amazed. ¡°Today, we will catch more fish and prepare food to store inside the stomach pouches¡­¡± With one Magical Stomach Pouch each, they could store quite a bit of food now. ¡°Yes!¡±
Xu Xiaojun was full of vim. The entire day, the trio dedicated themselves to fishing. They caught more than a dozen fish,rger than average humans! They were busy until sunset, finally managing to process the fishpletely. Wang Tao nned to continue fishing the next day, not wanting to waste a good fishing spot. As for tonight, Wang Tao intended to go out with Jiang Shixue. He remembered that there were still two Level 3 Blood-red Zombies nearby. The benefits of killing Level 3 zombies were too great, and with ultraviolet shlights and res in hand, he wanted to try if he could take down another one! Even if it wasn¡¯t possible, at least he needed to find out theirs of these two Blood-red Zombies. Maybe he could replicate yesterday¡¯s sess! Chapter 354: 169: Level 3 Lord_1 Chapter 354: Chapter 169: Level 3 Lord_1 ¡°` Night. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue once again arrived at the county. Upon seeing the situation inside the county, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Hiss¡­ so many!¡± He thought there were only three Level 3 Blood-red Zombies in the county, and he had killed one, so there should be two left¡­ But now he had just entered the county and already saw three Blood-red Zombies! ¡°Let¡¯s take a detour.¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue stealthily went around. Although he now knew the zombies¡¯ fatal weaknesses, seeing three of them as soon as he arrived gave Wang Tao a bad feeling¡ªif there were this many elsewhere, it might not be wise to provoke them¡­ After bypassing these three zombies, Wang Tao saw another isted Blood-red Zombie.
¡°Should we make a move?¡± Jiang Shixue seemed eager to try; she did not know the meaning of fear. Wang Tao was somewhat tempted, but after thinking it over, he refrained. ¡°Let¡¯s check for other zombies in the vicinity first¡­¡± If it was just this one, Wang Tao felt confident he could handle it with an Ultraviolet shlight and Ultraviolet illumination res, even though it was night. But if there were other Blood-red Zombies nearby, that was a different story. ¡°Hmm.¡± The two of them searched around the lone Blood-red Zombie and Wang Tao felt a tingling on his scalp. ¡°One, two, three¡­ eight! Damn, good thing we didn¡¯t act rashly!¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected there to be so many Blood-red Zombies nearby. Could it be¡­ there was air of Blood-red Zombies in the county, and it was close by? However, if there really was argeir, then if they could blow it up like they had the grain storage, the spoils would be tremendous! ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to rest first and then see if there¡¯s a chance to follow them¡­¡± ¡°Alright~¡± Taking them on now was out of the question; after all, with so many Level 3 zombies, Wang Tao certainly couldn¡¯t beat them. He had the Ultraviolet Light and res, but their range was limited, unlike the sun which left zombies with no ce to hide. These zombies could flee. The two found a six-story residential building with no other tall buildings around, which was perfect for observation. Every so often, they could see Level 3 Blood-red Zombies appearing, and they appeared most frequently near the grain storage. Wang Tao guessed that perhaps because of themotion during the day, these zombies hadn¡¯t dared to show up, but they still wanted to check it out at night¡­ This also indirectly proved that these zombies indeed possessed some intelligence! Until the sky began to lighten, Wang Tao found no opportunity to attack.
¡°They¡¯re running away!¡± Jiang Shixue alerted Wang Tao. ¡°Let¡¯s go, follow them!¡± The sky in the distance was beginning to show the first light of dawn, and the fierce Blood-red Zombies immediately ran towards the darkness.
Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue suddenly appeared near the Blood-red Zombies, but the zombies seemed not to see them or, as if eager to get back home, ran towards the darkness without care. The zombies were fast, and in the blink of an eye, most of them were out of sight. Wang Tao targeted a zombie and closely followed behind it. But perhaps feeling the threat of the sun¡¯s emergence, these zombies were running wickedly fast, even faster than when they had chased Wang Tao before! Even with his speed greatly increased, Wang Tao still couldn¡¯t catch up. So, without a second thought, he took out his Ultraviolet shlight. Whoosh! A beam of purple light struck the Blood-red Zombie. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The zombie immediately let out an angry roar and ran even faster! Its skin sizzled as if it were being burned. However,pared to the sun, the damage from the Ultraviolet shlight was insignificant¡ªin the sunlight, they would turn to ash in seconds, but Wang Tao¡¯s Ultraviolet shlight only made it drop a few hundred HP. Watching the Blood-red Zombie disappear from his sight, Wang Tao shook his head helplessly.
¡°It seems that the main use of this Ultraviolet shlight is for defense; it¡¯s impossible to use it as a weapon. They canpletely dodge it, and the damage isn¡¯t high¡­¡± Still, Wang Tao was content; having some form of defense was better than none. As day fully broke, the bustling Jinbi County began to settle down, and Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue searched again but still couldn¡¯t find their of the Blood-red Zombies. However, they did find several Level 1 Elite Zombies. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hold back and easily took down these few zombies, so leaving empty-handed was avoided. Back at Fish Bay Camp, Xu Xiaojun was busy cooking fish. Seeing Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue return, Xu Xiaojun felt somewhat ashamed. He felt like he was of no help at all, a big guy only capable of small tasks¡­ Xu Xiaojun wasn¡¯t one to hide his feelings, and seeing the shame and dejection on his face, Wang Tao immediately said with a smile: ¡°Little Jun, do you have any Abilities you like?¡± ¡°Ah? I don¡¯t know much about Abilities¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head. ¡°I see. Then listen to me.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡±
Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind Wang Tao¡¯s words but still nodded immediately. Xu Xiaojun was too weak, not even at 2000 HP. With that level of strength, staying with Wang Tao indeed dragged thetter down. So Wang Tao decided to enhance Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strength. Xu Xiaojun had only merged with a Crystal Core, the Power Crystal Core. This Crystal Core suited him well, because its side effect was rted to body size, with smaller physiques experiencing negative growth. But Xu Xiaojun had a robust build, so the side effect was basically null for him. ¡°` Chapter 355: 169: Level 3 Lord_2 Chapter 355: Chapter 169: Level 3 Lord_2 Before, Wang Tao had given most of the Level 1 Crystal Cores to Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui, but Wang Tao still kept some, and added to that, he had killed quite a few Elite Zombies along the way, so he had enough Level 1 Crystal Cores. Wang Tao directly took out nine fused Level 1 Power Crystal Cores and handed them to Xu Xiaojun. ¡°¡­¡± Looking at so many red and orange Crystal Cores, Xu Xiaojun was somewhat stunned. Since he had fused with such a Crystal Core before, he knew these were all usable by him! ¡°You go ahead and fuse these Crystal Cores,¡± Wang Tao said casually, as if these weren¡¯t nine Crystal Cores but nine ordinary rocks. ¡°I¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun hesitated to take them, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but Wang Tao interrupted him. ¡°Quit the chatter and hurry up.¡± ¡°Yes!¡±
Xu Xiaojun subconsciously took them. Feeling the cold touch of the Crystal Cores, Xu Xiaojun nced at Wang Tao with gratitude and excitement, then put a Crystal Core in his mouth. Watching Xu Xiaojun begin to fuse the Crystal Cores, Wang Tao looked back at his backpack. Xu Xiaojun had told Wang Tao before he felt he could fuse two or three more types of Crystal Cores. That meant Xu Xiaojun was an Ability User who could fuse with four different types of Crystal Cores. The first type of Crystal Core was Power; for the next three, Wang Tao thought to consider closebat capabilities. After all, given Xu Xiaojun¡¯s frame and having Power Ability to increase his strength, it would be a waste not to fuse with closebat abilities. Moreover, Xu Xiaojun had told Wang Tao before that he preferred straightforwardbat, so Ranged Attack wasn¡¯t quite suitable for him. After some consideration, Wang Tao took out several Crystal Cores. A Toughness, a Shockwave, and a Rush. Wang Tao felt these three Crystal Cores were quite suitable for Xu Xiaojun. There was Attack, Defense, and Mobility. Spending some time, Xu Xiaojun fused all the Power Crystal Cores given by Wang Tao. He had never felt so strong! ¡°In the next two days, I¡¯ll take you to kill some Zombies, and then you can fuse the other Crystal Cores,¡± Wang Tao told Xu Xiaojun. ¡°Okay!¡± This time, Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t y coy but nodded firmly. He liked the feeling of increasing strength. Although he would owe Wang Tao a lot, he had made up his mind to follow Wang Tao, and he would repay him gradually! Wang Tao then looked at Jiang Shixue. He had promised her the use of Zombie Culture Fluid but hadn¡¯t had the time. Now that they had time, it was possible to cultivate Jiang Shixue¡­ In the morning, Wang Tao and the others went fishing for a while and caught plenty of big fish. In the afternoon, Wang Tao took Xu Xiaojun to hunt Level 1 Elite Zombies.
But their luck wasn¡¯t good today, as they roamed around the county for an afternoon without much to show for it. However, fortunately, they managed to raise Xu Xiaojun¡¯s HP to 2,000. Xu Xiaojun immediately slipped into a Sleeping State, and Wang Tao dragged him back. Taking advantage of Xu Xiaojun¡¯s sleep, Wang Tao said to Jiang Shixue:
¡°Little Xue, how about we use the culture fluid this time?¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes lit up, then she sat down beside Wang Tao, opened her mouth wide like a little kitten. Wang Tao took out a bottle of culture fluid and poured it into Jiang Shixue¡¯s mouth. After a while, Jiang Shixue started to feel drowsy and fell into Wang Tao¡¯s arms. [Cultivation: Total volume 1% (99% can still be added). Remaining time 59 minutes 59 seconds] Wang Tao pried open Jiang Shixue¡¯s mouth and continued to pour culture fluid. After a total of 100 bottles, ¡°Total Volume 100%¡± appeared above Jiang Shixue¡¯s head. An hourter, Jiang Shixue woke up. [HP: 20,200/20,200] Her maximum HP had increased by 1,000, reaching 20,000! ¡°Brother, I feel like I¡¯ve be a lot stronger¡­¡± Jiang Shixue clenched her fist, slightly excited. ¡°That¡¯s good, can you tell when you¡¯ll be able to use the culture fluid again?¡±
¡°I feel¡­ it¡¯s probably once every three days¡­¡± Jiang Shixue frowned slightly. ¡°Once every three days¡­ Okay, we¡¯ll cultivate again in three days.¡± If Jiang Shixue could gain 1,000 HP every three days with the culture fluid, she could reach 30,000 HP in a month! It was just that they weren¡¯t sure what Jiang Shixue needed for her Level 3 Ascension, because her situation was a bit special¡ªshe couldn¡¯t fuse Crystal Cores. Even Wang Tao still did not know what Abilities Jiang Shixue specifically had. Wang Tao even doubted if Jiang Shixue, like the Blood-red Zombies, was purely physically strong without any Ability¡­ Jiang Shixue herself couldn¡¯t rify, as the memory she lost seemed to have taken her Ability with it. But fortunately, she could use her Hidden Ability, and with her strong physique, she was now Wang Tao¡¯s capable assistant. Two hourster, Xu Xiaojun woke up. ¡°Do you feel like you can now fuse a few types of Crystal Cores?¡± After thinking for a while, Xu Xiaojun said: ¡°I should be able to¡­ fuse with two more, but fusing with the third might be a problem¡­¡± ¡°All right, then go ahead and fuse Crystal Cores. Choose any two you like to fuse with.¡± Wang Tao gave the remaining three Crystal Cores to Xu Xiaojun.
¡°¡­Okay!¡± Xu Xiaojun still felt like he was dreaming, never having imagined that gaining strength could be this simple! Of course, he knew it was simple because of Wang Tao. Without Wang Tao, talk of increasing strength would be pointless; he¡¯d probably be dead by now¡­ As a man of few words, actions spoke for him. The next day. Wang Tao continued to take Xu Xiaojun to hunt Zombies. ¡°I¡¯m quite nostalgic for the First Hospital!¡± Chapter 356: 169: Level 3 Lord_3 Chapter 356: Chapter 169: Level 3 Lord_3 Wang Tao felt somewhat emotional. Perhaps because the first hospital had Green-eyed Zombies, it practically mass-produced Level 1 Elite Zombies. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t kill them all. And now, although Jinbi County had a hospital, itcked Green-eyed Zombies, so there weren¡¯t many Elite Zombies within. However, this hospital shared one simrity with the hospital in Shuize County, and that was the presence of numerous Mad Demon Zombies! To avoid trouble, Wang Tao didn¡¯t go to the hospital. The group spent their days fishing, killing zombies. At night, they stealthily tracked the Level 3 Blood-colored Zombies, but unfortunately, they were never able to keep up; the Blood-colored Zombies ran too fast when fleeing¡­ Three dayster, Xu Xiaojun finally reached 3000 HP and once again fell into a deep sleep. Wang Tao then helped Jiang Shixue cultivate further, increasing her HP limit by an additional 1000, reaching 21200! At night, Wang Tao continued with Jiang Shixue to look for Level 3 Blood-colored Zombies. Wang Tao no longer nned to fight the Blood-colored Zombies. After all, there were too many of them, and if they were surrounded, even his Ultraviolet Light wouldn¡¯t be effective. So now, Wang Tao intended to track these Blood-colored Zombies when they were returning to theirir at dawn and see where it was located.
If they could find their and there was an opportunity, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t mind carrying out another ¡°blow up the granary¡± operation. Luck seemed on their side today; as dawn was about to break, Wang Tao clearly saw several Blood-colored Zombies entering arge building! ¡°This is¡­ the Government Building? What a ce to choose¡­¡± The building was imposing, but the surroundings were entangled with many unidentified nts, obscuring the light and making the inside very dark, difficult to see clearly. By now it was daylight, and the surroundings were very quiet. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue carefully entered through the main door. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± Wang Tao, whose eyes shone with a green light, involuntarily gasped upon seeing the situation inside. The interior was filled with sections of ck and red flesh, still faintly twitching, among which knelt figure after figure of Blood-red Zombies! ¡°Thisir¡­ is so big!¡± Wang Tao was both nervous and ted. After all, risks and opportunities coexisted! The building was toorge, and after checking his supply of Self-Destruct Bombs, Wang Tao knew it was definitely not possible to level it. However, even if the zombies couldn¡¯t be wiped outpletely, it would still be good to gain something! For instance, killing the Incubation Flesh, the undeveloped zombies, and the Level 3 Zombies! The Level 3 Zombies might have gone deeper inside; Wang Tao didn¡¯t see them for the moment. Therefore, Wang Tao set his sights on these pieces of flesh and the undeveloped zombies. ¡°We need to quickly destroy these, and when I tell you to stop, you stop!¡± Wang Tao whispered to Jiang Shixue, gesturing towards those things. Only when Wang Tao killed these entities would packages drop, so he was the one to deal the final blow.
¡°Alright!¡± After consulting for a while, they immediately began their attack. To ensure safety, both of their movements were cautiously kept quiet. Jiang Shixue wielded Wang Tao¡¯s Firefighter Axe and started chopping at the flesh and the half-finished zombies.
Wang Tao took out the Giant Axe from his Space Backpack, and after Jiang Shixue had brought those entities to a critical state, Wang Tao swung down his axe, reaping them all at once! Bang! In an instant, Wang Tao saw arge swath of HP bars emptied! ¡°Awesome!¡± Although these entities didn¡¯t increase Wang Tao¡¯s HP limit, they did drop packages. With a single thought, Wang Tao collected all the packages. ¡°Continue!¡± They prepared to go deeper as many sections of flesh and half-finished zombies stilly ahead. However, at that moment, Wang Tao suddenly felt a chilling sensation. He and Jiang Shixue both turned their heads, only to see a towering figure! It stood a head taller than the Blood-colored Zombies, with a body of metallic blue hue. Its body had bones protruding, forming a kind of Bone Armor. Its bloodthirsty, frenzied eyes stared fixedly at Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue! [HP: 50000/50000] [Mana: 30000/30000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord]
The moment Wang Tao saw this zombie, he didn¡¯t hesitate; he grabbed Jiang Shixue and charged out of the building. One second after Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue left the doorway, the blue Zombie appeared at the entrance. If Wang Tao had hesitated for even a moment, he might have been trapped. This blue Zombie didn¡¯t daree out into the sunlight and roared at Wang Tao from the shadows, its stare fixating on him as if memorizing Wang Tao¡¯s appearance, then it retreated into the darkness and vanished from sight. Outside, Wang Tao let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Level 3, Lord Zombie, that¡¯s too fierce!¡± Although Wang Tao hadn¡¯t fought with this zombie, he could sense its horror. If they really fought, he and Jiang Shixue would probably be effortlessly annihted. After all, this was a Level 3 Lord Zombie with 50,000 HP! ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, we can¡¯t stay here!¡± Wang Tao felt that this zombie seemed much more intelligent, and it might even remember him! Wang Tao had destroyed many pieces of Incubation Flesh and unborn zombies, which was akin to killing the zombies¡¯ ¡°children¡± and their ¡°wombs,¡± definitely bound to infuriate this zombie! If this zombie decided to seek out Wang Tao in the middle of the night, even with his Ultraviolet Lightmp, Wang Tao probably wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it. And since this was a Lord Zombie, if it brought a group of Level 3 minions¡­ then Wang Tao and hispanions would certainly be doomed! So Wang Tao decided to immediately evacuate from the county. As Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue ran towards Fish Bay Camp, Wang Tao suddenly heard a humming sound, growing louder and louder.
They both looked up. ¡°An airdrop!¡± Wang Tao had been ready to evacuate, but the arrival of the airdrop made him hesitate. From past experiences, collecting all the airdrops would take at least one full day. That meant he would have to stay for another night¡­ increasing the risk tremendously! But then Wang Tao furrowed his brows again. Because the military transport ne didn¡¯t airdrop over the county; instead, it flew straight toward the southwest¡­ Now it seemed like there was no need to hesitate. Chapter 357: 170 Night Demon_1 Chapter 357: Chapter 170 Night Demon_1 Wang Tao returned to Fish Bay Camp and said to Xu Xiaojun: ¡°Pack up, we¡¯re leaving this ce!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t ask any questions and immediately started packing his belongings. There wasn¡¯t much to pack, mainly food. They had caught too many fish over the past few days, and the space in the Magical Stomach Pouch was limited, so it couldn¡¯t fit everything. Wang Tao turned some of the fish into a nutrient solution, and the rest into dried fish, which could be carried with them. There are conveniences to having fewer people, but also advantages to having more. Previously, when it was only Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue, neither of them carried much. But now with Xu Xiaojun joining them, things were different. He was loaded with items¡ªfood, clothes, tools¡­ he even carried pots and pans. Inparison, Xu Xiaojun seemed more like a post-apocalyptic survivor than Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue. ¡°Are you sure you want to carry that much?¡±
Wang Tao opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I can handle it!¡± Xu Xiaojun quickly patted his chest and said. He didn¡¯t want to waste anything. Some items were not that precious and could definitely be found in the county city, but if they were needed urgently, there definitely wouldn¡¯t be time to look for them¡­ ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing that Xu Xiaojun truly had no issues, Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much more. After all, Xu Xiaojun had the Power ability, and although he seemed to be carrying a lot, it was not heavy for him. Once they had packed everything, Wang Tao looked toward the west and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re heading to Zijing City!¡± Wang Tao was still in Huangfeng City, but it was quite far from the urban area of Huangfeng City. Instead, he was closer to the urban area of neighboring Zijing City. Moreover, there was no need to go to the urban area of Huangfeng City, because therge Survivor Base of Huangfeng City was in Red Stone County, and Red Stone County was at the easternmost part of Huangfeng City. Wei Zhenguo, Han Rui, and the others had headed for the Red Stone Survivor Base. If Wang Tao wanted to go to the Red Stone Base, he would either have to take a lengthy detour or go through Shuize County. However, there was a terrifying ck Mist Monster near Shuize County, and Wang Tao was not confident he could defeat it, so he decided to forget about it. Wang Tao was now closer to Zijing City, and he nned to check out where therge Survivor Base of Zijing City was located. When the virus broke out, the Government announced that there would be arge Survivor Base in every city nationwide. Wang Tao knew only that Huangfeng City¡¯srge Survivor Base was in Red Stone County, but he was unaware of the ones in other cities. The survivors from Zijing City itself would definitely know, and now that he was rtively near the urban area of Zijing City, it likely had survivors he could ask. Before leaving Jinbi County, Wang Tao nned to find a vehicle. However, all the vehicles outside had been corroded by acid rain, and not a single one was usable. He had checked some underground garages, and the vehicles inside were no longer functional either. Xu Xiaojun told Wang Tao that there had been a heavy rain earlier, which had caused flooding disasters. Many areas were submerged, and naturally, the cars in those garages were not spared. Wang Tao felt somewhat disappointed; having a vehicle, even just a gas-powered one, would have made travel much more convenient. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go.¡±
Wang Tao had made his way here with Jiang Shixue on foot before, so they could manage without a car. It would just be considered exercise. The three of them left Jinbi County and followed the national highway toward Zijing City. The highway was littered with abandoned vehicles and many zombies, all exuding an aura of destion and deathly silence. At first, Xu Xiaojun was very tense. After all, since the apocalypse began, he had never traveled far. He knew the outside world was dangerous but was unaware of the specific conditions.
However, after walking with Wang Tao for a while, he gradually rxed a bit. It couldn¡¯t be helped, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were just too strong! Xu Xiaojun dealt with ordinary zombies, and if they encountered some tricky ones, Wang Tao would easily beat them half to death and then let him finish them off. Unnoticed by Xu Xiaojun, his HP had increased by another 1000. ¡°Brother Wang, I can¡¯t control it anymore, I need to sleep¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun, struggling to stay awake, spoke to Wang Tao. ¡°Oh? 4000 HP now? Fine, go to sleep.¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t paid attention just now, but after letting Xu Xiaojun have a few kills, he had reached 4000 HP. The sun was also about to set, so it was a good time to rest for the night. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue could travel at night, but Xu Xiaojun obviously couldn¡¯t, so it was best to rest well in the evening. There were many uninhabited houses by the road, and Wang Tao helped Xu Xiaojun into one. After letting Xu Xiaojun lie down, Wang Tao took out some food, ate something simple with Jiang Shixue, then had Jiang Shixue keep watch while he took inventory of the Loot Packs obtained in the Zombie Nest. Although he hadn¡¯t killed any zombies, he had killed many half-finished zombies and the incubating flesh that spawned them, so he ended up with 23 Loot Packs! Neen of them had burst from half-finished zombies, and four from the incubating flesh.
The items burst by the half-finished zombies were all the same; all were Level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Cores! Level Two Zombies were currently rare, and Level 2 Crystal Cores were even rarer, making Level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Cores scarce. Having suddenly acquired 19 Omnipotent Crystal Cores, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He already had 3 Epic Omnipotent Crystal Cores and 1 Excellent Omnipotent Crystal Core on hand. With this Excellent Crystal Core, there were exactly 20 ubined ones. Wang Tao immediately began synthesizing. Soon, the synthesis of 10 Omnipotent Crystal Cores wasplete. Most of them were Epic, and two were Excellent. Including the previous three, he now had a total of 13 Omnipotent Crystal Cores! Chapter 358: 170 Night Demon_2 Chapter 358: Chapter 170 Night Demon_2 The purity of Level 2 Crystal Cores is 55%. By synthesizing two crystal cores, the purity remains at 10%. So the purity of these 13 crystal cores is 10%, and when converted to his body¡¯s impurity rate, it¡¯s 0.1%! Now Wang Tao has 1.1% of internal impurity¡­ So, he thought he could first fuse 9 Omnipotent Crystal Cores to raise the internal impurities to 2%, and then use two Cleansing Potions to remove all the impurities inside! He had been enduring this small amount of internal impurity in his body for quite a while now. When the internal impurities first appeared, he felt somewhat ufortable. Although it didn¡¯t affect hisbat performance, it was still annoying. But there was no choice at the time, he had to fuse Ascension crystal cores, and then the internal impurities umted to 2.2%¡­ Luckily, when he ascended to Level Two, the internal impurities were reduced by half, and now only 1.1% were left. Back then, he considered that he had only five Cleansing Potions, and each potion could remove 1% of internal impurities. For 1.1% impurity, using one bottle wouldn¡¯t be enough, and two would be a waste¡­ So he had been putting it off until now. Finally, he had the chance to remove them all.
¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t know which Special Ability the Omnipotent Crystal Cores will level up¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at his current three abilities. [Level 2 Shockwave], [Level 2 Precision Shooting], [Level 2 Barrier]. If possible, Wang Tao naturally hoped that the Omnipotent Crystal Cores would upgrade Barrier. Because Barrier was a new Superpower synthesized from both the ¡°Toughness¡± and ¡°Self-healing¡± abilities. Zombies seemed unable to drop Barrier Abilities¡­ If Wang Tao wanted to upgrade, he could only rely on Omnipotent Crystal Cores. But when fusing Omnipotent Crystal Cores, the level-up was random among the several abilities he had. He couldn¡¯t control which one would be upgraded. Unless he first leveled up Shockwave and Precision Shooting to +10, the max level for Level Two. In that case, the Omnipotent Crystal Cores could only be used to upgrade Barrier. Unfortunately, Wang Tao currently had only one Level 2 shockwave crystal nucleus at hand, and even worse, he didn¡¯t have a single Level 2 Precision Shooting crystal nucleus¡­ so he couldn¡¯t upgrade these two Special Abilities first. Wang Tao instinctively nced at his special energy again. This special energy could only extract and fuse abilities but couldn¡¯t determine the priority of upgrades for the Omnipotent Crystal Cores¡ª Wait a minute! Wang Tao suddenly paused, then quickly looked at the description of special energy again. [Current Special Energy: 7740] [Extraction abilities: Turn a mastered ability into a crystal core of the current level. Extracting a Level 1 Special Ability consumes 1000 special energy; extracting Level 2 Ability consumes 5000 special energy; extracting Level 3 Ability consumes 30000 special energy] [Ability Fusion: Fuse two learned abilities of the same level. If the fusion is sessful, the ability will have the characteristics of both, and the Special Ability Level will be the average of both. If the fusion fails, the main ability remains, and the Secondary Ability disappears. Fusion of Level 1 Special Ability consumes 1000 special energy; Fusion of Level 2 Ability consumes 5000 special energy; Fusion of Level 3 Ability consumes 30000 special energy] Wang Tao had used the ability fusion before, but this time he focused on the extraction ability. ¡°Turn a mastered ability into a crystal core of the current level¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean I can temporarily turn my Shockwave and Precision Shooting abilities into crystal cores, leaving only my Barrier Ability, and then use the Omnipotent Crystal Cores to directly target Barrier Ability for an upgrade?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up.
He seemed to have stumbled upon something terrific! However, he did not have enough special energy to extract both Shockwave and Precision Shooting at the moment, he could only extract one. But by extracting only one ability, he would only increase the probability of upgrading the Barrier Ability from one out of three to one out of two, a rate that Wang Tao still found unsatisfactory¡­ And as for extraction, Wang Tao thought of a crucial point¡ª
¡°Since I can turn a learned ability into a crystal core of the ¡®current level,¡¯ could I not learn a Level 1 Ability, then use an Ascension crystal core to upgrade it to Level 2, and extract this Level 2 crystal core¡­ wouldn¡¯t I have a 100% pure Level 2 Epic Crystal Core?¡± Wang Tao was surprised by his own brainstorm, but after thinking it through, it seemed feasible? Under normal circumstances, if he wanted a 100% pure Level 2 Epic Crystal Core, he would need to synthesize three Level 2 Crystal Cores. But that would be too wasteful. Using this method, the cost for him to obtain a 100% pure Level 2 crystal core would be ¡°10 Level 1 Crystal Cores¡± plus ¡°1 Ascension crystal core¡± plus ¡°5000 special energy¡±¡ªbecause to extract this Level 2 crystal core, he needed special energy. Looking at it this way, even if it costs 5000 special energy, it would be worth it overall, as aside from the Ascension crystal core, no other Level 2 crystal cores were needed! Wang Tao had initially nned to fuse 9 Omnipotent Crystal Cores and then use two Cleansing Potions to remove the body¡¯s impurities. But now he had changed his mind. If he fused Omnipotent Crystal Cores now, the ability level might be added to Shockwave and Precision Shooting. It would be better to save up 10000 special energy first, extract both Shockwave and Precision Shooting, and then use the Omnipotent Crystal Cores to upgrade Barrier. After Barrier reached +10, he would start fusing Level 1 Shockwave, Precision Shooting crystal cores to ascend them to Level 2, and then extract those Level 2 Special Abilities. Finally, once he had collected 10 Level 2 Shockwave and Precision Shooting crystal cores, he would be able to level up all three of his abilities to +10! Chapter 359: 170 Night Demon_3 Chapter 359: Chapter 170 Night Demon_3 ¡°` This also has one greatest benefit: Level 1 Crystal Cores are much moremonpared to Level 2 Crystal Cores! Wang Tao now only has one Level 2 Shockwave Crystal Core, and gathering 30 Level 2 Shockwave and 30 Level 2 Precision Shooting Crystal Cores would be extremely difficult¡ªnot due tock of strength, but because he doesn¡¯t encounter Level 2 Terrorizers and Level 2 Police Zombies. But if it¡¯s 100 Level 1 Shockwave Crystal Cores, 100 Level 1 Precision Shooting Crystal Cores, and 20 Level 2 Ascension, then it bes rtively easier. There are still plenty of Level 1 Elite Zombies. Wang Tao also has quite a few Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Cores, which can all be put to use. Plus, these two methods can be carried out simultaneously! If he has enough Level 2 Crystal Cores, then he can synthesize into a Level 2 Epic Crystal Core. If he has enough Level 1 Crystal Cores, then he can use Ascension Crystal Cores to upgrade them to Level 2! Add these efficiencies together, it¡¯s a case of 1+1 being greater than 2! Wang Tao has a premonition that his speed of ascending from Level 2 to Level 3 might even be faster than his ascent from Level 1 to Level 2! ¡°Just hang in there a bit longer!¡±
Wang Tao put away the Omnipotent Crystal Cores, then looked at the items burst out from the incubation flesh. There were four packages in total, each containing an Extraction Crystal Core. With these four Crystal Cores, Wang Tao now had five Extraction Crystal Cores in total. Actually, Wang Tao could use the Extraction Crystal Cores himself, which would save up to 5000 Special Energy. But these Extraction Crystal Cores inevitably contained impurities. If he chose to save the 5000 Special Energy, then the price would be using more Cleansing Potions to remove Internal Impurities. Wang Tao currently only had five Cleansing Potions and needed to use them sparingly. After all, Special Energy could be obtained by defeating Zombies above his level, no matter the type. But he did not yet know what zombies would drop Cleansing Potions¡­ ¡­ The next day, early morning. Wang Tao and his twopanions continued on their journey, heading towards Zijing City. They were in luck today, encountering quite a few Level 1 Elite Zombies on the road, and even a Level 2 Elite Zombie, all of which they managed to deal with easily. Wang Tao felt that if they kept up this efficiency, by the time they reached Zijing City, he would definitely have no problems amassing a few hundred Crystal Cores. At night, they still rested in houses by the roadside. Along this journey, aside from his own party of three, they hadn¡¯t seen any other survivors. Naturally, they had their pick of the houses. However, Wang Tao noticed that most of these houses had been scavenged, which meant there must be survivors around; he wondered if there was a survivor camp nearby. ¡°I can do it again~¡± Jiang Shixue looked at Wang Tao eagerly. She felt she could continue her cultivation. ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao took out the Zombie Culture Fluid and skillfully fed it to Jiang Shixue. An hourter, Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP increased by 1000, reaching [22200/22200]. Wang Tao was somewhat envious of Jiang Shixue¡¯s constitution, as it was so easy for her to increase her HP. Of course, Jiang Shixue could also increase her HP by killing zombies, but Wang Tao needed HP as well, so for now, he prioritized getting thest hit himself.
Moreover, Wang Tao had 800 doses of Zombie Culture Fluid on hand, perfect for adding 8000 HP, which could bring Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP up to thirty thousand. There was no need for her to kill zombies for HP. The next day, they continued their journey. Perhaps it was because Wang Taoined about the scarcity of Level 1 Elite Zombies before, but today, they encountered many more of them. This allowed Xu Xiaojun¡¯s HP to finally reach 4999! Wang Tao had prepared Crystal Cores for Xu Xiaojun that have been fully integrated by now. He currently possessed ¡°Level 1 Shockwave+10¡±, ¡°Level 1 Rush+10¡±, ¡°Level 1 Toughness+10¡±, and ¡°Level 1 Power+10¡±.
Wang Tao directly gave him four Level 2 Ascension Crystal Cores. These Ascension Crystal Cores hadn¡¯t been synthesized and contained impurities, as Wang Tao didn¡¯t have many of them. But each core was of either red or orange quality, and Xu Xiaojun sessfully integrated all of them. After the sessful integration, Xu Xiaojun¡¯s situation was almost the same as Wang Tao¡¯s before¡ªhe could feel he needed to sleep within three days, and this sleep wouldst for 24 hours. Wang Tao told him to go ahead and sleep. Since Xu Xiaojun was about to ascend to Level 2, there was no rush to keep moving. After all, only after reaching Level 2 would Xu Xiaojun truly be a supportive teammate for Wang Tao. Currently, Level 1 Xu Xiaojun was merely acting as a porter. And on the morning of the second day after Xu Xiaojun went to sleep, another ne flew overhead! ¡°Is that another military transporter? This time¡­ there should be an airdrop, right?¡± Wang Tao watched the military transporter in the sky, his voice tinged with uncertainty. Mainly because his location was quite remote and the ne might not choose to drop the airdrop there. But a momentter, Wang Tao saw several small ck dots fall from the rear of the ne. He immediately broke into a grin. ¡°I knew it, my luck has been pretty goodtely!¡± Especially when Wang Tao saw that an airdrop wasn¡¯t too far from him, he promptly instructed Jiang Shixue: ¡°Little Xue, watch over Little Jun here. I¡¯m going to grab an airdrop, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Okay~¡±
Jiang Shixue nodded. Wang Tao located the direction of the airdrop and, in about ten minutes¡¯ time, reached precisely under where the airdrop wouldnd. Thud¡ª The supply cratended right in front of Wang Tao. Having already observed that there were no dangers nearby, Wang Tao confidently opened the airdrop. This was the safest time he had ever imed an airdrop. Inside the supply crate were inhibitors, a total of 100 bottles! Wang Tao had given all of his inhibitors to Han Rui and Ding Yuqin, carrying a few on himself, but he¡¯d lost them while escaping. So now, Wang Tao had not a single inhibitor. These inhibitors came at just the right time. ¡°And a Monster Manual¡­ I¡¯ll look at this when I get back.¡± Wang Tao took the items and returned to Jiang Shixue without incident. Then, he opened the Monster Manual, and the first thing he saw was a familiar type of zombie. ¡°Night Demon¡­ A zombie that appears only at night, minimum level 3 and above, extremely strong, and possesses a certain degree of intelligence, capable of cooperation, and even quite vengeful. If you encounter a Night Demon, run if you can. Besides, killing them yields no Crystal Cores, so even if you¡¯re powerful, don¡¯t provoke them. However, Night Demons have a fatal weakness: they fear Ultraviolet Light¡­¡± Reading this introduction, Wang Tao nodded.
¡°The authorities named those Blood-red Zombies ¡®Night Demons,¡¯ which fits well with Mad Demon Zombies¡ªlike thetter, they have no Crystal Cores, so there¡¯s not much benefit in killing them¡­¡± ¡°` Chapter 360: 171 Monster Manual_1 Chapter 360: Chapter 171 Monster Manual_1 This guidebook is divided into four sections. They are zombies, monsters, nts, and ability users. It is much more detailed than the previous Zombie Guide, which probably means many people have been updating it. Wang Tao also wanted to contribute, considering he had seen many things. Unfortunately, he could not get in touch with them. In the Zombie Guide section, apart from the Night Demon, there was also an update with a lot of other zombies. Whether Wang Tao had seen them or not, they were all there. Wang Tao silently memorized this information about the zombies, to make it easier to deal with them if he encountered them in the future. Then Wang Tao turned to the Monster Manual section. ¡°Monster¡± refers to creatures other than humans, zombies, and nts. Monsters were subdivided into three categories. The first category was ordinary mutant beasts, such as animals that had berger or bloodthirsty and frenzied. The big fish that Wang Tao had previously caught belonged to this type. The second category was mutant beasts with abilities. Some animals not only became bloodthirsty and frenzied, but they also possessed special abilities! These monsters were even more dangerous than zombies. However, they were rare; Wang Tao had not seen any so far.
The third category was mysterious monsters. These were things that resembled neither any animal nor any nt, and didn¡¯t even seem like living creatures¡­ such as a cloud or a rock. These unidentified monsters were all called mysterious monsters. Despite their odd appearances, these monsters were incredibly strong. You either didn¡¯t encounter them, but if you did, it usually meant death, a rare chance of survival. However, their numbers were very sparse, and so far, there were no records of them being killed. Therefore, the detailed information about these mysterious monsters was unclear¡­ They all seemed like they weren¡¯t from Earth. Wang Tao thought of the ck Mist Monster in Shuize County, which could induce hallucinations and was terribly powerful¡ªclearly, it was one of the mysterious monsters mentioned here. Wang Tao felt that the pressure from the ck Mist Monster, with its 30,000 HP, was even greater than that of the Blue Night Demon with 50,000 HP! About the monsters, the guide also stated valuable information¡ªthat these monsters were different from zombies, as they were also afraid of the zombie virus! Thus, these monsters usually moved in the wild and did not enter cities, because there were too many zombies in the cities. Wang Tao had previously wondered why the ck Mist Monster in Shuize County stayed in the wilderness rather than going into the county city. It turned out it was also afraid of the zombie virus! No wonder internal impurity was listed amongst the attributes of the ck Mist Monster. However, this posed a significant problem for human survivors. Zombies were inside the cities, monsters were outside¡­ choosing a location for the Survivor Base was a dilemma. The nt section introduced many mutant nts, which studies showed had evolved due to a particr type of acid rain. This special acid rain could cause these nts to wither, but those that survived would mutate! Currently, it seems that these nts were unconscious, but even without consciousness, they were very dangerous! For example, some man-eating flowers had grown veryrge, and now they ate not only insects but also humans and zombies! Unlike humans and monsters, nts were not afraid of the zombie virus, so the nts in the cities grew wildly. Conversely, the nts in the wild seemed more like normal nts¡­ Researchers also did not understand why this was. Lastly was the section on ability users. This section mainly provided information about ability users and crystal cores, much of which Wang Tao already knew. For instance, ability users reached a bottleneck after killing a certain number of zombies and needed Ascension crystal cores; after ascension, ability users could delete one of their abilities or pass it on to someone else¡­ As for information rted to crystal cores, Wang Tao knew far more details than the guidebook provided.
That¡¯s because the specific functions and side effects of the Fusion Crystal Core could only be known after its fusion. The fusion required human and time resources, and then it needed experimentation over and over¡­ it was a troublesome process. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t need to, he only had to nce to know the detailed information about a crystal core¡­ Although this information was not very useful to Wang Tao, it was still very precious to others. At times, it could even save lives! After reading all this information, Wang Tao considered it quite a fruitful effort.
The only pity was the guidebook gave off an official, matter-of-fact tone throughout. It did not reveal any other type of information. For example, it said nothing about the current situation in the country, how therge Survivor Bases were doing, or what was happening inside the military bases¡­ nothing at all. Normally, people would report good news and not bad. But this didn¡¯t even contain good news¡­ this made Wang Tao quite pessimistic about the outside world. ¡°Perhaps¡­ it¡¯s time to visit a military base.¡± Wang Tao had initially nned to go to therge Survivor Base in Zijing City, if it had survived until now. But now he reconsidered. If he continued southwest from Zijing City, he would reach Wuyang City, the capital of Wuyang Province, where the military base was located. Since he was almost at Zijing City, it might be better to travel a bit further to the military base. After all, if the military base could still airdrop supplies, it meant that the ce was very safe. Plus, with the many weapons and strong forces inside the military base, it was clearly a good destination. They probably wouldn¡¯t refuse civilians looking for refuge¡­ ¡°That¡¯s settled, then. I¡¯ll head to Wuyang Military Base!¡± Wang Tao had decided on his next course of action. Then he looked at the map again. To get to Wuyang Military Base, it was closer from Zijing City, so he didn¡¯t need to change direction; he could continue along the previously nned route. Chapter 361: 171 Monster Manual_2 Chapter 361: Chapter 171 Monster Manual_2 ¡°Should we go get the other airdrops?¡± Jiang Shixue said with eagerness in her voice. The ne had dropped quite a few airdrops just now, but only one was close to Wang Tao. Wang Tao had retrieved that ande back; the locations of the other airdrops were still unknown. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Little Jun to wake up first. Anyway, we¡¯ll be heading in the direction of the airdrops, so it¡¯s not toote to grab themter,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. To him, the most important thing in the airdrops was the Monster Manual; he didn¡¯t really care about the rest. So, even if other survivors took the airdrops, it wouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue really wanted to go pick up the airdrops because she felt that these items falling from the sky were fun. However, she still listened to Wang Tao; if he said not to go, she wouldn¡¯t go. After checking the Monster Manual, Wang Tao became even more cautious. Even though he was on the national highway, it was rural and secluded here, and no one knew if there were mysterious creatures like the ck Mist Monster around. After all, those were even scarier than zombies¡­
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened until Xu Xiaojun woke up. ¡°Brother Wang, let¡¯s hurry and get the airdrops!¡± Xu Xiaojun became even more excited than Wang Tao when he heard about the airdrops,pletely forgetting about his Level 2 Ascension. He had seen an airdrop once before, but it hadn¡¯tnded inside their town. At that time, many people from their camp had died trying to retrieve it. But it was worth it because the airdrop contained a lot of Inhibitors and the Zombie Guide¡­ Now that Xu Xiaojun heard there were more airdrops, he got so excited. After all, there were always good things inside the airdrops! Wang Tao had helped him a lot, and he didn¡¯t have much to repay him with. If he could pick up a few more airdrops for Wang Tao, it would make him feel better. Seeing the excited Xu Xiaojun, Wang Tao said with a smile, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± The three set off again, heading west. On the way, Xu Xiaojun tested his strength after his Level 2 Ascension. It was a world of difference from before. Xu Xiaojun could hardly believe he was so strong¡ªmore than a dozen Mad Demon Zombies, and he had chopped them down with just a few swings of his axe! This was something he wouldn¡¯t even dare to dream of before! ¡°You¡¯ll get stronger and stronger in the future. You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Wang Tao patted his shoulder. ¡°Yeah!¡± Xu Xiaojun nodded resolutely. Suddenly, Wang Tao thought that giving that Broken Giant Axe to Xu Xiaojun might be suitable. The axe was quite powerful, but it was too big and heavy. Wang Tao wasn¡¯tfortable using it. He preferred the One-Handed Axe for its flexibility. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll let Little Jun try it. If it suits him, then he can use it¡­¡± Wang Tao thought, stroking his chin.
¡­ After a while, the three arrived at a small town. Originally, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t nned to enter the town, but he found there was an airdrop there. That was definitely something they couldn¡¯t pass up, so they ran over to it.
There was a group of zombies near the airdrop, but Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t lift a finger; Xu Xiaojun took care of them with ease. Wang Tao went over to open the airdrop box. Before getting a good look, he suddenly heard an exmation. ¡°Hey! Drop our airdrop!¡± Wang Tao looked up to see a buzz-cut young man dressed like a survivor pointing at him from the roof of a three-story building. The moment the man appeared, Jiang Shixue spotted him. But she didn¡¯t feel he was threatening, so she didn¡¯t react too strongly. Xu Xiaojun quickly stood in front of Wang Tao. Wang Tao was burly, but Xu Xiaojun was even bigger, especially after his Ascension to Level Two, which had increased his size even further. His presence was so imposing that when he stood there, he exuded a tremendous sense of pressure. Despite being in an elevated position, the buzz-cut man involuntarily took a step back when confronted by Xu Xiaojun¡¯s re. Perhaps feeling that his step back was somewhat embarrassing, he immediately shouted in a lower tone, ¡°I¡¯m talking to you! That¡¯s our airdrop. Put the stuff down now, and I¡¯ll turn a blind eye. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be in trouble when our boss gets here!¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows raised. This guy¡¯s got some nerve!
Not to mention that an airdrop is unimed property and belongs to whoever picks it up. Considering that the airdrop hadn¡¯t even been opened, it would belong to him by any sense of order or timing, not them! ¡°I don¡¯t like people talking down to me from above.¡± Wang Tao looked at the man, his voice level. As soon as his words fell, Jiang Shixue suddenly sprinted, climbing up the wall and dashing to the third floor. The buzz-cut man didn¡¯t see anything before feeling a pain in his butt, and then he was flying through the air. ¡°Ahh¡ª¡± Thud! Jiang Shixue had kicked the buzz-cut man down, and hended near the airdrop. He had an HP of a thousand, so this height definitely wouldn¡¯t kill him, but it left him dizzy and disoriented. Xu Xiaojun was momentarily stunned by Jiang Shixue¡¯s actions, then quickly recovered. He grabbed the man¡¯s cor, hoisted him to his feet, then kicked his shins. Thump¡ª The buzz-cut man found himself kneeling in front of Wang Tao. Wang Tao: ¡°¡­¡± What he actually meant was for the man toe down and talk. But he didn¡¯t expect Jiang Shixue to kick him down directly, and he certainly didn¡¯t expect Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue to work together so well¡­
Well, these little details didn¡¯t matter; the result was essentially the same. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± The buzz-cut man finally came to his senses, staring up at Wang Tao towering before him like a mountain, Wang Tao¡¯s indifferent expression, and the bloodied Firefighter Axe hanging at his waist¡­ It scared the daylights out of him. He promptly bowed his head and raised both hands in surrender. Chapter 362: 171 Monster Manual_3 Chapter 362: Chapter 171 Monster Manual_3 Wang Tao looked down at the buzz-cut man, speaking slowly: ¡°Whose airdrop is this?¡± ¡°Yours, it¡¯s yours! I have nothing to do with this airdrop!¡± The buzz-cut man hurriedly responded. Seeing that the other party finally knew their ce, Wang Tao patted his shoulder, scaring him so much that his legs gave way, and he flopped straight to the ground. ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t be bothered to speak anymore; he turned his attention straight to the airdrop. Inside the airdrop was a device, which looked somewhat familiar. ¡°Crystal Core Synthesizer?¡± There was a manual next to it; Wang Tao nced over it and confirmed it indeed was a Crystal Core Synthesizer. However, it was an improved version of the previous one.
The overall method of operation hadn¡¯t changed; it still required synthesizing three Level 1 Crystal Cores of the same Quality, but it wasn¡¯t guaranteed to seed, as there was a possibility of failure. The manual stated that the sess rate was now higher than before. Yet, however high the rate might be, there was still a chance of failure, while Wang Tao¡¯s own synthesis of Crystal Cores never failed. Moreover, Wang Tao¡¯s synthetic cores were impurity-free and had no side effects. The cores synthesized by this device, on the other hand, had no side effects but contained impurities¡­ So, even if it was an improved version, this device was useless to Wang Tao, especially since it couldn¡¯t synthesize Level 2 Crystal Cores, making it even more useless to him. Besides the Crystal Core Synthesizer, there was also a hand-crank generator and five military walkie-talkies with headsets. Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of the walkie-talkies. His previous walkie-talkie had been damaged in the midst of fleeing, so he had been without one for a while. It was perfect to give one to Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun each. Communication would be much easier in the future. Wang Tao gestured, and Jiang Shixue leapt down directly from the third floor, startling the buzz-cut man, who had no idea what was going on but dared not raise his head, instead burying it even deeper. Wang Tao handed the walkie-talkies to Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun. Before he could teach them how to use them, a rumbling sound caught his attention. Several modified off-road vehicles slowly appeared from a distance. Wang Tao¡¯s enhanced vision allowed him to see farther than the average person; he observed that this group of people looked quite happy at first, probably having made a significant haul. However, their expressions quickly changed. Schh¡ª Several vehicles braked one after another, stopping about twenty meters away from Wang Tao. Then a group of people swiftly dismounted, holding pistols, steel pipes, homemade spears, and other weapons, and watched Wang Tao with great vignce. ¡°Who are you? Why did you kidnap our man?¡± Someone shouted fiercely. Wang Tao raised an eyebrow at this group. Was there actually a Level 2 Ability User among them? Not bad for strength!
Of course, it was just ¡®not bad.¡¯ That was because Wang Tao noticed the Level 2 Ability User hadn¡¯t merged with four Ascension Crystal Cores and her Mana was quite low. Such an Ability User didn¡¯t pose much of a threat to him. Seeing his boss finally arrive, the buzz-cut man cried tears of joy; he really thought he was going to die just a moment ago! However, without Wang Tao¡¯s permission, he didn¡¯t dare get up, after all his life was still in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. He still couldn¡¯t understand how he got down from the rooftop; he hadn¡¯t seen Jiang Shixue go up at all. Wang Tao kicked the buzz-cut man.
¡°Answer him.¡± The buzz-cut man really wanted to add his own spin to the story but didn¡¯t dare to do so; instead, he earnestly ryed what had happened after Wang Tao arrived. After hearing this, the group exchanged nces. Although the buzz-cut man hadn¡¯t told the full story, they had a rough idea of what had happened. It seemed the buzz-cut man had discovered the airdrop, but with many zombies nearby, he dared not collect it. Maybe while he was waiting for reinforcements, another group came and took the airdrop. Unwilling to give up, he tried to use his boss to intimidate the others, only to end up getting beaten down¡­ The group eyed Wang Tao and the other two with less than friendly intent. Although Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun looked intimidating, there were only three of them, while their own side had thirteen people! Were they supposed to be afraid of that? Now, in this post-apocalyptic world, the rule of reason didn¡¯t apply; only the strongest fist prevailed! ¡°Your teammates don¡¯t seem to care whether you live or die!¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao pulled out an axe and ced it against the buzz-cut man¡¯s neck. The buzz-cut man¡¯s face turned pale with fear, and, unable to care for anything else, he blurted out: ¡°Boss, no! Didn¡¯t you always say, ¡®the more friends, the longer the road¡¯? We survivors are all friends!¡± Wang Tao found this remark somewhat amusing; he had never said anything of the sort.
At this moment, the survivors made way, and a figure wearing a coffee-colored trench coat and a shapely figure walked forward from behind. She removed the scarf covering her face, revealing a slightly roughplexion, but a very pretty face with a smile that felt like a warm spring breeze. ¡°Sir, we¡¯re all survivors struggling to live in this post-apocalyptic world, allpatriots. Why create such a tense situation? If you release Little Jia, we¡¯ll also put away our weapons. Let¡¯s not fight but get acquainted instead, how about that? As for this airdrop¡­ naturally, it belongs to whoever found it first. Since you found it first, it naturally belongs to you.¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Tao felt a bit disappointed because he had his eye on their vehicles. If these people didn¡¯t make a move, he would feel awkward about taking their cars¡­ ¡°Get lost.¡± Wang Tao kicked the buzz-cut man, who immediately stumbled and scrambled into the crowd. Seeing Wang Tao release the man so readily, both the woman and the survivors were surprised. The survivors looked to their boss, expecting that she would order an attack on Wang Tao at this point. However, to their surprise, the boss didn¡¯t order an attack, instead, she sauntered over to Wang Tao. She removed her gloves, looked up at him with a smile, and extended her hand. ¡°Hello, my name is Yang Changhong.¡± Chapter 363: 172 Yang Changhong_1 Chapter 363: Chapter 172 Yang Changhong_1 Zhang Hong¡¯s small hands were soft, but one could clearly feel the many calluses on them. [HP: 6230/6400] [Mana: 2090/3200] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 21%] With six thousand HP and three thousand mana, she was the boss of this group and the strongest Ability User among them. ¡°Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao released her hand and introduced himself. ¡°Mr. Wang, I apologize for the misunderstanding just now. It was due to myck of discipline. I will punish himter. I hope you don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± she said. Zhang Hong was extremely polite.
This left the others somewhat puzzled. When had their boss ever been so courteous? Could it be that the boss had taken a fancy to this big guy? And truth be told, this big guy had a good-looking face and an explosive physique, which provided a great sense of security in the post-apocalyptic world¡­ Thinking this, quite a few of them red at Wang Tao. After all, their boss, being both beautiful and powerful, had be the dream lover of many. They didn¡¯t want her to fall for an outsider. Wang Tao could clearly sense that these people didn¡¯t have such strong hostility towards him before, but after Zhang Hong came over, that hostility had increased significantly. Women truly were troublesome creatures. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Wang Tao asked, looking at her. Zhang Hong clearly had something to say; otherwise, she would either fight or leave. In this post-apocalyptic world, there was hardly time for small talk. Zhang Hong gave Wang Tao a flirtatious nce and then glimpsed at the empty airdrop box beside him: ¡°If Mr. Wang doesn¡¯t mind, could you tell me what was in that airdrop box? If it happens to be something we need, I can trade other items for it. What do you think?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change; after all, from the outside, the only thing that seemed to be of value to others was the airdrop. So he directly asked: ¡°What do you have for trade?¡± ¡°Food, weapons, vehicles¡­ anything is fine, but only if the contents of the airdrop box are worth it.¡± Zhang Hong appeared very confident. Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. So she was a richdy? He nced back at Xu Xiaojun. ¡°Show it to Miss Yang.¡± ¡°Okay!¡±
Xu Xiaojun took out the newly packed Crystal Core Synthesizer. ¡°Hmm?¡± Zhang Hong frowned. She didn¡¯t recognize this device. ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t need this thing. I¡¯ve disturbed you enough.¡±
Zhang Hong shook her head. What she needed the most was the Inhibitor. Everything else was optional, but the Inhibitor was essential. After speaking, Zhang Hong turned to leave without any hesitation, losing all the warmth and eagerness she had just shown. This response left Wang Tao somewhat puzzled. Was this woman really so pragmatic? And she didn¡¯t even ask what the machine was specifically? However, Wang Tao did appreciate one thing about Zhang Hong: she didn¡¯t attack him and his twopanions. After all, from the looks of it, it should have been easy for their group of more than ten to deal with the three of them. Whether she was being cautious or she had her principles, in the end, she indeed did not make a move, nor did she intend to. Seeing Zhang Hong about to leave with her group, with no intention of furthermunication with Wang Tao, he said to Xu Xiaojun: ¡°Little Jun, pack up the Crystal Core Synthesizer. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xu Xiaojun promptly wrapped up the device again. But just as Zhang Hong was pulling open the car door, ready to get in, her step hesitated. A secondter, she turned around, her smile warm and radiant. ¡°Mr. Wang, I suddenly remembered that I didn¡¯t ask for the name of this device. May I know what it¡¯s called?¡± ¡°The Crystal Core Synthesizer. It¡¯s a small device that removes the side effects from Crystal Cores through synthesis. However, it only works on Level 1 Crystal Cores,¡± Wang Tao said nonchntly.
¡°Remove side effects!¡± Before Zhang Hong could speak, the other survivors who heard this all widened their eyes. ¡°Side effects can be removed? For real?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the end of the world, and technology is still so advanced?¡± ¡°Could it be a scam?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The survivors whispered amongst themselves. Zhang Hong took a deep breath and spoke seriously: ¡°If this device really does what Mr. Wang says, then I want it. Name your price, Mr. Wang, whatever you need.¡± Observing Zhang Hong acting like ¡®money is no object,¡¯ Wang Tao expressed a hint of confusion. ¡°Miss Yang, I didn¡¯t say anything about trading with you, did I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Hong carefully recalled the conversation, and indeed¡ªit seemed that was the case. She wanted to know what it was, and Wang Tao showed her. Wang Tao had asked what she had, and she had mentioned a few. From start to finish, Wang Tao had never said he wanted to trade the device with her.
After all, ording to Wang Tao, this was a device that could extract the side effects from Crystal Cores. In many cases, such a device could be much more valuable than the Inhibitor! It made perfect sense for Wang Tao not to trade with her, but this was something Zhang Hong couldn¡¯t ept. If she didn¡¯t know about such a brilliant device, it would be one thing, but now that she did, it was a must-have. With it, she wouldn¡¯t necessarily need to mass-produce Ability Users, but it would undoubtedly boost the strength of her subordinates dramatically! ¡°Mr. Wang, there¡¯s no trade that can¡¯t be made, it¡¯s just a matter of price¡­,¡± Zhang Hong eyed Wang Tao and his twopanions. A big guy, a Fatty, and a girl hiding behind the big guy whose face couldn¡¯t be seen, plus not much luggage¡­ Chapter 364: 172 Yang Changhong_2 Chapter 364: Chapter 172 Yang Changhong_2 Zhang Hong instantly had a grasp of the situation, and she pointed to one of the vehicles in her convoy: ¡°A pickup truck full of food, in exchange for this Crystal Core Synthesizer, do we have a deal?¡± It was an off-road pickup truck, its bed filled with sacks seemingly containing rice. The food in this truck, even for those withrge appetites, wouldst for a very long time. For those in need of food, the price was not low. She thought that Wang Tao and the other two were in need of food, as Wang Tao had no vehicle and could only carry so much luggage, which certainly couldn¡¯t hold much food. But Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not short of food right now.¡± Wang Tao was telling the truth. Previously, he had converted all the food from the granary into nutrient solutions, and he had plenty of it. The three of them couldn¡¯t finish it in the short term, so he wasn¡¯t short of food at the moment. However, Zhang Hong saw this as nothing more than a bargaining tactic. Zhang Hong wasn¡¯t angry; after all, it¡¯s normal for business people to negotiate prices, and she was used to it.
¡°Two trucks of food.¡± Zhang Hong said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, I don¡¯t need food.¡± Wang Tao shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Three trucks of food, that¡¯s my final offer. After all, I have so many people to feed.¡± Zhang Hong¡¯s expression became much more serious. It seemed as if the deal wouldn¡¯t happen if Wang Tao refused again. But Wang Tao still declined. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± Zhang Hong frowned. Did Wang Tao really not need food? Seeing that Wang Tao was about to leave, she quickly called out to him. ¡°Wait. How about Crystal Cores?¡± At the mention of Crystal Cores, Wang Tao stopped, then said with a smile: ¡°Crystal Cores are fine, but I only want Level 2 Crystal Cores.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Hong fell silent. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± Her subordinates, on the other hand, were shocked. ¡°Level 2 Crystal Cores? Do they have a Level 2 Ability User? Is it him, or that big Fatty beside him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably the Fatty. As a Level 1 Ability User, I can vaguely feel a faint pressure emanating from the Fatty¡­¡±
¡°Can¡¯t believe there¡¯s actually a Level 2 Ability User. No wonder our boss is being so polite¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone was astonished. It was not that they underestimated Wang Tao and hispanions, but those who followed Zhang Hong knew just how difficult it was for Zhang Hong to ascend to Level 2!
Before Zhang Hong¡¯s Ascension, they had many more people than this¡ªthe majority of their manpower had died in the process of hunting down Level 2 Zombies! They had paid with many lives for Zhang Hong to have a chance at Level 2 Ascension¡­ The survivors, after their shock, felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, their boss was sensible and had not shed with Wang Tao. Otherwise, if a battle with a Level 2 Ability User broke out, these Level 1 or even non-ranked individuals would definitely suffer! ¡­ The reason Zhang Hong was so polite to Wang Tao was not because of Wang Tao himself, but because of Xu Xiaojun beside him. She didn¡¯t know Wang Tao¡¯s exact strength; she felt he shouldn¡¯t be weak but also not too strong¡ªprobably at most at the pinnacle of Level 1. As for the girl behind Wang Tao, though she was dressed cleanly and didn¡¯t look like a post-apocalyptic survivor, Zhang Hong felt the girl was just an ordinary person and not worth concern. What truly made her wary was Xu Xiaojun because like attracts like; she could sense that Xu Xiaojun was a second-order Ability User! She was absolutely sure of it! As a Level 2 Ability User herself, she knew how formidable Level 2 Ability Users were. If she had gotten into a conflict with Wang Tao and the others, she might have been fine, but her subordinates would¡¯ve faced disaster. Thus, she was so polite to Wang Tao. Now it seemed her instincts were right; Xu Xiaojun was indeed a second-order Ability User!
After a moment of silence, Zhang Hong reluctantly took out three Crystal Cores from her hand, two blue and one white. ¡°I only have these three Level 2 Crystal Cores on hand at the moment, and I don¡¯t know what they do. Pick one.¡± Seeing the three Crystal Cores in Zhang Hong¡¯s hand, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Athlete] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Double energy consumption for actions)] [Athlete: Passive Ability, Enhance athletic performance] The first Crystal Core was an Athlete, a passive ability that, in a sense, was aprehensive enhancement of physical fitness. This Crystal Core was excellent, a great aid for survival in the post-apocalyptic world, despite the somewhat ufortable side effect. But that wasn¡¯t the point; the point was that Wang Tao already had an Athlete Crystal Core, which he had acquired from hunting a hooded zombie. Now he had two; if he could gather one more, he could synthesize one without any side effects¡­ [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Jump] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Sensitive to noise)]
[Jump: Consumes energy to improve jumping height and distance] The second Crystal Core was Jump, like the Athlete, another life-saving ability. Of course, it could also be used to assist in attacks, depending on how it¡¯s paired. Wang Tao also had a Jumping Crystal Core, also from a hooded zombie. However, these two cores were actually just appetizers. The third Crystal Core was what truly moved Wang Tao. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Frenzy] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: HP reduces by 10000 after integration)] [Frenzy: Automatically triggers when HP is below 30%, can only trigger once a day. Upon triggering Berserk, HP, Mana, Physical strength, and Spirit fully recover, size increases, all negative statuses are removed, Attack power significantly increases, speed moderately increases, defensive power moderately decreases. Frenzysts for 1 hour, after which it returns to normal.] Chapter 365: 172 Yang Changhong_3 Chapter 365: Chapter 172 Yang Changhong_3 The third Crystal Core was a Berserk! Wang Tao had an Epic Quality Berserk Crystal Core in his hands, which had burst out of a gori zombie before! If it hadn¡¯t been for Wu Fei saving his life at that time, he might have died. And he considered this type of Berserk Crystal Core one of the best. Because it was like having an extra life! Unfortunately, the side effects of this Crystal Core were too perverse, directly deducting 10,000 HP, Wang Tao certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to merge with it. He thought about whether he could save up two more Berserk Crystal Cores, and then synthesize a Crystal Core without side effects to merge with. Now, he had indeed waited for another Berserk Crystal Core! Although this Crystal Core was only of ordinary quality, it didn¡¯t matter to Wang Tao; after all, he had an Epic Quality Berserk Crystal Core in his possession¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll take these three Crystal Cores, and another vehicle. You can take the Crystal Core Synthesizer.¡± Wang Tao spoke up at this time.
¡°¡­¡± Even Yang Changhong, who was ustomed to bargaining, couldn¡¯t help but frown. She had only these three Level 2 Crystal Cores in total, acquired at the cost of many lives. Wang Tao wanted all of them and even a vehicle? Although the Crystal Core Synthesizer was indeed a good piece of equipment, if one didn¡¯t consider external factors and only looked at its value, it was definitely worth the price. But the problem was that whether it was Level 2 Crystal Cores or vehicles, both were very valuable at the moment. If she were to trade these for a Crystal Core Synthesizer, it would be a fair exchange for her team, but not for her personally! Seeing that Yang Changhong¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t too good, Wang Tao immediately added: ¡°Of course, I can also throw in 10 bottles of Inhibitor.¡± ¡°You have Inhibitors?¡± After Yang Changhong was stunned for a moment, she immediately nodded, ¡°Deal!¡± Seeing how straightforward Yang Changhong was all of a sudden, Wang Tao felt that 10 bottles of Inhibitors might have been too many. But since he had already spoken, he naturally wouldn¡¯t go back on his word. ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao took out 10 bottles of Inhibitor from the backpack that Xu Xiaojun carried, and he also generously took out the instruction manual for the Crystal Core Synthesizer. ¡°I¡¯m not going to swindle you, take a look at the manual first, and if there¡¯s no issue, we can trade.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a manual too?¡± Yang Changhong was somewhat surprised; she had picked up airdrops a few times, but hadn¡¯t seen equipment types, so she wasn¡¯t very clear about it. After receiving the manual, Yang Changhong quickly nced through it and was immediately both amazed and regretful. The functionalities of the Crystal Core Synthesizer were impressive, but it had many downsides too. Overall though, it was a good item worth exchanging for. ¡°No problem.¡± Once she confirmed there was no problem, Wang Tao handed over both the Crystal Core Synthesizer and the 10 bottles of Inhibitors to her. She, in turn, gave all three Level 2 Crystal Cores to Wang Tao. As she handed over the Crystal Cores, she felt somewhat reluctant since they were hard-won. However, she didn¡¯t know what Abilities these Crystal Cores had nor had a way to test them, so she could onlyfort herself that the Abilities of these Cores weren¡¯t suitable for her¡­
After receiving the three Crystal Cores, Wang Tao looked much more favorably upon the group. The Crystal Core Synthesizer was of no use to him. He initially thought that exchanging it for a vehicle would be enough, but he didn¡¯t expect to obtain three more Crystal Cores¡ªan unexpected windfall. Yang Changhong let her people take away the Crystal Core Synthesizer, while she personally kept the 10 bottles of Inhibitors. With these Inhibitors in her possession, she finally felt some sense of security.
Not everyone was as strong as Wang Tao or as well-protected. In most survivors¡¯ battles with zombies, getting scratched or bitten was inevitable. Even idental infection with the zombie virus could ur, like consuming food contaminated with fresh zombie blood. At such times, Inhibitors became crucial. If one confirmed a virus infection and wasn¡¯t in a dying state, using an Inhibitor within one minute would mostly result in survival. After one minute, it was a matter of luck, as the minimum incubation period for the zombie virus is one minute. Even so, having Inhibitors greatly increases chances of survival. With Inhibitors on hand, both Yang Changhong and her subordinates could remain unpanicked. She had run out of Inhibitors recently and without a new supply, she would lose her nerve and the others would be much more timid inbat, significantly diminishing their fighting capability¡­ ¡°As for the vehicles, aside from my own, you can choose any of the rest,¡± Yang Changhong pointed out the vehicles. There were over a dozen of them, but they had eight vehicles, which was rather plentiful. Plus, the vehicles were either modified pickups or off-road vehicles, quite suited for an apocalyptic environment. ¡°I¡¯ll take that one.¡± Wang Tao selected a particrlyrge off-road vehicle. The vehicle was a bit ugly, resembling a coffin box, but it wasrge, and the interior only had five seats, offering ample space. Wang Tao was one-meter-ny, and Xu Xiaojun topped two meters, so they needed a vehicle with a spacious interior to fitfortably. Yang Changhong wasn¡¯t surprised by Wang Tao¡¯s choice; she handed over the car keys to him directly.
¡°Pleasure doing business!¡± ¡°Pleasure doing business.¡± After Wang Tao thoroughly checked the vehicle, finding that steel tes were added to the exterior and there were no issues inside, and that the gas tank was almost full, he let Xu Xiaojun ce their belongings inside. As he got into the vehicle, Jiang Shixue, who had stayed behind Wang Tao the whole time, finally appeared. Everyone was astonished when they saw such a clean and tidy young girl, but since there were Second-order Superpower Owners present, they refrained from staring too long. Yang Changhong was unexpectedly taken by Jiang Shixue¡¯s cleanliness and beauty. Seeing Jiang Shixue, she seemed to see her sister. Shaking her head, Yang Changhong tried not to dwell on sad thoughts, and habitually asked Wang Tao. ¡°May I ask where Mr. Wang ns to head to next?¡± ¡°Zijing City.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide it. ¡°Huh? Zijing City?¡± After Yang Changhong hesitated for a moment, a bright smile appeared on her face. ¡°What a coincidence, Mr. Wang. We¡¯re heading to Zijing City too. How about we go together?¡±
Chapter 366: 173: Betting_1 Chapter 366: Chapter 173: Betting_1 ¡°How about we go together?¡± Upon hearing Yang Changhong¡¯s words, her subordinates, who had been somewhat displeased, were stunned for a moment before their expressions changed to ones of anticipation! If Wang Tao and his twopanions were outsiders, they would definitely be unhappy. After all, Wang Tao had beaten up their people and taken their boss¡¯s belongings. But if Wang Tao and his team were allies, that would be a different story¡ªthis was a Level 2 Ability User! ¡°Oh, along the way?¡± Wang Tao nced at Yang Changhong and the group of survivors, feeling that they didn¡¯t seem to be deceiving him; it really appeared they were heading the same way. ¡°Yes, we are also going to Zijing City. We are all survivors struggling to live in the apocalypse, stronger together since we¡¯re on the same path. Why not travel together?¡± Yang Changhong spoke with great enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯m ready to leave right now¡­¡± Now that he had a car, Wang Tao wanted to get to Zijing City as soon as possible for the wilderness held many mysterious creatures, and every additional minute there increased the danger.
Yang Changhong immediately replied: ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence, so are we!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat puzzled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to pack up your things?¡± Yang Changhong pointed at her convoy: ¡°We don¡¯t have a camp, the vehicles are our camp. You could say we are ¡®apocalypse nomads¡¯¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Tao came to a realization. No wonder their vehicles were loaded with so many supplies; Wang Tao had thought these were scavenged by them that very day. He even thought Yang Changhong was particrly lucky to have found so much food in one morning¡ªturns out they had no fixed residence but were constantly on the move in the apocalypse, like a nomadic tribe. There were indeed many advantages to this lifestyle, such as not having to worry about their base being besieged by arge number of zombies, not having to consider the development of a base, and not being restricted by geographic location, and so on. Of course, the ¡°nomadic¡± lifestyle had a significant disadvantage: the group could not grow toorge. After all, with arger number of people, there would definitely be many who¡¯d want to settle down, and arger group also meant less mobility. ¡°What do you think, Mr. Wang?¡± Yang Changhong looked at Wang Tao with eager eyes. Having a Second-order Superpower Owner join them, even temporarily, would at least double their security factor! As for the character of Wang Tao and hispanions, that was hard to gauge, but Yang Changhong firmly believed that rtionships maintained by mutual interest were the most stable. She felt that both she and Wang Tao were in a position where they needed each other, and under such circumstances, nobody would do anything foolish. Thus, for her own sake, as well as for her subordinates, she tried her best to extend the invitation. ¡°Okay.¡± After a brief contemtion, Wang Tao nodded. As Yang Changhong had said, there was indeed strength in numbers. These people might not be powerful, but they were sharp-eyed. If any danger arose, at least they could serve as human rm sirens.
Moreover, Wang Tao was curious about other areas. Seeing as how Yang Changhong and her group had obviously traveled to many ces, perhaps he could get some information from her. ¡°Wee Mr. Wang to our team! I believe you won¡¯t be disappointed!¡± Yang Changhongughed heartily, shook hands again with Wang Tao, and then looked at Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue, asking: ¡°How should I address these two?¡±
¡°Xu Xiaojun.¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head and said. These two groups, initially at an impasse, had suddenly be allies, and Xu Xiaojun was still a bit unustomed to it. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Xu.¡± Yang Changhong was still very polite. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t speak but looked at Wang Tao. ¡°Her name is Jiang Shixue, my sister. She¡¯s a bit socially awkward and doesn¡¯t like to talk much.¡± Wang Tao exined. ¡°Jiang Shixue¡­ what a lovely name, as beautiful as the person herself!¡± Yang Changhong thought of her own sister, her gaze bing somewhat nostalgic. But she quickly snapped out of it and announced to the others: ¡°Get in the cars, we¡¯re heading to Zijing City! Oh, right¡ª¡± Yang Changhong looked back at Wang Tao.
¡°Your car has a radio; we canmunicate directly if there¡¯s any trouble. You have a radio of your own, right? Let¡¯s synchronize¡­¡± Soon, the eight vehicles left the small town one after another and continued westward along the national highway. In the biggest off-road vehicle, Xu Xiaojun was driving, while Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue sat in the back. The three of them didn¡¯t have much luggage, and the space inside the car was generous, so Wang Tao reclined the back seat to lie down for a while. Jiang Shixue, rather attached to Wang Tao,id down with him. Xu Xiaojun naturally became the driver, but he was content, as this was the most luxurious car he had ever driven¡ªit was said to be worth over a million! Just then, the radio inside the car suddenly crackled to life. ¡°Mr. Wang, are you there? This is Yang Changhong.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Wang Tao asked, still lying down. ¡°Mr. Wang, do you know what kind of energy source is needed to use this Crystal Core Synthesizer?¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s tone revealed no clear emotion. ¡°I know, it needs a hefty amount of electricity to power the Crystal Core Synthesizer,¡± Wang Tao replied directly.
¡°¡­¡± Then he seemed to hear a deep breath being taken. In another, even more luxurious off-road vehicle, Yang Changhong¡¯s chest heaved with heavy breaths. For a constantly moving group like theirs, energy was what theycked most, especially electrical power. All she had was a gasoline generator and a few sr panels, and the electricity they generated was stored in several batteries. But that little amount of electricity was nowhere near enough to power the Crystal Core Synthesizer! She had paid a high price for that synthesizer, but it turned out to be useless¡­ Yang Changhong was close to raging with frustration. Chapter 367: 173: Betting_2 Chapter 367: Chapter 173: Betting_2 She took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and then spoke, ¡°Mr. Wang, since you knew, why didn¡¯t you remind me!¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s tone carried a hint of resentment. ¡°Didn¡¯t I give you the manual? That¡¯s all in there, on page nine. Didn¡¯t you see it?¡± Wang Tao asked in return. He truly hadn¡¯t done it on purpose. He thought Yang Changhong had seen it, and at the time, he was wondering how she would solve the energy issue. Had she really not seen it? ¡°¡­Fine! I¡¯ll study it more carefully.¡± Yang Changhong didn¡¯t truly regret it, after all, it was indeed a valuable item, and she had also obtained 10 bottles of Inhibitor. But the limitation on energy was too great, she would have to think of a way to solve it. As Yang Changhong was about to end themunication, Wang Tao happened to have some things to ask her, so he spoke up, ¡°I haven¡¯t ventured far since the apocalypse began. Could you tell me about what you have seen?¡±
¡°I can¡­¡± Yang Changhong didn¡¯t hide anything and roughly shared what she had observed on her journey. After listening to her, Wang Tao felt a bit wistful. It was as he expected, the situations elsewhere were also pretty dire. Despite it being over four months since the apocalypse, survivors were still in early stages of struggling to survive. Being able to set up a small survivor¡¯s camp was already impressive. She had actually seen a fewrge Survivor Bases, including one that had been organized by the Government before. But these bases had all fallen one after the other. From her words, it was apparent that leading so many people as apocalypse nomads wasn¡¯t her choice, but rather she had no alternative. This time, her goal was therge Survivor Base in Zijing City. If Zijing City had this base, and it was decent, then she might just end her wandering life. As for zombies, of course, she had encountered many, some of which Wang Tao had never seen. However, she had note across any mysterious monsters, nor had she seen the monster manual in the airdrops, so she was unaware of the dangerous wild creatures. ¡°Monster Manual? What¡¯s that?¡± Upon hearing this, Yang Changhong suddenly asked. ¡°It¡¯s the information from the airdrop. Haven¡¯t youe across any airdrops?¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised. ¡°No¡­ Stop the car, I¡¯ming to you!¡± Yang Changhong decisively halted the convoy and got out of her vehicle to climb into Wang Tao¡¯s. Many survivors watching this scene felt a pang in their hearts. ¡°It¡¯s over, the boss might really like that guy¡­ My heart hurts!¡± Unaware of her subordinates¡¯ murky thoughts, Yang Changhong hurriedly asked after getting into the car,
¡°What is the Monster Manual? Can you show me?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Wang Tao immediately took out the manual and handed it to Yang Changhong. They say that a man looks most attractive when he¡¯s serious, and the same can be said for women.
Despite her skin having roughened from the harsh life of post-apocalyptic wandering, Yang Changhong had attractive features: an oval face, high nose bridge, big eyes, small mouth¡­ Her overall proportions were harmonious, making her a standard beauty. Especially when she was carefully reading the manual, with her eyebrows slightly knitted, she looked incredibly charming¡­ Wang Tao promptly averted his gaze. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s been a while since I ¡®replenished HP¡¯ with my sister-inw, I¡¯m starting to miss it¡­¡± He shook his head, feeling a bit helpless. There¡¯s an old saying that three years in the military makes a sow seem as fair as Diaochan. And Yang Changhong was no sow but a standard beauty. It was normal for him to have thoughts any regr man would have. Of course, it¡¯s not like there were no women around Wang Tao. Jiang Shixue was enough to outshine countless other women, and she was also verypliant toward him. To say Wang Tao had no thoughts about Jiang Shixue would be impossible. The world had been post-apocalyptic for months, no one would hold themselves to the moral standards of peaceful times. Besides, Jiang Shixue was 19, he was 26; even before the apocalypse, that would have been perfectly normal. But Jiang Shixue was different from others, being in a half-human half-zombie state, her body was almost like a zombie¡¯s. Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t dare to make an excessive move, or else if he got infected, he¡¯d have nowhere to cry¡­ As he was lost in his wild thoughts, Wang Tao suddenly felt someone staring at him. He turned his head and saw Jiang Shixue¡¯s bright, wide eyes. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Wang Tao felt a bit uneasy and somewhat evasively ruffled Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair. Today, her hairstyle was twin ponytails, obviously done by him. Mainly because he didn¡¯t know how to do other hairstyles. Ponytails were easy; Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair was either twin or single ponytails every day¡­
Feeling therge hand on her head, Jiang Shixue gently narrowed her eyes and rubbed her head against Wang Tao¡¯s palm like a kitten. At that moment, Yang Changhong suddenly eximed, drawing Wang Tao¡¯s attention. ¡°Ah? So these Night Demons are afraid of Ultraviolet Light! Damn!¡± Perhaps feeling she had overreacted, Yang Changhong exined further, ¡°The night beforest, we encountered a Night Demon. I was asleep at the time, and the others didn¡¯t recognize what Level the zombie was, thinking it was a Level 2 Zombie¡­ As a result, we lost three people. If it weren¡¯t for the vehicles, we might have all died¡­¡± Wang Tao shrugged his shoulders ¨C with the capabilities of this group, meeting a Night Demon was essentially the same as being sitting ducks. After sighing, Yang Changhong continued to read on. ¡°The monsters in the wild¡­ Hiss!¡± At this point, she suddenly felt perhaps her luck had been quite good? She had never encountered these types of monsters. Before today, she had thought the nights were safe, even considering, if she couldn¡¯t find a suitable base, collecting more resources in the future and building a self-sufficient camp in the uninhabited wilderness. Chapter 368: 173: Betting_3 Chapter 368: Chapter 173: Betting_3 But now, it seems that doing this is no different from seeking death¡­ After reviewing the Monster Manual, Yang Changhong thanked Wang Tao very solemnly: ¡°Thank you! If I hadn¡¯t seen this manual, I would have had no idea how dangerous it is out there!¡± ¡°No need to be polite.¡± Wang Tao waved his hand and then asked curiously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys pick up any airdrop supplies?¡± ¡°No, we saw the ne, but this time the airdrop was different from before. It used to be a fixed drop over a certain city, but now it feels pretty random; we don¡¯t know where it¡¯s going to drop next, some have evennded deep in the wilderness, impossible to find¡­¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s face showed a trace of helplessness. They had seen an airdrop this time, but they hade from another route and hadn¡¯t seen the exact location of the drop right away. Later, one of her subordinates found it and was waiting for her to get there, but Wang Tao got there first¡­ It was as if they had worked for nothing. ¡°The airdrop locations are pretty random¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned a bit. Back in Shuize County, every time there was an airdrop, it alwaysnded in the city; he had not encountered the situation described by Yang Changhong. Why would the pilots intentionally make it harder to retrieve the airdrops? And weren¡¯t they aware of the monster situation in the wild?
Wang Tao was puzzled, but since he didn¡¯t understand these matters, he could only shake his head. He would observe more carefully if there were any future airdrops. ¡­ At noon. The convoy stopped. Because someone had seen several Elite Zombies gathering together. Elite Zombies have Crystal Cores, and no one wants to miss the chance to get them upon encounter. But now that Level 2, Elite Zombies had appeared, not everyone could distinguish between Level 1 Zombies and Level 2 Zombies. So now, seeing an Elite Zombie, everyone is very cautious. Of course, it¡¯s different if there¡¯s a Second-order Superpower Owner in the team. After Yang Changhong¡¯s subordinate saw a few Elite Zombies, they immediately informed her, and she notified Wang Tao. ¡°There are Elite Zombies¡­ let me check.¡± After receiving Yang Changhong¡¯s message, Wang Tao climbed onto the roof of the vehicle. His enhanced vision easily located the group of zombies Yang Changhong mentioned. ¡°One Spitter, one Attacker, one Terrorizer, plus some Ordinary Zombies¡­ all Level 1.¡± Wang Tao was a bit disappointed; there were no Level 2 Zombies. Of course, a mosquito¡¯s leg is still meat; it can¡¯t go to waste. ¡°They¡¯re all Level 1 Zombies, what does Boss Yang say?¡± Wang Tao called out to Yang Changhong, who was not far away. Yang Changhong put down her binocrs and looked at Wang Tao somewhat surprisingly. She could also tell the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 Zombies, but she had to be closer ande to a conclusion based on her perception of danger and experience with zombies.
And Wang Tao could judge from so far away that they were Level 1 Zombies? ¡°Are you sure these are all Level 1 Zombies?¡± Yang Changhong asked, then exined, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but if we make a mistake in our judgment, someone might die because of it, and I have to be responsible for their lives.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain. Of course, I¡¯m referring to this group of zombies. If other zombiese over, that¡¯s a different story,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile.
¡°Okay!¡± Yang Changhong chose to trust Wang Tao; after all, they were teammates now. There was no need to sabotage anyone. Plus, they¡¯d definitely need to go closer for observationter. After thinking for a moment, she said to Wang Tao: ¡°Since they¡¯re all Level 1 Zombies, there¡¯s no real challenge for us. How about we see who can kill them faster? Whoever wins gets the Crystal Cores, naturally, and the winner can make a request that isn¡¯t too excessive, and the other cannot refuse. How about that?¡± After saying that, she deliberately licked her lips. ¡°Oh?¡± Wang Tao looked at Yang Changhong¡¯s seductive expression, instantly bing somewhat interested. ¡°Sure, no problem!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t care about winning or losing; he cared about the Crystal Cores. These few Level 1 Elite Zombies were found by Yang Changhong¡¯s people, and even if he wanted the Crystal Cores, it wouldn¡¯t be right to argue over them. But since Yang Changhong proposed apetition on who could kill faster, he was determined to secure the Crystal Cores! ¡°Don¡¯t worry about making noise attracting Mad Demon Zombies; just go all out. Mad Demon Zombies are not as fast as our cars. Once we kill them, we can leave, and they won¡¯t be able to catch us,¡± Yang Changhong also thoughtfully reminded Wang Tao. Wang Tao raised an eyebrow; what did this woman mean, was she looking down on him?
Of course, Yang Changhong wasn¡¯t looking down on him. She wanted topete with Wang Tao mainly to assess the strength of Wang Tao and hispanions. Using a Level 1 Crystal Core and a promise as a stake wasn¡¯t a small deal. That should get them to take it seriously, right? Especially Xu Xiaojun, Yang Changhong really wanted to know if this Second-order Superpower Owner was stronger than herself! As for the possibility of losing¡­ she definitely wouldn¡¯t, because she had a Speed Ability! The convoy slowly approached the group of zombies. They stopped about forty or fifty meters away from them. Yang Changhong clearly had experience too; this distance would not allow the Zombie Attackers to reach them immediately even if discovered, because the Attackers¡¯ rush distance was only about thirty meters. This would give them enough reaction time. Other survivors got excited when they heard that their boss was going topete with Wang Tao and his group. They had only seen their boss, a Level 2 Ability User, in action, and they also wanted to know how other Level 2 Ability Userspared. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, it wasn¡¯t Xu Xiaojun who made a move on Wang Tao¡¯s side, but Wang Tao himself. Not using a Second-order Superpower Owner? People were confused, even Yang Changhong frowned, but she didn¡¯t say much more. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Wang Tao took a Recurve Bow out of the vehicle.
Everyone: ¡°?¡± ¡°Alright, we can start now.¡± While everyone was still somewhat stunned, Wang Tao drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Whoosh¡ª Whoosh¡ª Whoosh¡ª In an instant, all three Elite Zombies were shot in the head, with their HP bars emptied. ¡°I win.¡± Wang Tao turned his head and said to Yang Changhong, who was holding arge machete and ready to rush over. ¡°¡­¡± If you could do ranged attacks, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier! Chapter 369 - 174: You Just Need to Tell Me the Location_1 Chapter 369: Chapter 174: You Just Need to Tell Me the Location_1 Wang Tao ran over to collect the Crystal Core and the Loot Pack. As for the ordinary zombies, they were easily dealt with by Wang Tao with a single axe blow each. Yang Changhong watched with a dark expression as Wang Tao pocketed the Crystal Core. Losing a bet was a minor issue, she wasn¡¯t someone who couldn¡¯t ept defeat. Mainly, she wanted to assess the strength of Wang Tao and his group. But to her surprise, Wang Tao used a bow and arrows¡­ At most, she could tell that Wang Tao was very urate at archery, perhaps he had a rted Ability. Then there was Wang Tao¡¯s Recurve Bow, powerful enough to kill a Level 1 Elite Zombie with a single arrow¡­ Beyond that, she couldn¡¯t glean any other useful information. Her hope of assessing Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Level 2 Ability User strengthpletely fell through. However, Yang Changhong was also puzzled. Where did Wang Tao¡¯s bow and arrowse from? Were they previously in Xu Xiaojun¡¯s pack? Keeping weapons hidden in a pack¡­ That¡¯s really underhanded! After Wang Tao returned, he looked at Yang Changhong¡¯s somewhat wooden expression and said with a smile, ¡°Boss Yang?¡± ¡°You won. Make any demand you like, it can be enacted at any time.¡± Yang Changhong shrugged her shoulders, her smile returning to her face. ¡°Haha, then I really have to think about it!¡± Wang Tao sized up Yang Changhong up and down, and in response, she asserted herself without showing weakness. Wang Tao could tell, Yang Changhong wasn¡¯t truly angry, it was just a matter of face, especially with so many subordinates watching¡­ The survivors under Yang Changhong were indeed dissatisfied, but since they hadn¡¯t agreed in advance not to use Ranged Attacks, there was nothing they could do. They had to concede defeat. Of course, it was just a smallpetition, there were no hard feelings, but they were all holding back a breath, thinking about earning back their boss¡¯s face from elsewhereter on! After everyone got into the vehicles, the convoy just started to leave. ¡°There are zombies.¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly looked behind from inside the vehicle. Wang Tao immediately turned his head to look. ¡°Huh? A Level 2 Suicide Bombing Zombie?¡± [HP: 20000/20000] [Mana: 2000/2000] [Level: Level 2 Elite] Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. He was about to warn Yang Changhong, but then he saw a Level 2 Zombie in sportswear not far behind the Suicide Bombing Zombie! The sports-clothed zombie suddenly leaped high and thennded squarely on the Suicide Bombing Zombie¡¯s head, then bounced off the head andnded at the back of the convoy. ¡°Damn it!¡± Seeing this, Wang Tao felt a headacheing on and quickly spoke into the walkie-talkie. ¡°Attention everyone, there¡¯s a Level 2 Suicide Bombing Zombie at the rear of the convoy, and it¡¯s about to explode!¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone was stunned for a moment. A Suicide Bombing Zombie, and a Level 2 at that? They all instinctively looked back. Yang Changhong¡¯s face changed color, but before he could speak, a loud bang erupted from behind the convoy, and the ground trembled slightly. ¡°Drive, drive!¡± Yang Changhong immediately shouted into the walkie-talkie. The explosion caused by the Level 2 Suicide Bombing Zombie was too loud, surely attracting arge number of Mad Demon Zombies, they had to hurry away! However, at this moment, Wang Tao¡¯s vehicle suddenly turned around, heading back instead. ¡°Wang Tao, what are you doing?¡± Seeing this, Yang Changhong immediately yelled at the walkie-talkie. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up a Crystal Core, you guys go first.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s calm voice came through the walkie-talkie. ¡°You!¡± Anger shed across Yang Changhong¡¯s face. Going to pick up a Crystal Core from a Level 2 Suicide Bombing Zombie now? It was an opportunity, but had Wang Tao considered the Mad Demon Zombies? Wang Tao didn¡¯t seem like someone who would disregard the bigger picture. In just those few seconds, Mad Demon Zombies began to appear around them! No one knew where these Mad Demon Zombies were hiding; it seemed that as long as there was a bigmotion in any area that had once been popted, these zombies would invariably show up! Moreover, their luck didn¡¯t seem too good today, there were so many Mad Demon Zombies! ¡°Boss, what do we do?¡± Someone quickly asked. To leave? Or to fight alongside Wang Tao? After only a second of thought, Yang Changhong had made a decision. ¡°Reverse the cars! All Ability Users prepare, we¡¯ll get down and fight immediately!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± No one questioned whether Yang Changhong¡¯s decision was correct, because they were well aware that they had survived up to this point under Yang Changhong¡¯s leadership. Following the boss might lead to death. Not following the boss would definitely lead to death. ¡°Huh? They didn¡¯t leave?¡± Wang Tao saw the movements of Yang Changhong¡¯s convoy in the rearview mirror and was somewhat surprised, but he didn¡¯t say much to them. Instead, he turned to Xu Xiaojun and said, ¡°You go pick up the Crystal Core, and along the way intercept the Mad Demon Zombies.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Xu Xiaojun wasn¡¯t the least bit scared. He was about to get out of the vehicle, but Wang Tao pulled him back. ¡°Hold on, take this.¡± Wang Tao handed over a two-meter-long Two-Handed Giant Axe! If the vehicle wasn¡¯t spacious enough, there would have been no room for this Giant Axe. Xu Xiaojun¡¯s eyes widened. He was aware of Wang Tao¡¯s Storage ability, so it wasn¡¯t surprising where Wang Tao got it from, but he was shocked at how big the axe was! Although it looked ordinary, he somehow felt it was incredibly badass! ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Xiaojun immediately took it, feeling the heft in his hands. But far from being shocked, he was pleased; the weight felt just right for him! Xu Xiaojun carried the Giant Axe out of the vehicle, rushing straight to where the Suicide Bombing Zombie had died. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue also exited the vehicle. But their target wasn¡¯t the Suicide Bombing Zombie¡¯s Crystal Core, but the sportswear-d zombie! [HP: 20000/20000] [Mana: 10000/10000] Chapter 370 - 174: You Just Need to Tell Me the Location_2 Chapter 370: Chapter 174: You Just Need to Tell Me the Location_2 [Level: Level 2 Elite] Wang Tao had turned back because of the tracksuit zombie. Level 2 zombies were hard toe by, and since he had encountered one, Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity. The tracksuit zombie also noticed Wang Tao¡¯s car. Its original target had been thest vehicle, but since Wang Tao¡¯s car had already charged towards it, it naturally changed its target. Thus, it leaped high and fell near Wang Tao¡¯s car. Whoosh¡ª At that moment, Jiang Shixue suddenly opened the car door and instantly appeared at thending spot of the tracksuit zombie. When itnded, Jiang Shixue punched it at the back of its head. The tracksuit zombie saw Jiang Shixue too, but it didn¡¯t know to dodge, only reflexively attacking her. But it wasn¡¯t as fast as Jiang Shixue, so with a thud, it flopped on the ground in front of Wang Tao in a face-first dive. [-4323] ¡°Hmm? Its defense seems pretty low!¡± Wang Tao wielded a hand axe in one hand and a slime grenade in the other. He first chopped at the tracksuit zombie¡¯s head with his axe. [-3455] The zombie took a hit and was trying to get up when Wang Tao threw the slime grenade at it. Ssh! The tracksuit zombie was instantly glued in ce. The slime grenade¡¯s effect on a Level 2 zombie would onlyst a few seconds, but it was enough. Jiang Shixue appeared behind the tracksuit zombie, clenched her small fists, and hammered two punches into the back of its head. [-4531] [-4642] Wang Tao¡¯s second axe strike came down with full force. St! [-3049] [0/20000] The tracksuit zombie¡¯s HP bar dropped to zero. Wang Tao skillfully extracted the crystal core, picked up the loot pack, and quickly got back into the car. While it took some time to describe, from the moment he saw the tracksuit zombie to killing it, it all happened in a very short span. Xu Xiaojun had just picked up a self-destruct crystal core. Yang Changhong¡¯s group had also just driven over. They only saw Wang Tao getting out of the car and seemingly killing a zombie, but they weren¡¯t clear on the specifics. ¡°Hurry up, we¡¯ll cover you for a while!¡± Yielding a giant axe about a meter long, Yang Changhong exited her vehicle and shouted loudly. Wang Tao¡¯s gaze lingered on her giant axe for a moment. Such a beautiful woman wielding a giant axe presented an intriguing contrast. By then, arge number of Mad Demon Zombies had already reached Xu Xiaojun. Holding the axe with both hands, Xu Xiaojun chopped at the iing Mad Demon Zombies. Bang! A semi-transparent shockwave spread out in a fan shape from Xu Xiaojun¡¯s axe. [-4000] [-4000] [-4000] [¡­] Numerous Mad Demon Zombies were reduced to mere chunks of flesh, clearing the space in front of Xu Xiaojun instantly. Yang Changhong: ¡°¡­¡± Others: ¡°¡­¡± However, with many Mad Demon Zombies to deal with, Xu Xiaojun changed direction and swung his axe again. [-4000] [-4000] [-4000] [¡­] Again, the ground was littered with chopped remains. He switched directions once more, and the third axe swing wasunched. [-4000] [-4000] [-4000] [¡­] This time, all Mad Demon Zombies behind the convoy were wiped out! Xu Xiaojun caught his breath. Not to mention the others, even he was astounded by his own strength. But he remembered Wang Tao¡¯s words and immediately started running back after clearing the zombies, carrying the giant axe. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao shouted to Yang Changhong outside. Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s voice, Yang Changhong snapped back to her senses and immediately roared. ¡°Retreat!¡± All vehicles immediately engaged gears and elerated. Wang Tao opened the car door, waited for a moment, and Xu Xiaojun quickly rushed in. His axe was cumbersome to ce, but with a touch from Wang Tao, it disappeared instantly. Xu Xiaojun wasn¡¯t surprised; he was still immersed in the thrill of having instantly ughtered a mass of zombies. Wang Tao nced at the rearview mirror. The distant Mad Demon Zombies were already catching up. Zombies are never-ending, especially the Mad Demon Zombies with their terrifying numbers; there was no need to engage in a fight to the death with them. Wang Tao floored the elerator. Vroom~ The SUV let out a heavy roar and then shot forward explosively. Although electric cars were more suitable in the apocalypse, it had to be said that the thrill of driving a fuel vehicle was iparable. And this million-dor SUV gave Wang Tao, who had hardly driven high-end vehicles before, an adrenaline rush. After a few presses of the elerator, Wang Tao had caught up with the convoy. The speed of the Mad Demon Zombies was fast, but not faster than a car. Especially now that everyone was on the highway with few obstacles, they were free to step on it. In a matter of minutes, the Mad Demon Zombies were left far behind. Once sure that no zombies were chasing them, the convoy slowed down, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn¡¯t their first time being chased by Mad Demon Zombies, but it was the first time they had run straight into their midst. Even though they weren¡¯t in mortal danger, the intense chase had been nerve-wracking. ¡°You guys¡­ are amazing!¡± Yang Changhong wanted to say more over the walkie-talkie, but in the end, only managed to express admiration. Wang Tao had a feeling that Yang Changhong might have been a bit shaken by the experience. But no matter, this was just the beginning; he hadn¡¯t even taken action yet. ¡°Brother Wang, this giant axe is really powerful! With it in hand, I feel like I became more than twice as strong as before!¡± Xu Xiaojun was not one for many words, but he had been talking non-stop for those few minutes. He couldn¡¯t help it; he was too excited. Before meeting Wang Tao, he was barely able to handle a Level 1 Elite zombie, but now, he could fell over a hundred Mad Demon Zombies with three axe swings! Chapter 371: 174: You Just Need to Tell Me the Location_3 Chapter 371: Chapter 174: You Just Need to Tell Me the Location_3 ¡°` The kind of enhancement, especially since it happened in such a short time, was something he wouldn¡¯t even dare to dream of! He was already restraining himself; if it had been someone else, they might have jumped for joy. ¡°How does that axe feel in use? Is it handy?¡± Wang Tao asked with a smile. ¡°Handy! It¡¯s incredibly handy!¡± Xu Xiaojun immediately nodded. ¡°As long as it¡¯s handy, that¡¯s good. Practice with it more, and if I think you¡¯re qualified, I¡¯ll give you the Giant Axe.¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao offer to give him the Giant Axe, Xu Xiaojun was instinctively excited, but then he quickly waved his hands in refusal. ¡°Brother Wang, I really shouldn¡¯t! That¡¯s your weapon, I can¡¯t take it! Besides, you use it much better than I could. Giving it to me would be a waste!¡±
Seeing Xu Xiaojun¡¯s sincere, even anxious face, and knowing he wasn¡¯t faking, Wang Tao burst intoughter. ¡°The weapon is indeed decent, but I¡¯m not used to it. And I¡¯m not giving it to you unconditionally; you¡¯ll need to prove yourself first.¡± Seeing Xu Xiaojun about to say more, Wang Tao spoke up to interrupt him. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s settle it at that. Let¡¯s discuss your overall feelings now¡­¡± ¡°¡­Okay!¡± Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s determined tone, Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t keep talking about the Giant Axe. He always believed that actions speak louder than words. He wouldn¡¯t say much; instead, he would repay Wang Tao with his actions! He began to share his feelings about using the Giant Axe in detail with Wang Tao. Shockwave, or rather some special abilities¡¯ attack power, were not only rted to the special ability level but also involved many other aspects. Such as physical fitness, the amount of energy consumed, skill, and even the strength of the weapon¡ªall these could impact the power of an ability. This was why, even though Wang Tao could produce a Shockwave with his bare hands, he insisted on using an axe or a hammer¡ªthe weapons provided a certain boost to his abilities. ¡°Oh right, the Crystal Core!¡± Xu Xiaojun almost forgot; he hurriedly took out an Orange Crystal Core from his pocket. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Self Detonation] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: none)] ¡°Eh? You¡¯ve got some good luck here!¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected the Crystal Core Xu Xiaojun obtained to be of Epic Quality. Even though it wasn¡¯t much use to Wang Tao, at least it looked pretty. Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the Crystal Core; she liked the color orange.
¡°Here, take this.¡± Wang Tao handed the Self-Destruct Crystal Core directly to Jiang Shixue. Jiang Shixue instinctively reached out to take it but immediately pulled back. ¡°No, thank you.¡±
Wang Tao was a bit surprised but quickly realized why. Jiang Shixue understood the value of the Crystal Core and therefore declined because she would get no use from it other than as a ything. Looking at Jiang Shixue, so understanding, Wang Tao immediately felt a fatherly kind of pride. His time teaching her had not been in vain. Wang Tao took back the Crystal Core, then with a thought, found two Level 1 Self-Destruct Crystal Cores in his Space Backpack and synthesized an Epic Level 1 Self-Destruct Crystal Core. ¡°Then this is for you, it¡¯s of no use to me.¡± Looking at this Level 1 Orange Crystal Core, Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t refuse this time. She happily epted it with a bright face. ¡°Thank you, Big Brother~¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m d you like it.¡± Wang Taoughed heartily, then told Xu Xiaojun to rest up a bit. Although he had only swung the axe three times, he had used a huge amount of energy to maximize the damage, and now he needed to recover that energy. Wang Tao, on the other hand, drove the car following the team and nced at his Space Backpack. He had just killed a Level 2 Athlete Zombie and had gotten a Crystal Core and a package. Since it was not an over-levelled kill, the package contained much less. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Athlete]
[Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: double the physical strength consumption in action)] [Athlete: Passive Ability, enhances athletic capabilities] This was an Athlete Crystal Core. Although it was a Crystal Core of ordinary quality, Wang Tao had two more Athlete Crystal Cores! One was of outstanding quality that he had obtained before, and the other was the Blue Quality one he had just taken from Yang Changhong. Now, with this ordinary quality Crystal Core, he could synthesize a Level 2 Epic Crystal Core without impurities or side effects! Wang Tao felt this Crystal Core was quite nice, the type he liked. But he didn¡¯t hurry to synthesize it. After all, even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fuse it for now. However, he had some ideas about this Crystal Core. He had two Passive Ability Crystal Cores that he liked very much¡ª[Frenzy]. Since [Athlete] was also a Passive Ability, could it be possible to fuse it with Frenzy? Wang Tao liked both abilities very much. If these two could be fused, then he might have found the fourth ability he had been hesitant to decide on! Of course, he still needed another Frenzy Crystal Core and a lot of special energy¡­ He would have to look for more opportunities to hunt Level 2 Zombies! Zijing City was also a big city; Wang Tao thought there should be quite a few Level 2 Zombies inside. Once they arrived in Zijing City, they would need to make a good n¡­ At dusk, the convoy stopped outside an abandoned motel. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for tonight, what do you think?¡±
Yang Changhong knocked on Wang Tao¡¯s window. ¡°No problem.¡± Wang Tao got out of the car. Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue also got out one after another. Previously, when Wang Tao and the others showed up together, everyone¡¯s gaze would subconsciously turn toward Jiang Shixue, since people naturally focus on beautiful things. But now, all eyes were on Xu Xiaojun. There was no helping it; he was just too strong! Xu Xiaojun was somewhat unustomed to so many people staring at him, and he scratched his head with a sheepish smile. Yang Changhong nced at Xu Xiaojun, then at Wang Tao, and seemed to hesitate to speak. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Wang Tao looked at her curiously. Yang Changhong took a deep breath, then said to Wang Tao: ¡°I know of a ce, where there are a lot of Level 2 Zombies. I didn¡¯t dare to go there before. With Mr. Xu¡¯s strength, he might give it a try, but it¡¯s still incredibly dangerous¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me about the dangers. Just tell me where the ce is!¡± ¡°`
Chapter 372: 175: Arson_1 Chapter 372: Chapter 175: Arson_1 ¡°Boss, the defense facilities are all set up!¡± ¡°Good, we¡¯ll stick to the usual rules and take turns keeping watch at night.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao watched Yang Changhong¡¯s group bustling around and found it quite interesting. If it were Wang Tao spending the night outside, he would simply find an appropriate house and then secure the doors and windows. But Yang Changhong and his group were different; after arriving at this motor inn, they didn¡¯t stay inside but set up a few makeshift tents and lived in them instead. Outside the tents were vehicles, and beyond the vehicles were various defensive structures like spikes and barbed wire. Yang Changhong exined that when they stopped in t and open areas, they preferred to stay outside because if danger arose, their first reaction was to drive away immediately. Whereas Wang Tao, no matter where he was, preferred to stay indoors. If there were any irresistible dangers, he would first hide. If he couldn¡¯t hide, he would take shelter inside the house and, if he couldn¡¯t avoid it at all, he would run away as ast resort¡­ Of course, most of the time, Wang Tao would take the initiative to strike and deal with the danger. Neither approach could be said to be better, but Yang Changhong and his group were experienced and had excellent driving skills, so the first method was obviously more suitable for them.
Wang Tao¡¯s car had a tent, but it wasn¡¯t big, at most fitting two people. Xu Xiaojun volunteered to sleep in the tent, letting Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue sleep in the car. The space inside the car was ample, and there wasn¡¯t much stuff, so sleeping two people was naturally no problem. While Xu Xiaojun was setting up the tent, Wang Tao gave him a set of sportswear. [ck Sportswear Suit: Durability +5, Tear Resistance +5] This was from the sportswear zombie they had encountered today, which was just right for Xu Xiaojun to wear. ¡­ After looking through the Monster Manual, Yang Changhong was slightly worried about the safety of the night. She wasn¡¯t sure if the Night Demon would appear near their temporary camp. The Manual stated that Night Demons were more likely to appear in ces with more zombies and were rarely seen in areas with fewer zombies and the wilderness. But there was still a chance of encountering one, so Yang Changhong arranged for an additional group to keep watch today, to ensure any danger could be spotted at the first moment. Once everything was in order, it was time for dinner. Yang Changhong¡¯s dinner consisted of rice with pickled wild vegetables. They had previously visited a rice mill, where they had acquired a considerable amount of rice. Rice had been their staple food for some time now. About the pickled wild vegetables, there were actually many wild nts in the wilderness, though few people recognized them. Some of their group knew wild nts, so they pickled some. Yang Changhong invited Wang Tao to dine together, and he was not a bit shy, bringing Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun with him. A group of people sat around a small table, in the middle of which was arge bowl of pickled wild vegetables and several bottles of chili powder. As the sun set, the atmosphere of a group of survivors gathered outside a semi-abandoned building enjoying their dinner was quite special. ¡°These are wild vegetables?¡± Upon hearing Yang Changhong¡¯s introduction, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. He hadn¡¯t had vegetables in a long time. Wang Tao tasted the wild vegetables¡­ and could only say they were average. But that was understandable, if these wild nts tasted really good, they probably wouldn¡¯t be considered wild vegetables. Especially since this was just simple pickling without any other seasoning.
Xu Xiaojun was not picky and ate anything heartily. He and Wang Tao were both eating from their bowls with big bites. Jiang Shixue, who preferred meat and nutrient solutions, showed little interest in the rice and wild vegetables, eating with small bites and looking verydylike. Seeing Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun eating heartily, smiles appeared on everyone¡¯s faces. Although you guys are badass, we¡¯re not useless either. Take this food, for instance. You probably haven¡¯t had any for a long time, they all thought to themselves.
Yang Changhong¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but inside, she was somewhat proud. She admitted she wasn¡¯t a match for Xu Xiaojun, but she had won in terms of food. However, at that moment, Wang Tao suddenly seemed to remember something. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, I have some fish here too, don¡¯t be shy.¡± Wang Tao pulled out something that looked like a water bag from his embrace. ¡°Fish?¡± Yang Changhong was taken aback. How many fish could fit in that bag? Dried small fish, likely. But she wasn¡¯t disdainful, rather somewhat excited. After all, it had been a long time since she had tasted meat, and even a taste would be wee. The rest were also expectantly looking at Wang Tao. Then, something that dumbfounded everyone happened. Wang Tao opened the mouth of this ¡°water bag¡± and poured it over the small table. Thump, thump, thump¡ª One big piece of dried fish after another kepting out of this ¡°water bag,¡± filling up the entire small table in the blink of an eye.
Everyone: ¡°?¡± After the initial shock, everyone started to get excited. ¡°Holy shit, what is this thing?¡± ¡°How can such a small bag contain so much stuff?¡± ¡°Is this like the space equipment from novels?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yang Changhong was also shocked, but her eyes quickly became fervent as she looked towards Wang Tao. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t care about the principle; all she knew was that this thing was a godsend for survival in the apocalypse! If their convoy had this¡­ ¡°Oh this, this is called the Magical Stomach Pouch. It¡¯s something inside certain special zombies. It can store a lot of food, and inside it¡¯s cold, like a fridge¡¯s chillingpartment. But it can only store food; nothing else fits inside.¡± Chapter 373: 175: Arson_2 Chapter 373: Chapter 175: Arson_2 Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide anything; he knew he would often need to take things, and it couldn¡¯t be kept a secret. ¡°Holy smokes!¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, everyone was amazed. Despite some limitations, the value of this item could not be concealed! ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, everyone, help yourselves. We¡¯ve been eating fish for a while now, and we¡¯re all pretty tired of it¡­¡± Wang Tao called out to the people around him. ¡°Thank you!¡± The crowd quickly expressed their gratitude. Initially, some people harbored small grievances towards Wang Tao, but now seeing how strong Wang Tao and his group were, and how approachable he was¡­ those small grievances instantly vanished. In fact, many even thought that Wang Tao and their boss would make a good couple! Even Little Jia, who had been kicked down by Jiang Shixue before, held no grudges, especially since the dried fish was really delicious!
Yang Changhong seemed to have something to say but hesitated. She really wanted Wang Tao¡¯s Magical Stomach Pouch, but even if he was willing to give it to her, she couldn¡¯t afford it because she had nothing of value left for a trade. As for receiving it for free¡­ she was a pragmatist and didn¡¯t indulge in daydreaming. So Yang Changhong resigned herself to the idea that in the future, if she could acquire some valuable item, she might try to trade with Wang Tao¡ªif he was willing. However, it had to be said, the dried fish was indeed delicious! Hearing that Wang Tao caught the fish in ake, Yang Changhong quietly took note of this information. They had been constantly on the move and hadn¡¯t encountered many sources of fresh water¡ªand even when they did, they had no opportunity to fish¡­ After the meal, Wang Tao gave the remaining dried fish to them. When Wang Tao found out that there was a cook among the group, he was overjoyed. Not that he couldn¡¯t cook, but hecked seasonings. And this cook happened to have a variety of them. Wang Tao had some unprocessed fish meat, which he could now have prepared. The cook happily agreed as well, especially since Wang Tao had said that the finished product would be shared with everyone. As it was still early before bedtime, Wang Tao didn¡¯t return to his vehicle but chatted with Yang Changhong for a while. ¡°Why does everyone call you the boss?¡± Yang Changhong smiled at the question. ¡°I was the majority shareholder and chairman of a smallpany. When the apocalypse struck, I organized some employees to resist and led them out of the building. Later, the old employees either died or scattered, and the number of people dwindled, but some new people joined us. Seeing the old ones calling me boss, the neers started calling me that as well¡­¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s tone carried a hint of nostalgia. Being a boss was an affair from just a few months ago, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed, and many memories were already starting to blur. ¡°So you were a wealthydy all along!¡± Wang Tao understood clearly. No wonder all these cars were luxury ones and well-maintained, unaffected by the acid rain; they were probably hers or herpany¡¯s. Hearing the term ¡°wealthydy,¡± Yang Changhong shook her head helplessly. In the apocalyptic world, it didn¡¯t matter if you were a tycoon or a richdy; without strength, you were nothing butbor. She was lucky to have survived until now. ¡°What¡¯s your view on those Level 2 Zombies I told you about?¡±
Yang Changhong asked Wang Tao. ¡°Well, obviously¡­ kill them! If you want to join, we¡¯ll go together; if not, I¡¯ll go alone,¡± Wang Tao replied with a smile. Yang Changhong had already given Wang Tao the location of the cluster of Level 2 Zombies, and he definitely intended to check it out. As long as he confirmed that there were no Level 3 Zombies there, he would take action.
¡°¡­Okay, I won¡¯t go over, but I will wait for you. You all need to be careful!¡± Yang Changhong had actually wanted to take a look, but with so many people under hermand and the Level 2bat strength being much more formidable than Level 1¡¯s, any coteral impact would result in death or serious injury. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll head over tomorrow and make it a quick battle,¡± Wang Tao nodded. Hearing this, Yang Changhong seemed to remember something and suddenly furrowed her brow, asking: ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re not a Second-order Superpower Owner, are you?¡± She hadn¡¯t sensed the aura of a Level 2 Ability User from Wang Tao, but his confidence was unmistakable, he must have such confidence only if he was a Second-order Superpower Owner himself. So, instead of guessing, she decided to ask directly. ¡°I am.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°¡­¡± Yang Changhong suddenly fell silent. She suddenly realized another thing. If Xu Xiaojun, a strong Level 2 Ability User, was so obedient to Wang Tao¡­ just how powerful was Wang Tao?
She had thought that it was Wang Tao¡¯s unique personal charisma that had won Xu Xiaojun over. But now, hearing that Wang Tao was admitting to being a Second-order Superpower Owner, she believed that, along with charisma, strength was definitely a key factor! For example, herself¡ªif she hadn¡¯t had this power, these people certainly wouldn¡¯t listen to her unconditionally. And if Wang Tao was even stronger than Xu Xiaojun, then it meant her own previous challenge with Wang Tao was quite out of her depths¡­ Yang Changhong felt dejected. She had only just be a Second-order Superpower Owner and when she had achieved her Level 2 Ascension, she had the illusion that she was the ¡°first Second-order Superpower Owner in the world.¡± But now, she had casually encountered two people on the road who were Second-order Superpower Owners, and they were both stronger than her! Yang Changhong, having a strongpetitive nature¡ªotherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have personally run apany and assumed the position of the boss¡ªwas feeling ufortable after being hit with setbacks one after another¡­ Yang Changhong asked wearily: ¡°About that bet we had earlier, what is your request?¡± Chapter 374: 175: Arson_3 Chapter 374: Chapter 175: Arson_3 ¡°You really agree to any condition?¡± Wang Tao sized up Yang Changhong, his gaze somewhat unrestrained. Yang Changhong instantly felt a wave of goosebumps. When she thought Wang Tao was a Level 1 ability user, her attitude toward Wang Tao was somewhat arrogant; she naturally felt superior. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t mind Wang Tao¡¯s scrutinizing gaze before. But now, having realized that Wang Tao might be stronger than her, that sense of psychological advantage was gone. Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s scanning gaze again, she suddenly felt as if she had been stripped bare¡­ ¡°Cough, as long as it¡¯s within my power¡­ you can¡¯t be too unreasonable!¡± Yang Changhong shifted her gaze away somewhat awkwardly. ¡°I definitely won¡¯t make it difficult for you. But I haven¡¯t decided yet. I¡¯ll tell you when I have.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°¡­¡±
After Yang Changhong left, Wang Tao also returned to the vehicle to sleep. The space inside the vehicle wasrge, and he and Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t feel crowded at all when lying together. However, Jiang Shixue liked to snuggle up to Wang Tao, and soon she had burrowed into his arms. Wang Tao felt somewhat helpless; he could only look but not touch. In hindsight, he might as well have gone to sleep in the tent with Xu Xiaojun¡ªit was torture. ¡­ The night passed uneventfully. In the morning, Wang Tao parted ways with the convoy. Upon hearing that Wang Tao was going to hunt down those Level 2 Zombies, the other survivors were somewhat worried, but they didn¡¯t say much, after all, Wang Tao was strong. Yang Changhong said she would wait for Wang Tao for three days. If Wang Tao didn¡¯t return within three days, they would have to depart, as it wasn¡¯t feasible to wait indefinitely. Wang Tao said it wasn¡¯t a problem, a day if quick, two to three if slow, but he would definitely be back. The ce Yang Changhong mentioned was inside a small reservoir. She had discovered it a few days earlier while passing by. Wang Tao checked the map and found the location of this reservoir. If he drove straight there, it might only be an hour¡¯s journey. But the road was likely not going to be smooth, so Wang Tao gave himself the morning to reach it. However, today it seemed he was quite lucky, for although he encountered many zombies on the way, including a small group of Mad Demon Zombies, he resolved them all quite easily. He even picked up several Crystal Cores along the way. The athleticwear zombie from yesterday had increased Wang Tao¡¯s HP by 690, and the zombies today had added another 60 HP. So, Wang Tao¡¯s HP had now reached [15200/15200]. He was halfway to Level 3¡¯s threshold of 30,000 HP! ¡°I hope this reservoir will bring me a pleasant surprise¡­¡± ¡­ This was an abandoned reservoir, empty of water, and overrun with weeds. Yang Changhong had said that the Level 2 Zombies she saw were on the periphery of the reservoir. Wang Tao drove around the reservoir, and besides a few Ordinary Zombies, he found no sign of any Level 2 Zombies.
Yang Changhong clearly had no reason to lie to him. Either the zombies had moved on, or they were inside the reservoir¡ª the weeds there were too tall, taller than a person, and if there were zombies hidden inside, Wang Tao would not be able to see them. ¡°Should we go down there?¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head, looking at the weeds below. He felt that going down like this was too dangerous, not knowing where the zombies might be, but if Wang Tao asked him to go, he wouldn¡¯t refuse.
Wang Tao, looking at the vast expanse of weeds, suddenly had an idea. ¡°Let¡¯s not go down yet. First, let¡¯s clear the area around the reservoir.¡± The surroundings of the reservoir were enclosed with concrete, so no grass could grow there. The weeds were in the reservoir itself and around the perimeter. The three of them quickly cleared the area to ensure the inside and outside of the reservoir werepletely separated. Then Wang Tao took out a can of gasoline from the car. The gasoline was included with the car, and Yang Changhong had been generous. After giving the car to Wang Tao, she left the gasoline for him as well. ¡°I hope you are inside, or it would be a waste of my gasoline¡­¡± Wang Tao grinned. Xu Xiaojun also knew Wang Tao¡¯s intentions at that moment and his eyes widened. Man, setting such a big fire! Quite thrilling! The reservoir was notrge, being a micro reservoir. But even small, it still covered a certain area. If he were to light the inside weeds on fire, it would be a massive ze! Wang Tao was actually afraid that the fire would be too intense and spread to himself, so he checked and cleared the surroundings meticulously, making sure there were no other inmmable materials around and that the fire would be contained within the reservoir area. There was a light breeze today, and after testing the wind direction with a strip of cloth, Wang Tao moved the car to the upwind side.
He then carried the gasoline can, sshing the gasoline over the weeds in the reservoir. Gurgle gurgle¡ª Finally, Wang Tao lit the cloth in his hand and tossed the burning strip into the reservoir. Whoosh¡ª Instantly, a great fire soared into the sky. Wang Tao and the other two instinctively stepped back. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s watch closely. If any zombies appear, call me immediately.¡± Wang Tao took out his bow and arrows and said. ¡°Sure~¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The weeds were not dried, and they contained a good amount of moisture, so huge plumes of smoke billowed up once the fire caught. ¡°If this were before the apocalypse, I¡¯d probably be sitting in jail for this¡­¡± Wang Tao felt his breathing bing rapid; the oxygen around him was decreasing, and the heat wave was hitting him. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and quickly led the two back several more steps.
In the past, he only saw big fires on the news, with many casualties, but he never experienced how terrifying a big fire could be. But today, he felt the power of a ze that was suffocating even on the outskirts; the center could only be imagined. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± A few minutester, Wang Tao heard a roar from inside the reservoir. ¡°There really are zombies! That doesn¡¯t sound like the voice of an ordinary Level 1 Zombie!¡± Momentster, the roars increased in number. ¡°Quick, look where they are!¡± Wang Tao, fighting the difort, forced himself to move a few steps forward. ¡°There!¡± Suddenly, Jiang Shixue pointed to a spot. Wang Tao quickly looked and spotted a zombie in the mes. [1398/7000] Whoosh¡ª An arrow flew out, urately piercing its eye socket.
[-1398] [0/7000] Level 2 Zombie, HP depleted. Chapter 375: 176 HP Soars_1 Chapter 375: Chapter 176 HP Soars_1 ¡°` After nailing a Level 2 Zombie in the head with an arrow and seeing his HP max increase, Wang Tao burst intoughter. ¡°Keep theming, let¡¯s see just how many zombies are in here!¡± The one he had just killed was a Level 2, Elite Zombie, the first, but definitely not thest. Wang Tao could sense that his HP was about to get a serious boost today! Any zombie instantly killed by Wang Tao would drop a Loot Pack. Naturally, this zombie did too, but lying in the sea of mes, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t retrieve it just yet. This was a wake-up call for Wang Tao¡ªhe needed to im the zombies¡¯ heads before the fire consumed them. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t gain any HP or Loot Packs if the zombies burned to death since the firested too long to count as his kill. Soon, Little Jun also spotted a Level 2 Zombie in the fiery chaos. [7849/12000] This zombie still had a lot of HP, but Wang Tao didn¡¯t hurry. He waited until it was down to itsst thousand HP before shooting an arrow. Whoosh¡ª
[-1287] [0/12000] Another head collected. Before Wang Tao had time to check the increase in his HP, Jiang Shixue¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°Brother, there are two over there!¡± Wang Tao quickly ran over. At the location Jiang Shixue pointed to, there were five zombies, but three were ordinary, Level 1 Zombies, which Jiang Shixue naturally ignored. After killing the two Level 2 Zombies, Wang Tao refrained from attacking further. Ordinary zombies weren¡¯t worth it unless they were Elite¡ªjust somemon materials, hardly worth wasting his arrows on, which were nearly rendered useless once shot through the mes. It was better to be economical. After about fifteen minutes, the fire grew fiercer, and smoke billowed into the sky. ¡°Who knows how much pollution this thing is causing, or how many degrees it¡¯s warming the.¡± Wang Taoughed self-deprecatingly. Before the apocalypse, there were always news reports about humans being responsible for environmental pollution and global warming. But as an ordinary person, he wasn¡¯t the cause of this, or at least, it wasn¡¯t directly rted to him. He didn¡¯t mind being asked to protect the environment, but being med for it was ridiculous¡­ Now, it indeed had something to do with him, direct consequences of his own actions, yet nobody was nagging in his ear anymore. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Just then, Wang Tao heard a fierce roar. He looked towards the sound and saw an imposing zombie. ¡°Hm? A Terrorizer?¡± The reservoir was deeper than Wang Tao had expected, and the underbrush taller. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fire burning the vegetation, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see this over two-meter-tall Terrorizer at all. Lucky he hadn¡¯t gone down there; if he had been ambushed by zombies unknowingly, that would have spelled disaster. [HP: 19339/22000] [Mana: 10000/10000]
[Level: Level 2, Elite] This Terrorizer was quite strong, with over twenty-two thousand HP. Despite being scorched by fire for so long, it still had neen thousand HP left. If he had to fight it face-to-face, Wang Tao would have to exert some effort, but now, he just needed to watch it burn to death. The Terrorizer spotted Wang Tao. With its simple mind, it probably couldn¡¯t figure out what was happening with the fire, but it would attack any human it saw.
So upon seeing Wang Tao, it instantly lifted a thick steel pipe in its hand and mmed it violently onto the ground. A Shockwave headed towards Wang Tao but disappeared a good distance away from him. Wang Tao calmly notched and drew his bow, taking his time with the shot. He chose to use a Bow and Arrows instead of a Shockwave because the distance was too great, and the Shockwave wouldn¡¯t reach. He dared not get too close¡ª the mes were too fierce, and he could get hurt himself. Step by step, the Terrorizer moved towards Wang Tao. mes raged over its body, its head aze as if it were a war god emerging from hell¡ªimpressively terrifying¡ªwhile its HP dropped rapidly. When it reached near Wang Tao, struggling through the mes, Wang Tao released the bowstring. Whoosh¡ª [-1028] [0/22000] The Terrorizer¡¯s HP hit zero, and it copsed with a thunderous fall. ¡°How considerate,ing right towards me.¡± With this Shockwave Crystal Core he hadn¡¯t picked up yet, Wang Tao now had two, just one more and he could synthesize a Crystal Core he could use! ¡°I hope to see another Terrorizer¡­¡±
Wang Tao silently wished to himself. More zombies appeared, and although no more Terrorizers showed up, they were all Level 2. Wang Tao was having a st killing them, but after a while, he started to feel that something was off. ¡°Why are there so many Level 2 Zombies?¡± Zhang Hong had told him that there were a few Level 2 Zombies here. But now, with the fire having only scorched a small area of the reservoir, more than a dozen Level 2 Zombies had emerged! While most of them had lower HP, such as seven thousand, six thousand, or even five thousand, the quantity was still way too high. This wasn¡¯t normal! If there were truly so many Level 2 Zombies, Wang Tao would have encountered them on the road, not having to trek all this way just to fight them. Then Wang Tao suddenly remembered the situation at Shuize First Hospital. Back then, there were also many Level 1 Elite Zombies, an endless amount for him to kill. But that was because there was a Green-eyed Zombie in the hospital capable of elevating ordinary zombies¡¯ levels. ¡°` Chapter 376: 176 HP Soars_2 Chapter 376: Chapter 176 HP Soars_2 Could there be a simr behemoth inside the reservoir? With this thought, Wang Tao suddenly felt a mix of excitement and caution. If such a zombie really existed, it would likely be Level 3! Wang Tao had killed a Level 3 Zombie before, but that was done by exploiting the sunlight to eliminate a Night Demon, not through a typical kill. Of course, the situation now was different¡ªnow all zombies would gradually find themselves engulfed in a sea of mes, and if there really were Level 3 Zombies, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t without a chance to fight! Wang Tao shared his spection about the possibility of Level 3 Zombies in the area with Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun, warning them to be cautious. Both nodded quickly. Jiang Shixue was rather unfazed, as she didn¡¯t experience much fluctuation in emotions when it came tobat¡ªto put it simply, she didn¡¯t know fear. Xu Xiaojun, on the other hand, was somewhat scared, which is only human. However, he firmly believed that even if it were a Level 3 Zombie, Wang Tao could take care of it. He held a blind trust in Wang Tao. The fire continued to burn, and from time to time, Level 2 Zombies would leap out of the mes, only to be swiftly dispatched by Wang Tao¡¯s arrows.
Wang Tao no longer cared whether or not there were Level 3 Zombies, deciding to kill all the zombies he could before considering anything else. Wang Tao estimated that quite a few zombies would be burned to death before they had a chance to escape the inferno, wondering just how much HP would be wasted¡­ It was a shame that Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun couldn¡¯t perform ranged attacks; otherwise, they could have collected some kills too. The reservoir was deep, and there were protective railings all around. Even if some zombies did manage to break free from the inferno, they couldn¡¯t cause any harm to the trio. But there were always exceptions. Some zombies had the ability to jump directly out, while others had ranged attack abilities,unching assaults on the trio from across the sea of mes. Luckily, Wang Tao was always cautious. He was on the lookout for such zombies. They wouldn¡¯t get the chance to ambush him; he reserved the privilege of surprise attacks for himself. Thus, the three of them dealt with these zombies easily, without much danger. Moreover, Wang Tao had discovered something valuable¡ªa zombie with the ¡°Spittle Nail Ability¡± had just leaped up. The Spittle Nail Ability allowed for storing one-tenth of consumed food in the stomach to beter used as a weapon and spat out. Never mind the abilities of that zombie, what mattered was that killing it would yield a ¡°Magical Stomach Pouch¡±! In the past, Wang Tao had killed three Spittle Nail zombies, each dropping a Magical Stomach Pouch, and this Spittle Nail zombie was no exception¡ªit dropped one too! ¡°Tsk tsk, I can sell this to Yang Changhong, if she can offer something of high value¡­¡± ¡­ Wang Tao originally nned to arrive at the reservoir in the morning, wipe out all Level 2 Zombies by noon, and meet with Yang Changhong in the afternoon. But ns can¡¯t keep up with changes, and there were too many zombies hidden in the reservoir. The fire that started in the morning continued burning into the afternoon without stopping. All three of them used handkerchiefs to cover their noses and mouths. The smell of burning corpses was unbearable. He was also somewhat concerned that therge-scale mes and thick smoke might attract other Level 3 Zombies or those mysterious creatures from the wilderness. However, it seemed they were fortunate; the area was perhaps too remote, and only a few scattered Ordinary Zombies nearby were easily taken care of by Xu Xiaojun. As for the mysterious creatures¡­ Their numbers were small, and unless one was extremely unlucky, encounters with them weren¡¯t so easilye by. ¡°Feels like this fire won¡¯t be extinguished by tomorrow¡­¡±
Looking at the great fire, Wang Tao felt a bit helpless. When the fire initially started burning, he could easily finish off the zombies. But as the fire grewrger, finisher moves became difficult. And now that it had grown to this extent, they were out of the question¡ªas he could asionally hear the zombies¡¯ roars, but couldn¡¯t see where exactly they were amidst therge fire; they couldn¡¯t escape from within it¡­ It was somewhat wasteful, to be honest, but Wang Tao was still satisfied. He nced at his own HP¡ª[24850/24850] Beforeing here, his HP limit was 15,200, but now it was 24,850! It had risen by 9,650!
Although most of the zombies in the mes were Level 2, Elites with generally low HP, and the one with the highest HP was the Terrorizer, there were so many zombies that Wang Tao lost track of how many he had killed. ¡°Just 5,000 away from 30,000 HP¡­¡± Wang Tao felt a slight thrill in his heart. This trip was really worthwhile, and the idea of setting the fire hade at just the right time; otherwise, amassing nearly ten thousand in HP limit would have taken quite some time. The reservoir was replete with wild growth. Seeing that the sun was setting and it was still not burnt out, Wang Tao decided not to leave but to rest here for the night. After all, he hadn¡¯t yet imed his Crystal Core and Loot Pack, which were down below. In the afternoon, the wind direction changed a bit, so Wang Tao switched to a different position. Looking at the shining Crystal Cores and transparent packs in the sea of fire, he felt a strong urge, but he resisted. After all, the fire below was too intense, and who knew if zombies were still hiding there. It was better not to go down until he was sure it was safe. Wang Tao also sensed something odd¡ªthe resilience of these weeds to fire exceeded his expectations. He wondered if perhaps the weeds had mutated as well. But this had a silver lining¡ª When Wang Tao previously threw Molotov cocktails at zombies, the mes on their bodies would quickly extinguish. He didn¡¯t understand why at first, but after some observations, he found that the zombies¡¯ blood might have a ¡°Raining Fire¡± effect¡­ hence, although a Molotov cocktail could burn zombies, it usually couldn¡¯t kill them. Chapter 377: 176 HP Soars_3 Chapter 377: Chapter 176 HP Soars_3 But now, things had changed. If the mes were alone on the zombies, they might not burn for long before going out. However, the current mes were on the weeds, and these weeds were highly mmable. The zombies couldn¡¯t avoid the mes amongst the weeds at all. As long as the weeds didn¡¯t stop burning, they could burn the zombies to death. ¡°Let¡¯s wait it out,¡± Wang Tao said, ¡°hopefully by tomorrow the fire will have died down¡­¡± None of the three, including Wang Tao, were nning on sleeping. After all, with the current situation, sleep was out of the question, and since their level 2 ascension, the necessity for sleep had greatly diminished. An asional all-nighter wouldn¡¯t impact their mental state much. They spent the whole night in the car, watching the fire burn. It wasn¡¯t until the light of dawn began to appear that Wang Tao finally let out a sigh of relief. What he was most worried about were the Night Demonsing at night. Wang Tao was uncertain whether the three of them could take on a level 3 Night Demon alone. But he knew if there were more than two, they would have to run. Night Demons weren¡¯t solitary zombies¡ªthey tended toe in groups¡­ Luckily, nothing happened that night. The mes in the reservoir were still burning, but had significantly weakened and were now mostly concentrated in the middle of the reservoir. Everywhere else was a bare and charred stretch. Among the ashes, many crystal cores sparkled under the reflection of the mes. ¡°Let¡¯s go, pick up the crystal cores!¡±
The surroundings were empty, any dangers could be seen at a nce, so Wang Tao led Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun down without hesitation. ¡°Level 2 Rush, Level 2 Self Detonation, Level 1 Self-heal¡­¡± Looking at these crystal cores, Wang Tao¡¯s grin was almost ear to ear. And it wasn¡¯t just the crystal cores¡ªthey also found loot packs from the zombies they had killed before. Only after gathering these packs did Wang Tao realize that yesterday, he had killed 32 level 2 elite zombies! Then,paring the number of packs to the amount of crystal cores, Wang Tao realized he had only killed a small fraction of them! Together, the three of them had picked up more than eighty crystal cores! Which meant that at least fifty or more zombies were burned to death, Thinking about it, he felt somewhat pained¡ªafter all, that was potential HP and loot packs! If he had killed those zombies too, Wang Tao¡¯s HP would definitely be close to 30,000! At the same time, Wang Tao was a bit worried in his heart. Given the current state of affairs, it was clear there must be at least one level 3 zombie here! And it might be simr to the Green-eyed Zombie, one that could cultivate other zombies! Such a zombie could perhaps be called¡­ a ¡°Mother¡± zombie? Wang Tao felt this moniker was very fitting. As for where this Mother zombie might be¡­ Wang Tao looked towards the center of the reservoir, where the mes were still burning. If nothing unexpected happened, the Mother zombie might be right there! What puzzled Wang Tao was that the other party didn¡¯t roar or make any moves, as if it had been burned to death. But that seemed unlikely, considering that the level 1 and level 2 zombies had all put up some resistance, yet this level 3 zombie showed no sign of struggle whatsoever? After clearing up the area, Wang Tao and his twopanions returned to the shore. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit longer. Once that central fire dies down, we can see what¡¯s going on inside,¡± Wang Tao said. ¡°Okay.¡± Both Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun naturally had no objections.
But their waitsted until noon. Wang Tao had just drunk a few bottles of nutrient fluid when Jiang Shixue pointed towards the reservoir and said, ¡°It¡¯s out.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look!¡± Wang Tao said without hesitation, grasping his axe as he walked.
In the very center of the reservoir was a pile of ashes, looking as if a lot of weeds had been there before. After scattering the ashes, they found no crystal cores. ¡°Could there really be no level 3 zombies? Impossible¡­¡± Wang Tao was puzzled; he felt that his guess should have been correct¡­ Xu Xiaojun, wielding his Giant Axe, was clearing the ashes when he identally hit the ground. Thud¡ª Something about that sound was off! Xu Xiaojun suddenly eximed, ¡°There¡¯s a hollow underneath!¡± ¡°Hollow? Could the level 3 zombie be hiding underground? Keep digging!¡± Soon, they revealed arge b underneath the ashes. The b had holes in it, and looking through the holes showed pitch darkness within, unclear what was inside. Wang Tao nced at it but didn¡¯t see any HP information.
¡°There is more to this than meets the eye¡­,¡± Wang Tao hesitated for a moment before telling Xu Xiaojun, ¡°Smash it open!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue stepped back a bit as Xu Xiaojun lifted his Giant Axe high and brought it down hard on the underground b. Bang! Crumble¡ª After a loud sound, dust rose, and the surface b shattered instantly. Prepared for what woulde, Xu Xiaojun immediately ran to Wang Tao¡¯s side. The three prepared forbat. But after a moment of waiting, nothing seemed to happen. Once the dust settled beside the broken b, Wang Tao cautiously approached. ¡°Hmm? An entrance?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. He had thought there might have been a pit of some kind with zombies hiding inside. But to his surprise, there was a nted hole leading downward,rge enough for him to fit through.
¡°Is the level 3 zombie hiding in there?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes glinted green as he noticed the hole wasn¡¯t straight but curved, making it impossible to see to the end. Wang Tao hesitated about whether to go in. Rationally speaking, he shouldn¡¯t. The risk didn¡¯t seem to match the potential reward ¨C he knew neither the possible benefits nor the dangers inside. If there was an undamaged level 3 zombie inside, they might not even be able to defeat it. However, just then, Wang Tao spotted some nts deep within the hole at a nce. Upon closer inspection, they were mushrooms and they had a name! [Strength Mushroom x1] [Strength Mushroom: Crafting material, edible. Eating it provides a temporary boost in strength, but causes hallucinations for a certain period.] ¡°Strength Mushrooms? That sounds familiar¡­ Aren¡¯t they the core ingredient for crafting a small Strength Potion!¡± Chapter 378: 177: The Cave, Fire Attack_1 Chapter 378: Chapter 177: The Cave, Fire Attack_1 ¡°Be careful¡­¡± Wang Tao entered the cave with Jiang Shixue. After careful consideration, Wang Tao had decided to take a look inside. After all, opportunity favored the prepared! His hesitation was due to the fact that he was unclear about what was in the cave. But now, having seen the Strength Mushroom, he knew the risk was worth taking. After all, Strength Mushrooms were core ingredients for the Strength Potion (small), and with them, he would be able to craft Strength Potions himself! The Strength Potions Wang Tao had were all looted from zombies, and he didn¡¯t have many; he was reluctant to use them¡­ Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯te with them as hecked Night Vision, which ced him at a disadvantage in such ces. Wang Tao asked him to stay outside and keep watch over the off-road vehicle, so if there were any irresistible dangers, he could drive away with them in time. Red and green lights glowed in the eyes of Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue as they cautiously approached the Strength Mushrooms. The Strength Mushrooms looked simr in shape and size to Ordinary mushrooms, but upon closer inspection, one could see tiny red spots on the white mushrooms. ¡°Can we eat this thing¡­¡±
Wang Tao usually liked mushrooms, but he only ate the ones bought from proper sources and had never had wild ones. The small red dots on the Strength Mushrooms looked unusual, and the introduction had mentioned that eating one would grant a temporary boost in Strength but would also induce hallucinations for a time. Not that he was sure what it tasted like, but if it were really tasty, maybe a bit of hallucination wouldn¡¯t matter? It wasn¡¯t fatal anyway¡­ Shaking his head, Wang Tao quickly dismissed his foodie thoughts. Even if he wanted to eat it, he would have someone else try it first. Moreover, these mushrooms were scarce at the moment, not even enough for crafting Potions, much less for eating as food¡­ Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue picked all the mushrooms. A total of 14 mushrooms, and since each could be used to make 5 Strength Potions, that meant they had 70 Strength Potions! Perhaps they could trade these Potions with others or even sell them directly in the future! Also, these mushrooms could be stored in the Space Backpack, which was very convenient. After collecting all the Strength Mushrooms, they had reached a bend in the cave. Wang Tao peeked around the corner and saw no danger; there were still many mushrooms growing, including some with blue spots on them. [Defense Mushroom x1] [Defense Mushroom: Crafting ingredient, edible. Eating it temporarily boosts Defense but induces hallucinations for a time.] The introduction of the Defense Mushroom was simr to the Strength Mushroom, except one boosted Strength and the other Defense. Defense Mushrooms could be used to craft Defense Potions (small), corresponding to the Strength Potions (small)! ¡°Let¡¯s continue¡­¡± They collected mushrooms as they went along, passing three bends in total and gathering 55 mushrooms and 58 Defense Mushrooms. At this point, the path ahead finally changed. Deep within the cave was a vast space without Strength Mushrooms but with numerous tree roots intertwined. Wang Tao became vignt at the sight of those roots.
Because the roots had HP! [73426/100000] ¡°A hundred thousand blood, but not full¡­ could it have been burned by fire?¡± Wang Tao was curious.
Aside from HP, these roots showed no other Attributes, which reminded Wang Tao of those hundred thousand blood flesh pieces in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, leading him to believe there was a simrity. Seeing the HP bars, Wang Tao really wanted to hack at them with his axe, but as he was unsure about what was below, he restrained himself. The space here was vast, filled with roots, and among them, there were human bones, likely those of zombies. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t quite understand the rtionship between the roots and the zombies. ¡°Brother, over here.¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly tugged at Wang Tao¡¯s clothes and pointed somewhere. Wang Tao turned to look, and his eyes widened in shock. About a dozen zombies were tightly entwined by the tree roots, which were inserted into the zombies¡¯ mouths and seemed to be pulsating¡­ It looked quite lewd. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t understand but was profoundly shocked. Most of these zombies were Level 1 Zombies, but there were also two Level 2 Zombies among them. They were all critically low on HP but not dead, still desperately struggling. Wang Tao initially thought the roots were trying to kill or eat the zombies, but after secretly observing for a while, he noticed that the roots seemed to be injecting something into the zombies¡¯ mouths, and the zombies¡¯ HP was slowly increasing! ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Wang Tao frowned.
Whereas Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Brother, I smell a very fragrant scent¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Could it be Zombie Culture Fluid?¡± Wang Tao looked at Jiang Shixue. ¡°No, it¡¯s different¡­¡± Jiang Shixue shook her head. Wang Tao looked back at the roots and zombies again. So far, they had searched the entire underground space and found no other passages except for this space and a winding entrance leading upward. Clearly, the focal point of this underground spacey with these roots. ¡°Shall we attack it to test it out?¡± After pondering for a moment, Wang Tao threw a Throwing Knife. [-5] [73421/100000]
¡°¡­¡± What the heck? Wang Tao was dumbstruck; though Surgical Throwing Knives were flimsy and pretty much disposable after one use, a mere 5 points of damage seemed too low, right? Wang Tao then unleashed a Shockwave. [-15] [73406/100000] Chapter 379: 177: The Cave, Fire Attack_2 Chapter 379: Chapter 177: The Cave, Fire Attack_2 Wang Tao could now confirm that it was not his throwing knives that were dealing low damage, but rather the tree roots had too high defense! It waspletely different from the flesh inside the Night Demon¡¯s Nest; although that flesh also had a hundred thousand HP, its defense was very low, and Wang Tao could eliminate it in just a few strikes. But the defense of this tree root was too high; his most powerful attacks could only deal a dozen or so damage. This means that even if the root didn¡¯t fight back, it would take him hours to destroy it¡­ Wang Tao shot another arrow with his recurve bow, which also resulted in mere tens of points of damage. After enduring various attacks from Wang Tao, the tree root showed no response, as if it were ignoring him. Then Wang Tao shifted his target and fired his arrows at the zombies that were bound by the tree roots. Whoosh¡ª [-4000] [0/4000] The HP bar of the Level 1 Zombie dropped to zero; its head lolled to one side, it ceased struggling, and a milky white liquid flowed out from its mouth.
Swoosh¡ª The root that was thrust into its mouth immediately withdrew, covered in the white liquid. This time, without needing Jiang Shixue to tell him, Wang Tao also smelled a faint fragrance. The source of the fragrance was the white liquid on the tree root! The tree root swung through the air as if in anger and dissatisfaction. Then the roots that bound the zombies gradually loosened, releasing them. Thud¡ª The zombie corpse hit the ground. The root oozing white liquid retracted into the midst of the countless tree roots. ¡°This is interesting¡­ These roots should be part of a nt, so why would they enhance the zombies¡¯ strength?¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t figure it out, but since the roots didn¡¯t seem to have much of a reaction, he felt relieved. Wang Tao once again drew his recurve bow and began shooting at the zombies. Shortly after, he effortlessly disposed of the dozen or so zombies. They were all bound to death by the roots, unable to move and were mere sitting ducks. Wang Tao also gained 1300 HP, bringing his maximum HP up to 26,150! After all those zombies had perished, the tree roots seemed to be frenzied, whipping wildly in the air before calming down after a while ¡°It seems angry¡­¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly whispered. Wang Tao nodded and then said with a headache, ¡°It seems that the final boss is this tree root, but its defense is too strong¡­ We can¡¯t make a dent in it. And till now, I still don¡¯t know exactly what this thing is¡­¡± If these roots couldn¡¯t attack, Wang Tao could just wear them down, but it was clear they were capable of attacking, so slowly whittling them down was no longer viable¡­
¡°Let¡¯s try again!¡± Wang Tao stealthily approached the roots and struck them several times. They lost a few drops of HP but had no reaction. Wang Tao intensified his attack, causing the root to lose a dozen drops of HP. At this point, the tree roots finally moved! Several roots whipped around in the air, engaging in indiscriminate attacks.
Wang Tao wanted to gauge the damage of the roots, so after dodging a few, he deliberately took a hit from thest one. Boom¡ª [-372] [25778/26150] Wang Tao was sent flying instantly! Swoosh¡ª Jiang Shixue quickly ran over to catch Wang Tao, preventing him from crashing into the wall. ¡°Damn! Such high damage!¡± Even with his Barrier activated, Wang Tao still lost nearly four hundred HP! Although this amount of HP might not seem like much for his twenty-odd thousand HP, it was damage inflicted by just one root. If hundreds or thousands of roots attacked together, they could probably mash Wang Tao into a pulp instantly¡­ But there was also good news. From Wang Tao¡¯s test, it appeared the roots might not be very intelligent and possiblycked senses, unable to perceive their surroundings, even if Wang Tao was moving right in front of them, they wouldn¡¯t detect him. Only if Wang Tao actively attacked them would they respond, but that was a reactive attack, not because they saw where Wang Tao was¡­ If these roots were blind, then perhaps he really could grind them down!
Just as Wang Tao was considering whether to call Xu Xiaojun down to help wear down the roots, Jiang Shixue suddenly said, ¡°Brother, why don¡¯t we just burn it with fire?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao was stunned for a moment before pping his forehead. ¡°Little Xue is right! I almost forgot about the Fire Attack!¡± Logically speaking, nts should be more vulnerable to fire, so a Fire Attack was definitely not a problem. Moreover, the cave had a uniqueyout with only one entry and exit path; if it really caught fire, even if the roots had legs, they wouldn¡¯t be able to run. Of course, there was another crucial point, that was, these roots weren¡¯t at full HP; they now only had a little over seventy thousand HP. Where had that twenty thousand HP gone? If all went as expected, it might have been burned off by the fire outside! So, a Fire Attack was definitely feasible! ¡°Let¡¯s go. Upstairs!¡± Wang Tao quickly took Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand and ran out. ¡°Brother Wang, are you guys alright?¡± Xu Xiaojun, seeing Wang Tao and here out, hurried over.
¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, there¡¯s a bunch of attacking tree roots below; they have too high defense, we can¡¯t do anything to them, so I¡¯m nning to burn them!¡± Wang Tao briefly exined. They still had some gasoline left from before, but Wang Tao was worried it wouldn¡¯t be enough, so he siphoned off some more oil from the car. After preparing a full canister of gasoline, Wang Tao re-entered the cave. ¡°Although we don¡¯t seem to have any grudges, who made you a red HP bar¡­¡± Wang Tao muttered to himself, then poured all the gasoline over the tree roots. Chapter 380: 177: The Cave, Fire Attack_3 Chapter 380: Chapter 177: The Cave, Fire Attack_3 These roots twisted together like snakes, slowly writhing; they obviously hadn¡¯t realized the seriousness of the situation yet. After Wang Tao emptied the whole jug of gasoline, he took out an arrow, the tip of which was wrapped with a cloth soaked in gasoline. Snap. The me from the lighter instantly ignited the arrow. Whoosh¡ª¡ª At that moment, before Wang Tao even shot the arrow, he saw the roots begin to writhe crazily. ¡°Huh? Feeling the heat of the me? Toote!¡± Wang Tao drew his bow and notched the arrow. Swoosh¡ª¡ª The ming arrow struck the roots.
Whoosh¡ª¡ª Instantly, arge fire zed up from the roots. The roots thrashed wildly as though trying to extinguish the mes, but the gasoline was sticking to them. It was not going to be extinguished that easily. [-100] [-100] [-100] [¡­] Watching the HP of the roots decrease by hundreds, Wang Tao grinned, but he did not dare to keep watching; he quickly pulled Jiang Shixue and ran out of the cave. The three of them were waiting outside the cave. A momentter, Wang Tao felt the ground beneath his feet growing warm, as though he was standing on a heated kang. mes and thick smoke continuously billowed out of the cave, and Wang Tao hurriedly covered his mouth and nose. ¡°Seems like it worked quite well! Thanks to Little Xue!¡± Wang Tao praised Jiang Shixue by his side. He might have thought of the fire attack as well, but he did not react at the moment. After all, they had just set a big fire, and he was, so to speak, blind to his own candlelight; he subconsciously overlooked it. Jiang Shixue, who was praised, was very happy, gripping Wang Tao¡¯s hand tightly, but her eyes kept darting toward the entrance of the cave. That faint scent persisted, even the fire could not cover it, and it even became more fragrant¡­ The fire in the cave ended quicker than Wang Tao had expected; he thought it would burn for a day and night like the big fire yesterday. But in reality, it only burned for the morning, and by the afternoon, the mes had died down. However, although the mes had been extinguished, the high temperature inside remained. For safety reasons, Wang Tao didn¡¯t go in but waited until nightfall. The temperature was rtively cool that night when Wang Tao and the others came to the entrance of the cave. Inside, there was still some warmth, but it was not too high and within an eptable range. Then Wang Tao asked Xu Xiaojun to continue guarding outside while he and Jiang Shixue entered.
The cave was filled with ashes, and remnants of ckened roots could be seen asionally, crumbling to the touch. ¡°It¡¯s all turned to charcoal!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat amazed. This fire attack was really useful, especially against these nt monsters.
The two advanced through the warm ashes, and before long, they arrived at the center of the underground space. Before, this area had been obstructed by roots, and Wang Tao could not see the specific situation clearly. Now that they were here, Wang Tao let out a small exmation. ¡°Huh? This isn¡¯t dead?¡± In the midst of the ashes, some roots were still tightly entwined, charred on the surface, but they weren¡¯t dead since they had an HP bar. [3283/100000] ¡°Still has three thousand HP! Such tenacity¡­¡± Wang Tao muttered with some emotion, but he didn¡¯t hold back with his attack. He unleashed a shockwave with his axe. [-385] ¡°Hm? Damage increased? Is it because it was burned?¡± While pondering in his mind, Wang Tao called Jiang Shixue to attack together. To Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, these roots did not counterattack, they simply kept tightly wrapped around each other, slowly writhing.
Bang! [-501] [0/100000] Wang Tao¡¯s final ax strike zeroed out its HP bar. The roots slowly stopped moving and then burst out a Loot Pack. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this even count as an over-leveled kill¡­¡± Looking at the lonely Loot Pack, Wang Tao felt quite frustrated. If it weren¡¯t for the fire attack, these hundred-thousand-HP roots might as well have been standing still letting him kill them, and even then, it might have taken him hours. Moreover, the attack power of the roots was very strong; if Wang Tao got entangled, he guessed the concurrent attacks from so many roots could instantly turn him into mincemeat! But such strong roots didn¡¯t count as an over-leveled kill. Wang Tao nced at his own HP bar again. ¡°Damn it, it doesn¡¯t even increase the HP cap¡­¡± Wang Tao remembered the attributes of the roots; other than the HP bar, they had no other attributes. They were just like the flesh in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, which also didn¡¯t add HP, and only burst out a Loot Pack¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t closely examine the Loot Pack but turned his attention to the roots instead.
The roots were tightly entwined, forming an upside-down bowl shape as if there was something inside. The ¡°bowl¡± was about the size of a small room; could there be a Level 3 zombie inside? Wang Tao asked Jiang Shixue to prepare forbat at any time, then carefully began to move the roots aside. ¡°It smells so good!¡± Jiang Shixue suddenly eximed, and Wang Tao also widened his eyes in shock. Inside was a small pond filled with a milk-like white liquid. This white liquid was so fragrant that Wang Tao almost couldn¡¯t stop himself from drooling uncontrobly. [Tree Essence Liquid x9364] This thing had a name! Without a word, Wang Tao immediately collected all the white liquid into his Space Backpack. ¡°Whew¡ª¡± The tempting aroma disappeared instantly as the essence liquid was stored away. Before he had time to check the details, two other items caught his eye. The first item was a white object shaped like a chicken egg. [Magic Seeds x1]
Without a word, Wang Tao collected it as well. The second item was a monster with an ugly human face but with the rest of its body made of branches! [HP: 1000/30000] [Mana: 30000/30000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord] [Internal Impurity: 60%] [Status: Weakness 99%] The monster had its eyes closed as if it hadn¡¯t noticed Wang Tao¡¯s arrival. ¡°Only 1000 HP and 99% weakness?¡± Without a word, Wang Tao brought the ax down. St! [-1000] [0/30000] The Human-face Tree Body Monster¡¯s HP bar was instantly zeroed out. tter¡ª A pile of things burst out! Wang Tao immediately collected the Loot Pack, then dug open the head of the Human-face Tree Body Monster, finding a Red Crystal Core inside. After securing the Crystal Core and confirming there were no named items left on the monster¡¯s body, he finally waved at Jiang Shixue. ¡°Let¡¯s go, back to the surface!¡± Chapter 381: 178 Level 3 Weapon_1 Chapter 381: Chapter 178 Level 3 Weapon_1 ¡°Brother Wang, are you guys okay?¡± Seeing Wang Taoe up, Xu Xiaojun immediately ran over again. ¡°Haha, we¡¯re fine, the monsters below are taken care of!¡± Wang Taoughed. This time, luck was on their side; they happened to have gasoline and stumbled upon a nt-based monster that was very afraid of fire. A big fire saved Wang Tao a lot of effort and avoided many dangers, almost as if he had cheated. ¡°d you¡¯re okay! It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t help¡­¡± There was a hint of shame on Xu Xiaojun¡¯s face. Wang Tao patted Xu Xiaojun¡¯s shoulder and said: ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, by standing guard over the car, you provided us with an escape route. Without it, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to use fire so boldly!¡±
Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strength was not weak, but hisck of night vision greatly limited his ability to act at night, hence he was not asked to join; it was an unfortunate necessity. Although these words from Wang Tao were meant tofort, Xu Xiaojun still felt greatly encouraged upon hearing them. ¡°So what do we do now¡­¡± Wang Tao looked up at the stars and said: ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to rest for now. You drive. We¡¯ll go meet up with Yang Changhong tomorrow morning.¡± Traveling at night was still too dangerous. Unless it was an emergency, Wang Tao preferred to travel during the day for safety. The meeting with Yang Changhong was set for three days. Tomorrow would be the third day, just in time to catch up. ¡°Okay!¡± Boom¡ª¡ª The off-road vehicle¡¯s engine roared to life, moving away from the scorched wastnd of the reservoir. Inside the car, Wang Tao took a sip of water, then began checking the loot. First, the increase in maximum HP. Although the roots he killed didn¡¯t add any HP, the human-face tree body monster did. It added 3849! So, now Wang Tao¡¯s HP was [29999/29999]! Before Wang Tao came here, he was only thinking since he got the news about the Level 2 Zombies, and it wasn¡¯t too far, he naturally couldn¡¯t waste the opportunity. Even if there were no loot, adding some HP was good. But he hadn¡¯t expected that he would almost triple his HP from fifteen thousand to nearly thirty thousand! Now, he was just one point shy of thirty thousand HP! Of course, this one point was not so easy to obtain as he had reached the upper limit of Level 2. Probably like before at Level 1, he would have to ascend all his abilities to Level 3 before he could achieve Level 3 ascension and exceed thirty thousand HP. But all of Wang Tao¡¯s current abilities were +1, and it would take a lot of effort to max them all out¡­ Nevertheless, Wang Tao was content, as the HP gains were much faster than he had anticipated. His speed of ascension to Level 3 might indeed surpass the speed of his Level 2 ascension! The human-face tree body monster was a Level 3 Lord Monster, meaning it was an over-leveled kill for Wang Tao. Aside from the HP increase, he also gained a special energy¡ªhis special ability directly increased by 6000!
Special energy and HP were consistent, which meant that Wang Tao actually gained 6000 in HP limit. Unfortunately, having reached the upper limit of Level 2, he could only add less than four thousand HP. Speaking of special energy, with these added 6000, Wang Tao¡¯s special energy reached 13740! This amount of special energy could now extract two Level 2 abilities. Wang Tao could directly extract the Shockwave and Precise shooting ability and then use the Omnipotent Crystal Core to upgrade the Barrier! But there was no rush; Wang Tao continued to look at the other loot.
Killing those Level 2 Zombies in the sea of fire earlier yielded quite a few crystal cores, most of which were familiar to Wang Tao. Among them, the useful ones were Shockwave, Omnipotent, and Precision Shooting. As for the loot they dropped, it was mostly potions, crafting materials, etc., fairly standard. However, these Level 2 Zombies didn¡¯t have much HP, mostly just having ascended to Level 2, so it was normal for them not to have anything particrly good. Then Wang Tao turned to the main haul from the cave. The hundred thousand blood tree root only exploded into a Loot Pack. Wang Tao had thought that the root would explode into an Extraction Crystal Core like the flesh in the Night Demon¡¯s nest, but it wasn¡¯t the case. Instead, it was a section of the root¡ª [Level 3 Weapon¡¤Entangling Roots] [HP: 10000/10000 (Upper limit 100000)] [Status: Dormant] [Enhancement: HP, Attack, Defense (Weakness: fear of fire)] [Compatibility: 0%] ¡°Level 3¡­ Weapon?¡± This was the first time Wang Tao had seen something like this; he quickly read the detailed exnation. [Weapon: A type of weapon that can only be used by humans]
[Entangling Roots: Can be entwined around the body, providing additional HP, attack, and defense, butes with the restriction ¡®Weakness: fear of fire¡¯] [HP: The weapon¡¯s own HP. If the HP drops to zero, the weapon dies] [Status: The current state of the weapon. Only weapons in an ¡®Awakened¡¯ state can be used] [Enhancement: The attributes the weapon enhances for the human] [Compatibility: Must be at least 1% before the weapon can be used. If the weapon is used for a certain period, thepatibility will decrease. The higher thepatibility between the human and the weapon, the more potential of the weapon can be unleashed. To increasepatibility, a crystal core or one¡¯s own HP must be used to nourish the weapon, which also restores the weapon¡¯s current HP, and after 100% nourishment, it will increase the weapon¡¯s upper HP limit. If one¡¯s own HP is used to nourish the weapon, it will leave the person in a state of extreme weakness] After reading the exnation, Wang Tao was astonished. This was a weapon with life! If he entwined these Entangling Roots around his body, it would be like having an additional 10000 HP, and a certain amount of attack and defense! Chapter 382: 178 Level 3 Weapon_2 Chapter 382: Chapter 178 Level 3 Weapon_2 If attacked, the HP of the Entangling Roots should be deducted first; only after its HP is depleted would the wearer¡¯s own HP be deducted. However, to use these Entangling Roots, one must increase the Compatibility, at least to 1% to be able to use it. The methods to enhance Compatibility involve either using a Crystal Core or one¡¯s own HP to nourish the weapon. Using a Crystal Core would certainly consume it, while using one¡¯s own HP could leave one in an extremely weakened state¡­ Wang Tao suddenly thought of the Level 3 Monster he had just killed. That monster was in a 99% weakened state and also severely low on HP. Could it have been nourishing these Entangling Roots? If so, then everything seemed to make sense¡ª Wang Tao had previously doused the Entangling Roots with a lot of gasoline and then set them aze. The Entangling Roots were vulnerable to fire, so the mes caused them significant damage. Their HP dropped rapidly. The monster using the Entangling Roots, seeing its HP continuously dropping, decided to use its own blood to nourish it. The monster might not have been very intelligent, but it was aware enough to protect its possessions. In fact, the Human-face Tree Body Monster almost seeded; it saved the Entangling Roots with its HP. Otherwise, the fire might have burned the Entangling Roots to ashes. But after the mes died out, Wang Tao entered. He had started the fire and was bound toe in to check the situation.
As a result, he found the weakened Entangling Roots and killed them. Then he encountered the monster in an extremely weakened state and killed it too¡­ If he hadn¡¯t set this fire, not only would he have had to fight the Entangling Roots, but even if he managed to wear them down to near-death over time, he might then have faced a Level 3, Lord Monster in full strength! Or worse, if the monster had emerged from the protection of the Entangling Roots, the two could have attacked Wang Tao together¡­ and he would have been doomed for sure! So it could only be said that Wang Tao was really lucky this time. He had avoided a potentially fatal crisis. Wang Tao, feeling somewhat relieved, took a deep breath and then took the Entangling Roots out of the Space Backpack. It was a ck, withered, twisted root about the size of a palm, utterly ordinary, the sort that one wouldn¡¯t even bother picking up off the ground. After taking it out of the Space Backpack, its status changed. It had been ¡°Dormant,¡± but now was ¡°Awakended.¡± As Wang Tao held it, he could faintly sense a very weak¡­ consciousness? He wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but he felt like if he just called out to it, it would awaken. So, Wang Tao mentally whispered, ¡°Awake.¡± But there was no response. ¡°Oh right, I almost forgot, the Compatibility is still at 0%¡­¡± Wang Tao quickly took out a Level 1 Crystal Core. Then he mentally whispered again: ¡°Awake.¡± As soon as the thought arose, he saw the piece of root slowly wriggle and gradually envelop the Crystal Core. Then, the root began to grow rapidly, as if it was under the effect of a time eleration spell. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue by his side both widened their eyes in amazement. Secondster, the roots had entirely wrapped around Wang Tao. With only his head exposed, they formed a full body armorposed of roots! Wang Tao moved his arms slightly, and the roots moved with him, barely impacting his agility. Wang Tao felt like he was connected to a very weak and simple consciousness. He thought to himself: cover the face. And the roots around him rippled, covering his face!
¡°It¡¯s kind of magical!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s muffled voice came from within the root armor. Xu Xiaojun hadn¡¯t been paying attention, but he jumped when he heard Wang Tao¡¯s voice and nced in the rearview mirror. How had Wang Tao turned into a monster!
¡°Brother, Brother Wang?¡± Xu Xiaojun called out nervously. Then he saw the ¡°monster¡¯s¡± face roots wriggle, revealing Wang Tao¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Haha, Little Jun, what do you think of my new equipment?¡± Wang Taoughed. ¡°Phew¡­ Brother Wang, it¡¯s good to see you¡¯re okay!¡± Xu Xiaojun let out a sigh of relief before staring in awe at Wang Tao in the rearview mirror. ¡°Brother Wang, this equipment of yours is too badass! I almost mistook you for a monster, the presence was too overpowering!¡± ¡°Haha, then stop the car, I¡¯ll get out and take a look.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Xu Xiaojun quickly stopped the car. As Wang Tao opened the door and stepped out, the root armor started to move again. Soon enough, in the faint starlight, a towering figure, two and a half meters tall, appeared in front of Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue. Xu Xiaojun, who was originally taller and burlier than Wang Tao, now had to look up slightly. As for Jiang Shixue, standing at one meter sixty, she had to crane her neck.
¡°This feeling¡­ it¡¯s pretty awesome!¡± Wang Tao clenched his fists, feeling the clear power enhancement the Entangling Roots provided. Wang Tao nced at his attributes. [HP: 29999/29999 (10000/10000)] Now, he was effectively at forty thousand HP! Wang Tao looked at the Entangling Roots again. [Level 3 Weapon ¡¤ Entangling Roots] [HP: 10000/10000] [Status: Awake] [Enhancement: HP, Attack, Defense (Weakness: Vulnerable to Fire)] [Compatibility: 1%] The HP remained unchanged, and the Compatibility had increased by only 1%¡­ But after all, this was a Level 3 Weapon, and he had used a Level 1 Crystal Core, so a 1% increase in Compatibility felt pretty good.
Chapter 383: 178 Level 3 Weapon_3 Chapter 383: Chapter 178 Level 3 Weapon_3 Wang Tao took out another Level 2 Crystal Core. He had obtained a good number of Level 2 Crystal Cores in the past two days and decided to experiment with one. When he silently wished to nurture the entangling roots in his mind, the roots on his body immediately wriggled and then swallowed the Level 2 Crystal Core in his hand. A momentter, Wang Tao checked the attributes of the entangling roots again, and thepatibility had increased to ¡°11%!¡± An increase of 1%patibility for a Level 1 Crystal Core, 10% for a Level 2 Crystal Core, so by that logic, a Level 3 Crystal Core should add 100%patibility! As for how muchpatibility could be gained by nurturing the entangling roots with his own HP, Wang Tao had no ns to test it. After all, that extremely weakened state was too dangerous. A wise man does not stand under a shaky wall, and it wasn¡¯t as if Wang Taocked Crystal Cores, so there was no need to take risks. The attributes of the entangling roots did not specify how much of a strength and defense boost they provided, but Wang Tao could feel that there definitely was an increase. There were a few Ordinary Zombies by the roadside, and Wang Tao directly approached them and swung his enormous fist. Bang! Bang! Bang! The heads of these zombies burst like ripe watermelons! ¡°Awesome!¡±
Wang Tao felt that he had hardly exerted any effort; he had merely swung his fist casually, and the heads of these zombies had all exploded! And this was just with 11%patibility¡ªhow powerful would it be at 100%? Would it grant him Level 3bat power? However, increasingpatibility was not easy. It would take either 100 Level 1 Crystal Cores, or 10 Level 2 Crystal Cores, or one Level 3 Crystal Core¡­ Although Wang Tao had many Crystal Cores, he would be pained to use so many at once. Moreover, thispatibility was not something you could set and forget. Using the weapon consumedpatibility. If youpared a weapon to a car, thenpatibility would be like the fuel. More fuel meant the car was more powerful and could run faster. But driving the car consumed the fuel, and once it was depleted, you couldn¡¯t drive anymore; you would need to refuel¡­ Wang Tao returned to his car and then focused his thoughts. The roots on his body began to move quickly and shrink. In the blink of an eye, the entangling root armor on Wang Tao¡¯s body disappeared, leaving only a small twisted root in his hand. Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes lit up; she found this thing very interesting. Xu Xiaojun looked at Wang Tao with admiration. He didn¡¯t know where Wang Tao had obtained it, perhaps from that cave, but that wasn¡¯t important¡ªBrother Wang was awesome, and that was all that mattered! After thinking it over, Wang Tao took Jiang Shixue¡¯s small hand and ced the piece of root in it. ¡°Little Xue, you try it.¡± Wang Tao exined the usage method briefly¡ªit was actually very simple to use. As long as one could feel that faint consciousness while holding the root, it could be utilized. ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue sensed it for a moment, and then the root in her hand began to grow wildly. In just a moment, a suit of root armor formed and tightly wrapped around Jiang Shixue. With the root armor augmenting her, Jiang Shixue stood about 1.8 meters tall. Even though she was slender, the root armor was also slim, creating a unique aesthetic. After letting Jiang Shixue experience it for a while, Wang Tao also let Xu Xiaojun give it a try. Xu Xiaojun was able to use it as well.
However, Xu Xiaojun wasrger in build, and once covered by the root armor, his height shot up to three meters, far more imposing than Wang Tao. If he were to carry that two-meter-long Giant Axe, the imposing effect would be extraordinary! After basking in the fun for a while, Xu Xiaojun quickly deactivated the entangling state and returned the root to Wang Tao. After all, Wang Tao had said that using this item consumed Crystal Cores, and he didn¡¯t want to waste them. Wang Tao looked at the piece of root and thought silently, and the root began to wriggle and transformed into a bracelet that he wore directly on his right wrist. ¡°This is much more convenient!¡±
When ced in the Space Backpack, the entangling roots would enter a ¡°dormant¡± state, and it would need to be awakened before use. But if kept on his person, it would be in an ¡°awakened¡± state, ready for immediate use, which was much more convenient. ¡°` After a brief test of the entangled roots, Wang Tao saw a small building and had Xu Xiaojun drive over. Once they had cleared the small building a bit, everyone ate something, and Xu Xiaojun began his night shift while Wang Tao continued to inspect the spoils of battle. The Level 3 monster he had killed had a red crystal core in its brain. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Tree Essence] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Body lignification)] [Tree Essence: Only females can sessfully integrate, it can produce Tree Essence Liquid which enhances the strength of organisms] Seeing the attributes of the Level 3 Crystal Core, Wang Tao frowned. Only females can sessfully integrate? He suddenly felt discriminated against! He had been discriminated against once with the Perception Crystal Cores, and now this again? Moreover, this wasn¡¯t a side effect that could be removed. However, after taking a closer look at the information on the Tree Essence, Wang Tao was stunned.
How exactly was this Tree Essence Liquid produced? And from where? Hisss¡ª Wang Tao seemed to think of something shocking. No wonder only females can integrate with it! ¡°This is a nice Ability. It¡¯s just that the side effect of body lignification seems a bit severe, don¡¯t end up turning into a real nt person¡­ Right, I have this Tree Essence too!¡± He suddenly remembered that when he was in the cave, he found a lot of white liquid underneath the hundred thousand HP entangling roots. He looked at the white liquid inside his Space Backpack. [Tree Essence Liquid*9364] [Tree Essence Liquid: Can enhance the strength of organisms] This Tree Essence Liquid seemed simr to Zombie Culture Fluid. Both enhance strength. However, Zombie Culture Fluid could only be used by zombies, while Tree Essence Liquid seemed to be usable by both humans and zombies! But as for this enhancement, he wasn¡¯t sure if it would increase HP. If it did increase HP, then using it now would be a waste for Wang Tao, since his HP was already full. ¡°I¡¯ll try it on Little Xue and Little Junter to see what the effects are¡­¡± Wang Tao nned to use them as guinea pigs.
But then Wang Tao thought of another question, why did the Level 3 monster want to cultivate zombies? This Tree Essence Liquid, it could use for itself, right? Or cultivate nts, since it was a nt Monster. It didn¡¯t need to cultivate zombies; initially, Wang Tao even thought there was a Green-eyed Zombie of Level 3 below¡­ After careful contemtion, Wang Tao felt there were two possibilities. One was that the Human-face Tree Body Monster had gone stupid, unable to tell the difference between itself and zombies. But this possibility seemed unlikely. So it was probably the second possibility, the Human-face Tree Body Monster wanted to cultivate some bodyguards for itself! It kept itself underground, which might not be safe. But if it had Level 2 zombies guarding outside, that would be much safer! After all, with so many zombies here, who would dare toe close carelessly. Unfortunately, it never anticipated that Wang Tao would not only burn all the zombies to death with fire, but also expose itsir¡­ However, this raises another question ¨C why would it, a Level 3 Lord, need to hide underground and had even mass-produced a bunch of bodyguards¡­ Was it hiding from something? Or protecting something? ¡°` Chapter 384 - 179: Magic Seeds_1 Chapter 384: Chapter 179: Magic Seeds_1 ¡°` Wang Tao looked at the next piece of loot. It was the item ced together with the Essence of Tree Liquid in that cave, resembling an egg. [Obtained: Magic Seed x1] [Magic Seed: When nted in the ground, it will grow an intermediate monster. When nted in the body, it will grant a hidden ability.] ¡°¡­Wow!¡± Surprised by the properties of the Magic Seed, Wang Tao was somewhat taken aback. nt it in the ground and it grows a monster? nt it in the body and it grants a hidden ability? Wang Tao¡¯s first reaction was to nt it in his body. However, he thought it through carefully; not all hidden abilities are necessarily useful. For example, Han Rui¡¯s arrest-rted hidden ability doesn¡¯t seem very useful in an apocalyptic world. If it¡¯s a monster, on the other hand, nting it and then killing it would mean a sure Crystal Core and loot! But Wang Tao had one little issue, which was, what does ¡°intermediate¡± mean? He only knew about Level 1, Level 2, Level 3¡ªnever heard of intermediate level. Just as Wang Tao was pondering over the word ¡°intermediate¡±, an exnation popped up. [Low level: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3] [Intermediate level: Level 4, Level 5, Level 6] [High level: Level 7, Level 8, Ninth Level] ¡°¡­¡± Intermediate refers to Level 4, 5, and 6? Wang Tao instantly dismissed the idea of nting it in the ground! Because nting it in the ground would grow a monster of Level 4, 5, or 6! He had only managed to kill a Level 3 monster by means of a trick. If he were to nt a Level 4 monster, how would he deal with it? If he was unlucky and a Level 5 or even Level 6 monster grew, it wouldn¡¯t just be his own bad luck; it would probably be disastrous for all human survivors! Although it was very likely that a monster grown from this seed would be of the nt type and possibly vulnerable to fire. With proper preparation, there might be a chance to kill it. But what if the nt isn¡¯t afraid of fire? If zombie blood can extinguish mes, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for a nt to evolve some fire resistance. Wang Tao didn¡¯t need to bet on this probability. He doesn¡¯t mind taking a gamble when the odds are high, but the current situation has such low odds of sess that losing the bet could cost him his life! ¡°However, how exactly does one nt it in their body¡­ Is it like the Crystal Core, by putting it in your mouth?¡± Wang Tao tried cing the seed in his mouth. Unlike Crystal Cores, hidden abilities don¡¯t have side effects, so Wang Tao had nothing to worry about even after nting it in his body. Momentster, Wang Tao felt the Magic Seed slowly turn into a gas and vanish inside his body¡­ This was simr to merging with a Fusion Crystal Core. Wang Tao quickly checked his attributes. There was a new status below his HP bar. [Magic Seed Germination Countdown: 9 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds] ¡°It takes ten days to germinate¡­¡± This was much longer than Wang Tao had anticipated. But it wasn¡¯t a big issue, it didn¡¯t interfere with anything, he just had to wait. ¡°I hope it grants a decent hidden ability¡­¡± Wang Tao currently had two hidden abilities, one for Body Strengthening and the other for Night Vision. Both were quite decent abilities. He guessed that the ability from this seed would be nt-rted. As long as it isn¡¯t totally useless, it would be fine. ¡°Right¡ª¡± Wang Tao suddenly realized, the reason that Level 3 Lord Monster was hiding here might have been to protect this seed, right? If Wang Tao hadn¡¯t discovered the cave and the Level 3 monster had nted the seed, producing an Intermediate monster, it could have been a serious problem for the human survivors¡­ Wang Tao thought his own level advancement was rtively fast, but he was still at Level 2. He didn¡¯t know if there were any Level 3 humans in the world. After the seed grew, at the very least, it would be a Level 4 monster! It could even be Level 5 or Level 6! If humans encountered it or it made its way to human territory on its own, it would truly be a massacre! In a sense, Wang Tao might have nipped a disaster in the bud¡­ Although Wang Tao wasn¡¯t someone who was particrly altruistic, the thought that his actions could inadvertently save many of his fellow humans made him quite happy. Smiling, he shook his head and looked toward thest piece of loot. Thest piece was the Loot Pack dropped from killing the Level 3 Lord Monster. There were four packs in total! The first pack was a Crystal Core Gift Bag, containing 5 Crystal Cores! [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (No side effects)] The first Crystal Core was Omnipotent, which was also something Wang Tao was familiar with and one of his favorites. However, this one was unique as it was a Level 3. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Outstanding (80%)] [Purity: 40% (No side effects)] The second Crystal Core was for Ascension, and Wang Tao was pleasantly surprised to see it. He had already obtained a Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core after killing that Level 3 Night Demon, and it was also of outstanding quality! He figured that upgrading to Level 3 was probably the same as upgrading to Level Two, needing four Ascension Crystal Cores. Now he had already gathered two! This was somewhat exciting for Wang Tao, as it was much faster and simplerpared to when he collected Level 2 Ascension Crystal Cores. After all, both the Level 3 zombies and monsters had been taken down by his stratagems¡­ [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Self-Healing] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Diminished tactile sensitivity)] The third Crystal Core gave Self-healing power, which was a very decent ability, but since Wang Tao had merged his Self-healing Ability with his Toughness Ability, he no longer had use for this Self-healing Ability. ¡°` Chapter 385: 179: Magic Seeds_2 Chapter 385: Chapter 179: Magic Seeds_2 [Level 3 Crystal Core ¡¤ Nutrient Absorption] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Body Lignification)] [Nutrient Absorption: Passive Ability, when standing on soil, it can absorb the nutrients from the soil to slowly regenerate HP] The fourth crystal core was quite interesting¡ªjust standing on the ground could heal him. However, the description mentioned slowly regenerating HP¡­ Wang Tao wondered exactly how slow it would be¡­ [Level 3 Crystal Core ¡¤ Photosynthesis] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Body Lignification)] [Photosynthesis: Passive Ability, when standing in sunlight, it can absorb sr energy to slowly regenerate Mana] ¡°Hss¡ª¡±
Upon seeing thisst crystal core, Wang Tao felt his heart stir instantly. This ¡°Photosynthesis¡± was simr to ¡°Nutrient Absorption,¡± one allowing slow HP regeneration while standing on the ground and the other slow Mana regeneration in sunlight. Butpared to HP regeneration, Wang Tao was more eager to get an Ability for Mana regeneration! Because he did have some methods to restore HP, such as medical kits, the self-healing power, or even now with the Barrier Ability, which could restore HP. But he had no means of Mana regeneration at all! If he wanted to recover Mana, he could only rely on time. From his previous tests, if his Mana werepletely depleted, it would take about six hours to fully recover. If not inbat, six hours wasn¡¯t that long. But inbat, six hours was way too long¡ªheck, even six minutes felt eternity¡ªof course, if he could fully recover in six minutes, Wang Tao would probablyugh out loud. But obviously, that wasn¡¯t possible., Wang Tao could only rely on six hours to recover his Mana¡­ This was the first time Wang Tao had seen an Ability for Mana regeneration, and to be honest, he really wanted to integrate this crystal core. Unfortunately, it was a level 3 core, and he also didn¡¯t have enough Ability slots. However, Wang Tao suddenly thought whether it was possible to synthesize ¡°Nutrient Absorption¡± and ¡°Photosynthesis¡±? Both were passive abilities, both were rted to nts, and both types were quite simr¡­ It felt like there was a chance! He could try this when there was an opportunity in the future! After reviewing these crystal cores, Wang Tao got to know that this level 3 creature was leaning towards support roles. His previous guess that it was simr to the Green-eyed Zombie was, in a way, half correct¡­ Then, Wang Tao looked at the second Loot Pack, which contained 10 potions and a Blueprint. [Acquired: Hemostatic Drug x10] [Acquired: Hemostatic Drug Recipe x1] [Hemostatic Drug: Recovers 1000 HP within ten seconds] [Hemostatic Drug Recipe: Once learned, it allows for crafting 10 Hemostatic Drugs at a time. Required materials: Hemostatic Herb x1, Zombie Crystal Core x1, Purified Water 100ml, 10 kcal of food] The effect of the Hemostatic Drug was not bad, being able to restore 1000 HP, which was better than the medical kit¡¯s effect of restoring 100 HP over ten seconds.
Although for someone like Wang Tao with nearly 30,000 HP, whether it was regenerating 100 or 1000 HP, neither seemed like much. But the key was that this item had no cooldown. One could use a bunch at once and just wait for the HP to slowly replenish. And in critical moments, this could be lifesaving¡­ As for the Hemostatic Drug Recipe, Wang Tao learned it right away, but he currentlycked Hemostatic Herb, so he couldn¡¯t craft any. ¡°I¡¯ll have to pay more attention to these core potion ingredients in the future¡­¡±
This time he got some Strength Mushrooms and Defense Mushrooms, he guessed that these materials might be found in the wild. He tried not to venture into the wilderness unless necessary, but if he had legitimate business outside like now, he¡¯d have to observe carefully to look for such core materials. After all, he had learned quite a few potion blueprints by now, but the only ones he could actually craft were Strength Potion (small), Defense Potion (small), and Rejuvenation Potion. The third Loot Pack contained another Blueprint but not of a potion¡ªit was for equipment. [Acquired: Tree Branch Full Body Armor Blueprint x1] [Tree Branch Full Body Armor Blueprint: Allows for crafting a full body set of armor made of tree branches. Required materials: Level 3 Crystal Core x1, Wood Block x100, Iron Block x10, Steel Wire x10, Screw x10, Rope x10, Nails x10, Rubber x10, stic x10, Cable x10, Electronic Components x10, Battery x10] [Branch Full Body Armor: Tough in nature, can protect against knives and swords, but slightly weak against fire. Durability +50, Defensive Power +50] The attributes of this Branch Armor seemed good. Although it was also vulnerable to fire, overall, the attributes were quite strong. It was far superior to the stubborn armor he was wearing. But to craft it required a Level 3 Crystal Core, and Wang Tao only had a few of those¡ªhe was reluctant to use them. Plus, Wang Tao already had the Entangling Roots, which were much more useful than the armor. And, Wang Tao was somewhat concerned about this weakness to fire. If he wore this armor with anotheryer of Entangling Roots outside, and if he had the misfortune to encounter fire¡­the Entangling Roots could be quickly retracted, but he¡¯d have to take off the armor before escaping, and there wouldn¡¯t be time for that¡­ Wang Tao nned to checkter. If he had a level 3 Crystal Core with not so great attributes, he¡¯d craft this armor.
He might not want it for himself, but Xu Xiaojun could use it. If Little Jun wore this armor and wielded the Broken Giant Axe, his strength would surely increase by a lot. Thest Loot Pack contained Tree Essence Liquid. [Acquired: Tree Essence Liquid x10000] [Tree Essence Liquid: Can enhance the strength of living organisms] Chapter 386: 179: Magic Seeds_3 Chapter 386: Chapter 179: Magic Seeds_3 He had already obtained over nine thousand portions of Tree Essence Liquid before, but unexpectedly, it burst out with ten thousand more portions! With nearly twenty thousand portions of Tree Essence Liquid at hand, Wang Tao felt that it was time to test its effects. ¡°Little Xue, try this.¡± In the darkness, Wang Tao gently patted the person leaning against him. A pair of eyes gleaming red opened. Wang Tao took out a portion of Tree Essence Liquid, and a very pleasant fragrance emerged. A portion of Tree Essence Liquid was 10ml, appearing quite small. As Wang Tao held it in his palm and was about to look for a container, Jiang Shixue suddenly leaned her head over and, like a kitten, licked his palm. ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao felt a ticklish sensation in his palm. After consuming the Tree Essence Liquid, the red glow in Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes intensified.
¡°It¡¯s delicious! I want more~¡± Wang Tao had plenty of Tree Essence Liquid and naturally wouldn¡¯t be stingy. However, before handing over another portion of the Tree Essence Liquid, Wang Tao checked Jiang Shixue¡¯s attributes. Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP had been 22,200 before, but after drinking a portion of Tree Essence Liquid, it was now 22,300 HP, an increase of 100! And it wasn¡¯t just her HP; her Mana also increased by 100! ¡°Hiss¡ªOne portion of Tree Essence Liquid adds 100 HP and 100 Mana? Is it really that awesome?¡± Wang Tao was taken aback. With nearly twenty thousand portions of Tree Essence Liquid in his hands, wasn¡¯t that equivalent to two million in HP and Mana? But soon, Wang Tao realized that things weren¡¯t so simple. After drinking ten portions in a row, Jiang Shixue felt that her strength wouldn¡¯t increase anymore for the time being. In other words, after she gained an additional 1,000 HP and 1,000 Mana, she had temporarily reached her limit. As for when it would be effective again, Jiang Shixue couldn¡¯t say. Wang Tao thought about it and then drank ten portions himself. Though his HP had reached its limit, his Mana was still far behind. He was nearly at 30,000 HP, but his Mana was only 4,800, which he definitely needed to boost! Down went ten portions of Tree Essence Liquid, and while Wang Tao¡¯s HP remained unchanged, his Mana increased by 1,000, reaching 5,800! The effect was very satisfying, and Wang Tao was quite pleased. And it should be said, the vor of this Tree Essence Liquid was indeed delightful. Jiang Shixue was a bit greedy and wanted more. Wang Tao gave her a few more portions and then called Xu Xiaojun over, providing him with ten portions as well. Wang Tao was generous with his own people; after all, they were teammates who fought side by side. Their strength was his guarantee of survival. The next day. Wang Tao woke up early; Xu Xiaojun had been on watch all night but was still bursting with energy, not showing any signs of tiredness. However, for safety¡¯s sake, Wang Tao decided to drive the car himself this time.
¡°Let¡¯s go and meet up with them.¡± ¡­ ¡°Boss, could something have happened to Wang Tao and the others?¡± Outside the abandoned car motel, several survivors gathered around Yang Changhong, with one of them raising the concern.
Although their first meeting with Wang Tao and his group wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant, everyone had let bygones be bygones. After all, Wang Tao was generous and strong, and their presence greatly improved the safety of the convoy. Therefore, they were hopeful that nothing bad had happened to Wang Tao¡¯s group. Yang Changhong had been full of confidence in Wang Tao, but at this point, she began to waver because it was already the third day. She had told Wang Tao that she would wait for three days, and Wang Tao had said he would be back soon. But he hadn¡¯t returned yet. If he didn¡¯te back today, then no matter whether Wang Tao would return or not, they would have to set off first thing in the morning. After all, she had given her word in front of her subordinates and needed to maintain her authority without breaking her promise. ¡°Static noise¡­¡± Yang Changhong took out the walkie-talkie and tried contacting Wang Tao. But there was just static noise, indicating they were out of range. ¡°They are very strong; they should be fine.¡± That was all Yang Changhong could say to her subordinates. She was puzzled too. The reservoir she had told them about had only a few Level 2 Zombies, and she felt those zombies weren¡¯t the strongest of their kind. Considering that both Xu Xiaojun and Wang Tao were Second-order Superpower Owners, there shouldn¡¯t have been a big problem. If they couldn¡¯t beat them, they should at least be able to run¡­ Could it be that the zombies got stronger, or were there some unexpected incidents? Yang Changhong was somewhat worried. After all, it was rare toe across two Second-order Superpower Owners¡­ ¡°Static noise¡­ Yang Changhong, this is Wang Tao¡­ Static noise¡­¡± At that moment, Wang Tao¡¯s voice suddenly came through the walkie-talkie.
Yang Changhong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly pressed the talk button. ¡°I am Yang Changhong! I am Yang Changhong! We are still at the previous location, where are you guys? Is everyone okay?¡± After a while, Wang Tao¡¯s voice came through again. ¡°We¡¯re fine, but we have a small favor to ask of you¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s tone was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°What favor? I¡¯ll help if I can!¡± Yang Changhong didn¡¯t promise right away. If Wang Tao and the others were cornered by strong zombies, bringing her group might just be delivering themselves to the enemy¡­ ¡°Ahem, we ran out of fuel for the car. Could you send us a can of fuel? You can name your price.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s mouth opened slightly. She had anticipated various difficulties Wang Tao might face, but running out of fuel wasn¡¯t one of them. If she remembered correctly, not only had the car been recently fueled up, but there was also a spare can of fuel on it. But Yang Changhong didn¡¯t ask any further. She promptly responded: ¡°Okay, tell me the exact location, and I¡¯ll have someone deliver the fuel. We¡¯ll talk about the rest when you get back.¡± ¡°Great. We are at¡­ thanks!¡±
¡°No need to be polite.¡± An hourter, two cars arrived consecutively at the abandoned car motel. Yang Changhong, who was sitting on the hood of one of the cars, immediately got down when she saw the iing cars. Sometimeter, Wang Tao and two others got out of the car. Seeing the three unharmed people, Yang Changhong¡¯s face broke into a smile as she gave Wang Tao a high-five. ¡°Seeing you all safe, I can breathe easy.¡± ¡°Haha, I told you, there wouldn¡¯t be any ident.¡± ¡°So, shall we have lunch now and then set off?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± It didn¡¯t take long for the eight cars to leave the abandoned car motel, moving towards the direction of Zijing City. Chapter 387: 180 Colonel Luo_1 Chapter 387: Chapter 180 Colonel Luo_1 On the road, Zhang Hong initially didn¡¯t want to ask, but couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity. ¡°Could it be that my information was wrong? Or did you encounter some special circumstances, why did it take so long¡­¡± ¡°Your information was indeed incorrect, there weren¡¯t just a few Level 2 Zombies but dozens of them.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie. ¡°Ah? Dozens of Level 2 Zombies! How did you survive that?!¡± Zhang Hong was startled. With her current ability, although she couldn¡¯t beat a few Level 2 Zombies, she could escape as long as they weren¡¯t particrly powerful Level 2 Zombies. But with dozens of Level 2 Zombies, she¡¯d have nowhere to run! ¡°There wasn¡¯t much danger because the zombies were all in the grass. I used gasoline to set fire to them and burned them all to death¡­ ¡± Wang Tao briefly described the situation, naturally hiding the specific details of his gains. ¡°¡­¡±
After hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Zhang Hong was dumbfounded. Burned to death¡­ Dozens of Level 2 Zombies?! How many Level 2 Crystal Cores could that be?! Zhang Hong was always a decisive person, someone who doesn¡¯t regret her actions, but now, she suddenly felt some regret¡ªnot for telling Wang Tao about the Level 2 Zombies but for not going with Wang Tao herself! Back then, Wang Tao even asked her if she wanted to go with him. Considering her subordinates¡¯ safety, she naturally didn¡¯t go, since the Level 2bat might have involved them. But who could have expected Wang Tao would just start a fire and effortlessly burn all those Level 2 Zombies to death! If she had gone with him at that time, she could have gotten at least a few Level 2 Crystal Cores¡­ Inside the off-road vehicle, Wang Tao listened to the silence on the other side and could not help but smile, saying: ¡°Boss Yang, are you feeling regretful?¡± He wasn¡¯t mocking her, just jesting a little. Zhang Hong was straightforward, saying with a wry smile: ¡°¡­I do feel a bit of regret for not going with you. Next time, if there is another chance like this, please make sure to bring me along!¡± ¡°Haha, sure thing.¡± Wang Taoughed heartily. ¡°Ahem, about that¡­ do you have any Level 2 Crystal Cores that you don¡¯t need? I would like to buy one¡­¡± Zhang Hong asked somewhat embarrassingly. ¡°I do have quite a lot of unneeded Level 2 Crystal Cores, and I feel quite a few of them would be suitable for you, but¡­ what price are you offering?¡± For his own people, the crystal cores Wang Tao had would certainly be free. However, for outsiders, he couldn¡¯t give them out for free, even though he had many crystal cores now. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Zhang Hong sighed with relief temporarily. She had been worried that Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t sell the crystal cores after all, they were Level 2 Crystal Cores, which were exceedingly precious since there were hardly any second-order superpower owners to find nowadays. As long as Wang Tao was willing to sell, she stood a chance.
But when she thought about the fact that these were Level 2 Crystal Cores, she realized she didn¡¯t have anything of high value to trade, which made Zhang Hong fall silent¡­ She had never felt so poor before! ¡°¡­I¡¯ll think about it properly.¡± Zhang Hong spoke in a low voice. Wang Tao heard the helplessness in her tone and then said with augh:
¡°Okay, we can trade at any time. But to thank you for rmending this ce to me, I can give you one for free¡­ Let¡¯s talk about it tonight.¡± Even though Zhang Hong was still an outsider at the moment, she did inform Wang Tao about the ce, so it was natural for him to express his gratitude. ¡°Ah? Thank you so much!¡± Zhang Hong quickly expressed her thanks. She was actually very interested in a shockwave crystal core, as she had never encountered a shockwave zombie before, nor seen this ability. Last time, when she saw Xu Xiaojun instantly kill a group of zombies with a single move, she was very envious. However, since this was a crystal core Wang Tao was giving her, she had no reason to make demands, so she said no more. On the other side, Wang Tao nced at the crystal cores inside his Space Backpack. He indeed had a lot of Level 2 Crystal Cores, but he couldn¡¯t possibly give Zhang Hong a shockwave crystal core since he needed them himself. As for what exactly to give, he wouldmunicate with Zhang Hong tonight to decide, after all, he still didn¡¯t know what abilities Zhang Hong possessed. The convoy did not travel quickly. After all, the faster they went, the more noise they would make, which could attract some unnecessary trouble. The journey was smooth, encountering only a few Level 1 Elite Zombies. Wang Tao and the other two didn¡¯t take action; Zhang Hong¡¯s people handled it instead. Level 1 Elite Zombies could increase the HP limit and also provide crystal cores, which was a decent gain for them. Naturally, Wang Tao didn¡¯t need topete with them for these small gains. At dusk, the convoy stopped outside a parking lot.
Zhang Hong was nning to set up camp here while the sun had not yet set. ¡°Based on our current speed, it should take us about four to five days to reach Zijing City,¡± Zhang Hong said whileing to Wang Tao with a pancake, speaking while she chewed. ¡°Four to five days¡­ That¡¯s quite fast.¡± Wang Tao nodded. Having a vehicle made a difference; when he and Jiang Shixue had no car, it took them a long while just to walk from one town to another. ¡°What are your ns after reaching Zijing City?¡± Zhang Hong asked again. ¡°Me? I might go look at the Survivor Base in Zijing City, if there is one. Then I n to head to Wuyang City.¡± Wang Tao answered. ¡°Hmm? Wuyang City?¡± Zhang Hong was somewhat surprised, as although Wuyang City was next to Zijing City, there was still the distance between two cities, which was not close.
Chapter 388: 180 Colonel Luo_2 Chapter 388: Chapter 180 Colonel Luo_2 Moreover, Zijing City and Wuyang City are both cities withrge poptions, especially Wuyang City, which is the capital of Wuyang Province, with a poption of over ten million! The urban poption alone is nearly ten million! You can imagine how many zombies there would be in such a ce! Yang Changhong felt that Wang Tao could really outdo her in stirring up trouble¡­ Although she joked about being an apocalypse nomad, deep down, she still hoped to find a ce to settle down. If there was arge Survivor Base in Zijing City, she might just stay there¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to check out the military base first.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide anything and spoke directly. ¡°The military base! You mean the one that does the airdrops? No wonder¡­¡± Yang Changhong suddenly realized. If he was heading to the military base, it made sense, after all, even fools knew that military bases had strong military force and were definitely safe. Although it meant a longer journey, if one could reach the military base, it would be worth it. Therefore, Yang Changhong didn¡¯t continue on that topic. At this moment, a buzzing sound came from the sky.
¡°Airdrop!¡± Already very familiar with the sound of airdrops, Wang Tao immediately looked up. Indeed, a small ck dot appeared at the edge of the sky, a military transport ne. Compared to Wang Tao¡¯s calmness, the others were initially stunned, but once they realized what was happening, their faces lit up with excitement. ¡°It¡¯s an airdrop!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve finally seen another airdrop!¡± ¡°We have to keep a closer eye this time so we don¡¯t lose track of the airdrop again!¡± ¡°But thest airdrop was randomly dropped; it left no trace. Unless it drops now, or we can keep up with it, then¡­¡± After observing the ne¡¯s flight direction, Yang Changhong shouted to Wang Tao outside the car: ¡°Wang Tao, what do you say? Shall we chase after the airdrop together? Whoever gets it, keeps it, deal?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it together then.¡± Wang Tao nodded. After getting a response from Wang Tao, Yang Changhong immediately called out to everyone. ¡°Get ready, we¡¯re going to follow the ne! Keep your eyes peeled!¡± ¡°Yes! Boss!¡± Everyone was also very excited, leaving some to keep watch while the others focused intently on the sky. A momentter, Yang Changhong cheered: ¡°We¡¯re in luck this time! The ne is flying along the road! We should be able to follow for a while!¡± Last time they saw an airdrop ne, it hadn¡¯t flown along the road, so Yang Changhong and her group only managed to follow it for a short distance before losing track, ending up with no airdrops¡ªalthough they had seen one, which Wang Tao got to first.
This time, they couldn¡¯t afford another mistake! Roar¡ª The engines of several vehicles roared as they elerated forward. Although the ne hadn¡¯t flown over yet, it was on this route; all they had to do was follow the road. After all, the ne was too fast, and it was impossible for their vehicles to catch up with it; they could only hope to spot any airdrops during the pursuit. If there were no airdrops at all, it would just mean bad luck¡­
Watching everyone¡¯s enthusiastic chase after the airdrop, Wang Tao found it quite amusing. Xu Xiaojun was driving; he didn¡¯t have much experience with chasing airdrops, so Wang Tao told him to just stick close to the convoy. Wang Tao then took out a military walkie-talkie. This walkie-talkie was from an airdrop they had found a few days ago and could connect to military equipment. Of course, just having the equipment wasn¡¯t enough; to contact the military, you needed to know the correct channels, passwords, and so on. And Wang Tao just happened to know all of this! The first airdrop he found in Shuize County had three pieces of paper in it, one of which contained the method for contacting Wuyang Military Base! Although he lost that piece of paper while fleeing for his life, the content was etched firmly in Wang Tao¡¯s memory. Wang Tao had a sudden idea¡ªcould he use the walkie-talkie to contact the ne? In theory, it should be possible. After all, this was a high-powered military walkie-talkie produced by Wuyang Military Base¡­ Wang Tao began to adjust it ording to his memory. Soon, the walkie-talkie was set up. ¡°Can anyone hear me, this is survivor Wang Tao!¡± ¡°Can anyone hear me, this is survivor Wang Tao!¡±
¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sizzle¡­Sizzle¡­¡± Wang Tao called out a few times into the walkie-talkie, but only a static sound buzzed in response. He didn¡¯t feel disappointed and kept trying. ¡°The ne ising!¡± Over the car¡¯s walkie-talkie, Yang Changhong¡¯s voice sounded. Wang Tao looked up and through the sunroof, he could see a ne about to pass overhead. ¡°Isn¡¯t it dropping the airdrop yet¡­¡± Everyone silently prayed, hoping for the airdrop to be dropped quickly. However, their prayers seemed to have no effect on the ne. Watching as the ne was about to fly past them, everyone felt a sense of helplessness. Yang Changhong also seemed somewhat dejected. If the airdrop could be dropped at this time, it would be ideal, as they would be able to retrieve it quickly. But if the ne flew past and then dropped the airdrop, they would truly need to pursue it. Then, they could face the scenario where the airdrop was snatched up by Wang Tao again. Of course, there was still some hope. The worst-case scenario would be if the ne didn¡¯t drop any airdrops at all, or if the airdrops had already beenpletely dropped¡­ then it would all have been excitement for nothing. Inside Wang Tao¡¯s car.
Wang Tao kept an eye on the ne overhead while frequently using the walkie-talkie. At his current location, he should be the closest to the ne in terms of the walkie-talkie¡¯s range. If he waited until the ne flew past, there would be no chance at all. ¡°Can anyone hear me, this is survivor Wang Tao! I¡¯m right below you!¡± Chapter 389: 180 Colonel Luo_3 Chapter 389: Chapter 180 Colonel Luo_3 ¡°Can anyone hear me, I am survivor Wang Tao! I¡¯m right below you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± After sending several messages in a row, Wang Tao paused for a while to see if there was any response. The walkie-talkie can¡¯t talk and listen at the same time, so after speaking, there has to be a pause to see what the other party has to say. ¡°Zzz¡­ Zzz¡­¡± It was still the sound of static. Just as the ne was about to fly over his head, and Wang Tao thought all hope was lost, suddenly¡ª ¡°Zzz¡­ Survivor¡­ Hello¡­ Zzz¡­¡± Wang Tao, who had been leaning back in his chair, suddenly sat up. There was a response! He looked at Jiang Shixue beside him, who nodded seriously.
¡°Brother, someone spoke.¡± Indeed, it wasn¡¯t an illusion! Wang Tao immediately pressed the talk button again. ¡°My name is Wang Tao, may I ask who I am speaking to!¡± ¡°Zzz¡­ My name is¡­ Zzz¡­ Luo Guozhong¡­ Military rank¡­ Colonel¡­¡± The signal might not have been great, as it felt like the other party spoke very slowly, and some content was missing; the voice also came with static, but at least he heard the key words clearly. Now that they couldmunicate, Wang Tao unashamedly started to make requests. ¡°Colonel Luo Guozhong, can you drop us some airdrops! We¡¯re a group of survivors right below your ne! Thank you!¡± ¡°Zzz¡­ Below¡­ Survivors¡­ Zzz¡­ Wait a moment¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Does that mean yes?¡± Wang Tao had only mentioned it casually, not expecting the other party to actually agree! He immediately used the vehicle-mounted walkie-talkie to address everyone in the convoy: ¡°Attention everyone! Airdrops are about to fall!¡± ¡°Attention everyone! Airdrops are about to fall!¡± ¡°Attention everyone! Airdrops are about to fall!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The crowd was a bit stunned; the ne hadn¡¯t dropped anything on its way and seemed like it was about to leave, so they had already given up hope. An airdrop now? And that wasn¡¯t even the main point; the main point was, how did Wang Tao know? Could he even predict it? But before people could ponder further, they saw a small ck dot suddenly drop from the rear of the ne. Then the second, the third¡­ five ck dots appeared in a row!
¡°Airdrops! They are really airdrops!¡± The crowd waspletely dumbfounded; had Wang Tao really predicted this? Were Level 2 Ability users that terrifying? ¡°Quick! Everyone else in groups of two vehicles, and I will pair up with Wang Tao separately to collect the airdrops!¡± Although Zhang Hong was also shocked, he quickly assigned tasks to everyone. With five airdrops and eight vehicles, they split into five groups.
Although the ne had dropped five airdrops one after the other, because of its high speed, there was a significant gap between where each of the airdrops wouldnd. To be efficient, it was naturally better to split up and collect them. After the assignments, seven vehicles instantly dispersed, each heading towards the direction of the airdrops. As for Wang Tao¡¯s vehicle, it continued to move forward since the airdrop he was collecting was thest one, the farthest from the rest. Of course, Wang Tao also wanted to talk more with the people on the ne. ¡°Colonel Luo, does the Government still have a military? What is the situation across the nation now? What is the status of your military base? I want to seek refuge in your military base; that shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± Wang Tao hurriedly asked all the questions he had in mind. Had the environment been suitable and there had been an airstrip nearby, Wang Tao might have even asked Colonel Luo to stop the ne for a moment and give him a ride¡ªalthough it was a bit of wishful thinking, there was still a slight possibility. Fearing that the other party couldn¡¯t hear clearly, Wang Tao repeated his words several times. After a moment, a voice came through again. ¡°Zzz¡­ Our base¡­ Safe¡­ Not safe¡­ We provide shelter¡­ Don¡¯te¡­ Zzz¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao frowned. How could it be safe one moment, not safe the next, offering shelter then telling people not toe?
Wasn¡¯t this contradictory? The poor signal might have resulted in key information noting through, which was rather frustrating. As the ne began to move away from him, Wang Tao quickly said: ¡°Colonel Luo Guozhong, my name is Wang Tao! I will be going to your base! I hope I can see you next time!¡± He had to make sure the other party remembered his name, at least to be somewhat familiar. ¡°Zzz¡­ Wang Tao¡­ Zzz¡­ Zzz¡­¡± The hoarse voice of the other party muttered Wang Tao¡¯s name and then the signal was lost. The ne slowly turned into a small ck dot in Wang Tao¡¯s view before gradually disappearing. Looking up at the clear sky, Wang Tao felt a small regret. Even though he had made contact with the colonel pilot, unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get much information. But at least he had made himself known, which might be useful in the future. For now, the military base seemed to be very safe, and he wouldn¡¯t change his n to go there. ¡°Little Jun, let¡¯s go collect the airdrop.¡±
Wang Tao said to Xu Xiaojun as they had already passed the airdrop location while he was busy making contact with the pilot. ¡°Sure!¡± Xu Xiaojun immediately turned the vehicle around, excitedly heading towards the recent airdrop that hadnded. Soon, the SUV arrived near the airdrop. Luckily, this airdrop hadnded right on the roof of a two-story building beside the road, emitting red smoke and was highly visible. There was no further need to look for it. Wang Tao got out of the car and with a sprint, quickly climbed up. He didn¡¯t open the airdrop there; instead, he pushed the crate off the roof. Thud¡ª The airdrop crate fell onto the grass beside it. Xu Xiaojun immediately rolled up his sleeves, lifted the entire crate, and then ced it on the roof of the SUV. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s regroup.¡± The vehicle drove back for a while, and soon they saw the first vehicle, the second vehicle¡­ Before long, all eight vehicles regrouped. An excited Zhang Hong spoke into the vehicle¡¯s walkie-talkie:
¡°We collected all five airdrops! Let¡¯s go, the sun¡¯s setting, we need to find a ce to rest!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The rest of the group was equally excited; they had never before experienced such a bountiful haul. Chapter 390: 181: Mechanical Right Arm_1 Chapter 390: Chapter 181: Mechanical Right Arm_1 This was a dpidated little vige. A few emaciated zombies sat at the entrance of the vige, basked in the afterglow of the setting sun, motionless, as if dead. Suddenly, the buzzing sound of an engine approached, and a number of vehicles appeared slowly. The zombies lifted their heads, issuing hoarse roars, standing up, and advanced toward the source of the noise. A tall figure suddenly jumped out of a vehicle, swinging a Giant Axe and unleashing a Shockwave. Pfft! All the zombies were shattered to pieces. The vehicles scattered instantly. ¡°Everyone check around! See if there are any remaining zombies!¡± The voice of Zhang Hong came through the walkie-talkie.
¡°Yes!¡± The people responded, disembarking from their vehicles, examining each house with weapons in hand. Wang Tao and two others also got out of the car to swiftly inspect the surroundings. ¡°No problems here!¡± ¡°No issues on my end either!¡± ¡°All clear¡­¡± The inspection concluded quickly, and everyone reconvened in the square at the center of the vige. Zhang Hong directed everyone to start setting up camp and establishing Defense measures. By the time everything was ready, night had fallen. Gathered together, everyone hastily ate something before eagerly fixing their gaze on the five airdrop crates in the middle. Before opening the airdrop, Zhang Hong asked Wang Tao in a hushed voice: ¡°How did you know there was an airdrop today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a fortune-teller.¡± Wang Tao responded with a smile. He had no intention of revealing his contact with Colonel Luo, after all, it¡¯s good to keep some secrets, right? Seeing that Wang Tao was unwilling to borate, Zhang Hong gave him a flirtatious re, not pressing further. Then, with a cough and a face full of anticipation and excitement, she waved towards everyone. ¡°Open the airdrop crates.¡± Like the previous airdrop crates, a password was required to open them, but the password was a simple arithmetic problem that anyone literate could solve.
Wang Tao wasn¡¯t overly excited since he was still recalling the events of the afternoon when he¡¯d made contact with the pilot of the airdrop ne. He felt he should pay more attention to airnes in the future, striving to make contact more often¡­ Click~ Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, the first airdrop crate was opened. Upon seeing the fiverge boxes of Inhibitors inside, everyone was so thrilled they nearly jumped for joy.
One box of Inhibitors held 20 bottles, so five boxes amounted to 100 bottles! 100 bottles of Inhibitors! That could save so many lives! With these, everyone need not live in the fear they had before! Zhang Hong took out all the Inhibitors and distributed them among the people. There were 13 of them, plus the three including Wang Tao, which made 16 in total. Each person, including Wang Tao¡¯s group, got five bottles, and the remaining 20 bottles were kept by Zhang Hong, meaning she had 25 bottles for herself. Wang Tao was slightly surprised; he hadn¡¯t expected to receive a share. After all, the previous arrangement had been that whoever got to the airdrop first would keep it. As for Zhang Hong having the most, that was only normal. The leader should definitely get more. In the post-apocalyptic world, to share resources equally and ensure everyone was treated the same was not to say without any meaning, just that it was hard to achieve. It was better to concentrate resources at the top, creating a strong leader in possession of them. This airdrop also included a Monster Manual, which Zhang Hong took a look at. Finding it to be the same as the one Wang Tao had shown her, she didn¡¯t look further and passed the manual to the others. Then she opened the second airdrop. The second airdrop contained a device. ¡°What¡¯s this? A Crystal Core Synthesizer?¡± Everyone was curious, having only ever seen a Crystal Core Synthesizer before, though the device also looked somewhat different.
¡°This is an Energy Detector. After inserting blood, it can check whether a human is infected with the virus, how many impurities are in the body, what the Energy Level is¡­¡± Wang Tao exined. Shuize Base had already acquired an Energy Detector, but its design was a bit different from this one, which must be an improved version. ¡°An Energy Detector!¡± Zhang Hong¡¯s eyes lit up. She quickly searched through the contents and found a manual. Indeed, as Wang Tao had said, it was an Energy Detector. Only, this one didn¡¯t require blood. Any body tissue would do, such as hair, nails, skin kes, and so on, which was much safer and more convenient than drawing blood. However, ording to the instructions, the human tissue must have been shed within a few hours¡ªor the results would not be urate. This made things much easierpared to the past, but the issue of energy had not been solved; it still required arge amount of electricity. Of course,pared to the Crystal Core Synthesizer, this Energy Detector consumed a lot less power. Zhang Hong decided to try it out. She couldn¡¯t afford the power consumption of the Crystal Core Synthesizer, but the Energy Detector¡¯s power consumption was manageable. So, Zhang Hong immediately fetched some cables and started the Energy Detector. Humming~
The detector vibrated slightly, the green indicator light came on, signaling it was ready for use. Zhang Hong plucked out one of her hairs and ced it in the machine¡¯s detection slot. A momentter, the small LED screen on the device disyed the information. [Energy: Level 2] [Impurities: Level 2] ¡°¡­Is that it?¡± Zhang Hong was somewhat disappointed; she had expected it to reveal much more data, but it only indicated a Level Two Energy and Level Two Impurities. About these impurity levels, she had already read the manual, and Level Two was still within the safe range. Level Three was slightly dangerous, Level Four was somewhat risky, and Level Five was extremely dangerous! ¡°Wang Tao, won¡¯t you give it a try? Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t charge you for the electricity!¡± Chapter 391 - 181: Mechanical Right Arm_2 Chapter 391: Chapter 181: Mechanical Right Arm_2 Zhang Hong suddenly looked at Wang Tao and said. Wang Tao shrugged his shoulders and didn¡¯t refuse; he plucked a strand of his hair to give it a try. [Energy: Level 2] [Impurities: Level 1] His energy was also at Level 2, but the internal impurity in his body was less than Zhang Hong¡¯s. Zhang Hong had already informed her teammates of Wang Tao¡¯s Level Two strength, so nobody was too shocked. However, the fact that Wang Tao¡¯s internal impurity was only at Level 1 aroused everyone¡¯s curiosity. They were both Second-order Ability Users, so why did Wang Tao have fewer internal impurities than Zhang Hong? Then, Wang Tao asked Xu Xiaojun to give it a try, and just like Wang Tao, he too was at Level 2 energy with Level 1 impurity. Zhang Hong was speechless for a moment as she watched this unfold. It was one thing for Wang Tao to have fewer impurities within him, but for Xu Xiaojun to also have so little? That wasn¡¯t scientific! She had been extremely cautious when fusing with Crystal Cores, and still, she had umted so many impurities¡­ There was only one possibility: Wang Tao was very lucky, or rather, they had obtained a lot of Crystal Cores! They must have synthesized them using purple or higher-level Crystal Cores, which had a low failure rate! Zhang Hong felt a bit envious. Internal impurities were like a ticking time bomb; if you had too many, who knows when you might turn into a zombie¡­ Wang Tao was unaware of her thoughts. He noticed Jiang Shixue, who seemed eager to try, and quickly held her back. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t worried about Jiang Shixue revealing her strength; he was concerned that her high level of internal impurity might frighten the others. After all, she had a hundred percent internal impurity. If a Level 5 popped up on the disy, probably nobody would be able to sleep well tonight. Zhang Hong had everyone else test as well, and they were basically Level 1 Ability Users, so their impurity levels were not high, all at Level 1, within an eptable range. Zhang Hong instructed to keep the device safe, then she opened the third supply drop box. This supply drop box contained various medical supplies. As before, everyone received a share. She herself kept a slightlyrger portion. The fourth supply drop box contained all sorts of food, likepressed biscuits, energy bars, and the like. Seeing these foods, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. Although eating these things regrly would definitely get tedious, having them asionally was quite nice, akin to a treat. The fifth supply drop box was the one Wang Tao received. ording to the previous agreement, whoever received it owned it. The first four were Zhang Hong¡¯s, and this one was Wang Tao¡¯s. However, Wang Tao was not stingy. If it contained food or medicines, he wouldn¡¯t mind sharing some. He asked Little Jun to open the box, but everyone was stunned by the contents. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± Inside the box was a¡­ ck Mechanical Arm? To be urate, it should be an Exoskeleton Arm! But this Mechanical Arm was bigger than Wang Tao expected, as it needed to be strapped not just to the arm, but also to the shoulder and waist. An arm alone wouldn¡¯t have the leverage to exert force effectively. Wang Tao checked the instruction manual. As expected, it was a product from the Hope Research Institute, which they described as an electrically-powered Mechanical Exoskeleton for the left arm. This Mechanical Arm could greatly enhance the user¡¯s strength, being excellent for both closebat and carrying heavy items. But it had a w: high energy consumption. With the current battery situation, it could onlyst for at most an hour¡­ and, the manual stated, it was a prototype. The Hope Research Institute, after conducting research, found that the energy within Crystal Cores was abundant. They aimed to create a sort of Mechanical Exoskeleton powered by Crystal Core Energy. Unfortunately, they had not made much progress in Crystal Core Energy yet. Their nned final version was a full-body exoskeleton powered by Crystal Core Energy. Thus, this current model powered by conventional electricity and consisting of only one arm is a prototype. The reason for having only one arm was not because they couldn¡¯t create more, but because the energy consumption was high. When powered, it was economical on effort, but without power, it would be a burden. If it was a full-body exoskeleton, one wouldn¡¯t even be able to walk once the power was out. Wang Tao tried it on and was left somewhat speechless. This device could be useful for others, but for him¡­ it was quite superfluous. Firstly, it affected his flexibility, which was far inferior to Entangling Roots. Secondly, although it did offer a strength boost, this bonus wasn¡¯t a simple addition of a certain amount of strength. To maximize its power, the user¡¯s muscles needed to coordinate properly. The stronger and more physically fit the user, the more convenient it was to use. If someone with weaker strength and poorer physique used it, they might deliver a powerful punch, only to trip over themselves. Wang Tao¡¯s physical condition was quite good, but using this Exoskeleton Arm in a fight would significantly impair his speed. While his strength might increase, his speed would decrease, which actually represented a loss for him. Last of all, there was the issue of battery life. After powering up the Mechanical Arm, he didn¡¯t find it ufortable. But the moment he turned off the power supply, Wang Tao instantly felt like he was carrying a lump on his shoulder. Although this weight was trivial for him, it was definitely ufortable. Moreover, when he tried to move his arm, it felt awkward and robot-like, which was a bit distressing¡­ Chapter 392 - 181: Mechanical Right Arm_3 Chapter 392: Chapter 181: Mechanical Right Arm_3 Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean the mechanical left arm waspletely useless. Firstly, the material¡ªthough its exact metal was unknown, and slightly heavy¡ªit was not only highly durable but also exhibited a significant degree of toughness! Things that are too rigid can easily break, but this material had both hardness and toughness, seemingly designed for battle. Then there was the battery, which used some sort of advanced technology; the battery itself wasn¡¯trge. Its portability was quite good. Last of all, the charging method for the mechanical right arm¡ªit would charge with any motion. Normal activities like walking or running could fully recharge it. Of course, it could also be charged in the usual way by plugging it in. So, in terms of recharging the energy, it was quite convenient. ¡°Little Jun, you try it.¡± Wang Tao took off the mechanical left arm and let Xu Xiaojun give it a try. Unexpectedly, what Wang Tao found awkward to use, Xu Xiaojun found exceedingly handy. As the saying goes, raw strength can ovee any skill. This was exactly Xu Xiaojun¡¯s situation. He was naturallyrge in stature and possessed a Power ability. Therefore, his strength surpassed Wang Tao¡¯s. As long as one¡¯s own strength is sufficient and body weight is considerable, wearing the mechanical arm would have minimal side effects, if any at all. Moreover, Xu Xiaojun was not a speed-type Ability User, so it did not affect his agility and speed¡ªbecause he was naturally not fast. ¡°Since it¡¯s not a problem for you to use it, then it¡¯s yours,¡± Wang Tao shook his head and said. He couldn¡¯t get used to it and Jiang Shixue was even less suitable. With her small frame, it was difficult to even keep the exoskeleton stable. Thus, Xu Xiaojun was the best fit. ¡°Great!¡± Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t stand on ceremony this time because he could see that Wang Tao truly felt ufortable using the device, while he himself found it quitefortable. Wang Tao shared his experience and the pros and cons of the mechanical right arm with Yang Changhong and the others. Although the gadget wasn¡¯t going to be given to them, it was still fine to share some information about it. Everyone was initially envious, as it was a device that could enhancebat power, but after hearing Wang Tao¡¯s experience, their envy disappeared¡ªthey didn¡¯t have the physique of Xu Xiaojun, and on them, the device would most likely be a burden. Wang Tao specifically let Yang Changhong try it as well, and they all watched as her expression shifted from curiosity and excitement to utter despair. ¡°No, I really can¡¯t handle this¡­¡± Yang Changhong quickly returned the device to Xu Xiaojun. She wasn¡¯t strong; speed was her specialty. The mechanical arm significantly weakened her when worn, considering her abilities. ¡°If only there were aplete mechanical exoskeleton¡­ but then energy would be a big problem¡­ However, achieving this level already is pretty good, and hopefully, we can truly figure out how to use the energy from the Crystal Coreter!¡± Wang Tao said to himself as he stroked his chin, watching Xu Xiaojun refit the mechanical right arm to his body. After all the airdropped supplies were dealt with, Wang Tao had a private conversation with Yang Changhong about Abilities. After all, he had promised to give her a Crystal Core, but he needed to understand her abilities first. ¡°I have three Abilities. Actually, I had fused with four, but I transferred one to someone else¡­¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s words piqued Wang Tao¡¯s curiosity. ¡°Transferred to someone else? Can you exin in detail how you did that?¡± Wang Tao knew that Abilities could be transferred during Ascension, but he had never witnessed a transfer. Yang Changhong was the first person he encountered who had done so, and he wanted to understand the details. ¡°I can¡¯t exin it very well, but at the time, I just had this feeling that I could transfer it, and then when I held the other person¡¯s hand, I transferred the Ability¡­ After the transfer, I suddenly felt much morefortable¡­¡± Yang Changhong exined with a furrowed brow. After listening, Wang Tao pondered in silence for a while. ording to Zhang Hong, she had fused four abilities, and each ability had been fused to +10, but only one ability used the Ascension crystal core. Just like Wei Zhen Guo before. There was danger at that time, and she had no time to wait for the second Ascension crystal core, so she directly used a Crystal Core to ascend. After the Ascension, she felt that she could pass on this second-order ability to someone else, so she immediately did so. After the inheritance, she felt that some energy had been drained from her body, though not sure how much, but it was definitely less. And herbat power had significantly dropped, after all, losing a Level Two ability. However, she felt veryfortable¡­ Wang Tao observed and deduced that after the inheritance, she must have lost 1000 mana because now she has 3200 mana. If all her abilities were at +10, then this amount of mana would make sense. As for her feelingfortable, that was naturally because some internal impurities had been removed. However, after the inheritance, there was one thing that distressed her¡ªshe found that she couldn¡¯t fuse Level 1 abilities anymore! This was also why, even though she had many Level 1 Crystal Cores, she did not continue to fuse new abilities. ¡°Second-order superpower owners cannot fuse Level 1 crystal cores anymore?¡± Wang Tao furrowed his brow. Because he felt that he himself seemed to be able to continue fusing Level 1 Crystal Cores. Was he different from others in terms of fusing crystal cores as well? But he hadn¡¯t tried it yet, so he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure. ¡°I¡¯ll have to try it outter¡­¡± After all, whether he could fuse Level 1 Crystal Cores was crucial to his ability upgrading n. ¡°By the way, who did you pass your ability on to?¡± Wang Tao was curious; she had actually passed on her only Level Two ability¡­ That was true love! ¡°¡­My sister.¡± Zhang Hong spoke with a tinge of mncholy. ¡°You have a sister? Then she¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°Went missing¡­ During the danger we encountered earlier, I led the zombies away to let her run first. But when I escaped the danger and went back to look for her, she was nowhere to be found. I searched for a long time but never found her. Later, I ran into a group of survivors, and they suggested I go to Zijing City to check. Because the survivors in this area are all trying to make their way to Zijing City, I heard that there is a Survivor Base there¡­¡± Zhang Hong¡¯s expression was very sad. In the post-apocalyptic world, going missing is almost equivalent to death. However, her sister was after all an ability user who had inherited a Level 2 ability, so it was difficult to say whether she was dead or not. ¡°She definitely will be very lucky.¡± Wang Taoforted her. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it¡­¡± Zhang Hong gave a wry smile. ¡°Let¡¯s talk more about your abilities.¡± Wang Tao continued. ¡°My current three abilities are, first, to increase speed for a certain duration; second, to conceal my presence, making it difficult for zombies to detect me; and third, to make the weapon in my hand vibrate at a high frequency¡­¡± Chapter 393: 182: Tide of Corpses_1 Chapter 393: Chapter 182: Tide of Corpses_1 Yang Changhong mentioned three Abilities, two of which Wang Tao was quite interested in. The first Ability was one that could continuously increase speed. Wang Tao had always valued speed, but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have any speed-rted Abilities of his own. The Rush Ability could only be considered a discement Ability, and because it was an innate part of the suit, it had many limitations and couldn¡¯t be used continuously. Wang Tao felt that Yang Changhong¡¯s Speed Ability was pretty good, especially since it was a continuous one. Since Wang Tao¡¯s Barrier was also a continuous power, he thought maybe he could try to see if they could bebined¡­ The second Ability Wang Tao was interested in was Yang Changhong¡¯s that made weapons vibrate at a high frequency. ¡°How do you make it vibrate? Is it faster than my single for twenty years hand speed? Why don¡¯t you show me so I can have a look?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Yang Changhong¡¯s face suddenly reddened, and she red at him. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t get the wrong idea; it¡¯s not what you think!¡±
¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s about making the weapon vibrate at a high frequency? What¡¯s there to misunderstand¡ªoh~¡± Wang Tao paused for a moment before he had an epiphany and made an enlightened ¡°oh¡± sound. ¡°¡­Get lost!¡± Yang Changhong hit Wang Tao. She felt he was doing it on purpose and quickly changed the subject. ¡°Watch closely, then.¡± She took out the machete from her waist and held it in her hand. Buzz, buzz~ Suddenly, Wang Tao heard a faint buzzing sound and looked at the knife in Yang Changhong¡¯s hand, not visually noticing any vibration. Then he saw Yang Changhong holding the knife and lightly swinging it at a withered stump nearby. Sputter¡ª The stump was instantly split into two! Wang Tao saw it clearly, Yang Changhong really didn¡¯t use much strength; just a casual flick of the wrist had split the stump! Although Wang Tao could also split stumps, he relied purely on brute force, which waspletely different from Yang Changhong¡¯s method. ¡°Impressive!¡± Wang Tao eximed in admiration. To tell the truth, he really liked this Ability! If he had this Ability and paired it with his strength, then how powerful would a single chop be? ¡°s, what¡¯s so great about it. It might look impressive, but in reality, there are a lot of limitations¡­ This Ability consumes a lot of energy, and it¡¯s not like Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Shockwave, which has an area of effect attack¡­¡± Yang Changhong sighed.
Her Ability did high damage, but it also had many shorings. In fact, she preferred to have a Ranged Attack Ability because the closer she was to the zombies, the greater the danger¡­ Wang Tao asked: ¡°What kind of Ability do you want next? I think Rush, Jump, Toughness, Self-healing, and so on would all suit you well.¡±
Wang Tao rattled off several Abilities in one breath and briefly exined the functions of these Abilities. Yang Changhong listened with a look of anticipation. These Abilities all sounded really good! However, after Wang Tao finished speaking, she suddenly interjected: ¡°Cough, are there any Abilities for Ranged Attacks?¡± ¡°Ranged Attack?¡± Wang Tao had been rmending based on closebat capabilities, not expecting Yang Changhong to want a ranged one. If talking about Ranged Attack Abilities, Precision Shooting was the only one, but that was a Crystal Core Wang Tao couldn¡¯t possibly give away as he needed it for himself. Apart from Precision Shooting, only Throwing Master and Spittle Nail could be considered ranged, though they were actually more mid-range. As for Shockwave, its attack distance wasn¡¯t long, certainly much shorterpared to these Abilities. ¡°There are ranged ones too, namely Spittle Nail and Throwing Master.¡± Wang Tao introduced the two Abilities separately. After listening, Yang Changhong¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. ¡°Can I have the Spittle Nail Crystal Core?¡±
This surprised Wang Tao, as he thought she would prefer Throwing Master. Yang Changhong¡¯s reasoning was actually quite simple. Throwing Master seemed convenient as it allowed throwing a variety of objects, but the prerequisite was having throwable weapons; you can¡¯t just pluck a hair to throw, that¡¯s not realistic. But Spittle Nail was different; it stored one-tenth of the food swallowed and then could spit it out like a hidden weapon! As for eating, she did it with every meal, so there would never be a shortage of ¡®weapons,¡¯ plus it was stored in her stomach, no need to carry extra weapons, making for a surprise attack! ¡°Spittle Nail? No problem.¡± Wang Tao moved his awareness into his Space Backpack, then synthesized an Epic Spittle Nail Crystal Core and took it out. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Spittle Nail] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (side effects: none)] [Spittle Nail: Can store one-tenth of swallowed food in the stomach and spit it out as a weapon] ¡°An Orange Crystal Core!¡± Seeing the Crystal Core in Wang Tao¡¯s hand, Yang Changhong was shocked. Having survived in the post-apocalyptic world for so long, she had only seen an Orange Crystal Core once, and it was a Level 1 Self-Destruct Crystal Core¡­ and now Wang Tao casually pulled out a Level Two Epic Crystal Core? And it was exactly what she needed!
Since Wang Tao had promised a gift, of course, he would try to give away an Excellent or Epic Crystal Core, anything of lower quality would be embarrassing to offer. Moreover, he happened to have several Spittle Nail Crystal Cores, so he used two Ordinary and one Excellent to synthesize an Epic Crystal Core. ¡°Is this¡­ really for me?¡± Yang Changhong was still somewhat incredulous; after all, the Crystal Core was too precious. ¡°Of course, my word is my bond,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Chapter 394: 182: Tide of Corpses_2 Chapter 394: Chapter 182: Tide of Corpses_2 Yang Changhong had provided him with the information about that reservoir, which not only included the yield of Level 3 monsters but also the Level 2 zombies that allowed Wang Tao to earn nearly a hundred Level 2 Crystal Cores! It was only natural for him to give Yang Changhong a small Epic Crystal Core as a finder¡¯s fee. Once Yang Changhong was certain that Wang Tao wasn¡¯t joking, she immediately took the Crystal Core into her hand. After quietly admiring it for a while, she looked up at Wang Tao with a very grateful expression. Level 2 Crystal Cores were already very precious, and ones that were suited for her were even more valuable. She had previously possessed three Crystal Cores, but unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know their effects and had been afraid to use them herself. Later, she exchanged them with Wang Tao. Now this Spittle Nail Epic Crystal Core was far more valuable to her than those three Crystal Cores! ¡°Thank you!¡± Yang Changhong expressed her gratitude sincerely. ¡°No need to be so polite. If you run into trouble with zombies or monsters in the future, juste to me. If I make any gains, I will definitely give you a referral fee,¡± Wang Tao said, thumping his chest. Yang Changhong shook her head helplessly. She had onlye across a situation with so many Level 2 zombies bunched together once. ¡°By the way, do you want this thing? We can negotiate a price.¡±
Wang Tao pulled out a Magical Stomach Pouch. This Magical Stomach Pouch and the Spittle Nail Crystal Core were both drops from the same zombie. ¡°A Magical Stomach Pouch that can store food! Yes¡ª¡± Yang Changhong instinctively said she wanted it, but quickly came to her senses and her face turned bitter. ¡°But I don¡¯t have anything to trade with you now¡­ These are the only things of value I have left¡­¡± She took out some Crystal Cores, all of which were Level 1. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t very interested in those Level 1 Crystal Cores, but his eyes lit up when he saw several of them. [Level 1 Crystal Core ¡¤ Full Speed] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: During the duration, physical strength consumption is doubled)] [Full Speed: Speed is increased for the duration.] This was an Ability called ¡°Full Speed,¡± which was Yang Changhong¡¯s very first Ability, and also one that Wang Tao liked. However, the side effect seemed a bit ufortable. It was supposed to be an Ability for long-duration endurance, but this side effect would significantly shorten that endurance¡­ [Level 1 Crystal Core ¡¤ High-frequency Vibration] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 50% (Side effect: Energy consumption for using this Ability is increased fivefold)] [High-frequency Vibration: Wrists and fingers can vibrate at high frequency.] The second Crystal Core that caught Wang Tao¡¯s attention was Yang Changhong¡¯s Ability for high-frequency vibration. Looking at the description of this Ability, it didn¡¯t seem to reveal much, but seeing Yang Changhong¡¯s actual performance, one would know that this Ability was powerful! And this side effect was also a pain¡ªthe mana consumption increased by five times!
No wonder Yang Changhong said this Ability was very energy-consuming; it was because of the side effect. In that case, Yang Changhong was quite unlucky. Her Full Speed Ability consumed double the physical strength when used, and her high-frequency vibration consumed five times the mana when used¡ªoh right, she also had a Stealth Ability. The side effect of Stealth was that it doubled the physical strength consumption while moving¡­ Well done, one doesn¡¯t know unless one investigates, and it¡¯s quite a shock when one does. Yang Changhong¡¯sbat power might be good, but her endurance waspletely inadequate! No wonder she rarely took action on the road. Maintaining the image of the boss was one aspect, but theck of endurance probably yed a part, too.
¡°What, what¡¯s up?¡± Seeing the strange look in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, Yang Changhong subconsciously touched her face. She felt a bit ufortable as if she had been thoroughly seen through. ¡°Is your endurance not quite up to par? Feeling weak?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the one with kidney deficiency!¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I¡¯m serious. The Crystal Cores you¡¯ve fused with are all particrly draining in terms of energy and physical strength.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Seeing that Wang Tao was not kidding, Yang Changhong was a bit stunned. After thinking about it, she said, ¡°Now that you mention it, it does seem true¡ªI feel that although mybat power has increased since bing an Ability User, the duration of my battles remains the same as before, not very long. I thought this was a natural weakness in women¡­¡± Watching the confused look on Yang Changhong¡¯s face, Wang Tao smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s the side effects of the Crystal Cores you¡¯ve fused with. But it¡¯s not a big deal. Just be cautious in the future and avoid enduring battles. Also, I¡¯ll take these Crystal Cores.¡± Wang Tao took away the Full Speed Crystal Cores and the High-frequency Vibration Crystal Cores. He then handed over the Magical Stomach Pouch to Yang Changhong. ¡°You want to trade with me? You¡¯d be losing out¡­¡± Yang Changhong couldn¡¯t quite believe it.
¡°There¡¯s no loss. It¡¯s simply a matter of fulfilling each other¡¯s needs,¡± Wang Tao replied. ¡°Alright!¡± Since Wang Tao was okay with it, Yang Changhong didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately stowed the Magical Stomach Pouch away. After learning how to operate it from Wang Tao, she began to repeatedly put food in it, take it out, and put it back in again. ¡°Truly magical¡­¡± Yang Changhong was having a great time ying with it. ¡°Okay, you can keep ying with it. I¡¯m going to go back to sleep,¡± Wang Tao said, waving his hand, ready to leave. Yang Changhong suddenly said, ¡°You won the bet we made earlier. What¡¯s your demand? Have you thought about it?¡± When Wang Tao heard Yang Changhong mention the bet, his eyebrows rose, and he looked her up and down. ¡°Will you really agree to anything?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chapter 395: 182: Tide of Corpses_3 Chapter 395: Chapter 182: Tide of Corpses_3 Zhang Hong had previously said it was within her means, but now she was outright affirming her ability. ¡°Okay, then my request¡­¡± Wang Tao suddenly smiled while looking at Zhang Hong¡¯s somewhat anxious face, ¡°my request isn¡¯t quite right now, we¡¯ll talk about it when we¡¯re safely settled.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Zhang Hong nodded vigorously. Wang Tao left the grove. Watching Wang Tao¡¯s departing figure, Zhang Hong¡¯s gaze was filled with gratitude. No matter how precious these items were to Wang Tao, they were certainly valuable to her. She was someone who remembered kindness and sought to repay it, but unfortunately, she didn¡¯t possess anything of value at the moment and could only look for an opportunity to do soter. At night, Wang Tao was sleeping soundly in the vehicle when he suddenly felt someone tapping him. He instantly opened his eyes, a green glint flickering within them. Jiang Shixue, who had snuggled up to him, had awoken at some point and was looking towards the east. ¡°Brother, zombies areing.¡±
Although Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t have Perception Ability, her senses were very sharp. She could always sense it beforehand if powerful zombies or monsters were approaching. Wang Tao first thought it was Night Demons, and if they were Night Demons, they¡¯d have to move. After all, Night Demons are Level 3 Zombies who live in groups, and whether or not Wang Tao could handle them, others would definitely suffer. However, when he looked towards the direction Jiang Shixue was pointing to, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s not Night Demons; just three Level 2 Zombies¡­ No! There¡¯s arge group of zombies following them!¡± Wang Tao immediately turned on the vehicle¡¯s inte. ¡°Everyone, pay attention, arge number of zombies are attacking from the east! Everyone, pay attention, arge number of zombies are attacking from the east!¡± Whoosh¡ª In the apocalypse, few people could sleep deeply, especially out in the wild. Instantly, everyone woke up. Those who were on the night shift jumped with fright, for they hadn¡¯t seen any zombies. But now it was very dark, their shlights couldn¡¯t reach far, and besides, these were words from Wang Tao, a Level 2 Ability User, so they definitely chose to believe him. In a moment, an orderly bustle came from the temporary camp. It had to be said that these ¡°apocalypse nomads¡± were quite adept at handling such situations and quickly packed up, ready to evacuate at any time. And at that moment, the zombies finally came into their field of vision. ¡°Damn! So many!¡± Seeing the densely packed mass of zombies, everyone shivered. Had it not been for Wang Tao¡¯s warning, some of them would probably have perished here today! ¡°Retreat!¡± Zhang Hong initially thought that with Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun, two Level 2 Ability Users there, encountering more zombies wouldn¡¯t necessarily mean an immediate retreat. But now, seeing so many zombies, she didn¡¯t hesitate to call for everyone to withdraw! It was nighttime, when the zombies were at their strongest and they at their weakest. Besides, killing ordinary zombies brought no benefit to these people. It was certainly best to leave. Boom~
The roaring sound of the vehicles instantly attracted the zombies¡¯ attention, and many zombies started to elerate toward the convoy. Wang Tao watched this scene with a sense of helplessness. He had thought that the zombies had discovered the convoy and were attacking it. But it now seemed that the zombies had merely wandered into the area by chance during their nighttime roaming. This luck was just too poor! He had witnessed several major zombie wanderings at night before, with the most memorable being the first time he saw them at the water nt. The oppressive feeling of the zombies at that time was still fresh in his memory.
The oppression from this group of zombies wasn¡¯t particrly strong to Wang Tao, but he had no intention of showing off, especially since the Night Demons might be prowling around. If they were surrounded by Night Demons, it would be a huge problem. However, not engaging with these ordinary zombies didn¡¯t mean he would let go of the two Level 2 Zombies at the front. ¡°Little Jun, those two Level 2 Zombies are yours to handle.¡± Wang Tao drove, speaking to Xu Xiaojun seated in the passenger seat. Both zombies were Level 2, Elite Zombies with 10,000 HP, and with Xu Xiaojun¡¯s current strength, taking on zombies of this level was naturally no problem. ¡°Sure, Brother Wang, you can count on me!¡± Xu Xiaojun was somewhat eager to try; he hadn¡¯t yet had the chance to test the power of his newly equipped mechanical right arm. As these zombies had blocked the road at the vige entrance, the convoy couldn¡¯t merge onto the main road in time, so they had to drive into the wilderness for a while before finding a way to enter the highway. Originally, the zombies were wandering on the main road. The noise of the vehicles starting had attracted them, so a part of the zombie horde broke off and chased after the convoy, including those two Level 2 Zombies. ¡°Quick, quick, quick!¡± Yang Changhong, while watching the zombies behind, directed the convoy forward. Although she didn¡¯t have the Night Vision Ability, she had scouted the area and was very familiar with the surroundings of the vige. Under hermand, it didn¡¯t take long for the convoy to sessfully merge onto the highway. But at this moment, everyone was not the slightest bit rxed but rather felt their scalps tingle.
Even Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. ¡°Holy crap, why are there so many zombies!¡± The highway was teeming with zombies, far more than he had estimated! ¡°This is a zombie tide!¡± Xu Xiaojun, who was originally raring to go, subconsciously shrank his neck a bit. He couldn¡¯t see as wide a range as Wang Tao, but the range illuminated by other people¡¯s shlights was all zombies! Luckily, Wang Tao discovered this early on. At the moment, there were no zombies ahead on the road. Had the discovery been made even a littleter, the convoy might have been surrounded by zombies! Seeing the road ahead was still rtively clear, Wang Tao immediately said: ¡°Little Jun, make it quick and decisive!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao, bringing up the rear of the convoy, suddenly slowed down. Xu Xiaojun quickly jumped out of the car, his left arm outfitted with a Mechanical Exoskeleton Arm, his right hand holding a worn Giant Axe. Then he charged straight into the group of zombies behind him, smashing quite a few to pieces!
Xu Xiaojun swung the giant axe, releasing a Shockwave, killing arge swath of zombies. At that moment, the two Level 2 Zombies both attacked him, but Xu Xiaojun immediately blocked their strike with his axe, then mmed his mechanical right arm down on one of the zombie¡¯s heads. The Level 2 Zombie was knocked out cold! Xu Xiaojun followed up with two more hits and swung his axe once more. Pough! The first Level 2 Zombie died. Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up from a distance. ¡°This mechanical arm is something else! It can knock out zombies so easily¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun used the mechanical arm to fend off attacks while he dug out the Zombie Core. Using the same method, he knocked out the second zombie and quickly killed it. After obtaining this Crystal Core, Xu Xiaojun released another Shockwave, shattering all the surrounding zombies, then charged toward Wang Tao¡¯s off-road vehicle. In an instant, he was at the side of the off-road vehicle. He opened the door and got in, all in one go. The car abruptly elerated, chasing after the convoy ahead. Chapter 396: 183: Synthesizing Abilities Again_1 Chapter 396: Chapter 183: Synthesizing Abilities Again_1 ¡°` ¡°Are you all okay?¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s voice, filled with concern, came through the vehicle¡¯s inte. She had been informed by Wang Tao ahead of time about the n to deal with the two Level 2 Zombies. Although she believed that Wang Tao and his group should not be in too much danger, she still couldn¡¯t help but worry a little, given that there were so many zombies. ¡°We¡¯re fine, just speed up,¡± Wang Tao said, ncing at the zombies that were following behind them. ¡°Okay!¡± Yang Changhong nodded and then ordered the convoy to start elerating. She had not stopped the convoy just now, but she did slow down a bit to wait for Wang Tao. Now that Wang Tao had caught up, it was natural to start speeding up to get away from the zombie horde as quickly as possible. But it was hard to see clearly when driving at night, especially since there were often obstacles on the road. Wang Tao, taking up the rear, saw that the convoy couldn¡¯t pick up speed, so he took the initiative to lead the way at the front.
With his Night Vision, those obstacles were naturally nowhere to hide. Gradually, the overall speed of the convoy began to increase. Just when it seemed they were finally about to shake off the zombie pack, the nerves of everyone, still taut, had yet to rx when Wang Tao¡¯s voice suddenly rang out through the inte: ¡°Everyone, be alert! A Level 3 Night Demon Zombie has appeared!¡± ¡°A Level 3 Night Demon Zombie?!¡± The group was shocked. They had already struggled to deal with Level 2 Zombies, how on earth were they supposed to handle a Level 3 Zombie? But luckily, Wang Tao reassured them: ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, the Night Demons are not as fast as we are running. Keep up the speed, and they won¡¯t catch us.¡± Wang Tao knew that the disturbance would definitely attract Night Demons, so he wasn¡¯t surprised to see them. The Night Demons were among the zombie horde in the rear. If it weren¡¯t for him being able to see HP, to see a few zombies with significantly more HP, he probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed them. But as he said, no matter how fast the Night Demons were, they were not as fast as the vehicles once they got up to speed. As long as they maintained a good pace, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. ¡°It¡¯s a pity there are too many zombies, otherwise we might have a chance to try¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at those ferocious zombie faces and felt a bit of regret. His own strength had increased significantly, and he felt he was now capable of taking on a Night Demon Zombie. But there were too many zombies right now, and there wasn¡¯t just one Night Demon, but at least ten! In such a case, there was no choice but to flee. The Ordinary Zombies were not as fast as the Night Demons, and it didn¡¯t take long before the convoy could no longer see the trace of Ordinary Zombies. However, about a dozen Night Demons were still doggedly pursuing them. Yang Changhong and the others had never seen Night Demons before, only pictures in a guidebook. Now confronted with these terrifying and ferocious zombies, they felt an immense pressure¡ªgreater even than the pressure the zombie horde had given them! Suddenly, one of the vehicles shook and slowed down. ¡°Car 4, what¡¯s happening!¡±
Yang Changhong, who had been keeping an eye on the convoy, called out as soon as she noticed Car 4 seemed to be falling behind. ¡°Boss, I didn¡¯t notice a zombie under the car. It just climbed onto the window and startled me, but I¡¯m okay!¡± The driver of Car 4 quickly responded. ¡°Then hurry up and catch up!¡±
¡°Yes!¡± Car 4 began elerating again. However, it had slowed down considerably and was now at the very back, making it difficult to speed up again. That¡¯s when the driver of Car 4 heard a thud, as if something hadnded on their roof. ¡°Boss, boss, please check what¡¯s on my roof!¡± The driver of Car 4 urgently called out through the inte. Yang Changhong quickly nced over and her heart sank. ¡°Night Demon! There¡¯s a Night Demon on your roof!¡± Gulp~ In an instant, everyone heard the sound of Car 4¡¯s driver swallowing his saliva. A Level 3 Night Demon was on his roof! This was it! Thud! Thud! Thud! Afternding on the roof, the Night Demon started banging furiously. The car was getting rocked by the impact.
The driver of Car 4 looked up and saw that the roof was starting to dent! ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t want to die!¡± He suddenly cried out, sobbing. Although he had long anticipated this day mighte, nobody could stay calm when faced with impending death. Yang Changhong¡¯s expression turned grim. She rolled down her window and opened her mouth towards the Night Demon on the roof of Car 4. Whoosh¡ª An object shaped like a nail shot out from her mouth and instantly hit the Night Demon Zombie. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± After being hit, the Night Demon roared, but it did not attack Yang Changhong; it continued to furiously pummel the roof of Car 4. Yang Changhong spat out several more nails in session. Although most of them hit their mark, they seemed to have no effect. ¡°So this can¡¯t even draw its attention¡­¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s expression darkened. This was her first attack after she had recently learned the Spittle Nail Ability. She had synthesized a new Level 2 Ability, which took about a few minutes. Now that she had finished synthesizing, her first attack caused no significant effect, which was distressing for her.
She didn¡¯t expect to directly repel the Night Demon Zombie; she just wanted to draw its attention. Considering the high speed of the convoy, if the Night Demon Zombie got distracted and tried to leap onto her vehicle, it would most likely fall straight to the ground. Unfortunately, whether it was proof of the Night Demon Zombie¡¯s intelligence or its stubbornness, it was fixated on whoever was in Car 4. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, wait for me!¡± At that moment, Wang Tao¡¯s voice came across the inte. As the lead vehicle, he slowed down slightly and soon moved to the second tost position, getting very close to the Night Demon on top of Car 4. ¡°` Chapter 397: 183: Synthesizing Abilities Again_2 Chapter 397: Chapter 183: Synthesizing Abilities Again_2 Aside from the person focusing on driving, everyone else was watching to see what Wang Tao would do. Then they saw the sunroof of Wang Tao¡¯s car open, and his sister Jiang Shixue suddenly exposed her upper body. ¡°Could she also be a formidable Ability User?¡± Everyone felt a bit incredulous. However, Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t make many movements but suddenly took out a shlight and shone it at the Night Demon on top of car number 4. Swoosh¡ª A thick purple light appeared, enveloping the Night Demon¡¯s entire body. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The skin of the Night Demon was instantly burned, and it instinctively covered its face with its arms. The moment its arms left the car, it fell straight down. Bang!
The Night Demon tumbled a few times on the ground and disappeared from view. Jiang Shixue, still holding the ultraviolet shlight, shone it at the other following Night Demons. The bodies of these Night Demons emitted sizzling and crackling burning noises. Although they didn¡¯t lose much HP, their steps were halted. As the convoy was moving at full speed, after a moment, the Night Demons were no longer seen. ¡°All right, we¡¯ve shaken them off.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Yang Changhong and others all sighed with relief. It was their first encounter with Night Demons, and although they hadn¡¯t engaged directly, the oppressive feeling just now was the most powerful they had seen among zombies! At the time, they all thought the people in car number 4 were doomed, but thankfully, Wang Tao took action! They had seen the news about Night Demon Zombies in the guidebook and knew that they feared sunlight. But they didn¡¯t expect the ultraviolet shlight to have such a great effect,pletely holding back the Night Demon Zombies! ¡°Thank you, Brother Wang! Thank you, Brother Wang!¡± The people in car number 4 were still a bit unsettled as they kept expressing their thanks. ¡°Everyone, pay attention. If more Night Demon Zombiese, don¡¯t panic, wait for me.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± With Wang Tao present, everyone felt a full sense of security. Yang Changhong also thanked Wang Tao separately and inquired about where he got the ultraviolet light, which was so effective against the Night Demons. Wang Tao had obtained it from killing a Night Demon Zombie, but of course, he didn¡¯t tell the truth; instead, he said it was from a supply drop. This left Yang Changhong somewhat helpless, feeling unlucky for not encountering such a supply drop. There was no immediate danger nearby, but the convoy didn¡¯t stop.
After all, no one knew if the zombie horde woulde from behind; it was safer to move further away. From night until dawn, driving until the sky turned pale with the first light of morning, the various noises of the night slowly ceased. People finally rxed. After being on edge all night, everyone felt a bit weary. Yang Changhong suggested: ¡°Wang Tao, let¡¯s take a break, shall we? Their mental state isn¡¯t very good.¡±
Knowing Wang Tao¡¯s strength, Yang Changhong would seek Wang Tao¡¯s opinion before doing anything. ¡°Sure,¡± Wang Tao nodded. The three of them didn¡¯t really care, especially for him and Jiang Shixue, this level of chase was nothing at all. But it definitely wasn¡¯t the same for others; driving while fatigued was unwise. They all surveyed the surroundings; this was a county town, and their location was on the outer ring. The group entered the county town and found an abandoned old residential area. Themunity wasn¡¯trge, much like the Happy Community Wang Tao used to live in, with only a few buildings. Several buildings were sealed off, which might have zombies inside, but they couldn¡¯t get out. Yang Changhong had people scout it out to ensure there was no immediate danger, and then they started to set up camp in the courtyard of themunity. Their belongings were notplicated; they cared only for sufficiency. Of course, defense facilities were the exception, as they could not be neglected. Noticing a small supermarket nearby, Wang Tao took Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun to have a look inside. Although the supermarket had been looted once, some items were left behind. Wang Tao brought these items back, which amounted to providing a supplemented meal. ¡°We really owe you this time; otherwise, who knows how many of us could have made it here¡­¡± Yang Changhong said to Wang Tao with a grateful face.
To tell the truth, this was her first major crisis without losing anyone¡­ Her previous team actually had many people, but they dwindled during sessive crises, leaving only these dozen or so. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao, this time they would have lost at least two or three people at the least, and at most¡­ they might all have been unable to escape! After all, there were over a dozen Level 3 Night Demons in the zombie horde. ¡°No need to be polite,¡± Wang Tao shook his head, then asked, ¡°Have you synthetized the Spittle Nail Crystal Core?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Yang Changhong voluntarily demonstrated for Wang Tao. She could store a portion of whatever food she ate inside her body. She wasn¡¯t clear about where exactly it was stored, but it was within her. Moreover, she could control which foods to store and which not to. However, the hardness of these foods affected the power of the projectiles she spat out. For instance, if she ate something like bread, the projectiles she spat out had fairly low power. Therefore, she came up with a method¡ªshe directly swallowed a nail! As it turned out¡­ it worked! Wang Tao watched Yang Changhong spit out a nail, directly nailing it into the wall; he was somewhat astonished. This Yang Changhong was really fierce! Daring to eat nails, if something went wrong, it would be troublesome¡­ but now, it was a ¡°true¡¤Spittle Nail.¡± A nail with every spit!
¡°Fierce!¡± Chapter 398: 183: Synthesizing Abilities Again_3 Chapter 398: Chapter 183: Synthesizing Abilities Again_3 Wang Tao gave her a thumbs up. Yang Changhong shook her head with a wry smile. She had no choice; if she were powerful enough to disregard the zombies, she definitely wouldn¡¯t take such risks¡­ The convoy members caught some sleep, resting from morning until noon. As for this county town, no one ventured too deep. After all, their goal was Zijing City; even if there were survivors or a Survivor Base in this small county, they didn¡¯t pay it much attention. Wang Tao specifically went to check out the hospital in the county town but unfortunately did not find any Green-eyed Zombies. Feeling that everyone¡¯s spirits had been lifted, Yang Changhong called everyone to hit the road again. This time, Wang Tao let Xu Xiaojun drive while he experimented with the Fusion Crystal Core. Yang Changhong said she couldn¡¯t fuse with Level 1 Crystal Cores anymore, but Wang Tao felt like he could still merge with Level 1 Crystal Cores, although he hadn¡¯t tried it yet. After all, he didn¡¯t have much Special Energy, and if he could Synthetize Ability, he would have to use Special Energy for Extraction, which seemed like a waste. Now that there was no immediate danger on the road and his Special Energy had surpassed ten thousand, he decided to give it a try. Wang Tao first took out a Level 1 Epic Shockwave Crystal Core. He put it in his mouth to try, and indeed, he couldn¡¯t merge with it. Self-healing and Toughness also didn¡¯t work. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t surprised by this result since he had Level Two Shockwave and Barrier abilities already.
He then took out another Level 1 Epic Crystal Core¡ªthis one was a Full Speed Crystal Core obtained from Yang Changhong. Yang Changhong had given Wang Tao all eight of the Level 1 Full Speed and high-frequency vibration cores, four of each. These three types of crystal cores, including the Stealth Crystal Core, were originally reserved for her sister¡ªa good item definitely had to be kept for one¡¯s own family. Because she had merged with these two types of cores before and felt there weren¡¯t any significant side effects¡ªat that time, she wasn¡¯t aware that these side effects involved Physical strength depletion and Mana drain. But now that her sister was nowhere to be found and most likely dead, and she had nothing of high value to offer, she saw Wang Tao¡¯s interest in the crystal cores and decided to give them all to him. After Wang Tao received them, he naturally proceeded with the Synthesis. He had two Epic Full Speed and two Epic high-frequency vibration cores in his possession. When Wang Tao ced a Full Speed Crystal Core in his mouth, he instantly felt the crystal core vaporize. ¡°Just as I thought, I can Synthetize Ability myself!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. Merging with a Level 1 Crystal Core was much quicker than with a Level 2 Crystal Core, and it waspleted in a moment. Wang Tao quickly looked at his Attributes, and his Mana had increased by 100, reaching 5900, with a new [Full Speed] Ability. ¡°I knew it!¡± Wang Tao was delighted. Since he could merge with Level 1 Crystal Cores, it meant he could continue with his n of upgrading from Level 1 to Level Two cores. And he could start immediately¡ª Wang Tao took out another Level 1 Epic Full Speed Crystal Core and merged with it, Full Speed +2! Although Wang Tao no longer had Full Speed Crystal Cores, he still had many Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Cores. Having four Abilities at the moment, three of which were Level Two, meant that these Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Cores could only be used to enhance his Level 1 Full Speed Ability. Wang Tao used a Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Core. Momentster, the Level of his Full Speed Ability indeed increased by 1! Consequently, Wang Tao used up several more Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Cores, and soon, his Full Speed Ability reached +10!
Then, Wang Tao took out a Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core. As expected, the Ascension Crystal Core worked, and his Full Speed sessfully advanced to Level Two! His Mana also increased to 7000! ¡°Haha!¡± Looking at his Level Two Full Speed Ability, Wang Taoughed heartily.
This matched his prior expectations¡ªhe could use Level 1 Crystal Cores to upgrade those for Level Two! But that wasn¡¯t all, as much as Wang Tao liked the Full Speed Ability, he couldn¡¯t tolerate it upying one of his Ability slots, considering he had only four precious slots. So, Wang Tao looked at his Synthesize Ability! [Shockwave + Precision Shooting (10%)] [Shockwave + Barrier (10%)] [Shockwave + Full Speed (15%)] [Precision Shooting + Barrier (50%)] [Precision Shooting + Full Speed (55%)] [Barrier + Full Speed (90%)] Seeing the list of Synthetization probabilities, Wang Tao muttered to himself as expected. He had guessed before that Abilities with simr mechanisms had a higher chance of sessful Synthetization. Barrier was a continuous Defense boost and Blood Regeneration, and Full Speed was a continuous increase in speed; the mechanisms of these Abilities were quite simr, so the probability of sess should be fairly high. Indeed, it was a high 90%! Although not as high as the previous 95% sess rate for Toughnessbined with Self-healing, this 90% chance was clearly worth a gamble for Wang Tao.
Wang Tao set Barrier as the main Ability and Full Speed as the Secondary Ability. Then he initiated the Synthesis! In an instant, Wang Tao¡¯s Special Energy decreased by 5000, leaving him with 8740. The icons for Barrier and Full Speed on his attribute panel flickered with colorful lights for a moment. Afterwards, a brand-new Barrier icon appeared? Wang Tao got startled¡ªhad the Synthetization failed? But after seeing the detailed Attributes, he sighed with relief. The name Barrier remained unchanged, but its Attributes were altered. [Synthesis sessful, gained New Superpower: Level Two Level 1¡¤Barrier] [Barrier: For the duration, it can enhance Defense, Speed, and slowly heal certain injuries (Side effects: None)] Seeing these Attributes, Wang Tao was thrilled. Although it seemed like one Ability, it actually possessed the Attributes of three Abilities! It effectively saved him two Ability slots! Wang Tao couldn¡¯t wait to test out this New Superpower. Since he was in the car and couldn¡¯t actually try out the increase in Speed or Defense, and because he was at full HP, he couldn¡¯t observe the effects of Self-healing either. However, he could see the Energy consumption. When he saw the specific Mana consumed, Wang Tao eximed in surprise¡ª15 Mana per second!
That meant he would use 900 Mana per minute, and with his 7000 Mana, he could sustain it for just over seven or eight minutes. ¡°My Mana is too low, I need to find a way to increase it¡­¡± Wang Tao stroked his chin in contemtion. ¡°Continue merging with Level 1 Crystal Cores? That¡¯s one way to increase Mana, but the condition is that the merged Ability can be synthesized with other Abilities; otherwise, it would upy a slot¡ªhey? If it does upy a slot, I can just extract it¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean I can switch Abilities anytime, anywhere? Hiss¡ªI think I¡¯ve overlooked this ability!¡± Chapter 399: 184: Solo Kill Level 3 Night Demon_1 Chapter 399: Chapter 184: Solo Kill Level 3 Night Demon_1 ¡°` Wang Tao felt like he had overlooked something. His special energy had two functions, ¡°Extraction abilities¡± and ¡°Synthetize Ability.¡± But he had always used synthesis and never extraction. Moreover, his special energy was not abundant, so he felt extraction was not as good as synthesis, after all, both extraction and synthesis of a Level 2 Ability required 5,000 energy. But if he had a lot of special energy, he could freely extract abilities and then fuse them with other abilities, wouldn¡¯t that be like being able to change abilities continuously? The cost of changing abilities was just 5,000 special energy. Of course, he didn¡¯t have much special energy now, so he couldn¡¯t change Level 2 Abilities at will, but a Level 1 Special Ability only required 1,000 special energy! He still had over eight thousand special energy left, he could change Level 1 Special Abilities at least eight times! Wang Tao had been hesitant before. Until he found the most suitablebination of abilities, he had left an ability slot empty¡ªsuch a waste! Now, Wang Tao felt that he could first learn a Level 1 Special Ability, andter when there were better options, just extract it. After all, extracting a Level 1 Special Ability would only cost 1,000 special energy. Having realized this, Wang Tao didn¡¯t say another word and immediately fused the High-frequency Vibration Crystal Core.
In Wang Tao¡¯s view, this should be the highest single target attack ability he had encountered so far! Even if it was a Level 1 Ability, if it came from his hands as a Level Two person, its power should be substantial. Of course, Wang Tao still had quite a few Level 2 Ascension Crystal Cores, which could be used to upgrade the high-frequency vibration to Level Two. But to extract the ability after upgrading it to Level Two would require 5,000 special energy, and Wang Tao wanted to save some special energy to synthesize abilities, so there was no need to upgrade to Level Two for the time being. He would wait until he had more special energy. Thus, the High-frequency Vibration Ability was upgraded by Wang Tao to Level 1 +10 and then he stopped there. A Level 1 +10 Ability, used by someone like Wang Tao with 29,999 HP, was bound to be powerful. Wang Tao stretched out his right hand and activated the high-frequency vibration. Buzz buzz~ Wang Tao heard a faint buzzing sound, but visually, he felt like his hand hadn¡¯t changed much. The range of the vibration was extremely small, and the speed was minuscule, so it wasn¡¯t immediately noticeable. Standing beside him, Jiang Shixue stared curiously at Wang Tao¡¯s right hand. ¡°Brother, how can your hand move so fast?¡± ¡°Hmm? You can see it clearly?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, as he himself couldn¡¯t even see his own movements, only feeling the regr vibration in his hand. ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Shixue nodded, then took Wang Tao¡¯s hand, feeling the vibrations in her own hand. A smile spread across Jiang Shixue¡¯s face. ¡°Fun~¡± ¡°¡­This is a killing technique, how can you describe it as fun!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. His high-frequency vibration ability needed to be used in conjunction with weapons, the more angr the weapon, the greater the power. Without a weapon, if it was just his hand vibrating, there would basically be no lethality, unless his fingernails were long and hard enough; otherwise, it could only serve for a massage. So Wang Tao stretched out his hand and tickled Jiang Shixue.
¡°Giggle~ That¡¯s so ticklish~¡± After fooling around for a while, Wang Tao then said to Jiang Shixue: ¡°By the way, it¡¯s time for your medicine.¡± The medicine Wang Tao referred to was naturally the Zombie Culture Fluid.
After all, calling it Zombie Culture Fluid directly could easily be misunderstood, so he just used ¡°medicine¡± instead. ¡°Okay~¡± An hourter, Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP increased by another 1,000, reaching 25,200! A few more times, and she would be able to reach 30,000 HP. It was just unclear whether Jiang Shixue needed an Ascension crystal core or not? After all, her constitution was different from normal humans¡­ At night, the convoy stopped. If it wasn¡¯t for being chased by zombies, Yang Changhong and the others would definitely not want to take a night drive. The convoy stopped near a gas station. They had assumed there was no gasoline left in this gas station, but unexpectedly, they found a few barrels. It was just right to replenish the vehicles¡¯ energy, which was a pleasant surprise. The moon came out tonight, significantly increasing visibility. This was good news for the people on watch tonight. But just then, some people heard several distant screams. ¡°There are screams in the distance!¡± Instantly, everyone became alert. Wang Tao heard it too. He and Jiang Shixue got out of the car and looked toward the town with a frown.
In the course of an afternoon, they had traveled from a county town to a smaller town. The gas station was on the outskirts of the town, and they hadn¡¯t ventured deep into it. The screams hade from inside the town. ¡°Boss, there are survivors inside, something seems to have happened! Should we¡­¡± Some people looked to Yang Changhong. Yang Changhong shook her head and said: ¡°If it were daylight, we could consider helping out, but it¡¯s nighttime, and we can¡¯t manage that much.¡± If it was a matter of conveniently saving survivors, Yang Changhong wouldn¡¯t mind, but risking the lives of her subordinates for it wasn¡¯t worth it. Everyone nodded; under such circumstances, nobody wanted to take the risk. Naturally, Wang Tao said nothing; his thoughts were the same as Yang Changhong¡¯s. They could only hope that the survivors could escape danger. However, though they wanted to avoid trouble, trouble seemed to be actively seeking them out. Before long, everyone heard a series of footsteps. Four figures dressed like survivors appeared from the other side of the street. They were all wounded, looking very pitiful. And at first nce, they had spotted Yang Changhong¡¯s convoy parked near the gas station. ¡°`
Chapter 400: 184: Solo Kill Level 3 Night Demon_2 Chapter 400: Chapter 184: Solo Kill Level 3 Night Demon_2 Suddenly, these people were a wave of excitement. Then they ran directly toward the convoy, shouting as they went: ¡°Help!¡± Seeing this scene, the faces of Yang Changhong and her group turned ugly. Xu Xiaojun scratched his head. ¡°Are these people stupid? Shouting like this at a time like this¡­¡± Although he was a bit single-minded, he was not stupid. He knew that in the apocalypse, when faced with danger, one definitely should not shout loudly, or else one would die even faster. Hearing Xu Xiaojun¡¯s words, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°No, they¡¯re not stupid, they¡¯re being clever, they want to drag us down with them!¡± ¡°What?¡± Xu Xiaojun was stunned.
Apart from Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue, the others could see the sinister intentions of this group of survivors who were running for their lives. In the apocalypse, zombies don¡¯t care which faction humans belong to or what conflicts they have. They¡¯ll bite at the sight of people. So when faced with zombies, humans could only stand together in defense. If these people didn¡¯t shout and make noise, Yang Changhong¡¯s convoy might ignore them for their own safety. But with a few shouts, the zombies would be attracted faster. For their own safety, Yang Changhong¡¯s convoy would certainly take action. Although doing this would put them in greater danger, if they didn¡¯t act, they might be doomed. By acting this way, there was still a slim chance of survival. And even if they died in the end, there would be others to cushion their fall¡­ ¡°Brother, do you want me to go and kill them?¡± Jiang Shixue could feel that Wang Tao was somewhat displeased with these few survivors and immediately took the initiative to speak. ¡°No need.¡± Wang Tao had no patience for survivors who intentionally set traps for others. He was about to take out his bow and arrows to snipe these people from a distance. Suddenly, he and Jiang Shixue both looked up. They saw a fierce figure appear on the rooftop of a nearby five-story building. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 20000/20000] [Level: Level 3 Elite] ¡°Night Demon!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. The fleeing survivors had not noticed where the Night Demon was. They quickly looked back, and aside from a few ordinary zombies, there were no other figures. Seeing the group of survivors standing ready not far away, the four of them were overjoyed. ¡°We¡¯re safe¡ª¡± Before one of them could finish, he suddenly felt as if a dump truck had hit him at the waist, losing all sensation in his lower body instantaneously.
He looked up, somewhat baffled, only to see a gaping maw. Then his vision darkened, and he lost consciousness. Yang Changhong and the others saw clearly that a ck figure suddenly leapt from the building,nding right on the fastest-running person, severing him at the waist and crushing his neck with a bite! After easily dispatching this survivor, the figure lifted its head to reveal a fierce face. ¡°Night Demon!¡±
Yang Changhong was shocked. Shecked Wang Tao¡¯s ability to see health bars and Jiang Shixue¡¯s perception ability to sense danger, so she hadn¡¯t noticed the Night Demon immediately. She had thought these survivors were being chased by a Level 2 Zombie since they seemed like Level 1 ability users. But unexpectedly, it wasn¡¯t a Level 2 Zombie at all; it was a Level 3 Night Demon! Just yesterday, some of their own had nearly died at the hands of a Night Demon! ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Night Demon let out a scream, like a wolf among sheep, and instantly disposed of the other three survivors. Four Level 1 ability users stood no chance against a Level 3 Night Demon. After crushing the throats of these four, the Night Demon didn¡¯t consume them but instead piled up their bodies and then turned its gaze toward the convoy, charging rapidly! ¡°What do we do¡­¡± Yang Changhong, usually very decisive, felt a bit of panic after seeing the brutal and fierce eyes of the Night Demon. Now the Night Demon was too close, and they could not outrun it with the slow speed of the vehicles. If they ran, someone would surely die! But if they didn¡¯t run, they couldn¡¯t defeat it¡­ When the Night Demon appeared, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue had looked carefully to confirm that there was no second Night Demon nearby. Wang Tao suddenly grinned.
If he were up against a group of Night Demons, he indeed would not be a match. But against only one¡­ how could he know if he didn¡¯t try! ¡°Don¡¯t panic, I¡¯m here!¡± Seeing the flustered crowd, Wang Tao stepped forward, positioning himself in front of everyone. His words and actions instantly gave the flustered group a pir to lean on. Although they didn¡¯t know how strong Wang Tao truly was, their survival now depended on the few Second-level ability users they had! Xu Xiaojun stood to the left of Wang Tao, with Jiang Shixue on his right, shielding everyone behind them. Yang Changhong, looking at Wang Tao¡¯s back and seeing Jiang Shixue, his seemingly oblivious sister, stepping forward, suddenly lost her fear and felt her blood start to boil! What of a Level 3 zombie? They had three Level 2s plus a dozen or so Level 1 ability users; they weren¡¯t without the power to fight! ¡°Let¡¯s fight it! I¡ª¡± Yang Changhong was ready to move forward to fight alongside Wang Tao, but he put out his hand and blocked her. ¡°Don¡¯t get in the way. Be ready to withdraw at any moment.¡± Wang Tao spoke somewhat coldly. ¡°¡­¡±
Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words and seeing the hand blocking her way, Yang Changhong was bewildered. She, a Second-order Superpower Owner, would be in the way? But she didn¡¯t have time to think, as the Night Demon had already charged to Wang Tao¡¯s front. Bang! Chapter 401 - 184: Solo Kill Level 3 Night Demon_3 Chapter 401: Chapter 184: Solo Kill Level 3 Night Demon_3 ¡°` Xu Xiaojun gripped the Firefighter Axe with both hands and swung fiercely, but the Night Demon did not dodge or evade, instead taking Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strike with its ws. Unexpectedly, Xu Xiaojun only took three steps back, but the Night Demon was sent flying over ten meters! Although it didn¡¯t cause any damage to the Night Demon, Xu Xiaojun still smirked. ¡°Hehe~¡± The man he was now, was no longer the man he used to be! He had used both hands just now, and the strength boost from his Mechanical Left Arm was no joke! Coupled with his own strength, it was no exaggeration to send the Night Demon flying. Of course, that was about it, the Night Demon was not just strong in strength; it was powerful in every aspect! Should they truly engage in battle, Xu Xiaojun would definitely stand no chance. ¡°You protect them.¡± Wang Tao said to Xu Xiaojun, and then, barehanded, he started walking step by step towards the Night Demon. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Night Demon kicked off the ground, leaped high, and then, like a cannonball, fell towards Wang Tao. Seeing the grotesque face of the Night Demon, a faint green light emanated from Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, then he clenched his right fist. Yang Changhong and the others were somewhat astonished. Fighting the Night Demon with fists instead of weapons? Were they seeing things? Then, they witnessed what might be an unforgettable scene for the rest of their lives. Just as Wang Tao swung his fist, something resembling tree roots began to grow on it, and these roots rapidly wrapped around Wang Tao¡¯s fist, forearm, shoulder¡­ and his entire body! Swish¡ª In the blink of an eye, Wang Tao had transformed into a towering Tree Root Monster, over two and a half meters tall! At that moment, the Night Demon¡¯s attack alsonded. Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother to defend; he let the Night Demon¡¯s attack hit him square on the chest, while his punch solidly hit the Night Demon in the face. Bang! [-3507] [26493/30000] With that one punch, Wang Tao had inflicted 3500 damage, depleting more than a tenth of the Night Demon¡¯s HP! The Night Demon was sent flying and crashed heavily into the ground. Wang Tao looked down at his chest where there was a faint nail mark on the tree roots. [-118] [29999/29999 (9882/10000)] Wang Tao¡¯s HP hadn¡¯t dropped a single point, it was the Entangling Roots¡¯ HP that had decreased. He hardly felt anything, standing firm and steady without taking a single step back. ¡°This is the power of a Level 3 Weapon, huh!¡± Feeling the abundant strength inside him, Wang Tao felt a sense of awe. After the unexpected encounter with the Night Demon yesterday, Wang Tao had specially fed the Entangling Roots some Level 2 and Level 1 Crystal Cores, raising its Compatibility to 100%, bringing the Entangling Roots to optimal condition! He did this in anticipation of a direct confrontation with the Night Demon! Now, it was paying off! Meanwhile, Yang Changhong and the others were stunned. If they hadn¡¯t just witnessed Wang Tao¡¯s ¡°transformation¡± with their own eyes, they would have surely thought it was a battle of monsters against zombies! Was this Wang Tao¡¯s Ability? It felt so terrifying¡­ Everyone even started shivering a bit. On the other side, Wang Tao activated his Barrier Ability. In an instant, he felt as if his body had be a lot lighter. Then, with a push off his feet, he quickly charged towards the Night Demon that was just getting up. In the blink of an eye, he reached the side of the Night Demon. ¡°Roar!¡± The Night Demon roared angrily, spreading the index fingers on both hands, its sharp nails gleaming with a cold light. Whoosh¡ª It swiped at Wang Tao¡¯s face. If it had been before, Wang Tao would definitely not have been able to dodge this strike, given its speed. But now, with the Barrier Ability elerating him, Wang Tao tilted his head just in time to dodge the attack! Then, Wang Tao, powering up his right hand, delivered an uppercut straight to the Night Demon¡¯s face! Bang! [-3583] [22810/30000] ¡°` The Night Demon was hurled into the air again, this time crashing directly into the wall of an apartment building along the street, creating a huge crater. As the Night Demon was sent flying, Wang Tao immediately charged towards where itnded, giving it no chance to counterattack! However, this time, Wang Tao had a firefighter axe in his hand. While he hoisted the axe with one hand, he activated his High-frequency Vibration Ability. Thud! The axe viciously cleaved into the Night Demon¡¯s head, carving out a pit. [-4671] [18139/30000] The damage of this hit had increased by twenty to thirty percentpared to before! Unexpectedly, with a ¡°crack,¡± the handle of the firefighter axe broke. ¡°¡­¡± The axe handle couldn¡¯t withstand that force! ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Finally, the Night Demon found an opportunity, and swiped a w at Wang Tao¡¯s chest. [-121] [29999/29999£¨9761/10000£©] Unfazed, Wang Tao didn¡¯t even feel the damage. He grabbed the Night Demon¡¯s neck with his left hand and tossed aside the axe handle with his right, while Entangling Roots writhed around his hand, forming a fist bigger than a y pot! Then he hammered the Night Demon¡¯s skull with three consecutive punches! Bang, bang, bang! [-3624] [-3662] [-3698] ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡± The Night Demon, its head nearly pulverized, let out a scream, shaking off Wang Tao¡¯s grip and fleeing towards a dark alley without looking back! It actually ran away? But at that moment, a red glow shed in the darkness. With a loud thud, the Night Demon was sent flying back at an even faster speed! [-1558] Jiang Shixue retracted her fist. Wang Tao eyed the spot where the Night Demon flew back, lifted his left foot, and stomped down fiercely, pinning it beneath his foot. Then he squatted down and gave the Night Demon¡¯s bald head a couple of solid punches. [-3587] [-2010] [0/30000] The Night Demon¡¯s skull waspletely smashed by Wang Tao, its HP depleted to zero. Seeing that there was indeed no Crystal Core inside the Night Demon¡¯s brain, Wang Tao gathered the Night Demon¡¯s spoils of war, then stood up and walked towards where Yang Changhong and the others were. At this moment, Yang Changhong and herpanions were petrified. This monster¡ªno, this Wang Tao, had actually beaten a Level 3 Night Demon to death with his bare fists? Were they dreaming? Yang Changhong finally understood why Wang Tao had stopped her. This level of battle¡­ she truly wasn¡¯t a match! As Wang Tao approached the group, the Entangling Roots on his body quickly writhed and then disappeared. By the time he reached them, he had shifted from the terrifying figure of two and a half meters back to a normal human being of less than two meters. Watching the dazed crowd, Wang Tao red at them. ¡°What, you¡¯re all stunned? Hurry up and retreat!¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± The crowd snapped out of their daze and quickly got into the vehicles. Boom~ Soon, eight cars left the gas station one after another. Momentster, dozens of Night Demons emerged from the darkness, among them a blue-skinned Night Demon with Bone Armor. They roared and searched around, but found nothing, and had no choice but to leave with the bodies of the four survivors. Chapter 402 - 185 Zombie Fish_1 Chapter 402: Chapter 185 Zombie Fish_1 Yang Changhong originally didn¡¯t want to travel at night, but there was no choice¡ªthe Night Demon had appeared. Even though Wang Tao had shown great power, eliminating one Night Demon, everyone knew that Night Demons are social, zombie-like creatures. The appearance of one Night Demon meant that others were likely to follow. Although Wang Tao had seemed to deal with the Night Demon easily, since he had said to move on, naturally, she couldn¡¯t suggest that he should take on the others. She guessed that Wang Tao¡¯s Transformation Ability must have its limits, and it probably wasn¡¯t as effortless as it looked¡­ ¡°Wang Tao, are you all okay?¡± Yang Changhong¡¯s voice carried concern over the vehicle¡¯s inte. ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°Good to hear¡­¡± Since it was a flight for life, Yang Changhong didn¡¯t talk much, even though she had questions. The convoy quickly left town and headed towards the next destination. Inside the vehicle, Wang Tao looked at the Entangling Roots on his wrist and smirked. This was his first time using Entangling Roots inbat, and all he could say was that this Level 3 Weapon was truly awesome! Because both Wang Tao¡¯s Mana and Ability had not improved much, his current power hadn¡¯t reached his personal peak, but his overall strength among Level Two should be considered top-notch. Thus, he felt that, with his own power, he should be capable of confronting a Level 3 Night Demon. But definitely not as easily as with the use of Entangling Roots! Without the Entangling Roots, he would be at most a peak Level Two strength, perhaps capable of single-handedly taking on a Level 3 Elite Night Demon. But with Entangling Roots wielded, he was straight up at Level 3 strength! He couldpletely dominate a Night Demon in battle! No wonder Entangling Roots is ssified as a Level 3 Weapon¡ªit can really unleash Level 3 power! However, it¡¯s not just Entangling Roots; the person who wears it needs to be powerful too. If the wearer isn¡¯t up to snuff, then they definitely won¡¯t be able to disy Level 3 power. After all, the Entangling Roots has a limited HP, and if it keeps being depleted, it will be destroyed. Speaking of defense, Entangling Roots indeed performed impressively. When hit by a Night Demon¡¯s Attack, it only lost a little over a hundred HP. To its ten thousand HP, this was trivial. And the Attack bonus doesn¡¯t even need saying. Against a Level 3 Elite Night Demon, it could deal over three thousand damage with one punch! Less than ten punches were enough to kill a Night Demon! This was definitely the moment of Wang Tao¡¯s highest damage output! Moreover, Wang Tao knew very well that this wasn¡¯t the upper limit of Entangling Roots; it could grow to a hundred thousand HP! Back then, when Wang Tao attacked the hundred-thousand HP Entangling Roots, he couldn¡¯t even make a dent¡­ Now, Entangling Roots had regained its full HP. But this wasn¡¯t self Blood Regeneration; rather, Wang Tao transferred his own HP to it. It seemed Entangling Roots didn¡¯t have much self Blood Regeneration ability, or at least it was very slow. When Wang Tao saw that its HP bar hardly increased, he nourished it a bit with his own HP. It had only lost over two hundred HP in total; with a slight nourishment, Wang Tao filled it up again. As for the cost, it meant Wang Tao expended an equal amount of his own HP. But this wasn¡¯t a problem; he used his Barrier Ability to fully regain his HP. So, it amounted to this: after a battle, he expended only some of his Physical strength and Mana¡ªoh, no, he had forgotten to count something. Wang Tao nced at Entangling Roots¡¯ Compatibility; the Compatibility had decreased from 100% to 90% after a not-so-intense fight! This meant, the price for killing that Night Demon was a Level 2 Crystal Core? After all, a Level 2 Crystal Core can increase Compatibility by 10%¡­ That cost was eptable to Wang Tao; although Night Demons didn¡¯t have Crystal Cores in their brains, they did have Loot Packs, so Wang Tao would not be at a loss. Wang Tao studied Entangling Roots further, trying to restore Compatibility with his own blood. He found that using his blood took a while and was not low on blood consumption¡ªa 10% increase consumed a thousand of his HP. That was more than what he had spent killing the Night Demon¡­ But this also gave Wang Tao a rough idea about the details of Entangling Roots¡ª Currently, Entangling Roots had 10,000 HP, and if Wang Tao used his own HP for replenishment, the ratio was 1:1. Whatever HP the Entangling Roots lost, Wang Tao could rece with an equal amount of his own blood. This Blood Replenishing could be reced by a Crystal Core; Wang Tao had tried it out. A Level 1 Crystal Core could replenish 100 HP, a Level 2 should replenish 1,000 HP, and a Level 3 Core 10,000 HP. Then there was Compatibility; 100% Compatibility, if raised by Crystal Cores, required one Level 3 Crystal Core or ten Level 2 Crystal Cores or a hundred Level 1 Crystal Cores. Of course, this could also be reced by his own HP. Wang Tao had tried, and each percent of Compatibility increased required him to expend 100 of his HP. So, raising it back to 100% Compatibility would cost 10,000 HP¡­ All of a sudden, Wang Tao felt like using Crystal Cores to increase Compatibility might be a loss, considering he could regenerate blood¡­ But after careful thought, it wasn¡¯t so bad. Because using his own HP for Compatibility restoration was slow and needed a safe environment. Crystal Cores, on the other hand, could provide a quick recovery. Plus, HP was his lifeline; Wang Tao had nearly thirty thousand HP, but if he lost ten thousand, even without a wound, he would definitely feel terrible¡­ So, the conclusion he reached was¡ª if Entangling Roots lost a lot of HP and Compatibility dropped significantly, then it¡¯s appropriate to use Crystal Cores for replenishing. If Entangling Roots lost only a little HP and Compatibility dropped slightly, it could be reced with his own Blood, granted he had the Blood Regeneration ability. If someone didn¡¯t have this ability, they¡¯d better stick to using Crystal Cores¡­ Chapter 403: 185 Zombie Fish_2 Chapter 403: Chapter 185 Zombie Fish_2 Wang Tao increased thepatibility of his Entangling Roots to 100% and restored his HP to 10,000. Finally, he had time to look at the loot he had acquired. The Night Demon Zombie he killed had 30,000 HP, so the loot was nearly the same as what he got from the previous Night Demon Zombie. His HP didn¡¯t increase because it was already at the limit. But his special energy went up by 6,000! He had just used up 5,000, which he nowpletely replenished. Next were the Loot Packs¡ªthree in total. The first pack was a Crystal Core Gift Bag containing four Crystal Cores. These cores were almost identical to those from the previous Level 3 Elite Night Demon he had killed, with only slight differences in quality. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effects: None)] The first core was an Ascension crystal core. Counting this one, he now had three Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores. However, the probability with this core was a bit lower. If he wanted to ensure a safer promotion, he¡¯d need to improve the quality. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Energy Boost]
[Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effects: None)] [Energy Boost: Increases Mana cap by 1,000] The second was an Energy Boost Crystal Core¡ªit was of excellent qualityst time, but only of good quality this time. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C HP Boost] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effects: None)] [HP Boost: Increases HP cap by 1,000] The third, an HP Enhancement Crystal Core, had better quality than thest one. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Body Constitution Boost] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effects: None)] [Physical Enhancement: All aspects of physical constitution will be enhanced] The fourth one was a Body Constitution Boost Crystal Core¡ªthest one was Epic; this time it was Excellent. Other than the Ascension crystal core, the other three were Passive Abilities. Wang Tao had thought that since they were simr passive abilities, the chance of synthesizing them should be quite high. If he could synthesize these three abilities into one Ability, it would definitely be a powerful one! But for now, Wang Tao didn¡¯t have much special energy to work with. After all, synthesizing a Level 3 Ability required 20,000 special energy¡­ The second Loot Pack contained Potions. [Strength Growth Potion x5] [Agility Increase Potion x5]
[Mental Boosting Potion x5] Just likest time, there were a total of 15 potions that permanently increased various attributes. [Strength Increase Potion: After injection, strength will receive a permanent enhancement.] [Agility Increase Potion: After injection, agility will receive a permanent enhancement.]
[Mental Boosting Potion: After injection, spirit will receive a permanent enhancement.] Without a second thought, Wang Tao took the potions and injected them into himself. Momentster, he felt even more powerful! Then Wang Tao looked at the third pack. [High Power Ultraviolet shlight x1] [Small ultraviolet illumination res x20] As before, one shlight and 20 res. After examining these items, an idea suddenly sprang to Wang Tao¡¯s mind. With his current strength, he had no problem handling a single Night Demon. If he teamed up with Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun, they might even stand a chance against two Night Demons. Since Night Demons were Level 3 zombies, the rewards for killing them were tripled! Whether it was special energy, Crystal Cores, or potions, these were all things Wang Tao desperately wanted. So what if he deliberately kept himself at Level Two without advancing to Level 3 for now and went on a spree of hunting Level 3 Night Demons to snag triple the rewards? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to collect a substantial number of Crystal Cores and potions?! Wang Tao thought this n¡­ seemed feasible! Of course, right now he didn¡¯t need to hold back since he wasn¡¯t able to advance to Level 3 anyway. As for hunting Night Demons¡­ the difficulty for him wasn¡¯t in how to kill a Night Demon, but in how to find a lone one¡ªor rather, how to lure one out¡­ This was something he needed to thoroughly research in the future. ¡­
The next day, early morning. The convoy stopped by ake. ¡°We¡¯ve been driving all night. Everyone is exhausted¡­ it¡¯s time to rest,¡± Yang Changhong said over the walkie-talkie to Wang Tao. Thiske was beside a national highway, which they could take if anything happened. ¡°Okay,¡± Wang Tao agreed. After quickly setting up the defensive perimeters, they all hurried to catch up on sleep. As second-order Ability Users, Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, Xu Xiaojun, and Yang Changhong still felt rtively alert, so they took turns keeping watch. Yang Changhong looked at Wang Tao with a hesitant expression. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°Nothing much, just¡­ you¡¯re really amazing!¡± she said. Yang Changhong had wanted to ask Wang Tao about the Ability that turned him into a monster the previous night and how he, as a Level 2 Ability User, managed to defeat a Level 2 Night Demon with ease. But after contemting, she decided not to ask. What difference would it make even if she knew? If she couldn¡¯t surpass him, that was that. Yang Changhong had always been a proud person, and she certainly had the credentials to be proud. Whether it was seizing the opportunity in the business world before the apocalypse or leading her employees to safety after the apocalypse¡­ she vastly outperformed countless others.
But ever since meeting Wang Tao, she felt her pride was on the verge of being crushed. Having such a powerful ally like him was reassuring, indeed. And it was true that Wang Tao had saved them many times. But still, she felt a bit lost. She began to believe that only someone as formidable as Wang Tao could survive in this post-apocalyptic world, while an ordinary person like her would eventually perish at the hands of the zombies. Chapter 404: 185 Zombie Fish_3 Chapter 404: Chapter 185 Zombie Fish_3 ¡°` If death is inevitable, what¡¯s the point in struggling to live? Wang Tao frowned slightly as he looked at Yang Changhong, whose eyes were gradually bing vacant. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just feel¡­ so powerless.¡± Yang Changhong let out a bitterugh. ¡°Powerless?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t know if he had demoralized her; after all, normal people don¡¯t have the luxury to think about these things when just staying alive is an aplishment! Wang Tao guessed that Yang Changhong must be feeling a sense of powerlessness after seeing the strength of the Night Demons. He patted Yang Changhong¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Don¡¯t lose heart. Zombies may be strong, but we humans are not weak either¡ªwe have intelligence. Haven¡¯t you seen things like inhibitors, mechanical arms, and the like? Even at the end of the world, we humans have not given up. I believe that in the end, victory will certainly belong to us!¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t just talking nonsense; he truly believed that humanity had a chance to win. From what was being air-dropped, it was clear that everyone had been persisting and even making progress. Take Xu Xiaojun¡¯s mechanical arm, for example; with that thing, he could basically defeat most level two zombies. If more things like this were developed in the future, or if a cure for the zombie virus were found, then what if the zombies evolved quickly? Humans would still have a fighting chance! ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right.¡± Though Wang Tao¡¯s constion didn¡¯t hit the nail on the head, Yang Changhong still felt it was heartwarming. Her despairing mood had somewhat improved. Then she suddenly said with a smile, ¡°So, when do you think I can be as strong as you?¡± ¡°As strong as me?¡± Wang Tao thought about it seriously, then said, ¡°You¡¯d probably have to wait until I¡¯m at least ten or twenty times stronger than I am now.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sleepy; I want to take a nap. Could you keep an eye on everyone for me, thanks!¡± Yang Changhong didn¡¯t want to talk with Wang Tao anymore. She didn¡¯t wait for a reply and immediatelyy down on the grass, sprawling out like a salted fish. Wang Tao was somewhat speechless; she wasn¡¯t tired just a moment ago, and now suddenly she was sleepy. This woman was not truthful. Shaking his head, Wang Tao went over to Jiang Shixue¡¯s side. ¡°Little Xue, let¡¯s go fishing.¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Wang Tao still had the fishing gear he¡¯d used before. Although he was missing a fishing rod, it wasn¡¯t a big problem. There were some steel pipes in Yang Changhong¡¯s convoy that were used for making defensive structures, which could be used instead. Quickly, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue got the fishing rod ready. Then they sat by theke and began fishing officially. Soon, Wang Tao felt something bite the hook. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled swiftly.
A huge shadow was dragged out of the water. ¡°Haha, got a big one¡ªholy shit!¡± Wang Tao was originally pleased, but his expression darkened as soon as he saw what the fish actually looked like. This was a damn zombie fish!
[HP: 6000/6000] [Mana: 2000/2000] [Level: Level 2 Elite] [Status: 90% Weaker Without Water] And it was a damn Level 2 Elite! Seeing this human-sized fish with rotting flesh and eerie light flickering in its eyes, Wang Tao didn¡¯t hesitate to grab the firefighter axe at his waist and swung twice. The zombie fish¡¯s HP bar emptied instantly, and it died on the spot, dropping a loot pack. Xu Xiaojun, who was on alert nearby, noticed themotion and ran over. He thought Wang Tao had hooked a big fish, but was baffled when he saw what it actually was. ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± It was his first time seeing a zombie fish. ¡°It¡¯s a zombie fish, and a level two at that¡­¡± It was also Wang Tao¡¯s first encounter. He quickly smashed open the fish¡¯s head to find a white crystal core inside. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¡¤ Aquatic Breath]
[Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Partial growth of fish scales)] [Aquatic Breath: Passive Ability, evolve gills, can breathe freely in water] At first nce, Wang Tao found the ability of this crystal core impressive. Being able to breathe underwater meant evolving from and animal to an amphibian! But after seeing the side effect and the actual ability, Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. The side effect was the growth of fish scales on the body, which was hard to ept. However, by synthesizing the crystal core, perhaps he could remove the side effect, But the ability of Aquatic Breath came with gills¡ªthis wasn¡¯t a side effect, and he couldn¡¯t remove it. He had no desire to turn into a gilled monster, so this crystal core was definitely not meant for Wang Tao. Regarding the loot pack that the zombie fish dropped, it contained a potion he had never seen before. [Obtained: Breath-holding Potion*5] [Breath-holding Potion: Can hold breath underwater for ten minutes, cooldown time 1 hour] The potion was quite good, it mighte in handy to hide from zombies in the water, provided there were no zombies in the water. ¡°Little Jun, you fish. If you catch any, kill them yourself. These fish lose a lot of their strength after getting onnd, and it¡¯s simple to kill them.¡±
Xu Xiaojun could restore his HP by killing the zombie fish, and since Wang Tao¡¯s HP was already full, he let Xu Xiaojun have this opportunity. ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Xiaojun was excited; this was a rare opportunity! Wang Tao went back to Yang Changhong¡¯s side, finding that she had indeed fallen asleep. So he patted her face. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yang Changhong woke up groggily. She was an undeniable beauty, and although her skin was now a bit rough, her facial proportions were very attractive. Her dazed appearance was quite different from her previous image as a tough leader but was charming in its own right. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to be as strong as me? Here¡¯s your chance.¡± There were too many fish here for Xu Xiaojun to handle alone. They had to call others to help, and not waste this opportunity. ¡°Huh?¡± After seeing the situation for herself, Yang Changhong finally understood the meaning of an old saying¡ª¡¯A setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise!¡¯ ¡°`
Chapter 405: 186: Killing a Level 3 Lord_1 Chapter 405: Chapter 186: Killing a Level 3 Lord_1 ¡°` Pfft! Yang Changhong wielded her knife and killed the Level 2 Zombie Fish beneath her feet, then wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a deep breath. She had never imagined that one day, she would be a butcher ughtering fish, nor had she expected that killing fish could leave her so exhausted¡­ At this moment, the scene around her was bustling with activity, everyone was fishing, killing fish! The strong fished solo and killed on their own. Those less powerful teamed up to fish and took turns at killing. Even though the strength of these Zombie Fish dropped significantly aftering ashore, it didn¡¯t mean they were powerless. If an ordinary person caught a Zombie Fish, they might not even be able to pull it out of the water, and could even be dragged in by the Zombie Fish! These Level 1 ability users were able to pull the fish ontond, but that didn¡¯t guarantee a quick kill. After all, the Zombie Fish were about the size of humans, and when they struggled, it was chaotic. If one were to get bitten, the best oue would be wasting a bottle of inhibitor. So everyone measured their own strength, careful not to put themselves in too much danger in the quest to increase their power. It was Yang Changhong who had called these people together.
But she had asked Wang Tao in advance, since this was his discovery. Although Wang Tao shared it with her, it didn¡¯t mean he wanted to share it with everyone else. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t that petty; theke was vast and filled with many Zombie Fish. So many people fishing together might not even be able to catch all of them. Wang Tao observed that all the fish in thiske were Zombie Fish, with not a single normal one in sight, likely because, much like human society, they were infected by the zombie virus. Moreover, most of them were Level 1 and Level 2 Zombie Fish. For these ability users, it was a holynd for enhancing their strength! The crowd worked with well-distributed roles, Level 1 ability users killed Level 1 Zombie Fish, and Second-order Superpower Owners yed the Level 2 ones. If a Level 1 ability user caught a Level 2 Zombie Fish, they¡¯d call over Little Jun or Yang Changhong to deal with it. If Yang Changhong and Little Jun caught a Level 1 Zombie Fish, they¡¯d pass it on to others to kill. Differentiating between Level 1 and Level Two was straightforward: anything others could pull out of the water was below Level 1, and anything too heavy to move was Level 2. This method was proposed by Wang Tao, considering that Level 2 ability users would only gain half the HP from killing Level 1 Zombies. And for a Level 1 ability user, even with the significantly reduced strength on shore, killing a Level 2 Zombie Fish would be troublesome and potentially life-threatening. So, they should only tackle fish within their power range. Wang Tao made another fishing rod for himself, wanting to see if he could catch Level 2, Lord, or even Level 3 Zombie Fish! If Wang Tao killed Lagrangian points¡¯s Superpower Owners, he would gain Special Energy for such an overpowered victory. However, from morning until the evening, he had not caught a fish above Level 2, Lord; the highest level was the Level 2, Elites. Wang Tao felt somewhat helpless, the number of elite zombie fish in thiske was unexpectedly high, a situation he had encountered at both the Water Ze Hospital and the Weeds Reservoir. Therefore, Wang Tao spected there might be an even more formidable Zombie Fish here, but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know if his conjecture was inurate or if there truly were none¡­ Of course, it wasn¡¯t without any gains, Xu Xiaojun¡¯s HP was rapidly increasing. Wang Tao gave all the fish he caught to him. Jiang Shixue had no interest in fishing, but she enjoyed watching others fish, so she sat obediently next to Wang Tao, watching him fish. ¡°We had agreed to travel during the day today¡­ but ended up fishing all day¡­¡± Yang Changhong spoke to Wang Tao with a mix of happiness and helplessness. She was naturally happy because her HP had greatly increased. The sensation of watching one¡¯s strength gradually increase was enchanting. Her helplessness stemmed from the fact that the n to go to Zijing City had been postponed again. Wang Tao nced at Yang Changhong. Her HP was now at 10200, up from just 7000 before, marking a significant improvement in strength.
¡°No problem, enhancing strength is the most important thing. You can fish for a couple more days.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Seeing that Wang Tao wasn¡¯t in a hurry, Yang Changhong immediately felt relieved. Having discovered this good spot, she intended to stay a couple more days, since such opportunities were rare. However, Wang Tao had previously mentioned wanting to go to a military base, and she was afraid he might be impatient, so she wanted to gauge his attitude.
If it had been before, she would have thought it no big deal to part ways. But now, having seen Wang Tao¡¯s strength, only a fool would choose to go separate paths. The next morning, the fishing operation continued. And this onested for three days. Perhaps the Zombie Fish in theke had almost been caught out; catching Level 1, Elites and Level 2, Elites became less and less likely. Wang Tao felt that they could probably leave tomorrow if the gains weren¡¯t substantial, it wouldn¡¯t be worth continuing to waste time here. But on this evening, just as Yang Changhong hadn¡¯t caught a fish for half an hour, she suddenly felt something bite her line. When she yanked hard, not only did she fail to pull it up, but she nearly fell on her face. Watching her steel fishing rod nearly pulled from her grasp, Yang Changhong immediately shouted loudly: ¡°Wang Tao! There¡¯s a big one!¡± Wang Tao heard themotion and rushed over immediately. Seeing Yang Changhong clutching the fishing rod, being slowly dragged toward the water, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes brightened. If it was able to drag Yang Changhong, a Second-order Superpower Owner, towards the water, then this had to be at least a Level 2, Lord Zombie Fish, or above! He grabbed the steel rod and gave a fierce tug¡ªbut it didn¡¯te up! ¡°`
Chapter 406: 186: Killing a Level 3 Lord_2 Chapter 406: Chapter 186: Killing a Level 3 Lord_2 ¡°` ¡°¡­It must be a Level 3 Zombie Fish!¡± Wang Tao called over Xu Xiaojun, who activated his mechanical arm, and together with three Second-order Superpower Owners, they finally pulled up a huge creature! ¡°¡­¡± The onlookers nearby were suddenly rendered speechless at the sight. They felt an intimidating force rushing towards them! This force was even more terrifying than the one they had felt from the Night Demon Zombie! The thing Wang Tao pulled up was a zombie fish as big as a room, its rotting belly exposed, filled with fish eggs the size of chicken eggs! [HP: 40000/40000] [Mana: 30000/30000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord]
[Status: 90% Weaker Without Water] ¡°Holy shit! Level 3¡­ Lord?¡± Wang Tao was a bit shocked. He had initially thought that a Level 3 Elite would have been impressive, but now he was facing a Level 3 Lord! Wang Tao had encountered a Level 3, Lord, only once before, which was the Blue-skinned Night Demon he saw in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. That Blue-skinned Night Demon had 50,000 HP, and Wang Tao felt that a single touch could kill him, so he fled the moment he saw it. And now, another Level 3, Lord, has appeared! Although it had less HP than a Blue-skinned Night Demon, 40,000 HP was still enough to kill everyone instantly. The terrifying aura it emitted made everyone afraid to even speak! However¡­ It was a zombie fish! It also had a negative status of being 90% weaker without water! If he hadn¡¯t seen the attributes, Wang Tao might have considered retreating temporarily, as he wasn¡¯t confident against a Level 3, Lord. But since he saw it was weakened by 90%, not taking advantage of this opportunity would be like inviting lightning to strike him! ¡°Everyone, scatter!¡± Wang Tao immediately screamed. Only then did everyone snap back to reality, scrambling to distance themselves from the spot. A Level 3 Zombie, even weakened, was not something they could handle! Yang Changhong felt his legs trembling. If not for Wang Tao being there, she would have thought about running away. ¡°Sss¡ª¡± After the giant fish was dragged ashore, it immediately let out an unpleasant hiss. Almost everyone felt their heads grow heavy! The reason it¡¯s almost everyone is that Jiang Shixue was unaffected; she ran over to Wang Tao and pinched his leg. Wang Tao winced in pain and slowly regained his senses.
He saw a pair of eyes glowing red, and then saw the others standing unsteadily, as if they were dizzy. ¡°Area dizziness ability?¡± Fortunately, Jiang Shixue was not affected; otherwise, it might have been troublesome! After the giant fish stunned everyone, it immediately started thrashing about, attempting to get back into the water.
Although it felt the humans around it were weak and delicious, its instincts told it it was weak now and needed to get back into the water! Wang Tao obviously couldn¡¯t let it escape. If it got back into the water, no one could defeat it. So, Wang Tao immediately activated Entangling Roots. ck roots burst forth from Wang Tao¡¯s wrist. Within moments, they entwined around his body, transforming him into a 2.5-meter-tall monster! Wang Tao gripped his steel rod fishing pole and pulled hard! Whoosh¡ª The rope from the fishing rod could no longer hold on and snapped. But the giant fish was sessfully flung by Wang Tao andnded heavily behind him. Thud¡ª There was only grass behind Wang Tao, no water source. The impact of the fishnding made the ground shake, causing everyone to fall. This fall actually helped them clear their heads. But as soon as they regained consciousness and before they could figure out what was happening, the zombie fish roared again. ¡°Sss¡ª¡± In an instant, everyone was dizzy again.
With the protection of Entangling Roots, Wang Tao also felt dizzy for a moment but quickly recovered. He and Jiang Shixue charged towards the zombie fish and raised their fists, smashing them down hard on the massive fish head. Bang! [-3004] [-1308] [35688/40000] There was a muffled sound. He dealt 3,000 damage, and Jiang Shixue dealt 1,300 damage. The defense of the zombie fish was much higher than that of Night Demon, considering it was in a state of 90% weakness! Without the weakness, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if his damage would break a thousand. But that was no big issue, as the zombie fish was already on sticky ground, and it was just a matter of time before they killed it. The zombie fish thrashed its tail, but since it was onnd, it couldn¡¯t move; it could at best thrash around and flip over, which Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue could easily dodge. While dodging, they instantlynded several punches. [-3187] [-1298] [-3219]
[-1029] [-3381] [-1323] [22251/40000] ¡°Sss¡ª¡± With another roar from the zombie fish, Wang Tao was slightly affected, but Jiang Shixue was not at all affected and took the opportunity tond two more punches. [-1320] [-1248] [19683/40000] As for everyone else, they were continuously dazed, even Xu Xiaojun and Yang Changhong, both Second-order Superpower Owners, couldn¡¯t wake up! Wang Tao didn¡¯t care about them because the zombie fish¡¯s dazing ability was different from the earlier Gori Zombie¡¯s War Roar¡ªit was purely dizzying and didn¡¯t cause HP loss. Once recovered, Wang Tao once again punched at the zombie fish twice. [-3309]
[-3458] [12916/40000] Suddenly, the zombie fish opened its mouth wide and spewed a huge mouthful of water! However, due to itsrge size and being onnd, it wasn¡¯t flexible, so the attack naturally missed. The water sprayed onto the grass. Despite looking clear and transparent, the water made a sizzling burning sound when it touched the grass, quickly melting it. ¡°Does it have a corrosive effect?¡± ¡°` Chapter 407: 186: Killing a Level 3 Lord_3 Chapter 407: Chapter 186: Killing a Level 3 Lord_3 Wang Tao felt some relief, grateful that he had dragged him over here. The others were far away, otherwise, if they had been sprayed, they probably would have been done for! Watching the big fish open its gaping mouth once more, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if it was roaring or spraying water, but a Slime Grenade appeared in his hand, which he threw directly into that bloody maw. St! A clump of white slime appeared and instantly stuck the zombie fish¡¯s mouth shut. Although it only held for a few short seconds, it sessfully interrupted the zombie fish¡¯s casting, rendering its attack ineffective. Wang Tao charged to its side again, with Jiang Shixue attacking from the left and right in a pincer move. [-3592] [-1349] [-3521] [-1298]
Just then, the zombie fish swung its tail violently with incredible speed. Relying on the Entangling Roots on his body, Wang Tao withstood the hit, but Jiang Shixue was sent flying. [-128] [29999/29999£¨9872/10000£©] The purpose of Wang Tao enduring that blow was tond the final strike! St! [-3156] [0/40000] This punch sank directly into the zombie fish¡¯s head. Even through the Entangling Roots he wore, Wang Tao could smell a fishy stench. But he immediately felt the zombie fish¡¯s Crystal Core, swiftly pocketing it along with the Loot Pack, then he hurried over to Jiang Shixue. Jiang Shixue had just lost over four hundred HP. ¡°I¡¯m okay, Brother Wang.¡± Wang Tao used a medical kit on Jiang Shixue and carefully checked her over. Once assured she was fine, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Turning back to look at the huge corpse of the zombie fish, his mouth hidden beneath the mask of roots almost stretched to his ears. The Level 3 Fish Zombie Lord was very strong, but sadly, it was weakened by 90%, and out of water, it lost its maneuverability¡ªno, it had no maneuverability at all, making it nothing but a target for him and Jiang Shixue! So although it was a Level 3 Lord, Wang Tao found it extremely easy to kill, even more so than the Night Demon he had faced the night before! After all, the Night Demon had managed to hit him several times, while the zombie fish onlynded a single blow on him. And if he hadn¡¯t wanted to finish it off quickly, he might have had a chance to dodge even that attack. After the zombie fish died, there were still numerous roe inside it. Wang Taounched some Shockwaves, randomly shattering these egg-sized roe. As a result, they even released loot packs¡ª [Obtained: Roe x103483] [Roe: Edible, non-toxic, delicious] ¡°Good heavens, a hundred thousand roe? And it¡¯s food?¡±
Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. Each piece of roe was the size of a chicken egg¡ªdidn¡¯t a hundred thousand pieces of roe equate to a hundred thousand chicken eggs? Just the roe alone was a massive haul! However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush to check his loot but went instead to wake the others up, as they were still in a state of dizziness up until now. It took some effort, but the two of them finally managed to rouse everyone.
¡°What happened¡­¡± Many were still somewhat out of it after being continuously dazed several times. Yang Changhong and Xu Xiaojun recovered the quickest. Seeing the zombie fish with a crushed skull, Yang Changhong was shocked. Her memory stopped just before the dizziness set in. It felt like one moment she closed her eyes and the next the battle was over? Had Wang Tao triumphed? Even though the zombie fish¡¯s strength would certainly be limited onnd, it was still a Level 3 zombie! Xu Xiaojun, on the other hand, took it as a matter of course¡ªBrother Wang was in action, so of course there would be no issues! ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Yang Changhong didn¡¯t have time to ponder; she asked concernedly after Wang Tao and the others, and after seeing that they were all right, she quickly went to check on everyone else. Assured that the rest were just a bit dizzy and not seriously injured, she finally rxed. ¡°You all rest well tonight, we¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning,¡± Wang Tao said to Zhang Hong. ¡°Hmm!¡± Zhang Hong nodded. The fish here had almost all been caught, and the Level 3 Fish Zombie Lord was in by Wang Tao, so it was time to leave. The others were somewhat reluctant to leave, but the Level 3 Fish Zombie Lord had dazed them for such a long time that they all had psychological shadows and wanted to leave as soon as possible. Watching everyone start to clean up the battlefield, Wang Tao began to take stock of his loot as well.
The Zombie Fish had brought him 9,600 Special Energy! This brought Wang Tao¡¯s total Special Energy to 24,340! It can only be said that a Level 3 Lord indeed was terrifyingly powerful! Then came the Loot Packs, three in total. The first was naturally the Crystal Core Gift Bag, which contained four Crystal Cores. Along with the one from the Zombie Fish¡¯s head, that was a total of five Crystal Cores. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Aquatic Breath] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Some parts of the body will grow fish scales)] A Level 3 Aquatic Breath Crystal Core from inside the Zombie Fish¡¯s head, nothing much to say about it; it wasn¡¯t the type Wang Tao liked. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: None)] Another Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core! Counting this one, Wang Tao now had four Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores! One Excellent, three Excellent!
He hadn¡¯tpleted his collection of other Crystal Cores yet and had already finished the Ascension ones¡­ which felt somewhat magical. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Shockwave Dizziness] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Mouth gets bigger)] [Shockwave Dizziness: Can daze creatures for a long time (the duration of dizziness is rted to the opponent¡¯s spiritual power), but they will awaken if disturbed by external things] This Crystal Core was the dizziness ability used by the Zombie Fish earlier. Its dizzinesssts for quite a while, but any major disturbance would wake the victims. Moreover, the length of dizziness is rted to the opponent¡¯s spiritual power. If Jiang Shixue was unaffected, doesn¡¯t that mean she had high spiritual power? Even though it was the same type of dizziness, Wang Tao still preferred the earlier War Cry Ability. As for the side effect, if one wasn¡¯t too concerned about their appearance, it seemed ignorable, right? [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Corrosive Saliva] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Belly gets bigger)] [Corrosive Saliva: Stores one-tenth of the water ingested in the stomach and fuses it with stomach acid. The fused water can be spat out with strong corrosive properties]
This was the spouting water ability used by the Zombie Fish earlier, simr to the Spittle Nail; one spits food, and the other saliva. Wang Tao felt that the sess rate for fusing these two Abilities must be quite high. If he fused these two abilities, wouldn¡¯t he be able to spit both projectiles and corrosive water? It seemed interesting to consider. As for thest Crystal Core, it was a passive Ability. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Swimming Champion] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Some parts of the body will grow fish scales)] [Swimming Champion: Passive Ability, greatly increases swimming skills] Chapter 408: 187 The Proud Woman_1 Chapter 408: Chapter 187 The Proud Woman_1 ¡°` The ¡°Swimming Champion¡± ability seems pretty good. Passive abilities don¡¯t need mana to use, which is essentially a permanent enhancement to physical attributes. If there¡¯s a chance, it might be worth trying to synthesize it with other passive abilities¡­ Then there¡¯s the second Loot Pack. All potions inside, two types in total. [Obtained: Breath-holding Potion x10] The first one is the Breath-holding Potion, which is quite effective, allowing one to hold their breath for ten minutes. Wang Tao already has dozens of bottles, but unfortunately, no blueprints. [Obtained: Infertility Treatment Potion x10] [Infertility Treatment Potion: Capable of treating most infertility issues] ¡°?¡± This second type of potion has Wang Tao a bit stunned.
Killed a Zombie Fish and got medicine for treating infertility? How absurd is this! But then thinking about the multitude of fish eggs, it seems reasonable, doesn¡¯t it? Without a doubt, this is good stuff. If it were before the apocalypse, it probably would fetch a good price since many people have such issues. Even now, in the apocalypse, there might still be people troubled by this problem¡­ Wang Tao definitely doesn¡¯t need it, but he could sell it to those in needter. Lastly, the final Loot Pack. [Obtained: Diving Suit x1] [Diving Suit: Durability +30, Tear Resistance +30, can stay at about twenty meters underwater for an hour. Oxygen tank automatically replenishes air¡ª fully recharges in 10 hours of exposure to the open air.] Inside is a set of ck clothes that look like a frogman¡¯s gear, but this suit is exceptional. It¡¯s a diving suitplete with an oxygen tank, a propeller, and it looks quite impressive. And this one automatically replenishes oxygen! Like charging for 10 hours, tost for 1 hour of use. It¡¯s not something Wang Tao can wear regrly, but it mighte in handy in critical moments. But Wang Tao doesn¡¯t dare to casually enter the water anymore since he¡¯s confirmed there might be Zombie Fish in it. Like the Level 3 Fish Zombie Lord he encountered today¡ªif Wang Tao had encountered it in the water, he would have most likely been dead¡­ Even the Level 2 Zombie Fish he killed effortlessly, if it was in water, it¡¯s uncertain whether he would have been able to defeat it. Besides the loot from this Level 3 Zombie Fish, Wang Tao has also killed some Level 1 and Level 2 Elite Zombies, but only got some more Breath-holding Potions and Aquatic Breath crystals. He feels that apart from the Level 3 Zombie Fish, the others are rather weak, even the Elites, as they don¡¯t seem to have any abilities. He hasn¡¯t seen other crystals appear. Maybe because these fish were cultivated by the Level 3 Fish Lord? It does have so many eggs¡­ No matter what, the haul was great this time. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± Yang Changhong and the others had just finished cleaning up the battlefield, and she approached with a cloth bag. ¡°These Crystal Cores are for you, after all, you discovered them, and you dealt with the Level 3 Zombie Fish, saving us from a crisis¡­¡±
All the Crystal Cores in the bag were ¡°Aquatic Breath,¡± ranging from Level 1 to Level Two. Wang Tao had already exined the ability of this crystal to them, and they all expressed no desire to merge with it. While the Aquatic Breath ability is strong, it would cause gills and scales to grow on the body. Moreover, with Zombie Fish present in the water, they would only enter the water if absolutely necessary, making these crystals practically useless to them. ¡°Okay, thanks.¡±
Wang Tao didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and simply epted them. Even though these crystals aren¡¯t of much use to him personally, they can be used to nurture the Entangling Roots. Why refuse something that¡¯s free? ¡°We should be thanking you!¡± Yang Changhong said with a smile. Her own improvement was not small, and her entire team¡¯s strength had risen! If not for Wang Tao, they couldn¡¯t have possibly had such gains. After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Changhong suggested: ¡°As for what¡¯s next, I propose we rest well here tonight and set off early tomorrow morning, aiming to reach Zijing City quickly¡­¡± ¡°Yes, let everyone have a good rest.¡± These people have been fishing with such excitement in the past few days that they haven¡¯t slept well. Continuing the journey after a good rest wouldn¡¯t be toote. In the evening, Wang Tao used the Zombie Culture Fluid on Jiang Shixue again. Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP reached 29200; one more treatment and she could hit the upper limit for Level Two HP! Then Wang Tao found that the Tree Essence Liquid was avable for use again. However, only he and Jiang Shixue could use it; Xu Xiaojun had tried it without any effect. Could it be that the cooldown time for using Tree Essence Liquid is rted to strength? Though somewhat puzzled, Wang Tao didn¡¯t overthink it and just drank it.
Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue each drank 10 shares because the cooldown had reached a point where they could only consume 10, with any more being ineffective. Afterward, there was no change in Wang Tao¡¯s HP, but his mana increased to 8000! As for Jiang Shixue, her HP finally hit 29999! No need to wait for another nurturing session! ¡°Can you feel what you need to do to ascend to Level 3?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± Jiang Shixue looked somewhat lost. When Wang Tao reached this HP level, he could clearly feel he needed to upgrade all his Abilities to Level 3 before he could ascend. So he wanted to know if Jiang Shixue had any feeling about it. But it seemed she still couldn¡¯t sense anything. Wang Tao thought for a moment and took out an outstanding quality Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core. Jiang Shixue¡¯s impurity level was already at 100%, so there was no need to worry about impurities or to have Wang Tao do the synthesis. ¡°` Chapter 409: 187 The Proud Woman_2 Chapter 409: Chapter 187 The Proud Woman_2 But unfortunately, when Jiang Shixue ced the Ascension Crystal Core in her mouth, she couldn¡¯t fuse with it. She truly had no need for the Ascension Crystal Core. This left Wang Tao feeling somewhat helpless; Jiang Shixue¡¯s situation was very special, and he couldn¡¯t understand it. Regardless, Jiang Shixue had still increased her HP to 29999, and now she was Wang Tao¡¯s strongest helper, which once again boosted the strength of his small team. Wang Tao even felt that she could probably take on a Level 3 Night Demon by herself! But there was no need to test that theory¡ªwhy go for a one-on-one fight when you can gang up? Early the next day, the convoy was all geared up and ready to go. At Yang Changhong¡¯smand, the group set off toward Zijing City once again. The previous two escapes had led the convoy slightly off course, but the overall direction was correct, continuously heading west. After consulting the map, Yang Changhong and Wang Tao quickly plotted a new route. This time they didn¡¯t encounter any major dangers. The asional zombies they did encounter were dealt with by Yang Changhong and her team. If the situation was more tricky, they would let Xu Xiaojun handle it. However, in the past few days, the convoy came across several supply nes! This was something Wang Tao hadn¡¯t anticipated. The supply drops used toe about once a month, but why did he feel like they were bing more frequenttely? These transport nes were not directly overhead, but Wang Tao tried to make contact several times, all unsessfully.
As for the supply drops, they did manage to pick up two of them, which contained medicine and food. Although there were no inhibitors or mechanical exoskeletons, it was still good enough. ¡°Eh? Another supply drop!¡± That day, Wang Tao suddenly looked up. He heard the sound of an airne! Momentster, a ne indeed appeared in the sky., and from the looks of it, it seemed it would pass right overhead! ¡°The supply ne ising!¡± Yang Changhong noticed as well and immediately notified everyone through the vehicle inte. Watching the ne draw closer to the convoy, everyone¡¯s faces were filled with anticipation. Thest time a transport ne flew over their heads, it dropped five supply crates. Now they were not expecting five¡ªjust one would be enough! Wang Tao took out his military radio and began trying to contact the pilot above. ¡°Hello, this is Survivor Wang Tao, I am right below you!¡± ¡°Hello, this is Survivor Wang Tao, I am right below you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Szzz¡­ Szzz¡­¡± The radio crackled with static, which didn¡¯t surprise Wang Tao. Thest sessful contact had been when the ne was directly overhead, and it was still far away at the moment. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t stop and kept trying. As the ne slowly reached the position right above the crowd, atst, there was a response through the radio! ¡°Szzz¡­ Wang Tao¡­ I know you¡­ I am Luo¡­¡± Hearing the hoarse voice over the radio, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Colonel Luo? What a coincidence, it¡¯s you again!¡± He hadn¡¯t expected it to be Luo Guozhong again¡ªunless there was another pilot with thest name Luo.
¡°Szzz¡­ Yes¡­ supply drop¡­ is gone¡­ sorry¡­ Szzz¡­¡± The other party actually apologized to Wang Tao, though the voice sounded somewhat cold. ¡°All the supply drops are gone? No problem, we¡¯re not in urgent need of supplies for the moment¡­¡± Wang Tao quickly exined. The supply drops didn¡¯t really matter, but as long as he could establish a good connection with Colonel Luo, there would definitely be more supply drops in the future.
¡°Then that¡¯s¡­ good¡­ Szzz¡­¡± Watching the ne fly past overhead and start to move away, Wang Tao hurriedly said: ¡°I will be visiting the military base soon. Since we have met, it¡¯s fate. I will treat you to a drink when the timees!¡± ¡°Szzz¡­ Szzz¡­¡± The other party didn¡¯t reply; the ne had already flown off into the distance. ¡°Ah, what a shame, no supply drop this time¡­ Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± In the vehicle inte, Yang Changhong¡¯s voice carried a hint of regret. The group continued on their journey. That evening, as Wang Tao was pondering over how to use his more than 20,000 units of Special Energy, Yang Changhong¡¯s voice came through the vehicle inte once again. ¡°Wang Tao, we¡¯ve arrived at Zijing City Downtown!¡± ¡°Hm? We¡¯re here already?¡± Wang Tao lifted his head. He could see more houses along the road, and the roads were getting wider, although there were also more abandoned vehicles. Looking further afield, he could see some tall buildings.
¡°Zijing City, we¡¯ve finally arrived!¡± Wang Tao sighed. This trip to Zijing City had taken many more days than expected, with many incidents along the way. But it was a relief that they arrived safely. The convoy stopped by the side of the road. Yang Changhong got out of her vehicle and knocked on Wang Tao¡¯s door. ¡°Wang Tao, what are your ns now¡­¡± ¡°Come in and talk.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Yang Changhong entered, looking at Wang Tao¡¯s handsome face; her expression was aplex mix of emotions and reluctance. After all, with Wang Tao being so powerful, she really wished he would stay with her convoy, but Wang Tao had already made it clear before that he intended to go to the military base. Now that they had arrived in Zijing City, it was only a matter of when Wang Tao would leave¡­ ¡°What about you? What are your ns?¡± Wang Tao asked in return. ¡°We¡¯re nning to rest here tonight and then head into the city tomorrow to look for survivors from Zijing City and get some information about the situation here. If there¡¯s arge Survivor Base, we¡¯ll ask about its exact location. If the base is suitable, we¡¯ll consider staying here. If it¡¯s not suitable or there¡¯s norge Survivor Base, then we¡¯ll decide what to do next¡­¡± Yang Changhong shared their uing ns. However, her tone was slightly wistful, as she still didn¡¯t know what exactly the situation was within Zijing City. There was also a good chance it could all be for nothing¡­
Chapter 410: 187 The Proud Woman_3 Chapter 410: Chapter 187 The Proud Woman_3 Wang Tao nodded and then said with a smile: ¡°Let¡¯s rest for the night, and then we¡¯ll part ways tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Yang Changhong didn¡¯t say anything more and got out of the car to leave. She found a suitable spot, and the convoy began to ¡°set up camp.¡± Wang Tao took Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun for a look around the area to ensure that there was nothing that could threaten their safety nearby. By nightfall, everything on the convoy¡¯s end was ready. Yang Changhong invited Wang Tao over for dinner. In the past, for convenience, everyone usually ate separately. But since they were all parting ways in the morning, this might be theirst supper together; thus, it had a bit of a ceremonial feel. ¡°Wang Tao, I¡¯m very grateful for your care along the way¡­¡± Yang Changhong raised her water ss, using water in ce of wine.
She actually liked drinking, but after the apocalypse had begun, she had given it up¡ªafter all, drinking led to mistakes. ¡°We¡¯ve been looking after each other.¡± Wang Tao raised his water ss and clinked it with hers. The mood among the people was somewhat mncholic; they might not call Wang Tao a ¡®good brother,¡¯ but at the very least, they were now friends. If this were before the apocalypse, they might have had the chance to meet up again in the future, but now that the world had ended, once they separated, they might never get the chance to see each other again for the rest of their lives¡­ After dinner, it had already turned dark. Yang Changhong arranged for people to take turns on guard duty, while Wang Tao went back to his car. He wasn¡¯t tired, but he nned to rest well since he was heading to Zijing City tomorrow. Given the scale and poption of Zijing City, he could already imagine how dangerous it would be inside¡­ However, at this moment, Yang Changhong suddenly came over again. ¡°Wang Tao, there¡¯s something I want to talk to you about. Could youe over?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Tao got out of the car, and Yang Changhong immediately turned around, leading Wang Tao outside of her car with her head lowered, not allowing Wang Tao to see her face clearly. ¡°Shall we talk inside?¡± Turning around, Yang Changhong replied, and only then did Wang Tao realize that she seemed¡­ to have put on light makeup? ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao got into the car with her. Yang Changhong¡¯s car was luxurious, worth over five million before the apocalypse. Owning such a car was definitely a symbol of someone of high status. Although the exterior of the car now looked worn and had various modifications giving it a tattered feeling, once inside, it was evident that the interior was still well-maintained, much more luxurious than Wang Tao¡¯s interior. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Wang Tao asked, slightly puzzled after looking around.
¡°I¡­¡± Yang Changhong started to speak and suddenly reached out, wrapped her arms around Wang Tao¡¯s neck, pressing her entire body against him, allowing Wang Tao to clearly feel a softness. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Looking at Yang Changhong, who hadn¡¯t drunk any alcohol but had a flushed face and a misty look in her eyes, Wang Tao seemed puzzled but didn¡¯t push her away.
¡°When we part ways this time, we might never see each other again in this lifetime¡­¡± Yang Changhong said softly, staring at Wang Tao. ¡°You want me to stay?¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. But Yang Changhong shook her head. ¡°No, I know you¡¯re a very determined person. I¡¯m self-aware and know I can¡¯t keep you¡­¡± ¡°Then what is this¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat confused. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long I have left to live; bad luck might kill me tomorrow. And you¡¯re the strongest man I¡¯ve ever met¡­ so, I want to experience something wonderful in this world before death. Even if I dieter, I will have no regrets¡­¡± After finishing, Yang Changhong¡¯s face turned even redder, but she didn¡¯t avoid Wang Tao¡¯s gaze. If she was to dieter, she did not want to die still a virgin¡­ Wang Tao was somewhat speechless upon hearing this. He had thought this woman had fallen for him, but it turned out he was ttering himself. As though she knew what Wang Tao was thinking, Yang Changhong smiled yfully:
¡°I admit you¡¯re strong, but a proud person like me couldn¡¯t possibly fall for a man in just a few days. I just think that other women are not worthy of me. You, well, barely pass!¡± Although she said this, her grip around Wang Tao tightened. Wang Tao didn¡¯t quite understand what this woman was thinking, but what the heck, meat delivered to his mouth, could he reject it? He hadn¡¯t had meat for a long time. ¡°Proud? I want to see how long you can stay proud!¡± Wang Tao chuckled wickedly and reached out to strip off Yang Changhong¡¯s clothes. ¡°Hiss¡­ you¡¯re not wearing anything inside¡­¡± ¡°I prepared it especially for you¡­¡± Yang Changhong blushed, letting Wang Tao slowly strip her bare. Wang Tao embraced Yang Changhong¡¯s head and gently kissed her. In a corner of the temporary camp, a luxurious SUV was rhythmically rocking. Late into the night. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong, please spare me¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±
Wang Tao walked out of Yang Changhong¡¯s car, neat and tidy. The guards who saw him just smiled ambiguously and said nothing more. Wang Tao returned to his car. Jiang Shixue was inside sleeping. Hearing the noise, she opened her eyes to nce at Wang Tao; she was curious but didn¡¯t ask any questions. After Wang Taoy down, she naturally snuggled into his embrace. If this were before, Wang Tao would have felt somewhat ufortable. After all, he was a young man in his prime. But now, feeling the person beside him, Wang Tao was calm, even going so far as to hug Jiang Shixue, which made her eyes light up. Wang Tao¡¯s heart was unruffled. Heh, just a woman. How could she disturb my inner peace? 1 The next day, early morning. Wang Tao¡¯s car quietly left the convoy. He didn¡¯t even go to say goodbye to Yang Changhong. Inside the luxurious SUV.
Yang Changhong watched the departing car and suddenly wore a frustrated, resentful expression as she bitterly said: ¡°What a nemesis! I can¡¯t travel today; I¡¯ll rest another day¡­ If I ever have the chance to meet you in this lifetime¡­ you¡¯ll see!¡± ¡­ Morning. As soon as Wang Tao entered the area of Zijing City Downtown, the car radio that had been left on suddenly came to life. ¡°Sss¡­help! Is anyone there? Please save us¡­ sss¡­¡± Chapter 411: 188: Distress Message_1 Chapter 411: Chapter 188: Distress Message_1 ¡°¡­Is anybody there? Please save us!¡± Upon hearing the woman¡¯s voice on the car¡¯s inte, Wang Tao¡¯s brow lifted. His car¡¯s inte had always been on, just in case he could pick up other survivors¡¯munications¡­ He had just been saying to Xu Xiaojun that he didn¡¯t know when they would find other survivors, and now had an opportunity been delivered to his doorstep? However, the other party was asking for help, which obviously meant they were in great danger. In such an unfamiliar ce, Wang Tao had to be cautious. The vast Zijing City was definitely more dangerous than any ce he had been before. Xu Xiaojun slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road, and he and Jiang Shixue both looked towards Wang Tao. Wang Tao pressed the talk button on the inte, his tone steady as he spoke: ¡°Who are you? Where are you? What danger have you encountered?¡± ¡°Who are you¡­¡± Wang Tao repeated several times, and after a moment. ¡°Szzz¡­ Ah? Someone! There really is someone!¡±
Although she tried to keep her voice down on the other end, it was noticeable that she was very surprised. ¡°My name is Nie Siyan, and we¡¯re surrounded by a bunch of bad guys! They want to kill us! Help!¡± The voice over the inte was panicked. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re saying¡­ people? Survivors? You¡¯re surrounded by survivors?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brows furrowed. He had thought that these people were surrounded by zombies¡­ If it was a fight between survivors, that would be moreplicated. ¡°Yes! Outside are a bunch of heartless murderers! Big Brother, can youe save us? If they break through, we¡¯re all dead!¡± Listening to the other party¡¯s anxious words, Wang Tao calmly said: ¡°Tell me the specifics of the situation.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ After a brief exnation from the other end, Wang Tao roughly understood what had happened. ording to this Nie Siyan, they were currently at a ce called the ¡°Haochen Hotel,¡± where there were still 11 people. They had been gathering supplies outside yesterday and took shelter in the hotelst night. But unexpectedly, a group of survivors had broken into the hotel. These people were extremely vicious and powerful, and they had taken over their ce by force, wanting to capture them as ves. Outmatched, they could only run upstairs. They were now hiding on the tenth floor, and all stairways leading up had been blocked, preventing the gang of viins from reaching them for the time being. But in their haste to escape earlier, they had left the food downstairs, and now all the food wasmandeered by the viins. The hotel had been scavenged long ago, and there was no food upstairs, leaving them dizzy from hunger. Meanwhile, the viins downstairs continued to threaten and entice them. They said there were two choices for them: eithere down obediently, admit their wrongdoings, and let bygones be bygones, or stay upstairs until they starved to death¡­ Of course, no one believed them, because Nie Siyan had witnessed with her own eyes the merciless killing of theirpanions by the gang downstairs! If they dared to go down, they would surely die! And before death, they would endure all kinds of inhumane torture!
Having no other options, they could only seek help through the inte. They had tried for a long time, and Wang Tao was the first person they could contact. ¡°Big Brother, please, save us! We don¡¯t want to die! We¡¯ll repay you with gratitude! We will definitely repay your kindness!¡± No sooner had the woman finished speaking than other people¡¯s voices began to chime in. ¡°Please, Big Brother, save us! We¡¯ll do anything for you!¡±
¡°I have a lot of food at home, and I¡¯ll give it all to you, Big Brother!¡± ¡°I know many influential people in the base, I¡¯ll introduce all of them to you, Big Brother!¡± ¡°I have a beautiful wife at home¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Listening to the cacophony of pleas from the other side, Wang Tao selectively filtered them out. He only picked up on one key point ¡ª there indeed was a Survivor Base here, and it seemed not a small one¡­ Wang Tao thought for a moment and then asked: ¡°What are your capabilities? And what about the capabilities of those gangsters?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all Level 1 ability users, but there¡¯s a Second-order Superpower Owner among those gangsters!¡± Nie Siyan quickly replied. ¡°Level Two Ability User? Then I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t beat them.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s tone carried a hint of difficulty. Even though he didn¡¯t mind helping other survivors, everything currently was based on Nie Siyan¡¯s side of the story. Having seen more than his share of deceit, especially in this post-apocalyptic era, Wang Tao, despite his considerable strength, still had to be cautious. At the very least, he couldn¡¯t show all his cards.
So he decided to pretend to be a Level 1 ability user for now and see what their reaction would be. There was a moment of silence on the other end, and then Nie Siyan¡¯s voice came through again. ¡°Big Brother, you don¡¯t have to beat them! You just need to draw them away! We¡¯ve ced some supplies in a convenience store nearby, which have food and Crystal Cores, and among these supplies is a Homemade Bomb! I will tell you how to detonate it, and you just need to set off the bomb to get their attention! Just give us a minute ¡ª no, just thirty seconds, and we¡¯ll be able to escape on our own!¡± Hmm? A Homemade Bomb? Wang Tao was surprised; he hadn¡¯t seen such things in a long time. And¡­ detonate a Homemade Bomb? Was she serious? If that thing went off, it wouldn¡¯t be just the viins it¡¯d draw out but hordes of zombies as well! His current ¡°identity¡± was that of an ¡°ordinary Level 1 ability user¡± ¡ª was this something a person concerned about their own life should consider doing? And Nie Siyan seemed to know Wang Tao¡¯s concerns as she hurriedly spoke up again: Chapter 412: 188: Distress Message_2 Chapter 412: Chapter 188: Distress Message_2 ¡°Brother, rest assured, this is a homemade bomb we frequently use. The amount of explosives has been reduced, so the noise isn¡¯t very loud; it won¡¯t attract too many zombies! Plus, you don¡¯t need to go there; it can be detonated from outside a certain range! As for the remote controller, it is in the milk tea shop across from the convenience store¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Tao immediately frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t carry these things with you? Instead, you deliberately put it outside? It¡¯s bad enough to leave it outside; why would you keep the remote controller and homemade bomb separate?¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it was like they were waiting for him¡­ This was reality, not a game; were there really NPCs assigned to give out missions? Nie Siyan seemed a bit amused and exasperated upon hearing this. ¡°Brother, it¡¯s because we are very cautious! It¡¯s just giving ourselves a bit more room to maneuver. That¡¯s how all the survivors here operate! You¡­ you aren¡¯t from around here, are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t answer her. He paused before saying, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll consider it¡­¡± After speaking, Wang Tao turned off the walkie-talkie, giving no chance for the other party to continue talking. Then Wang Tao looked to Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun. ¡°What do you guys think?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll follow brother¡¯s lead.¡± Jiang Shixue quickly shook her head. ¡°I think¡­ we can go rescue people. But I¡¯ll listen to you, Brother Wang.¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head. ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao covered his face, speechless. He hadn¡¯t been asking whether they should go or not, but rather about how much of Nie Siyan¡¯s words were credible¡­ But Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun, one a dimwit and the other single-minded, asking them was pointless. As for whether to go or not, that was definitely happening. He had to find out the current situation in Zijing City from this woman. Wang Tao took out a map and carefully checked the location of Haochen Hotel. It was about three kilometers away from Wang Tao¡¯s current location. Wang Tao also remembered the surrounding buildings of the Haochen Hotel. The map did not show the location of the convenience store. After all, it was a paper map, which couldn¡¯t possibly be updated in real-time. However, Wang Tao had determined the approximate position of the convenience store¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go here.¡± Wang Tao pointed to a location and said. This was a small shopping mall, which had a perfect view of the Haochen Hotel. Entering the city, Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to drive too quickly, since there were many more zombies in the city. Fortunately, his car was quite good. Although it was a gasoline car, as long as he didn¡¯t m on the gas pedal, the noise was rtively quiet. ¡°Big cities are really different!¡± On the way to the shopping mall, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but sigh. In Shuize County or other small cities he had been to before, there weren¡¯t always zombies on the road. With good luck, it was even possible to encounter none at all. But Zijing City was different. From the moment he entered Zijing City, he had already encountered many zombies. Now, as he drove deeper into the city, the number of zombies on the road increased. Stealthily reaching the mall was impossible, so Wang Tao had Xu Xiaojun slow down. Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun then released Shockwaves through the windows. Most were Ordinary zombies, easily killed instantly.
asionally, they woulde across Level 1 Elite Zombies, and Xu Xiaojun would get out of the car to deal with them, considering they possessed Crystal Cores, which couldn¡¯t be wasted. After spending some time, Wang Tao and his group finally reached the small shopping mall. The exterior wall of the mall was covered with green nts, and the exposed wall paint was also very old and corroded. There were somerge holes in ces, as if they had been blown up by shells. Wang Tao drove up to the entrance of the mall, where the door was also covered with nts, and many nts obscured the windows, leaving the mall dark inside.
However, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue had night vision, making it no problem for them. Wang Tao had Xu Xiaojun drive while he and Jiang Shixue went ahead to scout. ¡°It¡¯s safe¡­¡± ¡°This area is also safe¡­¡± The two quickly surveyed the first floor of the mall, finding nothing dangerous beyond some Ordinary zombies. Parking the car in a shaded area, the three of them went upstairs together. The mall wasn¡¯trge, but it wasn¡¯t short either, with a total of six floors. After some time, Wang Tao and hispanions had searched the entire ce. ¡°Such arge mall, and not even a single Level 2 Zombie¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat disappointed. In such dark environments, zombies should have been more attracted. Yet, although there were quite a few zombies inside, they were all Ordinary. The few Level 1 Elite Zombies they encountered were easily handled by Xu Xiaojun. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s take a look at the Haochen Hotel first¡­¡± Wang Tao went upstairs, from where he could see the Haochen Hotel not far away. The Haochen Hotel, like the small mall, was old and overgrown with nts. Wang Tao observed for a while and didn¡¯t spot any survivors or viins. However, if they were always hiding inside, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t be able to see them.
Wang Tao decided to wait a day first, to see if there was any movement there. He had also located the positions of the convenience store and the milk tea shop. But he wasn¡¯t interested in either the food or the homemade bombs, so he just paid them a little attention. ¡­ Inside the president suite on the top floor of Haochen Hotel. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t she contacted me yet!¡± A woman with heavy makeup, dressed in a seductive tight leather outfit, with an explosive figure and shoulder-length hair, stood in front of a window holding a walkie-talkie, her eyebrows deeply furrowed. ¡°It¡¯s been several hours since thestmunique; even if she¡¯s considering, she should have made a decision by now¡­ Could it be that they¡¯ve been discovered?¡± Chapter 413: 188: Distress Message_3 Chapter 413: Chapter 188: Distress Message_3 But soon, she shook her head again. ¡°Impossible! This is obviously an out-of-towner who has no clue about Zijing City¡¯s situation. He couldn¡¯t possibly have noticed that there¡¯s a problem! Just wait a bit longer¡­¡± Thump, thump, thump¡ª At that moment, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± A bald man with tattoos on his face walked in, bowing and scraping as he said: ¡°Sister Nie, they sent me to ask how long we¡¯re going to lie in ambush today¡­ Is that fat pig still going to show up?¡± Hearing this, Nie Siyan, who was already in a bad mood, became even angrier. She cursed without any attempt to hide her displeasure: ¡°Idiots, can¡¯t you even wait patiently for a little while? What good are you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, Sister Nie!¡±
The bald man bent even lower, offering no rebuttal. After Nie Siyan had sworn a couple of times, she took a deep breath and nced at her watch, saying: ¡°Wait a little longer, until¡­ five o¡¯clock. If no one shows up by five, you pull out.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The bald man slowly backed out and closed the door behind him. Nie Siyan took out a wrinkled cigarette from her clothes and lit it with an old lighter. ¡°Sss¡ªhuff¡ª¡± She sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, puffing clouds of smoke. The nicotine somewhat soothed her irate mood. ¡°It¡¯s definitely impossible that someone woulde to rescue, but I refuse to believe that no one would be interested in those food supplies and Crystal Cores¡­ After all, so many have been tricked before!¡± As Nie Siyan thought of those who had been deceived previously, a cruel smile appeared on her face. This was a trap. Her ims of being surrounded by bad guys and being chased were obviously false. The purpose was to attract people and then capture them, to plunder and sell for money! Of course, she was aware that no one would trulye to her rescue because she had witnessed too much darkness in the post-apocalyptic world. Those who had survived until now, if nothing else, were certainly not overly benevolent. Random acts of rescue might ur, but under the circumstances where she was trapped by a gang that included Second-order Superpower Owners, most people would definitely choose to simply watch. So she didn¡¯t really expect a rescue. What she was counting on was the ¡°supplies¡± she had let slip were hidden in the convenience store! In the post-apocalyptic world, if you talk about rescuing someone, many might hesitate. But mention going somewhere for supplies, and you can bet everyone runs faster than anyone in spite of the risks involved. She was exploiting people¡¯s mentality of wanting to take advantage of a good deal.
When neers hear that she has supplies stashed inside a convenience store, whether they want to rescue someone or not, there¡¯s a good chance they will check out the store. If there¡¯s nothing, then so be it. But if there is something, isn¡¯t that a windfall? The more cunning ones might first check the tea shop opposite the convenience store for triggers. But whether they go to the convenience store or to the tea shop across the street, they would fall into her trap¡ªshe had arranged for professionals at both locations. As soon as someone entered, they would pass out in moments, even Second-order Superpower Owners wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it!
Many greedy folks thought they could just take a look and if there was any danger, they could run away immediately. After all, howrge could a convenience store be to block their escape? Sorry, but it can indeed! Anyone who went there, even just for a look, would be her prey! However, she had her principles: she was only after their wealth, not their lives. She would loot those who took the bait, taking anything of value from them, and then sell the people themselves to other organizations in the city. What happened to them after being sold was no concern of hers. Of course, this scam could only be pulled off once or twice. If done too often, it was bound to be discovered. After all, there were quite a few unlucky souls who survived, and they would surely spread the news. So, she only targeted neers! The location she picked was a path most survivorsing from the east had to pass through. Zijing City was a major metropolis, and nearby survivors would think of heading there. Humanity was weak before, and they might have hidden in various ces. But now many people have Abilities and the strength to check out bigger ces; Zijing City was naturally a good choice. After all, there¡¯s arge Survivor Base here. All she had to do was wait silently for neers toe to her. Those who made it this far must be capable, likely to have plenty of resources, and they never acted alone, but in groups, which meant even more resources. Even if they didn¡¯t carry any resources with them, the Ability Users themselves were already very valuable!
If she, Nie Siyan, yed her cards right, this was a busines with no cost, no risk! And to make it believable, she had her subordinates act as thugs, asionally loitering downstairs to prove her story was true. She couldn¡¯t im that her scheme was utterly brilliant, but once people got greedy, they¡¯d be hooked a hundred percent! All she needed to do was to wait patiently¡­ ¡­ ¡°Huh? Real thugs? Could what Nie Siyan said actually be true?¡± Inside the mall, Wang Tao saw several people appearing on the ground floor of Haochen Hotel. They wore ck clothing, masks over their faces, and carriedrge machetes¡ªclearly they were not to be trifled with. These people pointed upstairs, muttering under their breath. ¡°But they are all Level 1 ability users, I haven¡¯t seen that Level 2 Ability User¡­¡± Wang Tao stroked his chin. These Level 1 ability users were no threat. But he needed to determine the strength of the opponent¡¯s Level 2 Ability User. ¡°I¡¯ll keep observing, and once I¡¯m certain of the Level 2 Ability User¡¯s strength, I¡¯ll make my move¡­¡±
Although Wang Tao felt that, even without knowing the specifics about the opposition, he could likely crush them just by showing up, it was after all unfamiliar territory, so better to be cautious. Wang Tao somewhat missed Han Rui¡¯s Perception Ability. If Han Rui were here, a walk around with her would basically reveal the enemy¡¯s capabilities¡­ Wang Tao and hispanions stayed in the shopping mall until the evening without going out. He kept fiddling with the walkie-talkie, trying to pick up other signals. At one moment, Wang Tao suddenly looked startled, then somewhat pleasantly surprised. ¡°Eh? The Magic Seeds inside my body¡­ they¡¯ve sprouted!¡± Chapter 414: 189: Plant Affinity_1 Chapter 414: Chapter 189: nt Affinity_1 After swallowing the Magic Seed, it would take ten days to germinate. And now, ten days had passed! Wang Tao found that the countdown below his HP bar had disappeared, but in the section for Hidden Attributes, there was one new attribute. [Hidden Attributes: Improved Body Conditions, Night Vision, nt Affinity] There was an addition of ¡°nt Affinity¡±! [nt Affinity: Ability to partially sense the feelings of nts] ¡°Hmm? What does this mean?¡± There were no nts in the room where Wang Tao was, so he went outside. It had already gotten dark; without using his Night Vision Ability, he could barely see the outside surroundings. Then, Wang Tao closed his eyes, thinking about using his Hidden Ability of nt Affinity.
A momentter, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This is kind of magical!¡± Although he had closed his eyes, he could still vaguely ¡°see¡± the environment around him! Wang Tao, as if having found a fascinating new toy, conducted numerous experiments, even pulling Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun to join him. After researching for an hour, Wang Tao had roughly figured out the use of his Hidden Ability. His nt Affinity seemed somewhat like a Perception Ability. However, its actual effects were inferior to those of the Perception Ability. Wang Tao had discussed before with Han Rui and knew what it was like to use the Perception Ability. To put it simply, Han Rui could sense most living creatures within the range of her Perception Ability! The reason it was ¡°most¡± was that she couldn¡¯t detect creatures that were too small, like insects. Her Perception Ability was powerful: zombies and humans alike had nowhere to hide in front of this sense! Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity was a bit different, though. It was as if he could¡­municate with nts? ¡°Communicate¡± wasn¡¯t exactly the right word because these nts had no intelligence¡­ Rather, it was that he could sense the faint movements of some nts and then deduce the situation from these movements. In simpler terms, if someone was surrounded by no nts or was floating above them, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t sense them. If someone were to walk on nts or move them with their hand, then Wang Tao would be aware that there might be a person or a zombie in that spot¡­ So in terms of sensing alone, Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity couldn¡¯tpare to Han Rui¡¯s Perception. But his nt Affinity had some capabilities that the Perception Ability did not possess. The Perception Ability could only see events that were happening at the moment, whereas nt Affinity could deduce past events by examining the condition of nts. For example, if someone had stood on awn ten minutes ago, Wang Tao could sense the state of the nts to deduce that something bipedal had passed through here ten minutes ago and from the way it walked, it was most likely human¡­ So, to a certain extent, Wang Tao could see the ¡°past¡±. Of course, it must be said that the Perception Ability is very intuitive; you see what¡¯s happening as it happens. However, his nt Affinity was not as direct as Perception; it required his analysis and judgment, demanding the use of his intellect¡­
Nevertheless, this was already quite good for Wang Tao. After all, it could be considered as nearly half a Perception Ability! He had previouslyined that things would be much easier if Han Rui were around. Now that he had this ability, he could take over some of the tasks that Han Rui used to handle. Wang Tao experimented for a while longer; he now had a profound understanding of his sensing range and what kinds of nts were most suitable for sensing.
His sensing range was actually quite substantial. Standing in the middle of the mall, he could sense all the nts inside! This was muchrger than the range of Han Rui¡¯s Perception Ability and it didn¡¯t even consume any of Wang Tao¡¯s Mana. However, his sensing wasn¡¯t very precise. He had Jiang Shixue try to move around in the building at random, and as long as she didn¡¯t touch any nts, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t detect her presence. Moreover, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t gauge the exact strength of a potential adversary, only able to analyze through his own experience¡­ As for which nts were most suitable, naturally, those were the likes of grass or moss. These nts were abundant and hadrge areas. A slight touch would leave a trace, allowing Wang Tao to ¡°see¡± that trace and deduce the general situation there. In the past, the use of this ability might have seemed limited or only appropriate in the wild. But now, with nts everywhere in the city, this ability seemed to have significant potential! This Hidden Ability was, after all, a supplement to Wang Tao¡¯s perception capabilities. Having gained a new ability, Wang Tao decided to test its effectiveness right away. ¡°Little Xue, let¡¯s go out and take a look.¡± ¡°Sure~¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue went downstairs to the Haochen Hotel together. It was night, and there were quite a few zombies on the streets, but the night vision posed little issue for the two of them. The Haochen Hotel had also grown many nts inside, such as weeds, mosses, and ivy, which Wang Tao could make use of. Feeling around the base of the hotel¡¯s outer wall, Wang Tao quickly sensed that there were several people moving methodically upstairs, as if they were¡­ patrolling? But just from this, it was obviously impossible to reach any conclusion.
So, after contemting for a moment, Wang Tao threw a few stones into the building. The noise was minor, but it instantly attracted the attention of many people. The figures that Wang Tao could feel suddenly increased; he waited silently. About ten minutester, the people inside seemed to realize there was no danger and went back to sleep. Chapter 415: 189: Plant Affinity_2 Chapter 415: Chapter 189: nt Affinity_2 Wang Tao¡¯s face immediately broke into a smile. He had gotten the answer he wanted. The two sneaked back to the mall, and then Wang Tao shared his findings with Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue. ¡°The woman named Nie Siyan said there were a total of 11 people, all on the 10th floor of Haochen Hotel, which is the top floor. The floors below are full of thugs, and the passage leading upstairs has been blocked by them, so the thugs can¡¯t get up. But I just used Perception, and there was only movement from one person on the top floor, and moreover, this person went downstairs and then back up again¡­¡± Wang Tao exined clearly, even a fool or someone who was single-minded could understand. ¡°She¡¯s tricking us!¡± Xu Xiaojun was somewhat angry. His first instinct upon hearing the cry for help was to rescue them. He thought that as survivors of the apocalypse, they should help each other out. But now, he realized that helping each other out might just be his own wishful thinking¡­ He might be single-minded, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. Deliberately deceiving them in this situation could definitely not lead to anything good! Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t speak and didn¡¯t even show any sign of anger. She didn¡¯t care about the others; she was just looking at Wang Tao, waiting for his instructions. ¡°These people obviously have bad intentions, so we don¡¯t need to be polite. We also need to find out about the situation here¡­ Wait a bit, I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s a chance to catch her and bring her here!¡±
Wang Tao picked up the walkie-talkie. ¡­ Haochen Hotel. Nie Siyan stared angrily at the bald man. ¡°Is the checkplete?¡± The bald man hurriedly said: ¡°Sister Nie, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve checked already, the hotel is very safe! It might just be some zombies outside making noise¡­ Those damn zombies disturbing your sleep, Sister Nie, that¡¯s unforgivable!¡± ¡°Get out.¡± Nie Siyan waved her hand impatiently. ¡°Yes!¡± The bald man immediately bowed and backed out, gently closing the door behind him. Nie Siyan got up and looked at the starlight outside the window, feeling irritable. She hadn¡¯t had any business for several days, and today she finally encountered someone. But they had stopped responding after just a few words. And they didn¡¯t go to the convenience store¡­ She had already been having trouble sleeping these past few days. Just now, there had been some noise in the hotel, so now she couldn¡¯t sleep at all. ¡°If you¡¯re not fooled, it¡¯s fine. But if you are, see how I¡¯ll torment you¡­¡± A fierce look shed across Nie Siyan¡¯s face. ¡°Crackle¡­ hey, are you still there¡­ crackle¡­¡± Suddenly, the walkie-talkie beside her made a noise. This startled Nie Siyan, but after hearing the familiar voice inside, her face brightened immediately.
Then she cleared her throat. ¡°Big brother, when are youing! The thugs keep threatening us, we can¡¯t hold on much longer! Whimper¡­¡± ¡°Just wait for me, I¡¯ming to save you right away!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice sounded heroic and resolute.
¡°Thank you so much. You are such a good person¡ª¡± Nie Siyan was about to say some words of gratitude, but she suddenly paused, her tone somewhat strange, ¡°Are you saying, you¡¯reing over in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°Yes! Just wait, I¡¯ll be there in about half an hour, very quickly!¡± ¡°Great! Thank you! I need to tell them the good news!¡± Nie Siyan quickly grabbed another walkie-talkie. ¡°Listen up, everyone! The prey ising! All of you go hide in the convenience store and milk tea shop! Hurry, hurry, hurry!¡± Many of her underlings were still sleeping. Hearing the news, they were all drowsy. ¡°Ah? Go now¡­ but it isn¡¯t even light out yet?¡± ¡°Sister Nie, are you sure? I¡¯m not doubting you, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s so dangerous at night¡­¡± Hearing her subordinates¡¯ints, Nie Siyan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Cut the crap and hurry up! If I find out anyone¡¯s cking off, you know the consequences!¡± Chilled by Nie Siyan¡¯s sinister threat, no one dared to resist, and they immediately got to work. ¡°Sigh, be careful guys, let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t run into a Night Demon¡­¡±
After dispatching her subordinates, only Nie Siyan and three others who were on the night shift remained in the hotel. ¡°Idiots,ing over in the dead of night! But it¡¯s just perfect; such stupid people don¡¯t deserve to live¡­¡± Nie Siyan gritted her teeth. Since she couldn¡¯t sleep well anyway, she decided not to sleep that night and wait for the good news from her subordinates. So, half an hourter. Nie Siyan looked at her two walkie-talkies, somewhat frowning. The survivor had not contacted her again since half an hour ago, and she couldn¡¯t reach him when she tried. Her other walkie-talkie was also silent, meaning her underlings hadn¡¯t found anyone¡­ Nie Siyan, somewhat annoyed, picked up the second walkie-talkie. ¡°What¡¯s happening over there?¡± ¡°Report to Sister Nie, nothing¡¯s happened at the convenience store!¡± ¡°Same with the milk tea shop¡­ What are your orders, Sister Nie?¡± ¡°Wait!¡±
Nie Siyan tossed the walkie-talkie onto the sofa. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it agreed to be half an hour? Why hasn¡¯t hee? Did he chicken out? Or did something happen on the way?¡± Nie Siyan cursed Wang Tao in her mind, but she patiently waited. After all, punctual people were rare in the apocalypse. Then, another half an hour passed. Just when Nie Siyan thought there would be no show tonight. The first walkie-talkie suddenly rang again. ¡°Ms. Nie, are you there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Nie Siyan immediately responded. ¡°Sorry, we just realized we went the wrong way¡­ I¡¯ve found a map, and we¡¯re heading towards you now! But there are a lot of zombies on the road, just wait two more hours for me!¡± Chapter 416: 189 Plant Affinity_3 Chapter 416: Chapter 189 nt Affinity_3 Wang Tao¡¯s voice was full of apologies. ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s face looked awful. Could they really have gotten the location wrong? But then again, there were many buildings nearby, and it was night without a map, so making a mistake was normal¡­ ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll wait for you. Big brother, you must be careful, and prioritize your own safety! We can hold on for another half a day, no problem!¡± Nie Siyan sounded sincere, but she was actually grinding her teeth. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry, just wait for us! We¡¯ll be there in two hours!¡± After speaking, Wang Tao immediately cut themunication. ¡°This stupid idiot, I¡¯m going to wait another two hours for you!¡± Nie Siyan took out a crumpled cigarette from her person.
¡°Sss¡­ puff¡­¡± Two hourster. Looking at the still silent walkie-talkies, Nie Siyan¡¯splexion was terrible. She contacted her subordinates again. There was no sign of activity on their end; they were sure no one had gone to the convenience store or the milk tea shop. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest hour! If you don¡¯t show up in one hour, I¡¯m turning off the walkie-talkie and going to sleep!¡± Nie Siyan muttered resentfully to herself. She was very sleepy, but she couldn¡¯t rest for the sake of this prey. So, she forcefully waited another hour. Still nothing happened. It was the middle of the night now, and it would soon be dawn if she didn¡¯t sleep! Nie Siyan rubbed her tired eyes, about to turn off the walkie-talkie and go to sleep. She guessed her subordinates were also extremely tired, but she was toozy to ask. ¡°Static¡­¡± But just at that moment, the walkie-talkie suddenly made a noise! ¡°Static¡­ Miss Nie, are you there? I¡¯ve arrived¡­ static¡­¡± Huh? Arrived? Nie Siyan was immediately overjoyed. She immediately used the second walkie-talkie to tell her subordinates to get ready, saying the person wasing.
Then she pretended to be very excited as she spoke: ¡°Really? Where are you now?¡± ¡°Behind¡­ you!¡± This voice didn¡¯te from the walkie-talkie, but from behind her!
¡°!!¡± Nie Siyan was shocked, but before she could even turn around, she felt a pain in the back of her head and then everything went ck, consciousness slipping away. In the dimness, she seemed to see a sh of green light. Behind her, Wang Tao withdrew his hand. ¡°You¡¯re a bit weak! And to think I was being so cautious¡­¡± Wang Tao spoke with a hint of speechlessness, but he efficiently stuffed Nie Siyan into a sack. Then he hoisted Nie Siyan onto his shoulder, took her walkie-talkie and backpack, making sure nothing was omitted, before he swaggered down the stairs. Downstairs, Jiang Shixue stood next to a guard she had knocked out. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao casually hoisted the man as well. Only two guards remained at Haochen Hotel; they were positioned such that they couldn¡¯t see Wang Tao¡¯s location. Thus, when the two of them left Haochen Hotel, no one noticed. They made their way back to the mall without incident. Wang Tao tied up the two captives. Particrly for the woman, he used a chain from the car to tightly secure her. And to think, the woman¡¯s figure was somewhat explosive; the chain only highlighted her curves more. The man was a Level 1 ability user with just four thousand HP, a negligible force. The woman, with over ten thousand HP, was a Second-order Superpower Owner, barely passable.
Then Wang Tao tied the woman and the man in two separate rooms. ¡°You go interrogate that man; I¡¯ll interrogate this woman.¡± Wang Tao said to Xu Xiaojun. ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Xiaojun nodded firmly. Though he was an honest man, it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t get angry. Xu Xiaojun approached the man and began to hammer him mercilessly. ¡°Uh¡­ it hurts¡­¡± Shortly, the man groggily opened his eyes, to darkness. His eyes were blindfolded. He seemed to understand the situation in a sh and immediately started speaking in a panic: ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, Wang Tao pped the unconscious woman¡¯s face several times. p p p¡ª
Her face was almost swollen from the ps by the time she slowly came to. Her vision was enveloped in darkness as well. ¡°Just answer what I ask. I¡¯ve already questioned your aplice. If I find your answers don¡¯t match, both of you can go to hell.¡± Wang Tao said coldly. However, this woman was much moreposed than the man. She struggled a bit and, finding escape impossible, she immediately asked: ¡°Who are you? What do you want? I can give you anything, please let me go¡­¡± p¡ª Before she could finish speaking, she was pped again. ¡°Just answer what I ask. I haven¡¯t started questioning, and I hope there won¡¯t be a second time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan was enraged but, knowing her life was in someone else¡¯s hands, she smartly refrained from saying more. ¡°Name.¡± ¡°¡­Nie Siyan.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Tao paused, then pped her again, ¡°I said your real name.¡±
¡°¡­My real name is Nie Siyan¡­¡± Nie Siyan suppressed her anger, her tone slightly aggrieved. ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat at a loss for words; this woman used her real name while out to scam people? ¡°Age.¡± ¡°28¡­¡± ¡°Gender.¡± ¡°¡­¡± p¡ª ¡°Gender.¡± ¡°Female!¡± Nie Siyan gritted her teeth and replied. Suddenly, Wang Tao asked: ¡°Why did you deceive me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± p¡ª Nie Siyan instinctively tried to defend herself, but received a fierce p from Wang Tao again. Blood spilled from the corners of her mouth, with no trace of pity from Wang Tao. ¡°I wanted the goods on your bodies¡­¡± Nie Siyan had no choice; her subordinates certainly weren¡¯t tough talkers¡­ Seeing the way Wang Tao was, she had no doubt that he would kill her, so she could only speak the truth. ¡°And?¡± ¡°And¡­ you guys yourselves. Foreign ability users like you fetch a high price¡­¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. So Zijing City is engaging in ability user trafficking now? Quite advanced indeed! Chapter 417: 190 Zijing City Power Distribution_1 Chapter 417: Chapter 190 Zijing City Power Distribution_1 An hourter. Wang Tao got the information he wanted from Nie Siyan, who had been beaten to a near death state. It included how she ambushed him and the power distribution within Zijing City¡­ There are significantly more survivors in Zijing Citypared to other ces, after all, it is a major city with a poption of millions. Even though there are also a lot of zombies here, the most dangerous times during the apocalypse are probably during two phases. Survivors who make it past these two stages have a much higher chance of living on. The first stage is when the zombie virus outbreak urs, during which chaos utterly reigned, and the majority of people died right then and there. The second stage is when the supplies at home are exhausted, and people have to go out to search for resources. A considerable number of survivors die during this period. Or they starve to death¡­ If one survives the initial outbreak and then finds food, as long as they are not incredibly unlucky, there is a good chance of survival. Particrly when Ability Users appear, this marks the time when the human survivors¡¯ chances of surviving are the greatest. Even if one is not an Ability User, as long as they can seek protection from one, their chances of survival greatly increase. So while Zijing City has many zombies, the number of survivors who have persevered is also significant. It¡¯s far beyond what small counties or cities canpare to.
Where there are people, there is struggle, an eternal truth. Even now, in the apocalypse, when people need to unite against the catastrophe, struggle is still inevitable. With arge poption and many survivors in Zijing City, naturally, there are many conflicts. Thus, the city has many factions. Wang Tao initially thought that Zijing City would only have one major survivor force, which would be therge-scale Survivor Base established by the Government. But this wasn¡¯t the case. To be precise, at the beginning, thergest survivor force in Zijing City was indeed therge-scale Survivor Base built by the Government¡ª¡±Zijin Base.¡± But in less than a month, the base was overrun by zombies! The survivors inside either died or fled¡­ Afterward, as Ability Users appeared and months went by, more and more Ability Users emerged, and consequently, more powers within Zijing City arose. As for exactly how many, Nie Siyan wasn¡¯t sure. After all, there was no need to register; pulling a few people together was enough to proim oneself as an organization or a force, and this was not something that could be counted. However, the major forces could still be counted, and Zijing City had a total of four major forces. Survivors in Zijing City had an acknowledged ranking of power. Ranked first was ¡°Zijin Base.¡± By its name, one could tell that this Zijin Base was located at the very spot of the originalrge-scale Survivor Base built by the Government, also retaining the original name. However, although the name and location remained the same, the current Zijin Base was entirely different from the previous one. The current Zijin Base is ruled by an army. But this army is not the kind with faith from before the apocalypse, rather it was established after the apocalypse by a retired military officer, and these so-called soldiers¡¯ quality¡­ well, let¡¯s just say they barely qualify as individuals. With the arrival of the apocalypse, it was as though the world had rebooted. Nearly everyone was back to the same starting point, and with the disappearance ofw and even morality, human desires were amplified without restraint. Take this retired military officer, for instance; his original intention in forming the army might have been good. But now¡­ he has be a dictator. Within the entire Zijin Base, his status is the highest. Everyone in the base must obey his orders; he does whatever he wants. He is the undisputed Local Tyrant. Of course, his strength is also the strongest in the base, and he doesn¡¯t perpetrate havoc in the base every day¡ªalthough asionally, he does. He and his army provide the survivors in the base with military protection.
Survivors in the base need to follow the rules he sets and pay taxes to him in order to receive protection. However, this tax is not cheap¡­ Some survivors, who were like ves before the apocalypse, continue to be ves even after. ¡­ The second-ranked force is ¡°Zijin Prison,¡± often simply referred to as the Prison. If Zijin Base is viewed as a ¡°dictatorship,¡± then Zijin Prison is unmistakably a den of ¡°viins¡±!
Because the rulers inside the Prison were authentic criminals before the apocalypse! Back then, when the zombie virus broke out and cannibalism spread wildly, some ces descended into hell on earth, while others seemed like unexpected havens. The Prison was one of thetter. At that time, these criminals were all locked in cells, typically ten per cell. If one got infected, at worst, only that cell would be affected, while the people in other cells remained safe. Moreover, this was a high-security prison, which contained numerous severe offenders who were held in solitary confinement! It could be said that death row inmates were among the safest people when the zombie virus broke out. The wardens, on the other hand, were less fortunate. They lived inmunal dormitories and moved in groups. If one of them got infected, it spelled disaster for the rest. Therefore, after the zombie outbreak, the people alive in the Prison were all criminals, especially the severe offenders who survived in considerable numbers. Later, a criminal who escaped their cell freed the other criminals. Gradually, all the surviving criminals in the Prison were let loose. These individuals were all ruthless characters, particrly those severe offenders with blood on their hands. Such people were like fish in water in the post-apocalyptic world. Chapter 418: 190 Zijing City Power Distribution_2 Chapter 418: Chapter 190 Zijing City Power Distribution_2 They quickly formed a power called Zijin Prison. Using the original prison as their base, considering its defenses were quite good, zombies couldn¡¯t get in at all. And those felons, they became the rulers of the prison. After gaining strength and authority, one could imagine what it was like for those under their rule; nearly all of them met a terrible end. Being killed was the least of it ¨C most were tortured to death! Even the ordinary criminals who had initially released them didn¡¯t end up faring well. However, with the diminishing number of people, those felons realized they couldn¡¯t act recklessly anymore. After all, if they killed everyone, who would do their work? But their reputation had already spread, and no survivors dared to approach the prison, they couldn¡¯t recruit anyone. So, they started to use some special methods. Such as capturing survivors from outside to toil for them, or buying survivors from other factions¡­ Nie Siyan had said before that Wang Tao and the other outside survivors could be sold for a high price, referring to being sold to the prison. ¡­ The third-ranked force was a rtivelyter with a more loosely managed structure, named ¡°Ability User¡¯s Alliance.¡± The name was quite grand.
And the reason for this name was because this faction only epted Ability Users. Their base was within a small stadium, not many people, but collectively they were very strong ¨C after all, they were all Ability Users. However, their reputation¡­ wasn¡¯t too good either. Because they were very arrogant, they looked down on ordinary people, unwilling to stay with them, and even considered themselves as ¡°the new humankind.¡± Maybe this group didn¡¯t enve or torture ordinary people, but if they saw ordinary people in crisis, they definitely wouldn¡¯t lend a hand, no matter how easy it would be to help. In some ways, their mental state was somewhat problematic¡­ ¡­ The fourth-ranked force was called ¡°Vast,¡± and sure enough, it was the name of a club. Their base was also in this club, so survivors generally referred to them as ¡°the Club.¡± This faction was slightly special because it wasprised entirely of women ¨C they didn¡¯t recruit any men. The initial form of this force was said to be a group of women from Vast Club. They came from humble beginnings, and their identities were not entirely dignified, but their hearts were in the right ce, wanting to unite survivors to resist the disaster collectively. But who would have thought that their leader was deceived by a scumbag. The scumbag ran off with the Crystal Core, causing their leader¡¯s death, and he even tried to deceive them further to take the leader¡¯s position for himself. Eventually, the others discovered his ploy in time and stopped him, but from then on, they never trusted men again. When they formally established the faction, they only recruited women. But women were generally physically weaker than men, a disadvantage in a post-apocalyptic world. Their confidence in not needing men stemmed from their new leader being a very strong Ability User! Without this new leader, their faction might have been just ordinary, and because they were all women, they might have been quickly swallowed up by other factions to the point of obliteration. However, there were rumors of unrest within the Club recently¡­ ¡­ These were the current four major forces of Zijing City ¨C the Base, the Prison, the Alliance, and the Club.
Aside from these four major forces and some smaller factions too insignificant to mention, there were also some medium-sized factions with a degree of renown. Their might wasn¡¯t equivalent to therger factions, but they weren¡¯t weak either, considered the second tier. There were about a dozen such factions. Nie Siyan was from one such medium-sized faction known as the Skull Club. More precisely, she was the wife of the Skull Club leader. The Skull Club could be considered one of the most notorious forces in Zijing City. This wasn¡¯t Wang Tao¡¯s opinion, but rather, the words directly from Nie Siyan herself. Because this faction specialized in all manner of deceit! They used to deceive the survivors of Zijing City, and when word spread, they couldn¡¯t trick them anymore, they began deceiving outside survivors.
Although they imed ¡°they only wanted money, not lives,¡± no one knew how many had indirectly died because of them. Especially those who were sold to the Prison, where once you enter, there was basically no hope ofing out alive¡­ Actually, Wang Tao only needed a rough idea about these factions; he wasn¡¯t particrly interested. What truly interested him was the military base. But Nie Siyan didn¡¯t know much about the military base. She knew that some people went there, but since no one ever sent back any news, it was unclear whether they were dead or alive. As for the neighboring Wuyang City, Nie Siyan had some information. Survivors who had fled from Wuyang City said that there were extremely terrifying gigantic zombie monsters. Even a Level 2 Ability User, if they encountered these zombie creatures, would be crushed to death. Survivors had no chance of living; many strong survivors had fled¡­ This news made Wang Tao frown. The military base was located in Wuyang City. If Wuyang City was so dangerous, how would he get there? And yet, the military base seemed fine, regrly air-dropping supplies, not appearing to be in great danger. Shaking his head, Wang Tao stopped contemting. It was useless to think ¨C he could only know for sure by going there himself. Originally, Wang Tao nned to gather information in Zijing City before making minor preparations to head to the military base in Wuyang City. Chapter 419: 190 Zijing City Power Distribution_3 Chapter 419: Chapter 190 Zijing City Power Distribution_3 But looking at the situation now, he might need to enhance his strength a bit more. Although his current strength was considered okay, there was still a lot of room for improvement¡­ ¡°Brother, I, I¡¯ve told you everything, please let me go¡­ We are both struggling to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, adversaries should resolve their conflicts, not prolong them¡­¡± Nie Siyan spoke somewhat unclearly, as her face had been swollen from Wang Tao¡¯s beating. ¡°Oh? Now you remember we arepatriots?¡± p¡ª Wang Taonded another p across her face. ¡°¡­¡± Another red mark appeared on Nie Siyan¡¯s face, and she cried. No matter whether she answered or not, whether she made excuses or not, Wang Tao would p her. She didn¡¯t even want to speak, but not speaking meant being punched and kicked¡­ She felt that Wang Tao deliberately wanted to hit her! Indeed, that was the case.
Wang Tao did not consider himself a good person, but he definitely wished there were more good people in the world. After all, who would want to live in a world full of deceit and treachery? But with people like Nie Siyan around, there wouldn¡¯t be any good people left in the future. After all, good people are not fools. If there were no survivors to help each other in the future, if people only schemed upon meeting¡­ humanity would be doomed sooner orter. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question.¡± Wang Tao gently patted her face. Nie Siyan shuddered in fear and hastily lowered her head to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± After speaking, she braced herself for the p. After all, she had been pped nearly every time she said a word just a moment ago. But this time, the p didn¡¯te. This allowed Nie Siyan to breathe a sigh of relief; she felt her teeth were almost knocked out. However, soon she felt something was wrong¡ª Although her eyes were covered, she could distinctly feel a gaze sizing her up. It definitely wasn¡¯t a lecherous look, but rather a very cold, indifferent gaze. Was this man considering¡­ killing her? Nie Siyan¡¯s body instantly broke out in goosebumps, and a chill ran from the soles of her feet to the top of her head! She quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Wang Tao. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t kill me! I, I am still useful to you, I still have some resources outside, all of them are yours! I also know where the Skull Club¡¯s resources are, I can even steal from the Skull Club¡¯s resources for you! Whatever you ask, I¡¯ll do!¡± Wang Tao immediately raised an eyebrow. He had indeed been wondering whether to kill her or not. He felt this woman seemed to be of no use to him. But to his surprise, this woman had strong Perception; could she have sensed his killing intent? Wang Tao looked at her again.
[HP: 3380/11000] [Mana: 1000/2200] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 23%]
In Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, Nie Siyan¡¯s Attributes were very average. Given her Mana, she probably had two Abilities, and she had sessfully fused 21 Crystal Cores. Moreover, now that Wang Tao knew what he wanted to know, and since she harbored ill intentions towards him¡­ Such a person was naturally best eliminated. However, considering this woman seemed quite sensible, maybe she could be of further use? After all, the Skull Club was a medium-sized organization with respectable strength; they should have some resources. Even though their resources were obtained through swindling and deceit, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t fussy; as long as he could take them, he would without hesitation. p¡ª Wang Tao gave Nie Siyan another p, knocking her to the ground. Nie Siyan¡¯s HP bar decreased by another segment. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t hitting her because he enjoyed abuse, it was purely to cripple her HP so she couldn¡¯t fight back. After being pped, Nie Siyan actually breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Wang Tao was hitting her, she wouldn¡¯t die¡­ at least for the moment. Wang Tao went to another room. Previously, he had instructed Xu Xiaojun to torture and interrogate the man they had brought in bound. Wang Tao had roughly informed Xu Xiaojun of what to inquire about. ¡°Brother Wang, he said¡­¡± Their testimonies werepared, and they were essentially consistent. ¡°It seems like he didn¡¯t lie.¡±
Wang Tao nodded, then said to Xu Xiaojun: ¡°Go and take care of that person.¡± ¡°Ah? I, I can¡¯t¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun was startled and became somewhat flustered. Although he had survived this long in the post-apocalyptic world and was quite strong, he had never killed anyone before! ¡°You can do it, believe in yourself.¡± Wang Tao encouraged him, patting Xu Xiaojun on the shoulder. Xu Xiaojun was a good person in all aspects, except he was too kind. Of course, kindness was a good trait, but there were times when one had to be ruthless! Wang Tao was naturally cultivating him intentionally. ¡°I¡­ okay!¡± Xu Xiaojun clenched his teeth and nodded, forcing himself to do it. He knew that his character could potentially hold Wang Tao back¡­ Anyway, these people must have caused the deaths of many and truly deserved to die! Xu Xiaojun approached the man.
¡°I¡¯ve told you everything, please let me go, I¡¯ll work for you like an ox¡­¡± As the man was speaking, Xu Xiaojun grabbed his head and then violently twisted it. Crack¡ª The man¡¯s HP bar instantly drained to zero. Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t know any techniques, relying purely on brute force. He almost twisted the man¡¯s head off. Wang Tao was very pleased with Xu Xiaojun¡¯s performance. He was about to offer some constion, but he realized that Xu Xiaojun appeared to be moreposed than he had expected. ¡°As long as I remember the evil things this person has done, I get very angry¡­ After killing him, I feel just like I¡¯m killing a zombie fish, I don¡¯t feel disgusted or uneasy¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head, speaking with some confusion. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s good!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, but it was a good thing. He was worried that Xu Xiaojun would feel psychological pressure, but it was something that had to be epted¡­ Now it looked like he had been overthinking it. Perhaps these straightforward people have their own way of adjusting. Wang Tao returned to where Nie Siyan was held captive and said to the woman still kneeling on the ground: ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll take me to the Skull Club¡¯s base.¡± ¡°¡­Ah? You, you want to go to our base?¡±
Hearing Wang Tao speak, Nie Siyan initially felt a bit of joy, because as long as Wang Tao had a task for her, she could stay alive. But after listening carefully to what Wang Tao said, she froze. Going to their base would be like walking into a trap, wouldn¡¯t it? p¡ª ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll take you there!¡± Nie Siyan, having been pped again, quickly knelt on the ground and nodded. Chapter 420: 191 Skull Club_1 Chapter 420: Chapter 191 Skull Club_1 The next day. The bald man was groggily pped awake by his underling. ¡°Ah? Is the prey here?¡± ¡°Bro, it¡¯s morning¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The bald man quickly got up. ¡°No one camest night?¡± ¡°No, nothing at all. There wasn¡¯t anyone in the milk tea shop across the street either¡­¡± ¡°Did Sister Nie give any more instructions?¡± The bald man asked again. ¡°No, Sister Nie seemed to have fallen asleep¡­¡± ¡°Phew, that¡¯s good then!¡±
Hearing this, the bald man breathed a sigh of relief. If Sister Nie had given him some instructionsst night and he hadn¡¯t heard them, that would have been a big problem! ¡°Speaking of which, has Sister Nie¡¯s temper gotten better? She hasn¡¯t given us any instructions for such a long time¡­¡± The underling was somewhat curious. ¡°¡­I have no idea, maybe she hasn¡¯t slept well these past few days and is now too tired? Who cares! Now that it¡¯s already daylight, it¡¯s not so dangerous. We¡¯ll just wait here for Sister Nie¡¯s instructions!¡± The bald man said with a smile. Although Nie Siyan is the boss¡¯s woman, she also has performance requirements. Her performance has been below standard recently, so her temper has been quite bad. If not necessary, he didn¡¯t want to interact with Nie Siyan. ¡°Yes!¡± The underling and his thoughts were simr. Lying in ambush here was boring, but it was better than going over to get scolded. However, they had just finished discussing Nie Siyan when the walkie-talkie suddenly sounded; it was Nie Siyan. ¡°Everyone gather at the shopping mall downstairs opposite the Haochen Hotel!¡± ¡°Ah? Okay! Sister Nie, please wait! We¡¯ll be there immediately!¡± The group was taken aback, not understanding why they needed to gather there, but all followed the order unconditionally. Meanwhile. Nie Siyan, with her face still slightly swollen, handed the walkie-talkie to the man in front of her with a ttering expression. The chains on her body had been loosened, and the eyepatch blocking her sight had also been removed. But at this moment, she had no thought of running away. Because her leg had been broken while she tried to escape. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao, holding Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand, took the lead downstairs. Xu Xiaojun nced at Nie Siyan, and she immediately limped to follow.
Once downstairs, Wang Tao told Xu Xiaojun to drive while he, Jiang Shixue, and Nie Siyan all sat in the back seat. Feeling the presence of Wang Tao beside her, Nie Siyan felt an immense pressure. This man was too powerful; she had no power to resist at all! Her life was now in his hands, and she could die at any moment¡­ It wasn¡¯t long before all of Nie Siyan¡¯s underlings arrived.
Seeing a car there, everyone instantly became alert. Because of the privacy ss, they couldn¡¯t see the specific situation inside the vehicle. Suddenly, the rear car window rolled down halfway, revealing the side of Nie Siyan¡¯s face. The underlings were somewhat stunned when they saw her, not understanding the situation. ¡°I ran into a friend, and now I¡¯m taking my friend to meet Brother Huang. You all follow.¡± Nie Siyan didn¡¯t even look at the group of underlings, speaking with a cold indifference. Mainly because she didn¡¯t dare to look; after all, the other side of her face was still swollen. ¡°Ah? Yes!¡± The group immediately nodded their heads, no one daring to ask any more questions. The bald man looked at the car with some surprise. Because of the acid rain, the vast majority of vehicles couldn¡¯t be used anymore. The Skull Club only had two cars, both of which were in bad shape and usually driven by the boss. The others rarely had a chance to ride in a car. This car looked expensive at first nce, and he really wanted to experience it for himself. ¡°Sister Nie, I have some matters I want to report to you¡­¡± The bald man said, walking forward. If Nie Siyan wanted to listen, wouldn¡¯t he be able to get in the car under the pretext? ¡°We¡¯ll talk when we get back!¡±
Nie Siyan¡¯s tone was even more indifferent, she was almost to the point of cursing. ¡°Yes¡­¡± The bald man immediately stopped in his tracks, feeling a bit regretful but not daring to say more. As for whether there was something wrong with Nie Siyan, he couldn¡¯t tell at all, because Nie Siyan was just like that; he was used to being scolded by her. So the car, nked by the group, driven by Xu Xiaojun, headed toward the Skull Club¡¯s headquarters. The Skull Club¡¯s headquarters were in an arcade, a fair distance from the Haochen Hotel. However, Nie Siyan and her group often traveled this route and knew which parts were safer; they even specifically made some sections of the road themselves. Plus, they were lucky not to encounter any fierce zombies on the way, so the group¡¯s journey wasn¡¯t slow. After about two hours, they reached the arcade. This arcade had three floors; the first floor was a restaurant, the second floor was amercial area, and the third floor was the arcade, with a parking lot in the back. All of this was Skull Club¡¯s territory. The arrival of the vehicle instantly attracted the attention of people inside the arcade. But after seeing that their own people were following the car, they rxed. ¡°Caught a big fish today?¡± ¡°That car, it wasn¡¯t cheap before the apocalypse, right? Getting your hands on this car now, you¡¯re lucky!¡± ¡°These are Sister Nie¡¯s people? I heard Sister Nie hasn¡¯t been in business for a long time, but I didn¡¯t expect such a big catch when she did!¡± ¡°¡­¡±
Inside the car, Wang Tao observed for a moment. The arcade¡¯s first and second-floor windows were all covered with wire mesh, and the exterior was fitted with spiked poles and other barriers. The front iron gate was also decorated with spikes and des¡­ Then Wang Tao turned his gaze to the people sticking their heads out to look. Some were ordinary people with a thousand HP, some were level 1 ability users with two to three thousand HP, and there wasn¡¯t even a single level 2 ability user among them, just weaklings. Wang Tao had already obtained information about the Skull Club¡¯s strength from Nie Siyan. There were 300 people in the Skull Club in total. The majority were ordinary people, with over thirty ability users, most of whom were level 1 ability users. There were only four level 2 ability users. Chapter 421: 191 Skull Club_2 Chapter 421: Chapter 191 Skull Club_2 ¡°` These four individuals were none other than the boss of the Skull Club, Huang Heng, his younger brother Huang Wu, his wife Nie Siyan, and Liao Xia, the second wife he found after the apocalypse. Among them, Huang Heng had the strongest power, followed by Liao Xia, then Huang Wu, andstly Nie Siyan. The reason Nie Siyan was at the bottom was not due to ack of effort, but rather because her two abilities were not particrly strong attack abilities, which made her weaker. In the Skull Club, everyone had to work except for the boss Huang Heng, including his wife and younger brother. Moreover, these three Level 2 Ability Users also had performance requirements! Huang Heng had decreed that each of the three had to hand over a certain amount of supplies each week, and there were punishments for failing to do so. There were rewards for outstanding performance. Of course, Huang Heng wasn¡¯tpletely idle; his task was to improve his own power. That¡¯s why he was always searching for Level 2 Zombies in the city. Zijing City was vast, and there were actually quite a few Level 2 Zombies there. However, whether they could be defeated was another question. Huang Heng was looking for those Level 2 Elite Zombies who weren¡¯t too powerful. For Level 2 Zombie Lords, only major forces could defeat them. As for Level 3 Zombies, as far as Nie Siyan knew, to date, no one had heard of someone defeating them. If someone really could kill a Level 3 Zombie, there would be no need to keep it secret, since that would be the best recruitment advertisement; hence, it was very likely that no one had managed to do it¡­
The gate slowly opened. If it were anyone else, they would definitely be subject to inspection, but Nie Siyan didn¡¯t need to. She showed her face and easily entered. ¡°Is Brother Wang at home?¡± Nie Siyan asked one of the guards. ¡°Sister Nie, the boss just went out this morning¡­¡± The guard hurriedly responded. ¡°What about Little Liao and Little Huang?¡± Nie Siyan asked again. ¡°Sister Liao and the Second-in-Command are upstairs¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Nie Siyan nodded coldly and then raised the car window. The car continued forward and stopped at the far end of the parking area of the arcade. The parking lot was overgrown with weeds that no one had cleared, concealing the vehicles. Not far away was a dpidated pickup, Huang Heng¡¯s vehicle. ¡°You all get out.¡± Nie Siyan waved her hand, and the bald man and others promptly left, bowing and nodding. Once there was no one nearby, Nie Siyan turned to Wang Tao, her face full of ingratiating smiles: ¡°Brother, take a look¡­¡± ¡°Get out of the car.¡± Wang Tao got out of the car calmly, with Xu Xiaojun following. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t get out; Wang Tao had her stay in the car first, as a backup.
Nie Siyan put on a mask before getting out of the car. Her face was somewhat swollen, and she didn¡¯t want others to see it. On the first floor, there were many ordinary survivors who looked at Wang Tao and hispanion curiously, for the two men were too sturdy to go unnoticed. However, since they came with Nie Siyan, they didn¡¯t dare to look too long and quickly lowered their heads. ¡°Go find that Liao Xia and Huang Wu.¡±
Wang Tao told Nie Siyan. ¡°Ah? Yes!¡± Nie Siyan was startled for a moment, then quickly acknowledged. At this time, her heart suddenly felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. Herbat capabilities weren¡¯t strong, but both Liao Xia and Huang Wu were! Together, they could probably even contend with Huang Heng! If she could get them to deal with this man¡­ Nie Siyan¡¯s mind started to race with schemes, but she dared not let a hint show on her face. She led Wang Tao and the other two upstairs with a limp. She ignored the curious gazes of others; after all, it was normal to get injured when going out. She was wondering how to signal to Huang Wu and Liao Xia once they saw them¡­ It was a pity that the two were probably not together; otherwise, a shout would settle everything. The three of them smoothly reached the third floor. Those they encountered on the way to the third floor were highly respectful after seeing Nie Siyan. They were puzzled by the two hulking men following her, but they dared not ask any questions. There were many rules at the Skull Club base, one of which was: ordinary people lived on the first floor, Level 1 ability users lived on the second floor, and Level 2 Ability Users lived on the third floor. So upon reaching the third floor, there was no one around.
Nie Siyan felt her heartbeat speeding up; she had already thought of some subtle hints to use. It just depended on whether she would run into Liao Xia or Huang Wu first. ¡°Hmm?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao¡¯s brows furrowed. He heard some noisesing from a room not far away. When the three of them got to the doorway of this room, Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan heard it too. However, they couldn¡¯t hear it clearly because the soundproofing was quite good. Wang Tao, however, raised an eyebrow and looked amused. He turned to Nie Siyan and said: ¡°Go inside.¡± Nie Siyan didn¡¯t dare resist, and she hurried to open the door. Click¡ª The door wasn¡¯t locked, and in the instant she opened it, Nie Siyan, who was about to speak, suddenly froze. Because she saw, by the room¡¯s window, a man and a woman were propped against it. The two were so engrossed that they didn¡¯t notice someone hade in. ¡°Shh¡­¡± Wang Tao turned his head and gestured for silence.
Nie Siyan really wanted to shout to alert the illicit couple, for no matter what kind of messy rtionship they had, they were still her people. But seeing Wang Tao¡¯s warning gaze, she swallowed her saliva and dared not make a sound. Xu Xiaojun, seeing the situation, instantly blushed; he was somewhat innocent and couldn¡¯t stand this kind of scene. Wang Tao gave Xu Xiaojun a look that meant ¡°keep an eye on Nie Siyan.¡± As for himself, he approached the unwitting couple soundlessly. ¡°` Chapter 422: 191 Skull Club_3 Chapter 422: Chapter 191 Skull Club_3 ¡°Sister-inw¡­¡± ¡°Little uncle¡­¡± The two were still absentmindedly cooing sweet nothings at each other,pletely unaware of someone approaching from behind. Wang Tao instantly grabbed their necks, then with a forceful pull, he separated them and smashed them hard onto the ground. Bang! With the sheer force of Wang Tao¡¯s strength, before the two could even realize what was happening, they were knocked out cold. Wang Tao casually poured some Weakness Potion on them, then clenched his fists and delivered several punches to their limbs and heads. Wang Tao¡¯s fists, not even level 3 zombies might withstand them. Even without the Entangling Roots, this was not something the two could resist. After a few punches, their limbs were paralyzed, their HP plummeting, and they quickly became severely injured. Wang Tao grabbed their hair, forcibly pulling them up and making them kneel on the ground.
Thud¡ª Even now, they were still somewhat clueless about what had just happened. They just felt¡­ suddenly losing control and being separated; then, everything went dark before their eyes, and they didn¡¯t even get to feel the pain in their bodies. By the time they opened their eyes again, they were already kneeling on the ground. In front of them, two figures appeared. One was a two-meter tall fat man, and the other was¡­ Nie Siyan? It was then that the realization struck them, rather btedly, that they seemed to have been caught in the act! They instinctively wanted to exin, but suddenly, they felt an intense pain in their bodies, as if their limbs were broken and wouldn¡¯t move¡­ ¡°Quite romantic, huh.¡± At that moment, they saw a figure emerge from behind them, slowly walking in front of them. Nie Siyan, who was very perceptive at this moment, brought over a chair and ced it beneath Wang Tao¡¯s buttocks. Wang Tao nced at Nie Siyan, feeling her shivering all over. Scared? Indeed, Nie Siyan was terrified. Although because of their deep involvement, the adulterous pair hadn¡¯t noticed Wang Tao at first, they would certainly have had a chance to resist when caught by Wang Tao ¨C after all, both of them were Second-order Superpower Owners! But in reality, they didn¡¯t. The two were beaten ck and blue, almost to death! This clearly wasn¡¯t because they didn¡¯t want to resist; they simply couldn¡¯t! Wang Tao turned out to be much stronger than she¡¯d imagined! She had previously thought that Wang Tao might be close to Huang Heng¡¯s strength, at most on par with him. But now, it was clear that he was far beyond Huang Heng! Could he actually be a Level 3 ability user?
Nie Siyan was sweating profusely, facing such a powerful Ability User, she actually had the audacity to entertain some ulterior thoughts, which was simply suicidal! Although she felt Wang Tao probably hadn¡¯t noticed her intentions, she didn¡¯t dare to take chances anymore, so she found the right opportunity to show goodwill as soon as possible. Wang Tao didn¡¯t pay attention to Nie Siyan for the time being. He sat down casually, then looked at the kneeling couple before him. The man appeared to be in his twenties, with 15,000 HP, average-looking, but with some muscles on his body.
The woman seemed a few years older than the man, with 13,000 HP, very curvaceous, second only to Nie Siyan in figure, but her face was that of a stic surgery inte celebrity. After being brutally beaten by Wang Tao, her face had deformed severely, a real deformation that probably couldn¡¯t be reversed anymore, since there likely weren¡¯t any stic surgeons around now. The two were both naked, with expressions of terror on their faces. Now they probably had a clear understanding of the situation¡ªthey¡¯d been defeated by a stranger without the ability to resist! But the problem was, they were both Second-order Superpower Owners! Subdued without the slightest power to fight back? Huang Wu and Liao Xia were still somewhat in disbelief to this point. Of course, not only did they find it hard to believe they had been subdued, but they also couldn¡¯t believe this person was brought by Nie Siyan. ¡°You whore! You actually betrayed my brother!¡± Huang Wu yelled at Nie Siyan. ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan remained silent. In her heart, she looked down on the pair immensely. Did you really have the nerve to talk about betrayal?
But she didn¡¯t dare to speak now. One reason was that her face hurt, and the other was that she feared saying the wrong thing and getting beaten again. Seeing Nie Siyan remain silent, Huang Wu seemed even more enraged. ¡°You bitch, I should have taken advantage of youst time when you were injured! So your adulterer wouldn¡¯t have gotten you for free!¡± He seemed to have misunderstood Nie Siyan¡¯s rtionship with Wang Tao. At these words, Nie Siyan¡¯s face turned dark. She remembered, thest time she was injured, this little uncle kept sneaking around her room¡¯s door. It was a blessing she hadn¡¯t been asleep then! Seeing Nie Siyan still not responding, Huang Wu then turned his angry gaze to Wang Tao. ¡°You, let us go now! Or my brother wille back and kill you!¡± Although Huang Wu was a prisoner, he wasn¡¯t bowing down, even threatening. Because he knew how strong his brother was, a top-notch Ability User! His brother was his confidence. Compared to him, Liao Xia was much wiser. With a face full of tears, she said: ¡°Brother, whatever you want, just ask, I still have a lot of Crystal Cores, I¡¯ll give them all to you! Please let me go, we have no grievances nor grudges, there¡¯s no need for this¡­¡± Wang Tao ignored Huang Wu but looked at Liao Xia with interest. ¡°Do you know where your little uncle keeps his supplies?¡±
¡°I do, I do! Not only do I know his, but I also know my husband¡¯s!¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then turned his head to look at Nie Siyan. ¡°Kill him.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan looked at Xu Xiaojun passing her an axe, took it with a strained expression, then limped towards Huang Wu. ¡°You whore, what are you doing!¡± It was then that Huang Wu finally felt fear. His brother was powerful, but his brother wasn¡¯t by his side now! As if awakening, he quickly begged Wang Tao for mercy. ¡°Big brother, I was wrong¡­¡± But what responded to him was a heavy axe strike from Nie Siyan.
Thud! Chapter 423: 192 Crystal Core Currency_1 Chapter 423: Chapter 192 Crystal Core Currency_1 Nie Siyan clenched the ax in both hands and viciously chopped it down on the back of Huang Wu¡¯s neck. A squelching sound followed as blood sttered everywhere. Human¡¯s defensive power is generally much worse than that of zombies, and even as a Second-order Superpower Owner, he still couldn¡¯t withstand this lethal ax blow. In the moments before his death, Huang Wu still retained a look of horror and disbelief in his eyes, he hadn¡¯t expected that Nie Siyan would really dare to kill him¡ªdidn¡¯t she fear Huang Heng¡¯s retaliation¡­ After personally killing Huang Wu, Nie Siyan felt somewhat dazed. After all, he was her younger uncle by marriage, and they had known each other for over a decade. To some extent, it could be said that she had watched him grow up. But now she had just killed him with her own hands¡­ As for Liao Xia standing by the side, she was almost scared out of her wits. She, too, hadn¡¯t anticipated that Nie Siyan would so decisively kill Huang Wu without even a word of kindness¡­ ¡°Go, collect all the supplies from this ce,¡± Wang Tao said to Nie Siyan and Liao Xia.
Nie Siyan hastily threw aside the ax and helped Liao Xia to her feet. Though the two had their differences and Nie Siyan sometimes wished Liao Xia dead, now was not the time to dwell on these things. Nie Siyan had one of her legs broken by Wang Tao, while Liao Xia had all her limbs broken. She was obviously incapable of grabbing anything, so Nie Siyan had to support her as a guide. Wang Tao had asked Liao Xia if she knew where the supplies were because Nie Siyan said she didn¡¯t know where the three, including Huang Heng, kept their supplies. Huang Heng now favored Liao Xia, the hothead, and had a better rtionship with her. And since Liao Xia was now rted to Huang Wu in that way, she would likely know. Soon, with Liao Xia leading the way, Nie Siyan found many supplies on this floor, all of which were brought to Wang Tao by Xu Xiaojun, who was following behind. It had to be said, Huang Heng and his friends were quite good at hiding their belongings. They tucked them in all sorts of nooks and crannies. If it weren¡¯t for someone leading the way, even Wang Tao would have found it difficult to locate them. As for the value of these things, Wang Tao grinned, His journey to the Skull Club was indeed well worth it. He would not mention food; he was notcking in that. Let¡¯s talk about Crystal Cores¡ªthere were a total of 623 Level 1 Crystal Cores and 28 Level 2 Crystal Cores! It seemed that Nie Siyan and the others had some hoarder-like tendencies, liking to stock up on things. However, it might also be rted to the fact that they had no immediate use for these Crystal Cores. Huang Heng, Huang Wu, Nie Siyan, and Liao Xia were all Second-order Ability Users. They were different from Wang Tao; they were currently unable to merge with Level 1 Crystal Cores. They also had their own abilities in their bodies, and at the time of their Level 2 Ascension, they probably didn¡¯t pass on their abilities. So they were also unable to merge with new Level 2 Crystal Cores. This resulted in them hoarding a bunch of Crystal Cores with nowhere to use them. They could have given them to their subordinates, but these individuals were clearly quite stingy and weren¡¯t willing to let their underlings use them. Or maybe they had their own reward and punishment system and didn¡¯t want to upgrade all their underlings to Ability Users at once. Thus, these Crystal Cores remained in their hands¡­ Of course, another important reason they had so many Crystal Cores was that they frequently engaged in deceit and plunder¡ªmost of these were their spoils of war¡­ Crystal Cores essentially served as the currency of Zijing City now, whether for transactions between individuals or between factions, it was mostly settled with Crystal Cores. However, given the diverse types of Crystal Cores and only a few that suited them, or even many Crystal Cores they didn¡¯t recognize¡­ the value of these cores also differed. Specific prices are hard to state as they are determined by supply and demand, and may fluctuate daily¡­ Hence, the current Crystal Core market is somewhat chaotic. But no matter how chaotic it is, there are a fewmon understandings.
One is that among the same type of Crystal Cores, orange holds the highest value, followed by red, and so on down to white as the lowest.p> Another is that Level 2 Crystal Cores are more valuable than Level 1, and Level 3 Crystal Cores are more valuable than Level 2, and so forth. Last is that everyone is generally aware that specific Ability Crystal Cores have more stable value. No matter whether there is a pressing demand or not, their prices remain steady. Those with unclear uses haverge price fluctuations¡ªif someone wants them, they¡¯re expensive; if not, they¡¯re cheap. Of course, ¡°cheap¡± is rtive to other Crystal Cores; in reality, the intrinsic value of Crystal Cores is still quite high.
This is because Crystal Core Synthesizers had been air-dropped into the area before! Crystal Core Synthesizers can remove the side effects from Crystal Cores! The cost, however, is the consumption of a lot of Crystal Cores. The consumption is much greater than what Wang Tao requires for synthesis, like a bottomless pit, and it cannot remove impurities either. Even so, these side effect-free Crystal Cores were still coveted by countless people. Regardless of the time, there¡¯s never a shortage of wealthy individuals, even in a post-apocalyptic world. Nie Siyan said that many people within therge factions were now using synthesized Crystal Cores. Those from medium and small factions like hers wouldn¡¯t dare to indulge to such an extent. However, there are two types of Crystal Cores that are expensive regardless of quality or level. These are the Omnipotent Crystal Core and the Ascension crystal core, as these two types of Crystal Cores can be used by all Ability Users¡­ Most of the several hundred Crystal Cores in front of Wang Tao were White Rank, Ordinary quality. But for Wang Tao, this wasn¡¯t a big problem; after all, he could synthesize whatever quality he wanted. Wang Tao collected all these Crystal Cores, then turned his attention to the other items. There were also some jewelry, snacks, cigarettes, and alcohol. Chapter 424: 192 Crystal Core Currency_2 Chapter 424: Chapter 192 Crystal Core Currency_2 Ability Users traded directly, either bartering goods or settling with Crystal Cores. But ordinary people couldn¡¯t get their hands on Crystal Cores¡ªif they had them, they wouldn¡¯t be ordinary anymore. Thus, transactions among ordinary people were generally conducted using gold and silver as currency. Gold and silver were naturally of little use to Wang Tao, but since they gleamed attractively, he collected them anyway. Then there were snacks, tobo, and alcohol; these luxuries could satisfy cravings and were quite valuable in the post-apocalypse. Cigarettes, in particr, were almost as solid a currency as Crystal Cores. It was the same old story, no matter what the times, there were always the rich. Ordinary folks might be worrying about what to have for tomorrow¡¯s lunch, but some were already indulging in smoking and drinking. Wang Tao collected all these items and had Xu Xiaojun carry them. Then he turned to Liao Xia. ¡°Anything else to confess?¡± ¡°No more¡­¡± Liao Xia said with a mournful expression. All the most valuable things in the video arcade had been taken by Wang Tao. Aside from food, which wasn¡¯t easy to seize, she was left with nothing.
¡°Are you sure? Think carefully¡­¡± Wang Tao gave her a deep look. ¡°I¡­¡± Liao Xia racked her brains desperately but really couldn¡¯t think of anything valuable left. Apart from her own body, she had nothing¡ªwait, her body? Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Liao Xia¡¯s head. ¡°Big Brother! I still have myself, I belong to you now too!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brow immediately furrowed. He thought Liao Xia had actuallye up with something, but she was referring to her body? How ominous! Wang Tao turned to Nie Siyan. ¡°Kill her.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s body involuntarily shuddered. With Huang Wu dead and Liao Xia about to die, would she be the next one? Looking into Wang Tao¡¯s unemotional eyes, Nie Siyan dared not dy. She immediately picked up the axe she had discarded earlier and approached Liao Xia. ¡°No, you can¡¯t¡­¡± St! Liao Xia¡¯s face was etched with terror, but the horrified expression quickly became fixed. Nie Siyan had rested for a while and regained some strength. The force of her axe was exceptionally strong, severing Liao Xia¡¯s entire head. As Nie Siyan watched Liao Xia staring at her with deformed eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine.
¡°Well done.¡± Wang Tao secretly nodded in approval of Nie Siyan¡¯s obedience. Suddenly, there was some noise behind them. All three turned to see Huang Wu, who had been killed by Nie Siyan earlier, standing up. His body twisted, his eyes white, his mouth oozing disgusting mucus and blood. Then, staggering forward with his nearly severed head, he moved quickly towards them.
¡°Damn, forgot to double-tap!¡± Nie Siyan suddenly realized, even without a virus infection, there was a certain chance that a dead person would turn into a zombie if the brain wasn¡¯t destroyed! She had been too distracted earlier and forgot to double-tap. However, Wang Tao appeared quite calm, signaling Xu Xiaojun with a nce. Xu Xiaojun immediately went over. After a few exchanges with zombie Huang Wu, he effortlessly killed him. Killing humans did not yield increased HP, but killing zombies did. That¡¯s why Wang Tao purposely hadn¡¯t double-tapped, for this reason. Wang Tao had spected that the probability of a person turning into a zombie after death was likely rted to the amount of Internal Impurity in the body. With more than fifty percent Internal Impurity, Wang Tao figured Huang Wu had a decent chance of turning into a zombie. Sure enough, Huang Wu hadplied and indeed became a zombie. After Xu Xiaojun killed zombie Huang Wu, he gained over five hundred in increased HP. Not bad. As for Liao Xia, her level of Internal Impurity wasn¡¯t that high, just over thirty percent, so Wang Tao reckoned it was unlikely for her. Nie Siyan watched Xu Xiaojun skillfully extract the Crystal Core from the head of zombie Huang Wu, feeling her legs go weak. Thump¡ª
Nie Siyan immediately knelt in front of Wang Tao, grabbing his legs: ¡°Brother, don¡¯t kill me, I don¡¯t want to die, please¡­¡± Looking down at Nie Siyan with her snotty and tearful face, Wang Tao bent down slightly, lifting her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. Nie Siyan was actually quite attractive, even though she wore heavy makeup, it gave her a unique vor. Especially with her fiery figure, she was someone who could easily arouse desire. But clearly, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t that desperate, especially after having just vented his frustrations. Moreover, Nie Siyan¡¯s makeup was smudged from crying, greatly diminishing her allure. ¡°Brother¡­¡± Nie Siyan, facing Wang Tao¡¯s cold eyes, felt she might die at any moment. Especially when Wang Tao¡¯s hand slowly moved from her chin to her neck, Nie Siyan trembled all over, feeling a warm flow beneath her. ¡°¡­¡± p¡ª Wang Tao sent Nie Siyan flying with a p, knocking her against the wall and leaving her seeing stars. At her previous spot, a puddle was forming on the ground. She had literally peed herself from fright. Wang Tao covered his nose as he stood up, addressing the still dazed Nie Siyan:
¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance, you do one thing for me. If you seed, I won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it!¡± Nie Siyan, ignoring her headache, nodded eagerly like a pecking chicken. ¡°First, clean up this ce and yourself.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao left Nie Siyan alone, confident she wouldn¡¯t dare run away. Chapter 425: 192 Crystal Core Currency_3 Chapter 425: Chapter 192 Crystal Core Currency_3 Reaching the window, Wang Tao could already imagine the number of Crystal Cores here. ¡°Since Crystal Cores are already taken as currency here, perhaps I can try trading with others¡­¡± Wang Tao was still quite short of Level 2 Crystal Cores, as his own Ability hadn¡¯t yet reached its maximum enhancement. And now there was also Xu Xiaojun¡­ However, he had many fine items, which he imagined many would covet. He nned to look backter to see if there were opportunities to sell some things in exchange for some Crystal Cores. Of course, he couldn¡¯t neglect the search for Level 2 zombies and even Level 3 zombies. His HP might have reached the upper limit of Level Two, but one can never have too much Special Energy¡­ After some time, Nie Siyan, holding back the severe pain in her body, finally managed to clean up the ce. Then she took a cold shower, washing herself until she was squeaky clean. Nie Siyan was now wearing a silk nightgown, her curvaceous body faintly visible. Her face was slightly swollen, but without any makeup, herplexion pale, she looked somewhat pitiful¡­ Seeing her like this, Wang Tao felt the urge to p her again. ¡°Who are you dressing up for like this? Continue with your previous outfit.¡± Wang Tao said coldly.
¡°Oh right, immediately!¡± Nie Siyan got a fright. Her choice of dress was indeed an attempt to gain Wang Tao¡¯s sympathy, and to see if she could possibly seduce him¡ªshe was close to death, and for the sake of survival, she was willing to do anything. But to her surprise, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t taking the bait. Nie Siyan didn¡¯t dare make Wang Tao wait too long, promptly emerging in a tight leather outfit with heavy makeup, limping out. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Wang Tao nodded in approval. It wasn¡¯t that he had any special fetishes, but he was nning to use Nie Siyan to trap Huang Heng, the leader of the Skull Club. If Nie Siyan looked different from usual, it might raise suspicions. ¡°Come here.¡± Wang Tao beckoned, and Nie Siyan immediately quickened her pace to Wang Tao¡¯s side, even consciously kneeling at his feet, a look of entreaty on her face. Wang Tao looked down at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m giving you a potion. When Huang Henges back, find a way to make him drink it. Complete this task, and I won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I, I¡¯ll get caught¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s face turned bitter upon hearing the task. If she were discovered trying to poison him, she would be killed by Wang Tao if not by Huang Heng. ¡°That depends on how you pull it off. The potion is colorless and odorless; it won¡¯t draw his attention.¡± Wang Tao handed Nie Siyan a bottle of Weakness Potion. The three Level 2 Ability Users from the Skull Club all had HP over ten thousand, and since Huang Heng was much stronger than them, his HP could potentially exceed twenty thousand. Wang Tao himself had barely thirty thousand HP, so being cautious with such Ability Users was no problem. Moreover, if second-order Ability Users were to fight openly, it might cause a bigmotion and attract unnecessary trouble. Wang Tao sought a swift and decisive victory to take down Huang Heng quickly.
If Nie Siyan could administer a bottle of Weakness Potion to him, that would simplify things immensely. Nie Siyan epted the potion with a troubled look, her mind racing, pondering excuses to drug Huang Heng. As for whether or not to poison him, she didn¡¯t even need to think about it¡ªshe certainly had to. Although they were husband and wife, in times of great crisis, every bird flies its separate way. At this juncture, her own life mattered most! Nie Siyan roughly knew what Huang Heng would have been up to, estimating that he would return around evening.
But Huang Heng¡¯s return was muchter than she had expected. As night approached, a small off-road vehicle cautiously arrived at the foot of the video game arcade building. Seeing Huang Heng¡¯s car finally return, Nie Siyan, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately went downstairs to greet him. Huang Heng was a man who looked very simr to Huang Wu but was noticeably more mature. He was alone in the car, as he preferred to act solo. It wasn¡¯t that he disliked others holding him back, but rather he was worried others would steal his kills. After getting out of the car, he saw Nie Siyan waiting nearby and was somewhat surprised. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re back? How was the harvest? If you don¡¯tplete the task this week, even you will have to ept the punishment. By the way, is Liao Xia asleep?¡± Huang Heng said with a stern face. ¡°I¡­¡± Nie Siyan still harbored a sliver of thought to inform Huang Heng, but seeing his demeanor, thatst thread of thought vanished. Huang Heng started by scolding her and asking about Liao Xia; he didn¡¯t even notice that his own face was swollen. The excuse she had painstakingly thought of couldn¡¯t be used¡­ Taking a deep breath, Nie Siyan smiled sweetly. ¡°Little Liao is upstairs waiting for you, she¡¯s taking a shower¡­¡± At these words, Huang Heng¡¯s eyes lit up.
¡°Just right, I want to take a shower too. Let¡¯s go up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nie Siyan, enduring the pain in her leg, leaned on a stick and limped behind Huang Heng. ¡°What happened to your leg?¡± Huang Heng suddenly turned around. ¡°I ran into a tough Level 2 Zombie earlier, I couldn¡¯t beat it, and I broke my leg while escaping¡­¡± Nie Siyan spoke as if she was a bit embarrassed. ¡°Hmm? A Level 2 Zombie! Where exactly, I¡¯ll go kill it tomorrow!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan made up an address on the spot. Soon, the two of them arrived on the third floor. As soon as Huang Heng entered the room, he started to undress, getting ready to shower. After throwing down his shriveled water bag, Nie Siyan immediately picked up a cup of water and naturally offered it to him.
¡°Thirsty, huh? Have some water.¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but her heart was very tense. Huang Heng didn¡¯t give it much thought; he was indeed feeling quite thirsty. Seeing that the water looked clear and had no strange taste, he drank it all in one gulp. Gulp~ ¡°Hu¡ªrefreshing!¡± However, after drinking the water, his legs suddenly went weak, and he nearly stumbled and fell. Before Huang Heng could figure out what was happening, he saw a figure with arge axe appear behind him. In an instant, he felt a chilling terror. Without thinking, he instinctively tried to run away, but his speed was much slower than usual, causing him to stumble. Bang! The back of the massive axe head struck directly on the back of Huang Heng¡¯s neck. All Huang Heng felt was darkness before his eyes as he passed out.
Chapter 426: 193: Sent to Prison_1 Chapter 426: Chapter 193: Sent to Prison_1 Wang Tao hadn¡¯t fought Ability Users very often, but now he realized that in certain specific situations¡ªlike when someone was being deceptive, Ability Users of the same rank were easier to deal with than zombies. Because Ability Users had too many weaknesses. After all, Ability Users were still humans; their entire bodies had weak points. But zombies only had one weakness: their heads. Take Huang Heng, for example. [HP: 120/21300] [Mana: 1930/3400] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 63%] Huang Heng¡¯s attributes weren¡¯t weak by any measure, with twenty thousand HP. If a zombie had these attributes, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t have possibly killed it with a single strike. But under the effects of a Weakness Potion and a sneak attack, Huang Heng was immediately knocked out by a blow from Wang Tao¡¯s ax, without any ability to fight back.
After knocking him out, Wang Tao immediately tied Huang Heng up with a chain and then along with Xu Xiaojun, they beat him up ruthlessly. Huang Heng kept falling in and out of consciousness from the beating. It wasn¡¯t that Wang Tao enjoyed torturing people; it was just that he needed to leave Huang Heng critically injured. Soon, Huang Heng was beaten until only a sliver of HP remained, and his limbs were directly broken. He waspletely incapacitated from posing any threat to Wang Tao. Wang Tao had no psychological burden in dealing with someone like that. The people from this arcade weren¡¯t good people, including the Ordinary folks; they were all engaged in trickery and deceit. Even if he had to kill all of these people, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t feel the slightest guilt. He kept Huang Heng alive only because Wang Tao wanted to extract more information, as after all, he was the boss of the Skull Club and knew more than others. ¡°You, what do you¡­ want¡­ I¡¯ll give you everything¡­¡± Huang Heng was far more sensible than his brother, continuously begging for mercy once he realized resistance was futile. Looking at Huang Heng, who had been beaten beyond recognition, Wang Tao said indifferently, ¡°I ask, you answer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll answer, I¡¯ll answer¡­¡± So, Wang Tao asked a lot of questions. When he felt that he couldn¡¯t squeeze anything more out of Huang Heng, he turned his attention to Nie Siyan, who was trembling with fear at the side, and gave her a ¡°you know what to do¡± look. ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan swallowed hard and picked up the ax somewhat shakily. Huang Heng seemed to have a premonition and, kneeling on the ground, he turned his head with difficulty, looking at Nie Siyan with confusion and anger. He didn¡¯t understand; though he had been somewhat neglectful of Nie Siyan, he hadn¡¯t treated her badly, so why was Nie Siyan colluding with others to kill him? Until now, he failed to realize that it wasn¡¯t Nie Siyan who was colluding with others but that he had kicked an iron te when he sent Nie Siyan out to deceive and trick people!
Nie Siyan could hardly bear to meet Huang Heng¡¯s gaze. Closing her eyes, she swung the ax down onto Huang Heng¡¯s neck. Pu-chi! ¡°Bitch¡­¡± After spitting out his final words, Huang Heng copsed to the ground with a thud.
ng¡ª Nie Siyan dropped the ax, her expression dazed. No matter what, she and Huang Heng had been husband and wife for many years, and had fought side by side since the apocalypse began. But now, she had executed her own husband with her own hands¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother with Nie Siyan; he looked at Huang Heng¡¯s body with some anticipation, figuring that with such a high level of Internal Impurity, there was a high chance he would turn into a zombie. Wang Tao took out his walkie-talkie and called Jiang Shixue over. He had left Jiang Shixue in the car to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. Now that the situation was resolved, there was no longer a need for that precaution. It was time for Jiang Shixue toe over and hold the fort. After all, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t certain whether Huang Heng would turn into a Level 2 Zombie or a Level 3 Zombie. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t take the usual path; she climbed in through the window like a ghostly figure, silently appearing beside Wang Tao without anyone else noticing. If Wang Tao hadn¡¯t been able to detect her through nt Affinity, he might not have been aware of her. After reaching the upper limit of Level 2 HP, Jiang Shixue had be even stronger. After waiting for a while, Huang Heng¡¯s body suddenly started to convulse. Upon seeing a red HP bar slowly appearing above his head, Wang Tao waved his hand, and the three of them struck simultaneously. Momentster, Huang Heng¡¯s 29999 HP dropped to zero. Following this mutation of Huang Heng andbining it with previous observations, Wang Tao had roughly deduced a pattern of Ability Users turning into zombies¡ª When humans turned into zombies, their HP and Mana would double. If it hadn¡¯t reached the current level¡¯s upper limit, it would reach that limit. If it was already at the upper limit, then it might turn into a higher-level zombie!
Simply put, a 10,000 HP Ability User would grow to 20,000 HP upon turning into a zombie; a 20,000 HP Ability User after mutation would reach 29,999 HP, and a 29,999 HP Ability User would be a 30,000 HP Level 3 Zombie! Too bad Huang Heng didn¡¯t have 29,999 HP; otherwise, the rewards from killing a Level 3 Zombie would have definitely been greater¡­ After the zombie was dealt with, Wang Tao told Xu Xiaojun to dig out the Crystal Core. Huang Heng himself had plenty of Crystal Cores on him, both Level 1 and Level Two. He hadn¡¯t kept all his Crystal Cores at home. Wang Tao collected all the Crystal Cores and then turned to Nie Siyan, contemting how to deal with the Skull Club. Initially, Wang Tao had nned to head directly to the military base in Wuyang City, but after receiving the news that Wuyang City was very dangerous, he decided to stay a few more days in Zijing City to strengthen his abilities before going to Wuyang City. Since he would be staying in Zijing City, he naturally needed a ce to settle in. The arcade was decent enough, and Wang Tao wasn¡¯t fussy; as long as there were some defensive measures and a bed to sleep in, it would do. But there were others in the Skull Club¡­ Chapter 427 - 193: Sent to Prison_2 Chapter 427: Chapter 193: Sent to Prison_2 Wang Tao had no intention of bing the new leader of this group of people. They were all engaged in deception and swindling, their hands stained with the blood of the innocent, with no guarantee of their character. Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to keep them around. But to kill all of these people¡­ After all, there were three hundred of them, and Wang Tao just couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. Although he didn¡¯t see himself as a good person, he wasn¡¯t a homicidal maniac. If he killed so many people by his own hand, he wouldn¡¯t feel guilty, but he would definitely feel ufortable. What should he do¡­ As Wang Tao pondered, Nie Siyan felt his gaze and immediately shivered all over. It was as if she could sense that her life hung on a single thought from Wang Tao! Thump, thump, thump¡ª ¡°Big brother, master, daddy, grandpa¡­ don¡¯t kill me! Please¡­¡± Nie Siyan quickly scrambled and rolled over to Wang Tao¡¯s feet, switching through several titles in one breath. She had endured so many beatings, personally killed her brother-inw and her husband, all to save her own life. She really didn¡¯t want to die! ¡°Hmm? Do you think my word means nothing?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. He had previously said that as long as Nie Siyan sessfully drugged Huang Heng, Wang Tao would not kill her. But now, Nie Siyan clearly didn¡¯t trust his character! ¡°¡­Brother, you, you only said you wouldn¡¯t kill me, but you didn¡¯t say others wouldn¡¯t kill me¡­¡± Nie Siyan warily nced at Xu Xiaojun. ¡°¡­¡± Indeed, Wang Tao had been thinking just that. He didn¡¯t want to do it himself, but Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue might. Seeing Wang Tao silent, Nie Siyan became even more frightened. This time, she did not dare to cling to Wang Tao¡¯s legs, instead prostrating herself in front of him, her head touching the floor. Wang Tao suddenly spoke: ¡°I¡¯m thinking of staying here temporarily, but I don¡¯t want to see so many people, especially those who harm their own kind. I really dislike that. So, if you cane up with a suitable solution, I can assure you, your life will be spared.¡± Hearing this, Nie Siyan suddenly looked up. In her opinion, the easiest way to not have to see these people was to kill them. But Wang Tao was no fool; of course, he was aware of this method. But since he hadn¡¯t chosen it, he must have his own ideas. So killing these people was out of the question. If she didn¡¯t kill them yet wanted them to disappear, there was only one method left¡ªher old trade! ¡°I have a method. I can sell them all to the prison¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows shot up. He had not thought of this method, since he was a respectable person. But upon reflection, it seemed usible. These people had trafficked quite a few individuals before, so selling them now made sense. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡± Wang Tao patted Nie Siyan on the head. ¡°Brother, rest assured! I will handle it well!¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s face immediately brightened. Wang Tao nodded and then added: ¡°By the way, although you people are filled with evil deeds, there may still be some who are innocent or forced by circumstances¡­ So, you¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s eyes went wide upon hearing the rest of Wang Tao¡¯s words. She thought Wang Tao was incredibly cunning, not at all inferior to her. Nie Siyan immediately lowered her head. ¡°Yes¡­¡± The next day, early morning. Inside the arcade, the members of the Skull Club had no clue that their leader was already dead. After all, the third floor was the territory of four second-order ability users, and the others were all below. The fightst night was quick and stealthy, causing no ruckus, and the soundproofing of the arcade was good, so it was normal that the others were unaware. Nie Siyan¡¯s swelling had subsided, as Wang Tao had used some medical kits on her, allowing her to recover quite a bit, even her limp was less noticeable. Using Huang Heng¡¯s name, she summoned everyone. After all of them had gathered in the parking lot behind the building, Nie Siyan spoke: ¡°Last night, Boss Huang discussed an issue with us, and that was to raise everyone¡¯s treatment¡­¡± Whoosh¡ª Before she could finish, the crowd below erupted into an uproar. Many were even shouting excitedly. Wang Tao, watching the scene from upstairs, frowned. Although a raise in treatment was indeed a happy matter, thisck of discipline was too much. Sending these people away was definitely the right move. Nie Siyan, on the other hand, was ustomed to this reaction. She tapped a steel reinforcing bar against a nearby steel pipe to draw the crowd¡¯s attention, and then continued: ¡°As for how much the treatment will be increased specifically, that rtes to everyone¡¯s contribution to the base. So, now, everyone write down the precise details of what you¡¯ve achieved on paper, truthfully, so we can distribute it logically. Note, do not falsify information; we have control over everything about you. If anyone falsifies information¡­ you will bear the consequences!¡± When she mentioned bearing the consequences, Nie Siyan gave the crowd a meaningful look. She wasn¡¯t joking; the consequences were indeed severe. Upon hearing this, the crowd resumed whispering among themselves. Many didn¡¯t remember how many people they had deceived, and needed to ask theirpanions to help recall. However, some ordinary individuals looked dejected because they had no achievements. Nie Siyan had paper and pens handed out. Soon, everyone had written down their various ¡°contributions.¡± Nie Siyan collected everything expressionlessly, and then told the crowd: ¡°Today, no one goes out. Stay at the base and wait for news.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The crowd responded excitedly. Chapter 428 - 193: Sent to Prison_3 Chapter 428: Chapter 193: Sent to Prison_3 The Skull Club still had quite a few ordinary people who were all thinking that this might be their chance to be Ability Users. And those who were Level 1 Ability Users were wondering if they might advance to be Second-order Superpower Owners! Some were confused as to why Boss Huang had not made an appearance, but they didn¡¯t think too much of it¡ªafter all, everyone knew Boss Huang was more fond of his new wife, Liao Xia, and for all they knew, he might be locked in a fierce battle with her between the sheets right now. Nie Siyan ascended the stairs with the collected information in hand. Upstairs, Wang Tao was eating breakfast. Breakfast consisted of smoked fish and a big tbread soaked in a nutrient solution. The dried fish were leftovers; Wang Tao and the other two had Magical Stomach Pouches, which stored arge amount of fish meat. The big tbread was given by Yang Changhong when they parted ways with his fleet. They had plenty of rice and flour on hand, and for convenience, had turned it all into this kind of easy-to-carry dry food. Seeing these foods, Nie Siyan immediately swallowed hard. She hadn¡¯t eaten for two or three days since being captured by Wang Tao. But she dared not show any dissatisfaction, and promptly presented the information with respect. Wang Tao took the information. ¡°Tsk tsk, you people, really deserve to die.¡± Shaking his head as he looked at the information, Wang Tao sighed. Previously he had thought, since the Skull Club still had so many ordinary members, these ordinary people would not bergely involved in kidnapping. After all, ordinary people have lower survival abilities outside. But unexpectedly, although most ordinary people weren¡¯t directly involved in tricking or kidnapping, many had indirectly participated. Some provided information, some made traps, some volunteered to be bait, and so on. Well then¡­ some people would have to be sent to prison. Perhaps some people deliberately inted their achievements, but Wang Tao wasn¡¯t going to bother investigating. He had already told Nie Siyan before that falsifying achievements would have consequences. After spending some time, Wang Tao divided the information into two piles. One was thick, the other thin. Wang Tao handed the thick pile to Nie Siyan, who quickly caught it with both hands. ¡°Just these people. As for how it¡¯s done, I leave it to you.¡± ¡°Ah? Leave it to me?¡± Nie Siyan couldn¡¯t believe it. The list Wang Tao picked out had at least two hundred people on it. That could fetch a lot of Crystal Cores! And more importantly, if she was in charge of this, she could escape! After all, they had always been a delivery service¡­ Seeing Nie Siyan¡¯s shock and the flicker in her eyes after the initial surprise, Wang Tao¡¯s expression remained unchanged. ¡°I just want my Crystal Cores. I don¡¯t care about the process, you figure it out yourself. Go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan quickly bowed and exited excitedly. Once downstairs, Nie Siyan immediately notified everyone, saying that Boss Huang had reviewed the list and wanted those with good performance to gather in the first-floor hall. Those with poor performance should stay in the parking lot and not wander around. Suddenly, those with poor performance felt like they had been abandoned, ovee with a sense of loss. Whereas those with good performance were smug, especially those who had inted their achievements, who were almost strutting with pride. ¡®I knew it! The Skull Club has never tracked these things. How much we achieve is known only to ourselves; others at best have a rough idea. A little exaggeration in our reporting won¡¯t cause any trouble!¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re actually just trying to serve the boss better!¡± ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Soon, Nie Siyan arrived, followed by a few Ability Users. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen¡­¡± Nie Siyan started to feed them motivational talk, while the Ability Users behind her stealthily used their powers. Soon, everyone began to feel dizzy. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­¡± Thud, thud, thud¡ª One by one, the group began to hit the floor. After everyone had fainted, the bald man approached Sister Nie Siyan and asked respectfully, ¡°Sister Nie, the boss is¡­?¡± They had no idea what was going on and were simply following Sister Nie Siyan¡¯s orders. ¡°The boss is running low on Crystal Cores and wants to exchange for some,¡± Nie Siyan nced at the bald man. ¡°Exchange for Crystal Cores? Hiss¡ª¡± The bald man took a sharp intake of breath. Nie Siyan ordered the bald man and the others to search everyone, then had them drive the pickup truck from the parking lot. In the past, when they sold goods, they always used a pickup truck for deliveries, but this time there were too many people, and it would require several trips. After loading the first batch of ¡®goods¡¯ onto the truck, Nie Siyan went up to the third floor. ¡°Brother, everything is ready, look¡­¡± ¡°Go on then,¡± I waved my hand. ¡°Yes!¡± Just as Nie Siyan was excitedly preparing to leave, Wang Tao suddenly added, ¡°Remember, not a single one of my Crystal Cores can be missing.¡± Nie Siyan immediately felt a chill in her heart. ¡°Yes!¡± Shortly after, Nie Siyan left the arcade with the first batch of ¡®goods¡¯. Several of Nie Siyan¡¯s subordinates had a Level 1 Special Ability that generated fainting smoke, which was colorless and odorless, and very difficult to notice if one wasn¡¯t paying close attention. Inhaling the smoke would put one to sleep. The more one inhaled, the stronger the effect, and even a Second-order Superpower Owner couldn¡¯t withstand it after inhaling too much. Nie Siyan had been using these abilities to trick people. ¡°Brother Wang, what if she sneaks off?¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head and asked. ¡°That depends on whether she has the guts¡­¡± Wang Tao had already stated that none of his Crystal Cores could be missing. It didn¡¯t really matter whether Nie Siyan ran away or not, but the trade had to bepleted, and the Crystal Cores delivered to him. If she didn¡¯t recognize the situation¡­ then she was truly seeking death. Even if she could hide temporarily, Wang Tao still had ways to find her. The quantity of this trade with Nie Siyan was over two hundred, a major transaction that the small pickups couldn¡¯t handle. She carefully arrived at the jail, where the jail¡¯s authorities, after hearing about therge number of people, didn¡¯t hesitate to send their own transportation for them. ¡°Your Boss Huang is awesome, huh! So generous!¡± The person in charge of the handover at the jail was a skinny young man, who seemed puzzled. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s thinking¡­¡± Nie Siyan pretended to be somewhat helpless. The other party didn¡¯t ask further, as they weren¡¯t interested in the process, just the result. The jail authorities were very straightforward. Upon seeing the ¡®goods¡¯, they immediately paid with Crystal Cores, and after Nie Siyan verified that the number was correct, she went upstairs to hand them over to Wang Tao. The jail could settle with Crystal Cores or with Inhibitors, but Wang Tao wanted Crystal Cores. After that, Nie Siyan helped with two more deliveries, and only then was she able to transport everyone into the jail. The transaction was indeed huge. At the jail entrance, evening. Having delivered the ¡®goods¡¯, Nie Siyan¡¯s face was torn with struggle. She hadn¡¯t coveted a single Crystal Core and hadpleted the task given by Wang Tao very well. The bald man and the others had been sent away, and now she was alone¡ªshe could run away! But then, she hesitated¡­ Chapter 429: 194 Firefly Club_1 Chapter 429: Chapter 194 Firefly Club_1 Game Arcade, night. Wang Tao looked at the crystal core in his hand, grinning. In this post-apocalyptic world, the value of human life could be seen as negligible. Catching any random disease, getting infected by the zombie virus, or being caught in the crossfire of battle, could lead to death. But human life could also be considered valuable because an ordinary person could be traded for a Level 1 White Crystal Core! And a level 1 ability user could fetch at least 20 Level 1 White Crystal Cores! That was the going rate in Zijing City, and it had remained steadytely. So after Wang Tao had sent those people to prison, he obtained 700 Level 1 White Crystal Cores! Adding the crystal cores found on those people and in their homes, along with those taken from Nie Siyan, Huang Heng, and the other four second-order superpower owners, Wang Tao had managed to acquire a total of 2000 Level 1 Crystal Cores and 50 Level 2 Crystal Cores this time! Although most of these crystal cores were pretty useless, including attributes like Self Detonation and Glutton, which had no real use or had extremely severe side effects. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind, since he could synthesize. As long as he could turn these White Crystal Cores into Orange ones, even the Self-Destruct Crystal Cores would be very valuable!
After all, many forces possessed crystal core synthesizers, which could eliminate the side effects of crystal cores through synthesis. However, the crystal core synthesizer could onlybine crystal cores of the same level and quality. For instance, to remove the side effects from an Orange Level 1 Crystal Core, you would need many Orange Level 1 Crystal Cores for the synthesis. Therefore, even the less useful crystal cores like Self Detonation and Glutton, as long as they weren¡¯t white, their price would significantly increase. And if they were orange, their value would double. Wang Tao nned to synthesize some of these Level 1 Crystal Cores and then trade them for Level 2 Crystal Cores. Zijing City was substantial, with numerous survivors. Even though crystal cores were rare, the overall quantity was definitely not small, much more than Wang Tao could collect by himself. The prison had many crystal cores, which he could perhaps trade with in the future. And it must be said, this prison was quite reputable. There were no issues with the trade, which waspleted smoothly, and the exchange for crystal cores was very straightforward. But that was understandable, as currently, the prison was the worst-reputed force in Zijing City, with no equal. Even the Skull Club was lesser inparison. Their reputation had plummeted to such an extent that it couldn¡¯t be salvaged. No one would go to the prison now, even neers to Zijing City would learn of the prison¡¯s notorious reputation after spending a few days there. And since the prison needed new blood¡­ they had no choice but to purchase people from elsewhere. But with their reputation so tarnished, let alone other survivors, even mid-level forces were wary of trading with them. The prison had no choice but to try improving its image in other ways, such as ensuring prompt trades, reliability, not owing any crystal cores, and following the rules. And it turned out that this approach did make a difference in their cooperation with other forces, albeit not enough to change their reputation. As long as the prison adhered to the trading rules, there were still plenty of people willing to trade with them. After all, nobody wanted to turn their back on crystal cores or inhibitors. So after some time, although the prison¡¯s reputation remained damaged, their business reputation improved significantly. The prison no longer cared about their public image; as long as they were powerful and had partners to do business with, that was all that mattered¡­ As Wang Tao was picking out crystal cores, he suddenly raised an eyebrow. He was now sitting in front of a window, with a clear view of a stealthy figure down below. It was none other than Nie Siyan. ¡°This woman is back?¡±
Wang Tao was surprised. The deal of sending more than two hundred people to the prison hadsted a day, and after Wang Tao had received the crystal cores, he couldn¡¯t be bothered with what happened to Nie Siyan ¨C she was free to leave whenever she wanted. Since Wang Tao had promised to spare her life, he certainly wouldn¡¯t go back on his word. After all, she was of no use to him anymore. Late in the evening after the transaction ended, the woman hadn¡¯t returned. Wang Tao thought she had already left.
But now, she was back? The guards saw Nie Siyan and naturally opened the door for her quickly. Soon after, there was a knock at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Wang Tao lit an oilmp; he hadn¡¯t turned on any lights until now since he had night vision. Nie Siyan looked at the tall figure in the dim light, feeling a bit frightened, but she still mustered the courage to approach. ¡°Brother Wang¡­¡± In reality, she was older than Wang Tao, so calling him Brother Wang was a rtively affectionate form of respect, and until now she didn¡¯t know Wang Tao¡¯s name, only that Xu Xiaojun called him Brother Wang. ¡°What are you doing back here?¡± Wang Tao was puzzled. Was this woman a masochist? After the way she was treated, she still dared toe back? But when Nie Siyan heard his question, she thought Wang Tao was usatory. Immediately, she fell to her knees before Wang Tao.
¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯m sorry! I shouldn¡¯t have tried to run away, please punish me!¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°You want to follow me?¡± ¡°Yes! I want to follow Brother Wang!¡± Nie Siyan quickly replied. She had indeed fled today, without taking a single crystal core, and she believed that Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t go out of his way to hunt her down. But during her escape, she suddenly lost her desire to run away. It wasn¡¯t that she enjoyed abuse, but rather she realized she had nowhere to go¡­ And with Wang Tao being so strong, she wanted to follow him! Admiring the strong was an innate trait for many people, and she was no exception. Chapter 430: 194 Firefly Club_2 Chapter 430: Chapter 194 Firefly Club_2 Wang Tao is the most formidable Ability User she has ever met! Following someone like him is definitely more promising than following Huang Heng! What¡¯s more important is that although Wang Tao had beaten her many times, and she subconsciously felt a little terrified whenever she thought of Wang Tao, he was a person with bottom lines. You could tell from the fact that he ¡°hates survivors who cheat and deceive¡± and ¡°sends survivors who could make him Crystal Cores to prison.¡± If she were to join another power, she didn¡¯t know what those bosses would be like. ces like prisons were fine for business, but she would never dare to join one! As for establishing her own faction, she knew she wasn¡¯t cut out for it. After all, herbat ability wasn¡¯t strong¡­ So after giving it some serious thought, Nie Siyan decided to go back to the arcade. Though she knew Wang Tao disliked her, she had done quite a few things for him, and he probably wouldn¡¯t kill her. Then, if she were just a bit more sincere, there was a certain likelihood that Wang Tao would take her in. So, she came back. When Wang Tao saw Nie Siyan nod, he said with a half-smile, ¡°Do you think you are worthy?¡± It wasn¡¯t that Wang Tao was mocking her, but she needed to realize who was by Wang Tao¡¯s side¡ªthere was Xu Xiaojun, there was Jiang Shixue. How could shepare to either of them?
¡°I¡¯m not worthy! I know I¡¯m not, but I hope Brother Wang will give me a chance! I will definitely perform well¡­¡± Nie Siyan prostrated herself at Wang Tao¡¯s feet. Wang Tao frowned and pondered for a moment. He felt that Nie Siyan probably really did want to follow him, given that his strength was in for all to see. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to take on a drag, and to be honest, he didn¡¯t quite trust her character. After all, she could even kill her husband and brother-inw, and she was adept at cheating and deceiving; how could he trust such a person? However, looking at Nie Siyan¡¯s ¡°I¡¯m very sensible¡± expression, Wang Tao felt that although it was unlikely to bring her to the military base, since he was going to stay in Zijing City for a while, maybe he could keep her around to run errands and handle odd jobs. ¡°Lift your head.¡± Wang Tao ordered. Nie Siyan immediately lifted her head and looked at Wang Tao with both fear and anticipation. Wang Tao stretched out his hand, gently stroking Nie Siyan¡¯s hair, as if he were petting a small dog. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance, perform well, and I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me. Otherwise¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s hand slowly slid down to rest on Nie Siyan¡¯s neck. Nie Siyan felt a shiver down her spine, but her pupils showed a glint of joy, and she quickly promised, ¡°Yes! I definitely won¡¯t disappoint Brother Wang!¡± ¡°Then go ahead.¡± Wang Tao patted her cheek, and Nie Siyan slowly got up and respectfully left the room. Once outside, she immediately leaned against the wall, feeling her back drenched with sweat. But her mood at the moment was somewhat excited. Although Wang Tao didn¡¯t directly take her in, he had given her a chance. She had to seize this opportunity! As long as she served Wang Tao well, she was sure to benefit¡ªeven if Wang Tao rewarded her with nothing, just providing her shelter alone was worth it!
Inside the room, Wang Tao tidied up the Crystal Cores and then went to bed. Keeping Nie Siyan or not didn¡¯t really matter to him. Since she came back on her own initiative, he gave her a chance. Jiang Shixue, who had been in the shadows, immediately ran to the bed, cuddling up to Wang Tao like a clingy kitten. ¡°Time to sleep.¡±
¡­ The next day. Nie Siyan gathered everyone once again. Her expression was somewhat sad. The crowd was puzzled and very uneasy. Because they had realized that those with high Contribution Points who were called out yesterday had all disappeared¡ªthey had been directed to wait in the arcade¡¯s back parking lot and weren¡¯t aware of what had happened in the hall. They thought Boss Huang had taken those people somewhere else to enjoy some privileges. Or maybe Boss Huang had abandoned them, taking those people to a new base¡­ The more they thought about it, the more anxious they became. After all, under the current circumstances, if they weren¡¯t protected by powerful Ability Users, they truly might not survive! Once everyone had arrived, Nie Siyan spoke with a downcast tone, ¡°Those who were called out yesterday¡­ were sold to the prison.¡± ¡°???¡± The crowd was stunned, and then an uproar ensued.
Sold to prison? Being well aware of what that meant in their line of work¡ªthose people were practically pronounced dead, and not just any death, but a terrible one! ¡°Wh-why¡­¡± An ordinary person asked in a trembling voice. He didn¡¯t want to be sold into prison; he wanted to live! ¡°Because Boss Huang was short on Crystal Cores, he sold those people in exchange for Crystal Cores¡­¡± Nie Siyan exined. ¡°¡­¡± The crowd was somewhat dumbfounded. The boss could be short on Crystal Cores? Even if he was, shouldn¡¯t he just squeeze them a bit, making them work harder? Who would kill the goose thatys the golden eggs by selling the people¡­ Fear spread rapidly among the crowd. If the boss could sell those high-performing individuals, he could definitely sell them too! They even suspected that Nie Siyan might tie them upter¡­ But then they heard Nie Siyan continue,
¡°Regarding Boss Huang¡¯s actions, we were as puzzled as you, so we went to confront him. And then¡­ Huang Wu and Liao Xia got into a fight with Boss Huang¡­¡± ¡°???¡± Again the crowd was filled with question marks. The leadership fought among themselves? Could that really happen? Chapter 431: 194 Firefly Club_3 Chapter 431: Chapter 194 Firefly Club_3 ¡°` But what shocked them came next. Nie Siyan continued, ¡°As a result, Huang Wu and Liao Xia died¡­¡± ¡°???¡± ¡°Boss Huang is dead too.¡± ¡°!!!¡± All the survivors, including Brother Wang¡¯s confidants, were dumbfounded. They all felt like they had been struck by lightning. The boss is dead? The boss¡¯s own brother and the boss¡¯s second wife too?
Three out of the four Level 2 Ability Users in our Skull Club are dead? Although some people harbored a thought of hating Boss Huang and wished he would die sooner when scolded by him, that was merely a thought. Rationally, no one wanted anything to happen to Boss Huang; after all, they had survived up until now under his protection. Without Boss Huang, the strong Level 2 Ability User, how were they, the ordinary folks and Level 1 ability users, supposed to live¡­ The Skull Club would probably fall out of the ranks of the medium-sized powers! ording to the established norms in Zijing City, only the forcesprised of ability users were widely recognized, and only those established by Level 2 Ability Users were considered medium-sized. Skull Club used to have four Level 2 Ability Users, especially Boss Huang, who had significantbat power. So, the overall strength of the Skull Club was quite eptable among the medium-sized powers. But now, not only had their poption decreased by eight or nine tenths, but three Level 2 Ability Users had also died! Only one Level 2 Ability User was left, and it was Nie Siyan, who wasn¡¯t very strong inbat¡­ Everyone felt darkness looming before their eyes. It¡¯s over, the Skull Club is thoroughly finished¡­ The reputation of being a medium-sized power was trivial; what they cared about wasn¡¯t the reputation. It meant that if an organization¡¯s strength plummeted, other groups would definitely kick them while they were down! The Skull Club had offended many in the past, and they might take this chance tond a few kicks. And there were those eyeing the resources of the Skull Club; they must be very interested in the current state of the Skull Club. After all, the news of Boss Huang selling more than two hundred people would definitely spread, and those were for crystal cores and inhibitors¡­ As for whether Nie Siyan was telling the truth or what role she yed¡­ no one considered that anymore. Since Boss Huang and the two others hadn¡¯t shown up, they were definitely in trouble. Now, they needed to think not about the specifics but about what to do in the future¡­ Seeing the worried expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, Nie Siyan spoke, ¡°Anyone who wishes to leave can go ahead and leave.¡± Not a single person moved. Everyone was no fool; even if the Skull Club was now greatly weakened, they still had a Level 2 Ability User at the helm. If they left now, they would genuinely have no protection whatsoever¡­ ¡°Sister Nie, from now on, you are our new boss!¡± The bald man by Nie Siyan suddenly eximed loudly. The others also hurried to agree. If Nie Siyan left, it would truly mean the end of the Skull Club.
Seeing the expectant looks of the people, Nie Siyan nced subtly at the upper floor again and then sighed, ¡°Since everyone trusts me so much, naturally, I cannot let you be disappointed. However, I n to stop dealing in human trafficking in the future and change our name to distance ourselves from the old Skull Club¡­¡± The name Skull Club was something Huang Heng came up with on a whim; it bore no specific meaning, only that he thought it sounded imposing. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that Nie Siyan had agreed.
Although Nie Siyan¡¯s desire to switch trades was unexpected, except for the bald man and a few others being puzzled, the rest didn¡¯t mind, and some were even relieved. Those were the people with the lowest performance, and their shorings stemmed from either being incapable or psychologically opposed to the activities. Therefore, switching trades was actually a blessing for them. Nie Siyan added, ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll be known as the Firefly Club!¡± Firefly was the name of this arcade. ¡°All hail the Club President!¡± The bald man was quick-witted and shouted immediately. The others were a half-step slower but promptly followed suit. Honestly, seeing these people respectfully call her the club president, Nie Siyan felt quite thrilled inside. Power is something both men and women can find intoxicating. But she was only distracted momentarily before snapping back to reality. ¡°If everyone is calling me the club president, then I definitely can¡¯t neglect you all. I will look into our future development ns, hoping to ensure that everyone can have a better life. However, let me be clear: if anyone hinders our progress, then don¡¯t me me for being ruthless!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone braced themselves and promptly answered in affirmation. ¡°Alright, go downstairs. There shouldn¡¯t be any tasks for the next couple of days, so everyone should rest well.¡±
¡°Yes!¡± After sending everyone away, Nie Siyan nced at the bald man and hispanions before heading upstairs. ¡°Dismissed.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The bald man watched Nie Siyan¡¯s retreating figure as she ascended the stairs, his face thoughtful. He knew that the death of Boss Huang couldn¡¯t be as simple as Nie Siyan made it out to be, and it likely had something to do with those few friends of hers! He hadn¡¯t forgotten that those strangers were still upstairs. But that wasn¡¯t his concern; he just needed to steadfastly follow Nie Siyan. What he didn¡¯t know was that he was lucky they were loyal enough. If it hadn¡¯t been for Nie Siyan speaking up for them, they would probably be in prison by now¡­ Third floor. After heading upstairs, the previously spirited Nie Siyan immediately knelt on one knee respectfully beside Wang Tao. ¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯ve ryed your orders down below¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded. The renaming of Skull Club and making Nie Siyan the president were naturally Wang Tao¡¯s ideas.
He wasn¡¯t interested in the title of president himself, but since Nie Siyan was determined to follow him, he decided to support her and see where it leads. Having a power to run errands and take care of matters could sometimes be quite convenient. As for the me for selling more than two hundred people into jail, it was naturally shifted to the deceased Huang Heng. In times of chaos, reputation bes ever more important. Since Huang Heng was dead, it was only right for him to contribute a little more. If there were any more blunders in the future, they¡¯d all be med on him. ¡°Your next task is to buy Level 2 Crystal Cores on behalf of the Firefly Club from other powers¡­¡± ¡°` Chapter 432: 195: Bizarre_1 Chapter 432: Chapter 195: Bizarre_1 ¡°Purchasing a Level 2 Crystal Core? What price should we offer¡­¡± Nie Siyan asked. ¡°Let¡¯s allow them to set their own prices.¡± Considering the substantial differences in price between various types and qualities of Crystal Cores, it was impossible for Wang Tao to list all the prices. ¡°Yes! So, should I start preparing now?¡± Nie Siyan appeared eager to begin. She wasn¡¯t afraid of Wang Tao assigning her tasks since having tasks meant she was still of use. If Wang Taopletely ignored her, that would be the real trouble¡­ ¡°Right, while you¡¯re at it, inquire if there are any news about Level 2 and Level 3 zombies, we are willing to pay for them.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Go.¡±
Wang Tao waved his hand. After Nie Siyan left, Wang Tao pulled out the map of Zijing City. He had marked many ces, some tagged with ¡°suspected Level 3 zombie.¡± For the current major forces in Zijing City, Level 2 Crystal Cores were exactly what they needed, as there were quite a number of Level 2 ability users by now. If there were Level 2 zombies, they would certainly attempt to kill them. In general, they would not easily reveal the location of Level 2 zombies. Level 3 zombies, however, were different. It was said that not even people from the four major forces had taken the initiative to engage with Level 3 zombies. Therefore, some ces suspected of having Level 3 zombies slowly became known to people. They would try to avoid these areas when they went out. The information about suspected Level 3 zombies had been obtained by Wang Tao from Huang Heng. He nned to select a few, then test out the strength of Zijing City¡¯s Level 3 zombies. That was, of course, if they were indeed Level 3 zombies. If they were above Level 3, Wang Tao would definitely run as far as possible. After making a selection, Wang Tao chose a location closest to the video arcade. It was a hotel, rumored to have a Level 3 zombie inside. It was unclear how strong it was, but previously, a Level 2 ability user had been killed by it. Wang Tao surmised it was likely a Level 3 Zombie Lord! Because ordinary and Elite Zombies generally wandered aimlessly and would not appear in a fixed ce. But Zombie Lords had their territories. This one seemed to fit the bill. With Wang Tao¡¯s current strength, dealing with Level 3 Elite Zombies shouldn¡¯t be difficult. As for Lord Rank zombies, he could try taking them on. Of course, Wang Tao would first have to check how much HP the zombie had; if it was too high, then he definitely wouldn¡¯t consider it. Once he had decided on a target, Wang Tao called Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun, ready to do some reconnaissance. ¡°Mr. Wang, good day!¡± Whening downstairs, the members of Firefly Club immediately greeted Wang Tao upon seeing him. Wang Tao nodded slightly in acknowledgment. His current status was Nie Siyan¡¯s honored guest, and she had already informed her subordinates to show him the same respect they would show her. ¡°Brother Wang, are you going out?¡±
At this point, Nie Siyan came down from upstairs. She had just been contacting other forces using a walkie-talkie on the rooftop. Changing the name of Skull Club and the purchase of Crystal Cores was definitely something she needed to discuss with others. Seeing Wang Tao heading downstairs, she hurriedly ran over. ¡°I¡¯m heading to Danfeng Hotel.¡±
Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Danfeng Hotel¡­ *cough* Well, Brother Wang, how about taking me with you? There¡¯s a force nearby, and I n to go there¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s courage had grown significantly, if it had been the day before, she definitely would not have dared to join Wang Tao proactively. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Wang Tao looked at her. Once in the car, Nie Siyan sat up straight and told Wang Tao that she wanted to visit a small force. Their strength wasn¡¯t much to speak of, but their leader was very capable. Although only a Level 1 ability user, he was often seen running around outside. Nie Siyan, a Level 2 Ability User herself, wouldn¡¯t dare to wander around recklessly, sticking only to familiar routes. This made it evident how capable the leader of the small force was. Nie Siyan wanted to recruit this person into the Firefly Club, after all, Wang Tao had said he would investigate the locations of Level 2 and Level 3 zombies and purchase Level 2 Crystal Cores. These tasks required someone to go out and about. Nie Siyan knew she was not up to the task, so she needed to recruit some people. If it was the former Skull Club, it was very unlikely they could recruit this person due to the club¡¯s bad reputation. But the Skull Club was no more, now it was the Firefly Club, so she was going to give it a try. ¡°Just you?¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised. Shouldn¡¯t this kind of task be delegated to subordinates? Even if the club president personally went, shouldn¡¯t they bring some staff along? A president going alone seemed somewhat shabby. ¡°It¡¯s more convenient alone, and if there¡¯s danger, I can escape quickly¡­¡±
Nie Siyan immediately said. Being alone was indeed convenient, but that applied to the powerful. It wasn¡¯t suitable for her. The main reason she went out alone was that she had no subordinates left. Skull Club originally had three hundred people, but Wang Tao¡ªor rather Huang Heng¡ªsold off more than two hundred sixty of them. Now, the Firefly Club was down to just over thirty people. Now, after switching operations, most people went out to scavenge supplies, and her ability user subordinates had to guard the base since their arcade was quiterge, and they couldn¡¯t rx security¡­ so naturally, not many people were left. Wang Tao didn¡¯t speak, but gave Nie Siyan a look. Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, Nie Siyan quickly spoke up. ¡°*cough* You can¡¯t hide anything from Brother Wang, truth is, we¡¯re a little short on staff¡­¡± Only then did Wang Tao look away. ¡°If I find out you¡¯ve been deceiving me again, don¡¯t bothering back.¡± Chapter 433: 195: Bizarre_2 Chapter 433: Chapter 195: Bizarre_2 No matter the circumstance, Wang Tao disliked it when people intentionally hid things from him. ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan immediately lowered her head, with some cold sweat on her back. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of the beating from Wang Tao previously, but she felt especially afraid of Wang Tao. Just a nce from him could induce cold sweat¡­ However, she subconsciously wanted to be with Wang Tao because his strength was overwhelming! Nie Siyan even thought to herself whether she was being too submissive¡­ Wang Tao looked at Nie Siyan, who was silent with her head lowered, contemting on how to reward her if she handled the matter well. After all, Wang Tao always believed in clear rewards and punishments. So far, Nie Siyan only had two abilities, both at Level 1. One was ¡°Throwing Master¡± and the other, ¡°Dream Interpretation¡±. When she encountered Wang Tao before, she didn¡¯t even have the chance to resist, so Throwing Master was useless. And her Dream Interpretation ability was one that could wake people up from their sleep. This ability matched perfectly with the ¡°Drowsiness Fog¡± ability of several subordinates under hermand.
ording to Nie Siyan, they had encountered several zombies capable of releasing drowsiness fog. After killing the zombies, apart from a few Drowsiness Fog Crystal Cores, there was also a Dream Interpretation Crystal Core. It was like having both poison and its antidote. Nie Siyan merged with the Dream Interpretation Crystal Core, and she let her four subordinates merge with the Drowsiness Fog Crystal Cores. This way, it was very convenient for them to act together. As for why her two abilities were still at Level 1¡­ Truth be told, she was both lucky and unlucky. Lucky because the Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core she had merged with was of Ordinary quality, White Rank, and with a 20% probability, she had seeded in merging, which was absolutely explosive luck. Unlucky because she originally could have merged with four abilities. Being cautious while preparing to merge with the fourth ability, she had never found a suitable one. Just then, Huang Heng needed herbat power and gave her a White Ascension Crystal Core, and she indeed sessfully rose to Level Two. However, during the ascension to Level Two, she transferred the Level 2 Ability to her uncle by marriage, Huang Wu. Of course, this wasn¡¯t of her own volition but at Huang Heng¡¯s request, because the transferred ability had no side effects¡­ About this matter, Nie Siyan actually had someints, but she couldn¡¯t resist Huang Heng and simplyplied. Yet, what Nie Siyan didn¡¯t expect was that once she advanced to Level 2, she was no longer able to merge with Level 1 Crystal Cores, and she didn¡¯t have any suitable Level 2 Crystal Cores in hand, resulting in her still having two Level 1 abilities, one of which had nobat power at all¡­ This was also why she was considered the weakest in terms of strength among the four individuals. Wang Tao felt that if Nie Siyan performed well, he would boost her strength, otherwise, she would drag the team down too much. Wang Tao had many Crystal Cores, even Extraction Crystal Cores, which could directly change her Special Abilities¡­ However, the specifics depended on Nie Siyan¡¯ster performance. ¡­ Around noon, Wang Tao¡¯s car reached the vicinity of Danfeng Hotel. Nie Siyan still had a little distance to go, but she didn¡¯t dare to hope that Wang Tao would drop her off, so she had to walk the rest of the way. But just then, the car¡¯s inte crackled to life. ¡°Szzt¡­ Szzt¡­¡±
Everyone instinctively looked toward the car inte. ¡°Szzt¡­ Help! Is anyone there? Please save us¡­ Szzt¡­¡± This familiar voice, why does it sound so familiar? Wang Tao subconsciously looked at Nie Siyan.
Nie Siyan first froze, then felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head! She began to speak, sounding somewhat shaky: ¡°This, is this me?! No, this is my voice!¡± Wang Tao looked at the inte, deeply frowning. Frankly, if it weren¡¯t for Nie Siyan being right there inside the car, he might have really thought the call was from Nie Siyan herself. The voice from the inte was identical to hers! ¡°Could it be that you have a twin sister?¡± Wang Tao raised his eyes to look at Nie Siyan. ¡°No!¡± Nie Siyan hastily waved her hands. Her mind was a bit chaotic at the moment, as hearing her own voice from the inte while sitting right there was genuinely bizarre. After a moment of thought, Wang Tao pressed the inte and asked: ¡°Who are you? Where are you? What danger have you encountered?¡± ¡°Who are you¡­¡±
A momentter. ¡°Szzt¡­ Ah? Someone! There really is someone! My name is Nie Siyan, and we are surrounded by a bunch of bad guys! They want to kill us! Help!¡± Boom¡ª Nie Siyan felt her head was about to explode! Not only she, but even Xu Xiaojun, who was slow to catch on, began to sweat coldly. Wang Tao also felt his scalp tingle. He had just considered the possibility that someone might be deliberately imitating Nie Siyan to deceive others and then shift the me onto her. But after hearing the voice on the other side, Wang Tao doubted that theory. Because the speech, not only in tone but also in words, was exactly the same as Nie Siyan, word for word, just like when she herself had deceived others! It was like a copy-paste! Only Nie Siyan and Wang Tao¡¯s group knew about these matters; how could the person on the inte have known? Therefore¡­ it was not someone deliberately imitating her! Wang Tao immediately turned his head to look at Jiang Shixue.
¡°Little Xue, can you hear the words from the inte?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Jiang Shixue nodded. ¡°¡­We have a problem!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. Chapter 434: 195: Bizarre_3 Chapter 434: Chapter 195: Bizarre_3 ¡°` If this wasn¡¯t an imitation by someone, Wang Tao felt there was a high probability it was a hallucination. He had previously encountered a ck Mist Monster in Shuize County that could use illusions to influence people¡¯s thoughts. Jiang Shixue might be immune to the illusions due to her unique constitution. So, if all three of them heard the sound but Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t, then they were definitely affected by an illusion! But to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, Jiang Shixue could hear it too! Now there could only be two possibilities: one was that the illusion was so strong that even Jiang Shixue couldn¡¯t avoid it, or this wasn¡¯t an illusion at all but something Wang Tao had never seen before¡­ ¡°Retreat!¡± Wang Tao had always held a sense of reverence for the unknown. Having realized that he couldn¡¯t determine the situation at hand, he immediately instructed Xu Xiaojun to evacuate the area. But what nobody expected was that the environment outside had changed without them noticing!
They were supposed to be near the Danfeng Hotel, but now¡­ they were under the Haochen Hotel! These two hotels were located at the south and the north, nowhere near each other! ¡°Brother, what in the world is going on¡­¡± Nie Siyan was so scared that she was trembling all over. Xu Xiaojun was also afraid, his eyes bulging like brass bells, ready to fight at any moment. Wang Tao¡¯s eyes emitted a green light, and red light gleamed in Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes, but the scene outside remained unchanged. Wang Tao touched the Entangling Roots on his wrist and then said to everyone: ¡°Get out of the car!¡± They all got out immediately. Xu Xiaojun took out his Giant Axe from the trunk and stood next to Wang Tao like a guardian deity. Nie Siyan was extremely frightened; she didn¡¯t care about anything else and hid directly behind Wang Tao. Jiang Shixue, on the other hand, looked curious; she never knew what fear was. The group waited outside the car for a while, and aside from the inte inside the car continuing to make noise, there were no other sounds. It was too quiet here, and there wasn¡¯t even a single zombie! ¡°I feel like the problem might be inside this hotel¡­¡± Wang Tao said, looking at the Haochen Hotel with a frown. ¡°But I¡¯ve alwayse to this hotel, and I¡¯ve checked it every time; there¡¯s nothing wrong with it inside¡­¡± Nie Siyan spoke weakly at this time. ¡°Are you sure, this hotel is the one you¡¯ve been in?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked Nie Siyan.
¡°¡­¡± Given the eerie state of things, she was no longer sure. Just then, Nie Siyan¡¯s voice from the car¡¯s inte stopped, and after a moment, a chilling roar erupted: ¡°Save me! Why won¡¯t youe save me! Damn it, you really deserve to die!¡±
Although the voice was shrill, it could still be identified as Nie Siyan¡¯s voice! At this moment, Nie Siyan hadpletely hidden behind Wang Tao like an ostrich, and Wang Tao even saw her HP slowly draining. But this wasn¡¯t her fault, anyone else brought into this bizarre environment would probably be no different. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s take a look inside the hotel!¡± Wang Tao said to the others. If this was an illusion, then they were trapped inside. They had to find a way out. Wang Tao guessed that simply driving away wouldn¡¯t work; they could end up in an endless loop, possibly encountering a phenomenon like a ¡°ghost hitting the wall¡±, eternally circling the same area. So he still believed the key to the problem was inside the hotel. However, just as they were about to enter the hotel, they suddenly heard footsteps from inside. Then a bald man with tattoos on his face burst out. ¡°Help! Help me!¡± He appeared to be in good physical condition, but his face was full of terror, as if he had seen something dreadful. Seeing this man, Nie Siyan was shocked. ¡°Zhu Han, why are you here too!¡± ¡°` This person was none other than one of her most capable subordinates!
¡°Sister Nie! Save me!¡± Seeing Nie Siyan, Zhu Han seemed to have spotted his savior. His face lit up with joy, and he made a beeline toward Wang Tao. Nie Siyan was about to speak with Wang Tao when, without any warning, he whipped out a firefighter axe and swung it directly at Zhu Han. Bang! A shockwave mmed into Zhu Han¡¯s body. Zhu Han was sent flying, having just run out of the hotel lobby; he was now smashed back inside. ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s eyes widened at the scene, but she was of little influence and dared not say more. Momentster, a bloodied Zhu Han hobbled out again. ¡°You, why did you hit me!¡± He red furiously at Wang Tao. ¡°Why did I hit you? I even want to kill you!¡± Wang Tao cracked a grin.
You¡¯ve got a red HP bar over your head and you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re Zhu Han? The health bars of survivors are green; only zombies and monsters have red ones! Plus, he¡¯s a Level 2 Elite! A Level 2 with a suffix and without any mixed attributes¡ªdefinitely a zombie! [HP: 11238/15000] [Mana: 10000/10000] [Level: Level 2 Elite] Without exchanging words, Wang Tao charged straight in. In just a few exchanges, he dealt with him. ¡°You¡­¡± Zhu Han¡¯s eyes were fixed in a stare as he died, looking as if he had been wronged. Even after his death, his body showed no changes, still resembling Zhu Han. Nie Siyan covered her mouth, not daring to say anything.
Whether this was Zhu Han or not, she had no right to influence Wang Tao¡¯s decision. Wang Tao found the scene quite curious. Too simr! This person, or rather this thing, was too much like Zhu Han! Unfortunately, the eyes can be deceived, but the HP bar cannot. Wang Tao had just stowed away his spoils of war when another cry for help sounded from inside the hotel. ¡°Help! Somebody help!¡± A figure Nie Siyan knew all too well burst out. ¡°Liao Xia¡­¡± Wang Tao, seeing the other¡¯s 20,000 HP and Level 2 Elite attributes, did not hesitate to charge forward once again. Momentster, Liao Xia was dead. As she died, she too stared hard at Wang Tao, as if she¡¯d been unjustly used. Then, Huang Wu appeared. Still with 20,000 HP and the attributes of a Level 2 Elite. He was also easily killed by Wang Tao. When she saw Huang Wu die and Huang Heng walk out from the hotel, Nie Siyan waspletely stunned. ¡°Could it be¡­ ¡®I¡¯ will alsoe walking out of the hotel?!¡± Chapter 435: 196: Level 4_1 Chapter 435: Chapter 196: Level 4_1 ¡°` [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 30000/20000] [Level: Level 3¡¤Elite] This ¡°Huang Heng¡± was actually a Level 3 Elite Zombie. This came as a bit of a surprise to Wang Tao. After all, with his current strength, killing a Level 3 Elite wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. ¡°Honey, why are you with someone else? Come to me!¡± This ¡°Huang Heng¡± was different from the previous few people. The others had run towards Wang Tao and his group as soon as they came out, screaming for help. But this Huang Heng stopped in his tracks the moment he saw Nie Siyan, immediately initiating interaction with her after he¡¯d been shouting for help.
It felt like¡­ he was somewhat¡­ smarter? Nie Siyan was startled when she heard Huang Heng¡¯s words. No matter what, she and Huang Heng had been married for many years, but she had killed him with her own hands. So as far as Huang Heng was concerned, any normal person would probably feel a bit guilty. Now, seeing Huang Heng frowning and looking unhappy, Nie Siyan subconsciously wanted to approach him. But instantly, she felt a cold gaze on her. Nie Siyan¡¯s steps faltered, and then she immediately took a step back, hiding behind Xu Xiaojun. She might feel a bit guilty toward Huang Heng, but she was scared of Wang Tao! From a distance, Wang Tao watched as Nie Siyan took a couple of steps and then went back. Only then did he withdraw his gaze. Nie Siyan must have been affected. Wang Tao took steps towards Huang Heng. ¡°You want to fight me? How presumptuous!¡± Huang Heng looked at Wang Tao with a hint of disdain in his eyes. Then, he inexplicably produced arge cleaver and pointed it at Wang Tao arrogantly. This Huang Heng who had just seemed desperate to escape was now looking arrogant, as if the danger behind him had disappeared? Wang Tao, unable toment further, activated his Barrier Ability and sprinted towards Huang Heng. However, during the sprint, one after another, ck roots appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s body, quickly entangling around him. By the time Wang Tao reached Huang Heng, he had transformed from an ordinary man of one meter ny to a two-meter-five-tall monster! Seeing this, Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue remained calm, but Nie Siyan covered her mouth in horror. She suddenly felt that Huang Heng might be fine, but Wang Tao had serious problems!
Who is the real monster here! Nie Siyan felt like she was going to go crazy. On the other side. Huang Heng swung his cleaver at Wang Tao, who was charging at him.
Wang Tao didn¡¯t dodge, taking the hit with his Entangling Roots. [-528] [29999/29999£¨9472/10000£©] Then Wang Taonded a punch on Huang Heng¡¯s head. [-4829] [25171/30000] Huang Heng was smashed into the hotel lobby. Wang Tao didn¡¯t chase after him but looked at the cut on his own shoulder, frowning. ¡°Such high attack!¡± The defense of the Entangling Roots was very strong; the Night Demon could only hit him for a bit over a hundred HP, and the weakened Level 3 Fish Zombie Lord simrly could only deal around a hundred HP in damage. But this thirty-thousand-HP Huang Heng had dealt over five hundred HP in damage! Although this Huang Heng had the same HP as the Night Demon, his attack was four to five times that of the Night Demon! However, Huang Heng¡¯s defense was much weaker. When Wang Tao, wearing Entangling Roots, hit the Night Demon, he could only inflict around three thousand HP, but he could deal nearly five thousand HP damage on Huang Heng!
This was a zombie with high attack and low defense! Wang Taoughed from within his Root Armor. He liked such opponents! ¡°You, are seeking death¡­¡± Huang Heng walked out of the hotel lobby and charged at Wang Tao with the cleaver raised. Bang! The two shed again. Wang Tao had two fighting styles; without activating Entangling Roots, he would focus on dodging and defense, sometimes preferring to miss opportunities rather than expose himself to injury. After all, if he got scratched by a zombie, he might never get off the Inhibitor for the rest of his life. But with Entangling Roots activated, Wang Tao fought wildly! Banking on the high defense of the Entangling Roots and the fact he wouldn¡¯t lose any blood from the mechanism, he would recklessly trade blow for blow, life for life! This way of fighting was violent but also very fast. In his battle with Huang Heng, just a few moves and merely thirty seconds had passed before Huang Heng was left with a sliver of HP. Wang Tao nced at his own HP bar. [29999/29999£¨6107/10000£©] This was the heaviest damage the Entangling Roots took on his body.
However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t the slightest bit upset, because Huang Heng was about to die. Wang Tao raised his vast Root Foot and stamped down hard on Huang Heng, who was lying at his feet. St! [-1023] [0/30000] Huang Heng¡¯s head burst open, and his HP bar emptied. A pile of Loot Packs burst forth instantaneously from Huang Heng¡¯s body. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to examine them and quickly collected both the loot and the Crystal Core from Huang Heng¡¯s brain. ¡°Hmm? Is his cleaver real? Or is it a Bone Knife?¡± Looking at the named cleaver that Huang Heng had dropped, Wang Tao was a bit surprised, but without a closer look, he hurriedly stowed it into his Space Backpack. Then he quickly used a Crystal Core to replenish the HP of the Entangling Roots while looking towards the Haochen Hotel lobby. Following this rhythm, the next one toe out should be Nie Siyan, right? Wang Tao was even looking forward to it. If two identical Nie Siyans stood side by side, wouldn¡¯t that be interesting?
Just then, Nie Siyan¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie in Wang Tao¡¯s car again. ¡°` Chapter 436: 196: Level 4_2 Chapter 436: Chapter 196: Level 4_2 ¡°You¡¯re all going to die! You¡¯re all going to die! You¡¯re all going to die!¡± Her voice was filled with resentment. Everyone¡¯s gaze was drawn to the sounding from the walkie-talkie, and they subconsciously looked towards it. Suddenly, Nie Siyan, who had been hiding behind Xu Xiaojun, moved. In her hand was a dagger that appeared from nowhere, and she stabbed it towards Jiang Shixue, who was next to Xu Xiaojun! Just as the dagger was about to touch Jiang Shixue, she suddenly turned around and threw a punch. Her delicate little fist and the dagger collided fiercely. But no sound of ripping flesh or breaking bones was heard; instead, the dagger twisted and deformed! Bang! Nie Siyan was sent flying with a single blow. Her entire right arm was irregrly twisted, with bone fragments protruding from the elbow area. Wang Tao watched this scene unfold, his facial expression quite spectacr.
¡°What were you thinking? You chose to attack the person with the fastest reflexes¡­¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s reflexes and speed were the fastest among the three. Even Wang Tao couldn¡¯tpare with her. Not to mention, Jiang Shixue¡¯s body was extremely tough; she was truly a Level 2, Zombie Lord. To think an ordinary dagger could prate her defense? Clearly impossible. Nie Siyan would have had a much better chance attacking Xu Xiaojun instead of Jiang Shixue. Of course, she probably couldn¡¯t be called Nie Siyan any longer at this point. Because, somehow, Nie Siyan had been switched out without anyone noticing! [HP: 38470/40000] [Mana: 15000/20000] [Level: Level 3, Elite] Not only did Wang Tao fail to notice, but even Jiang Shixue, whose perception was usually sharp, didn¡¯t catch on. ¡°There¡¯s something about her¡­¡± Wang Tao could feel his adrenaline already secreting. ¡°Let me do the killingter!¡± Wang Tao said to Jiang Shixue. ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue nodded her little head and then voiced her confusion, ¡°Her defense seems very weak.¡± ¡°I saw it too,¡± Wang Tao nodded in agreement. No matter how you looked at it, this ¡°Nie Siyan¡± was at a Level 3, Elite ranking, clearly one level higher than Jiang Shixue with much more HP. Yet, Jiang Shixue had managed to break her arm with a single punch. This defensive power was a bit too low. ¡°Little Jun, keep an eye on the car to prevent anything else from damaging it,¡± Wang Tao told Xu Xiaojun. The current situation was somewhat eerie; if something really damaged the car, that would be a significant loss. After all, the car was quite valuable. ¡°Sure!¡±
Xu Xiaojun stood by the car, holding a Giant Axe. ¡°Go!¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue immediately rushed towards Nie Siyan. As the two of them sprinted towards Nie Siyan, Wang Tao suddenly realized that Nie Siyan seemed to vanish from his sight even though she was right in front of him!
Not just seemed¡ªshe actually disappeared, because the HP bar above her head was gone! Wang Tao¡¯s eyes emitted a rich green light as his vision reached its peak strength, but he still couldn¡¯t detect any ws visually; the Nie Siyan in front of him looked exactly like the real deal! Wang Tao threw a punch directly at this Nie Siyan. This punch unleashed a Shockwave, hitting the target in an instant. Nie Siyan shattered like a mosaic. Then, Wang Tao felt as if something had appeared behind him. Wang Tao turned his head, only to see Nie Siyan reappear behind him, her face emotionless as she delivered a punch to his waist. Bang! [-34] ¡°¡­¡± Wait, was that damage for real? Only 34 HP was lost, and those 34 HP were absorbed by the Entangling Roots. It felt like, aside from Nie Siyan¡¯s abilities being somewhat peculiar, both her attack and defense seemed to be extremely weak? If that was the case, then Wang Tao could bepletely at ease.
Between him and Jiang Shixue, let¡¯s not even say it, their defensive power was rock-solid. ¡°Get her!¡± Wang Tao swung his fist again, using the Shockwave once more in arge fan-shaped burst. He wasn¡¯t sure what Nie Siyan¡¯s strange abilities were all about, but indiscriminate attacks would do just fine. And as it turns out, this strategy was indeed effective. Wang Tao swung a few chaotic punches emitting Shockwaves, directly forcing Nie Siyan out of thin air! Bang! [-5589] [32881/40000] Nie Siyan, sent flying,nded right in front of Jiang Shixue. Jiang Shixue delivered a punch straight to Nie Siyan¡¯s face. Bang! [-3187]
[29694/40000] Nie Siyan, still airborne, was smashed harshly into the ground by Jiang Shixue¡¯s punch, and cracks formed in a circle on the concrete pavement. Wang Tao took the opportunity to rush over and stomp hard on Nie Siyan. This stomp didn¡¯t cause any damage, but it pinned Nie Siyan down, preventing her from moving. And so, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue took turns pummeling Nie Siyan with their fists and feet. Soon, Nie Siyan¡¯s HP was close to depleted. Seeing that she had just a sliver of HP left, Wang Tao signaled Jiang Shixue to stop; he was about to bring down his fist, the size of a casserole, onto Nie Siyan¡¯s face. But at that moment, Wang Tao noticed that the red HP bar above Nie Siyan¡¯s head had disappeared and turned into a green HP bar! Wang Tao¡¯s fist stopped just 10 cm away from Nie Siyan¡¯s face. The Nie Siyan beneath his foot was no longer sporting the indifferent expression from before but a face filled with terror. ¡°Bro, please spare me! It¡¯s me; don¡¯t kill me, ah!¡± Wang Tao released his foot, looking at Nie Siyan, who had no visible injuries on her, with some curiosity. What was her situation? Could it be that the zombie had switched ces with her and then switched back again?
Wang Tao grabbed Nie Siyan with one hand and pulled her up from the ground with his left hand. Whoosh¡ª Suddenly, a gust of wind passed by his right ear. Chapter 437: 196: Level 4_3 Chapter 437: Chapter 196: Level 4_3 Wang Tao noticed Nie Siyan suddenly widen her eyes, as if she had seen something terrifying. Without turning his head, Wang Tao threw a punch to his right. Thwack! [-2098] [0/40000] The other Nie Siyan¡¯s head was blown off by Wang Tao¡¯s punch. Meanwhile, the Nie Siyan in Wang Tao¡¯s arms was scared stiff; she had just witnessed ¡°herself¡± get her head blown off! Wang Tao adeptly collected the spoils of battle, then turned his attention to the surrounding environment. Crash¡ª¡ª The space around them shattered like a mirror.
Only now did Wang Tao realize that they were not at the entrance of the Haochen Hotel, but at the entrance of the Danfeng Hotel instead! It was indeed an illusion! Wang Tao was somewhat familiar with this sensation of the illusion shattering; he had previously experienced it with the ck Mist Monster in Shuize County. Wang Tao looked around once more. Lying at the entrance of the hotel were the bodies of several zombie corpses! Based on the positioning of these corpses, Wang Tao made some deductions. ¡°Zhu Han,¡± ¡°Liao Xia,¡± and ¡°Huang Wu¡± were all slim zombies, seemingly of the same type. ¡°Huang Heng¡± was a tall, slender zombie with long limbs. One hand was almost like that of a normal human, but the other was missing from the forearm down. ¡°No wonder it dropped a Bone Knife!¡± Wang Tao remembered the knife he had just picked up; it must have been its other arm! ¡°Nie Siyan¡± was a somewhat plump zombie, looking quite ordinary with no striking physical features. ¡°Was this illusion created by this zombie? It doesn¡¯t seem special, and it feels weak¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss. After all, when he had battled the ck Mist Monster, despite its strength, the illusion it created hadn¡¯t been as realistic as this one. Although the ¡°Nie Siyan¡± zombie had somewhat eerie abilities, its overall power seemed weak. Even the previous ck Mist Monster was much stronger than it¡­ Suddenly, both Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue sensed something and looked up at the top floor of the Danfeng Hotel at the same time. Through an open ss window, they saw a ck shadow. Wang Tao¡¯s hairs stood on end instantly. [HP: 100000/100000] [Mana: 100000/100000]
[Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Internal Impurity: 60%] [Awakening: ???] ¡°Shit! Retreat, now!¡±
He knew something was off! So the illusion wasn¡¯t created by the ¡°Nie Siyan¡± zombie, but by that big guy on the hotel rooftop! A Level 4, Monster Lord! Wang Tao wasn¡¯t even sure if he could defeat a Level 3, Lord, yet here appeared a Level 4, Lord! He had the feeling that ¡°one more nce and he¡¯d be dead¡±! ¡°` No wonder Jiang Shixue couldn¡¯t see through the illusion either, she was two levels below! Boom! Wang Tao immediately ran to the driver¡¯s seat, mmed on the gas pedal, and drove everyone away himself. In the car, Wang Tao stared intensely at the surrounding environment, fearing that some sort of ghost wall phenomenon might ur. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened on the way back to the arcade, and the monster didn¡¯t follow them. However, both Wang Tao and Nie Siyan were suffering from after-effects of the illusion¡ªwhen Wang Tao saw the people in the arcade, he even had the delusion that they were zombies! If he couldn¡¯t see the green HP bars above their heads, he really couldn¡¯t guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t go on a killing spree against these people! ¡°What a terrifying illusion!¡±
Wang Tao quickly led the group upstairs. He was able to discern the reality, but he was worried Nie Siyan might not be able to, and if she acted, that would be troublesome. As for Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue¡­ they seemed to bepletely unaffected! Looking at ¡°Mr. Single-minded¡± and ¡°Little Ditz,¡± Wang Tao actually felt a bit envious. Xu Xiaojun not having any after-effects was probably due to his ¡°Stick to One¡¯s Heart¡± hidden ability. [Stick to One¡¯s Heart: Not easily confused or misled by external things] And Jiang Shixue¡­ it must be because she¡¯s genuinely simple-minded. The more someone thinks, the more likely they are to be affected by these after-effects¡­ Once back upstairs, Wang Tao said to Nie Siyan seriously, ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t go out for the next few days. Even if you see zombies or monsters or something, you mustn¡¯t attack. Otherwise, before you attack, I will take you out first! As for recruiting people and buying Crystal Cores, let¡¯s put that on hold as well. First, get yourself back in the right state of mind.¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Nie Siyan nodded urgently. ¡°I understand!¡± When she first returned to the arcade, she felt like everyone around her was Liao Xia, Huang Wu, and Huang Heng! If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao holding her back, she might have actually attacked¡­
This Level 4, Lord¡¯s illusion was truly terrifying! Wang Tao recalled the attributes of this fourth-order monster he had seen before, it had an additional attributepared to other zombies or monsters¡ª [Awakening: ???] ¡°What does awakening mean? Is it the ability to ascend to Level 4? And why can¡¯t I see the specific attributes¡­ Could it be because my level is too low?¡± Wang Tao was currently Level 2, and that indeed was lowpared to Level 4¡­ Shaking his head, Wang Tao stopped pondering over it. Wang Tao first asked Nie Siyan why she had disappeared; Nie Siyan mentioned she didn¡¯t understand it herself, she was still feeling a bit dizzy and wasn¡¯t able to exin it to Wang Tao. So Wang Tao let her go rest and decided to talk about itter. Then, Wang Tao took out the map of Zijing City, and at the location of the Danfeng Hotel, he re-marked it¡ªLevel 4, Lord, extremely dangerous! Although he didn¡¯t quite understand why the monster had not continued to attack them with the illusion, not knowing if there was any restriction, he did not n to return. At least not until he reached Level 3. Otherwise, it would be like walking into the jaws of death¡­ By now it was evening, and Wang Tao gulped down several bottles of nutrient solution to replenish his energy before taking a bath. Only when the fatigue and tension on his body slowly faded away did Wang Tao look towards the Space Backpack in the mirror. This operation was actually more of a close call, mainly because the Level 4, Monster Lord did not personally fight.
It probably wasn¡¯t aware that Wang Tao had Level 3bat power, or maybe it was restricted by something. Otherwise, it¡¯s hard to say how things might have turned out¡­ As for the gains from this operation, they were naturally quite substantial! ¡°` Chapter 438: 197 Super Berserker_1 Chapter 438: Chapter 197 Super Berserker_1 This trip to the Danfeng Hotel, if ordinary zombies encountered on the road weren¡¯t considered, Wang Tao had killed a total of three Level 2 Elite Zombies and two Level 3 Elite Zombies. All three Level 2 Elite Zombies were of the same type, and the Crystal Cores inside their heads were also identical, totaling 3 [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Athlete]. Wang Tao already had many of these cores, and since they were a passive ability, he liked them quite a bit. He nned to try fusing them when he got back. Next were the loot packs dropped by these zombies, which were essentially the same. The first zombie that was killed dropped two packs, while the other two each dropped one pack. [Obtained: Running Potion (Medium) x15] [Obtained: Running Potion (Medium) Blueprint x1] From the three zombies, a total of 15 bottles of Running Potion (Medium) and one blueprint were looted. [Running Potion (Medium): After injection, lower body strength increases, and running speed elerates by 50% to 150% (the stronger the constitution, the greater the increase),sting for 10 minutes with a cooldown of 6 hours.] The Medium Running Potion,pared to the Small one, not only gained increased speed¡ªwhere the small one only offers 10%-100%¡ªbut also had a reduced cooldown. The Small potion has a cooldown of 12 hours, while the Medium potion¡¯s was cut in half.
[Running Potion (Medium) Blueprint: Once learned, it allows the crafting of 5 Medium Running Potions at a time. Required materials: Rapid Mushroom x1, Level 2 Zombie Crystal Core x1, Purified Water* 100ml, 10 kcal of food.] Running Potions are good stuff, but to make such potions, a Level 2 Crystal Core is necessary, which is quite luxurious. Plus, without the core materials, Wang Tao definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to craft them now. Then came the main highlight of this haul¡ªthe booty from the two Level 3 Elite Zombies. ¡°Huang Heng¡± and ¡°Nie Siyan,¡± both Level 3 Elite Zombies, posed an overlevel challenge for Wang Tao, so they yielded arge amount of Special Energy! Defeating the ¡°Huang Heng¡± zombie yielded 6000 Special Energy, while defeating the ¡°Nie Siyan¡± zombie gave 9600 Special Energy! Wang Tao¡¯s Special Energy had now reached 41140! With so much Special Energy, he could start on some of his previous ns. But there was no rush. First, he would check out the loot. The ¡°Huang Heng¡± zombie dropped three packs. The first pack contained a Crystal Core Gift Bag, and including the core inside its head, there were a total of six Crystal Cores. They were a Red [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent], a Purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension], a Blue [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Athlete], a Purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C High-Frequency Vibration], a Blue [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Sprint], and thest one, an Orange [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Right Arm Bone de]. ¡°No wonder this zombie¡¯s attack damage was so high; it turns out it had the high-frequency vibration ability¡­¡± Wang Tao was familiar with the other cores, but the Right Arm Bone de was the first he¡¯d seen. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Right Arm Bone de] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Reduced Defense)] [Right Arm Bone de: Passive ability, the right arm rapidly decays, then a sharp bone de grows out.] This core was said to have a side effect of lower defense, but actually, there were two side effects. For Wang Tao, having his right arm turn into a bone de was definitely a negative effect. Moreover, this side effect wasn¡¯t removable¡­ However, for someone who had lost their right arm, this ability would be quite good. After all, having a bone de was better thancking an arm¡­
Speaking of bone des, Wang Tao looked at the de dropped by the ¡°Huang Heng¡± zombie. [Obtained: Sharp Bone de x1] Although items used by zombies retained their names after dropping and could be stored in a Space Backpack, they came without specific attributes. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure about the strength of this bone de. However, the second loot pack from the ¡°Huang Heng¡± zombie contained something that could make good use of this bone de.
[Obtained: Improved Bone de Blueprint x1] [Improved Bone de Blueprint: Allows the crafting of a Sharp Bone de. Required materials: Bone Knife x1 (the quality of the core material will affect the quality of the final product), Level 3 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x20, Steel Wire x20, Gear x20, de x20, Nails x20, Screw x20.] [Improved Sharp Bone de: Attributes unknown] This Improved Bone de Blueprint was somewhat simr to the previous Improved Worn-Out Great Axe, except that the former used a Level 2 Crystal Core, while this one used a Level 3. Wang Tao had enough materials at hand, so he immediately gathered them to start crafting. As for the Level 3 Crystal Core, Wang Tao chose the [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Aquatic Breath]. He felt that the other Level 3 cores had their uses, but the Aquatic Breath core seemed rather average to him, especially since he already had several Level 1 and Level 2 cores with the ability. So he decided to use it. After a sh of multicolored light, a brand-new bone de appeared. This de looked like a door panel, bing bigger, wider, heavier, and more ferocious than the original. [Improved Sharp Bone de] [Level 3 (Excellent)] [Attack Power +50, Durability +50, Attack Speed +5%] ¡°This attribute¡­ it¡¯s powerful!¡± Wang Tao was pleasantly surprised after seeing the specific attributes.
The giant axe he had given Little Jun had an attack power and durability of +30, and it also reduced attack speed. But this bone de not only added 50 to two attributes, but it also increased attack speed! Wang Tao gave it a couple of swings. This bone de wasn¡¯t light, but it was certainly lighter than the giant axe. Although it was long and wide, it wasn¡¯t difficult for Wang Tao to wield given his strength. Chapter 439 - 197 Super Berserker_2 Chapter 439: Chapter 197 Super Berserker_2 ¡°` Wang Tao wielded the Bone Knife and chopped at a steel bar. Bang! Although the steel bar didn¡¯t break, a notch appeared directly on it! And the Bone Knife was unscathed, with no loss in durability. Wang Tao chopped again, this time using the High-frequency Vibration Ability. Crack~ The thumb-thick steel bar was directly chopped into two sections! ¡°Top quality!¡± Wang Tao was very satisfied. He had always been saying he hadn¡¯t found a suitable weapon, especially when he was using Entangling Roots; the Firefighter Axe couldn¡¯t be used at all. But this Bone Knife was substantial, and it seemed to match his root armor perfectly! More importantly, with this Bone Knife in hand, Wang Tao could now use his High-frequency Vibration Ability at any time, which would significantly boost his attack power! After swinging it a few times in the room, Wang Tao put away the Bone Knife contentedly. The third Loot Pack that the ¡°Huang Heng¡± zombie dropped was also a Running Potion. [Obtained: Running Potion (Medium) x10] 10 bottles of medium-sized Potion, not bad either. Next were the Loot Packs dropped by the ¡°Nie Siyan¡± zombie, also three packs. The first, a Crystal Core Gift Bag along with one Crystal Core it naturally carried, totaled five. They were a Purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent], a Blue [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Athlete], a Purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Throwing Mastery], a Red [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Stealth], a White [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Rejuvenation], and thest one, a Red [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Position Switch]. There were no Ascension crystal cores this time, and Wang Tao had seen most of the other crystal cores before, but thest Crystal Core was new to him. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Position Switch] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: reduced attack and defense)] [Position Switch: Within a certain range, select arge creature and bind it for ten minutes. Within these ten minutes, you can consume arge amount of energy to swap positions with it, but the swap must not exceed this range. The ability can be used up to five times within ten minutes, and there is a chance of failure. The probability of failure is rted to the spiritual power of the target. After ten minutes, Position Switch cools down for 1 hour.] This crystal core was clearly the same ability that the ¡°Nie Siyan¡± zombie used to suddenly rece Nie Siyan, then suddenly swap her back again. Looking at the description, this Position Switch Ability was quite impressive. A direct swap with the target¡¯s position! It would definitely be effective in critical moments. For instance, if there is a zombie in a ce that is inessible to attacks, can¡¯t you just switch ces to allow everyone to attack it? Or what if an enemy Ability User is hiding in a crowd and can¡¯t be attacked, and then you use this Ability to swap them out? Or can you set a trap in advance, switch positions with a zombie or an Ability User, and get them into the trap? All of this seems doable! Of course, this Ability is not invincible. First, when you swap with someone, you are basically swapping someone else into their position. For example, if you swap with a zombie, you¡¯ve taken it out of the horde, but the person being swapped has gone into it. If that person cannot avoid the danger, then it bes a one-time-use Ability. Then there¡¯s the side effect; both attack and defense are reduced significantly¡­ a true tool person. Of course, Wang Tao could find a way to remove this side effect, but not the other restrictions of the Ability. For example, it only works within a certain range, you can only bind for ten minutes, it can only be used five times, and it requires a significant amount of energy each time. And most importantly, it can fail, with the failure rate depending on the spiritual power of the target, etc. The existence of these limitations means that Position Switch is destined to be a trick up one¡¯s sleeve, but not a divine technique. Wang Tao suspected that the zombie chose Nie Siyan probably because Nie Siyan had weak spiritual power¡­ Of course, even with all the restrictions, the Ability itself is still decent. If he has a chance to obtain two more Position Switch Crystal Corester and can remove the side effects, Wang Tao thinks it would be worth training someone with high defense to merge with this crystal core, creating a tool person capable of swapping positions with the enemy¡­ Wang Tao continued to inspect the loot. The second Loot Pack dropped by ¡°Nie Siyan¡± zombie contained potions. [Obtained: Mental Boosting Potion x10] [Mental Boosting Potion: After injection, the spirit will receive a certain degree of permanent enhancement.] Without a second thought, Wang Tao began injecting himself in the arm. You can never have too much of this stuff; if he could use it, he would. After spending some time injecting, Wang Tao felt as if his head had been washed with clean water, all fatigue gone. Most importantly, the aftereffects of the hallucinations caused by that Level 4 Monster Lord were gone! ¡°Much better!¡± Wang Tao took a deep breath and then looked at thest Loot Pack. It contained throwing weapons. [Obtained: Excellent Steel Throwing Knife x30] [Excellent Steel Throwing Knife: Throwing weapon, Attack +20] This throwing weapon was much stronger than the previous Surgical Knives! Surgical Knives added no attributes, while this Throwing Knife directly added 20 attack points. The power of a throw with this knife probably wouldn¡¯t fall short of Wang Tao¡¯s own attack. Moreover, unlike the Surgical Knife, this Throwing Knife wasn¡¯t fragile and could be used repeatedly! If that zombie had been throwing these knives then, things could have gottenplicated. But who knew it had no brains, instead attacking Jiang Shixue directly. ¡°` Chapter 440 - 197 Super Berserker_3 Chapter 440: Chapter 197 Super Berserker_3 ¡°` However, speaking of brains, these zombies were supposed to be brainless, but during the fight, Wang Tao felt that these few zombies were almost the same as humans¡­ Clearly, this shouldn¡¯t have been their own ability, but rather an ability of the Level 4 Monster Lord. It must be rted to its [Awakening: ???], it was just uncertain whether it was directly altering the environment or changing Wang Tao and his group¡¯s cognition¡­ As for information about Level 4, Wang Tao knew too little at this point. But it wasn¡¯t like he understood nothing; at least he knew that a hundred thousand HP definitely indicated Level 4, probably the lower limit of Level 4. He also learned that Level 4 would have an awakening attribute. Although the meaning of this awakening was unclear, the awakening must be powerful¡­ The gap between Level 4 and Level 3 was absolutely greater than the gap between Level 3 and Level 2! After all, Levels 1, 2, and 3 were all low levels, while Level 4 was considered intermediate level¡­ After contemting about Level 4 for a moment, Wang Tao quickly shook his head. He hadn¡¯t even reached the limit of Level 3, so thinking about Level 4 was still too far off. He looked at the Crystal Cores he currently possessed. Previously, he thought about using special energy to synthesize Crystal Cores and then use them himself. But special energy had always been insufficient. Now he had over forty thousand special energy, so it was time to give it a try. Wang Tao looked at his abilities, which were currently Level 2 Shockwave +1, Level 2 Precision Shooting +1, Level 2 Barrier +1, and Level 1 High Frequency Vibration +10. With a thought, he acted. [Special Energy -5000] [Special Energy -1000] [Remaining Special Energy: 35140] Expending six thousand special energy, he extracted both Precision Shooting and High Frequency Vibration. Wang Tao¡¯s attribute panel now only disyed two abilities, and his Mana was reduced by 2200, but he had two new Crystal Cores in his inventory. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤ Precision Shooting (+1)] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (Side Effects: None)] The first one was Precision Shooting, the second was High Frequency Vibration. [Level 1 Crystal Core¡¤ High Frequency Vibration (+10)] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (Side Effects: None)] However, these two Crystal Cores were different from any he had seen before. The Precision Shooting had a +1 after it, and High Frequency Vibration had a +10¡­ This probably indicated how many Crystal Cores had been fused to form this one. Just then, a prompt suddenly popped up. [Note: Abilities that have been synthesized cannot be fused by others] ¡°Hm? Abilities like Barrier can¡¯t be fused by other people?¡± This left Wang Tao slightly disappointed; he had been thinking about synthesizing some abilities, extracting them into Crystal Cores, and selling them for money if the opportunity arose. Seems like that wouldn¡¯t be possible. However, this was not a major issue. After all, as long as he could use them, that was what mattered¡ªhaving his own power was the most important. Wang Tao first set these two Crystal Cores aside and then began to fuse Level 1 Crystal Cores. He nned to have the Level 1 Passive Ability Crystal Cores fuse with each other to see if he could synthesize an exceptional superpower. Wang Tao spected before that the more simr the abilities were, the higher the probability of sessful synthesis. Attack abilities or abilities with special powers were diverse, and it was not easy for Wang Tao to find simrities. But passive abilities were different, as they generally passively increased some attribute. In some ways, they should be quite simr¡­ Anyway, Wang Tao still had over thirty thousand special energy, and synthesizing and extracting a Level 1 Special Ability only required 1000 special energy, which was not expensive. So Wang Tao decided to give it a try to see if his guess was correct. ¡­ After some time testing, Wang Tao looked at the brand-new ability on his attribute panel and burst intoughter. ¡°I just knew it, this would definitely work! Although there are some limitations¡­¡± Wang Tao now had three abilities: Level 2 Shockwave +1, Level 2 Barrier +1, and Level 1 State Enhancement +1! [State Enhancement: Passive Ability, can increase strength, running speed, athletic ability, throwing technique (Side Effects: None)] After some experimenting, Wang Tao found that a maximum of 4 original superpowers could bebined into one, exceeding 4 was not possible, and a prompt would appear¡ª [Current max fusion reached for this Ability¡¯s current stage, please try again at the next stage] This presumably meant that a Level 1 Special Ability could only be fused four times, but if it was elevated to Level 2, it should be possible to continue fusing? Wang Tao had exactly five types of Level 1 Passive Abilities in his hands. They were Power, Running, Athlete, Throwing Master, and Timed Defense. Timed Defense was an ability that increased defensive power at night. Compared to the other abilities, this one was less useful to Wang Tao, so he chose the first four. Although there were some minor restrictions, this new ability was still insanely strong. After all, one was as good as four! Wang Tao used ten Level 1 Omnipotent Crystal Cores and instantly upgraded the State Enhancement to +10, then used a Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core to raise the ability to Level 2. Then Wang Tao pulled out a Crystal Core he had just synthesized. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¡¤ Frenzy] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 100% (Side Effects: None)] This ability kicked in when HP dropped below 30%, fully restoring HP, increasing body size, and enhancing all attributes except defense! Once a day, it could Chapter 441: 198 Upgrade Operation_1 Chapter 441: Chapter 198 Upgrade Operation_1 [Super Berserker: Passive Ability, which can increase: strength, running speed, agility, and throwing skills. HP below 30%, trigger berserk (side effect: none)] Seeing the attributes of this ability, Wang Tao¡¯s mouth almost split to his ears. What¡¯s called amazing? This is amazing! This one ability could match someone else¡¯s full set of powers! Wang Tao then continued to check the crystal cores in his Space Backpack and decided to upgrade the high-frequency vibration ability to level two. This ability¡¯s attack is really powerful, and now Wang Tao has a very decent Bone Knife, which fits perfectly with this ability. But Wang Tao could only fuse four crystal cores, and now he had Shockwave, Barrier, Super Berserker, Precision Shooting, and high-frequency vibration, these five abilities. So Wang Tao nned to temporarily put Precision Shooting on ice. After all, his Super Berserker included Throwing Master, which is kind of like half a Precision Shooting, admittedly not as good for long-range, but still decent for mid-rangebat. Anyway, as long as he had enough special energy, he could switch abilitiester! After using a level 2 ability to promote high-frequency vibration to level two, Wang Tao unexpectedly discovered that Shockwave and high-frequency vibration could be synthesized!
[Shockwave + high-frequency vibration (91%)] The probability isn¡¯t lower; without much hesitation, Wang Tao immediately went for the synthesis, cing high-frequency vibration in the main position. Since he had more Shockwave crystal cores, if he ran out of Shockwaves, he could fuse more. But if he lost the high-frequency vibration, it would be gone for good. A momentter. [Synthesis sessful, obtained a new ability: Level 2 Level 1 Vibration Shock] ¡°Sess!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s face did not show surprise; his luck had always been good. With such high chances, it was unlikely to fail. [Vibration Shock: Consumes energy, can use high-frequency vibration, shockwave] Wang Tao thought it would synthesize into an ability thatbines both, but to his surprise, it allowed for individual usage. But this was even better, more convenient to use. Having sessfully fused these two abilities, Wang Tao now had a slot open! After checking his crystal cores, Wang Tao felt somewhat helpless. He didn¡¯t have enough crystal cores. Precision Shooting could be set aside for now, he¡¯ll fuse it when needed. What he wanted to fuse the most was Perception, but unfortunately, he had only one Perception crystal core. And the side effect of this Perception crystal core was, if not fused by a female, Perception ability would decrease by 50%. If he were to fuse, he¡¯d definitely choose a crystal core without side effects, especially when the side effect was so troublesome. Perception would have to wait for now. As for the other crystal cores¡­ Wang Tao felt that none of them suited him, so he ended up fusing a level 1 Sprint crystal core and promoted it to 10. [Sprint: Consumes energy, sprints forward a short distance] This ability was quite good for closebat, rtively suitable for the current Wang Tao. Wang Tao looked at his attributes once again.
[HP: 29999/29999] [Mana: 9500/9500] [Special Energy: 26140] [Internal Impurity: 1%]
[Abilities: Level 2 Vibration Shock +1, Level 2 Barrier +1, Level 2 Super Berserker +1, Level 1 Sprint +10] Besides Sprint, the other three abilities were synthesized abilities, all at +1. At this point, using a level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Core wouldn¡¯t be a loss for Wang Tao, but considering he still wanted to continue synthesizing in the future, using the Omnipotent Crystal Core now would still result in a downgradeter. So it was better to wait a bit longer until all the abilities were synthesized to their limits before using the Omnipotent Crystal Core. As for that 1% Internal Impurity, it would also have to wait. ¡­ The next day. Wang Tao woke up feeling refreshed. All the negative states from yesterday were gone. Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun were basically fine, only Nie Siyan still had some aftereffects. She stayed in her room, not daring to go out. Wang Tao went in to check on Nie Siyan, and when she saw him, it was as if she saw something that angered her, and she subconsciously wanted to attack Wang Tao. But she stopped quickly, threw down the steel pipe in her hand, and knelt before Wang Tao. ¡°Brother Wang, I didn¡¯t mean it, I thought you were Huang Wu¡­¡± ¡°Get up.¡± Wang Tao knew it wasn¡¯t her fault; her spiritual power was just too weak, and the aftereffects were too severe for her.
Butpared to yesterday, it was much better. At least she could recognize Wang Tao quickly now. After ensuring Nie Siyan was not in any danger to her life, Wang Tao left. He nned to continue scouring the locations he had marked on the map today, looking for level 3 zombies. Encountering a level 4 monster yesterday was purely idental. Currently in Zijing City, level 2 zombies were not verymon, level 3 zombies even less so, and the chance of encountering fourth-level zombies was probably about the same as winning the lottery. He didn¡¯t believe he¡¯d encounter one today. The trio drove away from the arcade. However, after wandering around for a day, Wang Tao became a bit frustrated. Indeed, there were no fourth-level creatures today, but he also didn¡¯t encounter any level 3s. He only found some level 2 zombies and quite a few level 1 zombies. Wang Tao hardly moved a muscle the whole day; it was all dealt with by Xu Xiaojun. Today was definitely a fruitful day for Xu Xiaojun. His HP had already reached over 20,000, striving toward 29999. When they returned to the arcade in the evening, Wang Tao went to check on Nie Siyan¡¯s condition again. She was much better than she was in the morning, able to go out and handle some affairs within the base. ¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow, really!¡± Nie Siyan appeared somewhat ttered by Wang Tao¡¯s concern. Chapter 442: 198 Upgrade Operation_2 Chapter 442: Chapter 198 Upgrade Operation_2 ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Wang Tao nodded, then added, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to contact the others to purchase Crystal Cores once you are better tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Evening. Wang Tao was in the midst of his daily workout when Nie Siyan suddenly came over. ¡°Brother Wang, I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you¡­¡± Watching Wang Tao¡¯s half-naked upper body glistening with sweat over his well-defined muscles, Nie Siyan found herself unintentionally swallowing her saliva. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look any longer. They say men are lecherous, but women can be just as lecherous, if not more so. She was no exception. However, the shadow that Wang Tao cast was too deep, and she didn¡¯t dare to overstep. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, speak,¡± Wang Tao said without turning his head.
¡°Well, I just received a message from Zijin Base¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Zijin Base? The top power ranked number one? Their messages can reach this far?¡± Wang Tao turned around, somewhat surprised. Zijing City is vast, and the location of Zijin Base is quite far from the arcade city; normally, it would be impossible for the two tomunicate directly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s them! At the beginning of its establishment, Zijin Base had built a signal tower, capable of transmitting over a veryrge area. Later, several bouts of acid rain damaged the signal tower, rendering it unusable. But they have managed to repair the signal tower recently¡­¡± Nie Siyan quickly exined. ¡°No wonder¡­¡± Wang Tao suddenly understood; that made sense. ¡°What did they say?¡± ¡°Zijin Base says that the zombies are evolving too quickly, while humans are struggling to keep up with the zombies¡¯ pace. If this continues, humanity will eventually be doomed. Therefore, they are nning to unite with the major forces in Zijing City for an upgrading campaign¡­¡± ¡°An upgrading campaign?¡± ¡°The basic idea is to select a few representatives within Zijing City, then temporarily allocate the city¡¯s resources to these representatives, helping them ascend to Level 3. With Level 3 ability users, human strength will increase a lot. Then these Level 3 ability users can lead the rest of humanity in upgrading¡­¡± After hearing Nie Siyan¡¯s exnation, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help eximing in admiration. ¡°Wealth first, then wealth for all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the idea¡­¡± Theoretically speaking, this strategy had no faults. Ever since the number of ability users began to increase, everyone started to realize the importance of high-leveledbat power. It was like when Wang Tao was back in Shuize County; at that time, they were all Level 1 ability users. A Level Two Chimpanzee Zombie Lord nearly annihted their entire base. But once Wang Tao ascended to Level 2, facing off against a Level Two Toad zombie was a piece of cake. If the zombies possess high-leveledbat power, survivors will live in constant fear and anxiety. On the other hand, if the survivors have their own high-leveledbat power, they might not be able to dominate the enemy, but at least they could fend off their attacks¡­ The current situation in Zijin City is that humans are only up to Level 2, but zombies have reached Level 3,pletely overpowering the humans! And it¡¯s not just one or two Level 3 zombies, but many of them!
Merely looking at the numerous suspected Level 3 zombie activity marks Wang Tao had on his map doesn¡¯t reveal the full picture of what others might have witnessed. There are even Level 4 monsters! If humans had Level 3 ability users, the situation would definitely be different; fear wouldn¡¯t be as pressing¡­ So, Zijin Base¡¯s n to unite the city¡¯s survivors and let some ascend to Level 3 ability users first has no faults.
But there are two problems¡ª The first problem is, to be Level 3, one must hunt down Level 3 zombies to obtain Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores. But Level 3 zombies are extremely dangerous, and hunting them¡­ would likely result in many deaths. With Zijing City¡¯s many survivor forces, big and small, even pooling all their resources, it would be impossible for every force to gain a Level 3 ability user. So how should risk and reward be distributed? Surely, people can¡¯t be expected to simply throw their lives away. The second problem is that while the rich leading the poor isn¡¯t an issue, what if those who be rich first not only fail to help the rest but instead oppress and exploit them? What should everyone do then? Fight them? How would a Level 1 or Level 2 ability user contend against a Level 3 ability user? Moreover, several months into this apocalypse, everyone is well aware of what the survivors are capable of. Before the apocalypse, being a good person might mean doing some good deeds; after the apocalypse, being a good person probably means not doing bad things; but now, as long as you aren¡¯t too bad, you could be called a good person¡­ So, without rifying these two problems, it¡¯s likely that few will be willing to respond to the call for this ¡°Upgrading Campaign.¡± ¡°Zijin Base wants us forces to send representatives to their base for a discussion, promising to ensure everyone¡¯s satisfaction¡­¡± Nie Siyan continued. ¡°Send someone over?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows rose. His first thought was a trap. But after thinking it over, he felt it was unlikely.
These people might be bad, but they¡¯re certainly not foolish. If there¡¯s no Level 3 ability users, the situation will continue to deteriorate. Starting a civil war at this stage would be mutually destructive. Besides, although Zijin Base is ranked first, it¡¯s just one of the four major forces. With three more major forces behind it, along with other medium and small forces, it¡¯s impossible for Zijin Base to eliminate all of them in one fell swoop¡­ Chapter 443 - 198 Upgrade Operation_3 Chapter 443: Chapter 198 Upgrade Operation_3 Wang Tao felt that Zijin Base definitely wanted to leverage the strength of the survivors in Zijing City to promote certain individuals to Level 3, and those certain individuals must be their own people. Perhaps the leader of Zijin Base harbored the aspiration to be the ¡°Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch¡±¡­ ¡°So, do we¡­ go?¡± Nie Siyan asked timidly. Actually, she wanted to go. If everyone else went and you didn¡¯t, you would definitely be isted in the future. If it were just some small forces, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, since some small forces couldn¡¯t even travel far. But the Firefly Club was a medium-sized force with the capacity to venture far. If they didn¡¯t go, it might not look good. And if they did go, they might even get a share of the spoils¡­ She didn¡¯t dare to expect the good fortune of a Level 3 ability user to fall into herp, but just getting a few more Level 2 ability users would be beneficial. However, even though Nie Siyan was currently the president, she had to listen to Wang Tao and certainly wouldn¡¯t dare make a decision on her own. ¡°What do you think?¡± Instead of answering, Wang Tao countered with a question. ¡°I think we can go¡­¡± Nie Siyan sneakily gauged Wang Tao¡¯s expression, ready to change her tone immediately if he showed any displeasure. However, Wang Tao nonchntly nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± In fact, Wang Tao was quite interested in this leveling-up operation. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to rely on everyone else¡¯s strength to level up to 3; he didn¡¯t need that. He was thinking that with so many people going there, he could trade Crystal Cores and information¡­ Seeing that Wang Tao had agreed, Nie Siyan immediately breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Great! Then¡­ I¡¯ll wait for them to send someone over!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The message just sent through the wireless radio was one-way. The arcade could receive it, but had no way to reply. Thus, Zijin Base would soon send someone over for registration. They also said they wouldn¡¯t let everyone have a wasted trip. They would offer gifts, including Level 2 Crystal Cores, to all attendees. It was evident that Zijin Base was rather generous in this matter. This also indirectly proved their strength. After all, just sending people to notify the different areas of Zijing City was no simple task, let alone the subsequent hospitality¡­ But the more extravagant they were, the more it highlighted that the leadership of Zijin Base had grand schemes. Probably, just as Wang Tao guessed, the boss of Zijin Base aimed to be a ¡°Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch¡± of Zijing City¡­ ¡°But your strength is too weak. Participating in such events, one must show muscle. If you¡¯re not strong enough, you¡¯re just cannon fodder.¡± Wang Tao suddenly added. Hearing this, Nie Siyan inwardly grumbled that their weakness was all caused by Wang Tao himself. But she dared only to think it and would never dare to show it on her face. She maintained an expression of ¡°The boss is right in his lesson.¡± Wang Tao felt that if he wanted this Firefly Club to work for him, being too weak wouldn¡¯t do. Fortunately, he still had a good number of Crystal Cores he didn¡¯t need himself and could use them to enhance their strength. However, this wouldn¡¯t be free. It was fine to want to improve one¡¯s strength, but one had to show their value. ¡°Starting from tomorrow, you lead a team to collect supplies and hunt zombies,¡± Wang Tao directed Nie Siyan. ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan was somewhat baffled but immediately agreed. ¡­ The next day. Nie Siyan¡¯s aftereffects from the Illusion had mostly vanished, and she quickly gathered everyone at the base. Excluding Wang Tao and his twopanions, there were a total of 33 people, an embarrassingly small number for a medium-sized force. Nie Siyan announced that everyone should go out to gather supplies and hunt zombies. No one was to remain at the base. Upon hearing this, the crowd was first surprised, then some felt rmed. This President Nie wouldn¡¯t sell them out, would she? After all, there was precedence. But even if that were the case, they would have no capability to resist¡­ Quickly, Nie Siyan led the survivors, who all held varied thoughts, out of the base. Inside the base, Wang Tao had Jiang Shixue and Xu Xiaojun on guard. After all, this was Wang Tao¡¯s foothold, and he didn¡¯t want zombies to get in. Then Wang Tao stealthily followed Nie Siyan¡¯s group as they left. The route Nie Siyan took to lead the team today was provided by Wang Tao. The journey would certainly not be peaceful and would encounter various dangers. Wang Tao just wanted to see how well these people fought and whether their moral character was up to standard. His requirements were not high, just the ability to independently kill zombies of the same level and not deliberately harm theirpanions was enough. Following Nie Siyan¡¯s group out for a day, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. These people were actually not bad. Perhaps because Wang Tao had sold all the more troublesome members to prison, leaving those who, although not strong, had barely eptablebat skills and character. Given the current situation, one couldn¡¯t ask for much more. When Nie Siyan returned with everyone in the evening, and everyone copsed on the ground, if Nie Siyan didn¡¯t have to maintain her president¡¯s image, she would have liked to lie down and not get up. Today¡¯s operation was just too difficult! They hadn¡¯t had a moment¡¯s peace. From the ordinary zombies they encountered upon leaving, to the Mad Demon Zombies, to Level 1 Zombies, and then to Level 2 Zombies¡­ they were just short of encountering Level 3 Zombies. They almost didn¡¯t make it back¡­ But thankfully, they returned safely in the end. Especially when Nie Siyan unexpectedly received a lukewarmpliment from Wang Tao, she suddenly felt as though the difficulties of today were worth it. After all, it was praise from Wang Tao! What she didn¡¯t know was that their day was so hard precisely because Wang Tao had intentionally lured the zombies to them¡­ At that moment, Wang Tao suddenly said to Nie Siyan: ¡°Come to my room tonight.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± Nie Siyan was stunned for a moment, then simultaneously anxious and excited. ¡°Is my chanceing?¡± She rushed back to her room. During her earlier scavenging, she had made sure to save many beautiful dresses¡­ Chapter 444 - 199 Firefly Club Strength Enhancement_1 Chapter 444: Chapter 199 Firefly Club Strength Enhancement_1 ¡°` Dong Dong Dong¡ª ¡°Come in.¡± Wang Tao responded without looking up. He was studying the map of Zijing City, preparing to pick the next area to explore. If he didn¡¯t encounter a Level 3 zombie soon, he was even considering luring a Night Demon at night¡­ Wang Tao felt someonee in but didn¡¯t hear them speak. He looked up with some confusion and saw Nie Siyan, who was clearly dressed up, standing hesitantly in front of him. Today, Nie Siyan wore a tight, ultra-short blue-and-white porcin cheongsam. Her figure was already very alluring, and in this outfit, she resembled a character from some peninsic. ¡°Brother Wang¡­ I¡¯m here¡­¡± Nie Siyan bit her red lips, cheeks slightly flushed as she looked at Wang Tao. Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. He had asked for her to discuss important matters, but what was she implying now? Nie Siyan, seeing that Wang Tao wasn¡¯t speaking, thought he wanted to see her perform. So she walked around the desk and crawled underneath. Suddenly, there came another knock on the door from outside. ¡°Come in.¡± Wang Tao¡¯s expression remained unchanged. ¡°Brother Wang.¡± Xu Xiaojun had arrived. Seeing that Wang Tao had grown so strong yet still trained so diligently, he too took every opportunity to exercise. He had just been practicing his Shockwave and didn¡¯t quite understand some parts, so he wanted to ask for Wang Tao¡¯s advice. Wang Tao never held back from his own people. He sat there and shared his experiences with using abilities, and after more than half an hour, Xu Xiaojun left, satisfied. Not long after Xu Xiaojun left, Nie Siyan finally came out. ¡°By the way, what did youe for?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. ¡°Brother Wang, wasn¡¯t it you who asked me toe over at night?¡± Nie Siyan immediately gave Wang Tao a white look. Damn man, still putting on a serious face. Wang Tao pped his forehead, almost forgetting the main issue. ¡°I asked you here for serious business, not for this sort of underhanded trickery. Don¡¯t let it happen again.¡± Wang Tao said solemnly. ¡°You¡¯re right to correct me, Brother Wang! Shall I massage your legs for you?¡± Nie Siyan didn¡¯t argue. She went to wash her hands first, then moved a bit to sit beside Wang Tao and began to massage his legs. Wang Tao stretched out his hand and could just rest it on Nie Siyan¡¯s head. He stroked her hair while Nie Siyan, like a little puppy, rubbed her head against the palm of his hand. ¡°You¡¯re too weak.¡± The first thing Wang Tao said made Nie Siyan¡¯s heart skip a beat. She thought Wang Tao was going to abandon her. But to her relief and surprise, his next words filled her with joy. ¡°So we need to enhance that.¡± Nie Siyan didn¡¯t dare to speak and just kept massaging Wang Tao¡¯s legs, her heart practically leaping with excitement. ¡°What Crystal Core do you want?¡± Wang Tao asked again. Nie Siyan felt her heartbeat speeding up. Wang Tao was actually letting her choose! But Nie Siyan was sensible, and although Wang Tao allowed her to pick, she didn¡¯t dare to be too picky. Besides, she really didn¡¯t know much about Crystal Cores. ¡°I don¡¯t understand these things, you decide for me¡­¡± Nie Siyan said pleasingly. ¡°Alright then.¡± Wang Tao thought for a moment and took out two orange and two red Level Two Crystal Cores. The two orange ones were Rush and Athlete, and both red ones were Ascension. Nie Siyan currently only had two Level 1 Special Abilities, Throwing Master and Dream Interpretation. Obviously, that was too weak; she needed to ascend both abilities to Level Two at the very least. Moreover, Nie Siyan was clearly capable of merging four abilities, but she only had two, which was quite a waste. It was necessary to fill up her other two abilities. Wang Tao thought that Rush and Athlete were not bad. Rush could be considered an offensive and defensive ability, good for both fighting and fleeing. Athlete was a passive ability that provided enhanced physical capabilities, very suitable for surviving the apocalypse. Plus, with Nie Siyan¡¯s already existing Throwing Master, Wang Tao felt it was good enough. ¡°All these¡­ for me?¡± When Nie Siyan saw the four Crystal Cores in front of her, she was somewhat stunned. She had originally thought that it would be great if Wang Tao gave her a blue or higher Level Two Crystal Core. A Purple Crystal Core would be even better. As for red and orange, to be honest, she had only heard of them and had never seen such Crystal Cores! She never expected Wang Tao to give her red and orange ones, and four of them all at once! Four of them! This made her feel like she was dreaming. After all, her rtionship with Wang Tao had not been good before, and even though they had be slightly closer now, it shouldn¡¯t warrant such a generous gift! In fact, she still had no idea how strong Wang Tao really was. If she knew that Wang Tao had killed two Level 3 zombies a few days ago when they encountered the Level 4, Monster Lord, she wouldn¡¯t have been so shocked now. ¡°What? Don¡¯t want them?¡± Wang Tao pinched Nie Siyan¡¯s face. ¡°I do!¡± Nie Siyan quickly took the Crystal Cores into her hands, then looked at Wang Tao with a mix ofplications and gratitude. ¡°Brother Wang, rest assured, I will never betray you in my life! If I go back on my word, may I be struck dead by lightning!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t take Nie Siyan¡¯s oath to heart. He smiled and patted her cheek. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll keep your word.¡± ¡°I certainly will!¡± Nie Siyan knew that Wang Tao might not fully trust her. After all, she had personally killed her husband before, although she was forced, but it was a fact. However, Nie Siyan also knew that talking too much was useless and that the proof was in the pudding. From now on, she just needed to show Wang Tao her actions! ¡°Also, your subordinates are too weak. We¡¯re going to Zijin Base in a few days; with such weak abilities, what benefits could you possiblypete for? So we need to also enhance their strengths¡­ I¡¯ll give you some more Crystal Cores, let them merge with them.¡± ¡°` Chapter 445 - 199 Firefly Club Strength Enhancement_2 Chapter 445: Chapter 199 Firefly Club Strength Enhancement_2 ¡°` Wang Tao took out many more Level 1 Crystal Cores. ¡°Yes, thank you, Brother Wang!¡± Having been struck by those four Level 2 Crystal Cores earlier, Nie Siyan was able to look at these Crystal Cores with much more calmness. Wang Tao then inquired about the situation of other people in the base, determining which ones were trusted by Nie Siyan; he was nning to promote a few Second-order Superpower Owners. After all, the Firefly Club only had Nie Siyan as a Second-order Superpower Owner, which was a bit too few. ¡°I feel that Zhu Han is quite loyal, and also those four fainting smoke ability users who have always followed me¡ªum~¡± As Nie Siyan was speaking, she suddenly felt Wang Tao¡¯s hand, which was on her head, slide down a bit. Wang Tao seemed not to notice anything. Nie Siyan continued to report on her work, pretending nothing had happened. After Wang Tao finished speaking, he let go of his hand, signaling that she could leave. ¡°Ah?¡± Nie Siyan, her face flushed and body trembling, was stunned. The mood was all set¡­ Wasn¡¯t he going to engage in ¡°Deep Communication¡±? But seeing Wang Tao¡¯s indifferent expression, Nie Siyan didn¡¯t dare to say more. ¡°Goodnight, Brother Wang¡­¡± Nie Siyan left the room and gently closed the door behind her. Looking at her disheveled clothes, she bit her lip with a look of deep resentment. Inside the room. Wang Tao smiled. This woman hadunched a surprise attack on him without him being prepared, so naturally, he wouldn¡¯t let her have her way; it was necessary to punish her a bit. At that moment, a shadow suddenly approached Wang Tao. ¡°Brother likes this? I can do it too.¡± Jiang Shixue spoke earnestly. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Wang Tao forgot that Jiang Shixue was also in the room! ¡°Cough, kids don¡¯t understand these things, go to sleep.¡± Wang Tao patted Jiang Shixue on the head. It wasn¡¯t because he was such a gentleman, but mainly because Jiang Shixue had a special constitution, and if she was infected with the zombie virus, it would be a great loss. Moreover, Jiang Shixue was really still like a child. ¡°Oh~¡± Jiang Shixue sounded a little aggrieved and didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡­ The next day. Wang Tao had just gotten up when he saw Nie Siyan, dressed in tight leather, waiting outside his door. ¡°Up so early?¡± Wang Tao asked, surprised. It was just past six o¡¯clock. ¡°I just got up too.¡± Nie Siyan hastily said. In fact, because of the events of the previous night, which were rather tumultuous, she had been too excited to sleep all night. She had been waiting outside Wang Tao¡¯s door since early morning; after all, Wang Tao had given her so many precious Crystal Cores, she had toe and tell him that she had sessfully assimted them all. Wang Tao nced at Nie Siyan¡¯s Attributes. [HP: 13180/13180] [Mana: 4800/4800] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 25%] Her HP was still a bit low, but it was passable. ¡°Not bad.¡± Wang Tao nodded. Nie Siyan was just about to show off to Wang Tao, but it seemed that Wang Tao had already seen through her, which made Nie Siyan¡¯s heart flutter with nervousness. ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. ¡°Eaten¡ªno!¡± Nie Siyan was about to say she had, but then she thought, given that her rtionship with Wang Tao had grown much closer, she quickly changed her answer. ¡°Let¡¯s have it together then.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan was immediately excited inside. It wasn¡¯t the breakfast itself that excited her, but the invitation from Wang Tao signaled that he was treating her as one of his own! Their rtionship had advanced another step! After breakfast, Nie Siyan went downstairs to gather everyone. She took out a bunch of high-quality Level 1 Crystal Cores and made everyone¡¯s eyes gleam. ¡°Since you¡¯ve all followed me, I definitely won¡¯t let you down. After observing these past few days, I think some of you are fit for higher positions¡­ It¡¯s time to be Ability Users!¡± Whoa¡ª The crowd was very excited and started talking among themselves. Nie Siyan didn¡¯t attend to them for the moment but instead took out a few Level 2 Ascension Crystal Cores. Zhu Han and the Level 1 Special Ability users suddenly widened their eyes. ¡°As for you, you¡¯re also qualified to ascend to Level 2.¡± Nie Siyan told them. ¡°Long live the president!¡± Someone initiated the cheer and the rest immediately joined in, chanting long live the president. This feeling made Nie Siyan very thrilled, even more so than her selffort the night before. But she didn¡¯t forget the matter at hand. Before handing out the Crystal Cores, Nie Siyan firstid down the rules of the Firefly Club, saying that they were now core members, and if anyone betrayed or defected, they would be hunted down by the Firefly Club to the end. This caused a shiver in everyone¡¯s heart, but they could all understand. After all, Nie Siyan wouldn¡¯t allow them to just run away after giving them so many Crystal Cores. However, in the end, Nie Siyan announced something that surprised everyone. ¡°Our Firefly Club¡­ has added a new shareholder.¡± ¡°Shareholder?¡± People were momentarily stunned, not understanding what she meant. Zhu Han looked thoughtfully up towards the upper floor. ¡°May I ask, President, who is our new shareholder?¡± Someone inquired. ¡°Wang Tao, Mr. Wang!¡± Nie Siyan answered. Everyone knew the name Wang Tao; Nie Siyan had previously told everyone to treat Wang Tao and his people as VIPs. They had not expected Wang Tao to be a major shareholder of the base¡­ Previously, the Skull Club didn¡¯t have the concept of shareholders; it was solely owned by Huang Heng. After Nie Siyan took over and renamed it the Firefly Club, it became her personal property. Now suddenly a shareholder had appeared, which really surprised everyone. However, since this was Nie Siyan¡¯s decision, everyone naturally couldn¡¯t object. Nie Siyan hinted that these Crystal Cores were actually rted to the shareholder Wang Tao. But she didn¡¯t borate on the specifics, leaving plenty of room for everyone¡¯s imagination. ¡°` Chapter 446 - 199 Firefly Club Strength Enhancement_3 Chapter 446: Chapter 199 Firefly Club Strength Enhancement_3 Some spected that the Crystal Cores were sponsored by Wang Tao; others guessed that Wang Tao had helped Nie Siyan kill many zombies to obtain them; still others believed Wang Tao was a businessman, who had bought these Crystal Cores cheaply from other channels¡­ Regardless of the spections, everyone¡¯s respect and awe towards this Wang Tao only increased. Nie Siyan distributed the Crystal Cores, instructing them to merge here and not take any away. Then she mentioned that in the next couple of days, she might take a few people to visit Zijin Base. Upon hearing this, many people became nervous yet excited. The nervousness obviously stemmed from the potential dangers on the way, while the excitement was due to the fact that none of them had visited Zijin Base before. They all had some yearning for this former official power, wondering who would get to apany Nie Siyan on the visit¡­ Nie Siyan personally supervised everyone as theypleted merging with the Crystal Cores, then she hurried upstairs. ¡°Brother Wang, I took the liberty of listing you as a shareholder of Firefly Club. You take seventy percent, and I take thirty¡­ Please forgive me!¡± Nie Siyan said, bowing her head in a contrite manner. She knew who was responsible for all she had at the moment. Therefore, she had to give up the benefits she should give up. Whether Wang Tao epted them or not was one thing, but offering them was a must. In fact, she even thought about taking only ten percent for herself and giving Wang Tao ny percent! But since she had to manage Firefly Club, which needed resources, she ended up taking thirty percent. Wang Tao raised his eyebrows upon hearing Nie Siyan¡¯s words. Although Nie Siyan had made the decision without consulting him, it wasn¡¯t something he would dislike since it was to his advantage. ¡°Appreciate the gesture.¡± Wang Tao felt he didn¡¯t need these as he might leave Zijing City before long. But there was no need to refuse. ¡°I¡¯ll go downstairs then and keep an eye on them¡­¡± Having received Wang Tao¡¯s praise, Nie Siyan was very pleased. Yet, she didn¡¯t say much more and immediately went downstairs. One dayter. Firefly Club had grown significantly stronger! Among the thirty-three members of Firefly Club, there were now six Second-order Superpower Owners, twelve Level 1 Ability Users, and fifteen Ordinary people! Wang Tao naturally could upgrade the remaining fifteen to Ability Users, but there was no need. After all, if everyone were upgraded, wouldn¡¯t that be the same as no upgrade at all? It was important to differentiate, to give those who became Ability Users a sense of superiority, and to give the Ordinary people a sense of urgency. To provide them with motivation and pressure¡­ Moreover, in the current situation, Firefly Club was definitely not weak, especially now with their six Second-order Superpower Owners, which was more than Skull Club¡¯s four. Among these six, Nie Siyan¡¯s strength was the most formidable, even surpassing the previous Huang Heng! Although Firefly Club¡¯s poption had decreased by eighty to ny percent, their overall strength had more than doubled! It just so happened that on the day when Firefly Club¡¯s strength surged, people from Zijin Base arrived. Three people in total, all were Second-order Ability Users. ¡­ ¡°So this is the rebranded Firefly Club? It¡¯s so run-down and tiny. I wonder if they still have any Second-order Ability Users¡­¡± ¡°Do they even have a hundred people here? Can this even count as a mid-sized force? I bet they aren¡¯t as strong as our little squad!¡± ¡°Hey, guys. How about we collect some protection money?¡± ¡°That was the n!¡± ¡°Haha, me too!¡± Outside the arcade. Three people leaned against a rusted off-road vehicle, casually surveying the arcade. They were envoys sent by Zijin Base. Clearly, they looked down on Firefly Club and even nned to extort a sum¡ªdo you want an invitation to Zijin Base? If you don¡¯t offer something in exchange, you can forget about getting an invitation! They were experienced at this kind of thing, having done it plenty of times before. Momentster, the arcade¡¯s main gate opened. Zhu Han came out with four people. ¡°What took you so long? We¡¯ve been waiting¡ª¡± The man hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when his expression suddenly froze. The other two also widened their eyes in shock. What the heck! Five Level 2 Ability Users? Ability Users have a certain special Perception, such that sensitive individuals or those with a particrly strong aura, can detect each other¡¯s Levels. These five had just advanced to Level 2, and their Level 2 aura was still very apparent, making them instantly perceptible to the envoys. One of them took out a piece of paper, saying formally: ¡°Ahem, greetings, we are envoys from Zijin Base. Our base cordially invites representatives from Firefly Club to visit Zijin Base as guests, to participate in the ¡®Upgrade Operation¡¯. This will be a major event determining the futureyout of Zijing City! Please don¡¯t miss out; here is your invitation¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for the invitation, we¡¯ll make sure to attend¡­¡± After epting it, Zhu Han invited them inside for a seat. The three declined, saying they still had more invitations to deliver. Once they left, Zhu Han frowned slightly. ¡°Just for delivering an invitation, they sent three Level 2 Ability Users¡­ We haven¡¯t even set foot in Zijin Base, and they¡¯re already showing an intimidating presence!¡± Elsewhere, in the car of the Zijin Base envoys. ¡°Damn! Just for receiving an invitation, there was no need for five Level 2 Ability Users. What¡¯s the meaning of this? Are they trying to intimidate us? So audacious! Firefly Club, huh? We¡¯ll remember you!¡± Chapter 447: 200 Zijin Base_1 Chapter 447: Chapter 200 Zijin Base_1 ¡°An invitation? It does have that feel¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised when he saw the invitation in his hand. The content of the invitation was the same as what had been broadcast on the radio, just with thenguage polished a bit. Zijing Base was clearly demonstrating its strength. To be able to send out invitations in the post-apocalyptic world, and to dispatch three second-order ability users for the task, demonstrated considerable power. ¡°Brother Wang, when do we head over?¡± Nie Siyan asked quietly. ¡°Let¡¯s leave tomorrow.¡± The arcade was quite a distance from Zijing Base, so they needed to set off early. ¡°Okay!¡±
Nie Siyan was very excited. It wasn¡¯t so much about going to Zijing Base but rather that Wang Tao would be going with them. Having such a powerful figure by her side gave her a full sense of security! Nie Siyan went down to make arrangements. She nned to bring five people with her. Those were Zhu Han and his group of five level 2 elites. Since they would be embarking on a long trip this time, those too weak would be a burden; only ability users and above were a must. But the arcade also needed to be manned, so Nie Siyan left all level 1 ability users and ordinary people behind. All the second-order ability users would go with her. Nie Siyan told everyone not to go out over the next few days and to wait for her return before making any moves. The next day. Three vehicles left the arcade one after another. In the middle, a rtively new off-road vehicle. Xu Xiaojun was driving, Nie Siyan sat in the passenger seat, and Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were in the back. Nie Siyan told Wang Tao some of the things she had recently learned about Zijing Base. ¡°I heard that Zijing Base has seen a surge in second-order ability users recently, and their strength is unprecedentedly strong. So, they organized a hunting expedition against level 3 zombies but suffered heavy casualties. Many second-order ability users died¡­ That¡¯s why they started inviting other survivors from Zijing City¡­¡± The forces in Zijing City wereplex, each with its own channels of information. Naturally, Nie Siyan had her sources, which she had acquired over thest couple of days while using the walkie-talkie tomunicate with other forces. ¡°Many second-order ability users died?¡± Wang Tao raised his eyebrows. Theoretically, arge number of second-order ability users should be able to kill a level 3 elite zombie. Not only did they fail to kill them but also lost so many people¡­ Unless they encountered a level 3, Lord Zombie, or even a level 4 zombie! It was just bad luck. ¡°Do you know where they were hunting the level 3 zombies?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, let me ask around¡­¡± Nie Siyan took out her walkie-talkie and started tomunicate with others.
A few forces near the arcade also set off for Zijing Base today, but they did not join Firefly Club. Mainly because the reputation of the Skull Club, the former incarnation of the Firefly Club, was so bad that no one wanted suchpanions. However,munication was still possible. They would provide Nie Siyan with information while also seeking out some news from her, which was a mutually beneficial arrangement. ¡­ Wang Tao had been looking forward to encountering some level 3 zombies on the road, but to his disappointment, he didn¡¯t. However, they dide across some roaming level 2 zombies, which were taken care of by Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan.
Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strength needs no mention. Although he was still not capable of facing level 3 zombies now, he could overwhelm most level 2 zombies with his power. Nie Siyan¡¯s strength had improved a lot. Before, she practically hid when facing level 2 zombies. But now, she handled every level 2, elite zombie with ease. Plus, she had great potential. After all, her HP was just over ten thousand, and there was still much room for improvement. Nie Siyan was thrilled. She couldn¡¯t believe that she could be so strong! Unfortunately, there was Jiang Shixue in the back seat. Otherwise, no matter what, she would run to Wang Tao¡¯s side to rx him a bit, and properly express her gratitude towards him. On the way, Wang Tao came across several groups of people who had originally set out together. But once they found out that Firefly Club¡¯s predecessor was Skull Club, they immediately took off. This made Nie Siyan quite embarrassed. Wang Tao, however, didn¡¯t mind. Fewer people meant more peace and quiet for him. Two dayster, the convoy finally arrived near Zijing Base. The reason it took two days was mainly because the roads in the post-apocalyptic world were difficult, and the asional need to avoid zombie hordes caused many dys. ¡°Is that Zijing Base¡­¡± Looking at the tall walls in the distance, Nie Siyan was somewhat amazed. It was her first time here too. ¡°It looks pretty good.¡±
Wang Tao was also a bit impressed. The walls of Zijing Base were estimated to be about ten meters high, with smooth surfaces, shooting holes, barbed wire wrapped around the top, and soldiers with guns standing guard¡­ It looked very secure! After her strength had increased, Nie Siyan had grown slightly arrogant, thinking that Firefly Club might also have a chance at challenging arge force. But seeing the scale of what was in front of her, she felt a bit helpless. Although she hadn¡¯t gone in yet, she knew from the outside that Firefly Club had no way ofparing with such arge force. Not just because of the high-leveled ability users, but more so because the arcade was too insignificantpared to such a grand base. Looking at the scale of the base, it seemed it could easily house tens of thousands of people¡­ ¡°All the zombies around here have been cleaned up.¡± Wang Tao said, looking at the outside situation. They were now a street away from Zijing Base, but there wasn¡¯t a single zombie here. The corners of the streets were filled with piles of zombie corpses, apparently killed in thest few days¡­ This was clearly the work of Zijing Base. Chapter 448: 200 Zijin Base_2 Chapter 448: Chapter 200 Zijin Base_2 The road was clear of zombies, so they made good time. Soon the three vehicles arrived outside the gate of Zijing Base. Up close, one could better appreciate the grandeur and vastness of the towering wall. However, it was also clear that the wall had many imperfections¡ªthere were numerous patches and repairs, and overall, Wang Tao felt that the wall should be higher. It seemed as if there wasn¡¯t enough time to finish it before the base fell. Many additions had likely been made afterwards¡­ ¡°Halt, please prepare for inspection!¡± By now, there were already quite a few vehicles lined up for inspection at the gates. Nie Siyan directed their convoy to join the queue. Wang Tao frowned upon seeing the energy detector at the entrance. This device, Jiang Shixue might not be able to pass through¡­ After all, Jiang Shixue had 100% impurity in her body. If she were to be scanned, it would immediately show level five impurity, and that would surely trigger an rm at the base. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, brother?¡± Jiang Shixue, sensing Wang Tao¡¯s troubled gaze, asked curiously.
After thinking for a bit, Wang Tao whispered in Jiang Shixue¡¯s ear: ¡°Do you have any way to avoid detection when it¡¯s our turn to be inspected?¡± Jiang Shixue looked at the detector and furrowed her brow slightly. Then her eyes suddenly brightened. ¡°I think I have an idea¡­¡± Jiang Shixue quickly leaned over to exin to Wang Tao in a whisper. After listening, Wang Tao looked at Jiang Shixue with some surprise. ¡°Did you remember something from before?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Shixue shook her head. Wang Tao had previously told her that she had lost some of her memories. However, she was indifferent about these matters. ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t press further. Jiang Shixue had just recalled the use of her eyes¡ªa use that had been forgotten. Previously, it was said that after Jiang Shixue transformed from a zombie into a human, she not only lost her memory but also didn¡¯t know how to use her ability and hidden attributes. Now, in her efforts toe up with a solution, she finally remembered the use of her hidden attributes! Soon, it was Wang Tao and his group¡¯s turn. The moment they got off the vehicle, they drew a lot of attention. It couldn¡¯t be helped; Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun¡¯s builds were just toorge. Especially Xu Xiaojun, who stood like a dark cloud, blocking out the light for several people around him, making it hard to ignore their presence. However, their attention quickly shifted from Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun to Jiang Shixue and Nie Siyan.
After all, both men and women enjoy looking at beautiful women. ¡°Wow! Two beauties!¡± ¡°That pretty girl in the JK outfit, but I feel she¡¯s just an ordinary person¡­ and seems to be the weakest among them. Is such a person also here to participate in the ¡®Advancement Operation¡¯?¡± ¡°That shows what you know! You only see the girl¡¯s weakness, not the strength of those beside her! Maybe she¡¯s deliberately nurtured to be someone¡¯s ything!¡±
¡°Sss¡ªmakes sense!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, kid, you¡¯re young. I advise you not to mess with girls like her. Don¡¯t get fooled by their seemingly weak and pure appearance. If you actually managed to trick her, you¡¯d probably be in big trouble¡­¡± ¡°I get it, I get it! I¡¯m really scared of dying, I wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with such trouble!¡± ¡°Smart of you. Personally, I find the older woman more attractive. Look at those legs, that waist, that bust, that face¡ªholy shit! It¡¯s her?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Skull Club¡¯s Nie Siyan, the notorious swindler of our Zijing City! I suggest you keep your distance from them, otherwise you won¡¯t know when you¡¯ll find yourself sold off to a prison¡­¡± ¡°That infamous Skull Club? Sss¡­¡± ¡­ On the other side, listening to the whispers of the crowd, veins popped on Nie Siyan¡¯s forehead, and she was on the verge of beating them up. If it were before, she wouldn¡¯t have cared, because talking is just talking and she only swindled outsiders, so fame didn¡¯t bother her. But now, she had reformed, and especially with Wang Tao beside her, she knew just how much he despised her former identity¡­ As for Jiang Shixue, she ignored the murmured discussions, not out of indifference, but because she couldn¡¯t understand the roundabout things they were saying. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡±
The gates of Zijing Base were wide, with several inspection points set up. As Wang Tao and the others disembarked, a worker in protective gear led them to one of the avable checkpoints. The energy detectors they used were second-generation, not requiring blood but just some hair, nails, or skin kes would do. However, what they specifically needed varied randomly for each person to prevent cheating. Camouged soldiers armed with rifles surrounded them. If anything was amiss, someone might get shot. After all, with so many people in Zijing Base, if a ticking bomb who could turn into a zombie at any moment got in, it could mean big trouble. ¡°Hello, I need to pluck a hair from you.¡± In Wang Tao¡¯s group, Zhu Han was leading the way, followed by the four ability users who could release sleep-inducing mist, then Nie Siyan, Xu Xiaojun, Jiang Shixue, and Wang Tao. ¡°Energy Level Two, Level Two impurity, pass¡­¡± Upon seeing the numbers on the device, the inspector called out to the soldiers behind him. The soldiers stepped aside to let Zhu Han through. Likewise, the other ability users were also waved through without question, as they were all led by a Level 2 Ability User. Chapter 449 - 200 Zijin Base_3 Chapter 449: Chapter 200 Zijin Base_3 But soon after, the others were somewhat shocked. ¡°Energy Level Two, Impurity Grade 2, passed¡­¡± ¡°Energy Level Two, Impurity Grade 2, passed¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Energy Level Two, Impurity Grade 1, passed¡­¡± The inspectors called out several times, and Zhu Han, the four Ability Users, Nie Siyan, and Xu Xiaojun all passed smoothly. ¡°Holy shit! Seven Level 2 Ability Users?¡± Everyone was somewhat dumbfounded. Those who did not recognize Nie Siyan began asking which power she belonged to, while those who did recognize her were even more baffled. Hadn¡¯t the Skull Club lost several Second-order Superpower Owners before, and now they even changed their name to the Firefly Club, how could they still have so many Level 2 Ability Users? Even the inspectors and soldiers curiously sized up Nie Siyan and her group. Although there were quite a few Level 2 Ability Users in their base, this didn¡¯t mean that Level 2 Ability Users were a dime a dozen. Level 2 Ability Users were the top-tierbat power of the Zijin Base and were highly respected. Nie Siyan enjoyed the various curious and astonished gazes around her. She loved this feeling of showing off! As for Wang Tao, he ignored the crowd and looked at Jiang Shixue in front of him. ¡°Hello, I need one of your fingernails¡ªno, I need to pluck one of your hairs.¡± The inspector initially wanted to ask Jiang Shixue for a small clipping of her fingernail, but he suddenly paused and then changed his request. ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Shixue was expressionless. The inspector eyed Jiang Shixue¡¯s beautiful ck hair, and his gazended immediately on a strand that was sticking up. Without a word, he plucked that strand of hair. Though he said ¡°pluck,¡± he didn¡¯t use any force at all. Based on his frequent hair plucking experience, this strand clearly wasn¡¯t growing from the scalp! But at that moment, he was unaware, and he naturally ced the strand into the machine. Then he looked at the information on the machine and began: ¡°Energy Level Zero, Impurity Grade 0, passed¡­¡± Jiang Shixue walked through without any issue. The observing crowd nearby nodded to themselves. This beautiful girl was indeed an Ordinary person, a vase kept by those big shots. Wang Tao, who watched the entire scene, was somewhat amazed. The strand of hair on Jiang Shixue¡¯s head clearly wasn¡¯t hers; it had been surreptitiously plucked by Wang Tao from an Ordinary person while they were lining up and ced on Jiang Shixue¡¯s head. Jiang Shixue had previously told Wang Tao that she remembered how to use her Hidden Attributes, the ¡°Eyes of Contract¡±! And her Eyes of Contract could influence, even control the inspector! [Eyes of Contract: Night Vision, partial control over someone else¡¯s thoughts] So, under Jiang Shixue¡¯s influence, the inspector, who initially wanted her fingernail, changed his mind to taking her hair instead, and he directly took that strand away! After Jiang Shixue entered, the inspector showed no reaction; he took out nail clippers. ¡°Sir, I need a piece of your nail.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Wang Tao extended his hand. Soon, the inspector spoke again. ¡°Energy Level Two, Impurity Grade 1, passed¡­¡± Wang Tao also walked through sessfully. Once Wang Tao and his group entered, the nearby people immediately started whispering to each other. ¡°Damn! Their convoy has only nine people, and eight of them are Second-order Superpower Owners, that¡¯s terrifying!¡± ¡°Is this the Firefly Club that used to be the Skull Club? This is much stronger than the Skull Club before!¡± ¡°They must have Level 2 Ability Users guarding their homes too, right? I guess they have at least ten Second-order Superpower Owners!¡± ¡°We should keep a low profile when we see them in the future. After all, our entire force has only two Second-order Superpower Owners¡­¡± ¡­ Elsewhere. Nie Siyan found it odd, she remembered Wang Tao saying that Jiang Shixue was an Ability User, so how did she be an ordinary person? However, this was Wang Tao¡¯s business, and she wisely refrained from asking too many questions. After a few people got on the vehicle, someone came over specifically to show them the way, and Zijin Base had arranged a ce for them to stay. ¡°It¡¯s really big¡­¡± As she looked around the base, Nie Siyan felt a bit emotional. Wang Tao nodded. The base was indeedrge; it was said to have been constructed to amodate a hundred thousand people. Unfortunately, it was only a half-finished product; the base cooled down beforepletion. Now although it had been taken over by sessors, there was no way to continue the infrastructure construction; they could only make do with what was avable. Of course, even as a half-finished product, it was still a very nice ce. There were buildings, green nts, roads, and even artificial rivers everywhere. But most importantly, there were many people! In other ces, one could only asionally see human survivors, but in this ce, the streets were full of them! Although many had said before that the survivors of the Zijin Base were being exploited and oppressed by their leader, it didn¡¯t seem as severe as the rumors suggested. Because it was clear to see that the nutritional status of the survivors on the streets was better, much better than that of other survivors. Wang Tao reckoned that these survivors could eat at least two meals a day. In a post-apocalyptic situation like this, ensuring an ordinary person one meal a day was considered pretty good; guaranteeing two a day was definitely a high welfare benefit! Especially since this Zijin Base imed to have a poption of ten thousand, being able to manage the food and drink for so many people was quite impressive¡­ After some time, the group was led to a ce that looked like a farmstay ¨C the lodging specially arranged by Zijin Base for them. The ce wasrge enough to amodate other survivors. In fact, it was originally a farmstay. When Zijin Base was established, it simply enclosed certain building areas and then constructed city walls. It wasn¡¯t about encircling a piece of emptynd and then constructing various new buildings from scratch; that project would have been too huge¡­ The farmstay was naturally one of the constructions that got enclosed. Wang Tao¡¯s convoy immediately drew a lot of attention as they arrived. It had taken them two days to get there, making them among theter arrivals. After parking their vehicle, Wang Tao and a few others were led by staff to a front desk reception. ¡°Chairwoman Nie, please choose the house you would like,¡± said the staff member, handing a blueprint to Nie Siyan. After all, Nie Siyan was the leader in public. ¡°Do these houses have any differences?¡± asked Nie Siyan with some curiosity. ¡°Here we have various options like siheyuan, detached houses, suites, single rooms, and dormitories.¡± ¡°The ones with a Red mark are already upied, and if you like a ce that¡¯s taken, you can challenge the upants to a sparring match. ording to the rules of Zijin Base, the winner gets the priority¡­¡± Nie Siyan looked at the blueprint, which was dotted with red, and it seemed like only the dormitories had space left, and not much at that¡­ This made Nie Siyan¡¯s expression turn somewhat unpleasant. Wang Tao, who had been silent beside her, raised an eyebrow. This Zijin Base is interesting¡­ Are they trying to divide us right from the start? Chapter 450 - 201 Challenge (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 Chapter 450: Chapter 201 Challenge (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 ¡°Excuse me for a moment, you can take your time choosing.¡± Another group of survivors had arrived, and the staff member left the blueprint behind to attend to them. Wang Tao found the blueprint very interesting. The best living environment here is the quadrangle, of which there are only two. But there are four major powers in Zijing City, and excluding the Zijin Base, that leaves three. What does it mean to leave only two quadrangles? Next are the standalone vis, of which there are eight in total. If you say the quadrangles are for the four major powers, then these standalone vis are for the mid-sized powers. But there are at least a dozen or possibly more mid-sized powers in Zijing City, at least that was the count before. And now there are only eight vis¡ªdo they really expect so many mid-sized powers topete for these few homes? As for the number of suites and single rooms that follow, there are not many of those either. Even the quantity of the collective dormitories is sparse, which is absurd. Do they expect people to camp out in tents? Unless people squeeze a bit into the quadrangles, standalone vis, and suites, there should be enough room to amodate everyone. But certainly, not many would be willing to share. This isn¡¯t about being stingy, but rather a matter of face. Moreover, Zijin Base¡¯s next move is even more extreme; their residency rules are not based on a firste, first-served basis, nor does Zijin Base decide the order. Instead, they let these external forcespete among themselves, and only those who win inbat can move in! Each power has three chances to challenge and be challenged, which can only be used during the day. Zijin Base ims that the reason for setting individual duels is to prevent damage to good rtionships, as a high-stakes contest where one fight decides everything. Win and you secure a residence, lose and you can either step down or challenge another power. To live in a house, you have to fight for it¡ªquite bizarre indeed. However, most people probably know that Zijin Base is intentionally creating division among them. Because this upgrade operation, in its early stages, is essentially a negotiation, and Zijin Base doesn¡¯t want others to unite too much, which would be disadvantageous for it to exert its influence. But what can you do when you know? It¡¯s an overt scheme that can¡¯t be broken. After all, the other forces are inherently disunited and unlikely to join together to resist Zijin Base. And surely, many would relish the chance to challenge others. After all, there are no firsts in literature and seconds in martial arts. With the previous rankings, there are definitely those who are not satisfied. Now that everyone is gathered together, Zijin Base has provided this opportunity, which is perfect for a show of strength. This isn¡¯t just about face and vanity, but also reputation. If these forces want to develop in the post-apocalyptic world, they need a lot of people. And the simplest way to attract people is to have a good reputation. Good welfare is one aspect, and strength is another¡ªand thetter is more important! After all, this is a perilous post-apocalyptic world; one can make do even with poor welfare benefits, but without strength, one would die¡­ ¡°Brother Wang, how should we choose?¡± Nie Siyan sidled up to Wang Tao and asked quietly. She was no fool and could naturally see Zijin Base¡¯s sinister intentions, but she was conflicted. ¡°Whatever.¡± Wang Tao responded nonchntly. He often just found any ce to sleep when he was in the wilderness and wasn¡¯t very concerned about the sleeping environment. ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s mouth fell open in surprise; she used to hate the word ¡°whatever¡± the most. But now that it came from Wang Tao, she was bitterly amused. Moreover, Nie Siyan felt that even though Wang Tao said ¡°whatever,¡± it could be a test for her. She couldn¡¯t just choose anything¡­ ¡°No one would choose the bad ces¡ªchoosing those would embarrass me, and Brother Wang would be unhappy. But the good ces are already taken. To choose one, I would need to fight for it¡­¡± Nie Siyan looked at the standalone vis with a twinge of eagerness. Her abilities were much improved from the past; she was not the same person she used to be! Nevertheless, after pondering for a moment, she decided to y it safe and go for apromise by choosing a mid-tier suite. The main reason was Wang Tao¡¯s presence. If he was not there, she would certainly go for broke¡ªlosing would just mean losing; she wasn¡¯t afraid of embarrassment with her thick skin. But with Wang Tao there, if she lost, wouldn¡¯t that be a disgrace for him? Hence, choosing a suite was the safer bet. However, just then a group of people passed by, engaged in a hushed conversation. Nie Siyan, with her sharp hearing, caught every word. ¡°¡­ Observing for so long, which power should we challenge?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush! Each power only has three chances to challenge; we must seize them wisely! It doesn¡¯t matter about face, but I¡¯ve heard Zijin Base has spent a hefty sum this time, preparing a wee gift for the higher-ranking powers, including a Level 2 Crystal Core! And how is this ranking determined? It can¡¯t possibly be by voting, right? It has to be fought out¡­¡± Nie Siyan caught the conversation, and naturally, Wang Tao heard it too. Wang Tao felt these people were like nts. What were the odds that people would just happen to pass by discussing this while choosing residences? And they spoke with such detail that a Second-order Superpower Owner could hear everything clearly. But this too was an overt scheme. After all, a Level 2 Crystal Core is something everyonecks and desires. However, Wang Tao kept silent; how to choose was Nie Siyan¡¯s decision, and he would not interfere too much. ¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯ve decided to fight for a vi!¡± A momentter, Nie Siyan dered resolutely. Chapter 451: 201 Challenge (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 Chapter 451: Chapter 201 Challenge (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 She also knew that this might be a routine of the Zijin Base, but for the sake of a Level 2 Crystal Core, she was willing to take the gamble. After all, Wang Tao had given her so many Level 2 Crystal Cores, and she had been thinking of finding an opportunity to pay him back¡­ ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t say much either. Nie Siyan looked over the 8 vis and chose the number 8 building, which she deemed to be particrly auspicious. She stretched out her hand to call over a staff member. Upon seeing Nie Siyan¡¯s choice, the staff member¡¯s face immediately broke into a brilliant smile. ¡°Chairman Nie, are you sure you want to choose Vi number 8 as your challenge? Vi number 8 is currently upied by people from the Thunder Guild¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing the words ¡°Thunder Guild,¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s expression changed. Wang Tao¡¯s brow rose. Beforeing here, he had naturally understood the situation of the major forces in Zijing City from Nie Siyan.
The Thunder Guild was one of the top among these dozen or so mid-level forces. Many people felt that the Thunder Guild was one of the forces most likely to be promoted to arge-scale force. The only things theycked were poption and a base¡ªthat meant their high-endbat power was very strong! Nie Siyan also didn¡¯t expect that her casual choice would turn out to be a tough nut to crack. Looking at the staff member¡¯s smile, Nie Siyan couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she was being mocked. She subconsciously looked at Wang Tao and seeing no change in his expression, she steeled her heart. ¡°Confirmed, this one!¡± Canceling now would mean losing face for Wang Tao. You can¡¯t lose face even if you lose the game; after all, there are three chances, and she can keep goingter if needed. Besides, she was feeling very confident about her strength, believing that she was no less capable than anyone else! ¡°Alright Chairman Nie, the Thunder Guild has not been challenged before, so you may choose them¡­¡± The staff member had Nie Siyan sign her own name and her force¡¯s name, then had Wang Tao and his group follow him. The challenge wasn¡¯t convoluted with many rules; it was simply a 1v1, with the loser stepping down. As long as one is ready to challenge and the other is ready to be challenged, they can proceed straightaway. The news of Nie Siyan choosing the Thunder Guild as her challenge wasn¡¯t known to many, but by the time several individuals arrived at Vi number 8, arge crowd had already gathered. Clearly, the people at the Zijin Base were secretly passing the message around, as if they couldn¡¯t wait for chaos to ensue. Nie Siyan was a bit nervous at first, but seeing so many spectators, she felt less so. It¡¯s just the Thunder Guild, let¡¯s take them down! At that moment, the vi¡¯s main gate opened, and a group of people emerged. They were from the Thunder Guild. The Firefly Club and the Thunder Guild were both considered mid-sized forces, but the spirit of the two groups was entirely different. The Thunder Guild¡¯s members all wore matching uniforms, carried the same machetes, and had the same lightning tattoos on their faces¡­ they looked extraordinary. On the other hand, the Firefly Club looked more like a collection of traditional survivors, each dressed differently, with no particr aura, creating a bit of a chaotic scene. However, the biggest attraction was on the side of the Firefly Club; a pair of beautiful women and two strong men naturally drew a lot of attention.
¡°What is the Firefly Club? Howe I¡¯ve never heard of them before?¡± Among the Thunder Guild group, someone spoke up loudly. The sarcasm in their voice was very apparent. ¡°They are just a predecessor of the Skull Club! Just a second-rate force that struggles to survive in Zijing City through deceiving and swindling.¡±
Another member of the Thunder Guild chimed in. ¡°Ah? So they¡¯re the former Skull Club! How could such a lousy force dare to participate in the ¡®Promotion Operation¡¯? They are really overestimating themselves!¡± Another person feigned sudden enlightenment. ¡°¡­¡± Ten people from the Thunder Guild hade out, and all ten were loudly mocking the Firefly Club. They were angry because they had thought nobody would be foolish enough to challenge them. But to their surprise, someone had indeede to challenge them without even letting them settle in, and it was the weak Firefly Club to boot. By choosing them, wasn¡¯t the Firefly Club implying that they saw the Thunder Guild as the weaker one? In some way, this was a form of mockery, and everyone from the Thunder Guild was furious. So, they nned to teach the Firefly Club a harsh lesson. But before doing so, they wanted to vent their frustration with some harsh words. Wang Tao and hispanions were indifferent to thesements; they weren¡¯t members of the Firefly Club, after all. But Nie Siyan¡¯s expression was grim. She was resolved to teach these people a lessonter! Then, from among the Thunder Guild, a short and stout figure stepped forward. He pointed arrogantly at Wang Tao and the others. ¡°I am Ma Wen, an Ordinary Hall Master of the Thunder Guild, who¡¯s up? Make it quick, I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± His attitude almost screamed, ¡°I am invincible, choose at your leisure.¡±
More and more onlookers gathered around, curious about the situation and wondering who would win. Most of them thought the Thunder Guild had higher chances. Those familiar with the Thunder Guild looked on with contempt. ¡°The Thunder Guild is shameless, sending Ma Wen to fight the first battle. He¡¯s not just an Ordinary Hall Master but one with super strongbat power!¡± ¡°So vicious, if the Firefly Club actually falls for it, they might just meet their downfall¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan prepared to take to the field herself. She didn¡¯t know this Ma Wen, but she thought she should be fine. They were both Second-order Ability Users, so what was there to be afraid of! Chapter 452: 201 Challenge (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 Chapter 452: Chapter 201 Challenge (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 ¡°` However, at this moment, Wang Tao suddenly whispered: ¡°You can¡¯t beat him, let Xu Xiaojun go.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nie Siyan was somewhat puzzled; she didn¡¯t feel that this Ma Wen was that strong, right? But these were Wang Tao¡¯s words, so naturally she believed them. ¡°Little Jun, then it¡¯s your turn.¡± Nie Siyan courteously said to Xu Xiaojun. She certainly wouldn¡¯t let one of Wang Tao¡¯s people take action herself, as she didn¡¯t have the authority, but if Wang Tao had offered it himself, then naturally there was no problem. ¡°Heh heh, just call me Little Jun.¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head and then stood up.
His figure, when he stood up, still created a very strong sense of pressure. Especially inparison with Thunder Guild¡¯s Ma Wen, it was simply like the difference between a dwarf and a giant. Of course, arge physique could only mean he might be stronger, but the strength of overall capabilities is multifaceted, especially since everyone is an Ability User, where Abilities are more important than physical qualities! So even though Xu Xiaojun¡¯s figure looked quite intimidating, the majority of people still thought Ma Wen had a greater chance of winning. However, Ma Wen furrowed his brows, because he discovered that he couldn¡¯t see through Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strength. Ability Users who had just leveled up not long ago were not yet ustomed to their strength, couldn¡¯t hide it well, and so it was quite easy for other Ability Users to sense it. As for those like Xu Xiaojun, whose specific strength couldn¡¯t be clearly perceived by others, they must have been in Level Two for a long time. Of course, he was not afraid. After all, he too had entered Level Two quite early! ¡°Come on!¡± Ma Wen took out a Firefighter Axe, pointed at Xu Xiaojun, struck a pose, exuding the air of a boss. The Firefighter Axe indeed was a handy weapon; many survivors liked to use it. Xu Xiaojun also took out a Firefighter Axe; Wang Tao said he didn¡¯t need to use the Giant Axe, a Firefighter Axe would be enough to deal with this kind of person. ¡°I am an Ordinary member of the Firefly Club, Xu Xiaojun.¡± Seeing that Ma Wen was letting him attack first, Xu Xiaojun didn¡¯t bother with niceties and introduced himself. Then he instantly activated his Rush Ability. Whoosh¡ª¡ª Ma Wen didn¡¯t even have time to react before everything went dark, and then he felt like he had been hit by a dump truck, flying off the ground. ¡°Ma Wen!¡± He vaguely sensed hisrades calling out to him, but the wind was too loud; he couldn¡¯t hear them clearly.
Bang! Ma Wen mmed hard into a nearby tree, causing many green leaves to fall down. Spurt¡ª¡ª Ma Wen spat out a mouthful of blood; he struggled to get up from the ground, looking at Xu Xiaojun with a face full of terror.
He had seen the Rush Ability before, but never one this fast! But before he could speak, he saw Xu Xiaojununching another Rush attack at him. ¡°Dammit!¡± Ma Wen cursed under his breath, but this time he was slightly prepared. He immediately activated his Ability, and his skin suddenly turned ck. ¡°Toughness!¡± Those who were familiar with this Ability immediately voiced out. Bang! Xu Xiaojun rushed over again. But this time Ma Wen had activated Toughness, and although he was pushed back several meters, he still withstood the blow. Seeing that he had stopped Xu Xiaojun¡¯srge frame, Ma Wen grinned, blood flowing from his full mouth. ¡°`
¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± A steel nail suddenly appeared in his mouth! It shot directly towards Xu Xiaojun¡¯s throat. ng! Xu Xiaojun¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t slow. Having been with Wang Tao for so long and having seen so many abilities, he was naturally clear about the Spittle Nail ability. As he saw Ma Wen open his mouth wide, he was ready. When Ma Wen spat out the nail, Xu Xiaojun immediately blocked the strike with the steel te bracer on his forearm. Then, Xu Xiaojun let out a roar and punched towards Ma Wen¡¯s stomach. Ma Wen had never expected Xu Xiaojun to dodge his sure-kill attack. While his face still registered shock, he was struck in the abdomen by Xu Xiaojun¡¯s fist. Bang! Ma Wen was sent flying again, but this time in the opposite direction, flying straight towards Wang Tao and Nie Siyan¡¯s location. The other onlookers quickly scattered to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Xu Xiaojun prepared tounch another Rush. The rule of the duel was to fight until one party surrendered or died. In other words, as long as there was no surrender, the battle wasn¡¯t over. The people from Thunder Guild had gone from the initial shock and disbelief to now fear and worry¡­ The change in their emotions was quite spectacr.
Seeing Xu Xiaojun relentless in his advantage and preparing to collide with Ma Wen once more, someone from their group was already opening their mouth to concede. The battle between survivors was different from that with zombies. Zombies had few weaknesses, didn¡¯t feel pain, while survivors had many weaknesses and a limit to what they could endure. If one got the upper hand in a battle between survivors, and the other was an individual with richbat experience, the defeated could be continually oppressed until death! So, although they were reluctant, they knew there was no chance left. If they didn¡¯t concede now, Ma Wen might not be beaten to death, but he¡¯d certainly be beaten half to death. At this moment, as Wang Tao watched Ma Wen flying towards him, and then turned to see the people from Thunder Guild ready to concede, he suddenly swiftly instructed Nie Siyan: ¡°Get the rebar, aim at him.¡± One of Nie Siyan¡¯s weapons included a sharpened piece of rebar that could be used for closebat or thrown. Hearing Wang Tao¡¯smand, Nie Siyan froze for a moment. However, before her mind could catch up, her hand had already grabbed a sharp piece of rebar. Then she saw Ma Wen fly directly towards her. Thud! A sharp piece of rebar pierced through Ma Wen¡¯s throat. ¡°You¡­¡±
Ma Wen¡¯s eyes widened in unwillingness, then his HP dropped to zero. ¡°Ma Wen!¡± The people from Thunder Guild were stunned for a second and then erupted in anger. They couldn¡¯t believe that Ma Wen was dead! He had run into someone else¡¯s weapon¡ªIn most people¡¯s eyes, it seemed as if Ma Wen had run into the rebar by ident. Only a few saw that Nie Siyan didn¡¯t originally have a weapon in her hand. If she hadn¡¯t suddenly grabbed a weapon, Ma Wen might not have died. ¡°You killed my brother; you¡¯re asking for death!¡± The members of Thunder Guild immediately drew their weapons, ready to fight. They hadn¡¯t seen Nie Siyan¡¯s action clearly; they also thought it was an ident. But at that moment, whether it was an ident or not was irrelevant. They needed to vent their anger, demandpensation! Wang Tao looked at these people, his gaze growing even colder. If Ma Wen hadn¡¯t suddenly made a sneak attack on Xu Xiaojun just now, he wouldn¡¯t have let Nie Siyan kill him. Now, seeing this group¡¯s reaction, still not convinced? Well, then they couldn¡¯t me him for being impolite, considering they were all walking around with Level 2 Crystal Cores. ¡°Stop!¡± But at this moment, amanding female voice suddenly rang out. A team of striking women stepped out from the crowd, with the leader speaking coolly: ¡°This is a fair duel, abide by the bet. Do not escte the conflict!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised to see these women. Those who recognized them eximed in astonishment. ¡°People from the club!¡± Chapter 453: 202 Club (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 Chapter 453: Chapter 202 Club (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 Vast,monly known as the Club, one of the four major powers in Zijing City! The Club does not recruit men; it is entirely female and is a beautiful sight in Zijing City. Of course, what¡¯s even more impressive is their strength. This is one of the four major forces, an existence on par with Zijin Base, not to be trifled with by anyone. When they stood up to prevent the conflict from escting, no one dared to disobey. ¡°But they killed our people!¡± The Thunder Guild members didn¡¯t dare to move forward, but one of them shouted in anger. ¡°In the fight of des and swords, one must be prepared for injury or even death. Have you survived the apocalypse for so long without understanding even this much?¡± The leading member of the Club spoke. Her face was calm, her tone authoritative.
¡°This was one of our Thunder Guild¡¯s most promising Ability Users for a Level 3 Ascension. Are you saying our man died in vain?¡± Several people from the Thunder Guild were obviously dissatisfied. Now that the Club had intervened, a fight was no longer possible, so they could only try to negotiate somepensation. To their remark, the woman¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but what she said made the Thunder Guild members quite embarrassed. ¡°It was your people who made the lethal move first. If he died, it was his own fault.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After a moment of silence, the leader of the Thunder Guild members red fiercely at Nie Siyan and said with a sinister tone, ¡°Firefly Club, huh? We¡¯ll see about this!¡± They were ready to take Ma Wen¡¯s body away, but Wang Tao, who had been silent, suddenly stepped forward, blocking the Thunder Guild members. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± ¡°What else do you want to do!¡± Several members were furious. They didn¡¯t recognize Wang Tao, but since he was with Nie Siyan, he was obviously from the Firefly Club. If the Club members weren¡¯t there, just for this obstruction by Wang Tao, they would have faced serious consequences! ¡°Shh¡ª¡± Wang Tao suddenly made a gesture for silence. All the others looked over curiously, even the women from the Club were very curious about what this hulking man was up to. Then, everyone seemed to hear a ¡°crackling¡± noise. Some people in the crowd suddenly turned to look at Ma Wen¡¯s body on the ground. Crack¡ªcrack¡ª
Ma Wen, who was already dead, suddenly began to twist his body and rise up. He slowly lifted his head, his murky eyes looking at Wang Tao and his group! Following Wang Tao¡¯s signal, Xu Xiaojun immediately raised his axe and hacked wildly at Ma Wen¡¯s head, with Wang Tao stepping on the body to prevent it from running amok. Splurt! Zombie Ma Wen¡¯s HP dropped to zero again.
Xu Xiaojun skillfully pried the Crystal Core out from the zombie¡¯s head and then retreated behind Nie Siyan. Wang Tao immediately gestured to the Thunder Guild members, inviting them to proceed. ¡°Alright, you can take him now.¡± Then Wang Tao too retreated behind Nie Siyan, the two standing one on each side of her, looking like bodyguards. All these events may sound lengthy, but in actuality, they happened in just over ten seconds. ¡°You! Aaaargh! You¡¯ve gone too far!¡± The Thunder Guild members were nearly driven mad. They had never before felt such humiliation! They red fiercely at Nie Siyan and the others, as if they wanted to devour the members of the Firefly Club alive! If it weren¡¯t for their leader, who was just about calm enough to know a conflict should not erupt at this moment, they might have reallye to blows. This time, the Thunder Guild members said nothing and simply dragged away the legs of Zombie Ma Wen, ready to leave. But just then, a squad of fully Armed soldiers in protective suits arrived. They surrounded the Thunder Guild group. ¡°Decontaminating the zombie virus, clear the area!¡± ¡°Warning! Drop the zombie corpse, or we will open fire!¡±
¡°¡­¡± Looking at Zijin Base¡¯s Decontamination Squad, the Thunder Guild members felt as if their heads were steaming, but they dared not speak. They could only bitterly drop theirpanion¡¯s body and slink away. The main party gone, the rest began to disperse, leaving the Decontamination Squad to clean up the zombie virus. Many looked at the departing Thunder Guild members with a touch of sympathy. What a tragic group of people! They lost a life, a vi, their dignity, and were trampled upon at the end¡­ such misery! As everyone¡¯s gaze shifted back to Nie Siyan, it was filled with a hint of reverence. At any time, the strong are respected. Nie Siyan did not disy her own strength, but thatrge man under hermand had. With such strong strength in a subordinate, how powerful must Nie Siyan herself be? How strong must the whole Firefly Club be? Indeed, the rumors and information were unreliable! The power of the Firefly Club was not at the bottom among the medium forces, but on top, just like the Thunder Guild! Nie Siyan, relishing in everyone¡¯s gaze, felt ecstatic, her legs involuntarily clenching together. She loved the feeling of showing off in front of people! At this moment, the women from the Club came forward, standing in front of Nie Siyan. ¡°Hello, I am Nie Siyan, president of the Firefly Club. Thank you for upholding justice!¡±
Nie Siyan hastily spoke. The leading woman nodded, but then with a serious face, she said, ¡°This was, after all, a duel, not a battle to the death. There was no need for fatal blows. Let this not happen again.¡± As she spoke, she nced at Wang Tao, her eyes containing a hint of displeasure. Wang Tao¡¯s brows rose. This woman, she was warning him? The woman, having spoken, turned to leave. But Wang Tao suddenly spoke up, ¡°Are all the people from your Club this rude? Our president has introduced herself by name, and you leave without even a greeting? Do you look down on us smaller forces?¡± Chapter 454: 202 Clubhouse (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 Chapter 454: Chapter 202 Clubhouse (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 As soon as these words came out, the group of women all looked displeasedly at Wang Tao. Although they admitted that they liked Wang Tao¡¯s face and figure, that was no reason for him to use them of rudeness! The woman leading the club was about to say something, but Wang Tao beat her to it. ¡°That¡¯s true, we small forces certainly can¡¯tpare with you, and not being respected is to be expected. After all, you¡¯re one of the big four forces. It¡¯s not just respect, we¡¯re not even worthy of knowing your names¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s words immediately resonated with some of those around him who felt simrly aggrieved. They didn¡¯t dare to say anything, but there was unmistakable annoyance in their eyes. In fact, they hadn¡¯t thought there was anything amiss until Wang Tao put it that way. They instantly felt that these people from the big forces indeed didn¡¯t take them seriously. Their leader had greeted them very courteously only to receive rebuke in return. After all, this was a leader of a faction, and they didn¡¯t even give him that much respect¡­ Sympathizing with the underdog is in many people¡¯s nature, especially when they themselves are the underdogspared to the big four forces. The club¡¯s leader furrowed her brows upon seeing this. Especially when she saw Wang Tao smiling at her, she, who rarely got angry, felt a sudden urge to beat him up.
Of course, she definitely wouldn¡¯t do that. The woman gave Wang Tao a deep look, then turned to Nie Siyan and extended her hand. ¡°Hello, my name is Lu Yingfeng, Leader of the First Vast Club.¡± Lu Yingfeng was a beauty. Not the kind with fair skin, stunning looks, and long legs, but rather a woman with well-defined features, standing at 1.7 meters tall with somewhat rough, wheat-colored skin. She was fully covered, with only her face exposed ¨C the standard attire of a survivor. In stark contrast to her unassuming appearance, Nie Siyan¡¯s leather outfit seemed quite extravagant. ¡°Hello!¡± Nie Siyan hurriedly shook hands with Lu Yingfeng. Lu Yingfeng nodded then, without saying much more, led the still-somewhat-frustrated women away. However, before they left, Lu Yingfeng spotted Jiang Shixue behind Wang Tao. This caught her attention. ¡°Such clear eyes¡­ This is someone who has not been tainted by the apocalypse!¡± Lu Yingfeng immediately entertained the idea of recruiting Jiang Shixue into her organization. But given the current awkward situation between them, she said nothing more and simply made a mental note of the girl before departing. And the direction they headed in¡­ Building No. 7? Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; the Firefly Club and the clubhouse were neighbors? There were only two quadrangle dwellings, but with three remaining big forces, surely one would end up in a detached vi. When the clubhouse people showed up here, Wang Tao had his suspicions. After all, the quadrangle was a bit too far to just happen along this way. But he hadn¡¯t expected them to be neighbors¡­ When the clubhouse people left, the onlookers started whispering among themselves. ¡°My god, that¡¯s Lu Yingfeng!¡± ¡°The second-ranked expert in the clubhouse! I heard she¡¯s only a hair weaker than their leader!¡±
¡°No, I think Lu Yingfeng is even stronger than their leader! I had the fortune of seeing her in battle once. She faced six Level 2 Zombies, and it was like ughtering chickens ¨C an absolute crush! But she was wearing a mask during the fight, so I didn¡¯t recognize her just now¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± As Wang Tao listened to these people, his expression didn¡¯t change. He knew this woman was strong, after all, 29,999 HP. [HP: 29,999/29,999]
[Mana: 6,800/6,800] [Grade: Level 2] [Hidden attribute: Hate the wicked as if they were enemies] [Hate the wicked as if they were enemies: Slightly increases damage when attacking someone she perceives as a bad person] [Internal Impurity: 24%] Lu Yingfeng¡¯s HP had reached the upper limit for Level Two, and she had a mana pool of 6,800. If she hadn¡¯t used any items to increase her mana, perhaps she had leveled up an ability to Level Two +10. Her strength was indeed formidable. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have a Level Two +10 Special Ability. Of course, this was by Wang Tao¡¯s deliberate control. His main task at the moment wasn¡¯t leveling up his Special Ability Level but to synthetize abilities first. He wanted to fuse all his abilities to their limit before upgrading. As for Lu Yingfeng, she also had a Hidden Ability, and quite an interesting one at that. As long as she thought you were a bad person, then the damage she dealt to you would increase! Even if the increase wasn¡¯t high, it was still an increase, which was quite awesome. Unfortunately, Lu Yingfeng couldn¡¯t see her own Hidden Attributes, so she probably couldn¡¯t fully utilize this Hidden Ability. Especially after a brief interaction with her, Wang Tao had some understanding of her character. She was someone who valued fairness and at times, even during battle, might not truly regard her opponent as a bad person, rather just someone with a different standpoint. In that case, the effect of this Hidden Ability wouldn¡¯te into y. It was a bit of a pity¡­
¡°Brother Wang, we haven¡¯t offended the clubhouse, have we?¡± Nie Siyan suddenly whispered beside Wang Tao. ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Wang Tao smiled. ¡°Not afraid!¡± Nie Siyan was indeed a bit afraid, but she certainly wouldn¡¯t admit it. ¡°Then that settles it, let¡¯s go and check out the vi,¡± Wang Tao said unconcernedly. ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan immediately gestured, leading the others toward the vi. As she moved, the surrounding onlookers immediately made way, watching them with a mixture of awe and respect. Chapter 455 - 202 Clubhouse (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 Chapter 455: Chapter 202 Clubhouse (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 Nie Siyan¡¯s face remained impassive, as if she were utterly calm, but inside, she was almost giddy with delight. This is what it feels like to be powerful! A group of people arrived at Vi No. 8. The vi had four floors in total, with three above ground and one below. There was arge courtyard in front of the vi and a garage that could amodate three cars at the back. There were also man-madekes, fish ponds¡­ It had to be said, the environment here was really nice, almost like before the apocalypse, without that end-of-the-world feeling, as if it were a haven from the world. ¡°How beautiful!¡± Nie Siyan eximed in admiration before bing somewhat wistful, ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how nice the quadrangle dwellings must be¡­¡± When she said ¡°nice,¡± she wasn¡¯t just talking about the environment but also about status. Originally, she hadn¡¯t given much thought to these things because she knew her own strength. But now, having received Wang Tao¡¯s help, she felt that there might just be a possibility for her status to continue climbing? The staff led them inside the vi, left the keys, went over some precautions, and then departed. From now on, until they left, this vi belonged to Wang Tao and his group. Of course, that was as long as they weren¡¯t defeated by someone else. Judging by the strength disyed today, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone foolish enough to challenge them. ¡°Brother Wang, you must be tired. Let me give you a leg massage!¡± After a brief tour of the vi, Nie Siyan approached Wang Tao, her face blushing as she offered. Just by the look of Nie Siyan¡¯s offer, you could tell this leg massage wouldn¡¯t be entirely appropriate. ¡°Let¡¯s cook first.¡± By this time, it was already evening, so Wang Tao asked Xu Xiaojun to cook. Despite Xu Xiaojun¡¯s burly appearance, his culinary skills were quite decent. Moreover, the vi came with a supply of fresh vegetables and meats! It had to be said, Zijin Base was really generous. Thunder Guild had probably just arrived not long ago and hadn¡¯t used any of these items yet. After instructing Xu Xiaojun, Wang Tao went up to the vi¡¯s rooftop to exchange some tips on leg massages with Nie Siyan. After spending some time there, Nie Siyan internalized all of Wang Tao¡¯s tips, feeling as if she was so full of knowledge that she didn¡¯t even need dinner. At that point, someone came to the door. It was an invitation for Nie Siyan to attend a banquet. Wang Tao initially thought the banquet was hosted by Zijin Base, butter found out it wasn¡¯t. It was organized by those dozen or so mid-sized forces¡­ Their purpose ining to Zijin Base was naturally for that so-called upgrade operation. This upgrade operation was essentially about concentrating resources to produce a Level 3 ability user! Everyone wanted to be a Level 3 ability user, but they all knew that spots were limited. The four major forces certainly had their spots, but it was a different story for the other forces. Thus, before the official start of the upgrade operation, these mid-level forces wanted to touch base with each other and form teams or alliances. Nie Siyan felt that forming alliances was unrealistic. If alliances could be formed, they would have been formed already ¡ª who would wait until now? Even if they did form an alliance, it would likely be nothing more than a verbal agreement, which could copse under even the slightest external pressure. However, Nie Siyan still nned to go. They had invited her earnestly; it would be rude not to go. And now, she was the club president, after all ¡ª she had to at least fulfil her ceremonial duties. Plus, she wanted to see what these people were thinking and whether there was any insider information. Of course, there was another important reason: she wanted to see if these people had any Crystal Cores ¡ª she always remembered Wang Tao¡¯s mission to trade for Crystal Cores! Wang Tao currently needed Level 2 and Level 3 Crystal Cores. But there was no point in thinking about Level 3 Crystal Cores; it was unlikely anyone had them. And even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t want to trade them. As for Level 2 Crystal Cores, they could include those for ascension, omnipotent ones, and his own usage, in addition to the unknown-purpose Cores, all of which were tradable. If there were any special Level 1 Crystal Cores, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t disdain them either. What Wang Tao could offer in trade were primarily Level 1 Crystal Cores and various potions. The Crystal Cores were all above Blue Quality, primarily Purple, with the asional Red one. He wasn¡¯t bringing out any Orange ones for now. When it came to potions, aside from some medium-sized bottles and some potions he couldn¡¯t currently produce, other manufacturable potions were all tradable! Especially something like the Rejuvenation Potion, which didn¡¯t require core materials, had low costs, and was very simple to produce ¡ª it might just be Wang Tao¡¯s main product this time. After all, as long as he had Crystal Cores, he could produce as much of this potion as needed. Wang Tao gave Nie Siyan some samples, telling her to pitch them if the opportunity arose. ¡°Brother Wang, just wait for my good news!¡± Nie Siyan spoke confidently. There was no need to mention the Crystal Cores; even these potions were a first for her to hear about, and she was tempted herself, let alone other people. There was no doubt that these Crystal Cores and potions would sell well. The main question was what price they would fetch. Nie Siyan had been in business before the apocalypse and was confident of fetching high prices. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Wang Tao patted Nie Siyan¡¯s backside, and she left with Zhu Han and another ability user. After all, as the president of the Firefly Club, she needed to bring some people along for appearances. Wang Tao was preparing to go down for dinner when someone else arrived at the vi. Again, it was an invitation to a banquet. But this time, the invitation wasn¡¯t for Nie Siyan; it was a specific invitation for Wang Tao. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t initially interested in going. He thought it might be an invitation from some small force. After all, the mid-sized forces had already invited Nie Siyan, and they were now gathering together. However, when the visitors revealed their affiliation, Wang Tao suddenly became intrigued. ¡°The club inviting me? And Lu Yingfeng specifically requested it? Interesting¡­¡± The visitors mentioned that since their ce was full of women, it was a bit inconvenient, which was why only Wang Tao, a man, was invited. Wang Tao looked around, and apart from Jiang Shixue, the rest were men. ¡°Little Jun, you guys have dinner. Little Xue and I are going to see what¡¯s up.¡± Wang Tao nned to take Jiang Shixue along for a meal. ¡°Okay!¡± So, holding Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand, Wang Tao headed to Vi No. 7. Chapter 456 - 203 Lan Yulian (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 Chapter 456: Chapter 203 Lan Yulian (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 Vi No. 7. On the first floor, in the open kitchen. ¡°Pass me the vegetables.¡± ¡°Which vegetables?¡± ¡°The green ones.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Is there any steak?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°How aboutmb chops?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pork chops must be there, right?¡± ¡°Also no.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A slender woman wearing a light pink house dress was cooking. Next to her, a tall woman in shorts and a tank top was assisting. They hadn¡¯t done much cooking, but both were sweating profusely. Lu Yingfeng looked at Lan Yulian, who was busy in front of her, and really wanted to say: Sister, if we can¡¯t do it, let¡¯s just stop, okay? But seeing the other¡¯s heartily smiling face, though in a flurry, she held back. Forget it, it was rare to see Lan Yulian so happy, she didn¡¯t want to dampen her spirits¡­ After some more bustling about, someone came in to report. ¡°Boss, Chief, Wang Tao is here, but he has brought someone with him.¡± Lan Yulian was concentrating on cooking and didn¡¯t respond. Lu Yingfeng, on hearing this, frowned, somewhat displeased. ¡°Didn¡¯t we invite only him? Why did he bring someone else?¡± The person at the door quickly said: ¡°He brought a woman.¡± ¡°Nie Siyan?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a pretty high school girl.¡± It¡¯s her! Lu Yingfeng¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Quick, invite them in!¡± Only then did Lan Yulian lift her head, looking at Lu Yingfeng with a puzzled face. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t tell me you have some special fetish?¡± As she spoke, she purposely shrank her body as if she were very scared. ¡°Hmph! Even if I had a special fetish, I¡¯d feast on you first!¡± Lu Yingfeng red at Lan Yulian and then exined. ¡°Firefly Club has just nine members, among whom there are only two women. If it¡¯s not Nie Siyan, then it must be the girl I told you about before!¡± ¡°Oh? The one you said has very pure eyes, that just by making eye contact, one could instantly calm down? That pretty girl?¡± Lan Yulian also showed some interest. ¡°It should be her!¡± ¡°Then I really have to see if she¡¯s as mystical as you say¡­¡± Lan Yulian was skeptical. ¡°You¡¯ll see in a bit.¡± Lu Yingfeng didn¡¯t borate further, describing that pure gaze was really hard. A momentter, two figures, one tall and one short, appeared at the doorway. ¡°Mr. Wang, pleasee in.¡± Wang Tao walked in holding Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand. He immediately noticed the two women busy in the kitchen. The women naturally saw him too. However, the women¡¯s gaze lingered on Wang Tao for a moment, then quickly shifted to Jiang Shixue. Upon making eye contact with Jiang Shixue, Lan Yulian immediately thought¡ªYing Feng hadn¡¯t lied to her! ¡°Wee!¡± Lu Yingfeng walked over quickly. She stood in front of Wang Tao and reached out her hand in a bold gesture: ¡°I was in the wrong for what happened this afternoon. I apologize to you.¡± ¡°Oh? What happened this afternoon? I¡¯ve already forgotten.¡± Wang Tao smiled and shook her hand. Lu Yingfeng¡¯s hand was rough and tough. Clearly, she was someone used to fighting often. While shaking hands, Wang Tao brazenly looked Lu Yingfeng up and down. Now Ying Feng was not dressed in the survivor¡¯s outfit from the afternoon, but in sports shorts, a tank top, and slippers, her long, heaven-defying legs fully on disy, and you could even catch glimpses of her abs. On her exposed arms and thighs, one could also clearly see the streamlined muscles. In her countenance, there was a hint of determination, inspiring involuntary awe. This was a pretty, healthy, resolute woman with considerablebat power¡ªWang Tao made such an assessment in his mind. Her appearance might scare off some men, but Wang Tao looked a few times more. He found this kind of slightly muscr, healthy body to have a special kind of beauty, which he liked very much, especially since his own muscles were much more exaggerated. Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, Ying Feng was surprisingly not offended. Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, did they seem different from others? She subconsciously straightened her chest, which drew Wang Tao¡¯s attention. Then¡­ forgot about it, it was t as a in, nothing notable. Wang Tao immediately shifted his gaze. After looking around, he smelled the faint aroma of food and said with some surprise: ¡°Miss Lu, did you only invite me today?¡± Lu Yingfeng¡¯s expression suddenly stiffened. What do you mean by that? Without replying, Lan Yulian, who was not far away, wiped her hands and walked over with a smile. ¡°Yes, we only invited Mr. Wang, of course, and this beautifuldy. Let¡¯s get acquainted, my name is Lan Yulian, I¡¯m the leader of Vast.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao shook hands with her. Her hand waspletely different from Ying Feng¡¯s, delicate and soft like that of a youngdy who had never done any hard work, making one feel the urge to y with it carefully. Lan Yulian and Ying Feng were like twopletely different paintings. At a nce, Ying Feng was a strong survivor of the apocalypse, and even though she had a great figure and was pretty, she would still make most men keep their distance. Lan Yulian was different. With her fair skin and delicate features and standing only at 1.6 meters, even dressed in loose-fitting home clothes, her curvy, shapely figure was evident. And especially when her captivating peach-blossom eyes looked at you with a teasing smile, probably not many men could withstand it. Chapter 457: 203 Lan Yulian (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 Chapter 457: Chapter 203 Lan Yulian (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 Of course, Wang Tao was not such a shallow person. When he observed Lan Yulian, he naturally saw her attributes as well. [HP: 29999/29999] [Mana: 4800/4800] [Grade: Level 2] [Hidden Property: Saving Lives] [Saving Lives: Quite adept at treating and saving people] [Internal Impurity: 22%] Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng both had 29999 HP, which wasn¡¯t a surprise, since she was also a leader of a major power. But this hidden property raised Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows.
Saving the dying and healing the injured? Skilled at saving people? Could it be that she was a healer? Speaking of healers, Wang Tao thought of Ding Yuqin, whose blood replenishing pack¡¯s hidden ability was incredibly useful. It could rx and replenish blood. It was just unclear what Lan Yulian¡¯s situation was, and how she went about saving people? ¡°Mr. Wang, are you holding on well?¡± Lan Yulian asked with a smile. ¡°Ahem.¡± Wang Tao then released Lan Yulian¡¯s soft and delicate hand. It wasn¡¯t that Wang Tao was taking advantage of her; it was just too soft and made it somewhat irresistible. Lan Yulian gave Wang Tao a charming look before making a gesture of invitation. ¡°Mr. Wang, please have a seat, and thisdy¡­ please sit down as well.¡± ¡°Her name is Jiang Shixue, she¡¯s a little socially anxious.¡± Wang Tao briefly introduced her; the social anxiety was of course an excuse, but it was true that Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t like to talk much to others. ¡°Jiang Shixue, what a nice name!¡± Lu Yingfeng muttered from the side. After Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue took their seats, Lan Yulian continued cooking, while Lu Yingfeng sat beside Wang Tao to keep himpany. ¡°Why have you invited me alone? What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Wang Tao asked straightforwardly. In Wang Tao¡¯s memory, he shouldn¡¯t have had any contact with this club. He didn¡¯t understand why they would invite him specifically.
He was presenting himself as an ordinary Level 2 Ability User, what made him worthy of a personal invitation by one of the four great powers¡¯ leaders? Lu Yingfeng didn¡¯t speak, and Lan Yulian, who was cutting vegetables, exined without turning her head: ¡°Because I want to invite Mr. Wang to join Vast.¡± ¡°What?¡±
Wang Tao was stunned. Setting aside why they would invite him, an ¡°ordinary¡± Ability User, Vast was known for not epting men, so what did they mean by inviting him? Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, Lu Yingfeng started to exin: ¡°It¡¯s not a long-term n for Vast to recruit only females; the leader is prepared to reform.¡± Whether in terms of physical fitness or mental resilience, women are generally weaker than men. This creates a significant disadvantage in post-apocalyptic survival. It might be manageable in the short term, but would definitely lead to various limitations over time. Moreover, there¡¯s another important point, it¡¯s impossible to have children with only females! Children might be a burden in the post-apocalyptic world, but for a base to grow and prosper, it absolutely needs a poption of newborns. For instance, Zijin Base had already begun providing subsidies for childbirth¡­ So, the reform of Vast was inevitable sooner orter. ¡°Then why have you invited me to join?¡± Wang Tao asked again. ¡°Because¡­ you are strong.¡± Lan Yulian turned to look at Wang Tao and said. Sss¡ª Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. He hadn¡¯t made a move and they could already tell he was strong? Did they possess an Ability or hidden powers that allowed them to discern someone¡¯s strength?
Lan Yulian beckoned Lu Yingfeng toe over and help her with the dishes. There were just four home-style dishes, all served in stainless steel basins, and the portions were huge. As for the presentation¡­ well, they should be edible, right? Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s disdainful look, Lan Yulian became slightly embarrassed. ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s been a long time since I cooked, a bit rusty.¡± Lu Yingfeng silently criticized in her heart: It¡¯s not that it¡¯s been a long time since she cooked; she basically hasn¡¯t ever cooked. However, food wasn¡¯t the focus for everyone present. ¡°I admit I¡¯m strong, but how did you figure that out?¡± Wang Tao asked, somewhat puzzled. ¡°¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng was a bit speechless, not expecting Wang Tao to be so direct. Lan Yulian, however, covered her mouth and chuckled. Afterughing for a while, she straightened up and said: ¡°A friend introduced me. She told me that if I met a man named Wang Tao in Zijing City, I could establish a good rtionship with him because this man is very strong.¡±
¡°Hm?¡± Wang Tao frowned, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said with some confusion, ¡°Yang Changhong?¡± Considering his recent experiences, the only person he knew who hade to Zijing City was Yang Changhong. ¡°That¡¯s right, it was her.¡± Lan Yulian nodded. ¡°Before the apocalypse, Yang Changhong and I were very good friends, but we lost touch after the apocalypse began. However, a few days ago, she suddenly came to Zijing City¡­¡± ¡°Where is she now?¡± Wang Tao was curious. He and Yang Changhong had arrived in Zijing City together,ing from the same direction, but he hadn¡¯t heard any news about Yang Changhong¡­ ¡°I originally invited Zhang Hong to join Vast, but she said she thought she saw her sister, so she didn¡¯t stay in Zijing City and went straight to look for her sister instead.¡± Lan Yulian said with some regret. It¡¯s certainly a good thing to encounter a good friend in the apocalypse, but unfortunately, this friend didn¡¯t stay. ¡°Her sister? No wonder¡­¡± Wang Tao suddenly understood. Yang Changhong had mentioned before that her sister was missing, and the only reason she came to Zijing City was in the hope of possibly running into her. But the chance seemed so slim, even she herself didn¡¯t think it was likely anymore. However, now hearing Lan Yulian¡¯s words, it seemed there might really be a chance? All he could hope was that she would find her sister.
Chapter 458: 203 Lan Yulian (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 Chapter 458: Chapter 203 Lan Yulian (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 ¡°It seems you¡¯re quite familiar with Zhang Hong?¡± Jade Lotus was somewhat curious. When she met Yang Changhong, he was just about to leave, and they didn¡¯t have much time tomunicate. Yang Changhong only mentioned that a man named Wang Tao hade to Zijing City, that Wang Tao was very strong, and also a person of good character. If she could meet him, she should try to establish a good rtionship. As for whether he was strong, it was hard to say since Yang Changhong might not have encountered many powerful Ability Users. However, his good character should be unquestionable. Jade Lotus trusted the judgement of this good sister of hers. So she took Yang Changhong¡¯s words to heart. But what she thought about wasn¡¯t just establishing a good rtionship¡ªshe wanted to recruit Wang Tao directly into the organization! ¡°We can be considered friends,¡± Wang Tao shrugged. Although he hadn¡¯t known Yang Changhong for long, they had a good understanding of each other; they should be considered friends. ¡°Just friends?¡± Jade Lotus was a bit gossipy at heart because when Yang Changhong introduced Wang Tao, the praises were not like those for an Ordinary friend! However, she didn¡¯t ask any further. After all, today¡¯s protagonist wasn¡¯t Yang Changhong. ¡°So¡­ what do you think, Mr. Wang?¡±
Jade Lotus¡¯s eyes, captivating as they were, looked at Wang Tao with a smile. ¡°Are you talking about joining your club?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t even think about it; he tly refused. ¡°¡­¡± Jade Lotus and Ying Feng both opened their mouths in surprise. They hadn¡¯t expected Wang Tao to refuse, and to do it so decisively at that. Seeing their surprised expressions, Wang Tao guessed that Yang Changhong hadn¡¯t told them about his ns to go to the military base; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been so shocked. ¡°Why?¡± Before Jade Lotus could speak, Ying Feng immediately frowned and asked. She felt Wang Tao wasn¡¯t a petty person, so the small conflict from the afternoon should be considered water under the bridge. Was Wang Tao¡¯s refusal because of the Firefly Club? Could their Vast not evenpare to a small Firefly Club? One should know that this was an invitation personally extended by Jade Lotus! Wang Tao must be unaware of Jade Lotus¡¯s strength; otherwise, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have rejected it so decisively! ¡°It¡¯s a matter of personal preference.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t borate. ¡°Alright then, I suppose I was being presumptuous.¡± Disappointment flickered across Jade Lotus¡¯s face, but she quickly smiled again. ¡°I¡¯m very curious, out of so many powerful people in Zijing City, why do you particrly hope for me to join?¡±
Jade Lotus didn¡¯t conceal the answer to this question. ¡°Because your background is rtively clear; you¡¯re not from Zijing City and naturally couldn¡¯t belong to any other faction. Coupled with what Zhang Hong has said about your good character, I think you¡¯re quite suitable. If it were someone else¡­ I wouldn¡¯t trust them.¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao suddenly understood that Zijing City was full of undercurrents. Recruiting someone was not just a simple matter for Jade Lotus; she didn¡¯t trust other people. Wang Tao then asked further:
¡°Since you want to reform and are considering recruiting men, you certainly won¡¯t be recruiting just one, right? If you don¡¯t trust other people, how will you recruit them?¡± After Wang Tao asked this question, Jade Lotus and Ying Feng both fell silent for a moment. The truth was, they wanted to recruit Wang Tao into their ranks for another reason they hadn¡¯t mentioned. They had a very special Crystal Core that only a man could merge with. If Wang Tao joined and passed some covert assessments, Jade Lotus would give him this Crystal Core. As long as Wang Tao sessfully merged with it, he could bring a boost in strength to their Vast. But if Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to join, then there was no way to discuss this with him since they didn¡¯t want the matter of the Crystal Core to be exposed just yet. ¡°There are some reasons, but it¡¯s inconvenient to discuss unless you agree to join.¡± Jade Lotus yfully winked. It couldn¡¯t be denied that Jade Lotus was beautiful, with each frown and smile carrying charm, especially those electrifying peach blossom eyes¡ªextremely captivating. Wang Tao¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t flinch at all; he boldly met Jade Lotus¡¯s eyes, then shrugged. ¡°Then that¡¯s a pity.¡± The three of them had been talking nonstop and had not yet begun to eat. Jiang Shixue tugged at Wang Tao¡¯s sleeve when she saw him stop, her big eyes turning towards the food. It was as if she was saying, ¡°I want to eat.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡±
Wang Tao patted Jiang Shixue on the head. With permission, Jiang Shixue immediately started eating. She had always been well-mannered from a young age, and even though she had lost her memory, some things are ingrained and not easily forgotten. Thus, in nonbat situations, she was verydylike in her everyday behavior, including her refined way of eating, which was a pleasant sight to behold. Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng saw Jiang Shixue¡¯s well-behaved look and those innocent big eyes, and they both felt a surge of maternal love. ¡°Here, eat more!¡± they urged and began serving food onto Jiang Shixue¡¯s te. Lu Yingfeng even gave Lan Yulian several meaningful nces on the sly. ¡°Ahem, Mr. Wang. Perhaps with your strength, it doesn¡¯t matter where you are. But Shixue is just an ordinary person, and putting her in the Firefly Club¡­ It¡¯s not that I look down on the Firefly Club, but it definitely isn¡¯t as safe as Vast. If Shixue joins us at Vast, I guarantee that no one will be able to hurt her!¡± Lan Yulian looked at Wang Tao expectantly. If they couldn¡¯t pull Wang Tao over, securing Jiang Shixue was also good enough. As for Wang Tao, her thoughts, to be frank, were also a kind of mutual use. But when it came to Jiang Shixue, she genuinely liked her. Such a sensible, well-behaved, and pure girl should be with them! When Wang Tao heard this, he felt somewhat speechless. Ordinary person? Not safe?
If only they knew about Jiang Shixue¡¯s actual strength and the impurities within her, would they still think the same? ¡°I won¡¯t make decisions for Jiang Shixue; I respect her opinion,¡± he said. Wang Tao turned to Jiang Shixue beside him. ¡°What do you think, Little Xue?¡± Jiang Shixue put down her chopsticks and after swallowing the food in her mouth, she finally spoke: ¡°I want to be with Brother.¡± Wang Tao spread his hands toward the two women. ¡°¡­¡± Both women felt rather helpless. Neither of the two they wanted had been won over! However, they thought again, if they could recruit Wang Tao to their base, wouldn¡¯t that be like getting a buy-one-get-one-free deal? Exchanging nces, they instantly reached a consensus¡ªthey had to keep trying to persuade Wang Tao! The truth was they didn¡¯t care much about strength; even if he was strong, he probably wasn¡¯t stronger than the two of them, right? What they needed was someone with good character and a clean background.
But they didn¡¯t dwell on this matter for the time being, knowing that talking too much could be annoying. Soon, the food on the table had all been eaten, most of which was consumed by Jiang Shixue. She especially loved meat and none of the three hadpeted with her for it; they let her have all the meat. Jiang Shixue waspletely satisfied after the meal, she wiped her mouth and said to Wang Tao in her good-natured way: ¡°Brother, I¡¯m full.¡± Lan Yulian suddenly felt a pang of heartache at the sight. Jiang Shixue had eaten so much in one sitting, which clearly indicated that she hadn¡¯t had a full meal in a long time! Lu Yingfeng gave Wang Tao a sharp look, sensing that Jiang Shixue¡¯s life with him mustn¡¯t be good. ¡°How about this, for the next few days, you bothe here for lunch, and I¡¯ll go ask for more food from Zijin Base¡­¡± Lan Yulian suddenly suggested. ¡°Hmm?¡± Wang Tao was startled for a moment before nodding decisively, ¡°No problem!¡± It had been a long time since he had eaten such proper food, and since there was an opportunity to freeload, why not take advantage of it? Chapter 459 - 204 Feeding the Zombies (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 Chapter 459: Chapter 204 Feeding the Zombies (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_1 After the meal, Wang Tao didn¡¯t beat around the bush and directly asked about the upgrading operation. Lan Yulian was, after all, the leader of one of the four major powers, so she was definitely well-informed. ¡°Sorry, I do know some things, but I can¡¯t tell you. Unless¡­ you join us. Of course, aside from sharing information, we also have excellent benefits and treatment!¡± Lan Yulian said with a smile. She was still not giving up, and the more Wang Tao refused, the more she believed he was of good character. ¡°Then forget it.¡± Wang Tao waved his hand dismissively. In truth, whether he joined or not was all the same to him. After all, even if he did join, could Lan Yulian stop him from leaving when he wished to? But the more Lan Yulian insisted on his joining, the more Wang Tao felt that things were not so simple¡ªLan Yulian definitely had another agenda she hadn¡¯t disclosed. Unless she made it clear, Wang Tao would definitely not join; he had to avoid being trapped. Lan Yulian was somewhat disappointed, but she was not disheartened. After chatting about some inconsequential topics, Wang Tao prepared to leave. However, before leaving, he took out some Crystal Cores and potions. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a bit of businesstely¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Upon seeing the items in Wang Tao¡¯s hands, Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng¡¯s attention was immediately drawn. In Wang Tao¡¯s hands were a Red Crystal Core, an Orange Crystal Core, and a potion that seemed very high-end. ¡°These are Red Crystal Cores and Orange Crystal Cores without side effects, and a Rejuvenation Potion that can instantly restore physical strength and spirit to their peak¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly introduced the items in his hand and passed them to the two women. The Red Crystal Core was a Glutton Core, and so was the Orange Crystal Core. But that wasn¡¯t the important part; what was important was their quality and the absence of side effects! That is to say, these two Crystal Cores were synthesized using a Crystal Core Synthesizer! Lu Yingfeng suddenly felt a pang of loss. Which wastrel had done this? Synthesizing with a Crystal Core Synthesizer consumed a vast amount of the same quality Crystal Core, and it wasn¡¯t even guaranteed to seed. God knows how many Crystal Cores this wasted for just these two Cores! But to go to such expense just to synthesize Glutton Cores? That was incredibly wasteful! After all, the Glutton Core was widely regarded as one of the most useless Crystal Cores; even with side effects removed, it was still trash. If these really were synthesized using a Crystal Core Synthesizer, then if this wasn¡¯t waste, what was? As for the Rejuvenation Upgrade Potion, Wang Tao¡¯s description sounded magical, but the two women were skeptical, having never tried and seen it before. ¡°You mean to say¡­¡± Lan Yulian was somewhat puzzled. ¡°If you have Level 2 Crystal Cores or some Level 1 Crystal Cores whose purpose you don¡¯t know, I can trade them for these kinds of Cores and potions.¡± ¡°You¡¯re referring to¡­ Red and Orange Crystal Cores?¡± Lu Yingfeng immediately asked. ¡°Yes. I recently found a channel where I can get these quality Cores¡­¡± Wang Tao would definitely not say he synthesized them himself, nor would he say he found them; he just said he had a channel and could provide a steady supply. After all, it was the end of the world; nothing was surprising. The two women exchanged nces, both visibly tempted. ¡°If you¡¯re interested, feel free to contact me anytime.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t directly propose a trade, as he wanted to give them time to consider. He left the Crystal Cores and potion there and then took Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand and left. ¡°Get them tested.¡± After Wang Tao left, Lan Yulian promptly instructed Lu Yingfeng. ¡°Okay!¡± They had their own methods of testing and could determine whether what Wang Tao said was true or false. If it was true, and Wang Tao indeed had so many Crystal Cores, she would certainly consider doing business with him. After all, she did have a lot of Level 2 Crystal Cores she couldn¡¯t use¡­ ¡°This Wang Tao, he¡¯s very capable, but he¡¯s so hard to persuade¡­¡± Lan Yulian shook her head helplessly. She wanted to recruit male survivors for Vast, but many women inside were opposed, saying it went against the founders¡¯ original intentions. There was some displeasure between them. Therefore, she nned to take action first and reportter. As long as those women saw the benefits and advantages of male survivors, they would surely stop opposing. But unfortunately, Wang Tao was not willing¡­ Speaking of which, this was the first time in her life she had so earnestly invited a man, and she was rejected¡­ She wasn¡¯t angry, just a bit helpless. After all, if Wang Tao didn¡¯t join, some of her subsequent ns couldn¡¯t be carried out¡­ ¡­ When Wang Tao returned to vi number 8, Nie Siyan had not yete back. He greeted Xu Xiaojun, then went up to the rooftop to exercise for a while until Nie Siyan returned. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± Nie Siyan ran over, slightly excited. ¡°I¡¯ve got some useful information¡­¡± She quickly shared the news she had heard with Wang Tao. There were three important pieces of news in total. The first piece of news was that Zijin Base recently acquired a special Crystal Core whose Ability could be stacked; the more people, the stronger the power, simr to the Mud Swamp Ability Wang Tao had seen before. But not just anyone could integrate with this Crystal Core; even high-quality ones often failed. Even an Orange Crystal Core had failed! Orange had a one hundred percent integration sess rate! Clearly, the quality of the Crystal Core was not the reason for the failures; there must be some unknown factors involved. The integration sess rate seemed random, and no pattern could be discerned. Thus, despite knowing the power of this Crystal Core, few people have seeded in merging with it. Chapter 460 - 204 Feeding the Zombies (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 Chapter 460: Chapter 204 Feeding the Zombies (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_2 Zijin Base is now prepared to bring out these Crystal Cores for everyone to try. But it¡¯s definitely not possible for everyone to get one, and the specifics on how they¡¯ll be distributed aren¡¯t clear. It¡¯s very likely that they¡¯ll be allocated based on rankings of strength. The stronger forces will get more, while the weaker ones might not even get a single core. The Firefly Club challenging the Thunder Guild feels like a stroke of luck. They might end up getting more of these Crystal Cores because of it. As for what these Crystal Cores actually are, they still don¡¯t know, only that they¡¯re one of the trump cards Zijin Base has prepared for hunting Level 3 zombies. During their interactions, Nie Siyan, some even suggested that perhaps they should put on a few staged fights tomorrow to give off the illusion that they¡¯re all very strong, to boost their impression in front of Zijin Base. However, not many people approved of this proposal. Because they all don¡¯t trust each other¡ªone might pretend to go easy, but if the other takes it seriously, they¡¯ll be at a great loss! But, if there are one or two forces that are on good terms, slipping in a staged fight or two doesn¡¯t seem out of the question¡­ Of course, Zijin Base isn¡¯t foolish. It¡¯lle down to whether their acting skills are better, or if Zijin Base is more perceptive. ¡­ The second piece of news is that Zijin Base is nning to create 12 Level 3 ability users in this Ascension operation! This number seems exaggerated to the point of being unrealistic, considering that there isn¡¯t even one Level 3 ability user yet¡­ The details are not clear for the time being. Anyway, Zijin Base seems to think it¡¯s feasible. They specte it might be because Zijin Base has found a location with arge number of Level 3 zombies, or it¡¯s because Zijin Base possesses quick methods to kill Level 3 zombies¡­ Regardless, the idea of 12 Level 3 ability user slots has everyone quite excited. If there were only a few slots, then there certainly wouldn¡¯t be one for them. But with 12 slots, there should be enough for the four major forces, right? Maybe a few will even be left over, then wouldn¡¯t they also have a chance? ¡­ The third piece of news rtes to the rankings of forces. It¡¯s said that Zijin Base may introduce abatpetition model to rank the high-endbat power of these forces. Although the specifics of this ranking have not been disclosed,bining it with the second piece of news, could it be that this rank might be a reserve list for Level 3 ability users? If there are any slots left over after the four major forces have taken their share, will the selections then start with the highest rank and go down in order? If that¡¯s the case, then these rankings be extremely important, probably prompting everyone to demonstrate their full capabilities¡­ ¡­ Nie Siyan received more than just these three pieces of information. There were a bunch of other messy details, but she thought most of them were useless, so she didn¡¯t bother Wang Tao with them. Then there was the issue of forming teams and alliances. This was as Wang Tao had predicted; no consensus was reached on forming alliances. Since there wasn¡¯t much trust among these mid-sized forces, they naturally couldn¡¯t form alliances. However, quite a few small groups did form. Nie Siyan herself formed a group, bringing in two forces that ranked lower. Based on the reputation of the Firefly Club¡¯s predecessor, the Skull Club, it would have been impossible to form a team. But now they were no longer the Skull Club. Plus, during the day, Xu Xiaojun defeated the Thunder Guild and made the Firefly Club quite prominent, so Nie Siyan was still able to find two teammates. The Ascension operation would definitely involve hunting Level 3 zombies, and having teammates would provide at least some support. Of course, that depended on whether the teammates were trustworthy. ¡°Do you think they can be trusted?¡± Wang Tao asked curiously. ¡°These two forces are on the decline now, and no one wants to team up with them, so they have no other choice. However¡­ I don¡¯t really trust them either. When I teamed up with them, I thought that if there¡¯s danger in the future, I could use them as a shield!¡± Nie Siyan nced at Wang Tao as she said this. She felt that Wang Tao probably wasn¡¯t the saintly type. Sure enough, Wang Tao was somewhat speechless after hearing this but didn¡¯t say much. ¡°You¡¯re quite clever,¡± ¡°Heh heh~¡± Nie Siyan took it as apliment. ¡°Oh, right, I forgot to mention the most important thing!¡± Nie Siyan hurriedly told Wang Tao about the Crystal Cores. ¡°After taking out those Crystal Cores and Potions, I received a lot of attention. Especially the Potions, everyone said that after they test them, if they are really as effective as I imed, they¡¯re willing to purchase them with Crystal Cores! As for the Crystal Cores, of course, they liked them too, but they weren¡¯t as popr as the Potions¡­¡± Listening to Nie Siyan¡¯s words, Wang Tao nodded inwardly. It seemed that for the time being,rger forces like the clubs preferred the Crystal Cores, whereas the mid-sized forces preferred Potions. Of course, this was only temporary. Wang Tao¡¯s products, whether Crystal Cores or Potions, were not exaggerated in their effectiveness. He believed that once they tested them, they would like both¡­ ¡­ The next day. Zijin Base called together the leaders of these forces for a meeting. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were fishing by the artificialke, which was one of the benefits provided to the vi area by Zijin Base. It¡¯s just that the fish here were too small; after having hadrger fish, Wang Tao felt they were somewhatcking. Nie Siyan returned from the meeting invigorated and rushed to Wang Tao¡¯s side. ¡°Brother Wang! It¡¯s confirmed! After consultation among the four major forces, Zijin Base decided that this Ascension operation will indeed offer slots for Level 3 Ascension! But not 12 slots, 15! The specifics of the allocation were not detailed, but they indicated that there will be slots reserved for forces other than the four major ones!¡± Chapter 461: 204 Feeding the Zombies (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 Chapter 461: Chapter 204 Feeding the Zombies (Double Monthly Tickets at Month End)_3 ¡°Oh? 15 spots?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. To achieve Level 3 Ascension, besides meeting basic criteria, the most important thing was the Ascension Crystal Core. But acquiring a Level 3 Crystal Core was very difficult; only Level 3 zombies or monsters could drop them, and even if one killed a Level 3 zombie or monster, it was still uncertain whether an Ascension Crystal Core would drop. After all, they didn¡¯t drop a Loot Pack. Even if the drop rate for Ascension Crystal Cores was high, say, killing 2 Level 3 zombies to obtain one Ascension Crystal Core, then for 15 spots, at least 30 Level 3 zombies would need to be killed! However, each Crystal Core had different Quality. White and blue had a lower probability, so at the very least, one would need a Purple Quality or higher to be rtively safe, with red and orange being the best. Assuming they were extremely lucky and the probability of dropping a Purple Quality or higher Crystal Core was one in two, to collect enough Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores of Purple Quality or higher, they would need to kill 60 Level 3 zombies! 60 Level 3 zombies! Where the heck did Zijin Base find so many zombies? And even if it was possible to find 60 Level 3 zombies, could they even defeat them? Wang Tao hadn¡¯t thought about it carefully yesterday, but upon reflecting today, it seemed quite unreliable!
After Wang Tao shared his analysis, Nie Siyan was also stunned. She had been too excited before and hadn¡¯t considered this problem. Now that she thought about it, something was indeed off. Her face suddenly turned somewhat sullen. Could it be that she was happy for nothing? Wang Tao pondered for a moment and said: ¡°I think, if they aren¡¯t purposefully setting a trap, there might be two possibilities¡ª¡± ¡°One is, they¡¯ve found a ce with a lot of Level 3 zombies that might be trapped in there, making them less dangerous to kill, and with more help they could deal with it¡­ The other is, these 15 slots for people are paid out in installments¡­¡± There might be other possibilities, but Wang Tao felt these were not very likely. Nie Siyan thought that what Wang Tao said made sense. She hoped it was the first option. If it was the second, that would be troublesome¡­ Besides the news about the Ascension slots, another piece of information was confirmed¡ªthe ranking battle. Zijin Base was indeed organizing a ranking list. The four major powers wouldn¡¯t participate, but other powers could register, with a maximum of three people per power. It would start directly tomorrow. As long as one could get a good ranking, they would receive rewards from Zijin Base, and naturally, these rewards varied in size. Just in terms of Level 2 Crystal Cores, Zijin Base had taken out a lot, iming it was to motivate everyone¡­ This was indeed a significant investment. ¡°So, do we participate?¡± Nie Siyan asked. She had some confidence in herself, but not much¡ªher confidence was quite solid before, but after Wang Tao had Xu Xiaojun take action yesterday, not only were others struck down, but her confidence took a hit as well. So now she felt that she could probably rank, but getting a good ranking was uncertain¡­ ¡°Participate, you and Xu Xiaojun should be enough.¡± Wang Tao said. After all, Crystal Cores that were free for the taking shouldn¡¯t be turned down. However, to be on the safe side, Wang Tao thought he might enhance Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strength a little more¡ªhe hadn¡¯t yet had a chance to use the Armor Blueprint he obtained before¡­ ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan was immediately overjoyed upon hearing that Xu Xiaojun would take part.
With the ability Xu Xiaojun had demonstrated yesterday,peting for the top spots shouldn¡¯t be a problem! ¡°By the way, someone has already contacted me wanting to buy your Crystal Cores and Potions. Shall I talk to them about the price now?¡± Nie Siyan suddenly asked. ¡°Go ahead.¡±
¡°Alrighty!¡± Nie Siyan had just left when a woman came over. She said their leader had invited Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue to join them for lunch at Building 7. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hold back, considering the clubhouse had plenty of food, and it was free. When they arrived at the vi of Building 7, Wang Tao noticed that Lan Yulian had changed into a different outfit for the day. She wore a whiteb coat and had her hair neatly tied up, looking very much like a doctor¡ªwhich she actually was. Seeing Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue arrive, Lan Yulian immediately came out to wee them¡ªof course, she was there to greet Jiang Shixue. She took Jiang Shixue¡¯s small hand and, seeing Wang Tao nod in approval, Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t resist and followed her in obediently. Lan Yulian was very happy about this, so she had Lu Yingfeng bring out some washed grapes for Jiang Shixue, which were bigger than any Wang Tao had seen before the apocalypse, resembling plums and looking delicious. ¡°Such luxury, to have grapes!¡± Without any reservation, Wang Tao took two bunches of grapes from Jiang Shixue¡¯s hands, which earned him eye rolls from both Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng. ¡°They taste really good!¡± It had been half a year since Wang Tao had grapes, and he had almost forgotten what they tasted like. Of course, Wang Tao was not snatching Jiang Shixue¡¯s food; it¡¯s just that she liked meat more, and wasn¡¯t very fond of fruits and vegetables. Wang Tao reluctantly volunteered to help. At that moment, Lan Yulian suddenly said to Wang Tao:
¡°You must also know about those 15 Level 3 slots, right?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious why Zijin Base dares to im there are 15 spots avable?¡± Lan Yulian asked again. ¡°Why?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows raised. Wasn¡¯t this woman unwilling to tell him these things? Had she changed her tune? ¡°Because¡­ before that, may I ask first, you know about the prison constantly buying survivors, right?¡± Lan Yulian did not say directly, instead teased a bit more. ¡°I know.¡± Wang Tao was very clear, after all, he had sold over two hundred scumbags from the Skull Club into the prison. ¡°Then, where do you think those people bought by the prison went?¡±
Lan Yulian looked at Wang Tao with a serious expression, but this time she didn¡¯t wait for him to answer, and continued: ¡°They fed them to the zombies!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You mean¡­¡± He thought of some horrifying possibilities he had once considered. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve guessed it. Exactly, they fed those survivors to create many Level 3 zombies! And now¡­ these zombies are about to get out of control! This so-called upgrade operation is remediation for this situation!¡± Chapter 462: 205: Gymnasium (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_1 Chapter 462: Chapter 205: Gymnasium (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_1 Hearing this somewhat sensational news, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t too surprised; he looked towards Lan Yulian. ¡°Did you also participate?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lan Yulian shook her head, ¡°We only found out about it recently. This was something the base and the prison concocted together. Neither we nor the Ability User¡¯s Alliance were informed¡­ otherwise, I would have definitely gone to stop them!¡± She had been startled when she first heard about it; had it not been toote, she would have definitely tried to stop it. After all, this was too risky¡ªit was, to some extent, ying with the lives of all the survivors in Zijing City! ¡°So now¡­¡± Wang Tao asked again. ¡°Those zombies are all in the city stadium. Before they started to raise the zombies, they had already hacked off their limbs and tied them up to prevent them from resisting or escaping.¡± ¡°And now, those zombies have sessfully ascended to Level 3. After the Ascension, their strength is quite weaker than that of normal Level 3 zombies. They thought they were sessful, but these zombies are slowly growing stronger, and moreover, they can evolve! Some have grown new limbs, some have evolved other appendages, and some have even merged together¡­¡± At this point, Lan Yulian¡¯s face turned somewhat pale.
She had seen the situation there with her own eyes, and every time she thought about it, she felt physically ill. ¡°¡­The situation there is a bit out of control now. The reason so many people were summoned this time is to try to quickly kill those zombies. Otherwise, if those zombies break out, there will be big trouble!¡± After thinking for a moment, Wang Tao asked with some curiosity: ¡°Can¡¯t they solve it themselves?¡± From what Lan Yulian implied, those zombies being raised should be rtively weak and significantly restricted; they can¡¯t even leave the stadium. Given Zijin Base¡¯s strength, they should be able to resolve the issue. Not to mention anything else, Zijin Base has many guns. Since the zombies are trapped, couldn¡¯t they just shoot them like target practice? ¡°In theory, they could solve it, but the danger is too great. Their cages have malfunctioned, and many zombies have gotten out of control. But those zombies can¡¯t leave the stadium for now¡­ so they can only send people in to kill them. If they forcefully go in to solve it, they will surely lose a lot of people. Though Zijin Base has many people, they can¡¯t afford to lose too many¡­ However, there¡¯s an even more important point¡­¡± Lan Yulian paused for a moment. ¡°The most important point is that among the zombies inside, not only are there Level 3 Elite Zombies, but there are also some very strong zombies without Crystal Cores, somewhat simr to Mad Demon Zombies. They can¡¯t directly distinguish which zombies have Crystal Cores¡­¡± ¡°No wonder!¡± Hearing this, Wang Tao suddenly understood. The reasons Lan Yulian mentioned earlier were certainly problems, but they could always be solved if they were determined enough. Thest reason was the key ¡ª there were strong zombies without Crystal Cores inside the stadium! Killing these kinds of zombies was nothing but thankless hard work. Thus, Zijin Base simply lured all the survivors in Zijing City over to do the work. Of course, if they could fulfill their own promises and give other survivors benefits, then it wouldn¡¯t be seen as deception but rather as mutual aid and cooperation. ¡°So, will Zijin Base honor their promise?¡± Wang Tao looked at Lan Yulian. ¡°Of course, they will. Even if they are strong, they wouldn¡¯t dare to oppose the survivors of the entire Zijing City. Besides, friendly cooperation is the foundation for long-term survival; they aren¡¯t foolish.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Wang Tao nodded as long as they weren¡¯t intentionally duping people.
¡°Dinner¡¯s ready!¡± Lu Yingfeng called out from the kitchen; she had prepared today¡¯s meal. Lan Yulian hurried over to serve the dishes, while Wang Tao didn¡¯t move an inch, looking like the lord and master as he continued eating grapes with Jiang Shixue. When the food was served, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up.
Regardless of how the food tasted today, at the very least, it looked much better than yesterday¡¯s. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide his emotions, and both women noticed. Lu Yingfeng wore aposed expression, while Lan Yulian appeared somewhat helpless; she admitted there was indeed a gap. ¡°Please enjoy!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and picked up a piece of lean meat. After chewing a few times, hemended with admiration in his eyes: ¡°The vor is terrific!¡± This wasn¡¯t ttery; today¡¯s meal was indeed great, especiallypared to yesterday¡¯s¡ªit was in a ss of its own. ¡°Little Feng trained specially for this back then!¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s praise, Lu Yingfeng spoke up while Lan Yulian took on a verycent demeanor, as if thepliments were about her. It was evident that their rtionship was very close. ¡°Little Xue, eat more!¡± Then, Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng started serving Jiang Shixue more food. ¡°Thank you.¡± The group chatted as they ate.
Naturally, the topic of zombies was momentarily skipped, as that was sure to spoil the appetite. When the conversation turned to food, Lan Yulian spoke with some envy: ¡°Zijin Base is such a great ce! Not only is itrge, with strong defense power and beautiful scenery, but they can also grow their own vegetables and raise pigs¡­¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t surprised; he could guess as much from the food. Otherwise, Zijin Base couldn¡¯t possibly supply so many people with fresh food. ¡°And their vegetables and pigs have mutated, grown huge! But they can all be eaten. The pigs are also very docile and not aggressive at all.¡± Lu Yingfeng was also very envious. Upon hearing this, Wang Tao seemed very interested. He had only seen some inedible nt mutations and some fish mutations. He hadn¡¯t yete across mutated vegetables or pigs and nned to go see what they looked like sometime. Certainly not for the purpose of stealing them. Chapter 463: 205: Gymnasium (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_2 Chapter 463: Chapter 205: Gymnasium (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_2 Wang Tao asked Lan Yulian about the location of Zijin Base¡¯s ntation and then changed the subject. He took the initiative to ask about the ranking issue of Zijin Base and other forces. Lan Yulian told Wang Tao that it was as he had imagined. The ranking was indeed in preparation for the Level 3 ability user slots. However, while a higher rank makes it easier to obtain a slot, the higher the rank, the greater the cost. To secure a good position, one must be prepared to make sacrifices. Just like the four major forces this time, although they had internally secured some slots, they had also deployed arge number of operatives¡­ There is no absolute fairness in the world, but rtive fairness does exist. Zijin Base tries to maintain a state of rtive fairness, which can prevent many problems. The more Wang Tao understood, the more he felt that the leader of Zijin Base was formidable, somewhat different from the rumors outside. However, this was normal; everyone views a matter with some bias. What others say is never reliable; it¡¯s only what one sees with one¡¯s own eyes that is urate. ¡°By the way, I heard that Zijin Base has a very special Crystal Core, which, if sessfully fused, allows multiple ability users tobine their powers. Do you know which Crystal Core it is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Ability that can spray a type of mucus. This mucus isn¡¯t very sticky, but it can cause zombies to weaken¡­¡± Lan Yulian exined briefly. Wang Tao suddenly realized.
If it were possible to weaken zombies on arge scale, then indeed the chance of killing these zombies would be much higher. Wang Tao asked a lot of questions, and Lan Yulian shared everything she could. At this moment, Lan Yulian suddenly looked at Wang Tao and said: ¡°I¡¯ve given you so much information, why don¡¯t youe to our club?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wang Tao immediately refused. Lan Yulian was somewhat choked by this response. It was bad enough that he refused, but his refusal was so perfunctory, after she had been so responsive to his queries. Lu Yingfeng, who was beside them, found it hard to watch. She said to Wang Tao: ¡°Wang Tao, you probably don¡¯t know how strong our leader is. Many people who want to join our club don¡¯t even qualify.¡± ¡°How strong? Do you have a ranking among you powerful ability users, and what rank is Madam Lan?¡± Wang Tao asked directly. ¡°¡­¡± They did indeed have a private ranking ofbat strength, but Lan Yulian was not on the list. However, this was not because Lan Yulian wasn¡¯t good enough; her Ability just wasn¡¯t geared towards frontalbat. ¡°Our leader isn¡¯t abat ability user, but a healing ability user! Such a healing ability, only our leader has it in the whole Zijing City! Not to mention that our leader is also a physician¡­ If you join our club, as long as it¡¯s not a fatal injury, we can save you!¡± ¡°Oh? Healing ability users?¡± Healing ability users were indeed rare; apart from this Lan Yulian, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t seen another. Ding Yuqin didn¡¯t count; hers was a Hidden Ability.
But Wang Tao had indeed seen a zombie with a healing ability, and he still kept a Crystal Core that possessed a healing ability¡­ ¡°How about it, are you interested now?¡± Lu Yingfeng suddenly spoke up with a slight sense of smug satisfaction. Normally, she was rather cold and wouldn¡¯t act like this, but for some reason, she felt very rxed while talking to Wang Tao.
¡°Indeed, I am a bit interested.¡± ¡°Then¡­ as long as you join us, you can enjoy the treatment from our leader!¡± ¡°Not joining,¡± Wang Tao still shook his head, but he continued, ¡°unless you tell me why you are so insistent on me joining. Don¡¯t fob me off with the reasons you¡¯ve given before; I know there must be a reason.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s insistence and knowing that they dared not reveal the reason if he didn¡¯t join, both women felt a headache. They held a special Crystal Core that seemed very powerful and could only be fused by males. Currently, there were internal conflicts about this, and if outsiders attacked them over this issue, it would be troublesome¡­ Seeing that neither woman wanted to reveal more, Wang Tao shrugged his shoulders. At this point, he was actually bing curious. But he definitely wouldn¡¯t make the move himself. After the meal, and having apanied Jiang Shixue with some food and fruit, Wang Tao prepared to leave. At that moment, Lan Yulian called out to him. Wang Tao thought she had changed her mind, but that wasn¡¯t the case; instead, she wanted to purchase some Crystal Cores and potions from him. It seems that they must have tested them yesterday, and the results were good. ¡°How much do you want? I happen to have a batch of goods here. If you askter, I might have already sold them off.¡± Wang Tao had plenty of items on hand, but he needed to pretend that they were in short supply.
Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng weren¡¯t suspicious, considering these goods were indeed good and limited in quantity made sense. Wang Tao had already set the prices for these items. One Rejuvenation Potion sold for three Level 1 Crystal Cores of any type and Quality. His cost of producing one potion was one Level 1 Crystal Core and a small amount of water and food, and he could produce five potions at a time! So at this price, he was making a huge profit. As for the prices of Crystal Cores, they fluctuated somewhat due to the variety of types. Overall though, they were cheaper than the market price. And these high-quality Crystal Cores were not easy to find on the market; they were virtually priceless, mainly in the hands of the major forces¡­ And these were discounted prices for Wang Tao; he charged others more. After all, different people required different treatment, and as big clients, Lan Yulian and her group definitely needed to feel like they were getting a good deal. Chapter 464: 205: Gymnasium (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_3 Chapter 464: Chapter 205: Gymnasium (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_3 Indeed, when Wang Tao quoted his price, both of them were somewhat surprised. It was much cheaper than they expected. After confirming the price was correct, Lan Yulian went to her room and brought out many white Level 2 Crystal Cores. Then she called her subordinates to bring over the Level 1 Crystal Cores. It was only then that Wang Tao learned that the clubhouse upied two vis, number 6 and number 7. Lan Yulian and her group lived in number 7, while the others resided in number 6. Out of curiosity, Wang Tao asked why they hadn¡¯t chosen a siheyuan. At this question, the expressions on Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng¡¯s faces turned somewhat unpleasant. ¡°What other reason could there be, we lost a contest.¡± Lan Yulian sighed. ¡°Ah? Didn¡¯t you let Lu Yingfeng fight? With her strength, how could she lose in a contest?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked.
Lu Yingfeng clearly possessed purebat power, and Wang Tao could sense she was very strong. There shouldn¡¯t be many who could beat her. The moment he said this, both women looked at Wang Tao in surprise. Lan Yulian was surprised that Wang Tao actually knew about Lu Yingfeng¡¯s strength, while Lu Yingfeng was surprised that Wang Tao actuallyplimented her¡ªshe saw this as high praise. Lan Yulian exined somewhat annoyed: ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t Little Feng who fought, otherwise we definitely wouldn¡¯t have lost. In short, we were outyed by members of the Ability User¡¯s Alliance.¡± In reality, where they lived didn¡¯t quite matter, as they were all survivors of the apocalypse and didn¡¯t care too much about their environment. But the issue was that the other two major forces were residing in siheyuans, only they were in a vi. It felt like they were being kicked out of the top forces, which was somewhat annoying. ¡°Alright then.¡± This was clearly a sore subject for them, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t press further. He took out arge handful of brightly colored Crystal Cores from his chest. ¡°Take a look and pick whichever you want, feel free.¡± At the sight of these shiny objects, both women¡¯s eyes glittered. After spending a bit of time, the two partiespleted the transaction. Wang Tao looked at the Level 2 Crystal Cores in his hand and smirked. Indeed, going out to kill zombies and whatnot was indeed too slow. Direct trading with people was simpler. Even though most of these were white Crystal Cores, Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind, as he could synthesize them. Before leaving, Wang Tao said to Lan Yulian: ¡°Today¡¯s grapes were a bit sour, bring more sweet ones tomorrow, eh!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This man really had no scruples!
Even Lan Yulian, upon seeing Wang Tao¡¯s smug look, had the urge to beat him up. But after seeing Jiang Shixue¡¯s innocent big eyes, she took a deep breath. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get someone from the base to bring them over.¡± ¡°Thank you, sister!¡± At Wang Tao¡¯s cue, Jiang Shixue voiced her thanks.
Listening to that sweet voice, Lan Yulian felt it was all worth it. ¡°No, we must pull Wang Tao into our clubhouse! Not to mention Wang Tao¡¯s own value, just this Jiang Shixue, such a delicate and pure girl, we must protect her well!¡± Lan Yulian clenched her fist and dered. ¡°The leader is right!¡± Lu Yingfeng strongly agreed. ¡­ After Wang Tao returned to building number 8, Nie Siyan had gone out for business and had not returned yet. Wang Tao took out a blueprint in the room. [Tree Branch Full Body Armor Blueprint: Can be used to craft a set of full body battle armor made from tree branches. Required materials: Level 3 Crystal Core x1¡­] This was an item that had dropped from a Level 3 Entangling Roots zombie he had killed before. Wang Tao himself had Entangling Roots, so naturally, he didn¡¯t need this set of equipment. It was originally intended for Xu Xiaojun, but the opportunity to make it had note yet. Now that he had more Level 3 Crystal Cores, he could finally craft the equipment. With a thought, Wang Tao took out the materials.
Instantly, the materials and the blueprint radiated a burst of rainbow light. After the light faded, a set of full body armor appeared before Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. It included a helmet, chest armor, shoulder pads, and other pieces of full body armor, along with a huge shield. This shield could normally be carried on the back and used in critical moments. [Branch Full Body Armor] [Level 3 (Excellent)] [Durability +50, Defensive Power +50 (slightly weak resistance to mes)] The construction technique of this battle armor was somewhat simr to rattan armor, as both were woven. However, this set of armor was purely ck, and its branches did not resemble wood but instead appeared metallic. Touching it felt cool and heavy. This set of armor bore some resemnce to the arm guards, knee pads, chest armor, and other items Wang Tao wore; it could be adjusted in size. Wang Tao tried it on himself. ¡°The weight is just right, and it¡¯s very flexible¡­ feels pretty good.¡± It definitely wasn¡¯t as good as the Entangling Roots, but it was far better than other equipment. After ying around with it for a while, Wang Tao called Xu Xiaojun over. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a set of armor for you.¡±
Seeing the set of armor, Xu Xiaojun¡¯s eyes lit up, especially when he saw therge shield, and he immediately held it to try it out. The shield wasrge, but it was just right for him. Xu Xiaojun knew about Wang Tao¡¯s Entangling Roots, so he did not refuse. ¡°Brother Wang, I feel this is very suitable for me!¡± ¡°I think so too. From now on, this will be your exclusive armor. Paired with that axe of yours, it¡¯s just perfect!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°Thank you, Brother Wang!¡± Xu Xiaojun was very grateful. Without any exaggeration, owning this set of armor had at least increased his survivability tenfold! And that¡¯s not even mentioning the enhancement inbat power. ¡°You¡¯ll help the Firefly Club fight a few contests tomorrow; try to get a decent rank.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Xu Xiaojun immediately nodded. The rankings affected the ability to fight Level 3 zombies, so naturally, Wang Tao needed a ranking. The zombies in the gymnasium might be a big problem for some, but for Wang Tao, they were all special Energy and spoils of war!
After all, Wang Tao could distinguish which zombies had Crystal Cores and which did not! Chapter 465: 206: Selling Items (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_1 Chapter 465: Chapter 206: Selling Items (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_1 Nie Siyan returned before dark. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± She came trotting over excitedly, holding a list and a carry bag. ¡°These are the people who want to buy Crystal Cores and Potions, and they have all paid a deposit!¡± Wang Tao looked at the carry bag, which contained a pile of Crystal Cores. ¡°Well done!¡± ording to the list, Wang Tao took out the required Crystal Cores and Potions and handed them to Nie Siyan. He had been nning to tell Nie Siyan toplete the trade with them tomorrow. But Nie Siyan quickly said: ¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯ll go and finalize the transactions with them right now!¡± Seeing Nie Siyan¡¯s diligent and earnest demeanor, Wang Tao was very pleased. He decided to reward her handsomely tonight.
Busy until midnight, Nie Siyan returned to Vi No. 8 once again. ¡°Brother Wang, all the transactions have beenpleted, and I¡¯ve also received a batch of new orders!¡± Nie Siyan, presenting it as though she were bestowing a treasure, showed Wang Tao all the Crystal Cores and yet another order list. Wang Tao gave Nie Siyan a surprised nce. The items Nie Siyan had sold today even surpassed what he had sold to Lan Yulian and the others! Looking at Nie Siyan¡¯s expectant ¡°please praise me¡± expression, Wang Tao asked with a smile: ¡°Tell me, what reward do you want?¡± ¡°Ah? A reward?¡± Nie Siyan hadn¡¯t expected there to be a reward. All she wanted now was to cling tightly to Wang Tao¡¯s powerful coattails. However, since there was a reward on offer, she certainly wasn¡¯t going to turn it down. ¡°Any reward is fine?¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s eyes darted around yfully. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it first.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t answer directly. ¡°I¡­ I want¡­¡± ¡­ The next day. Nie Siyan woke up early. Not only did she not feel any difort, but she was also positively radiant.
Somehow, she had acquired an ultra-short ck and white maid outfit and knelt beside Wang Tao, waking him up with her mouth. ¡°Master~ time to get up~¡± Once Wang Tao was awake, she then helped him get dressed. Wang Tao stroked Nie Siyan¡¯s hair, feeling somewhat moved. This Nie Siyan really knew how to y the game!
After attending to Wang Tao, Nie Siyan changed into more formal attire and, after having breakfast with Wang Tao and the others, left the vi. Today, apetition between forces was to be held, taking ce in a sunken square surrounded by steps, capable of amodating many spectators. The official upgrade operation was set for tomorrow, which was to clear zombies out of the gymnasium. Time was tight, and the situation at the gymnasium was probably not good¡­ When they arrived at the square, there was already arge crowd gathered. There were not only people from external forces, but also many survivors from Zijin Base. After all, it was a rare opportunity to witness a battle between Ability Users, not to be missed. Seeing so many spectators, the people from external forces were excited; they loved the sensation of being in the spotlight! There were not many rules for thispetition. Participants would draw lots and duel in pairs ording to simr numbers. Winners would advance, losers would be eliminated, and before being eliminated, there would be another round to determine the rankings. Thepetition would continue this way until the quarterfinals, at which point the rules would change. Before the quarterfinals, each force would send one person topete in a single match, with the winner advancing and the loser being eliminated. After the quarterfinals, each force would send three people to fight in three matches. The best two out of three would advance, leading up to the final round. Many forces had arrived, but Wang Tao estimated that thebat would proceed quickly.
After all, this was not a sport with fixed time and rule constraints. An Ability User¡¯s 1v1bat could end instantaneously. So, even though there were many contenders and subsequent rounds required two out of three matches, the overall pace would still be swift. Shortly after, people from the four main forces also arrived. They might not be participating, but they would certainlye to watch. The first to arrive were people from Zijin Base. Wang Tao nced over. Although their leader wasn¡¯t present, the rest were strong, several boasting 29999 HP¡­ befitting the top-ranked force. Then came the prison members. These individuals perfectly matched Wang Tao¡¯s stereotype of criminals: sinister faces, tattoos, smug expressions, and a slouching gait¡­ As they approached, the crowd immediately made way, clearly preferring to avoid too much contact with them. Despite their disagreeable appearance, these inmates were strong, with several Ability Users among them also having 29999 HP. The third group was the Ability User¡¯s Alliance. They had the fewest members, only four, but all four had 29999 HP. These four individuals were indifferent, stern, and out of ce among most people. They might as well have written ¡°Don¡¯t bother me¡± across their foreheads. Thest to arrive was naturally the Vast Club.
This was the force that received a storm of cheers upon entering. No choice there; after all, they were a group of women! Not to speak of their faces, as beauty is subjective and can¡¯t be generalized, but their figures received unanimous approval. After all, the heavier ones had been eliminated, leaving behind women with at least proportionate figures, especially with so many of them standing together¡ªtheir line of long legs was a striking sight. The leader of the Club, Lan Yulian, also had note; the group was led by Lu Yingfeng instead. Lu Yingfeng casually scanned the crowd, and with just one nce, spotted Wang Tao. She nodded slightly as a greeting. Once everyone from the four major forces had taken their seats, a representative from Zijin Base began to announce the rules of the match. ¡°No intentional injury or life-threatening attacks, no stalling¡­¡± ¡°Now, let the match begin!¡± Dong! The host struck the gong once. Chapter 466: 206: Selling Items (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_2 Chapter 466: Chapter 206: Selling Items (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_2 The surrounding audience immediately stood up and cheered. They were now in the middle of Zijin Base, where cheers couldn¡¯t escape from the base, so there was no need to worry about attracting zombies, and everyone cheered without concern. Before thepetition began, Nie Siyan drew number 8 on behalf of Firefly Club, exactly matching their vi number 8. Soon it was Firefly Club¡¯s turn. The threepetitors from Firefly Club were Nie Siyan, Xu Xiaojun, and Wang Tao. Wang Tao was just there to make up the numbers, Nie Siyan was almost the same, the mainbat power was still Xu Xiaojun. Dressed in full battle armor and holding a Giant Axe, Xu Xiaojun made his appearance. His figure caused an immediate uproar of cheers as he appeared. His opponent instantly felt immense pressure. This physique, these equipments, you could tell he was a strong contender at a nce! After introducing themselves to each other, the opponent was still wondering what move to use when he saw Xu Xiaojun suddenly swing an axe through the air at him.
¡°Ah?¡± The opponent didn¡¯t understand what was happening at first, thinking Xu Xiaojun was just striking a pose. By the time he saw a transparent Shockwave flying towards him, it was already toote. Bang! The man was sent flying,nding outside thebat area. ¡°Victory for number 8 Firefly Club!¡± The referee immediately announced. The fight ended so quickly that the audience only reacted after hearing the referee¡¯s voice, and the ce erupted into a loudmotion. In Zijing City, the Ability like Shockwave was notmon, and many had never seen it before. After Xu Xiaojun saw that his opponent only got a mouthful of dust and was otherwise unharmed, he stepped down from the stage. He had held back with that strike, otherwise, he probably could have shattered his opponent with that hit. ¡°Strong!¡± Nie Siyan immediately gave a thumbs up. ¡°He¡¯s just too weak,¡± Xu Xiaojun replied somewhat naively. The battle continued, with many matches ending as swiftly as Xu Xiaojun¡¯s had, the pace of thepetition moving so quickly that the audience¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t keep up. It wasn¡¯t long before Firefly Club made it into the top 8. The next rounds were best two out of three, and it was Nie Siyan¡¯s turn topete, she felt a bit nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re still a top-tier Horse at the end of the day, you just go and take on their mid-tier, lower-tier Horses,¡± Wang Tao told Nie Siyan, his face rxed. ¡°Top-tier Horse? What kind of Horse is Xu Xiaojun?¡± Nie Siyan asked curiously. ¡°He, of course, is a steed!¡± Wang Tao replied without hesitation, Xu Xiaojun was much stronger than Nie Siyan.
¡°Then Brother Wang, what kind of Horse are you?¡± Nie Siyan inquired further. ¡°Me? I am of course the Rider, the one who rides the Horses,¡± Wang Tao emphasized the words ¡°rides the horses.¡± Wang Tao gave her buttocks a p. ¡°Oh~ the Master!¡± Nie Siyan blushed. She was too deprived, beginning to acquire a taste for it.
However, she was not afraid of losing face, she knew she still didn¡¯t hold much status in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes, so she wanted to try to please Wang Tao as much as possible¡­ if psychology wouldn¡¯t work, then she would start with physiology! Soon, Firefly Club¡¯s opponent appeared. Wang Tao checked the Attributes of the opponents and felt they were all rather mediocre. So he didn¡¯t arrange much strategy. A random fight would be an easy win. Sure enough, after Xu Xiaojun easily crushed his opponent, Nie Siyan also dominated hers. With this victory, Nie Siyan¡¯s confidence soared. They continued to ze through thepetition, quickly arriving at the final round. Xu Xiaojun became the most popr contestant at the venue, receiving countless cheers. Because he basically killed with one strike¡ªeither a Shockwave or a Rush, no one could withstand these two attacks. His strength was off the charts. After a while, the other finalist force emerged, and to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, it was the Thunder Guild. It was somewhat an encounter with a familiar foe! The Thunder Guild red viciously at Wang Tao¡¯s side, their gaze so intense as if they wished to y and bone them. ¡°Brother Wang, should I go first or should Xu Xiaojun?¡± Nie Siyan was eager to try. Wang Tao checked and saw that all three of the other side¡¯s race participants had over 20,000 HP, one even had 29,999 HP, likely their Gang Leader. Inparison, Nie Siyan had just 13,000 HP, a significant disadvantage. If she faced the one with 29,999 HP, she would likely lose. Wang Tao was also apetitor, but obviously, he didn¡¯t need to enter such a minor fray himself.
Thus, Wang Tao handed three Potions to Nie Siyan. ¡°You go second, if you can win, then so be it, if you feel you can¡¯t win, then use all these Potions in front of everyone¡­¡± Wang Tao produced a small Strength Potion, a small Running Potion, and a small Defense Potion. The rules of this duel were simple: there were hardly any, except for the prohibition of firearms. Everything else was fair game. So, Wang Tao directly told Nie Siyan to pop the Potions. These Potions could significantly boost Nie Siyan¡¯s power, and it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to win against them. Another reason Wang Tao took out the Potions was that he was toozy topete himself, and importantly, he could also use the opportunity to advertise his own Potions¡­ ¡°Alright!¡± Nie Siyan knew the effects of these Potions, but she had never used them. Seeing Wang Tao give her three Potions at once moved her deeply and excited her. She wanted to see how powerful the Enhancement from these Potions really was. The first match of the finals started quickly. Firefly Club¡¯spetitor was Xu Xiaojun, while the Thunder Guild didn¡¯t send their 29,999 HP Gang Leader but the weakest among them. ¡°Tsk, it seems like they think you¡¯re an easy target!¡± Wang Tao chuckled to Nie Siyan by his side. Chapter 467: 206: Selling Items (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_3 Chapter 467: Chapter 206: Selling Items (Seeking Basic Monthly Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_3 Thunder Guild obviously did their homework on the Firefly Club; they didn¡¯t want to go head-to-head with Xu Xiaojun, so they threw this fight right from the start. They were pinning all their hopes on thest two matches. Anyone with a bit of strength could tell that Nie Siyan was not as capable as Xu Xiaojun. And thest contestant, Wang Tao, had never made a move before. So, they had reason to suspect that Wang Tao was even weaker. On the other side, Thunder Guild. It was indeed simr to what Wang Tao had imagined; this was the tactic they had devised. ¡°When it¡¯s your turn to fight, don¡¯t go up against that hulking guy in armor; you can¡¯t beat him. Just concede right away, and you¡¯ll avoid a beating,¡± the Gang Leader instructed the others. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯ll be me against that bitch Nie Siyan! As the Gang Leader of Thunder Guild, battling with her, the president, won¡¯t diminish my status. But I¡¯m going to beat the shit out of her! Not giving her a chance to surrender!¡± ¡°As for you, wait for the third match, to fight the other big guy, who¡¯s never made a move. He must be pretty weak, probably just there to make up the numbers. Your strength is second only to mine; you¡¯ll surely win with ease¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡±
¡°Give it your all! We¡¯re going to avenge our past disgrace this time!¡± ¡°Kill!¡± After hashing out their n, Thunder Guild¡¯s first fight began. Out of respect for the finals, Xu Xiaojun prepared to start with a Rush and a Shockwave, but his opponent was even quicker ¡ª just as he got on stage, he raised his hand to surrender! Boos erupted from the spectator stands immediately. But those who had survived the apocalypse until now were not thin-skinned, so the guy didn¡¯t care at all; he even flipped the bird at the audience in the stands. Xu Xiaojun stepped off the stage, a bit stunned. In the second match, it was Nie Siyan¡¯s turn. And the Thunder Guild Gang Leader stepped up as well. The Thunder Guild Gang Leader was a middle-aged man about 1.7 meters tall, with quite a few muscles on his body. The appearance of the two factions¡¯ leaders in the finals, especially a man and a woman, with the woman being both very beautiful and curvaceously attractive¡­ This fight instantly drew a lot of attention. Many spectators were shouting the names of the Firefly Club and Thunder Guild, driving the atmosphere to new heights. A cruel smile spread across the Gang Leader¡¯s face; he had nned exactly how to torment Nie Siyanter on. He wanted to beat Nie Siyan so badly she couldn¡¯t surrender, then strip her naked and humiliate her in front of countless people! Nie Siyan felt a bit nervous, but she was no longer her former self. Plus, with potions at her disposal¡­ There was no way she could lose! Soon, the fight began. The Gang Leaderunched a barrage of his best moves right out of the gate, aiming to overwhelm Nie Siyanpletely. But to his surprise, Nie Siyan was far stronger than he had anticipated! His fierce onught had failed to suppress Nie Siyan. This left the Gang Leader looking troubled; his n had hit a snag at the very first step. However, he quickly adjusted his mindset. Nie Siyan was now at a disadvantage. In another two or three minutes at most, she would be defeated! He might not be able to humiliate Nie Siyan, but a crushing defeat was still eptable.
But at that moment, Nie Siyan suddenly pulled out three potions and injected them into her arm. With a soft ¡®pfft¡¯, Nie Siyan seemed to transform into a different person and rushed at the Gang Leader again. ¡°So fast!¡± It wasn¡¯t as obvious to others, but the Gang Leader, locked inbat with Nie Siyan, could clearly perceive that Nie Siyan¡¯s speed had greatly increased!
He used to be able to suppress Nie Siyan with his speed, but not anymore! ¡°What the hell did she inject?¡± If it were just an increase in speed, that would have been manageable. But if other attributes had increased too¡­ Thunder Guild¡¯s Gang Leader suddenly had a bad feeling. And then, his premonition proved urate! Nie Siyan¡¯s speed had indeed increased, and so had her strength! After being hit with a steel rod in Nie Siyan¡¯s hands, he nearly fell t! And when he hit Nie Siyan with a stick, she acted as if nothing had happened! ¡°Fuck! Her defense increased too?! This is bad!¡± At that point, the Gang Leader¡¯s ominous feeling intensified! If this were a fight in the wilderness, he¡¯d have run away as soon as he sensed something was off. But this was a match, and running meant losing! With a hardened resolve, the Gang Leader immediately adopted a do-or-die stance, ready for an all-out brawl. But Nie Siyan¡¯s own strength was notcking; it was just that her HP was a bit lower, making her physically weaker. However, with the enhancement from the potion, her physical condition surpassed that of the Gang Leader. No matter how fierce he was, it didn¡¯t work against absolute strength! So, a minuteter. Bang!
Nie Siyan struck the Gang Leader down with a steel rod and then, with her stiletto boots, decisively stomped on his head. ¡°Firefly Club wins!¡± As soon as the Gang Leader was clearly unable to get up, the referee immediately dered Nie Siyan the winner. The crowd went wild with cheers, even dubbing Nie Siyan ¡°Steel Rod Queen.¡± Meanwhile, the other Ability Users¡¯ attention was not on Nie Siyan¡¯s win or loss but rather on the empty potion bottles on the ground. The substance Nie Siyan had just injected¡­ what was it? Especially those from the four major forces were eyeing Nie Siyan with interest. They wanted that potion too! Suddenly, those major forces, including the clubhouses, extended invitations ¡ª oh no, they actually came over in person to have a chat with Nie Siyan. Watching the crowd approach, a pleasantly surprised Nie Siyan whispered to Wang Tao by her side: ¡°Master, it seems I¡¯ve helped you sell things again, oh. How is master going to reward me~¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao felt like this woman was bing more and more audacious; he¡¯d have to teach her a lesson properlyter.
Chapter 468: 207 Making a Fortune (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_1 Chapter 468: Chapter 207 Making a Fortune (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_1 After thepetition ended, it was supposed to be the time for Zijin Base to announce some matters. However, because the potion used by Nie Siyan was so incredibly effective, it drew all the attention to itself, with folks from the four major factions even crowding around Nie Siyan¡­ So, a significant amount of time passed before those from the major factions finally left, seemingly reluctant to part. ¡°Brother Wang! We sold quite a bit this time!¡± Nie Siyan said with a little excitement. The people from the four major factions had just ced their orders after learning about the uses of these potions. These potions weren¡¯t cheap, but those people didn¡¯t even blink. Nie Siyan gave them a few bottles, and they didn¡¯t even wait for the experimental results¡ªwho needed results when actualbat was far more convincing! ¡­ ¡°Next up is the announcement of the rankings¡­¡± The staff from Zijin Base began to dere the rankings. Firefly Club unquestionably took first ce, while Thunder Guild had to settle for second. Winning first ce in thepetition meant, to some extent, that Firefly Club¡¯s strength was ranked first among all mid-sized factions. Below the four major factions, it was ranked fifth! Of course, these honorary titles were irrelevant; what mattered were the benefits allocated by Zijin Base! ¡°ording to the agreement among us four major factions, out of 15 Level 3 ability user slots, we will give out three, going to Firefly Club for cing first, Thunder Guild for second, and third goes to¡­¡±
The four factions equally shared twelve slots, three each. Then, they gave out another three slots, one for each of the top three¡­ This oue was as expected by everyone. After all, these were the four major factions, and it was impressive enough that they were willing to distribute any slots at all. Other factions without slots were both envious and regretful. However, at that moment, the announcer added: ¡°However, these 15 slots are not set in stone, since nobody knows what kind of Crystal Cores zombies might drop. Our intention is to put all efforts into killing zombies and gather enough cores for the 15 slots. If we end up with extras, those will naturally be distributed among everyone!¡± Upon hearing this, many people got excited. There was still a chance! Seeing the mood had been stirred up, the man continued: ¡°Next, let¡¯s talk about how to kill Level 3 zombies. Level 3 zombies are very strong, especially since we need to kill arge number of them, so we¡¯ll need some special methods. For instance, the ¡®Weak Slime¡¯ Crystal Cores¡ªthis ability can weaken a zombie¡¯s strength! Coming up, I will distribute these cores ording to rank, free of charge¡­¡± Wow¡ª Hearing that Zijin Base was giving away Crystal Cores for free, everyone became very excited. ¡°Oh right, the power of these Crystal Cores can be stacked. The more people use it, the stronger it is! So after everyone integrates their Crystal Cores,e over for an emergency intensive training session to get acquainted with how to stack them¡­¡± Upon hearing that the abilities could be stacked, people became even more excited. It was the first time they had encountered powers that could be used inbination! Those who had already received some intel murmured to themselves as expected. Zijin Base indeed had these sorts of Crystal Cores! But it seemed that fusing these Cores wasn¡¯t exactly easy¡­ At that moment, the man brought over a case that looked like it had abination lock, filled with Level 1 Crystal Cores that were blue and purple, with none of the lowest quality white ones. ¡°But to integrate this Crystal Core, there are conditions. As for what the conditions are specifically, we have not fully understood them, so the failure rate is high¡­¡± Zijin Base didn¡¯t hide anything and openly shared the downsides of the Crystal Core. The crowd didn¡¯t seem to care about that¡ªwhat did it matter when they were getting Crystal Cores for free? He distributed Crystal Cores to the factions present ording to their rankings.
Since Firefly Club ranked first, they received a total of 20 cores, 10 blue and 10 purple. The lower the ranking, the fewer the Crystal Cores received. Some factions towards the end only got two each. When Wang Tao saw these Crystal Cores, he finally understood why their fusions often failed. [Level 1 Crystal Core¡¤Weak Slime]
[Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 50% (Side Effect: Cannot be sessfully integrated if internal impurity is less than 10%)] [Weak Slime: Consumes energy to spray a slime that puts zombies in a weak state; the weakening effect is rted to the number of people using this ability.] The side effect of this Weak Slime was that anyone with less than 10% internal impurity couldn¡¯t sessfully fuse it. Without a 10% internal impurity, even an Epic Crystal Core would be useless. This condition was quite troublesome. With no external factors affecting it, 10% internal impurity was equivalent to fusing 20 Level 1 Crystal Cores. And people who could fuse 20 Level 1 Crystal Cores were very likely to have no space left to integrate other Cores. Moreover, Zijin Base would certainly prefer to let those who were not ability users integrate these Weak Slime Crystal Cores¡­ So, that was why their chances of sessful integration were not high. Plus, there was another drawback to this Crystal Core¡ªthe slime could only weaken zombies, which meant it was useless against humans, right? The value of that ability had just taken a serious hit. In a post-apocalyptic world, they faced dangers not just from zombies, but from people as well! If it were a struggle between various factions, then this ability would be useless.
But on the flip side, since this ability was effective only on zombies, it would make killing zombies a lot morefortable, without fear of affecting one¡¯s own side¡­ ¡°Brother Wang, we can¡¯t integrate these Crystal Cores!¡± Nie Siyan said after receiving the cores, feeling a bit troubled by this stroke of good luck. No doubt the Weak Slime Crystal Core was valuable, but all of them who came to Zijin Base were Level 2 ability users. Not to mention whether they had any slots for abilities left¡ªif they did, Level 2 ability users were unable to integrate Level 1 Crystal Cores anyway. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 469 - 207 Making a Fortune (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_2 Chapter 469: Chapter 207 Making a Fortune (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_2 ¡°` ¡°Let¡¯s hold on to them for now.¡± Wang Tao promptly pocketed these crystal cores. The 20 crystal cores could bebined into an Epic Crystal Core without side effects, naturally eliminating the restriction of having 10% internal impurities. However, he didn¡¯t have anyone who could fuse with them at the moment, so it wasn¡¯t possible. Nie Siyan mentioned this to the people over at Zijin Base. There were only nine members in the Firefly Club, and they were all second-order ability users. Even counting other people inside the arcade, that made just over thirty. These twenty crystal cores¡­ were a bit too many. Of course, Nie Siyan didn¡¯t mean to return the crystal cores, but to tell them that no one in the Firefly Club could fuse with them, preventing coboration. As said before, the higher-ranked forces received many benefits, but they also had to contribute a lot of manpower¡­ The people at Zijin Base hadn¡¯t expected the Firefly Club to be so short on personnel. If it had been before today, they would likely be unhappy. But now, considering they had purchased some crystal cores and potions from Nie Siyan, they naturally smiled and said no problem, special circumstances called for special treatment. Moreover, Nie Siyan had also said that during the operation to kill level 3 zombies, all of the Firefly Club¡¯s second-order ability users would participate. The contribution of these second-orderbat powers would undoubtedly be greater than that of the Weakness Slime ability. So there was no question of the Firefly Club not pulling their weight¡­ ¡°Next, everyone go back and fuse with the crystal cores, then we¡¯ll have a special training tonight, and tomorrow we¡¯ll go hunting level 3 zombies! Dismissed!¡± n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om People dispersed, all eager to fuse with such crystal cores. After all, rumors suggested that this ability was very powerful, and even level 3 zombies would be affected by it, though it was a level 1 ability¡­ The Thunder Guild red viciously at the Firefly Club, but Nie Siyan red back undaunted and flipped them the bird. The Thunder Guild, not wanting further embarrassment, could only leave in a huff. After returning to the vi area with Nie Siyan and the others, Wang Tao thought for a moment, didn¡¯t head straight back, but took Jiang Shixue by the hand and turned towards Vi No. 7. It was time to freeload a meal. When they arrived at Vi No. 7, they encountered Lu Yingfeng justing back. ¡°Is dinner ready yet? I¡¯m starving.¡± Wang Tao greeted. ¡°¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng felt Wang Tao was really treating himself like family! But seeing Jiang Shixue peeking out from behind Wang Tao and looking at her with those pure,rge eyes, Lu Yingfeng immediately thought, it¡¯s just a meal, no big deal! ¡°Wang Tao,e in quickly! The food is ready!¡± Lan Yulian, inside the house, saw Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue and immediately waved them over. Lan Yulian was the cook today, andpared to thest time, her skills had improved quite a bit. Although it still didn¡¯t look great, the taste was pretty good. Lan Yulian had also prepared a lot of fruit for Jiang Shixue, including therge grapes they ate yesterday. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hold back, acting as if he were at his own home. During the meal, Wang Tao suddenly asked: ¡°That Weak Slime Crystal Core, I seem to have seen it before. I heard that the probability of sessfully fusing with it is rted to the amount of internal impurities. People who have fused with over twenty level 1 crystal cores have a much higher sess rate when fusing with this kind of crystal core.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± The two women were momentarily stunned, then both looked at Wang Tao with serious faces. ¡°Is the information reliable?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°This information is very important! You don¡¯t mind if I share it with others, do you?¡± Lan Yulian asked Wang Tao. ¡°No problem.¡± Wang Tao had shared this information with the intention of telling other people. After all, they were working together to kill zombies. The more ability users with the Weakness Slime ability, the less danger there was in killing zombies, and the more zombies they could kill. Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to spread the word himself, partly because he didn¡¯t have much fame, which might lead to skepticism, and partly because he didn¡¯t want the hassle, which could lead to further troubles. By directly telling Lan Yulian and the others, whether or not they believed it, Wang Tao had done his part. Now it seemed, they trusted Wang Tao¡¯s words quite a bit. Moreover, such information could be verified with a trial. Even if Wang Tao was incorrect, there would be no loss, as they would have to fuse with crystal cores eventually anyway. If Wang Tao was right, it would be a huge gain! The club also received a good number of Weak Slime Crystal Cores, and Lan Yulian ordered her subordinates to test them while sending people to notify other forces of this news. Then Wang Tao produced some Strength Potions, Defense Potions, and Running Potions. ¡°These are what you specifically asked for.¡± Lu Yingfeng had already told Lan Yulian about the events at thepetition venue during the meal. Hearing that Wang Tao had other miraculous potions, Lan Yulian¡¯s eyes lit up, but she had restrained herself from rushing him. Now that Wang Tao presented them, Lan Yulian was pleasantly surprised, and Lu Yingfeng shot Wang Tao a re. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t have these potions on you before?¡± Previously at the contest site, she had secretly asked Wang Tao if he had any potions because she felt the supply wouldn¡¯t be too plentiful, and she wanted to buy some in advance. Everyone thought that the potions belonged to Nie Siyan, but she knew for sure they were Wang Tao¡¯s. The potions Nie Siyan showed off looked very simr to Wang Tao¡¯s Rejuvenation Potions from before. But Wang Tao had t out said he didn¡¯t have any, suggesting that they ce orders with Nie Siyan if needed. ¡°` Chapter 470 - 207 Making a Fortune (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_3 Chapter 470: Chapter 207 Making a Fortune (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_3 Lu Yingfeng didn¡¯t give it much thought at the time. But now, seeing Wang Tao suddenly take out so many potions again, she felt deceived. Wang Tao was somewhat helpless. ¡°When I said I didn¡¯t have any, it was because we have a good rtionship, right!¡± ¡°Huh? Because we have a good rtionship?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for me to get these potions, so naturally the price can¡¯t be low. But given our rtionship, it wouldn¡¯t be right to charge you too much, so of course I¡¯d give you a discount. If other people knew that I offered you a better price, wouldn¡¯t that look bad?¡± Wang Tao exined. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going to give us a discount?¡± Lu Yingfeng was immediately surprised, since these potions were much more expensive than the Rejuvenation Potions from before. ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Tao nodded, then added, ¡°But since I¡¯m giving you a discount, you guys should buy more, or else I¡¯ll lose out!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian always felt like she was dealing with a swindler. But to tell the truth, no one could ever have too many potions; she was willing to buy more. So, the two sides conducted another pleasant transaction. Wang Tao also took the opportunity to introduce some other potions, like the Stealth Potion, Weakness Potion, Screaming Potion, Eyesight Potion, and Breath-holding Potion. These potions were even more expensive, after all, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t produce them himself, and they were limited in number; he wouldn¡¯t sell too many of them. Of the Stealth, Weakness, and Eyesight potions, Lan Yulian wanted them all, even though they were pricey. But Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t sell them separately; he bundled them with the Screaming and Breath-holding Potions, making the deal even costlier¡­ Seeing Lan Yulian hesitate, Wang Tao spoke up immediately: ¡°You won¡¯t find such an opportunity again! I¡¯m only selling to you because we¡¯re on good terms. Others wouldn¡¯t be able to buy these even if they offered a higher price!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Lan Yulian gritted her teeth and made the purchase. The prices of Wang Tao¡¯s potions were really steep, but their effects were genuinely excellent; she didn¡¯t want to miss out. Afterpleting another transaction, Wang Tao¡¯s smile was simply uncontroble, though he made no attempt to hide it. ¡°You swindler, could you not hide it a little?¡± Lan Yulian was somewhat speechless. She knew that no matter how poor Wang Tao pretended to be, he definitely still made a profit, and probably a substantial one at that. But business is all about mutual consent. Having decided to buy, there was no need to bother about someone making money off her. But right after the deal was done, and Wang Tao couldn¡¯t contain his glee, it made her feel like aplete sucker. Was this really okay? ¡°Making money is naturally joyful; pretending otherwise would just seem fake.¡± Wang Tao said indifferently. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Lan Yulian gave Wang Tao a disdainful look. A beautiful woman, even when rolling her eyes, carries a charm all of her own. Wang Tao took a few extra nces. Suddenly, Lu Yingfeng asked: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have other treasures on you, would you?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Wang Tao nodded straightforwardly. Upon hearing this, Lan Yulian looked at Wang Tao expectantly. ¡°Let¡¯s see them!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t show them. If you see them and can¡¯t afford them, it will only add to your troubles. Better not to look.¡± Wang Tao was blunt. From the recent transactions, he felt that Lan Yulian was almost squeezed dry by him. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian was somewhat speechless; it was as if she had been belittled. But indeed¡­ she really didn¡¯t have any more Crystal Cores on hand. Their club was not very wealthy to begin with, andpared to the other three major powers, their economic strength was much weaker. Now, after several transactions with Wang Tao, they had exhausted most of their reserves, leaving her truly impoverished. ¡°Let¡¯s forget it then.¡± Lan Yulian waved it off resignedly. If Wang Tao truly had something good, but she couldn¡¯t afford it¡­ seeing it would only amount to torture! Wang Tao smiled and didn¡¯t linger on the topic. He had plenty of good things on hand, and even something very suitable for Lan Yulian! Like that Crystal Core with healing abilities. But Lan Yulian really didn¡¯t have anything of value left, so there was no point in looking. After chatting for a bit more, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue got up to leave. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading back then.¡± At this moment, Lan Yulian spoke up: ¡°Wang Tao, are you sure you won¡¯t consider joining our club?¡± ¡°No thanks, bye-bye.¡± Wang Tao waved casually without turning back and left with a bunch of big grapes. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian sighed helplessly. Luring Wang Tao over to their club was a long and arduous task! After Wang Tao returned, he took out arge number of potions and gave them to Nie Siyan. After all, all four major powers had cedrge orders. By evening, Nie Siyan was back. ¡°Brother Wang! I¡¯ve sold everything!¡± she said, holding a big pile of Crystal Cores, ¡°I was so anxious on the way back, worried I might lose the Crystal Cores¡­¡± Nie Siyan patted her exaggerated pectoral muscles. After all, there were so many Crystal Cores, including many Level 2 ones, and she had never seen so many Level 2 Crystal Cores in her life! ¡°Good job! You deserve a great reward tonight!¡± Upon hearing about a reward, Nie Siyan¡¯s face lit up. She licked her lips seductively and said to Wang Tao: N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Thanks for the reward, Master~¡± ¡°Silly girl!¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment, Master~¡± ¡­ In the evening. After thoroughly rewarding Nie Siyan, she fell into a deep sleep. Wang Tao then took out the Crystal Cores he had on hand. During his two days at the Zijin Base, he had earned a huge amount of Crystal Cores! Let alone Level 1 Crystal Cores, there were plenty of Level 2 Crystal Cores that were useful to him! ¡°Begin synthesis!¡± Momentster, a bunch of synthesized Level 2 Crystal Cores appeared before Wang Tao. Seeing these Epic Crystal Cores with no impurities or side effects, Wang Tao grinned from ear to ear. He had three Level 2 Abilities, but all three were ¡°fused with other abilities, yet not to their limit.¡± Now, Wang Tao felt he could fuse them to their limits! Once he had all his abilities fused to their limits, he could begin preparing to advance to Level 3! Chapter 471: 208 I Have Connections Above (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_1 Chapter 471: Chapter 208 I Have Connections Above (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_1 Wang Tao still had a lot of special energy, and after a series of experiments, consuming a massive amount of special energy, Wang Tao sessfully synthesized four abilities! The first is the ¡°Barrier¡± ability. This time, among the Level 2 Crystal Cores Wang Tao obtained, there was a persistent ability. [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Mental Enhancement] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: body stiffness)] [Mental Enhancement: During the duration, it can increase mental power, making one more focused and less likely to be disturbed by external factors] To most people, this Mental Enhancement Crystal Core would be considered somewhat underwhelming.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om But for Wang Tao, it was a treasure! Because the weaker the spirit, the more susceptible to being influenced by illusions. Conversely, the stronger the spirit, the easier it is to break free from illusions!
Other people might have never encountered zombies or monsters that use illusions, and if they did, they would probably die on the spot without passing on any information. Hence, there was no news about attacks involving illusions. But Wang Tao was different, he had already encountered monsters that attacked with illusions twice! He had been thinking all this time that it would be great if he could find a Crystal Core with mental defense capabilities. And now this core that directly increases mental power essentially acts as an increase in mental defense! Belonging to persistent abilities, Wang Tao felt that this ability should be able to synthesize with Barrier. And sure enough, they had a high probability of synthesis! Thus, Wang Tao immediately went ahead with the synthesis, and momentster, a brand new ability emerged. [Level 2 Ability ¨C Iron Wall] [Iron Wall: For the duration, it can enhance defense, speed, spirit, and slowly recover certain HP (Side effect: none)] Iron Wall! The description of this ability was very fitting with its name. Defense, speed, spirit were all enhanced, and it also had blood regeneration! One can only say one word, strong! However, the Iron Wall Ability had reached its fusion limit and couldn¡¯t be further synthesized for now; any further upgrades would have to wait until Level 3¡­ Next is the ¡°Super Berserker¡± passive ability. Among the Level 2 Crystal Cores Wang Tao had, there were two passive abilities suitable for him. They were [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Defense] and [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Excitement]. [Defense: Passive Ability, enhances personal defense] [Excitement: Passive Ability, enhances personal spirit] To most people, these Crystal Cores would seem just decent. Everyone prefers abilities that can be actively deployed. These kinds of passive abilities, especially the defensive ones, are less popr and rtively less valuable. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t care because he could synthesize abilities.
So Wang Tao checked, and indeed, these abilities could be synthesized with Super Berserker, with a not so low probability! Wang Tao spent 10,000 special energy and sessfully synthesized both abilities into the Super Berserker. As a result, Wang Tao obtained a brand new ability. [Level 2 Ability ¨C Extraordinary Rage]
[Extraordinary Rage: Passive Ability, can increase strength, defense, spirit, running speed, motor skills, throwing technique. When HP falls below 30%, triggers berserk (Side effect: none)] This ability also reached its fusion limit, and the next fusion would be at Level 3. This ability was equally incredible. One ability increased seven attributes! Although they were all passive and might not seem very intuitive, their strength was unquestionable! As for Wang Tao¡¯s remaining ¡°Vibrational Attack¡± skill, he hadn¡¯t found a suitable ability to synthesize it with yet. So Wang Tao extracted that ¡°Vibrational Attack.¡± Because he was about to start upgrading his own abilities. Wang Tao had already stockpiled a batch of Level 2 Omnipotent Crystal Cores, but because his abilities weren¡¯t ready, he hadn¡¯t used them. Now that two abilities had reached their synthesis limit and any further fusion would have to wait until Level 3, Wang Tao prepared to max out these two abilities to Level 2. He prepared 20 Omnipotent Crystal Cores that had been synthesized! Among them, 9 Omnipotent Crystal Cores were synthesized from two cores and contained 0.1% impurity. The remaining 11 Omnipotent Crystal Cores synthesized from three cores were free of impurities. Wang Tao had previously extracted the [Level 1 Special Ability ¨C Sprint (+10)] and [Level 2 Ability ¨C Vibrational Attack (+1)]. Now he had only ¡°Iron Wall¡± and ¡°Extraordinary Rage¡± left on him. Wang Tao spent some time to fuse all these 20 Omnipotent Crystal Cores.
[Level 2 Ability ¨C Iron Wall (+10)] [Level 2 Ability ¨C Extraordinary Rage (+10)] Both Level 2 abilities had been upgraded by +10! Then, Wang Tao began to use a Cleansing Potion that could remove internal impurities from his body. Previously, he had 1.1% impurity in his body, but after fusing 9 cores with 0.1% impurity, his internal impurity level reached 2%, while a bottle of Cleansing Potion could remove 1% of internal impurity. He only needed two bottles¡ªthis was something Wang Tao had calcted in advance. Pfft~ After injecting the Cleansing Potion into his body, a cool sensation spread instantly throughout Wang Tao¡¯s body. Then, that subtle feeling of difort, that oppressive sensation in his heart¡­ vanished! Ever since he had impurities in his body, he felt slightly ufortable. Although it wasn¡¯t very obvious and didn¡¯t affect his daily life andbat, the feeling was indeed there. But now, he feltpletely rxed! This was the feeling of having a body with not a single impurity! Wang Tao looked at his attributes. [HP: 29999/29999] [Mana: 16300/16300]
Chapter 472: 208 I Have Connections Above (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_2 Chapter 472: Chapter 208 I Have Connections Above (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_2 [Special Energy: 140] [Grade: Level 2] [Hidden Attributes: Improved Body Conditions, Night Vision, nt Affinity] [Ability: Level 2 Iron Wall (+10), Level 2 Extraordinary Rage (+10), Level 2 Vibration Shock, Level 1 Sprint (+10)] Looking at his attributes, Wang Tao clenched his fist. ¡°I suddenly feel so strong!¡± Wang Tao was a bit smug for a moment, then quickly regained hisposure. Getting cocky was out of the question, for Wang Tao knew all too well how terrifying the apocalypse could be. Take Zijing City for instance, it was home to a Level 4 Monster Lord!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Sleep now, tomorrow will be a good day to test my strength!¡± ¡­
The next day, early morning. Wang Tao and his party got up early. There was somemotion in the vi area as everyone came out. That¡¯s because today they were going hunting for Level 3 zombies! Honestly, for many people, the progress was a bit too fast. After all, they still didn¡¯t know anything about Level 3 zombies, not even where to find them, so they were understandably nervous. But fortunately, it wasn¡¯t just them taking action this time, a lot of people from the four major powers were also participating. This provided everyone somefort, as the strength of the four major powers was beyond doubt. People from the vi area and other districts all gathered in the za, a massive crowd that was quite a sight to behold. The people from the four major powers arrived as well. ¡°Everyone, divide into four teams, each led by one of the four major powers. You are free to choose your team! Those with the Weak Slime Ability,e forward and form a separate team¡­¡± someone shouted from a tform to the crowd. This time, given therge number of participants, they divided everyone into five teams for easier management. The first four teams were each led by one of the four major powers. The fifth team was made up of Ability Users with the Weak Slime Ability. Thanks to Wang Tao, who had Lan Yulian announce the fusion conditions for the Weak Slime Crystal Core, they managed to increase the Core¡¯s fusion sess rate by several times in an instant! Originally, Zijin Base had nned to create a small team specifically for these Weak Slime Ability Users, but now they had enough for arge team. Some of the senior members of Zijin Base were both happy and regretful. They were d because once they knew the correct method to fuse the Crystal Cores, they could create more Weak Slime Ability Users. They regretted sending out arge number of Weak Slime Crystal Cores yesterday¡­ If they had known earlier about the limitation of internal impurities, they definitely wouldn¡¯t have distributed so many and would have prioritized their own people. But there were no ifs.
They could only sigh and try to make up for this ¡°loss¡± elsewhere. And many from Zijin Base even bore some grudges. In their view, people at the club probably knew about the limitation of the Crystal Core, but they purposely kept silent. Only after the Cores were distributed did they act like benefactors and announce this critical news¡­ how cunning!
It was no surprise that people from Zijin Base would think this way, given the ongoing overt and covert battles between the four major powers. In any case, as soon as Lan Yulian, with Wang Tao¡¯s agreement, publicized the information, they no longer cared about these matters¡­ As for the teams, the fifth team was led by a veteran Level 2 Weak Slime Ability User from Zijin Base. They had a deep understanding of the Ability and it made sense for them to lead this team. The other four teams were personally led by the leaders of the four major powers. The first team was led by Zijin Base, with the leader of Zijin Base acting as the team captain. This was a man in a crisply ironed green military uniform, wearing a military hat and white gloves, and holding a ceremonial military saber. He was 1.8 meters tall with an average appearance, but he had a determined expression and a strong military demeanor. No one knew his name; he only had one code name¡ªGeneral. Wang Tao looked at this ¡°General¡±¡®s attributes. [HP: 29999/29999] [Mana: 7000/7000] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 25%] [Hidden Attribute: Inspire]
[Inspire: As long as he is alive, he can boost the morale of those around him] Powerful attributes, plus a hidden attribute. Morale may not be reflected in specific numbers, but it¡¯s definitely something that can affectbat strength. General¡¯s ability seems tailor-made forrge-scalebat! Even though others couldn¡¯t see General¡¯s attribute panel, his team attracted the most participants. It couldn¡¯t be helped, the strength of Zijin Base was evident for all to see. Following such a team might yield fewer gains, but it was surely the safer option. ¡­ The second team was led by the Prison faction, with the leader of Prison acting as the team captain. The leader of Prison was a lean man, not very tall, about 1.7 meters, and not very muscr. It was said his surname was Ji, but nobody knew his full name, and he was generally referred to as ¡°Prison Head.¡± Prison Head gave off a dangerous vibe, especially when people met his narrow, nting eyes; it felt like being targeted by a venomous snake. And for some reason, he even liked to wear an orange prison uniform. Influenced by him, many members of Prison also wore prison uniforms. They seemed not to be ashamed of their status as former prisoners, taking pride in it, instead? Simrly, this Prison Head¡¯s attributes were also strong. [HP: 29999/29999]
[Mana: 7000/7000] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 39%] [Hidden Attribute: Destruction] Chapter 473: 208 I Have Connections Above (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_3 Chapter 473: Chapter 208 I Have Connections Above (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)_3 [Destruction: Destroying things will increase a certain amount ofbat power.] Prison Head also had a hidden attribute, and Wang Tao felt this hidden attribute wasn¡¯t bad either, as it could directly increasebat power. Moreover, this condition was rtively simple to trigger, since with thebat power of second-order superpower owners like themselves, destroying something was very easy¡­ The prison was the most notorious force in Zijing City, without a peer. Logically speaking, there should be fewer people choosing to team up with them. But in reality, quite the opposite was true; the number of people choosing to follow them was second only to Zijin Base. Because the prison had previously guaranteed that they would absolutely not betray their teammates during this operation and also weed everyone to supervise. Although the name of the prison was poor, its reputation was very good. To some extent, this guarantee was also a form of reputation. So, everyone was somewhat relieved. Of course, the most important thing was that the prison was very strong! Following the strong was naturally safer¡­ ¡­
The third squad was led by the Ability User¡¯s Alliance. The leader of the Ability User¡¯s Alliance was a man named Kong Xiu, who seemed to be an ordinary university student, even wearing a pair of ck-framed sses, looking harmless to humans and animals. But his strength might be the strongest of them all! [HP: 29999/29999] [Mana: 12000/12000] [Grade: Level 2] [Internal Impurity: 42%] [Hidden Ability: Endurance Battle] [Endurance Battle: Combat power will slightly increase as the battle time is prolonged.] He had the same 29999 HP, but he had 12000 Mana! What does this Mana mean? It means he has four Level 2 Abilities, and all of them are fused to Level 2+10! Not to mention, he also has a hidden ability rted tobat. If you only looked at attributes, no one else was as powerful as Kong Xiu. Butbat is not just about the attribute panel; it is aprehensive consideration of various factors. Therefore, the actualbat power has to be seen in real battles. Most people went to the first and second squads, so the third squad led by the Ability User¡¯s Alliance seemed to have fewer people. However, it wasn¡¯t that everyone didn¡¯t trust them, but because the Ability User¡¯s Alliance originally had fewer members. There were only a little over twenty people. Although these twenty-plus people were all very strong, they definitely couldn¡¯t take care of too many people, so everyone consciously went to the first and second squads. After all, Zijin Base had sent over two hundred people this time, and the prison sent over one hundred! ¡­ The fourth squad, naturally, was the team led by the club, with Lan Yulian as the squad leader.
If it were a peaceful time, those willing to join the fourth squad would definitely be the most! There¡¯s no doubt about that, as a group of charming women is also pleasing to the eye. But the reality was that the number of people joining the fourth squad was the least. It waspletely different from the wee they had received at thebat scene previously. The reason was simple ¡ª other people did not trust the strength of the club¡¯s women, including other females. This wasn¡¯t entirely sex discrimination; mainly, the strength of the club was the lowest among these four major forces. There were also rumors that the reason why the club could rank among the four major forces was that their leader was very powerful.
That is to say, apart from their leader, everybody else in the club was rubbish. Of course, saying they were rubbish was definitely an exaggeration, but it was certain they were not very strong. Moreover, the club originally didn¡¯t have many members, only a little over thirty¡­ so there were very few people willing to be with the club. ¡­ The fourth squad. Seeing the members of other forces head towards the other three squads without looking back, many of the club¡¯s women had unpleasant expressions on their faces. They felt their strength hadn¡¯t been recognized, and they were even discriminated against. Moreover, if not a single force chose them, wouldn¡¯t that be very embarrassing? Although those who had survived until now weren¡¯t very thin-skinned, it would still feel terrible to be humiliated! However, fortunately, just when these club members were feeling a bit down, a group of people started heading towards them. The leaders were the Firefly Club, the group Wang Tao was part of. The club had a bad impression of the Firefly Club, after all, there had been some verbal spats before.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om But now, seeing the Firefly Club members walk towards them resolutely, that slight annoyance they had felt before vanishedpletely at this moment. After all, regardless of anything, the Firefly Clubing over meant they wouldn¡¯t be too embarrassed.
Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just the nine people from the Firefly Club; they also brought along more than twenty people! These twenty-plus people were from the small group that Nie Siyan had previously formed, including members from the two weakest forces they had recruited. However, at that moment, the people from those forces felt as if they had boarded a robber¡¯s ship¡­ After Wang Tao and others arrived and stood together with the members of the club, there were altogether more than sixty people, which was quite a considerable group. Lan Yulian gave Nie Siyan a slight nod and then turned to look at Wang Tao, saying with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you would actuallye¡­¡± She didn¡¯t care about the number of people, but she was quite happy that someone hade, especially Wang Tao. She now also knew that the ostensible leader of the Firefly Club was Nie Siyan, but the real boss behind the scenes was Wang Tao. ¡°Nonsense, of course I¡¯d choose a healer when forming a team!¡± Wang Tao stated matter-of-factly. Setting aside other factors, Wang Tao would still choose to team up with the club. Just like he said, he was notcking inbat power right now, and it didn¡¯t matter who he teamed up with. But having a healer was always a good thing. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian gave Wang Tao a nce, not quite ustomed to the term ¡°healer¡± since she didn¡¯t y video games before the apocalypse. After discussing with the other leaders over the radio, Lan Yulian looked towards Lu Yingfeng at her side.
Lu Yingfeng immediately waved her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s set off. Our target, the sports center¡¯s stadium.¡± Only then did everyone find out that their destination was the stadium. Since there were so many people involved in the operation, they split into different groups to take separate routes in order to avoid attractingrge hordes of Mad Demon Zombies. These routes had been scouted in advance and were very safe. They would all meet up at the stadium around noon. The fourth squad, due to fewer people, fitfortably into their vehicle, which turned out to be quite convenient. But everyone dared not drive too fast, maintaining a steady speed as they moved forward. They didn¡¯t encounter any major danger along the way, and the minor ones were easily dealt with by others, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t even have to get out of the car. However, at a certain moment, a buzzing sound suddenly came from above. Everyone looked up to see a small ck dot appearing in the sky. Everyone was a bit stunned, an airdrop wasing? ¡°Why is an airdroping now¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s perplexed voice came through the radio. The timing of the airdrop posed a dilemma: to collect it or not.
Going for the airdrop would surely waste a lot of time, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the destination on time. But not going for it¡­ this was a military airdrop! If it was just food, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal since they weren¡¯tcking food for now. But what if there were other things? There were good things in airdrops! All eyes turned towards Lan Yulian¡¯s vehicle, waiting for her to make a decision. Lan Yulian was ready to contact the other three major powers to see what they thought. She felt that if they were to collect the airdrop, they should do it together, or if they were to move on, they should all move on together. But she tried to contact them for a long time without sess. The ne was slowly flying over, drawing nearer to them. Just as Lan Yulian had made up her mind to abandon the airdrop and continue on their way, Wang Tao¡¯s voice suddenly came from the radio. ¡°Just wait a moment, I¡¯m calling in an airdrop.¡± ¡°?¡± Lan Yulian was confused. What did he mean? Call in an airdrop? Did he think he was hailing a cab? Although she didn¡¯t understand what Wang Tao meant, she still had the team stop; she wanted to see what he was going to do. So, when the military transport ne flew right over their heads, drop after drop, airdrops started to fall from the sky! The dropping location was precisely where their convoy was positioned! Everyone, including Lan Yulian, was stunned. ¡°How¡­ How did you manage that?¡± Lan Yulian quickly asked through the radio. Wang Tao had just said he was calling in an airdrop, and then suddenly a bunch of airdrops fell¡­ This couldn¡¯t be a coincidence, right? All they heard was Wang Tao speaking indifferently, ¡°I¡¯ve got someone on the inside.¡± Chapter 474: 209: The Third Hand_1 Chapter 474: Chapter 209: The Third Hand_1 One minute earlier. As soon as Wang Tao heard the sound of the ne, he immediately took out his military radio and started trying to contact the pilot. ¡°Zzz¡­ Zzz¡­ Zzz¡­¡± ¡°This is Wang Tao, this is Wang Tao¡­¡± A momentter. ¡°Zzz¡­ Wang Tao¡­ is that you¡­ Zzz¡­¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Wang Tao was just giving it a try out of habit but didn¡¯t really expect to get through, and most importantly, it was Colonel Luo Guozhong on the ne! What a coincidence! Since it was someone he knew, that made things easier. ¡°Colonel Luo, what a fate! I¡¯m right below you in the gourd-shaped za. We have nearly a hundred survivors here! So, cough cough¡­ how about an air-drop.¡±
Wang Tao had a thick face; despite having asked for air-drops many times before, he still had the nerve to ask again. ¡°Zzz¡­ One moment¡­ Zzz¡­¡± The signal on the radio was poor, and it was hard to tell if Colonel Luo had any emotion in his voice. Probably none, otherwise he would have definitely refused. Wang Tao was worried that Lan Yulian would order the team to move on, so he quickly used the vehicle-mounted radio to say to her: ¡°Wait a bit, I¡¯m calling for an air-drop.¡± ¡°?¡± Lan Yulian was confused, but subconsciously she ordered the team to stop moving forward. Wang Tao continued talking to Colonel Luo with the military radio. ¡°Colonel Luo! I really appreciate it! I¡¯ll be going to the military base soon, and I¡¯ll definitely buy you a drink when I get there!¡± Wang Tao thought he needed to find a way to get some liquor since he said he¡¯d treat him to a drink, he would definitely keep his word. ¡°Zzz¡­ Haha¡­ Zzz¡­ Hope¡­ to see you again¡­ Zzz¡­¡± Colonel Luo seemed tough over the radio, but Wang Tao couldn¡¯t hear him clearly. Just then, the ne flew directly overhead. ¡°Zzz¡­ Air-drop¡­ I¡¯m leaving¡­ Zzz¡­¡± One after another, the air-drops appeared from the back end of the ne, crashing down towards the convoy! ¡°My goodness!¡± Lan Yulian was bbergasted! So was Lu Yingfeng, who was in the same vehicle! Were these air-drops really called in?
Or was it just a coincidence? But what were the chances they would stumble upon this just by luck? ¡°How¡­ how did you do it?¡± Lan Yulian quickly asked over the radio.
After saying a few more words into the military radio, and watching the ne fly away with no more signal, Wang Tao then picked up the vehicle-mounted radio. He nonchntly bragged: ¡°I have connections up top.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Both women were somewhat stunned and at the moment didn¡¯t know what to say. It wasn¡¯t just the two of them; Nie Siyan in another vehicle was also bewildered. She was on the same channel as Lan Yulian and Wang Tao, so she heard their conversation as well. ¡°Brother Wang! You¡­ are impressive!¡± Nie Siyan wanted to say more, but in the end, she only gathered two words. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Now go grab those air-drops!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan ordered people to go collect the air-drops. Lu Yingfeng at the clubhouse was rtively calm and had already issued orders. The location where the convoy was situated was a not-so-small za, and with the pilot¡¯s great skill, the air-drops hadnded precisely on the za.
But the noise from the transport ne was too loud, attracting arge number of zombies. Mad Demon Zombies appeared in the distance. ¡°Quick, quick, quick! Gather the air-drops, then retreat!¡± Lu Yingfeng got out of the vehicle, dividing the people into two groups, one to collect the air-drops, the other to kill the attracted zombies. Nie Siyan, Xu Xiaojun, and others also rushed out, with only Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, and Lan Yulian still in the car. Wang Tao roughly counted, and there were about a dozen air-drops. That was no small amount; many people had never even seen a single air-drop before, and seeing so many at once, they were incredibly excited. At that moment, someone knocked on the car door. Lan Yulian was standing outside. Today, Lan Yulian was dressed almost identically to Lu Yingfeng, covered up from head to toe, with only her exquisite little face exposed. After Wang Tao opened the door, Lan Yulian climbed aboard and just stared intently at Wang Tao. Wang Tao waved his hand in front of her face. ¡°Lost your mind?¡± Lan Yulian brushed his hand away without saying a word, still looking at him intensely. ¡°¡­¡±
Despite Lan Yulian being a beauty, being stared at like this was rather unsettling. Wang Tao ced his hand on Lan Yulian¡¯s head, then forcibly turned her gaze outside the car. Lan Yulian stubbornly turned her head back and said seriously: ¡°Wang Tao, I must get you to join our club!¡± ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Wang Tao encouraged her. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian left. She had wanted to ask how Wang Tao did it, but in the end, she refrained from asking. After all, it was Wang Tao¡¯s personal secret, and it wasn¡¯t right for her to keep prying. But she had already decided that she would spare no expense to get Wang Tao into their club! Whether it was his good character highly spoken of by her good friend Zhang Hong, or the high-quality Crystal Cores and Potions that Wang Tao had managed to get through some channels, or his ability to call in air-drops¡­ Each of these alone was worth the effort to recruit him, not to mention they were all found in one person! She had to bring Wang Tao over! Such a talent must not be let slip through to benefit the Firefly Club! Moreover, she had observed that Wang Tao didn¡¯t seem to feel any sense of belonging to the Firefly Club¡­ This was an opportunity to poach!
Returning to her own vehicle, Lan Yulian suddenly had several ns in mind¡­ Wang Tao wasn¡¯t concerned with Lan Yulian¡¯s words; he turned to look at Jiang Shixue. Chapter 475: 209: The Third Hand_2 Chapter 475: Chapter 209: The Third Hand_2 ¡°` ¡°I didn¡¯t sense any powerful zombies. What about you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t either.¡± Jiang Shixue shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Themotion caused by the aircraft was significant, attracting arge number of zombies. If a Level 3 Zombie appeared without earlier detection, it might result in some casualties. Although Wang Tao had not gone out, he was still ¡°observing¡± his surroundings through his ¡°nt Affinity¡± hidden ability. There were many nts around the square, all of which could serve as Wang Tao¡¯s ¡°eyes.¡± After a while, all the airdropped supplies had been picked up. ¡°Retreat!¡±
Lu Yingfeng immediately called for everyone to withdraw. At this point, many Mad Demon Zombies had been attracted. These Mad Demon Zombies were much stronger than ordinary zombies, but killing them had almost no benefits, so there was no need to dy. Under Lu Yingfeng¡¯smand, the convoy began to retreat in an orderly fashion. ¡°There are a few Level 2 Zombies. Siyan and Little Jun, go take care of them.¡± Wang Tao had spotted some Level 2, Elite Zombies just then. Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan¡¯s HP was still far from reaching the pinnacle of Level 2. They definitely couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Yes!¡± The two immediately grabbed their weapons and ran over. Apart from a few distinctively featured zombies, it was not easy to tell Level 2 Zombies from Level 1 Zombies by appearance alone. Typically, it was the Second-order Superpower Owner who could differentiate. Because Ability Users had a faint Perception of energy, they could sense the approximate level of zombies or other Ability Users at a close range. Of course, this method was not very urate. For those with Hidden Abilities, or people like Wang Tao who had a restrained aura, it might not work. And, you had to be rtively close for it to be effective. So, as for the surrounding zombies, everyone could only vaguely sense that there probably were no Level 3 Zombies. But it wasn¡¯t so easy to tell which were Level 2 Zombies and which were Level 1 Zombies. Thus, under Wang Tao¡¯smand, Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan asionally took down a few Level 2 Zombies. Those at the clubhouse were somewhat envious, as ordinary Level 2 Elite Zombies were like experience packs for powerful individuals. They also wanted to kill, but such zombies were not easy to discover. They all felt like Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan had radar, always finding the Level 2 Elite Zombies right away. During their journey to avoid therge zombie horde, the convoy encountered a Level 2 Zombie Lord. This zombie was much stronger than the typical Level 2 Elite Zombie. However, under the joint efforts of Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan, they were able to sessfully kill it. After killing this zombie, Xu Xiaojun¡¯s HP finally reached 29,999!
¡°Little Jun has basically reached the upper limit of Level 2 now, well done! If you want to continue to improve your strength, killing zombies won¡¯t suffice¡ªit has to be through Crystal Cores¡­¡± Wang Tao first praised Xu Xiaojun before turning to look at Nie Siyan. ¡°Now only you are the weakling left.¡± Nie Siyan felt slightly embarrassed. She was the onegging behind everyone else in Wang Tao¡¯s group.
Her HP was only at 15,000, half of the 29,999 HP limit. ¡°¡­ Brother Wang, I will try my best!¡± Nie Siyan quickly assured him. ¡°Next time we encounter a Level 2 Zombie, it¡¯s your job tond the finishing blow. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wang Tao then took out some Crystal Cores and gave them to Xu Xiaojun. He had a lot of Level 2 Crystal Cores recently, and the types Xu Xiaojun needed weren¡¯t too rare, so he had collected some. Moreover, they had all undergone Synthetic processing and were ready to be fused by Xu Xiaojun. ¡°Thank you, Brother Wang!¡± Xu Xiaojun quickly expressed his gratitude. By the time the convoy hadpletely evaded the pursuing zombies, Xu Xiaojun had finished fusing all the Crystal Cores provided by Wang Tao, and his Mana had reached 8,400, only 18 Crystal Cores shy of the 12,000 HP ceiling for Level 2. ¡°Wang Tao, I n to take a break and then open the airdrops. What do you think?¡± At that moment, Lan Yulian¡¯s voice came through the inte. Strictly speaking, there was no need to inform Wang Tao about this matter since she was the chiefmander. But by that time, Lan Yulian already held Wang Tao in high regard and harbored the idea of luring him to her side, so she would definitely show him great respect.
¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao nodded. So, the convoy took a temporary rest in a park. Lan Yulian gathered all the airdrops collected by everyone. As the chiefmander, it was naturally her role to distribute these items. Lan Yulian invited Wang Tao and his people over, then began to open the airdrops in front of them. ¡°Compressed food¡­ medical supplies.. an Inhibitor! Very good¡­ Crystal Core Synthesizer¡­ Energy Detector¡­ Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡± Lan Yulian had seen many of the items in the airdrops before, but there was something in one of the boxes she had never seen. However, upon seeing that item, Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°A Mechanical Arm?¡± It was something that looked a bit like the Mechanical Right Arm that Xu Xiaojun had carried previously. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be either a left or a right arm¡­ to be precise, although it was a mechanical arm, it didn¡¯t look wearable. Wang Tao took the item out, and there was a manual inside. After skimming through it, he suddenly realized. ¡°This is a third arm!¡± No wonder the Mechanical Arm seemed odd¡ªit was a third mechanical arm that could be mounted on the back or shoulder!
And this third arm could bebined with the previous Mechanical Right Arm. ¡°` Chapter 476: 209: The Third Hand_3 Chapter 476: Chapter 209: The Third Hand_3 ¡°I¡¯m taking this.¡± Wang Tao spoke up directly. ¡°No problem!¡± Lan Yulian immediately nodded. It was Wang Tao who had obtained this item, so he naturally had the right to first pick. Wang Tao handed the manual to Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng. Upon seeing it, they were both amazed. ¡°There¡¯s such a thing? That¡¯s really enlightening¡­ too bad we can¡¯t use it¡­¡± To use the mechanical arm, one needed considerable strength and size. Xu Xiaojun was just right for it, but they were not only rtively weaker in strength but also petite in build, obviously unable to use it. Wang Tao gave the metal arm to Xu Xiaojun.
Xu Xiaojun was currently wearing the Branch Armor, and the Mechanical Right Arm was in the car; he had not put it on. During the previouspetition, Xu Xiaojun hadn¡¯t worn the Mechanical Right Arm. Because once activated, he couldn¡¯t measure his force well and his Perception wasn¡¯t clear¡ªit was a mechanical arm, not his own hand. If he ended up killing someone in the ring, it would be quite awkward. So Wang Tao only let him wear the Battle Armor and didn¡¯t let him wear the mechanical arm. But now they were going to fight Level 3 zombies, and Wang Tao naturally wanted Xu Xiaojun to take the mechanical arm with him. However, due to limited space in the vehicle and Xu Xiaojun already wearing the Battle Armor and the mechanical arm, it interfered too much with his driving, so the item was kept in the car. Xu Xiaojun took out the Mechanical Right Arm andbined it with this third arm for assembly. The mechanical arm could be adjusted in size, so even with the Branch Armor on, it wasn¡¯t a problem for Xu Xiaojun. Soon, a man over two meters tall appeared, d in ck Battle Armor, with his entire right arm encased in machinery, and now a third mechanical arm protruding from his back.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Not bad, not bad, it has an ugly-cool kind of vibe¡­¡± Wang Taomented. Of course, appearance wasn¡¯t important; capability was. The operation mode for the third arm was very simple, with the control switch on Xu Xiaojun¡¯s left hand. However, since the operation mode was simple and manually controlled, the mechanical arm¡¯s flexibility and functionality were far lesspared to a human arm. Especially when not yet proficient in its use, it seemed very stiff. It felt almost like a hindrance rather than an enhancement. But surprisingly, once Xu Xiaojun equipped the mechanical arm, it suited him unusually well! Because Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Battle Armor had a huge Shield on the back, he normally did not use the Shield; after all, he also had a Broken Giant Axe given to him by Wang Tao, which was very heavy and required both hands to wield effectively. In battle with zombies, offense was definitely better than defense. Only when necessary would he use the Shield, but that would certainly cause a dy. Now, it seemed he didn¡¯t have to worry about wasting time. Because he could let the mechanical arm grab the Shield from behind! This didn¡¯t require much operation, just needed the mechanical arm to take out the Shield and block in front of him! Xu Xiaojun tried it out and found that when the mechanical arm was activated, he could instantly control it to ce the Shield in front of himself. ¡°Not bad at all!¡± Seeing Xu Xiaojun able to handle both offense and defense, Nie Siyan and Lu Yingfeng were quite envious.
Lu Yingfeng, who was always determined to be strong, felt she might not be able to defeat Xu Xiaojun¡­ The remaining airdrops did not contain anything Wang Tao wanted. So Wang Tao took some food, medical supplies, and Inhibitors. Of course, he also took an updated copy of the Zombie Guide. He quietly noted down the additional zombies and monsters in the Monster Manual.
The only pity was that there were no records of Four-level zombies. It was only briefly mentioned that there was a huge gap between Fourth-Level Organisms and those of Level 3; upon encounter, one could only run, with no chance of resistance¡­ ¡°There are Four-level zombies now¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s expression became somewhat grave upon seeing this information. They were all still struggling to achieve Level 3 Ascension, and fighting Level 3 zombies was already difficult; now, Four-level zombies had emerged¡­ This gave her a deep sense of powerlessness. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lu Yingfeng nudged Lan Yulian with her arm. ¡°Right, let¡¯s move on, we should be able to reach the city sports center in another hour!¡± After checking the airdrop, the convoy continued towards the city sports center. The airdrop had provided everyone with more or less a lot of items, after all, there were indeed many airdrops this time. Everyone was joyful; they hadn¡¯t even reached the sports center yet and had already gained so much. This upgrade operation was truly worthwhile! An hourter. The fourth squad finally arrived at the city sports center. Lan Yulian thought she would be thest to arrive, but after a round of inspection, she found out that she was actually the first one.
¡°Where are they? Don¡¯t tell me something happened?¡± Lan Yulian was a bit worried and continued trying to contact the others with the walkie-talkie. Perhaps being closer now, she finally got through. ¡°I¡¯m Lan Yulian. We¡¯ve arrived at the city sports center, where are you guys?¡± ¡°Sss¡­ Wait, we¡¯re picking up more airdrops¡­ Sss¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s face darkened. When the airdrops first appeared, she thought of giving them up to ensure timely arrival. It turned out that everyone went to collect airdrops instead. Zijing City was arge city, and it was unthinkable that nes would only drop airdrops to Wang Tao¡¯s area; many airdrops were released in other ces as well. Collecting all the airdrops would definitely take a lot of time¡­ Lan Yulian joined Lu Yingfeng by Wang Tao¡¯s side. ¡°They all went for the airdrops, what should we do?¡± As soon as Wang Tao arrived at the sports center, he used his nt Affinity Ability; he could sense many zombies inside!
Moreover, Jiang Shixue also told him that there seemed to be a lot of Level 3 zombies! So, Wang Tao curled his lips and said: ¡°Since we¡¯re here, we¡¯re definitely going in to kill zombies!¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go take a look first!¡± Lan Yulian, decisive as always, immediately began organizing the team to enter the sports center. Chapter 477: 210 Level 3 Ordinary Zombie_1 Chapter 477: Chapter 210 Level 3 Ordinary Zombie_1 Lan Yulian divided everyone into several small teams, each led by a powerful Second-order Superpower Owner. She and Lu Yingfeng acted as emergency responders, especially Lan Yulian, who needed to pay close attention to everyone¡¯s physical condition. If someone was injured, she needed to go over and heal them in time. Wang Tao let Nie Siyan be the team leader, assisted by Xu Xiaojun, leading the others. Wang Tao himself only took Jiang Shixue with him. After the teams were divided, Lu Yingfeng took the lead and guided everyone into the sports center. The sports center wasrge and had severalndmark buildings that had attracted considerable investment back in the day. But now it was a deste and dpidated scene, with many buildings copsed and vegetation growing wildly in the crevices. Knowing this was a sports center, one might otherwise mistake it for a botanical garden. The gymnasium was in the middle of the sports center. Since cars couldn¡¯t be driven inside, Lan Yulian parked the vehicles outside the sports center and everyone proceeded on foot. ¡°There are zombies!¡± No sooner had they entered the sports center than they saw zombies appear, and there were quite a few of them. Wang Tao nced at them. They were all Level 2 Common Zombies¡ªwait, Level 2 Common Zombies?
Wang Tao thought he had misread and took another look. [HP: 23000/23000] [Mana: 0/0] [Level: Level 2, Ordinary] He hadn¡¯t misread; they were indeed Level 2 Common Zombies!N?v(el)B\\jnn This was the first time Wang Tao had seen Level 2 Common Zombies. They seemed weak, but Wang Tao¡¯s expression was serious. The most abundant type of zombie in the world should be the ordinary ones. If the ordinary zombies have all evolved to Level 2¡­ then how are the survivors supposed to live? There were still many ordinary people and Level 1 ability users. These Level 2 Common Zombies would definitely cause them a lot of trouble. ¡°Hopefully, this is just an exception¡­¡± Wang Tao muttered to himself and then informed Nie Siyan and the others that these were Level 2 Common Zombies and to be careful. Soon, the survivors engaged the zombies and the battle began. Wang Tao observed for a moment; these Level 2 Common Zombies were much like the Level 1 Ordinary Zombies, possessing no special abilities and relying solely on their physical prowess to attack. However,pared to Level 1 Zombies, they were stronger, faster, had higher defense, and more HP. Many people could instantly kill a Level 1 Ordinary Zombie, but killing these Level 2 Common Zombies was quite an effort. Especially those with over 20,000 HP, even if they weren¡¯t as strong as a Level 2, Elite Zombie, they were equally hard to kill¡­ What¡¯s most frustrating was that after finally killing these zombies, there was not a single Crystal Core inside¡­ that was truly annoying. Of course, since they were Level 2 zombies, those whose HP wasn¡¯t full could recover some by killing these zombies. But the amount added wasn¡¯t much, and it wasn¡¯t noticeable. Many people couldn¡¯t even feel their HP increasing¡­ The joy of just finding the airdrop was slowly disappearing¡ªif the gymnasium was also filled with such zombies, then even Level 3 zombies would be useless! What good are zombies without Crystal Cores? However, havinge this far, it was impossible to retreat without even seeing the main target. They could only continue forward.
Wang Tao observed Lu Yingfeng. This woman was indeed as strong as he expected. Her weapon was a Tang Dao, and it looked like she also had some training with it. She looked cool wielding the Tang Dao! If Xu Xiaojun represented the epitome of brute force, killing zombies with sheer power,
then Lu Yingfeng was the embodiment of exquisite technique, killing zombies without seemingly expending any more effort than necessary. She would use only 8 units of strength when 10 weren¡¯t needed, and retreat just enough to dodge a zombie¡¯s attack, never more than what was essential. Her fighting style seemed perilous, but everything was under Lu Yingfeng¡¯s control. And because she did not waste energy, even if her physical fitness and strength might not match Xu Xiaojun¡¯s, she seemed to have much greater endurance! Lu Yingfeng moved with ease among the zombie horde, and even though she wielded a not-so-long knife, none of the zombies could get close to her. Even in sudden situations, she quickly reacted, almost as if she had anticipated them beforehand. ¡°So cool!¡± Wang Tao looked on with longing. Lu Yingfeng clearly wasn¡¯t using any active Abilities and relied on a systematic set of sword techniques amidst the zombie horde, unhindered. If he could learn this set of sword techniques,bined with his own powerful strength and that Bone Knife, couldn¡¯t he ughter through the zombies? ¡°I¡¯ll have to see if I can steal some movester¡­ or maybe even ask her to take me as her disciple!¡± Wang Tao already had a n in mind. Then he looked at Lan Yulian. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t clear about the specific name of Lan Yulian¡¯s ability, but he saw that whenever someone was injured, Lan Yulian would run over and wave her hand in the air towards that person. A green light would fly from her hand to the person¡¯s head, and then their HP would start to rise. In a moment, that person¡¯s HP increased significantly. However, it was not fully restored because the wounds on their body had not yet healed.
Wang Tao felt that this ability was somewhat like his medical kit. The medical kit could also restore HP, but it didn¡¯t necessarily fill it up because some injuries needed time to recover. Of course, the amount of HP Lan Yulian restored was much more potent than the medical kit. The medical kit could only restore 100 HP at a time, which wasn¡¯t very useful for Wang Tao who now almost had 30,000 HP. Chapter 478: 210 Level 3 Ordinary Zombie_2 Chapter 478: Chapter 210 Level 3 Ordinary Zombie_2 ¡°` But Lan Yulian¡¯s ability can add 1000 HP in one go! That¡¯s equivalent to the Hemostatic Drug in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. It seems her ability doesn¡¯t have much of a cooldown either; as long as she sees someone with low HP, she can use it. It¡¯s much better than a medical kit. And Wang Tao also found that Lan Yulian had not only the ability to add HP but also to heal injuries. There was an unlucky guy who, though not hit by a zombie, fell into a manhole in the street. By the time his teammates pulled him out, one of his feet was somewhat deformed. In such cases, just adding HP would be useless. So, Lan Yulian waved her hand at the man, and a beam of white light flew into his leg. A momentter, his foot slowly returned to normal! ¡°Eh? I¡¯m fine now!¡±
The man was still somewhat in disbelief, then hurriedly thanked Lan Yulian. Lan Yulian waved her hand, indicating it wasn¡¯t necessary. Wang Tao noticed that when she was adding HP to someone, the Mana consumption wasn¡¯t much, but when healing injuries, it took up a small chunk of Mana. Clearly, this ability to heal injuries consumes a lot of Mana. ¡°Not bad, a legitimate healer¡­¡± Wang Tao nodded to himself. Setting other things aside, just these two abilities alone were very strong. If Lan Yulian no longer wished to stay in the club in the future, no matter where she went, she would definitely be a VIP. Moreover, Wang Tao felt that she and Lu Yingfeng made a perfect match. Lu Yingfeng was very strong inbat, ying zombies as if she were chopping vegetables. Under her deliberate protection, no zombies could get close to Lan Yulian. She would asionally suffer minor injuries since there were too many zombies, and then Lan Yulian would wave a green light at Lu Yingfeng, and Lu Yingfeng would instantly be back to full HP! Lu Yingfeng protected Lan Yulian while Lan Yulian protected Lu Yingfeng. As long as the two of them didn¡¯t do anything suicidal or encounter irresistible dangers, with their way of fighting, they were basically immortal. Wang Tao was quite envious¡­ He then observed the others, but no one else caught his eye like they did. After spending some time, all the Level 2 Common Zombies were killed. Many people had gloomy expressions on their faces; after all that effort, not a single Crystal Core was seen. But Nie Siyan was very happy because Wang Tao had secretly told her to kill more zombies, to get in thest hit, and even to snatch kills. Because killing these ordinary zombies could also make one stronger, even if it was a slower process. Nie Siyan naturally listened to Wang Tao and quietly snatched quite a few kills from others.
Now she could clearly feel that her own strength had increased a bit! Wang Tao nced at her, her HP was 20,000 now, and by snatching kills she had actually gained 5,000 HP¡­ she really had talent. ¡°Keep moving forward!¡± After confirming that there were no dangers around, Lu Yingfeng immediately led the team to continue towards the gymnasium.
At the south gate of the gymnasium, there¡¯s an artificialke with a bridge over it. To enter the gymnasium from the south gate, one must cross this bridge. And now, this bridge was crowded with zombies. Seeing these zombies, Wang Tao frowned. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 0/0]N?v(el)B\\jnn [Level: Ordinary Level 3] Level 3 Ordinary Zombie! Could this be the kind of zombie without a Crystal Core that Lan Yulian spoke of earlier, powerful but without a core? ncing around, they were all Level 3 Ordinary Zombies, without a single Elite in sight. Wang Tao really wanted to say something like, ¡°What the hell kind of zombies are you raising? Can¡¯t you even raise a single Elite Zombie? What good is a pile of Level 3 Ordinary Zombies?¡± But while his inner rant was one thing, Wang Tao was prepared to take action himself this time. Because he was only Level Two, and the Level 3, Ordinary Zombies were still Level 3, it would count as defeating above his level, which could give him Special Energy. Wang Tao had just used up all his Special Energy yesterday, so today was a good opportunity to replenish it. ¡°These are all Level 3 zombies.¡±
Wang Tao approached Lan Yulian and spoke to her in a low voice. ¡°We¡¯ve encountered Level 3 zombies already? And so many of them!¡± Lan Yulian was immediately startled. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, these are all Ordinary Level 3 zombies with no abilities, just a bit stronger than the Level 2 Common Zombies we just killed. We shouldn¡¯t have too much difficulty dealing with them¡­¡± ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Upon hearing this, Lan Yulian breathed a sigh of relief. Based on past experience, a Level 1 Elite Zombie and a Level 1 Ordinary Zombie were entirely different creatures, the same was true for Level 2, and it was likely the Level 3 Ordinary Zombies would be simr. Lan Yulian immediately gave orders, informing everyone that they had encountered Level 3 Ordinary Zombies and instructed everyone not to fight individually but to move as squads¡ªpreviously, since the Level 2 Common Zombies didn¡¯t pose much of a threat, many people got careless, so the formation was somewhat disorganized. Now, after hearing these were Level 3 Ordinary Zombies, everyone¡¯s demeanor turned serious and they obediently formed teams, ready to join forces in ying the zombies. Meanwhile, Wang Tao took Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Giant Axe. The Giant Axe had arge attack range, and its Shockwaves were also grand, convenient for Wang Tao to attack groups. Watching the zombies twisting their bodies and rushing towards them, Lan Yulian raised her hand. ¡°Charge!¡±
The teams formed up and slowly started to push forward. But at that moment, a figure suddenly sped past everyone and charged directly into the zombie horde. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± Lan Yulian, who had been monitoring the overall situation, instantly changed her expression. ¡°What is he doing!¡± Wang Tao had just personally told her that these were a group of Level 3 Ordinary Zombies, so why did he dare to charge in alone? Lu Yingfeng, standing nearby, also furrowed her brow. ¡°` Chapter 479: 210 Level 3 Ordinary Zombie_3 Chapter 479: Chapter 210 Level 3 Ordinary Zombie_3 She didn¡¯t understand what Wang Tao was going to do, but she was ready to rescue him. In case Wang Tao got stuck and couldn¡¯t get out, she had to quickly pull him out. However, what happened next made both women¡¯s eyes widen. Wang Tao charged into the horde of zombies, raising the giant axe high with both hands before chopping it down toward the ground with force! A transparent shockwave emanated from Wang Tao as its center, spreading outwards in a ring shape. [-17923] [-15484] [-14750] [¡­] The group of zombies were instantly hit by the shockwave and knocked to the ground! Damages of 10000+ floated above the heads of these zombies, densely packed and somewhat dazzling to the eyes!
Wang Tao, seeing the damage numbers, was quite satisfied. ¡°As expected of Level 3 zombies, I have improved my strength so much recently, yet I can only deal a little over ten thousand damage¡­¡± Wang Tao once again lifted the giant axe, unleashing another ring-shaped shockwave while these ordinary zombies were still down. Pfft~ [-13845] [-14464] [-16494] [¡­] In that instant, countless zombies were shattered by the shockwave, leaving not a single intact corpse behind! Seeing that there were still a few zombies standing, Wang Tao swung his axe again. Pfft~ [-2878] [-4755] [-1570] [¡­] After three axe blows, only Wang Tao was left standing on the bridge, surrounded by the stench of blood and disgusting chunks of flesh. ¡°¡­¡± The others were utterly dumbfounded. Weren¡¯t they just saying that the bridge was filled with Level 3 Ordinary Zombies? Were they mistaken? Or did they see wrong?
These must be Level 2 Ordinary Zombies, right?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om But even if they were Level 2 zombies, the fact that Wang Tao killed so many with just three axe blows was outrageous! And if these were truly Level 3 zombies¡ª Hiss! Just how powerful is this Wang Tao!
The sight left the onlookers somewhat incredulous. After all, they had just fought with Level 2 Common Zombies themselves and knew how strong they were. Most of them had to exert a great deal of effort to kill just one Level 2 Common Zombie¡­ ¡°This, this is really Level 3 Ordinary Zombies?¡± Lan Yulian looked at Lu Yingfeng with a bewildered expression. Lu Yingfeng took a deep breath and said, ¡°They should be Level 3 zombies, their aura ispletely different from those Level 2 ones¡­¡± ¡°But, but how can he be so strong?¡± Lan Yulian still couldn¡¯t quite believe it. ¡°¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng didn¡¯t respond, as she herself also found it hard to believe. She felt that she could kill these Level 3 Ordinary Zombies herself, but it would certainly be a tough fight, and since she didn¡¯t have an ability that could attack groups, she would have to kill them one by one. How could she be like Wang Tao who simply unleashed three shockwaves, shattering all the Level 3 zombies on the bridge in an instant¡­ So it turned out, Wang Tao was this strong! ¡°Could he be a Level 3 ability user?¡±
Lan Yulian asked again. ¡°` ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng shook her head. Wang Tao didn¡¯t realize how much of an impact his actions had on the others. He was collecting loot. Although these were all ordinary zombies without crystal cores, since they were defeated beyond his level, multiple loot packs were dropped. While there wasn¡¯t anything particrly desirable in these packs, just some materials, having something was better than nothing. After making a round on the bridge and having collected all the loot, Wang Tao finally turned to Lan Yulian and the others. ¡°What are you all standing around for? Aren¡¯t we going into the gym?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian quickly waved her hand, signaling everyone to follow her. ¡°You¡­¡± She walked up to Wang Tao and looked at him as if he were a monster. ¡°So strong!¡±
Lu Yingfeng took over the conversation. ¡°Haha, those level 3 ordinary zombies are actually pretty weak. The two of you could take them down easily.¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t boasting, because those level 3 ordinary zombies really were weak. Ordinary zombies and elite zombies were two entirely different breeds, with a huge gap in strength. As second-order superpower owners, they could definitely kill level 3 ordinary zombies. It would just take a bit longer, that¡¯s all. ¡°Really?¡± Lan Yulian was somewhat skeptical. She hadn¡¯t fought against this kind of level 3 ordinary zombie before and wasn¡¯t sure how strong they were. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. Would I lie to you? There should be quite a few more of these level 3 ordinary zombies in the gym. You¡¯ll know once you try.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lan Yulian nodded and then added with a smile, ¡°If we run into danger in there, given our rtionship, you wouldn¡¯t just stand by and watch us die, would you?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not necessarily the case.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile.
¡°?¡± Seeing the puzzled look on Lan Yulian¡¯s face, Wang Tao leaned in and whispered in her ear: ¡°I¡¯m going to act aler and not stick with you guys, so I definitely won¡¯t be able to take care of you. But if you are really in danger, just shout for me, and I wille if I hear you.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re not going with us? That¡¯s too dangerous!¡± Lan Yulian was surprised and worried. ¡°Yeah.¡± When Wang Tao had first arrived at the entrance, he sensed through his nt affinity that there seemed to be something in the second and third sub-levels of the gym, and he nned to go take a look. But that ce was very dangerous, and the others would surely die if they went. There was no need for Wang Tao to send them to their deaths. ¡°Alright, then be careful,¡± Lan Yulian said with some concern, then yfully added, ¡°If you¡¯re in any danger, you can shout for me, and I¡¯ll definitelye to save you if I hear it!¡± ¡°¡­¡± p~ Lan Yulian reached out her hand, and Wang Tao gave her a high five. Then Wang Tao added: ¡°The gym is huge; there are many areas inside. I personally think you guys should head to District E¡­ It¡¯s rtively safe there.¡± People should act ording to their capabilities; as the fourth team, they were the weakest and didn¡¯t need to act tough. ¡°Ah? District E?¡± Lan Yulian had a map of the gym. District E was quite far from the south gate, requiring a detour. ¡°Trust me.¡± ¡°Fine! Then we¡¯ll head to District E!¡± Seeing that Wang Tao didn¡¯t seem to be joking, Lan Yulian decided to trust him. The windows of the gym were blocked by tendrils, making the inside very dim, and everyone was a bit nervous. Following the map, Lan Yulian led her teammates slowly towards District E. Wang Tao, on the other hand, split from the team with Jiang Shixue and disappeared into the darkness. ¡°` Chapter 480: 211 Encounter with the Plant Monster Again_1 Chapter 480: Chapter 211 Encounter with the nt Monster Again_1 ¡°` Pfft! Wang Tao swung his knife, cleaving a Level 3 Ordinary Zombie vertically in half. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Surveying the zombie corpses scattered all around him, Wang Tao took a deep breath. ¡°There sure are a lot of zombies here!¡± After splitting from the team, he had encountered many zombies along the way, most of which were Level 2 and Level 3 Ordinary Zombies. Although he could easily deal with them, these zombies didn¡¯t have much in the way of spoils, which was somewhat unsatisfying. However, when Wang Tao looked at his Special Energy, he couldn¡¯t help but grin. [Special Energy: 54140]
From the bridge over the artificialke to now, Wang Tao had amassed a total of fifty-four thousand Special Energy! His previous maximum had only been twenty-six thousand; this was well over his former limit. To synthesize or extract a Level 2 Ability only required 5000 Special Energy. With so much Special Energy, he could operate many times over! But now wasn¡¯t the time to study Abilities; Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue continued moving forward. This was a multifunctional sportsplex with three levels above ground, divided into six areas: Districts A, B, C, D, E, and F. Among these, Districts A and B were thergest, C and D were medium-sized, and E and F were the smallest. Previously, there had been blockades in each area that were not interconnected. Zijin Base and the prison where zombies were bred were located in District A, but it had nowpletely fallen. Some zombies had broken through various blockades, spreading to the other districts. No one knew which district was currently the most dangerous, but Districts A and B were definitely perilous since they were adjacent and many zombies were likely to have moved into District B. However, Wang Tao¡¯s target wasn¡¯t any particr district but rather the underground. Through the nts inside the sportsplex, he could vaguely sense that the zombies in Districts E and F were not numerous and were rtively safe. Districts C and D had more zombies and were certainly more dangerous. As for Districts A and B¡­ Wang Tao couldn¡¯t feel anything because there were no nts to utilize there. Lack of sensation didn¡¯t equate tock of danger; in fact, it could mean the risk was even greater. So, Wang Tao sent Jade Lotus to District E. As for why he didn¡¯t go himself, it was because he sensed that within the underground parking of the sportsplex, there seemed to be¡­ a very powerful nt Monster! His Hidden Ability, nt Affinity, was also possessed by the nt Monster. Thus, as soon as he sensed the nt Monster, it sensed him as well! In that moment, Wang Tao knew he had been targeted by the nt Monster! With many tendrils and mosses inside the sportsplex, he couldn¡¯t avoid them all. So instead of letting a monster keep its eyes on him, it was better to take the initiative and go seek out the creature!
Moreover, the information given to Jade Lotus by Zijin Base hadn¡¯t mentioned this nt Monster, not even the underground parking. They said it was too dark and difficult to clear the area, so they simply sealed off the underground parking. Now, it seemed either they had concealed some information about the underground parking, or something had happened there without their knowledge. But regardless of which scenario it was, Wang Tao was determined to check out the underground parking. After all, both he and Jiang Shixue had Night Vision Abilities and were not afraid of the dark. After walking for a while and killing a few Level 3 Ordinary Zombies, Wang Tao found one of the elevator entrances to the underground parking.
¡°It¡¯spletely sealed off¡­¡± If it were just blocking the elevator doors, Wang Tao might have found a way to open them, but they used construction materials to block the elevator shafts entirely. Wang Tao was stumped and had to look for another way. ¡°Hm?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue both looked up, their eyes¡ªone green, one red¡ªfixating on the darkness. In their line of sight, a pus-oozing, somewhat deformed zombie emerged from around the corner and approached them with a twisted gait. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 3000/3000] [Level: Level 3 Elite] ¡°Could this be one of the Level 3 Zombies they cultivated? But it seems a bit weak¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned slightly upon seeing the zombie. This Level 3 Elite Zombie had only 3000 Mana, which was even less than some Level 1 Ability Users¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t intervene, I want to gauge its strength,¡± Wang Tao told Jiang Shixue, then holding his Bone Knife, he walked towards the zombie.
¡°Hehehe¡­¡± The zombie roared furiously at Wang Tao and reached out its hands to grab him. Wang Tao dodged the attack with ease. ¡°Its attack speed is so-so¡­¡± Then Wang Tao quickly retreated a few steps, prompting the zombie to chase after him swiftly. ¡°Its movement speed is also so-so¡­¡± When the zombie caught up, Wang Tao directly struck its head with the knife. [-15027] The strike cut off half of its face. ¡°Its defense is average as well¡­¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± The attacked zombie seemed to grow angrier, roaring as it lunged at Wang Tao once again. Wang Tao had no intention of testing its attack any further, so he simply swung his knife again.
Pfft~ [-14973] The pus-oozing zombie¡¯s HP dropped to zero. ¡°It really is weak¡­¡± Wang Tao nced at his Special Energy.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Although the zombie was weak, it still provided 1500 Special Energy. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a lot; Wang Tao could get more than six thousand Special Energy from other Level 3 Elite Zombies. Wang Tao then looked at its Crystal Core. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Defense] ¡°` Chapter 481: 211 Encounter with the Plant Monster Again_2 Chapter 481: Chapter 211 Encounter with the nt Monster Again_2 [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: bodily suppurate)] [Defense: Passive Ability, enhances personal defense] An extremely ordinary Level 3 Defense Crystal Core. As for the loot, it actually dropped three Loot Packs, but the contents of these packs were also quite run-of-the-mill. The first pack contained a Crystal Core Gift Bag with only one Crystal Core inside, and it was a Defense one. Luckily, it was of Blue Quality, which was somewhat better than the one he currently had. The second pack held a bunch of materials that ordinary zombies could drop. The third pack was [Defense Potion (small) x10], and the items inside this pack were rtively decent. ¡°This type of zombie should be what they¡¯ve cultivated. Indeed weak, feels like a beefed-up Level 2 Common Zombie. However, for others, it might still prove a bit difficult to handle¡­¡± Wang Tao felt that if all the Level 3 Zombies were of this caliber, then Zijin Base, having called for so many hands, should be able to handle them.
But how many Ascension Crystal Cores these zombies could drop was another story¡­ Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue continued searching for the entrance to the underground parking lot. Along the way, they encountered several more of these Level 3 Zombies, all of which Wang Tao easily dispatched. ¡°Brother, it seems we can go down here.¡± While passing through a corridor, Jiang Shixue suddenly spoke up. Following Jiang Shixue¡¯s gaze, Wang Tao saw arge hole at the end of the corridor, surrounded by many spiky tendrils. Wang Tao hurried over. Looking into the hole, he could see the roofs of several small cars. Beneath was the parking lot! Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush down but instead studied the hole first.N?v(el)B\\jnn From the damage around the hole, Wang Tao had a feeling¡­ as if something had burst out of the ground, creating arge hollow in the floor! Could it have been that nt Monster¡¯s doing? Wang Tao pondered. He took out his walkie-talkie to get in touch with Lan Yulian. ¡°This is Wang Tao, how are things on your end?¡± ¡°Ssshh¡­ ssshh¡­¡± After some static, Lan Yulian¡¯s voice came through. ¡°This is Lan Yulian. We¡¯re safe for now, no casualties. How about you? Are you safe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m safe over here,¡± Wang Tao replied, nodding his head.
¡°By the way, why did you take Little Xue away? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here? You brought Little Xue here, but then you even left with her alone! If I hadn¡¯t been afraid of disturbing you by contacting you rashly, I would have yelled at you a long time ago. You¡­¡± As Lan Yulian spoke, Lu Yingfeng¡¯s voice could be heard in the background. She seemed a bit angry as well. Hearing their conversation, Wang Tao didn¡¯t get angry; instead, he smiled. Because he could feel that Lan Yulian genuinely cared about Jiang Shixue.
In Lan Yulian¡¯s eyes, Jiang Shixue was a somewhat ditsy, lovable little girl. She hadn¡¯t expected that when Wang Tao left, Jiang Shixue would be in the car too. She was even more surprised that Wang Tao had taken Jiang Shixue with him when he departed on his own! If it weren¡¯t for the bad timing, she would definitely havee over to give Wang Tao a good scolding. ¡°Is she worried about me?¡± Jiang Shixue asked beside Wang Tao with some confusion. ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Tao replied, patting Jiang Shixue¡¯s little head, then said into the walkie-talkie: ¡°I took Little Xue with me because she has some Special Abilities that are useful to me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect Little Xue. Don¡¯t you trust my strength?¡± Wang Tao intended to exin Jiang Shixue¡¯s capabilities, but then he thought better of it. He was nning to let Little Xue scare Lan Yulianter on, to satisfy his own mischievous urges. ¡°¡­Forget it, you¡¯ve already taken her. There¡¯s nothing I can do about that now. I just hope you can keep your word!¡± Lan Yulian sighed with some resignation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. So, where have you gotten to now?¡± Wang Tao changed the subject. ¡°We¡¯re on our way¡­ There are too many zombies around, a lot of Level 3 Ordinary Zombies and we¡¯ve even encountered a few Level 3 Elite Zombies. We haven¡¯t made it to District E yet¡­¡± At the mention of business, Lan Yulian immediatelyposed herself and quickly briefed Wang Tao. ¡°That¡¯s decent progress,¡± Wang Tao estimated that based on their speed, it would take another thirty minutes to reach District E. ¡°But I¡¯ve got an Ascension Crystal Core!¡± Lan Yulian suddenly announced. ¡°¡­An Ascension Crystal Core? Congrattions!¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised; he hadn¡¯t expected Lan Yulian to be so lucky.
¡°What about you? Have you got anything good, did you manage to get an Ascension Crystal Core?¡± Lan Yulian asked. ¡°¡­I¡¯m busy now, let¡¯s leave it at that,¡± Wang Tao ended the conversation decisively. He had killed 5 Level 3 Elite Zombies and obtained 10 Crystal Cores, but not a single one was an Ascension Crystal Core¡­ Wang Tao had thought these zombies wouldn¡¯t drop Ascension Crystal Cores, but it turned out Lan Yulian got one. ¡°Damn. So, it¡¯s just my bad luck¡­¡± Shaking his head resignedly, Wang Tao looked at Jiang Shixue beside him and said: ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After taking a careful look and ensuring that it was safe below, Wang Tao jumped down. Thump¡ª Hended lightly on the roof of a car. Jiang Shixue followed suit and dropped down after him. ¡°There are so many nts¡­¡±
After descending, Wang Tao noticed that the underground parking lot was filled with nts. Tendrils, moss, tree roots, and some unidentifiable nts¡­ ¡°Feels like we¡¯ve entered their of that nt Monster¡­¡± Wang Tao quipped. But an abundance of nts also had its advantages for him. For instance, right now, he immediately located the nt Monster! Chapter 482: 211 Encounter with the Plant Monster Again_3 Chapter 482: Chapter 211 Encounter with the nt Monster Again_3 ¡°Run!¡± Wang Tao immediately led Jiang Shixue toward the direction of the nt monster. At that moment, a tendril suddenly whipped towards Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue like a whip! If it weren¡¯t for his Night Vision ability, Wang Tao might have been hit. But with Night Vision, he spotted the tendril instantly. ¡°This thing can attack too?¡± Wang Tao was surprised, as he hadn¡¯t seen a health bar on the tendril and had subconsciously overlooked it. Wang Tao lifted his Bone Knife and sliced at the tendril. Puchi~ The tendril was cut into two, dropping at Wang Tao¡¯s feet. Wang Tao picked it up and took a closer look; it was indeed an ordinary tendril.
He waited a bit and, seeing no further attacks, continued forward with Jiang Shixue. However, they had only taken a few steps when more tendrils whipped towards them. This time there were three tendrils, and Wang Tao easily sliced them all with his knife. ¡°Is this the attack from the nt monster hiding in the dark? It seems pretty weak¡­¡± Wang Tao muttered, and proceeded. Approximately a minuteter, more tendrils whipped at him. But this time, it wasn¡¯t just one or three tendrils, it was a dense mass of them. Seeing another tendril attack, Wang Tao instinctively went to sh again. After all, these were just ordinary tendrils with no defensive power. But after getting a clear look, Wang Tao immediately grabbed Jiang Shixue and dodged backwards. Whoosh~ The tendrils hit where Wang Tao had just been standing, and then¡ª Boom! Countless pieces of rubble flew, several cars were smashed to pieces, and a huge crack appeared on the concrete ground. ¡°Damn, even using formation tactics!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. He originally intended to cut through these ordinary tendrils with one sh, but unexpectedly, among them, there was a tendril with a health bar. [100000/100000] Hundred Thousand Blood Volume! Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure what it was, so he didn¡¯t dare to face it; instead, he grabbed Jiang Shixue and ran.
It seems he did right by dodging. If it had hit him, if not death, it would have skinned him. Whoosh¡ª¡ª When the hundred-thousand-blood tendril¡¯s attack failed, it immediately started to whip around again, flying towards Wang Tao. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue moved left and right, dodging its attacks several times. Wang Tao also shed with the tendril wielding his knife, but he only managed to hit it for a little over a hundred blood, practically like a drizzle against its hundred thousand blood.
Wang Tao suddenly thought of Entangling Roots; they too had a hundred thousand blood, were also indestructible, and also only had the health bar as an attribute¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t know if this tendril was the same type of creature as the Entangling Roots, but it definitely wasn¡¯t the nt monster¡¯s main body. ¡°Let¡¯s find its main body!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t n to waste time with this tendril. He and Jiang Shixue bypassed the tendril, going left and right and ran straight ahead. Whoosh¡ª¡ª Even more tendrils attacked. Wang Tao watched these tendrils closely, and sure enough, several with a hundred thousand blood appeared. Moreover, these tendrils did not share the same health bar; each one had its own hundred thousand blood! Luckily, both Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were fast. With prior anticipation of the attack, they easily dodged. Boom! Boom! The hundred-thousand-blood tendrils left cracks on the ground, broke pirs in the parking lot, and smashed cars to pieces. This destructive power is simply incredible! At one moment, Wang Tao pointed to a spot and shouted,
¡°Right there!¡± Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately rushed towards the location Wang Tao had pointed to. The tendrils suddenly tried to defend, but Wang Tao, who had been evading without attacking, took the initiative this time. He swung his Bone Knife andunched an assault on a few of these tendrils with a hundred thousand HP. Boom! Boom! Boom! The Bone Knife collided with the tendrils, creating a series of thunderous noises. The concrete surface around Wang Tao was almost reduced to rubble. Just then, the tendrils suddenly retracted, instantly breaking away from the fight with Wang Tao. At the same time, a slender figure flew towards Wang Tao. Wang Tao immediately reached out and caught Jiang Shixue. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Wang Tao saw that Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP had decreased by more than two thousand.
¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯sing,¡± she said. Wang Tao quickly looked up and saw a giant figure slowly emerging from the darkness. It was a figure resembling arge tree, its entire body exhibiting a metallic ckness. Some tendrils moved on its body like tentacles. Perhaps because of the limited height of the underground car park, its body was somewhat horizontally elongated, appearing short and stout. [HP: 50000/50000] [Mana: 50000/50000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord] [Internal Impurity: 70%] This was a Level 3, Lord Monster! Seeing this somewhat exaggerated attribute, Wang Tao actually breathed a sigh of relief. Although it had fifty thousand HP, it was fortunate that it wasn¡¯t a fourth-order monster with more than a hundred thousand HP. Otherwise, Wang Tao would have had to run away. Wang Tao didn¡¯t see where the monster¡¯s face was, or maybe it didn¡¯t have one, just this form. It stepped out of the darkness, wielding those hundred thousand HP tendrils in an attack towards Wang Tao.
Perhaps because the distance was closer, the speed of the tendrils increased significantly, and Wang Tao dodged somewhat awkwardly. Wang Tao seized the opportunity and, after dodging the tendril attacks, suddenly initiated a rush to get close to the big tree monster. He struck two blows, and damage numbers of ¡°-1034¡± and ¡°-1287¡± popped up on the big tree monster. ¡°Such high defense!¡± Wang Tao was taken aback, but he didn¡¯t panic. He quickly took out a small sk from his waist and instantly sshed the liquid inside over the big tree monster. ¡°So you¡¯re a big tree monster, huh? Let¡¯s see if you can withstand a zing fire!¡± Wang Tao always had gasoline in his car, and when he sensed the presence of nt monsters, he specifically brought the gasoline with him! Click~ Wang Tao pulled out a lighter, ignited it, and threw it onto the nt monster. Whoosh¡ª The big tree monster was instantly engulfed in mes. Wang Tao immediately backed off, ready to escape the sea of fire. But the mes on the big tree monster grew smaller and smaller, and after a moment¡­ the mes were extinguished! ¡°Damn, not afraid of fire?¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 483: 212: Iron Tree_1 Chapter 483: Chapter 212: Iron Tree_1 Wang Tao had originally nned to burn this Level 3, Lord Monster to death with mes, just likest time at that mini reservoir. But to his surprise, the mes actually went out! This Big Tree Monster, it wasn¡¯t afraid of fire?! Whoosh! The Big Tree Monster again swung its tendrils, attacking Wang Tao. Wang Tao dodged several attacks and retreated to Jiang Shixue¡¯s side. ¡°If it¡¯s not afraid of fire, we can only¡­ go all out then!¡± Wang Tao sighed. He wasn¡¯t very keen on going all out against this Tree Monster, but he had no other choice now. Of course, he could run away, but he wasn¡¯t one to lose a fight; running away was definitely unnecessary. He came here specifically to kill this monster! Wang Tao took a deep breath, and some ck roots appeared on his wrists, quickly spreading over his entire body. In the blink of an eye, a ¡°Tree Root Monster¡± standing two and a half meters tall appeared.
Wang Tao had previously refrained from using the Entangling Roots because he was afraid of setting himself on fire, after all, Entangling Roots fear fire. But since fire attacks were ineffective, Wang Tao had no reservations, showing his strongest form! While d in this suit of Entangling Roots armor, Wang Tao used his Bone Knife even more smoothly. He twirled the knife in his hand, then charged straight at the Big Tree Monster. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao instantly rushed to the Big Tree Monster¡¯s side and shed fiercely at its body. [-3456] ¡°Such high defense!¡± This sh from Wang Tao was delivered with the Iron Wall Ability active and a high-frequency vibration, on top of being d in the Entangling Roots. That could almost be considered Wang Tao¡¯s peak condition, yet it only dealt over three thousand damage! If this were an ordinary Level 3 zombie, Wang Tao felt he could have killed it instantly. One could imagine just how high the Big Tree Monster¡¯s defensive power was. But no big deal, one sh for over three thousand, a dozen more would kill it! Of course, the Big Tree Monster wouldn¡¯t allow Wang Tao to do so. Its tendrils iled wildly, striking at Wang Tao. Wang Tao had intended to withstand the attacks using the Entangling Roots, but he realized that they seemed somewhat fragile, and he promptly retreated. ¡°Such high damage!¡± Wang Tao was somewhat astonished. He had managed to sh the Tree Monster two more times, depleting over seven thousand HP. But the tendrils had hit the Entangling Roots four times, shredding over four thousand HP! Considering that the Entangling Roots initially had ten thousand HP, this meant half of it was gone in an instant! ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to use the Shockwave.¡± High-frequency vibration dealt the highest damage, and Wang Tao had hoped for a quick battle. But since the Entangling Roots couldn¡¯t withstand the attacks, he had no choice but to use Shockwaves to attack from a distance. Swoosh¡ª Wang Tao raised his knife and sent a Shockwave towards the Big Tree Monster.
But to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, those tendrils suddenly appeared in front of the Big Tree Monster, blocking the strike. The Shockwave ripped through the tendrils, dealing over five hundred damage, a mere scratch to the hundred thousand blood volume of the tendrils. Seeing so many tendrils with a hundred thousand HP in front of him, Wang Tao felt a headacheing on. This Big Tree Monster was hard to kill¡ªclose-range attacks resulted in getting hit, which he couldn¡¯t withstand. Distant attacks were shielded by the multitude of hundred-thousand-HP tendrils, not leaving a scratch on the Big Tree Monster!
The only silver lining was that, apart from using these tendrils, the Big Tree Monster didn¡¯t seem to have any other means of attack, at least not that he could see for now, and it was incredibly slow, reducing the pressure on Wang Tao to some degree. At this moment, Wang Tao suddenly felt a twinge of regret that he should have focused more on cultivating the Entangling Roots. The Entangling Roots currently had only ten thousand HP, but their limit was a hundred thousand. However, cultivation was needed, either by using Crystal Cores or his own HP. Wang Tao had only ensured that the HP and Compatibility of the Entangling Roots remained at 100%, without the intent to cultivate it specially, since their inherent defense was already high¡­ But now it seemed, that defense wasn¡¯t high enough. If his Entangling Roots had a hundred thousand HP, he might have been able to withstand the tendrils¡¯ attacks and kill the Big Tree Monster¡­ ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll draw its attention, and you attack.¡± That¡¯s when Jiang Shixue suddenly spoke up. ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous!¡± Wang Tao immediately shook his head.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Jiang Shixue had already been attacked by a tendril just now, losing over two thousand HP. Even with her 29999 HP, she wouldn¡¯tst long. ¡°Brother, I can do it, and I trust you as well.¡± Jiang Shixue said earnestly. In daily life, Jiang Shixue was always somewhat spacey, but she became much clearer-headed duringbat.
Wang Tao hesitated, but seeing Jiang Shixue¡¯s calm gaze, he eventually nodded. ¡°Fine! But if it gets dangerous, and I tell you to retreat, you must retreat!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After a brief discussion, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue separated, one to the left and one to the right, and rushed towards the Big Tree Monster. The Big Tree Monster immediately swung its tendrils, attacking both of them at the same time. But at that moment, a red glint shed in Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes. The tendrils that were targeting Wang Tao suddenly paused, then redirected their attack towards Jiang Shixue! This was Jiang Shixue¡¯s Hidden Attribute, Eyes of Contract! [Eyes of Contract: Night Vision, some degree of mind control] This ability to control minds sounds very powerful, but its effect on strong creatures is very limited. For a Level 3, Lord Monster like this, Jiang Shixue, who was of Level 2, Lord Rank, could only slightly influence it for a moment, such as drawing its attack. Chapter 484: 212: Iron Tree_2 Chapter 484: Chapter 212: Iron Tree_2 But in that instant, much could be done! Wang Tao dashed to the side of the Big Tree Monster, lifted his Bone Knife, and began to hack away madly. There was almost no technique involved, just brute force! [-3434] [-3496] [-3358] [-3502] [-3551] [-3395] [25808/50000] In three seconds, Wang Tao had struck six blows, chopping off half of the Big Tree Monster¡¯s HP.
Then, without the slightest hint of hesitation, Wang Tao decisively retreated. Bang!N?v(el)B\\jnn The moment his front foot left, countless tendrils followed suit, smashing down where Wang Tao had just stood, creating arge pit on the spot. Wang Tao was retreating towards Jiang Shixue¡¯s location and soon saw her lying amidst the ruins. [14506/29999] Jiang Shixue also had half her HP depleted. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Jiang Shixue climbed out of the rubble, and though she was covered in wounds, there was no expression of pain on her face. Wang Tao quickly picked her up and swiftly moved away from the battlefield. The Big Tree Monster seemed to be in a frenzy, indiscriminately attacking everything around it. ¡°It seems like it can¡¯t find us anymore¡­¡± Wang Tao said, holding Jiang Shixue atop a pile of rubble. This pile of rubble had just been smashed out by the Big Tree Monster, and everything around them had been destroyed, including the surrounding nts. The Big Tree Monster had no eyes; it seemed to locate Wang Tao through its Perception. But because there were no nts among the rubble, its Perception was useless now. Moreover, it seemed tock intelligence. If it were a human, it would surely have guessed Wang Tao¡¯s approximate location from the route he took when he fled. But itcked such judgment and was just blindly causing Destruction. This let Wang Tao breathe a sigh of relief. If the monster had been intelligent, it would have been much tougher to handle¡­ Wang Tao looked down at Jiang Shixue in his arms. Though Jiang Shixue still had half her HP and was rtively safe, the sight of her body covered withsh marks, as she merely frowned slightly, still tugged at his heart.
After all, he and Jiang Shixue had lived together for two months in the post-apocalyptic world, and he had grown fond of her. Wang Tao took out a medical kit to stop her bleeding, then asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡±
Jiang Shixue shook her head. Watching Wang Tao tenderly treat her wounds, Jiang Shixue suddenly reached out and caressed his face. ¡°What is it?¡± Wang Tao was puzzled. ¡°I seem to¡­ remember something¡­¡± Jiang Shixue looked somewhat distracted. ¡°Hmm? What did you remember?¡± Wang Tao was curious. ¡°It¡¯s like there was a woman who treated me this way, but I can¡¯t recall her face¡­¡± By ¡°this way,¡± she naturally referred to treating her wounds. After pondering for a moment, Wang Tao then said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s highly likely your mother.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if Jiang Shixue had any close female friends or rtives, but if someone had diligently treated her wounds like this, it was highly likely her mother. After all, in most cases, parents tend to be very kind to their children.
¡°Mother¡­¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes clouded over for a moment, but she did not linger on the thought. Wang Tao had told her before not to be under any psychological pressure, that she would eventually remember. And besides, ¡°mother¡± to her was just a noun. She still felt morefortable with Wang Tao¡­ After he had tended to her wounds for a while, Wang Tao looked back at the Big Tree Monster. This time, the Big Tree Monster was no longer in a frenzy, but the tendrils on its body were slowly dancing around as if searching for Wang Tao. ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll distract it once more,¡± Jiang Shixue proposed. She had lost a lot of blood, but she wasn¡¯t missing limbs, so her strength remained rtively intact. ¡°Okay. But this time stay further away and try not to let it hit you!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t refuse. The Big Tree Monster was now down to just 25,000 HP and didn¡¯t possess any ability for Blood Regeneration. If Wang Tao didn¡¯t take it down, Jiang Shixue would have been beaten for nothing. ¡°Alright!¡± After discussing their n, the two dashed out of the rubble and split up to act. When they stepped on some underground moss, the Big Tree Monster detected them. But this time, instead of moving its tendrils, the ground suddenly shook as if an earthquake had urred, and then several thick roots burst from the ground! These roots formed barriers almost instantly, trapping Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue separately, then began to constrict quickly!
¡°It has such an ability, too?¡± Wang Tao quickly used all the Potions at his disposal and then unleashed his most powerful strike on the roots in front of him. Puchi! The root blocking his path was cut with a gap! The Attack power of the High-frequency Vibration Ability was no joke. Wang Tao squeezed through the gap and then saw the Big Tree Monster slowly making its way towards him. He could see clearly that these enormous roots emerged from the body of the Big Tree Monster. The roots kept growing wildly, some even reaching the ceiling. Wang Tao finally understood how therge hole in the underground parking lot he had entered was made. It was opened up by the roots of the Big Tree Monster! And Wang Tao thought of something else. Lan Yulian had told him before that Zijin Base and the prison were raising zombies here, which was considered very safe, but somehow they had been damaged, allowing those zombies to escape from District A and letting other external zombies in. After that, the situation gradually spiraled out of control. Wang Tao suspected it was the Destruction caused by the Big Tree Monster. After all, its roots were ferociously destructive; breaking through the structures that contained the zombies shouldn¡¯t be an issue! Chapter 485: 212: Iron Tree_3 Chapter 485: Chapter 212: Iron Tree_3 However, there was no time to think further because Wang Tao noticed that the intelligence of this Big Tree Monster was indeed simple, and it might even operate on ¡°single-threading¡±¡ªits vines stopped moving when it was using those roots! ¡°Opportunity!¡± Wang Tao immediately rushed toward the Big Tree Monster and swiftly swung his bone knife. [-3521] [-3369] [-3721] [-3463] Four shes in two seconds. Finally, as ifing back to its senses, the Big Tree Monster¡¯s roots stopped moving, and those vines began to whip toward Wang Tao once again. But this time, Wang Tao didn¡¯t dodge.
While enduring several attacks from the vines, he struck two final cuts against the Big Tree Monster. [-3875] [-359] [0/50000] The vinesshing toward Wang Tao suddenly wilted, dropping at his feet. The roots that had grown from its body slowly ceased their movements, bing no different from ordinary roots. As for the Big Tree Monster itself, it copsed thunderously. Crash¡ª Four Loot Packs burst out, and Wang Tao quickly stowed them into his Space Backpack. Then Wang Tao noticed the HP bars on the vines of the Big Tree Monster were rapidly decreasing, shedding tens of thousands of HP in the blink of an eye. Wang Tao¡¯s mind hadn¡¯t caught up yet, but his hands were already moving. He raised his bone knife and chopped at the vines. Swish, swish, swish¡ª The vines that previously had massive HP and high defenses had now be no different from ordinary nts, easily and decisively cut down by Wang Tao, one by one. After dying, these vines also dropped a Loot Pack! Wang Tao quickly collected these Loot Packs, then instead of examining the corpse of the Big Tree Monster, he ran towards Jiang Shixue¡¯s location. Bang! Suddenly, a hole was punched through the roots at Jiang Shixue¡¯s side, and she emerged from within. ¡°The defense of these roots has weakened.¡± Jiang Shixue exined, then she saw the huge creature that had fallen.
¡°Brother killed it? Impressive!¡± Jiang Shixue immediately praised him. Seeing that Jiang Shixue was unharmed, Wang Tao instantly felt relieved. Then, he and Jiang Shixue approached the fallen Big Tree Monster.
While using nt Affinity Perception to detect any movements around him, Wang Tao examined the Big Tree Monster. This creature should be considered the secondrgest one Wang Tao had encountered, as well as one of the toughest¡­ The Big Tree Monster had arge body, and for a moment Wang Tao didn¡¯t know where to begin. But to his surprise, he found that upon its death, its bark was named and could be collected into the Space Backpack! [Iron Tree Skin: Crafting Material] This monster was called ¡°Iron Tree¡±?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Tao immediately collected the Iron Tree Skin into his Space Backpack. [Obtained: Iron Tree Skin x100] The Iron Tree Monster instantly turned into a tree with no bark left. ¡°Over here!¡± At this moment, Jiang Shixue sensed something and pointed to a spot. Wang Tao made a cut with his bone knife, then reached in and pulled out a Red Crystal Core. [Level 3 Crystal Core¡¤Root] [Quality: Excellent (80%)]
[Purity: 40% (Side effect: Body Lignification)] [Root: Transforms legs intorge, high-defense roots that can move through soil] This Ability must be the same one used by the Iron Tree Monster just now. Reading the description, it doesn¡¯t seem very strong, but in actualbat, it¡¯s powerful. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao¡¯s high attack, it would have been uncertain whether he could breach the root¡¯s defense. However, this Ability would transform one¡¯s legs into roots. Although one could move through soil, judging by the Big Tree Monster¡¯s condition, it was evidently not very fast. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t even the side effect; it was irreversible. The cost was a bit too high, which Wang Tao did not prefer. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue searched the Iron Tree Monster¡¯s body again to see if there was anything simr to the Entangling Roots or Magic Seeds found earlier. First, they found a lot of Tree Essence Liquid. [Obtained: Tree Essence Liquid x13445] One unit of Tree Essence Liquid could increase 100 HP and 100 mana. Though one needed to wait a while after consuming every ten units, it was still a valuable item. Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, and Xu Xiaojun had been using it. They indeed found another seed as well. However, this seed was different from the previous Magic Seeds. [Iron Tree Vine Seed: When nted in the ground, it grows into a temperamental Iron Tree Vine. When nted in the body, it grows into an obedient Iron Tree Vine.] Seeing the description of this seed, Wang Tao raised his eyebrows.
nting an Iron Tree Vine Seed in the body and growing a vine instead of a Hidden Ability? Should he give it a try¡­ Besides the Crystal Core, Tree Essence Liquid, and Iron Tree Vine Seed, there was nothing else from the Iron Tree Monster. But just then, the Entangling Roots on Wang Tao¡¯s wrist suddenly moved. They wriggled lightly on his wrist as if trying to convey a message to him. Wang Tao was surprised, and then he focused his senses, immediately taken aback. ¡°Huh? I feel like these Entangling Roots want to ¡®eat¡¯ the corpse of the Iron Tree Monster¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat uncertain. The Entangling Roots were a creature with little autonomy and couldn¡¯t directly transmit thoughts to Wang Tao. He only had a vague feeling. However, as it was hisbatpanion, Wang Tao would certainly respond to its needs. Thus, he gave themand to let the Entangling Roots move freely. Then he saw the Entangling Roots detach from his wrist and, like a snake, quickly burrowed into the Iron Tree Monster¡¯s corpse, leaving only a small section of root exposed. As Wang Tao watched this section of root, he noticed a change in the Entangling Roots¡¯ status. [Level 3 Weapon¡¤Entangling Roots] [HP: 7563/10000 (Upper limit 100000)] [Status: Evolving (Time remaining: 59 minutes 59 seconds)]
[Enhancement: HP, Attack, Defense (Weakness: Afraid of Fire)] [Compatibility: 74%] ¡°Evolving status?¡± A look of anticipation immediately appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. Could this thing actually evolve? And into what kind? It was only a matter of an hour, and he could wait. Chapter 486: 213 Standard Armor_1 Chapter 486: Chapter 213 Standard Armor_1 As he waited for the entangling roots to evolve, Wang Tao turned his attention to the other loot. First was the special energy, which the Iron Tree Monster had brought him a whopping 12,000 units of special energy! This was the most special energy Wang Tao had ever received from killing a single zombie or monster. His special energy had now reached seventy-five thousand, allowing for a multitude of operations! Next was the Crystal Core Gift Bag, which contained a total of five crystal cores. The first was a red [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension], the second was a purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent], and the third was a blue [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Strength]. The fourth core was the Essence of Tree he had seen before. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Tree Essence] [Quality: Ordinary (20%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Body Lignification)] [Essence of Tree: Unfusable by non-females, can produce Tree Essence Liquid that enhances the strength of living beings]
With this core, he now had two. If he could get another Tree Essence Crystal Core and synthesize a crystal core without side effects for fusion¡­ Wang Tao suddenly felt a sense of anticipation. Why was that? The fifth crystal core was one Wang Tao had never seen before.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Iron Tree] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Body Lignification)] [Iron Tree: Passive Ability, skin bes hard iron tree skin, greatly increases defensive power. Also has a certain fire resistance ability] ¡°No wonder it¡¯s not afraid of fire! It¡¯s because of this ability!¡± This Iron Tree Monstercked the abilities such as ¡°Nutrient Absorption¡± and ¡°Photosynthesis,¡± leading to significantly reduced endurance, but it was fire resistant! Speaking of tree bark, Wang Tao wondered if the Iron Tree Skin material could be used to craft armor? After all, it had a high defense and fire resistance¡­ Wang Tao continued to check the Loot Pack. The second Loot Pack contained Tree Essence Liquid. [Obtained: Tree Essence Liquid x10,000] The nt Monster he had killed earlier had also yielded ten thousand doses of Tree Essence Liquid. This was all good stuff! The third Loot Pack contained potions. [Obtained: Strength Potion (small) x10] [Obtained: Defense Potion (small) x10] [Obtained: Strength Growth Potion x5] [Obtained: Defense Growth Potion x5] To think there were 5 bottles of Strength Growth Potion and 5 bottles of Defense Growth Potion.
Without a second thought, Wang Tao injected them. Pfft~ Wang Tao felt he had grown a bit stronger. As for thest Loot Pack, the contents made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes light up.
[Obtained: Iron Tree Standard Armor Blueprint x1] [Iron Tree Standard Armor Blueprint: After learning, one set of Iron Tree Standard Armor can be crafted each time. Required materials: Iron Tree Skin x1, any Crystal Core x1 (can use Level 1, Level Two, or Level 3 Crystal Cores), Iron Block x10, Screws x10, Rubber x10, Gauze x10, Steel Wire x10] [Iron Tree Standard Armor: Attributes unknown] This was a set of armor blueprints! Moreover, the key point was not that it was a one-time blueprint, but like Potion Recipes, once learned, they could be crafted indefinitely! His previous equipment blueprints were one-time use; once used, they were gone,pletely different from this blueprint. ¡°Could it be because this blueprint is called ¡®standard armor¡¯? None of the previous equipment blueprints I had were stated as standard¡­¡± Without hesitation, Wang Tao used the blueprint. He had all the materials ready, so Wang Tao experimented by using one Level 1 Self-Destruct Crystal Core, one Level 2 Glutton Crystal Core, and one Level 3 Defense Crystal Core to personally test it out. A few momentster, three sets of brown armor appeared in front of Wang Tao. All three were Full Body Armor, capable ofpletely encasing a person. However, there were slight differences in the appearance of the three sets. [Iron Tree Standard Armor] [Level 1 (Ordinary)]
[Durability +10, defensive power +10, with a certain fire resistance ability] The first set of Iron Tree Armor looked the simplest, without anyplex designs. It was a set of Level 1 armor. [Iron Tree Standard Armor] [Level Two (Ordinary)] [Durability +20, defensive power +20, with a certain fire resistance ability] The second set of Iron Tree Armor was slightly moreplex than the first. This was a set of Level Two armor. [Iron Tree Standard Armor] [Level 3 (Ordinary)] [Durability +30, defensive power +30, with a certain fire resistance ability] The third set of armor was even moreplex, with some beautiful natural patterns. Naturally, this was the Level 3 armor. The armors crafted using the three types of crystal cores differed in appearance and attributes. Even the Level 1 armor, though, was quite a respectable piece of equipment. After all, many people nowadays wore equipment made from steel tes or iron sheets, which might have passable defense, but definitely not as convenient orfortable as this set of armors. Wang Tao tried using a few different quality crystal cores for further testing, and discovered that the produced armors were all of Ordinary quality.
It seemed that other qualities were unlikely to appear, but after all, being standard armors, having the same attributes was to be expected. These armors, of course, could all be kept inside a Space Backpack. Wang Tao left out a set of Level 3 armor and had Jiang Shixue try it on. The fit was quite right, but since it was a set of Full Body Armor and did not move like Entangling Roots, it significantly hindered Jiang Shixue¡¯s speed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wear it; it¡¯s inconvenient to move around.¡± Jiang Shixue stared at Wang Tao with herrge eyes. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s not wear it for now.¡± Chapter 487: 213 Standard Armor_2 Chapter 487: Chapter 213 Standard Armor_2 ¡°` Anyway, the armor was in Wang Tao¡¯s Space Backpack and could be taken out at any time when needed. ¡°However, there¡¯s no use for me to have so many sets of armor, I can trade with others¡­¡± Wang Tao muttered to himself again. As of now, this stuff seemed to be worth more than Crystal Cores and such. But as everyone¡¯s levels increase to Level 3 and above, it might not be as valuable. So Wang Tao thought he could sell some of them, since he had permanently learned the method of making them and could make more in the future¡­ He finished checking out the loot from the Iron Tree Monster, but there was one more loot to check out, the Iron Tree Vines. Previously, when killing the Iron Tree Monster, the HP bars of these vines also started to decrease rapidly. Just as they were about to be emptied, Wang Tao dealt with them before they died. There were a total of eight Iron Tree Vines, and they had dropped eight Loot Packs for Wang Tao. And the items within these eight Loot Packs were very simr, each containing a Level 2 Extraction Crystal Core, and all of them were Epic! It seemed that all the Extraction Crystal Cores dropped this way were of Epic quality? [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Extraction]
[Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: None)] [Extraction: After fusion, it allows you to freely select and extract a Level 3 Ability. The extracted Ability will form a new Crystal Core without side effects.] With these eight cores, Wang Tao now had a total of 13 Extraction Crystal Cores. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t use these himself, but they could be useful for others, making them another great item for trade. ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything else here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao perceived that there were no other creatures in the underground parking lot, but for safety reasons, the two cautiously searched the area anyway. ¡°Nothing at all¡­¡± After scouring the ce, they shook their heads at each other. This underground parking lot was likely the domain of only the Iron Tree Monster; aside from it, there were no other creatures. Wang Tao recalled the information previously given by Zijin Base, grateful that they had sealed off this ce. If they hade down to clear it and encountered the Iron Tree Monster, they probably would have been wiped outpletely. After all, thebination of the Iron Tree Monster and its vines was too powerful. Wang Tao looked at the still-evolving Entangling Roots and tried to contact Lan Yulian using the walkie-talkie. He discovered no one was reachable, including Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan. ¡°No signal, huh¡­¡± Wang Tao climbed out of the entrance they had used earlier. ¡°Zzzt¡­ Zzzt¡­¡± ¡°This is Wang Tao, this is Wang Tao¡­¡± After a moment, Wang Tao received a reply. ¡°Wang Tao! Where are you? The ce you rmended is great,e join us! These Level 3 Zombies are quite weak, still rtively easy to kill! And there are many obstacles here; we set up a defensive line and can kill them slowly. I¡¯ve already got several Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores!¡±
Lan Yulian¡¯s excited voice came through the walkie-talkie. On hearing this, Wang Tao broke into a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll join you in half an hour, as long as you¡¯re safe.¡± He had to wait for the Entangling Roots to finish evolving first.
¡°Alright! We¡¯ll wait for you! By the way, the main force from Zijin Base has also arrived. They should be ready to assault the gymnasium in half an hour at most.¡± ¡°Oh? Alright, I got it.¡± Previously, Zijin Base¡¯s people were dyed picking up an airdrop, which is why they¡¯re only making their way here now. After chatting with Lan Yulian a bit more, Wang Tao ended the call. However, he didn¡¯t head back down but asked Jiang Shixue to stay here and wait for the Entangling Roots to finish evolving while he went to check out other ces. The gymnasium was huge, filled with zombies everywhere, with quite a few of the weaker Level 3 ones around. Wang Tao decided to take this time to gather some Special Energy. In half an hour, Wang Tao killed more than ten Level 3 Ordinary Zombies and umted another 30,000 Special Energy. He finally burst forth a few Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores. Having cleared out the zombies nearby, and feeling it was about time, Wang Tao prepared to return. Boom~ Suddenly, he heard some noise from outside, which seemed to being from Districts A and B. ¡°Have they arrived?¡± Wang Tao pondered as he returned to the underground parking lot. He checked the Entangling Roots and saw they needed ten more minutes. At this point, the corpse of the Iron Tree Monster had withered as if drained by the Entangling Roots. Wang Tao waited another ten minutes.
Finally, the countdown for the evolution of the Entangling Roots ended. Whoosh¡ª The Entangling Roots immediately detached from the Iron Tree Monster¡¯s body and flew toward Wang Tao. Wang Tao extended his hand, and the roots coiled steadily around his wrist like a delicately crafted iron bracelet. Wang Tao looked at its attributes. [Level 3 Weapon ¨C Entangled Iron Tree Roots] [HP: 20,000/20,000 (Upper limit: 100,000)] [Status: Awakened] [Enhancements: HP, Attack, Defense, Fire Resistance] [Compatibility: 100%] First off, the name had changed, bing Entangled Iron Tree Roots with an added ¡°Iron¡± in the name. Then its HP had directly increased by ten thousand, which saved Wang Tao a lot of Crystal Cores. But the most important were its enhancements; the weakness to fire was gone, instead gaining the Fire Resistance attribute!
This was significant for Wang Tao because what used to be a deadly weakness had now be an enhancement. This greatly improved his survival abilities!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what¡¯s happening outside.¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue returned to the first floor from the entrance. ¡°` Chapter 488: 213 Standard Armor_3 Chapter 488: Chapter 213 Standard Armor_3 ¡°` Just as the two of them returned to the first floor, the walkie-talkie crackled to life. ¡°Wang Tao! Are you there? Help me!¡± It was Lan Yulian¡¯s voice. Wang Tao immediately pressed the talk button. ¡°I¡¯m here, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°God, I finally got through to you, I thought you were¡­ We¡¯re currently trying to break out of District C, the zombies are too strong, we¡¯ve suffered heavy losses. Nie Siyan and the others are with me¡­ see if you cane, if not, just get out, don¡¯t worry about us¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Why did you go to District C?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat puzzled. ¡°We wiped out the zombies in District E, there were no zombies in District F, and just then the main force arrived, calling us to join the attack on Districts A and B. But the zombies in Districts A and B were too strong, we couldn¡¯t defeat them, we had no choice but to retreat. Our escape route was cut off by other zombies, so we had to retreat to District C. There are many zombies here as well, and we can¡¯t get out for the time being¡­¡±
Listening to Lan Yulian¡¯s clear and rational exnation, Wang Tao calmly said: ¡°Okay, hold on, I¡¯m on my way.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you¡­¡± After ending the conversation, Wang Tao also tried to get in touch with Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan. Xu Xiaojun¡¯s walkie-talkie seemed to be broken and he couldn¡¯t be reached, but he managed to connect with Nie Siyan. ¡°Brother Wang! Save us!¡± Nie Siyan, hearing Wang Tao¡¯s voice, immediately cried out excitedly. Wang Tao asked about their situation, which was simr to what Lan Yulian had described. Half of their people had been lost. However, all the key personnel were still in good shape. ¡°Hold on.¡± After encouraging her to persevere, he turned to Jiang Shixue. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re all right?¡± Jiang Shixue previously had numerous injuries. Although none were serious, the many red marks were distressing to look at. But now, the injuries on Jiang Shixue¡¯s body had disappeared, and her HP was quickly toping up! Wang Tao wondered if Jiang Shixue had some sort of self-healing ability¡­ ¡°Brother, I¡¯m fine now!¡± Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s concern, Jiang Shixue gave a sweet smile. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re fine, then let¡¯s go to District C!¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Assured there were no issues, Wang Tao proceeded towards District C with her. ¡­
District C. Countless zombies surrounded a makeshift defense instation, roaring as theyunched their assault on it. Inside the defensive works, more than thirty people were struggling to fend off the zombies¡¯ attacks. Lan Yulian¡¯s clothing was somewhat ragged, and she bore some bloodstains, but the blood was not hers. She was in the middle of everyone, asionally restoring HP to others.
But her HP restoration ability had a cooldown period, and she could only heal one person at a time. Thus, in a short time, several others had sustained injuries. Sweat coated Lan Yulian¡¯s forehead, yet she didn¡¯t panic and continued to observe the situation calmly. At that moment, Lu Yingfeng, her face smeared with plenty of blood, approached Lan Yulian with concern. ¡°Jade Lotus, how are you holding up? Can you continue?¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s ability was to restore HP, which might seem risk-free, but using such an Ability was extremely taxing on her energy. Lan Yulian was now quite pale, clearly having overused her energy. ¡°I¡¯m still okay!¡± Lan Yulian nodded. She felt she could still keep going. ¡°If it gets too much, use the Rejuvenation Potion¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng sighed. ¡°No way, we absolutely can¡¯t break out right now, even with the Potion. But if I use the Potion, I¡¯ll be weak for the whole day tomorrow, and if we still can¡¯t get out by then, we¡¯re really done for¡­¡± Rejuvenation Potions were amazing, able to fully restore one¡¯s physical strength and spirit in critical moments, but they left the user weakened the following day. Unless it was ast resort, Lan Yulian tried not to use it. After all, they weren¡¯t at home but surrounded by numerous Level 3 zombies! ¡°Alright¡­ then hold on!¡±
Lu Yingfeng¡¯s endurance was much stronger than Lan Yulian¡¯s, and she could still keep up. Of course, not for much longer. She then asked: ¡°When can we expect reinforcements from the second and third squads?¡± The second squad was the prison, and the third squad was the Alliance. ¡°Probably not happening, we can¡¯t get in touch for now¡­¡± Lan Yulian shook her head. ¡°This is bad¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng¡¯s face turned grim. They had previously received a message from the first squad about a joint strike on Districts A and B. These districts were swarming with zombies, indicating an abundance of Zombie Cores. At that time, they had just cleared District E of zombies, so they went to rendezvous with the first squad. Their fourth squad, the fifth squad, and the first squad had attacked District A, while the second and third squads took on District B. However, both sides failed! The zombies in Districts A and B were too strong and too numerous. They were simply not something they could handle. The first squad wisely chose to retreat first. Lan Yulian¡¯s group was caught up in battle and dyed. By the time they tried to retreat, many zombies had arrived and cut off their escape route!N?v(el)B\\jnn
The first and fifth squads were being chased by zombies. The second and third squads reported severe losses and then went silent. It was unclear if anyone survived. Lan Yulian¡¯s group was now reduced to just over thirty people, barely holding off the assault. Escaping was a pipe dream. Without reinforcements, they might indeed end up trapped here to die¡­ Even Lu Yingfeng, typically confident, was bing pessimistic. But just then, Lan Yulian said: ¡°But I got in touch with Wang Tao, he¡¯s on his way here!¡± ¡°What? He¡¯sing!¡± Lu Yingfeng was first surprised and delighted, then quickly became concerned. The current situation didn¡¯t seem like Wang Taoing would make much of a difference. After all, there were too many zombies outside! Unless Wang Tao could draw all the zombies away from the area¡­ ¡­ After some effort, Wang Tao finally spotted the sign for District C. He also saw the zombies of District C. ¡°So many!¡± Looking at the densely packed crowd, Wang Tao felt his scalp tingle.
Because he realized that the zombies besieging District C were not Ordinary zombies, but Level 3 Mad Demon Zombies! ¡°` Chapter 489: 214: To Save or Not to Save_1 Chapter 489: Chapter 214: To Save or Not to Save_1 [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 0/0] [Level: Ordinary Level 3] Although Mad Demon Zombies were also of an Ordinary level, their strength was far greater than that of ordinary zombies! They were equivalent to Elite Zombies without Abilities, even physically stronger than some Elite Zombies. Those Level 3 Ordinary Zombies and weakened Level 3 Elite Zombies were no match for these Level 3 Mad Demon Zombies! And most importantly, Mad Demon Zombies almost never acted alone ¨C they came in huge swarms! For instance, right now, there were at least nearly a hundred Level 3 Mad Demon Zombies here!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Is there, or nearby, air of Mad Demon Zombies?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to think more; he contacted Lan Yulian using the walkie-talkie. ¡°In a moment, I¡¯ll cause somemotion outside. You take the chance to run for it!¡±
¡°Ah? You¡¯re already here? Good! Be careful!¡± Lan Yulian was both surprised and excited; she hadn¡¯t expected Wang Tao truly arrived! Wang Tao quietly distanced himself from District C, then threw several Self-Destruct Bombs towards some locations. Boom! The huge explosion sound resonated instantly. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Mad Demon Zombies were extremely sensitive to sounds, and the majority of them immediately shifted their target, flocking towards the explosions. However, those that had locked their sights on Lan Yulian and the others were still attacking. But with so many Mad Demon Zombies gone, the pressure on Lan Yulian¡¯s side diminished significantly. ¡°Little Xue, you hold them off here, I¡¯ll go ahead.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Tao took the opportunity to rush over, leaving Jiang Shixue behind to fend off the other zombies. A Mad Demon Zombie spotted Wang Tao and pounced at him. Wang Tao shed it to death in a few blows, and it burst into three parcels, but Wang Tao cursed silently after seeing the contents. ¡°Damn, what trash!¡± All three parcels dropped by the Mad Demon Zombie contained nothing but Ordinary crafting materials. Wang Tao immediately lost his interest in killing them. Although Wang Tao gained 1500 Special Energy, there were too many Mad Demon Zombies, and it was uncertain if more were outside. Their of the Mad Demon Zombies was likely nearby, so he couldn¡¯t afford to linger in battle.
Wang Tao¡¯s appearance immediately caught the attention of those at the defense fortifications. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± Lu Yingfeng, who was rushing out with a Tang Dao, was the first to spot Wang Tao and eximed softly in surprise. Wang Tao chopped through a few more zombies, sessfully meeting up with Lu Yingfeng.
The others were thrilled to step out from the defense fortifications. Lan Yulian had already told them that it was Wang Tao who hade to rescue them. Wang Tao nced at Lan Yulian, Xu Xiaojun, and Nie Siyan; they were all injured to varying degrees but not in mortal danger. ¡°Follow me!¡± Now was not the time for talking. Wang Tao immediately called out to everyone and started retreating along the route he hade. The crowd hurried to keep up. ¡°What about Little Xue?¡± At that moment, Lan Yulian suddenly spoke up. She noticed Jiang Shixue was not by Wang Tao¡¯s side, and her heart skipped a beat. But luckily, she heard Wang Tao reply: ¡°She¡¯s fine, outside.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a relief!¡± The group fought their way out and saw a figure in a red JK uniform standing neatly there. Behind her, in the shadows,y a pile of zombies. ¡°Little Xue, let¡¯s go!¡±
Wang Tao called out. Seeing Jiang Shixue, Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng felt the scene was incongruous with her, but as they were fleeing for their lives, they didn¡¯t ask any questions. No sooner had they burst out of District C than they discovered a massive horde of Mad Demon Zombies on the outside! Although only a small portion were Level 3, they swarmed like a tide, numbering in the tens of thousands! Wang Tao nced at the direction, then immediately said to Lan Yulian and the others: ¡°You go ahead and retreat; I¡¯m going to draw these Mad Demon Zombies away.¡± ¡°Brother Wang!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The group looked at Wang Tao with disbelief. To draw away so many zombies was not just risking life but almost certainly facing death! Apart from at the beginning of the apocalypse when they had seen such selfless heroes, they hadn¡¯t seen any since! ¡°Stop wasting time, get moving!¡± Wang Tao red at them irritably. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to y the hero, but if he didn¡¯t step up, no one would be able to escape¡ªthey were almostpletely surrounded by the tens of thousands of Mad Demon Zombies.
Someone had to draw the zombies away for escape to be possible, or even driving away would be impossible. And the only person capable of drawing away so many zombies was Wang Tao, or more precisely, the Self-Destruct Bombs, as their explosions were loud and attracted zombies. But the others couldn¡¯t handle the bombs, with the current chaos, they would likely set them off just holding them. So it had to be Wang Tao. For safety, Wang Tao took Jiang Shixue with him; both were very fast and should be fine. ¡°Okay!¡± At the critical moment, Lan Yulian was decisive. She immediately signaled for everyone to leave in another direction. ¡°Wang Tao, we¡¯ll wait for you at the parking spot! Be careful!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then he and Jiang Shixue started running in the opposite direction to Lan Yulian and the others. As he ran, he kept throwing Self-Destruct Bombs. Boom! Boom! Boom! After running at full speed for more than twenty minutes, Wang Tao finally shook off the Mad Demon Zombies behind him. ¡°Damn it! They sure can run!¡±
Wang Tao cursed silently, feeling his lungs burning as if they were on fire. Jiang Shixue, however, appeared calm, befitting her zombie physique. Wang Tao¡¯s biggest worry was encountering other zombies on the road. If a formidable Level 3 zombie blocked the way, it would be quite troublesome¡­ Fortunately, the mission to attract the zombies went smoothly, and they didn¡¯t encounter any obstacles. Chapter 490: 214: To Save or Not to Save_2 Chapter 490: Chapter 214: To Save or Not to Save_2 After catching his breath, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue took a wide detour heading towards the entrance of the sports center. The vehicles of the fourth squadron were all parked there. It was already evening by the time Wang Tao arrived at the entrance of the sports center, and he immediately furrowed his brow. The vehicles were still there, but not a single person was in sight. Upon closer inspection, well, well, the tires had all been shed? The gas tanks were leaking too! ¡°Sabotage?¡± Seeing the neat incisions on the tires, Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed instantly. At that moment, the walkie-talkie on Wang Tao¡¯s body rang. ¡°Crackle¡­ Brother Wang, look behind you!¡± Wang Tao turned his head and saw on a building not far away, over a dozen stories tall, someone was waving a red g. That person was Nie Siyan. Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother with the vehicles and ran immediately towards the building.
The entrance to the building had long been shattered, but the door to the stairway inside was tightly shut. As Wang Tao approached, Nie Siyan immediately opened the door from inside. ¡°Brother Wang, are you alright?¡± Nie Siyan said, her face full of concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Wang Tao sped Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand and while walking upstairs, he asked Nie Siyan: ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°When we got here, we found all the vehicle tires shed, and we couldn¡¯t leave. There were also quite a few zombies around; we killed our way through them to get here. Lan Yulian then suggested we go up¡­¡± Nie Siyan hastily exined. ¡°Who did it?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat puzzled. ¡°Lan Yulian said it was the people from the prison and the Alliance!¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. The three of them went upstairs, where Lan Yulian was treating someone¡¯s injuries. Lu Yingfeng and Xu Xiaojun were on guard duty. When they saw Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue arrive, everyone hurried over. ¡°Wang Tao, Little Xue, you¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Lu Yingfeng immediately hugged Jiang Shixue, checking to see if she was missing an arm or leg. Lan Yulian then cast several green glows onto Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue¡¯s heads. The feeling of being healed was warm andfy. Seeing that Lan Yulian was about to continue, Wang Tao quickly waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t waste your effort!¡± Although the warm feeling was veryfortable, that green light made Wang Tao somewhat ufortable.
Lan Yulian immediately stopped. She looked at Wang Tao with a face full of gratitude. ¡°Wang Tao, thank you! If it weren¡¯t for you, we might all have died¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Wang Tao, for saving us!¡±
The others also bowed to Wang Tao in a soft voice. ¡°It¡¯s good that everyone is safe.¡± Wang Tao gestured with his hand and then gathered separately with Lan Yulian and a few others to inquire about the current situation. Their fourth squadron had initially more than sixty people, but now only over thirty were left. The team had directly lost half of its number, which was a heavy loss. However, they had gained quite a bit. If this group could all make it back alive, it¡¯s possible that some Level 3 ability users would emerge. Regarding the tires, Lan Yulian exined with an angry face: ¡°It must have been the doing of the prison and the Alliance! I had contacted the Zijin Base Team before, and they too had suffered heavy losses. We had agreed on a rendezvous point. But they told me their vehicles had been tampered with¡­ and then I discovered ours had been tampered with too! I tried to contact the prison and the Alliance again, but still couldn¡¯t get in touch¡­¡± As to who would have a motive for such an act, apart from their own people, everyone else had a motive, given the undercurrents between these four major forces. But at that time, Lan Yulian and the Zijin Base Team had jointly attacked District A and had witnessed the heavy losses of Zijin Base firsthand. If they really wanted to set someone up, there was no need for such a self-sacrificial scheme. On the other hand, the prison and the Alliance had imed they were going to attack District B and also suffered heavy losses, but all of this wasmunicated over the radio, with no one seeing it with their own eyes. Now their own vehicles had been tampered with, and it was only those two groups they couldn¡¯t contact. It wasn¡¯t possible they were all annihted, so obviously there was a problem! ¡°Crackle¡­¡± Just then, Lan Yulian¡¯s walkie-talkie rang.
She answered it, and on the other side was the leader of Zijin Base, ¡°General¡±. ¡°One piece of good news, one bad. The bad news is, the prison and the Alliance didn¡¯t attack the zombies at all. Their goal was to take over my base, so they went straight back.¡± This statement made everyone¡¯s faces fall. ¡°And the good news?¡± Lan Yulian asked, her face grim. She had some subordinates in Zijin Base; if the base fell, they would be in trouble. ¡°The good news is, they didn¡¯t make it, I stopped them.¡± General spoke in a very calm tone. ¡°Ah? Where are you?¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s face showed a hint of surprise. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s another piece of bad news. All the remnants of our four teams are trapped in the Diving Training Hall. Outside are arge number of Mad Demon Zombies and Level 3 Zombies.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The diving hall was located at the very edge of the sports center, a short distance from where they were, and because of the angle, it was not possible to see it.
Lan Yulian immediately switched to another room and took out binocrs. In her view, she saw several people with binocrs on the roof of the diving hall and the dense mass of figures outside the diving hall! ¡°I think I see you¡­¡± Lan Yulian said. ¡°¡­¡± There was a pause from the other side, then the question came: ¡°Can you rescue us?¡± Lan Yulian shook her head instinctively. ¡°No, there are too many zombies outside of you! There must be at least ten thousand, and they¡¯re Level 2 and 3 zombies, and we only have thirty people total now¡­¡± ¡°¡­Okay then, can you guys go back to Zijin Base for reinforcements? I still have a fully armed military force.¡± Chapter 491: 214: To Save or Not to Save_3 Chapter 491: Chapter 214: To Save or Not to Save_3 The General¡¯s tone was still very calm, showing no hint of fear. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll head back tomorrow morning. It¡¯s getting dark now; traveling back by night would be too dangerous¡­ I hope you can hold out for the night!¡± The distance to Zijin Base was a bit far; it had to be covered during daylight. Otherwise, encountering arge number of Night Demons at night would spell disaster. ¡°Okay.¡± The other party didn¡¯t urge them, and their tone remained calm. Lan Yulian knew it was just his style. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the situation with the prison and the Alliance now?¡± Lan Yulian asked again. ¡°Temporary cooperation.¡± ¡°Right. Then¡­¡± Lan Yulian asked for more specifics, and the General shared everything he could.
Wang Tao listened on the side and more or less understood the whole story. Simply put, the prison and the Alliance had long been in cahoots, iming they came to kill zombies, but they were only going through the motions and didn¡¯t actually fight. Without these two powerful teams, the other teams would definitely face greater difficulties. They wanted to take the opportunity to return to Zijin Base and take it over. After all, Zijin Base was the best in the city, and many were envious of it. They were no exception. As for the ascension to Level 3, they had already secretly obtained some white Ascension Crystal Cores. However, they had never seeded in merging with them. So, they figured that even if Zijin Base got hold of Crystal Cores, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to seed. If they could take over Zijin Base, with its high walls and terrifying defense, even Level 3 ability users wouldn¡¯t be able to breach it. They nned to take their time with the Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores they had. Then, as if by surprise, an ident urred. Their original n was to have the people from Zijin Base and the clubhouse fight their way in and get bogged down by the multitude of zombies inside while they head back to base. But to their astonishment, the zombies inside were too strong, and Zijin Base suffered heavy casualties right at the start. Hence, the General immediately ordered a decisive temporary retreat to n for the long-term. This retreat caught the prison and the Alliance off guard¡ªthey had just finished their sabotage and hadn¡¯t gone far¡­ It also incidentally caused trouble for Lan Yulian and her teammates. At the time, Lan Yulian¡¯s group was jointly fighting a formidable Level 3 zombie and couldn¡¯t leave. After a great struggle to kill that zombie, they were left alone; the General¡¯s men had all retreated! So, this was how Lan Yulian and her people ended up trapped. As for the General¡¯s side, once outside, they discovered their vehicles had just been sabotaged, then they saw traces of the prison and the Alliance. So they hurriedly gave chase. At this time, the zombies from the sports hall also gave chase. Some, being speed-type zombies, ran fast, and with theirrge numbers, the general¡¯s men couldn¡¯t avoidbat. As a result of this battle, zombies from other areas were attracted! Especially when arge number of Mad Demon Zombies arrived, it wasn¡¯t just them who couldn¡¯t escape; even the people from the prison and the Alliance had no way out.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Fighting amongst themselves was pointless at such a time, so both sides had no choice but to cooperate. They fought while retreating, retreating to the diving hall. The current situation was that they were surrounded by countless zombies. Although they were not at immediate risk of death, the future was uncertain. It was unclear whether there were any zombies with strong destructive powers among them, and their supplies were limited¡­ After ending themunication, Lan Yulian turned her gaze to Wang Tao. ¡°Wang Tao, do you think we should go and bring back reinforcements?¡±
To be honest, neither Zijin Base nor the prison and the Alliance were exactly honorable. There¡¯s no need to mention the prison and the Alliance. As for Zijin Base, they retreated too decisively without waiting for Lan Yulian. If they had waited a moment or helped out a bit, Lan Yulian and her team wouldn¡¯t have ended up trapped, nearly wiped out. At the time, Lan Yulian had considered borrowing manpower from the Fifth Squad, a team of Ability Users who could use Weak Slime. But the General vetoed it, saying they needed to preserve the strength of the Fifth Squad, which was their trump card for killing Level 3 zombies. Lan Yulian was certain that at the time, the General had some thoughts of letting the zombies eliminate her group¡ªif not before, then he would have seized the opportunity when it came. Of course, Lan Yulian wasn¡¯t entirely innocent either. By asking Wang Tao this, her implication was clear¡ªif they just left without looking for reinforcements, the General and his men would most likely be doomed. And Zijin Base¡ªmight just be hers! Lan Yulian hadn¡¯t nned on sabotaging them at such a time, but now that the opportunity had arisen¡­ she was having second thoughts! As the saying goes, ¡°Two tigers cannot share one mountain.¡± Now, Zijing City had four ¡®tigers,¡¯ which was unsustainable! So you couldn¡¯t me Lan Yulian for being ruthless; if she didn¡¯t make a move someone else would. It was just a matter of who acted first. But Lan Yulian still hesitated¡­ If all these people died, the strength of the survivors in Zijing City would plummet by more than half, a loss for the entire Human Faction of the city. And Lan Yulian still had some conscience; the idea of so many people dying here weighed on her. She was torn between wanting to abandon them and wanting to save them. Wang Tao could clearly see her thoughts and smiled as he said,
¡°Isn¡¯t that simple? If they offer benefits, like giving up Zijin Base¡­ then you save them. If they don¡¯t offer anything, just let them wait for death. I believe they know how to choose.¡± Lan Yulian responded with some resignation, ¡°You¡¯re right, they¡¯re very likely to offer benefits. But that¡¯s just a verbal agreement. If they don¡¯t honor it after being saved, I have no means of punishing them¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s even simpler. Just be stronger than them. For instance¡­ ascend to Level 3.¡± Wang Tao said, revealing a Level 3 Orange Ascension Crystal Core in his hand, within whichy a ¡°+¡± sign shadow. Level 3 Orange Ascension Crystal Core! Chapter 492: 215 Misunderstanding_1 Chapter 492: Chapter 215 Misunderstanding_1 ¡°Level 3 Orange Ascension Crystal Core?!¡± Upon seeing the item in Wang Tao¡¯s hand, Lan Yulian covered her small mouth and eximed in surprise. This operation awarded her several Ascension Crystal Cores as well, but they were all White Rank, Ordinary Quality, with only a 20% fusion sess rate. Theoretically, it should take five fusions for a White Crystal Core to seed, but in reality, it¡¯s all down to luck. Bad luck might mean never seeding at all. Furthermore, the fusion of Crystal Cores introduces impurities into the body, and that¡¯s why people of their power level usually wouldn¡¯t fuse Crystal Cores lightly. Especially not White Crystal Cores¡­ To them, Purple Crystal Cores were mainstream. Red and Orange Cores were treasures that one could only hope for but not seek out. And now, Wang Tao had casually produced an Orange one! ¡°How about it, do you want it?¡± Wang Tao waved the Orange Crystal Core in his hand. ¡°Yes!¡±
Lan Yulian answered honestly. Not just her, but also Lu Yingfeng and Nie Siyan beside her nodded subconsciously. An Orange Ascension Crystal Core signified a guaranteed Level 3 Ascension! ¡°Trade it for another Crystal Core.¡± Wang Tao spoke with a smile. This Level 3 Orange Ascension Crystal Core synthesized from two blue and one white Crystal Cores contained no impurities and so was much higher quality than ordinary Orange Crystal Cores. As long as the trading price exceeded the cost, Wang Tao was willing to make the trade. ¡°What kind of Crystal Core do you want? I¡¯ll trade!¡± Lan Yulian immediately reached out to Lu Yingfeng. Lu Yingfeng took out a pile of Crystal Cores from her backpack, all of them either Level 1 or Level 2, including a good number of White Ascension Crystal Cores. Seeing these Crystal Cores, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. Even though the quality of these Crystal Cores was ordinary, they didn¡¯t matter to Wang Tao. ¡°How many do you n to trade?¡± Wang Tao looked at her. ¡°Huh? How many? Do you have more? Orange ones too?¡± Lan Yulian was a bit stunned. Without a word, Wang Tao took out two red and one more orange Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core. ¡°¡­¡± Everyone, except for Jiang Shixue, was dumbstruck. ¡°Interested?¡±
Wang Tao asked Lan Yulian. ¡°I want them all!¡± Lan Yulian immediately spoke up. These three Ascension Crystal Cores essentially meant the creation of three Level 3 Ability Users!
¡°But can you afford them?¡± Wang Tao asked with a smile on his face. ¡°I can afford them!¡± Lan Yulian insisted, even if she couldn¡¯t afford them, she had to! She quickly pulled Lu Yingfeng aside and began to discuss in a low voice. Nie Siyan watched the three Ascension Crystal Cores, feeling her heartbeat elerate. Although they weren¡¯t meant for her, if she served Wang Tao well, maybe she¡¯d have a chance¡­ With that thought, she immediately went behind Wang Tao and began to massage his shoulders. Wang Tao nced at her but didn¡¯t say anything. Shortly after, Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng came over. Lan Yulian spoke: ¡°I¡¯ll give you all the Crystal Cores I have in exchange for these three cores!¡± ¡°Not enough,¡± Wang Tao shook his head. It wasn¡¯t that it wasn¡¯t enough, but rather because right now was the perfect time for Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores to exert their value, and Wang Tao definitely had to sell at a high price. Lan Yulian wasn¡¯t surprised to see Wang Tao shaking his head.
If it were her, she probably wouldn¡¯t agree either. After all, they represented Level 3 Ability Users. If one became a Level 3 Ability User, would they worry about not having Crystal Cores? ¡°Then you name the price; these are all I have right now¡­¡± Lan Yulian said helplessly. She wasn¡¯t wealthy to begin with, having traded quite a few Crystal Cores with Wang Tao before. The cores she had now were just obtained today¡­ she really didn¡¯t have anything else to offer. Wang Tao didn¡¯t name a price, instead, he looked at the Crystal Cores Lan Yulian had taken out, then gave her two Orange Ascension Crystal Cores. ¡°These can only be traded for two, and this is a friendship price.¡± ¡°¡­Okay!¡± Lan Yulian quickly took the two cores. ¡°They¡¯re so pretty!¡± It wasn¡¯t that she had never seen Orange Crystal Cores, but somehow these two seemed extra beautiful. With these Orange Crystal Cores, they could have a Level 3 Ability User! And with a Level 3 Ability User, they could dominate other forces! ¡°Who are you nning on using them for?¡± After collecting the pile of Crystal Cores, Wang Tao curiously asked. ¡°We¡¯ll give them to Little Feng; I¡¯m not yet qualified for a Level 3 Ascension¡­¡±
Lan Yulian nced at Lu Yingfeng as she spoke.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om A Level 3 Ascension not only required HP to reach the maximum limit but also at least one Level 2 Ability +10. Lan Yulian didn¡¯t have an Ability that had sessfully fused ten times, so she couldn¡¯t use the Ascension Crystal Core. On the other hand, Lu Yingfeng had an Ability that had sessfully fused ten times and could ascend to Level 3. Lu Yingfeng didn¡¯t speak, but her eyes were filled with gratitude. If it were someone else, they would surely use the Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core for themselves, even if they couldn¡¯t use it right away. It was rare indeed for someone like Lan Yulian to offer it up right away¡­ However, Lu Yingfeng also felt a bit troubled. ¡°If I seed in ascending to Level 3, my other Level 2 Abilities that haven¡¯t reached max level won¡¯t be able to fuse anymore¡­¡± Level 2 Ability Users couldn¡¯t merge Level 1 Crystal Cores, and it was likely that Level 3 Ability Users couldn¡¯t merge Level 2 Crystal Cores. Lu Yingfeng had only one Level 3 Ability +10, the others were all +1. If she ascended to Level 3 now, she wouldn¡¯t be able to continue fusing Level 2 Crystal Cores with these three +1 Abilities¡­ meaning, they might never advance further! Under normal circumstances, she would certainly wait for the right opportunity to ascend to Level 3¡ªat least she¡¯d make sure her other Level 2 Abilities reached +10! But the situation was extraordinary¡­ Chapter 493: 215 Misunderstanding_2 Chapter 493: Chapter 215 Misunderstanding_2 ¡°` So, this means that if she ascends to Level 3 now, her power would definitely increase significantly, but her growth limit would decrease¡ªbecause the other Abilities would always be at Level Two. Not to mention, the fewer Ascension Crystal Cores she uses, the lesser the power increase during ascension will be¡­ Hearing this, Lan Yulian felt a bit annoyed and instinctively held onto her hand. ¡°Oh right! I didn¡¯t consider this factor! How about¡­ we switch to someone else? There are also some people in our club who are eligible for Level 3 ascension¡­¡± ¡°No, let me do it!¡± Lu Yingfeng gripped Lan Yulian¡¯s hand tightly and then shook her head firmly. It wasn¡¯t that she was unwilling to let go of this opportunity, but she didn¡¯t trust the others much. She could guarantee that even if she ascended to Level 3, she would still follow Lu Yingfeng¡¯s orders. But that might not be the case with others¡­ The internal dynamics of their club were not very stable, and if something unexpected happened, it could all be for nothing. After Wang Tao learned a bit more about Lu Yingfeng¡¯s situation, he suddenly flipped his palm, and an Orange Crystal Core appeared, with a shadow of a Surgical Knife inside it. ¡°Perhaps, you need this.¡± ¡°What is this?¡±
Seeing the Orange Crystal Core again, both women were surprised and curious. ¡°Exraction Crystal Core. After integrating it, it allows you to freely choose to extract one of your Level 2 Abilities. The extracted Ability will form a new Crystal Core without any side effects¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly exined. The two women¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°Extraction of an Ability?¡± ¡°There is such an amazing Crystal Core?¡± Can a Crystal Core be extracted even after merging into the body? Both women found it hard to believe, but it was Wang Tao who told them this, and he had no reason to deceive them. After the shock had worn off, both women were visibly excited. If they could use this Crystal Core to extract the other Level 2 Crystal Cores from Lu Yingfeng¡¯s body, then when Lu Yingfeng ascended to Level 3, she would have a slot avable to integrate a Level 3 Ability! Alternatively, if Lu Yingfeng extracted her Abilities and integrated a moremon Level 2 Crystal Core, then ascended that Core to +10, even if she ascended to Level 3, she would still be able to merge a Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core, thereby upgrading that Ability to Level 3¡ªconsidering that Level 1 and Second-order Superpower Owners could merge Level 2 Ascension Crystal Cores, it stands to reason that Level 2 and Level 3 ability users should be able to merge Level 3 Crystal Cores as well! Anyway, no matter how you look at it, if Lu Yingfeng could use this Crystal Core, it would be a great enhancement to both her power and potential! Especially since Lu Yingfeng had integrated two useless Abilities with no side effects but also no real function in the early stages, she could now swap them for more suitable Abilities! Lan Yulian asked with a mix of excitement and nervousness: ¡°What¡¯s the price for this Extraction Crystal Core?¡± That price¡­ wasn¡¯t easy to set. To Wang Tao, this kind of Extraction Crystal Core was more precious than an Ascension Crystal Core because it was rare. But to others, definitely, the Ascension Crystal Cores would be more valuable¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have anything left to trade now, do you!¡± Wang Tao raised his eyebrows and said. ¡°If you trust me, I can write an IOU! Just like the price we discussed for the Ascension Crystal Core just now!¡±
Lan Yulian said seriously. ¡°Running a tab? Okay, I trust you.¡± Wang Tao looked into her eyes and suddenly nodded with a smile.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Ah?¡±
Hearing Wang Tao agree so readily, Lan Yulian was somewhat surprised. ¡°What? Were you lying to me?¡± ¡°No!¡± Lan Yulian quickly waved her hands, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled!¡± No matter why Wang Tao trusted her, it was certainly a good thing for her. At this moment, Wang Tao produced another Extraction Crystal Core. ¡°Lu Yingfeng has two useless Abilities, right? Perfect, extract them both.¡± ¡°You have more? Good, I¡¯ll take it!¡± Lan Yulian continued running a tab. ¡°Do you have any useless Abilities?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked Lan Yulian. ¡°I do¡­¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Also two¡­¡±
Just as Lan Yulian finished speaking, she saw Wang Tao produce two Epic Exraction Crystal Cores. ¡°Here, want them?¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± The more debts one has, the less they worry¡ªLan Yulian had already run up quite a tab, so she wasn¡¯t about to balk at two more. ¡°Do you want to ascend to Level 3? You do, right! Then these Ascension Crystal Cores¡­¡± Wang Tao pulled out several Ascension Crystal Cores. ¡°¡­¡± Both Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng were extremely shocked, and while they were shocked, they also seemed somewhat bewildered. Are we even living in the same world? High-quality Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores just casually being doled out? And he¡¯s willing to extend credit to me? After being bewildered for a while, Lan Yulian suddenly seemed to realize something. Her expression became surprised yetplex, then she gave Wang Tao a signal with her eyes, meaning to have a private chat with him. Wang Tao stood up and went with her to another room, where just the two of them were present. ¡°You¡­ just say what you want to do!¡± Upon entering, Lan Yulian looked at him and said.
There¡¯s no such thing as love for no reason. Wang Tao suddenly being so nice to her was certainly with an ulterior motive. After all, this was the apocalypse, and running a tab in such a world was almost the same as throwing your effort into the water! Wang Tao agreeing to her running a tab definitely had a purpose! But what could he want? They had no Crystal Cores left, and it didn¡¯t seem like Wang Tao was interested in her club¡¯s power, so it could only be¡­ her person! This wasn¡¯t her being narcissistic; it was just that she truly had nothing valuable left, and she knew she was better looking than average¡­ Before Wang Tao could respond, Lan Yulian suddenly lowered her head, her cheeks slightly red as she spoke in a soft voice: ¡°` Chapter 494: 215 Misunderstanding_3 Chapter 494: Chapter 215 Misunderstanding_3 ¡°Cough, I¡¯m not being pretentious, I just feel that everything has a process, even if it¡¯s a special situation, or a brief one¡­ So, please, can we have a process where we get to know each other? We could try to understand each other first. I know you¡¯re excellent, but I¡¯m not someone who can be taken lightly. After all, I¡¯ve never been in a rtionship¡­ Of course, no matter what the oue, I will repay what I owe you. I won¡¯t take your things for nothing, that¡¯s my promise!¡± Hearing Lan Yulian¡¯s words, Wang Tao was initially stupefied, then he realized that Lan Yulian seemed to have misunderstood something.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Misunderstood that he was pursuing her? And¡­ she didn¡¯t dislike it? But it made sense, given Wang Tao¡¯s current strength, if he wanted women, they¡¯d probably be lining up for him, like Nie Siyan was very proactive. Lan Yulian¡¯s restraint was quite modest inparison. And Wang Tao had helped her a lot, even saved her life, and he himself was not bad-looking¡­ To say she had no feelings for Wang Tao was impossible¡­ But to say she had fallen for him, probably not yet. Now, with Wang Tao being so generous to her, in her eyes, this was a signal from him. So she decided to rify things, if Wang Tao really had such intentions, they could start by getting to know each other a bit¡­ Wang Tao suddenlyughed. ¡°Actually, I prefer the type like Lu Yingfeng.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian was startled for a second, her face instantly colored with embarrassment. But there was also a sense of relief, and a trace of disappointment.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear to ease the awkwardness and then apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I misunderstood!¡± After her apology, she quickly sang Lu Yingfeng¡¯s praises. ¡°If you like Little Feng, that¡¯s easy to say! I can help set you two up! She¡¯s never been in a rtionship and is very innocent¡­¡± As soon as she finished, Wang Tao burst outughing. ¡°Alright, actually I was joking. I agreed to extend credit to you because I want more Crystal Cores. Although you don¡¯t have them now, as long as you can take down the General and even the entire Zijin Base, there will be plenty of Crystal Cores, and then you can repay me.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Looking at Wang Tao, who didn¡¯t seem to be joking, Lan Yulian grew even more embarrassed. She suddenly felt like she might be a little love-struck, interpreting Wang Tao¡¯s intentions all wrong¡­ However, she quickly recovered, and with a serious expression, she assured: ¡°Rest assured, I will repay all debts without any intentional dy!¡± ¡°I trust your character,¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go outside.¡± Lan Yulian wanted to leave quickly. The more she stayed with Wang Tao, the more endless the embarrassment felt. Although in this apocalyptic era, survivors tended to have thick skins, by misfortune, she was one of the few with a rtively thin skin. Especially in matters of men and women, having had no experience, she found it difficult to be open. Nie Siyan, who had already been someone¡¯s wife, was very open, not giving a thought to face when in front of Wang Tao¡­ ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao followed behind her, but as he was about to leave, he suddenly said: ¡°The thing just now was a joke.¡±
¡°¡­I know.¡± Lan Yulian did not expect Wang Tao to repeat it; she feltpletely ufortable. However, Wang Tao suddenly leaned in and whispered in her ear: ¡°What I mean is, I don¡¯t just like Lu Yingfeng¡¯s type but¡­ I quite like both of you!¡±
¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian turned her head, looking somewhat surprised and at a loss. In this post-apocalyptic world, it wasmon for strong men to have multiple women, and women to have multiple men. But such things happening to herself felt somewhat uneptable, as she wasn¡¯t weak and didn¡¯t need to cling to others to survive. If someone else had said this, she would have been disgusted. But if that person was Wang Tao¡­ she suddenly felt her heart in disarray. Watching Lan Yulian, who seemed at a loss, Wang Tao patted her shoulder with a smile and then took the lead to walk out. He indeed had a good impression of both Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng, but it was purely admiration without any romantic feelings. But since Lan Yulian didn¡¯t take offense at the misunderstanding, there was no need for Wang Tao to pretend to be reserved. Everyone appreciates beauty, and who would refuse a beauty thates knocking? Especially since he thought both women had good strength and character. Especially Lan Yulian, she was a rare healer¡­ After Wang Tao and Lan Yulian came out, the few people outside were curious about what they had discussed. At this time, Lan Yulian¡¯splexion was normal, showing nothing. It had to be said, women are natural actors. Wang Tao said to both Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng: ¡°Whatever Crystal Cores you need, just say it, you can put it on credit.¡± Lu Yingfeng looked towards Lan Yulian, and Lan Yulian nodded.
So, the two women got a lot of Red and Orange Crystal Cores from Wang Tao. Lan Yulian felt a bit of a pinch, regardless of what rtionship she would end up with Wang Tao, since she said she would clear her debts, she meant to do just that. And now she had taken on so much credit, she estimated that even if she could take down the General and his group, Wang Tao would probably reap the most benefits¡­ ¡°By the way, I have another nice item, do you want it?¡± Wang Tao took out another Red Crystal Core. ¡°This Crystal Core, called ¡®Healing Light¡¯¡­¡± [Level 2 Crystal Core ¡¤ Healing Light] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effects: First fusion decreases HP by 5000, subsequent fusions decrease HP by 1000)] [Healing Light: Consumes energy to form a healing energy field, restoring HP every second within its range] After Wang Tao introduced the Crystal Core, Lan Yulian¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. She felt this Crystal Core was perfect for her! ¡°I want it!¡± Her Ability was single-target healing, but this Ability was for group healing, perfectlypensating for her deficiency. Moreover, herbat strength was not high, and she didn¡¯t like fighting. She enjoyed healing, and this Ability seemed tailor-made for her!
Chapter 495: Chapter 216: Buy on Credit_1 Chapter 495: Chapter 216: Buy on Credit_1 Seeing the sparkle in Lan Yulian¡¯s eyes, Wang Tao directly gave her the [Healing Light] Crystal Core. This Crystal Core was quite good, and even though it was just one, unable to remove the side effects, it was still impressive¡ªit was just a loss of 5000 HP. Before 29999 HP, that was enough. If need be, just kill a few more zombies to replenish the HP. However, for Wang Tao himself, it wasn¡¯t of much use. Since Wang Tao¡¯s own [Iron Wall] Ability could restore HP, and he preferred Abilities that could aid in attack, this [Healing Light] obviously wasn¡¯t suitable for him. Wang Tao had originally nned to keep this Ability for Ding Yuqin, but now Ding Yuqin wasn¡¯t around, and he was certain that he would have many more Crystal Corester, so there was no need to keep holding onto it. Giving it to Lan Yulian now would let it serve its proper function. Watching Lan Yulian holding the Crystal Core, with a look of uncontroble joy, Wang Tao suddenly said: ¡°You owe me a lot now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s face froze. If it were before, she might have thought Wang Tao meant that she owed him a lot of Crystal Cores. But now, she had a feeling that Wang Tao¡¯s words carried a deeper meaning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will be able to pay you back soon!¡± Lan Yulian quickly spoke up. Lu Yingfeng, standing beside her, tugged at Lan Yulian¡¯s clothes and asked in a low voice: ¡°We owe so much! How are we going to pay it all back¡­¡± Lan Yulian gave her a nce, whispering back. ¡°I sold you to him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng obviously didn¡¯t believe her but didn¡¯t ask any further. With a serious face, she said: ¡°Then I¡¯m going to start the Fusion of the Crystal Core!¡± Lan Yulian nodded. ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll guard you.¡± They had just received a lot of Crystal Cores from Wang Tao, and for Lu Yingfeng, that should be enough. Lu Yingfeng entered a room; she had quite a few Crystal Cores to fuse, so it would take some time. Lan Yulian then arranged for others to patrol this floor, to prevent zombies froming up at night, given that she would be guarding Lu Yingfeng. Xu Xiaojun volunteered to stand guard himself. With his strength, even if some formidable zombies appeared, he would be able to handle them. Inside the room. Lu Yingfengy on the bed, with Lan Yulian sitting beside her.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Wang Tao sat on a chair not far away, with Jiang Shixue snuggled next to him. Nie Siyan continued to massage Wang Tao¡¯s shoulders. Before Lu Yingfeng started the Fusion of the Extraction Crystal Core, Wang Tao roughly knew about the Abilities she possessed. Apart from two trash Abilities, Lu Yingfeng¡¯s other two Abilities were [Athlete] and [Precision Shooting]. Lu Yingfeng possessed Precision Shooting, and Wang Tao found it a bit surprising, but not too surprising. After all, Precision Shooting isn¡¯t just for shooting; in closebat, it can be very useful in controlling one¡¯s strength and direction. And Lu Yingfeng herself was from a martial arts family, knowledgeable in many sword techniques. Paired with Athlete and Precision Shooting, her closebat would be very strong, and very cool¡­ After Lu Yingfeng swallowed the Extraction Crystal Core, it didn¡¯t take long before she suddenly opened her mouth and spat out a Crystal Core. It was one of those trash Abilities she had fused before. Then she swallowed another Extraction Crystal Core, and shortly after, the other Ability was expelled as well. Lu Yingfeng looked happy; those Abilities were of limited help to her and were from earlier fusions. Now she could finally rece them! She chose a [Sprint] Crystal Core from Wang Tao¡¯s collection. To others, this Ability might only seem to move them a small distance, seemingly not very useful. But for her, coupled with her sword techniques, it would definitely make her more formidable! As for the other Ability, she hadn¡¯t decided yet what to fuse; she would have to leave it empty for now and wait until she reached Level 3. Soon, Lu Yingfeng sessfully fused the Sprint Crystal Core, then fused the other nine Sprints as well. All these Crystal Cores were on credit from Lan Yulian. Lu Yingfeng¡¯s Athlete was at +10, and now the Sprint was also +10. This meant she could fuse two Ascension Crystal Cores! However, Wang Tao suddenly said: ¡°By the way, I just remembered, there¡¯s a Crystal Core that should be very suitable for you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Everyone looked curiously at Wang Tao. ¡°This one.¡± Wang Tao took out a red [High-Frequency Vibration] Crystal Core and exined its function. After hearing this, Lu Yingfeng immediately became excited. This Ability was practically tailor-made for sword users like them! She immediately looked at Wang Tao with hopeful eyes, then at Lan Yulian. ¡°We¡¯ll take it!¡± Lan Yulian spoke up at once. What¡¯s a little more debt? She could afford it! But Wang Tao just smiled and shook his head. ¡°You can have it on credit, but I have a small condition¡­¡± ¡°What condition? If it¡¯s within my power, I will not shy away!¡± Lu Yingfeng asked eagerly. ¡°I¡¯m quite interested in your sword techniques¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng was surprised but quickly said: ¡°Once we¡¯re in a safe ce, I can teach you! But let¡¯s make it clear, if you can¡¯t learn, you can¡¯t me me. Not that I look down on you, but I¡¯ve been practicing for many years since I was a child¡­¡± ¡°Deal. I¡¯m not demanding, just want to give it a try. If it doesn¡¯t work out, so be it.¡± Wang Tao handed the Crystal Core to Lu Yingfeng. He thought Lu Yingfeng looked very cool when fighting, and each move was controlled just right; he wanted to learn. But if he really couldn¡¯t pick it up, then it was not meant to be¡ªit would simply prove it wasn¡¯t his fort¨¦. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lu Yingfeng excitedly fused the [High-Frequency Vibration], and after a moment, she took out her sword to test it. She easily cut through a steel pipe. Chapter 496: Chapter 216: Buy on Credit_2 Chapter 496: Chapter 216: Buy on Credit_2 ¡°Strong!¡± Jade Lotus eximed in admiration. Taking a deep breath, Lu Yingfeng then said to the others: ¡°Now, I will merge with an Ascension Crystal Core and upgrade to Level 3¡­¡± She ced an Orange Ascension Crystal Core into her mouth. Momentster, she opened her eyes, her expression somewhat excited. ¡°Athlete has ascended to Level 3!¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± Jade Lotus and the others quickly offered their congrattions. But after waiting for a while, Lu Yingfeng¡¯s frown returned. ¡°However, I don¡¯t feel that I can ascend to Level 3¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone was taken aback. Wang Tao¡¯s brows furrowed as well. When he wanted to ascend, merging just one Crystal Core had no effect; he had to sessfully merge four Ascension Crystal Cores. Could it be¡­ Lu Yingfeng faced the same situation? After asking Lu Yingfeng and Jade Lotus some questions, Wang Tao had an epiphany. ¡°I think I understand what¡¯s happening¡­¡± When Lu Yingfeng was ascending from Level 1 to Level 2, she used four Ascension Crystal Cores! At that time, after sessfully merging one Ascension Crystal Core, she felt she could advance. However, Jade Lotus told her that the more Crystal Cores she merged, the stronger the enhancement she¡¯d get at Level 2. Therefore, she held back from advancing and specially ascended all four abilities before progressing to Level 2. Indeed, even though she had two useless abilities, she was substantially stronger than most Second-order Superpower Owners. So, Wang Tao thought, perhaps because she merged four Crystal Cores at Level 1, she would also need to merge four at Level 2? Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s analysis, Lu Yingfeng and Jade Lotus were somewhat stunned. If this was the case, wouldn¡¯t that mean this Ascension Crystal Core was used in vain? After all, Lu Yingfeng still had two abilities at +1¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t have the right Crystal Core for her to upgrade at the moment. The Omnipotent Crystal Core could work, but Wang Tao didn¡¯t have many, and he had already used them himself. Although ascending an ability to Level 3 would also significantly increasebat power, if one didn¡¯t ascend themselves, it would still be inferior to a normal Level 3 ability user. Defeating so many zombies, or subduing the General and others, would still be difficult¡­ The usually calm Lu Yingfeng suddenly felt anxious ¡ª she felt like she had wasted a valuable Ascension Crystal Core, especially since Jade Lotus had obtained it at a great cost! Wang Tao looked at Jade Lotus. ¡°How about you? How many Ascension Crystal Cores did you use when you ascended to Level 2?¡± ¡°Four¡­¡± Jade Lotus said with some resignation. This meant she also couldn¡¯t ascend to Level 3 anytime soon. Suddenly, Jade Lotus looked at Wang Tao with anticipation and asked: ¡°Wang Tao, you should be able to ascend to Level 3, right? Why don¡¯t you ascend to Level 3 and then help us suppress the General and his people?¡± She didn¡¯t trust the other people in the club; she trusted Wang Tao. However, Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°I also need four Ascension Crystal Cores to ascend to Level 3, but my abilities haven¡¯t fully upgraded, and I don¡¯t have the Crystal Cores I need right now.¡± Even without ascending to Level 3, he could suppress the General and his men. But Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t be staying here for long as he was nning to go to the military base. It wasn¡¯t possible for him to help Jade Lotus with this request. And what he said was true. He only had two Level 2 abilities at +10, and he couldn¡¯t ascend. He hadn¡¯t even used Ascension Crystal Cores for these two abilities because ascending them to Level 3 would require 30,000 Special Energy for Extraction or merging, while Level 2 would only need 5,000¡­ Since he wasn¡¯t sure whether he would extract in the future, he didn¡¯t advance to save some energy. ¡°So what do we do now¡­¡± Jade Lotus was somewhat at a loss. She now had the Ascension Crystal Cores but no suitable candidate to use them. At that moment, Nie Siyan, who was standing behind Wang Tao, suddenly raised her hand. She looked at the others somewhat timidly and said: ¡°Ahem, that¡­ When I ascended to Level 2, I only merged one Ascension Crystal Core¡­¡± After saying this, she swallowed nervously. She was both excited and apprehensive. It seemed that among all present, she was the only one who met the condition¡­ Could this enormous fortune fall into herp? Jade Lotus and Lu Yingfeng turned their gazes to Wang Tao. They weren¡¯t familiar with Nie Siyan and were unclear about her character. Although Nie Siyan had a bad reputation, she was now following Wang Tao¡­ Wang Tao turned to Nie Siyan. Nie Siyan didn¡¯t care about the gazes of the two women and walked over to Wang Tao in an understanding manner, kneeling in front of him to express her respect and submission. Jade Lotus and Lu Yingfeng looked at the two with surprise. They previously thought that Nie Siyan and Wang Tao had a cooperative rtionship. But now it seemed that the rtionship between them might be deeper¡­n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Wang Tao gently stroked her hair, as if he were petting a small dog. ¡°Do you want to ascend to Level 3?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Nie Siyan nodded frantically. Then she quickly rubbed her face against Wang Tao¡¯s hand and said: ¡°Master~ I will be obedient!¡± Jade Lotus and Lu Yingfeng looked at Nie Siyan with odd expressions but said nothing. Wang Tao looked into Nie Siyan¡¯s anxious, expectant eyes, gently pinched her cheek, and simply said, ¡°Just be obedient.¡± He believed Nie Siyan knew the consequences of betraying him. Nie Siyan had killed quite a few zombies today, and her HP had already reached the cap of 29,999, but her abilities hadn¡¯t yet reached +10. Nie Siyan¡¯s four abilities were [Rush], [Athlete], [Throwing Master], and [Dream Interpretation]. Wang Tao thought for a moment, it was either not to ascend to Level 3 at all or to do so in the most perfect way possible. Chapter 497 - 497: 216: Buy on Credit_3 Chapter 497: Chapter 216: Buy on Credit_3 ¡°` Nie Siyan had four abilities, except for [Dream Interpretation], which Wang Tao didn¡¯t possess, he had the other three, and not just a few of them. So Wang Tao gave her a pile of Crystal Cores to fuse. ¡°Are they, all for me¡­?¡± Nie Siyan felt so blessed she was about to faint. The way she looked at Wang Tao was as if her eyes could drip water. Nie Siyan¡¯s feelings for Wang Tao wereplicated, she was afraid, but she also genuinely started to like him. Especially now, if it weren¡¯t for the inappropriate circumstances, she would definitely let Wang Tao experience the moves she just learned¡­ ¡°Fuse them.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Witnessed by several people, Nie Siyan quickly seeded in fusing 27 Crystal Cores. Rush, Athlete, and Throwing Master all added 10 points. Then Wang Tao had her fuse an Extraction Crystal Core, stripping away the ability of Dream Interpretation.
[Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Dream Interpretation] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 45% (Side Effects: None)] [Dream Interpretation: Can dispel some of the human dream states, awakening the person] Now that she had changed her profession, this ability was of no use anymore. Wang Tao kept the Crystal Core for himself, which mighte in handy for himter. Then Wang Tao gave Nie Siyan a [Jump]. This ability could attack, and save lives. Furthermore, Wang Tao had plenty of them. After Nie Siyan had fused [Jump] to +10, Wang Tao took out four Ascension Crystal Cores. Nie Siyan, trembling, received these Crystal Cores, her eyes slowly welling up with tears. No matter what Wang Tao¡¯s intentions were or how poorly he had treated her in the past, amidst this post-apocalyptic world, he was now indeed treating her the best! She was deeply grateful to Wang Tao, sincerely wanting to follow him and acknowledge him as her master. As for rebellion¡­ Let alone whether she could defeat him, she was currently able to enjoy the finest things by following Wang Tao; only a fool would rebel! Under the envious gazes of Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng, Nie Siyan fused all four Ascension Crystal Cores. Then her four abilities all advanced to Level 3. ¡°Brother Wang, I feel that I can ascend to Level 3 at any time within the next three days, and the ascension will probably require 24 hours of sleep¡­¡± Nie Siyan quickly shared the information she knew with Wang Tao. ¡°Alright, then start your ascension right away.¡± Wang Tao nodded, this was almost what he had anticipated. ¡°Yes!¡±
After an excited nod, Nie Siyany down on the bed and fell asleep. After some thought, Wang Tao called Xu Xiaojun in. Since Nie Siyan had started her ascension, he might as well promote Xu Xiaojun to Level 3 too. Xu Xiaojun had already maxed out his HP at 29,999, as for his abilities, they were [Strength], [Rush], [Shockwave], and [Iron Skin].
In the past two days, Wang Tao had obtained a lot of Crystal Cores, including these, which could allow Xu Xiaojun to level up to the max. Xu Xiaojun also looked at Wang Tao with immense gratitude and excitement. However, he didn¡¯t say much. He was never good with words, always expressing himself through actions. Soon, Xu Xiaojun also fell into a deep sleep. By this time tomorrow, there will be two powerful Level 3 ability users! ¡°Envious¡­¡± ¡°` ¡°`n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng both envied him, as they wouldn¡¯t be able to ascend to Level 3 anytime soon. Lu Yingfeng had just fused with a [High-Frequency Vibration], but there were not many of those crystal cores left, and Wang Tao had none. She didn¡¯t want to perform extraction, so all she could do was wait. And she still had to consider what her fourth crystal core would be. As for Lan Yulian, it was even harder. She had extracted the two useless abilities from her body, leaving only one for HP restoration and another for healing wounds. The crystal cores with these two abilities were extremely rare. She would probably, like Wang Tao, use an Omnipotent Crystal Core instead¡­ At this moment, Lan Yulian seemed to recall something and suddenly asked:
¡°By the way, having them start their Ascension now means you¡¯re not nning on returning to Zijin Base at the moment, right?¡± Now that the vehicles were unusable, they could only walk back. If they were to drag two sleeping people, especially someone as burly as Xu Xiaojun, it would be quite troublesome. Wang Tao replied with a smile: ¡°Why go back? I¡¯ve used up so many crystal cores, and you guys don¡¯t have any left. I need to replenish some as there are so many zombies around¡­¡± The zombies at the sports center were lured away by the General and his people. This was good news for Wang Tao, as it meant there were zombies to kill! There were a few very strong zombies in the horde that Wang Tao had never encountered before. Now was the perfect opportunity to lure them over¡­ Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, both women got a little excited. If it were just the two of them, they probably would have gone back, but with Wang Tao around, they would definitely follow him. After all, Wang Tao¡¯s strength spoke for itself. That night, there was no disturbance on their side of the building. However, the diving hall was bustling. As the zombies never left, it caused some noise, thereby attracting many Night Demons! The strength of the Night Demons was formidable, and they moved in groups. Combined with other zombies¡­ Wang Tao really wanted to know the psychological shadow that the survivors inside the diving hall were living under. The next day, in the morning. Lan Yulian left some people to watch over Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun, while Wang Tao asked Jiang Shixue to stay behind as well, just in case any idents urred. Funny enough, neither Lan Yulian nor Lu Yingfeng knew of Jiang Shixue¡¯s true strength until now, still thinking she was just an ordinary person with good physical fitness¡­ Wang Tao prepared to head to the sports center with Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng.
But before leaving, Wang Tao brought out two sets of Iron Tree Armors. ¡°What¡¯s this? Armor?¡± Both women were curious. They hadn¡¯t seen where Wang Tao had gotten them from¡ªcould they have been cosying outfits found within the building? ¡°Iron Tree Armor, with strong defense. Try them on.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The women were a bit puzzled, but they didn¡¯t ask further questions. After all, Wang Tao was now a major creditor of theirs; they definitely had to listen to him. ¡°Huh? This armor can even adjust its size¡­ Although it¡¯s a bit heavy, it¡¯s not too bad, and it fits very well after putting it on¡­¡± The two women, outfitted in the Iron Tree Armors, were quite amazed. They weren¡¯t sure about the armor¡¯s defensive power yet, but it was indeedfortable to wear, much better than they had expected. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go like this.¡± Wang Tao intended for them to experience the armor, to find out its pros and cons and, afterwards, to discuss how much they thought it was worth. He was not yet sure about pricing the armor, so he would wait for their usage feedback before deciding. ¡°Okay!¡± The three left the building and stealthily made their way toward the sports center.
It didn¡¯t take long for Wang Tao to spot a zombie entirely covered with hands! It wasn¡¯t among those surrounding the diving hall but was wandering outside. Seeing this, Lan Yulian quickly whispered to Wang Tao: ¡°This zombie has killed many of our people before!¡± ¡°` Chapter 498 - 498: 217: Hundred-armed Zombie (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_1 Chapter 498: Chapter 217: Hundred-armed Zombie (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_1 This was a zombie that looked like a hedgehog, but instead of quills, it had decaying, menacing arms! There were at least a hundred of these arms, iling and writhing, making one¡¯s scalp tingle. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t see its eyes, but when he looked at it, it seemed to sense something. The arms began to move rapidly like centipede legs and charged towards him! ¡°It¡¯sing! It has an Ability that lets it shoot those arms out; anyone hit by the arms will most likely die!¡± Lan Yulian exined anxiously. This zombie had killed many of her people yesterday, and she still had a psychological shadow from it. ¡°Shooting out arms? That¡¯s something¡­ And its Perception seems really strong; it noticed me from so far away¡­¡± Wang Tao looked at the zombie¡¯s Attributes. [HP: 40000/40000] [Mana: 20000/20000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord]
A Level 3, Lord with forty thousand HP! Looking at this Attribute alone, Wang Tao thought Lan Yulian and her team were lucky yesterday. If their luck had been any worse, it wouldn¡¯t have been just heavy casualties; they could have beenpletely wiped out! ¡°It¡¯s a Level 3, Lord Zombie. It¡¯s normal for you not to have been able to beat it,¡± Wang Tao said softly. The Level 3 Zombies Lan Yulian and her team had managed to kill yesterday were either Level 3 Ordinary Zombies, Level 3 Mad Demon Zombies, or weakened Level 3 Elite Zombies¡­ In any case, they hadn¡¯t really encountered any proper Level 3 Elite Zombies, let alone a Level 3, Lord Zombie. ¡°A Level 3 Lord! No wonder¡­¡± The two women suddenly realized. A Zombie Lord was much stronger than Elite Zombies! If they had known it was a Zombie Lord, they would have run away early and wouldn¡¯t have tangled with it. But it wasn¡¯t easy to determine whether it was a Lord or not. Lords had territories. If there was only one zombie in an area, or if there was one very powerful zombie, or if itmanded other zombies ¡ª then it was definitely a Lord Zombie. But at the time, zombies were all over the ce, and everything was in chaos. Seeing zombies approach, Lan Yulian and her team¡¯s first reaction was to attack. They could only vaguely sense it was a Level 3 Zombie but couldn¡¯t discern whether it was an Elite or a Lord. Not to mention, having killed many Level 3 Ordinary Zombies and weakened Elite Zombies, they were growing confident, which made urate judgment no less difficult. ¡°Wang Tao, what do we need to do?¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn Lan Yulian looked towards Wang Tao. She didn¡¯t ask if Wang Tao could win but instead directly asked what they should do. Since Wang Tao knew it was a Lord Zombie but didn¡¯t run, that meant he was confident, and all they needed to do was support him. ¡°You two hide first, I¡¯ll take the main attack, and Lu Yingfeng look for opportunities to assist. As for you, protect yourself and keep an eye on Lu Yingfeng, and don¡¯t attract its attention at all costs,¡± Wang Tao instructed. ¡°Okay!¡±
Both women responded and then hid themselves. Wang Tao walked out boldly, facing the Hundred-armed Zombie head-on. The two women were very anxious, with Lan Yulian ready to heal and restore HP to Wang Tao at any moment. Then, they were stunned.
They saw ck roots resembling those of a tree suddenly appear on Wang Tao as he approached the zombie. In the blink of an eye, these roots wrapped around him and formed a massive set of armor. Wang Tao transformed into a two-and-a-half-meter-tall ¡°monster¡±! And in his hands, a giant White Bone Knife had appeared from nowhere! ¡°What is this!¡± It was the first time the two women had seen Wang Tao like this and couldn¡¯t quite believe it. ¡°Could it be a transformation Ability? And where did that Bone Knifee from?¡± Before they could ponder further, Wang Tao was already in contact with the Hundred-armed Zombie. Thump! Wang Tao couldn¡¯t find the zombie¡¯s head, so he could only attack the decaying arms. With one slice, several arms were cut off by Wang Tao. The Hundred-armed Zombie didn¡¯t seem to lose much HP, but it became enraged, suddenly leaping high into the air, then bouncing towards Wang Tao like a ball. ¡°It can jump that high?¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected the zombie to be so agile. However, with his Iron Wall Ability already activated and the speed boost, he easily dodged the Hundred-armed Zombie¡¯s attack. Boom¡ª
The stone pavement was smashed into a spider-web of cracks. And just like a ball, the Hundred-armed Zombie hit the ground and used its arms to bounce back up, lunging at Wang Tao again. This time, Wang Tao didn¡¯t dodge but instead timed his move carefully, powering up for a decisive strike. He used high-frequency vibration for this sh. Bang! The Hundred-armed Zombie was sent flying, and Wang Tao felt his knife had cut deep. Above the zombie¡¯s head, a damage number of [-3645] popped up. ¡°Its Defense isn¡¯t that high after all!¡± Seeing this number, Wang Tao grinned. As long as it wasn¡¯t a monster with high Defense like the Big Tree Monster, he wouldn¡¯t waste too much time. When the Hundred-armed Zombie got knocked back, Lu Yingfeng, who had been ready to strike, appeared suddenly. d in armor, she tightly gripped her Tang Dao and stabbed at the Hundred-armed Zombie as it was about tond near her. Thrust! [-1894] After the stab, Lu Yingfeng didn¡¯t linger forbat but quickly retreated. Wang Tao nced at her in surprise; the damage from that strike was quite high. After all, Lu Yingfeng hadn¡¯t reached Level 3 yet, while Wang Tao was genuinely at Level 3 Combat Power. For her to inflict almost two thousand damage with a single strike was impressive indeed.
Chapter 499 - 499: 217: Hundred-armed Zombie (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_2 Chapter 499: Chapter 217: Hundred-armed Zombie (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_2 ¡°Quick battle, quick decision!¡± Wang Tao said to Lu Yingfeng. Since both of their damages were not low, there was no need to dawdle. Otherwise, if other zombies were attracted,plications could easily arise. ¡°Okay!¡± Lu Yingfeng responded. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡± After the Hundred-armed Zombiended, the arms on its body suddenly trembled violently, like some sort of shamanic dance. Lan Yulian, hiding in the shadows, suddenly felt dizzy. Lu Yingfeng, who was closer to the Hundred-armed Zombie, was even more unstable on her feet, and she was about to fall to the ground. Wang Tao instantly appeared beside her, scooping her up and getting her out of there. Boom~
As soon as they left, they saw the zombie fall from the sky,nding right where Lu Yingfeng had just been standing. ¡°Mental Attack!¡± Lu Yingfeng¡¯s face inside the helmet was a bit unsightly; when they had previously attacked this zombie, it hadn¡¯t used this method. This only meant one thing¡ªthey hadn¡¯t been seen as a threat! However, this was also a good thing, after all, mental attacks were unpredictable, and she didn¡¯t have any means to resist them. Wang Tao had fused with quite a few Crystal Cores before and had some that could defend against Mental Attacks, so he did have some resistance to this kind of attack. Moreover, Wang Tao had just discovered that his Entangling Roots had just lost HP! Could this mental attack reach his armor? But he didn¡¯t have time to think further. Wang Tao asked Lu Yingfeng, who was in his arms. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Lu Yingfeng shook her head; feeling a bit clearer after a moment, she quickly wriggled out of Wang Tao¡¯s embrace. Though both were armored and there had been no physical contact while she was in Wang Tao¡¯s arms, she still felt somewhat ufortable. After releasing her, Wang Tao used the walkie-talkie to check on Lan Yulian¡¯s situation. ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­¡± Once he made sure everyone was alright, Wang Tao attacked again. Other zombies were already heading their way, so they needed to finish this one off quickly. At that moment, the Hundred-armed Zombie suddenly spun around, throwing its arms like javelins toward Wang Tao, Lu Yingfeng, and Lan Yulian hiding in the shadows! Wang Tao raised his Bone Knife and swung several blows, knocking away many arms. However, there were too many arms flying toward him, and three still struck him. [-349]
[-340] [-318] One arm hitting his Entangling Roots caused over three hundred HP of damage. Though it seemed not much, the three arms together had depleted a thousand HP. And this was after Wang Tao had already blocked many arms.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om If it were someone else without the defense of Entangling Roots and hit by several arms, they might have been killed instantly!
Wang Tao looked toward Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng. Fortunately, although they were a bit disheveled, they both managed to block the attack. The greatest credit went to their Iron Tree Armors. ¡°Such strong defense!¡± Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng were both a bit shocked and happy. They had braced themselves for injury, but unexpectedly, the zombie¡¯s arm attacks were unable to prate the Armor¡¯s defense. Although they had lost HP, there were no direct wounds, which prevented infection. Lan Yulian first healed Wang Tao, then Lu Yingfeng, and finally herself. Wang Tao felt warm all over, and his HP instantly returned to full! He looked again at the zombie; after shooting out part of its arms, its true form was revealed¡ªa giant meat tumor! Wang Tao felt a bit disgusted as he rushed forward with his knife. The zombie continued its arm shooting, but this time, it didn¡¯t attack Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng; instead, it targeted Wang Tao. Bracing himself with his strength, Wang Tao endured the attacks and broke through to the front of the Hundred-armed Zombie. Then he began shing wildly. [-4584] [-4873] [-4393]
[¡­] Lu Yingfeng seized the opportunity to appear behind the zombie, and she too started swinging her knife. [-1849] [-1823] [-1902] [¡­] The defense of the Level 3, Lord Zombie Lord was indeed low, especially after losing those arms, it essentially became a target for Wang Tao and Lu Yingfeng. Itunched several mental attacks; Wang Tao felt a slight stabbing pain in his head, but it wasn¡¯t a big problem. Soon after, Wang Tao delivered the final blow. Spurt~ [-5134] [0/40000] The zombie¡¯s HP bar emptied.
Wang Tao quickly collected the spoils of war and cut open the tumor to find a Crystal Core inside. [Level 3 Crystal Core¡¤Spike Shoot] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Defense decreased)] [Spike Shoot: Spikes will grow on the body, which can be shot out and can be recovered] Seeing the attributes of the Crystal Core, Wang Tao suddenly understood. He thought that the defense of the Level 3, Lord Zombie Lord was much weaker than he expected, and it turned out that this ability had a side effect that reduced defensive power. But the Crystal Core mentioned spikes, whereas the zombie had grown arms; it seemed there had been a mutation during the growth process¡­ Lan Yulian ran over and showered several green lights on Wang Tao and Lu Yingfeng. Seeing that quite a few zombies had already surrounded them, Wang Tao immediately ran off with the two women. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡­ Some timeter, the three of them appeared on the rooftop of a building. From there, they had a perfect view of the swimming pool.
Seeing the dense hordes of zombies outside the pool area, Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng both felt a tingling sensation on their scalps. They couldn¡¯t understand why there were so many zombies here, and so many of them were Level 3! ording to the information the General had given them before, there shouldn¡¯t have been so many zombies here, let alone so many Level 3 zombies! Chapter 500 - 500: 217: Hundred-armed Zombie (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_3 Chapter 500: Chapter 217: Hundred-armed Zombie (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_3 The General¡¯s information shouldn¡¯t be false¡­ After all, he¡¯s trapped himself, and if it were false, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have riskeding here¡­ ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve bred a Mother Zombie, I¡¯ve seen one before¡­¡± Wang Tao exined. He referred to the type of zombie that could enhance the strength of other zombies as a Mother Zombie. Just like the green-eyed zombie he had encountered before at the Shuize County First Hospital, and the nt monster that had developed zombies specifically at the reservoirst time¡­ Wang Tao initially suspected that these zombies were cultivated by the big tree monster in the underground parking lot. But it didn¡¯t feel quite right, because it seemed to have nothing it needed to guard¡­ So now Wang Tao suspected there might be a Mother Zombie here! If there really was a Mother Zombie, he wondered what level it would be. Based on Wang Tao¡¯s previous experience, the zombies cultivated by a second-order Mother Zombie were all first level, so those by a third-order Mother Zombie should be Level 2. But there were many Level 3 zombies here¡­ It couldn¡¯t be that there was a fourth-order Mother Zombie, could it? Or had the Mother Zombie undergone some kind of mutation? Wang Tao didn¡¯t know, but either way, this ce was dangerous, and even though he had reached Level 3, he had to be cautious. After hearing Wang Tao¡¯s exnation about the Mother Zombie, the two women immediately felt a chill throughout their bodies.
If there really was such a zombie here that could endlessly produce powerful zombies¡­ That would be a big problem! ¡°You two look for the next target, it would be best to find a Zombie Lord¡­ I¡¯ll rest for a while.¡± Wang Tao said to the two women. If it were another ce, in one area there would likely be only one Zombie Lord, but there were too many zombies here, and there could be a Mother Zombie, so there might be other Zombie Lords as well. ¡°Okay! Rest well!¡± The two women nodded their heads in a hurry. While resting, Wang Tao naturally turned his attention to his loot. Compared with yesterday¡¯s big tree monster, although both were Level 3 Lords, this hundred-armed zombie had ten thousand less HP and lower defense. Its overall strength was much weaker, only the Mental Attack was difficult to guard against. The loot was still substantial. Besides a Crystal Core, the hundred-armed zombie itself had nothing else. But the 9600 Special Energy it brought Wang Tao increased his Special Energy to [115000]! Then there were three Loot Packs. The Crystal Core Gift Bag contained five Crystal Cores. There were red [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension], blue [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent], purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Jump]¡­ Wang Tao noticed that as long as the zombies or monsters he killed surpassed their levels and were powerful, it was easy to drop Ascension and Omnipotent crystals. This was quite nice. However, what attracted Wang Tao¡¯s attention the most were thest two Crystal Cores. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Mental Shock] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Blindness)] [Mental Shock: Consumes Energy to transform one¡¯s spiritual power into several invisible and colorless needles that shoot out. If there are obstacles in the way, it will reduce the power]
Seeing the ability of this Crystal Core, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. Just by looking at the side effect of ¡°Blindness,¡± one could tell this Ability was powerful. It was another unguardable method of attack! ¡°But it can be blocked¡­ No wonder I lost HP from the entangling roots when the zombie¡¯s Mental Attack hit me. So it was the entangling roots that blocked the attack!¡±
This could exin why Lu Yingfeng and Lan Yulian were not seriously hurt after the Mental Attack ¡ª because they had full armor for protection. Without the armor, they probably would have had a hard time with a hit like that and might even have been in danger of losing their lives¡­ Wang Tao wanted to synthesize this [Mental Shock] core. He¡¯d see if he could get two more corester. He didn¡¯t dare synthesize it without removing its blindness side effect. As for thest Crystal Core, it also made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes shine. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Perception] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: Non-females synthesize, halving Perception Ability)]N?v(el)B\\jnn [Perception: Consumes Energy to detect nearby living entities] No wonder this zombie had no organs like eyes and could still quickly discover Wang Tao and his team. It turned out it had the Perception Ability! Perception Ability was like a human-shaped radar, one of the Abilities Wang Tao wanted the most. Although the range of Perception was not as wide as his nt Affinity, its uracy was far greater! If he could use Perception and nt Affinity together, he figured it would be like radar plus X-ray vision! Unfortunately, Wang Tao hadn¡¯t encountered many zombies with the Perception Ability. He currently only had one Level 2 Perception Crystal Core. Now he had obtained a Level 3 Perception Crystal Core. Although he couldn¡¯t synthesize it with a Level 2 core, maybe he could collect enough to do so eventually. However, Wang Tao suddenly had an idea¡ª
What if he synthesized the Level 2 Perception Ability first, then used an Omnipotent Crystal Core to upgrade it to +10, and then used an Ascension crystal core to raise it to Level 3! Then, by using the Extraction ability, extracted it to be a Level 3 Perception Crystal Core¡­ If he did that, wouldn¡¯t he then have two Level 3 Perception Crystal Cores? He just wasn¡¯t sure if the Perception Ability of a Crystal Core extracted this way would be halved¡­ ¡°I can try itter!¡± Wang Tao looked at the second Loot Pack. Inside were potions. [Gained: Mental Boosting Potion x20] Wonderful stuff that permanently increased spiritual power, Wang Tao used them all at once. After a refreshing and cool sensation passed, Wang Tao felt much more spirited, all the fatigue from the battle dissipated, leaving his body feelingfortable, as if he had just had a grand massage ¡ª though he had never had one. Then thest Loot Pack. Inside were actually two blueprints. [Gained: White Bone Standard Crossbow Blueprint x1] [Gained: White Bone Standard Crossbow Arrow Blueprint x1] Chapter 501: 218: White Bone Standard Crossbow (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_1 Chapter 501: Chapter 218: White Bone Standard Crossbow (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_1 ¡°Huh? Standard Hand Crossbow?¡± Seeing the two blueprints, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised, and he quickly looked at the detailed information on the blueprints. [White Bone Standard Crossbow Blueprint: After learning, you can craft 1 White Bone Standard Crossbow each time. Required materials: Any white bones of Level 3 Elite or above x2kg, any Crystal Core x1 (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Crystal Cores may be used), Iron Block x10, Screw x10, Rubber x10, Steel Wire x10, Rope x10] [White Bone Standard Crossbow: Attributes unknown] [White Bone Standard Crossbow Arrow Blueprint: After learning, you can craft 100 White Bone Standard Crossbow Arrows each time. Required materials: Any white bones of Level 3 Elite or above x2kg, de x10, Iron Block x10, stic x10] [White Bone Standard Crossbow Arrow: Durability +5, Attack power +5, and has a certain piercing ability] ¡°Just as I thought, it¡¯s a standard crossbow like the Iron Tree Standard Armor that can be reused!¡± Wang Tao was a bit excited. Moreover, crafting this thing is even simpler than making Iron Tree Armors! Iron Tree Armors require the core material of Iron Tree Skin, but this White Bone Standard Hand Crossbow only needs any white bones of Level 3 Elite or above! Level 3 Elite white bones aren¡¯t that easy toe by, not all of the limbs from the Zombie Lord we just killed were bones! After learning the blueprint, Wang Tao turned towards Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng and said:
¡°I¡¯ll make a trip back, you two wait for me here.¡± ¡°Ah? What are you going to do?¡± Both women were startled, Lan Yulian somewhat curious. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up some bones, the bones of the zombie we just killed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two women looked at each other, nearly thinking that Wang Tao had some sort of special fetish. Picking up bones at such a time, and of a zombie no less, this¡­ ¡°Alright! Be careful¡­¡± But the two did not ask further. Under the concerned gazes of the two women, Wang Tao ran back. Only a few Level 1 and Level 2 zombies remained where the Hundred-armed Zombie was killed, the rest that had been attracted had left after finding nothing. Wang Tao quickly dealt with these zombies, then found the corpse of the Hundred-armed Zombie. Its main body was a lump of flesh with some bones inside, but it was filled with a yellow-brown fluid, reeked horribly, and was quite nauseating. Wang Tao only picked up its arms, gathering all the visible limbs, and returned to the rooftop where Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng were. Seeing Wang Tao carrying a multitude of arms, both women felt a chill. Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind them, though; he took out the materials from inside his jacket, then took out a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Crystal Core respectively. Then a burst of multicolored light shone from Wang Tao¡¯s hand. Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng exchanged nces, both astonished. Although they did not understand, it seemed very powerful. Could it be Wang Tao¡¯s Ability? As the two women¡¯s thoughts flew, the multicolored light slowly dissipated to reveal three white hand crossbows and a pile of crossbow arrows! Looking closely, the three hand crossbows and crossbow arrows turned out to be made out of bones! ¡°Huh?¡± Both ran over in shock. They looked at Wang Tao and then the hand crossbows, full of question marks, yet not sure how to begin asking.
Wang Tao, growing stronger, didn¡¯t mind revealing a small secret. And with so many wondrous Crystal Cores, they would probably guess that Wang Tao had some special Ability. Wang Tao inspected the three hand crossbows. They were Level 1, Level Two, and Level 3, respectively. [White Bone Standard Crossbow] [Level 1 (Ordinary)]
[Durability +10, Attack power +10, Precision +5]N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡­ [White Bone Standard Crossbow] [Level Two (Ordinary)] [Durability +20, Attack power +20, Precision +5] ¡­ [White Bone Standard Crossbow] [Level 3 (Ordinary)] [Durability +30, Attack power +30, Precision +5] The hand crossbows and the Iron Tree Armors were simr, with the Level 1 looking the most simple and the Level 3paratively more intricate. [White Bone Standard Crossbow Arrow: Durability +5, Attack power +5, and has a certain piercing ability] However, what surprised Wang Tao the most was this White Bone Standard Crossbow Arrow. It had attributes, with both durability and attack power increasing by five points each! And it also has a certain piercing ability!
Even without the hand crossbow, just these crossbow arrows were already great items. Ifbined with these hand crossbows, especially the Level 3 hand crossbow, it would result in 35 points of attack power, even higher than Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Giant Axe which only had 30 attack power. Although the Giant Axe is Level Two, and it¡¯s somewhat unfair topare it with Level 3, this hand crossbow can be mass-produced! In the past, Wang Tao had obtained a blueprint for a Precise Crossbow, but that blueprint could only craft one hand crossbow. And its attributes were not as good as those of the Level 2 or above. [Precise Crossbow: Durability +20, Attack power +10, Precision +10] Although the precision was double, its attack power was only equivalent to a Level 1 Bone Hand Crossbow. It couldn¡¯tpare with Level Two and Level 3. ¡°This is¡­¡± Lan Yulian pointed curiously at the hand crossbow. ¡°Bone Hand Crossbow, give it a try.¡± Wang Tao handed her a Level 3 hand crossbow. Lan Yulian held it in her hand, looking at the object that resembled a work of art, her face full of surprise. As a Second-order Superpower Owner, even if her strength was weak, it was stronger than an ordinary person¡¯s. So she effortlessly pulled the crossbow string and loaded a crossbow arrow. Then she aimed at the wall and pulled the trigger. Whoosh¡ª
The arrow flew out and embedded itself in the reinforced concrete wall. ¡°Awesome!¡± Lan Yulian gasped in amazement. If not for the crossbow, based on her own strength alone, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to inflict such damage! Chapter 502: 218: White Bone Standard Crossbow (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_2 Chapter 502: Chapter 218: White Bone Standard Crossbow (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_2 This means that the attack power of this hand crossbow is even stronger than that of a Second-order Superpower Owner like her! Although in terms ofbat ability, she¡¯s a rtively weaker Second-order Superpower Owner, but this was enough to prove the impressiveness of this hand crossbow. If an ordinary person got their hands on this crossbow, wouldn¡¯t they be able to directly threaten a Second-order Ability User? They could even go kill a Level 3 Zombie Lord! If they had this crossbow before, then they wouldn¡¯t have lost so many people¡­ Wang Tao had Lu Yingfeng try it out as well. As a purebatant, Lu Yingfeng also gave the Level 3 Bone Hand Crossbow high praise. ¡°Very strong!¡± The most important thing about this crossbow isn¡¯t its attack power, but rather its simple operation, low learning curve, and the low amount of effort it takes to use, coupled with its ranged attack capabilities! If they had these Bone Hand Crossbows, they could quickly form a powerful team, and if they werebined with Iron Tree Armors¡­ hiss, I dare not even think about it! Seeing both women in admiration, Wang Tao decided to give it a try himself.
The Level 1 Bone Hand Crossbow was about the same as the Precise Crossbow he¡¯d tried earlier, but the Level 2 and Level 3 felt much stronger¡­ The overall experience was very satisfying! ¡°Wang Tao, are you selling this crossbow?¡± Lan Yulian suddenly asked. Although she was unclear on how Wang Tao had produced these hand crossbows, it seemed he could mass-produce them! Given that, he should be willing to sell them, right? ¡°Of course.¡± Wang Tao nodded first and then added, ¡°However, it won¡¯t be cheap, don¡¯t be fooled by how easily I can craft them. The cost of one of these hand crossbows is quite high. For instance, this Level 3 hand crossbow not only requires the bones of a Level 3 Elite Zombie or higher but also three Level 3 Crystal Cores!¡± ¡°Three Level 3 Crystal Cores!¡± Lu Yingfeng and Lan Yulian looked at each other, both of them quite shocked. The cost was indeed high! But even with the high price, they still needed it! After all, this was something that could enhance theirbat capabilities. Besides, there were also Level 2 and Level 1 crossbows¡­ After negotiating with Wang Tao for a while, Lan Yulian put two Level 3 Bone Hand Crossbows and 200 crossbow arrows on credit. They would see how things go afterward, but she was definitely going to buy a batch. Wang Tao crafted quite a few more crossbows and crossbow arrows until all the zombie bones were used up. Just as Lan Yulian was wondering how Wang Tao was going to take all the items with him, he suddenly waved his hand, and everything disappeared. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian finally understood how the armor she was wearing had appeared! Wang Tao could make these things disappear and then reappear? Was this the legendary storage space, or something else? Her curiosity was through the roof, but she still refrained from asking further. Partly out of respect for Wang Tao¡¯s privacy and also because if Wang Tao had more good stuff that she wanted to buy, she really wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it! She was already in deep debt to Wang Tao, and if she owed more, she would truly be unable to pay it back¡­ ¡°Hungry?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked.
¡°A little.¡± Lan Yulian nodded honestly, while Lu Yingfeng also grunted in agreement. Their previous provisions were all in their vehicle, but the vehicle had been destroyed, and its supplies taken. They had eaten oncest night, and then again this morning, almost depleting the rations they had on them. Wang Tao handed them a few bottles of nutritional supplements.
¡°Nutritional supplements, I guess one bottle could probably rece three big bowls of rice.¡± The women instinctively took them, with Lan Yulian screaming in her mind: I knew it, he has more good stuff! Lan Yulian really wanted to ask how much these sold for, but she held herself back. It¡¯s not like they couldn¡¯t eat other dry food; she couldn¡¯t umte more debt. Just endure! After all, Wang Tao didn¡¯t ask them for money for these nutritional supplements, so consider it a freebie. Then, Wang Tao took out some items the size of chicken eggs, golden and pretty, resembling egg yolks. ¡°Some kind of fish roe, very delicious, want to try some?¡± This was what had burst out when they killed the Level 3 Fish Zombie Lord earlier. It was cooked and could be eaten directly after bursting out, and also could be stored in his space. A delicious taste, one that Wang Tao enjoyed. ¡°I¡¯ll eat! Thank you!¡± Lan Yulian didn¡¯t hold back, taking some immediately. She even purposely took an extra portion for Lu Yingfeng who seemed a bit embarrassed. ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve got this too.¡± Wang Tao pulled out something that looked like a water dder and poured out a pile of fish jerky he had prepared in advance. ¡°¡­¡±
Compared to the fish jerky, Lan Yulian was clearly more curious about the water dder itself. Could this be the space equipment Wang Tao used to store objects? ¡°Interested?¡± Wang Tao asked with a smile. ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Lan Yulian nodded. Wang Tao then handed her the Magical Stomach Pouch to take a closer look.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Here, take a look.¡± Lan Yulian quickly took the item, and both she and Lu Yingfeng, with the exnation from Wang Tao, soon understood how to use it. ¡°It can only store food, so it seems the way Wang Tao stores crossbows is with something else¡­ Of course, this is also great! I want one too¡­¡± At that moment, Wang Tao took out another Magical Stomach Pouch of the same kind from his chest. ¡°Want one?¡± When Wang Tao killed zombies the day before, he encountered a few that could spit Spittle Nails, and after defeating them, he acquired several Magical Stomach Pouches.
¡°¡­¡± A minuteter, Lan Yulian had racked up another debt. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve rested enough, now it¡¯s time to kill zombies!¡± Looking at Wang Tao¡¯s departing figure, Lan Yulian, walking behind him, grabbed Lu Yingfeng¡¯s hand, feeling somewhat troubled. Chapter 503: 218: White Bone Standard Crossbow (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_3 Chapter 503: Chapter 218: White Bone Standard Crossbow (Last Day of Double Monthly Tickets)_3 ¡°Little Feng, we¡¯re done for! We owe too much, I don¡¯t even know if we can ever pay it back¡­¡± ¡°Then why did you still buy on credit! We¡¯vee this far without those things before. We might not necessarily need them¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng was rtively calmpared to others. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian gave Lu Yingfeng a somber nce, ¡°If we really can¡¯t pay it back, then I¡­ I¡¯ll just sell you to him! I believe you can fetch a good price!¡± ¡°?¡± ¡­ Wang Tao and his group had killed quite a few zombies again, but they hadn¡¯t encountered any Level 3 Zombie Lords since. However, it wasn¡¯t easy because those Level 3 Elite Zombies were also very strong and were not the weakened version of the Level 3 Elite Zombies they had faced before. Wang Tao guessed that if there was a progenitor, these formidable Level 3 Elite Zombies should have been cultivated by it, while the weakened version of the Level 3 Elite Zombies were probably cultivated by Zijin Base and the prison. As for where the Level 3 Ordinary Zombies came from, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t very clear¡­ While they were killing zombies, they received a call from the General. He asked Lan Yulian how long she thought it would take to get back to Zijin Base.
From their current location, even though they could receive signals from Zijin Base, they couldn¡¯t send messages back. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t send out a distress signal and could only hope for Lan Yulian. After all, out of the five squads, only Lan Yulian¡¯s Fourth Squad was outside while the other three were trapped in the diving gym¡­ Lan Yulian exined that a lot of zombies had run out of the sports center and it was very dangerous outside. Her team members were also injured¡­ So, it was estimated that returning to Zijin Base would take quite some time. Hearing Lan Yulian¡¯s words, the General was silent for a moment before he directly said: ¡°Although we have suffered heavy losses in this operation, we have also killed quite a few zombies. I still have some Crystal Cores that I can¡¯t use for the time being. If you need them, feel free to take them.¡± It must be said, speaking to smart people really saves effort. Lan Yulian, even though she was a bit shy, didn¡¯t hesitate to ask for a good number of Crystal Cores. This wasn¡¯t for her, but to repay Wang Tao¡¯s debt! ¡°General, please rest assured, I will be back at Zijin Base soon!¡± Lan Yulian gave a guarantee that wasn¡¯t exactly a guarantee, and the General didn¡¯t say much else, only that when they met, he would present the Crystal Cores in person. ¡°Wang Tao, do you think he will willingly hand over the Crystal Cores?¡± Lan Yulian turned to Wang Tao beside her. ¡°I don¡¯t believe a word of it.¡± Wang Tao snorted. The premise for honoring a deal is that there must be rules to bind it, or the other party is stronger than you, or your strengths areparable, or you are really trustworthy¡­ In the post-apocalyptic world, all other conditions can be ignored, only strength is of utmost importance. And Zijin Base¡¯s strength is much greater than that of Lan Yulian¡¯s clubhouse. Besides, Zijin Base has already suffered heavy losses; if they gave Lan Yulian a lot of Crystal Cores, then they would be at a severe loss. Of course, maybe the General really is trustworthy, but there¡¯s no need to bet on it. If the bet is lost, it might not be a question of whether the Crystal Cores can be obtained, but whether the other party will make a move against you. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Lan Yulian also nodded; she didn¡¯t believe it either. ¡°Let¡¯s head back for now and discuss it after Nie Siyan and the others wake up.¡±
¡°Yeah!¡± The three of them hurried back in the evening. Everything in the building was as usual; nothing unexpected had happened. Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun were both quietly sleeping. They started their Ascensionst night and wouldn¡¯t wake up until this evening.
¡°Brother~¡± Jiang Shixue came over and gently hugged Wang Tao. She had spent most of her time with Wang Tao previously, and not seeing him for just a whole day made her a bit missful. Wang Tao ruffled her hair, then called Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng to join them for dinner. After the meal, Lan Yulian and herpanion didn¡¯t leave, but instead consulted Wang Tao about Ability matters. Wang Tao had given Lan Yulian a [Healing Light] Crystal Core yesterday, which she hadn¡¯t yet fused with, and she was ready to do so right then. She also wanted to ask Wang Tao if he had any other Crystal Cores to rmend to her. Wang Tao rmended a [Running] Crystal Core to her. Running is a Passive Ability that increases running speed. Since she is a healer and all three of her Abilities are rted to healing, it would be better for her fourth Ability to be one that could save her life. There are many life-saving Abilities, but Wang Tao thought that she didn¡¯t need the hardness to resist damage that [Iron Skin] provides; instead, she needed an Ability that could help her dodge damage. As long as the zombies can¡¯t catch up to her, then she is always safe. If they catch up¡­ with herck of attack power, even the strongest defense would eventually fail. Lan Yulian also felt this was feasible, so she fused with the Crystal Core Wang Tao had given her and sessfully increased her Running by +10. Wang Tao then gave her a Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core, upgrading her Running Ability to Level 3. Her running speed was now very fast, and zombies below Level 3 weren¡¯t able to get close to her. Only those Level 3 Zombies that are good at speed, or the ones that canunch those unpredictable spirit or illusion attacks, can touch her.
Not long after Lan Yulian sessfully fused with these Crystal Cores, Nie Siyan was the first to wake up. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± Seeing Wang Tao, Nie Siyan immediately ran over and respectfully knelt on one knee in front of Wang Tao. She wanted to let Wang Tao know that even though she had reached Level 3, she remained very loyal to him. Wang Tao nced at Nie Siyan¡¯s Attributes. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 13600/13600] [Grade: Level 3] [Internal Impurity: 5%] Her HP increased by 1 point, reaching 30,000. Her Mana increased by 1,200, sessfully integrating a Level 3 Crystal Core, which can increase Mana by 400. Four Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores total 1,200, now reaching 13,600. Last is the Internal Impurity; she previously had 10% Internal Impurity, but after the Level 3 Ascension, the impurity was halved again, dropping to 5%. ¡°Not bad.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Tao patted Nie Siyan¡¯s head and told her to stand up. ¡°Brother Wang, I can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ve really reached Level 3! I¡¯ve never felt so strong before ¡ª of course, I am still not as strong as Brother Wang!¡±
Nie Siyan was so excited that she was almost at a loss for words. The other twodies also looked very envious. Lu Yingfeng had the chance to ascend to Level 3 quickly, but it would be harder for Lan Yulian, who guessed she might have to wait a long time¡­ Wang Tao asked Nie Siyan about her feelings after her Level 3 Ascension, and at that moment, Xu Xiaojun also woke up. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± Xu Xiaojun also ran over with an excited expression, kneeling on one knee before Wang Tao. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 16600/16600] [Grade: Level 3] [Internal Impurity: 5%] [Hidden Attribute: Stick to One¡¯s Heart] Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Mana was significantly higher because he had consumed [Tree Essence] three times, which added an additional 3,000 Mana. His Internal Impurity was also halved. ¡°All very good!¡± Wang Tao patted Xu Xiaojun¡¯s shoulder approvingly, then said to the group with a smile:
¡°Tomorrow¡ª no, tonight we go out and see the strength of you Level 3 ability users. And by the way, let¡¯s collect some protection fees at the water park.¡± Chapter 504: 219 Killing the Blue-skinned Night Demon_1 Chapter 504: Chapter 219 Killing the Blue-skinned Night Demon_1 ¡°` ¡°Protection fee?¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°` Several people were stunned and didn¡¯t know how to respond. Are the general¡¯s people being protected right now? Are they actually being protected by a group of zombies? Of course, everyone can go rescue them now, and if they manage to save them, that could be considered a form of protection, so¡­ charging a protection fee does seem reasonable. ¡°What, you think the term ¡®protection fee¡¯ doesn¡¯t sound good? Then let¡¯s call it something else, how about ¡®rescue operation fund¡¯? That sounds fair, right? We¡¯re risking our lives to save them, so it¡¯s reasonable to charge a fee.¡± Everyone nodded subconsciously. ¡°Alright, then that¡¯s settled. Everyone, get ready¡­¡± Wang Tao took out a set of Level 3 Iron Tree Armors and helped Nie Siyan put it on.
Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng still had their armors on, Xu Xiaojun had his own battle armor, and Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t need any¡­ So they just needed to make sure Nie Siyan was armed. Moreover, for this protection fee mission, Nie Siyan was the main force. Wang Tao had fused a Jumping Crystal Core with her, and now was the perfect time to put it to use. By the time darkness fell, there was a smattering of starlight outside, enough to see where they were going. Lan Yulian assigned tasks to the others, instructing them to hold their positions inside the building no matter what happened, and not to go outside under any circumstances. Then she looked at Jiang Shixue, standing behind Wang Tao, and frowned slightly. ¡°Wang Tao, is Little Xue going too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± In the eyes of Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng, Jiang Shixue was just an ordinary little girl. Of course, havinge this far with everyone, Jiang Shixue was clearly not so ordinary anymore; she must have some other abilities. But they were still worried. However, neither woman said much more, only thinking that if any danger arose, they needed to protect Jiang Shixue¡­ ¡­ Wang Tao led the group downstairs. In the post-apocalyptic world, there¡¯s a saying¡ªnighttime is the real end of the world; daytime is just an appetizer. And indeed, it was true. During the day, there were actually not many zombies around the building, and it seemed rtively safe. But now, after nightfall, zombies could be seen passing by the building from time to time. When the group was upstairs, they saw just a few zombies in the za below. But once they got down, they realized there were already seven or eight gathered. Not to mention the terrifying roarsing from all directions. Lan Yulian was somewhat nervous; she seldom ventured out at night. Lu Yingfeng held her hand, which helped to ease her nerves. Wang Tao gave Nie Siyan a signal with his eyes.
Immediately, Nie Siyan walked over with two sharply honed steel bars in hand. The zombies that discovered Nie Siyan immediately began to stagger towards her. Nie Siyan, holding the steel bars, didn¡¯t throw them or stab with them. Instead, she used the bars like a club and swung them at the heads of the two zombies. Pfft~
The zombies¡¯ heads were instantly crushed, and their entire heads, along with their necks and chests, were split open! Thud¡ª Both zombies fell to the ground one after the other. ¡°Strong!¡± Lu Yingfeng eximed quietly. Wang Tao nodded in satisfaction as well. Nie Siyan wasn¡¯t a strength-based Ability User, but she was able to brutally and directly kill those ordinary zombies with sheer brute force! It had to be said, her physical attributes had improved a lot after ascending to Level 3! Nie Siyan charged into the horde of zombies like a sheep entering the mouth of a tiger. With just a few swings, she killed them all. Even among them was a Level 2 Elite Zombie, which still couldn¡¯t withstand three blows from Nie Siyan. After resolving the fight, Nie Siyan quickly ran back to Wang Tao¡¯s side. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± She was thrilled¡ªas she had never imagined herself to be so powerful! She felt that now, facing any Level 2 zombies, she could resolve them quickly! Even against Level 3 zombies, she felt she could handle them with ease! ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
Wang Tao patted Nie Siyan on the shoulder, signaling her to stay calm. Soon, they encountered another wave of zombies. This time, it was Xu Xiaojun¡¯s turn to take action. Currently, speaking solely ofbat strength, it was up for debate whether Xu Xiaojun or Nie Siyan was stronger. However, just in terms of strength, three Nie Siyans wouldn¡¯t be a match for Xu Xiaojun. Especially when armed with his Mechanical Right Arm, any zombie he touched had only one oue¡ªto be sted apart, literally. With just his brute force, he could st apart these zombies. If he added Shockwave to his attack, his power would no doubt be no weaker than Wang Tao¡¯s. ¡°His strength¡­ is freakish!¡± Lu Yingfeng was amazed. She felt that if she were to take Xu Xiaojun¡¯s axe head-on, she would probably be crippled, if not dead¡­ ¡°You¡¯ll be that strong someday too!¡± Lan Yulian encouraged her. ¡°I hope so¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng was somewhat troubled. She had received a [High-Frequency Vibration] Ability crystal from Wang Tao that she really liked, and she needed to max out this ability to achieve Level 3 Ascension. However, this ability was too rare, and upgrading it to max level seemed like it would take forever¡­ The road to the diving center was teeming with zombies. However, it was Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun who dealt with them.
Wang Tao wanted to assess the strength of Level 3 Ability Users. After his observation, he could roughly conclude that in terms ofbat against zombies, Xu Xiaojun had about eighty to ny percent of hisbat power, and Nie Siyan had about seventy to eighty percent. As for who would be stronger or by how much if they fought each other, that was hard to say. Since they had not engaged inbat with each other and their attributes weren¡¯t dramatically different, there was no clear way to determine who was superior without a real fight. However, if they truly did fight, Wang Tao felt he would have a much higher chance of winning. After all, he was well-rounded in all aspects, with virtually no weaknesses¡­ Chapter 505: 219 Killing the Blue-skinned Night Demon_2 Chapter 505: Chapter 219 Killing the Blue-skinned Night Demon_2 ¡°Night Demons! Brother Wang, are you going to make a move?¡± Nie Siyan was somewhat excited upon spotting a few Night Demons ahead. Before Wang Tao had arrived, she had encountered a Night Demon once and had almost been killed. She certainly remembered the grudge! Wang Tao took a look; there were about three Night Demons nearby, but there were more than a dozen further away. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go around. After we finish the important business, we can talk about it.¡± Night Demons are social creatures; if they couldn¡¯t be killed swiftly, it would definitely attract arge number of Night Demons. Regardless of whether the group could handle it, it would surely dy the main task. There was no need toplicate things unnecessarily. If they really wanted to kill Night Demons, they could discuss it afterpleting their business. However, speaking of Night Demons, Wang Tao suddenly remembered something. ¡°Night Demon¡¯s Nests are known for their good loot, capable of dropping Exraction Crystal Cores. Now that it¡¯s night and there are many Night Demons outside, I wonder if there are any left inside the nest?¡± Wang Tao nned to observe carefully; if he really could discover a Night Demon¡¯s Nest, he might consider checking it out¡­ After spending some time, the group arrived near the diving hall. Then Wang Tao led a few people to the rooftop he had stayed on during the day. From here, they could get a good view of the diving hall.
¡°Eh? The number of zombies around the diving hall seems to have decreased a bit?¡± Lan Yulian said with some uncertainty. With only the faint glimmer of stars that night, it was hard to see clearly from a distance, but she felt like there were fewer zombies. ¡°Indeed, there are less!¡± Wang Tao nodded. He had observed the number of zombies here during the day, and now it was clear that there were significantly fewer. After observing for a while longer, Wang Tao identified the problem. ¡°I think I understand now. Zombies are more active at night and may wander around the area; they don¡¯t necessarily stay here all the time. During the day, however, they are attracted by the living humans inside the diving hall and gather around it again¡­¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Does that mean, if they make a break for it during the night, they might be able to get out?¡± Nie Siyan asked, somewhat curious. Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°Not exactly. Although some zombies surrounding the diving hall have decreased, it doesn¡¯t mean those zombies are dead. If those inside tried to break out now, it would definitely cause amotion and attract those zombies back. Moreover, there are so many Night Demons at night¡­ Without external help, it would still be very difficult for them to escape danger.¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, everyone fell into a brief silence. After all, no matter how you put it, those inside were human survivors. If they all died, it would be a tremendous loss for Zijing City. ¡°Later, I will try to draw away some of the zombies on the north side, and then it¡¯s your time to shine.¡± Wang Tao said, looking at Nie Siyan. ¡°Okay!¡± Nie Siyan was a bit nervous and excited. She had learned a Jump Ability that allowed her to jump very high, especially now that it had reached Level 3, enabling her to leap between buildings! Her task was to jump into the diving hall, disy the aura of a Level 3 ability user to deter rash actions, and finally, to convey that they would find a way to rescue them. Of course, she was also to take the ¡°funds¡± from the hands of General and his men.
As for General telling Lan Yulian to go back to Zijin Base for reinforcements, Wang Tao had vetoed it. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to save them, but the reinforcements he had were fully armed soldiers. If they fought, it would cause a hugemotion. The sports center was teeming with zombies right then, and there might even be a Fourth-order Mother Zombie. If all were rmed¡­ not only would those trapped not survive, but neither would the reinforcements. After waiting on the rooftop for a while, Wang Tao felt that the timing was about right and said to Nie Siyan: ¡°I¡¯ll go north to create a distraction. When you see a portion of the zombies moving away, that¡¯s your cue to go. As for the others, be ready forbat in case of emergencies.¡±
¡°Yes!¡± Everyone nodded. After Wang Tao descended the building, he ran straight toward the north. The noise he nned to make still relied on Self-Destruct Bombs. But there were too many zombies around, so Wang Tao had to run further away. He couldn¡¯t handle being surrounded. As for whether it was possible to lure away all the zombies around the diving hall¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t think it was likely, as many were attracted by the scent of humans and wouldn¡¯t be easily diverted. Wang Tao ran for over ten minutes, dodging and weaving. Without others slowing him down, he quickly left the area of the sports center. This was a small park with few zombies and was rtively quiet. ¡°This ce is good!¡± Using his nt Affinity Perception, Wang Tao checked to make sure there were no issues, then took out several Self-Destruct Bombs. Thump, thump¡ª The heart-shaped Self-Destruct Bombs started to pulsate rhythmically as soon as he took them out. Wang Tao carefully positioned the bombs, then hurriedly ran out of the park and onto the rooftop of a four-story building.
He took out the Bone Hand Crossbow and shot an arrow at one of the Self-Destruct Bombs he had left at the entrance of the park, then fled without looking back. Whoosh¡ª Boom! The Self-Destruct Bomb exploded instantly upon being hit. That explosion triggered a chain reaction with the other bombs. Boom¡ªBoom¡ª All of the bombs exploded, and the ground seemed to shake. After the explosion, various roars were heard as the surrounding zombies were all attracted! By then, Wang Tao had already made his escape. But as he was hurrying back, his eyes suddenly lit up. He saw three Night Demons running out of a building, one of which was a Blue-skinned Night Demon. Chapter 506: 219 Killing the Blue-skinned Night Demon_3 Chapter 506: Chapter 219 Killing the Blue-skinned Night Demon_3 ¡°Huh? Could there be a Night Demon¡¯s Nest here?¡± Wang Tao quickly picked up the walkie-talkie. ¡°I¡¯ll head backter, you guys adapt on the fly.¡± ¡°Ah? Okay!¡± Lan Yulian on the other end sounded somewhat surprised, but didn¡¯t ask further questions. Wang Tao stealthily approached the exterior of the building. It was an antique-looking small building ¨C judging by the rusted sign, it seemed to be a little hotel. After sensing his surroundings for a bit to ensure there were no dangers, Wang Tao walked inside. ¡°Downstairs¡­¡± Wang Tao discovered there was an underground parking lot, but he couldn¡¯t sense anything in it because there were no nts.
This was obviously abnormal. The parking lot wasn¡¯t sealed off, so it shouldn¡¯t be devoid of nt life. Wang Tao immediately activated Entangling Roots and pulled out his Bone Knife. After walking inside for a while, he saw something that looked like flesh and blood. ¡°Haha! It really is a Night Demon¡¯s Nest! And it seems there are no Night Demons! They¡¯ve all gone out!¡± Wang Tao was overjoyed at this discovery. Looking at those flesh and blood pieces with a hundred thousand HP and some Night Demons that had not yet hatched, Wang Tao spared no courtesy, taking his knife and shing away. With the power he currently wielded, killing these creatures was as easy as cutting wheat ¨C no difficulty at all. The unhatched Night Demons exploded into an [Omnipotent] Crystal Core, while the Incubation Flesh yielded an [Extraction] Crystal Core. Both items were treasures, and Wang Tao was not one toin about their quantity. Thus, Wang Tao went on a killing spree in the underground parking lot. After what felt like an eternity, once Wang Tao saw there were no living Incubation Flesh or unhatched Night Demons left, he took a deep breath. This Night Demon¡¯s Nest was muchrger than any he had encountered before, and it was brimming with creatures; his arm was even beginning to feel sore from all the shing. ¡°Time to go back!¡± After making sure nothing had been missed, Wang Tao was ready to leave. Suddenly, a blue shadow entered from the entrance of the underground parking lot,ing face to face with him. Both seemed stunned for a moment. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected to run into a Blue-skinned Night Demon on his way out. The Blue-skinned Night Demon likely hadn¡¯t expected to find a human in itsir, either! [HP: 50000/50000] [Mana: 30000/30000]
[Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord] Humans and zombies were mortal enemies. There was nothing to be said, seeing each other meant fight on sight! Especially when the Blue-skinned Night Demon saw all the Incubation Flesh inside its den had been ughtered, it let out a furious roar, seemingly enraged.
Whoosh¡ª Before Wang Tao could even blink, the Blue-skinned Night Demon appeared right in front of him. Bang! Wang Tao was tackled to the ground. ¡°Damn! Such fast speed!¡± The Blue-skinned Night Demon opened its terrifying mouth, ready to devour Wang Tao. This move could instantly kill many survivors! But s, Wang Tao was d in an armor made of Entangling Roots; the Blue-skinned Night Demon got a mouthful of sawdust instead. Thud! Wang Tao kicked the Blue-skinned Night Demon with one foot, sending it flying. He then quickly scrambled up, watching the demon warily. He had been tackled before he could even see clearly! He lost ¡°528¡± HP in the tackle!
Lost ¡°1024¡± HP from a single bite! Its Attack was not low! However, all the damage was blocked by the Entangling Roots, and Wang Tao himself wasn¡¯t hurt. Whoosh¡ª After being kicked away andnding, the Blue-skinned Night Demon steadied itself and once again lunged at Wang Tao. Wang Tao still couldn¡¯t see its movements clearly; to him, the Blue-skinned Night Demon was just a blur of afterimages. But Wang Tao still shed at the air in front of him. Bang! There was apparently nothing in front of Wang Tao, but as soon as he made the cut, the Blue-skinned Night Demon seemed to ram into it voluntarily, absorbing the brunt of Wang Tao¡¯s slice. [-2085] The sh only dealt two thousand damage; the Blue-skinned Night Demon¡¯s Defense was very high! Moreover, the Blue-skinned Night Demon was very strong, and the sh only made it step back a tiny bit. But for Wang Tao, this was an opportunity. Heunched a close-range Rush, instantly mming the Blue-skinned Night Demon against a concrete wall. With a height of 2.2 meters, the Blue-skinned Night Demon was overshadowed by Wang Tao¡¯s 2.5 meters, following the activation of Entangling Roots. After ramming the Night Demon into the wall, it resembled a scene of ¡°wall-pin.¡±
Wang Tao grabbed the Blue-skinned Night Demon¡¯s neck with one hand and with the other, holding a Bone Knife, he hacked at it four times. [-2034] [-2158] [-2019] [-2245] The Night Demon let out a roar, attempting to break free from Wang Tao¡¯s grasp. But Wang Tao held on tightly, even as it pushed him back against another wall, causing the Entangling Roots to lose a significant amount of HP, Wang Tao didn¡¯t let go! Once Wang Tao realized he wasn¡¯t as fast as the Blue-skinned Night Demon, he had made up his mind¡ªif he could only seize the chance, he would grapple with it to the end! After all, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t as fast. If he didn¡¯t find a way to stick to it, things could get troublesome. Roar¡ª The Blue-skinned Night Demon roared, wildly wing at Wang Tao¡¯s chest, as though it wanted to rip him open. But Wang Tao was protected by the Entangling Roots. As long as the 20,000 HP of the Entangling Roots weren¡¯t depleted, he could basically ignore the Night Demon¡¯s attacks. [-2313]
[-2151] [-2214] [-2040] [¡­] The Blue-skinned Night Demon, still sping Wang Tao, began to smash wildly around the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t release his grip, firmly enduring its attacks and grappling in close quarters with it. This Blue-skinned Night Demon probably had never fought such an exasperating battle since it was born. Finally. St! Wang Tao¡¯s de split open the Blue-skinned Night Demon¡¯s head. ¡°Huh?¡± Night Demons didn¡¯t have Crystal Cores, but this Blue-skinned Night Demon¡¯s ws carried a name! [Night Demon¡¯s w x2] Wang Tao immediately took the Night Demon¡¯s ws and Loot Pack and ran. The noise from the battle with the Blue-skinned Night Demon was massive, and he feared it would attract other Night Demons. Only after running far enough to be sure there was no danger behind him did Wang Tao finally breathe a sigh of relief. Then he looked at the battered Entangling Roots and its ¡°2384¡± HP bar. ¡°Damn, these Entangling Roots haven¡¯t taken such heavy damage since they¡¯ve been with me¡­¡± Wang Tao hastily released the Entangling Roots and then took out a bunch of Crystal Cores to feed them.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°You¡¯ve had a tough day, eat more¡­¡± Chapter 507: 220 Lunatic_1 Chapter 507: Chapter 220 Lunatic_1 To enhance the entangling roots¡¯ HP andpatibility, there were two methods. One was to nourish it with a crystal core, and the other was to nourish it with one¡¯s own HP. Using a crystal core was, of course, very luxurious, but using one¡¯s own HP would leave oneself in an extremely weakened state. If it were a safe time, Wang Tao could use his own HP, but under the current circumstances, he definitely had to use a crystal core. Watching the entangling roots on his wrist greedily swallow the crystal core and begin to recover theirpatibility and HP, Wang Tao gently stroked it. The recent battle was actually a bit unfair for the entangling roots¡ªbecause Wang Tao never attempted to dodge the blue-skinned night demon¡¯s attacks. But this was unavoidable. This blue-skinned night demon didn¡¯t have any abilities, relying solely on its robust physical condition. If Wang Tao didn¡¯t directly confront it, he couldn¡¯t even catch up to it¡­ Wang Tao felt it was much stronger than the big tree monster. Although the tree monster had a higher attack, it moved slowly and was just a target for Wang Tao. The blue-skinned night demon, however, was too fast. Even though its attack wasn¡¯t as high as the tree monster¡¯s, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t withstand a surprise attack at that speed. Of course, Wang Tao had another method, which was to use shockwave for an indiscriminate attack. That should be able to hit the night demon, even possibly kill it. But this method was rejected by Wang Tao at that moment.
Because that was inside the night demon¡¯sir; Wang Tao needed a quick battle. Using the shockwave to slowly wear it down might kill it, but if it attracted other night demons, that would be a big problem¡­ However, no matter what, he did kill the level 3 lord night demon. Wang Tao also gained some battle experience, so next time he encountered a blue-skinned night demon, he wouldn¡¯t be in such a sorry state. Wang Tao walked toward Lan Yulian, and took the opportunity to check his loot. Before encountering the blue-skinned night demon, Wang Tao had killed quite a few incubation flesh and unformed night demons. In total, he obtained 65 [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent] and 18 [Level 2 Crystal Core ¨C Extraction]. The level 2 omnipotent crystal cores that Wang Tao needed were suddenly in abundance. As for the extraction crystal cores, although Wang Tao had no need for them, they were something many people dreamt of possessing. Absolutely high-value items. Moreover, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure which zombies could drop extraction crystal cores¡­ At the moment, only he could get them by killing incubation flesh, essentially making it an exclusive product. Just these crystal cores alone amounted to a huge harvest. And he still had the blue-skinned night demon¡¯s loot! The blue-skinned night demon granted him 12,000 special energy, the same as when he killed the big tree monster. The only pity was that there were no crystal cores inside the night demon. However, it wasn¡¯t a big issue, as Wang Tao still received loot packs for overkilling. This time there were four in total. The first pack, the Crystal Core Gift Bag, contained a total of four crystal cores. They were a red [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension], a purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Energy Boost], a red [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C HP Boost], and an orange [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Body Constitution Boost]. These crystal cores had all been seen before. Besides Ascension, the other three crystal cores, added to the ones he had previously, totaled exactly three of each kind. Without a second word, Wang Tao synthesized all three crystal cores into Epic ones. These were passive abilities that he couldbine with his [Extraordinary Rage] after he reached level 3! The second loot pack contained potions. [Strength Increase Potion x10] [Agility Increase Potion x10] [Mental Boosting Potion x10] Three kinds of potions that permanently increased attributes, Wang Tao didn¡¯t hesitate and used them all immediately.
The third loot pack contained an ultraviolet shlight and res. [High Power Ultraviolet shlight x1] [Mini Ultraviolet Illumination Shell x40] These were the same items he got from killing ordinary night demons, just inrger quantities.
Actually, Wang Tao had the chance to use the ultraviolet shlight or re during his battle with the blue-skinned night demon, but he was afraid it might flee. He felt this blue-skinned night demon was likely much smarter than the ordinary ones. Wang Tao¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to drive it away but to kill it! So he held back. If he really couldn¡¯t handle it, it wouldn¡¯t be toote to use the ultraviolet shlight. As it turned out, his strength was decent; he could even go head-to-head with the blue-skinned night demon! As for thest pack, the contents made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes light up. [Obtained: Blueprint for Night Demon¡¯s de x1] [Blueprint for Night Demon¡¯s de: Allows for the creation of a pair of night demon de daggers. Required materials: Night Demon¡¯s w x2, Level 3 Crystal Core x2, Iron Block x20, de x20, Nails x20, Rubber x20] [Night Demon de: Attributes Unknown] This was a one-time use blueprint. Although one-time use blueprints can only be used once, as opposed to standard blueprints that can be used indefinitely, the equipment made from one-time use blueprints usually has better attributes.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Seeing that he had all the necessary materials, Wang Tao chose to craft it immediately. Momentster, two pitch-ck, slightly curved, identical-looking daggers appeared in front of Wang Tao. [Night Demon de]
[Level 3 (Epic)] [Durability +55, Attack power +55, Attack speed +20%] Seeing these attributes, an image of a person popped up instantly in Wang Tao¡¯s mind, Jiang Shixue. Up until now, Jiang Shixue hadn¡¯t had a suitable weapon. She always liked to use her own hands, and with her fingers and nails, she could w out someone¡¯s brains¡­ And now, these two daggers perfectly matched Jiang Shixue¡¯sbat style. Chapter 508: 220 Lunatic_2 Chapter 508: Chapter 220 Lunatic_2 As for Wang Tao himself, he definitely wouldn¡¯t use a dagger. Even if these two daggers had better attributes than his Bone Knife, he still preferred the mighty and dominating Bone Knife. After all, the daggers were too short to match Wang Tao¡¯sbat style. Delighted, Wang Tao packed away the daggers, feeling Jiang Shixue would probably like them. ¡­ Elsewhere. After Wang Tao used a Self-Destruct Bomb to lure some zombies away to the north, Nie Siyan, who had been ready for a while, immediately rushed towards the diving gym from the north. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Roar¡ª¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Upon seeing Nie Siyan, the armored person, the zombies immediately pounced on her. However, Nie Siyan had no ns to fight head-on and instead leapt up, jumping the height of several floors, clearing countless zombies, and thennded heavily. Thump!
One unlucky zombie was squashed dead beneath her. Nie Siyan kept moving without pause, jumping again. Thump! Thump! After dozens of jumps, Nie Siyan sessfully reached the lower area of the diving gym. If it hadn¡¯t been for Wang Tao drawing some zombies away from here, Nie Siyan might not have had room tond. Although with her current Level 3 strength, she wouldn¡¯t be in much danger even if surrounded by these zombies, that was only for a short time. Prolonged exposure was a different story, especially since there were too many Level 3 zombies here. The diving gym was sealed tight, with all doors and windows blocked off, preventing zombies from getting in and people from getting out. Nie Siyan looked up at the building¡¯s architecture, then with a powerful jump, she leaped onto the eaves. From there, she hopped like a flea all the way to the top of the gym. This was her entry point into the diving gym. Inside the diving gym, the pool had long dried up. Over two hundred people were gathered in the dry pool, with rings of defensive fortifications built around it. It was already dark outside, but few could sleep. Seeing the tall, sturdy exterior walls of the diving gym, everyone prayed that no zombies with immense strength and destructive power would appear. Otherwise, those reinforced concrete walls might not hold. If the zombies broke through the outer wall, no matter how strong their internal defenses were, they would not hold for long¡­ It would only be a matter of dying sooner orter. This group of survivors was clearly divided into three areas. The first area had the most people, about a hundred or more. Leading them was a man in military attire, the leader of Zijin Base known as ¡°General.¡± The second area had the second most people, roughly fifty plus. The leader was a skinny man in prison garb. He was the Prison Head of Zijin Prison. Thest area, with only thirty or so people, was led by a young man who looked like a college student with slightly cracked ck-framed sses. He was Kong Xiu, the leader of the Ability User¡¯s Alliance. Each group had lost quite a few people. Originally, they numbered over five hundred together, now only half remained.
However, their leaders were not in much trouble. Of course, their rtive safety was only temporary. ¡°Is Lan Yulian reliable? I haven¡¯t had much contact with this woman and don¡¯t know her well,¡± Kong Xiu suddenly remarked, turning to the General. After a moment¡¯s silence, the General replied,
¡°I promised to give her a Crystal Core.¡± Hearing this, Kong Xiu seemed surprised, while the Prison Headughed heartily, ¡°I told you to offer her something good from the start, but you insisted on dragging your feet!¡± ¡°Not ¡®I¡¯, but ¡®we¡¯.¡± The General corrected him. The Prison Head¡¯s expression instantly stiffened, and then appeared somewhat unsettled. If the General was willing to offer his own Crystal Cores to get them all out, that would be fine, but if it required the Prison Head to contribute his own Crystal Cores, it would be somewhat painful. ¡°It¡¯s just some Crystal Cores. As long as we¡¯re alive, we can always earn them back!¡± Kong Xiu consoled at this moment. Suddenly, the Prison Head spoke, ¡°¡­Give me the walkie-talkie; I¡¯ll offer more Crystal Cores, and I¡¯ll talk to her!¡± ¡°No.¡± The General tly refused. Zijin Base had the strongest force. After discovering the ns of the prison and the alliance, the General intercepted and defeated them, then seized their materials, including the walkie-talkies. Thus, only the General couldmunicate with the outside world.
Of course, the General would never give them the walkie-talkie. What if they plotted with Lan Yulian to destroy Zijin Base? Seeing the General outright refuse, the Prison Head harbored some resentment but did not say anything more. They had fought with the General previously, and although he and Kong Xiu together could suppress the General, the General surprisingly had several strong fighters hidden among his ranks, and they ended up losing. Unable to beat him, they had no choice but toply; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t even get food. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The Prison Head sighed, looking rather sorrowful, as if it was due to not being trusted. Believe it or not, he had indeed been contemting joining forces with Lan Yulian to take down Zijin Base! To him, friends? As long as their interests aligned, they were friends; if not, they were enemies, though his interests could change three times in a day¡­ Hearing the Prison Head¡¯s sigh, the General¡¯s expression remained calm, as if the misfortune wasn¡¯t his own. Kong Xiu, on the other hand, red at the Prison Head without being too obvious. What he regretted most right now was believing the Prison Head¡¯s words and joining forces against Zijin Base. Thinking about it now, he felt so foolish! Given the Ability User¡¯s Alliance¡¯s principle of preferring quality over quantity, they had very few members, just several dozen in total. With such a small number, he thought if he had thick-skinnedly approached the General for a ce to stay, the General might have agreed directly¡ªit would certainly have had a higher chance of sess than their attempt to take down Zijin Base with the prison¡¯s assistance! After all, how much space could his few people take up?
Chapter 509: 220 Lunatic_3 Chapter 509: Chapter 220 Lunatic_3 Instead, it was the prison, with itsrge poption, that needed such a base. Even though the prison was quite big and its defenses were quite strong, they were far inferior to Zijin Base. After all, within Zijin Base, they could grow their own vegetables and raise fish. It was like a secluded utopia¡­ But now it¡¯s toote to say anything; he¡¯d already had a falling-out with Zijin Base, and there was no chance he could stay there. Even if he could survive, there might be a great battle toe¡­ Then he thought of Lan Yulian, and suddenly felt a little envious. There are benefits to being weak! Look, now they are all safe and sound¡­ ¡°So what will you do if Lan Yulian isn¡¯t willing to rescue us, but actually wants to take over the base directly?¡± At this moment, the Prison Head spoke up again. ¡°Impossible, she can¡¯t take it over,¡± the General said, his tone calm but resolute. ¡°Why?¡± The Prison Head frowned slightly. Was the General implying that he couldn¡¯t take it over either?
Impossible! Although the clubhouse was the weakest of the four major forces, now that the elite forces of the four bases were deployed, Zijin Basey vulnerable. How could Lan Yulian, Lu Yingfeng, and the other ability users not be able to take it? Kong Xiu also looked at the General with some confusion. When the Prison Head discussed taking over Zijin Base with him, he thought that as long as they could set up the General and his men, they would certainly be able to take over Zijin Base! That was a consensus between them. Now, by the sound of the General, it seemed not possible? Hearing the Prison Head¡¯s query, the General spoke indifferently: ¡°There¡¯s no harm in telling you. When Zijin Base was being built, it was anticipated that if the base were breached by zombies and fell, it would mean not only the loss of a base but would also add countless more zombies, as the zombie virus is contagious. So¡­ the base had a contingency: they nted a substantial amount of explosives beneath it, and if the base werepletely overrun, it would activate the self-destruct mode, wiping out every living thing within it.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Both men were taken aback, hearing this secret for the first time. Undisturbed by their shock, the General continued: ¡°However, before the base was fullypleted, the self-destruct system also wasn¡¯t finished when it was overrun. Afterwards, after I took control of the base, I came across this self-destruct system, which was only one step away frompletion. So, I spent some time to finish the self-destruct system and made some minor changes to the program¡ªthus now, I have a remote controller, and all it takes is one press¡­¡± The General looked at them, expressionless. ¡°¡­and with a ¡®boom¡¯, the entire base will turn to rubble.¡± ¡°¡­A remote controller?! On you?¡± Kong Xiu gaped. ¡°No, it¡¯s not on me. At such a distance, the remote controller wouldn¡¯t be effective; it¡¯s inside the base. As for who has it, of course, I can¡¯t tell you. The only thing I can tell you is that if someone takes over the base without my authorization¡­ that person will detonate the base.¡± ¡°???¡± Even with a guess, Kong Xiu was still dumbfounded. ¡°You¡ªyou want to let the base¡¯s farms, fishponds, breeding grounds, and nearly ten thousand people go to their deaths with it?¡± The Prison Head red at the General, his voice distorted. The General said nothing. ¡°Madman! You¡¯re a madman! They all say I¡¯m a madman, haha, but you¡ªdamn it¡ªyou are the real madman!¡± The Prison Headughed. His face showed a mocking smile, but there was also a hint of horror in it.
If they had managed to capture the General and he then took over Zijin Base, wouldn¡¯t he have been blown up by now?! Nearly ten thousand people would have all died with him! Indeed, a madman! ¡°Why, why would you do this? You¡¯re willing to let so many people die with you just to maintain control of the power you have in your hands?¡± Kong Xiu stared at the General. The General nced at him with a steady gaze.
¡°It¡¯s not for the power in my hands; it¡¯s because I know that only I can lead the people of the base to survive. Without me, no one else is capable of leading nearly ten thousand people. And you¡­ you would only make the base worse. If you lead the base, it will inevitably be destroyed. So, if it is destined to be destroyed, it¡¯s better to destroy it early, at least that way we can reduce the number of zombies.¡± ¡°Madman, you really are a madman!¡± Kong Xiu¡¯s lips trembled as he spoke. He was greatly frightened on the inside. He realized that in just two days, he had narrowly escaped death twice! If their n had seeded, he would have died. If the n had failedpletely, he would have died as well. It was only now, with this unnned event that forced them into an involuntary coboration, that he was still alive¡­ Damn it, Prison Head, you almost got me killed¡ªafter the initial panic, Kong Xiu was inwardly cursing up a storm. ¡°p, p, p¡ª¡± Suddenly, a round of apuse rang out. The General and the others instinctively looked around; there were only the three of them, and no one else was pping. Then, as if sensing something, all three looked up at the same time. There, perched on the frame of the beam at the top of the diving hall, stood a person d in dark brown armor! From her slender, fair fingers, it was clear that she must be a woman! The woman put her armored gloves back on her waist, then leapt lightly from the fifty-meter-high roof.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Thud! The womannded steadily among the three, smashing the ground into a spider-web of cracks.
The General and the others immediately retreated, and the rest of the people around slowly took abat stance, finally reacting to the situation. As the Prison Head and Kong Xiu felt the powerful aura emanating from the woman, they became uncertain. Even the usually calm, perpetually poker-faced General rarely showed a change in expression. ¡°A Level 3 ability user!¡± The same thought urred to all three. The woman, unfazed by the number of people facing her, took off her helmet and revealed a beautiful face that everyone recognized. She smiled slightly. ¡°Hello, let¡¯s get reacquainted. Level 3 ability user, Nie Siyan.¡± Nie Siyan looked around at the faces filled with fear and awe, her smile growing even more brilliant. She enjoyed this feeling. But she hadn¡¯t forgotten her purpose. She looked directly at the General and stretched out her hand. ¡°For the rescue operation¡¯s expenses, please settle it now.¡± Chapter 510: 221 Rescuing People_1 Chapter 510: Chapter 221 Rescuing People_1 The General hadn¡¯t expected that when he mentioned giving a Cyan Jade Lotus Crystal Core to Lan Yulian, Lan Yulian would actually believe him. She not only believed it, but she also sent someone to collect it! It was already shocking that someone came, but what was even more shocking was that the person sent was a Level 3 ability user! No way, it¡¯s only been a few days since he left, and there¡¯s already a Level 3 ability user? Good luck? Or did she hit a jackpot with a high-quality Ascension Crystal Core? He naturally recognized Nie Siyan. Or rather, he recognized all the leaders of the major factions in Zijing City. That was, after all, a basic skill required for a leader.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om But in his memory, Nie Siyan was very weak! In the past, only the president of the Skull Club, Huang Heng, was worthy of his attention; the others were insignificant. Now that it had been renamed Firefly Club, he had heard from his subordinates that Nie Siyan¡¯s strength had improved quite a bit, but an improvement was far from a leap to Level 3 ability user! A Level 3 ability user, that is what they had been pursuing all this time! After expending so much manpower and resources, he hadn¡¯t expected that someone else would beat them to the punch¡­ Both the Prison Head and Kong Xiu were just as confused as the General, unwilling to believe, but the reality was right before their eyes. The aura emanating from Nie Siyan couldn¡¯t be faked¡ªthat was the aura of a Level 3! ¡°What, are you thinking of reneging on the deal?¡± Seeing that the General was silent, Nie Siyan raised an eyebrow.
She hadn¡¯t fought with another ability user since her Level 3 Ascension, and she was very curious to find out how strong she was now, and whether she could easily crush this General! The Prison Head and Kong Xiu both looked towards the General, thinking that if he dared to make a move¡ªthey would definitely stand by and watch! They, too, wanted to know just how much differencey between the General and Nie Siyan after her Level 3 Ascension. However, it was quite clear that the General wasn¡¯t a fool. Whether he could defeat Nie Siyan or not, he now had no reason to attack Nie Siyan, after all, she hade to rescue him. Besides, he had no confidence at all that he could win, more likely to be ruthlessly crushed¡­ ¡°Miss Nie, just a moment, I¡¯ll go get the Crystal Core,¡± the General said after taking a deep breath. ¡°Please do,¡± Nie Siyan made a weing gesture. The General immediately gave a look to the Prison Head and Kong Xiu, and the three of them stepped back together, then huddled close. Nie Siyan didn¡¯t care what they were plotting, now she was bold and confident, relying on her Level 3 strength, she could basically do as she pleased here. After all, her ascension to Level 3 wasn¡¯t simply by integrating One Ascension Crystal Core, but merging four, maximizing the enhancement of her strength to be a formidable Level 3! Nie Siyan ignored them and strolled around by herself. The other survivors, upon seeing her, were not as nervous as the General and hispanions, but rather very excited. After all, they knew this was a reinforcement, and a Level 3 ability user at that! It seemed, they might be saved after all! Nie Siyan also greeted everyone with a smile on her face. Her reputation hadn¡¯t been good before, and many kept their distance, afraid they might be betrayed by her one day. But now, she suddenly became an object of ttery. Praise and adtion surrounded her without end. Even some shrewd people began secretly stuffing Crystal Cores into Nie Siyan¡¯s hands¡ªjust to get familiar with her, to catch her attention, hoping they might be the first to be rescued! If Nie Siyan coulde here, she could surely take people out. Being among the first to be taken out meant facing far fewer dangers. What about Nie Siyan¡¯s previous reputation? That waspletely irrelevant! What they needed to know was that standing before them was a formidable and beautiful Level 3 ability user!
Facing all thesepliments, Nie Siyan felt exhrated! Having power was truly exhrating! As for the Crystal Cores they secretly gave her, Nie Siyan epted them all. Whether she would do the job was another matter, but it was definitely proper to ept the gifts. After all, these weren¡¯t her Crystal Cores; they were Wang Tao¡¯s Crystal Cores. After enjoying the feeling of superiority among the crowd for a while, the General and hispanions came over.
¡°Here are the Crystal Cores, Miss Nie, please inspect them,¡± the General said, holding a bag full of Crystal Cores. He hadn¡¯t specified how many Crystal Cores when he had previously agreed to give them to Lan Yulian, and Lan Yulian hadn¡¯t asked. He now regretted not rifying exactly how many Crystal Cores were to be given. Because now he was faced with a Level 3 ability user! Giving too few was clearly not an option, and giving too many made him feel heartache. But they were the ones seeking help, without much leeway to bargain, so heartache it was¡ªas long as they could get out alive. Crystal Cores could always be earned again, and after all, two of hispanions shared the heartache¡­ Nie Siyan nced briefly at the Crystal Cores inside and then promptly put them away. ¡°Okay. The funds have been received, now you guys just wait here, we will figure out a way to rescue you. As for getting help from Zijin Base, that¡¯s not a viable option¡­¡± Nie Siyan once more conveyed to everyone the message Wang Tao had taught her. After listening, the General also somewhat helplessly nodded. He now also realized that there were too many zombies here, abnormally many. If he were to have his troopse here, they would most likely not only lose their wife but also lose their soldiers. Nie Siyan didn¡¯t dawdle. After assuring herself that they indeed had no intention of attacking her, she put on her helmet and leaped into the air. In a few quick shes, she was gone from the rooftop. Everyone watched her departing figure with great envy. Among them were those who had learned the Jump Ability. But their jump ability was nothingpared to that of a Level 3, and with so many zombies outside, they didn¡¯t dare to leap out.
Chapter 511: 221 Rescuing People_2 Chapter 511: Chapter 221 Rescuing People_2 ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll keep their promise?¡± Kong Xiu asked the General. Those Crystal Cores they had just handed over included his share, and it pained him. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The General truly didn¡¯t know, as many things were now beyond his control. ¡°Heh, hopefully they¡¯ll stick to their word. But what I fear is¡­¡± The Prison Head hesitated, seemingly with more to say. ¡°Afraid of what? Afraid they¡¯ll take the Crystal Cores and run?¡± Kong Xiu turned to look at him. But the Prison Head just shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that after getting these Crystal Cores, they won¡¯t be satisfied and will keep demanding more Crystal Cores from us for other reasons, and eventually bleed us dry¡­ Damn it, if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯d be better off dead!¡±
Towards the end, the Prison Head¡¯s face was filled with irritation. Of course, when he said it would be better off dead, it was just an expression of frustration. After all, if one can live, who would choose death¡­ ¡­ Nie Siyan had juste back when Wang Tao also arrived. His fight with the Blue-skinned Night Demon had been brief and did not dy him much. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± Upon seeing Wang Tao¡¯s return, Nie Siyan hurriedly handed him two bags of Crystal Cores. ¡°Therger bag contains the Crystal Cores given by the General and his men, over three thousand in total. The smaller one has the Crystal Cores given by other survivors, more than two hundred.¡± She had just handed the Crystal Cores over to Lan Yulian, who hadn¡¯t even bothered to look at them before telling Nie Siyan to pass them directly to Wang Tao. Since she now owed Wang Tao a sizable debt, these Crystal Cores were his; rather than suffering from the sight, she chose not to look¡­ Wang Tao opened the two bags to take a look. ¡°Wow, not a small number, huh!¡± They were all Level 2 Crystal Cores; there were no Level 1s, but also no Level 3s. They were mostly white, but to Wang Tao, the quality didn¡¯t matter. Indeed, easye, easy go wealth. ¡°So, when do we act to save them?¡± Lan Yulian asked. ¡°Definitely not now, it¡¯s too soon! We can¡¯t save them until we¡¯ve squeezed them dry. After all, you wouldn¡¯t bring back a few troublesome foes for yourself, would you? They¡¯re not going to die anytime soon, let¡¯s skin them properly, preferably making it impossible for them to everpete with you again¡­¡± Wang Tao began speaking with a sly grin. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian was at a loss for words, finding Wang Tao much more calcting than she was.
At that moment, Nie Siyan suddenly spoke up again: ¡°Oh right, I overheard something else!¡± Nie Siyan quickly ryed what she had overheard about the General¡¯s discussion on base Self Detonation. After hearing this, Lan Yulian and the others were astonished.
¡°That¡¯s ruthless!¡± Wang Tao was also taken aback. He had seen ruthless people, but not to this extent. But on reflection, the General¡¯s words¡­ did seem to make some damn sense¡ªif the base really fell, many survivors would be infected and be zombies, and the stronger the survivor, the more formidable the zombie they¡¯d be! Blowing up the base would, in a way, indeed be a method to reduce the zombie poption¡­ However, there were probably very few who could truly make such a decision. This General was a ruthless man, a rational madman! As for whether there actually were bombs in the base or if the General was bluffing¡­ Wang Tao preferred to believe it was true. It¡¯s always better to be cautious. ¡°This base is too dangerous! We can¡¯t stay in such a perilous ce!¡± Wang Tao immediately said. The others nodded in agreement. ¡°Exactly, we have to leave the base¡ª¡± But before Lan Yulian could finish her statement, Wang Tao cut in:n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°We have to take control of this base, such a dangerous thing must be in our own hands!¡± ¡°¡­¡±
Lan Yulian was speechless again. ¡°But what if the base does explode¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head as he spoke. ¡°Didn¡¯t the General say, anyone not appointed by him was stealing the base illegally? Which means someone appointed by him would be legal. So the focus is on him. As long as we deal with him, it¡¯ll be fine, and right now he¡¯s trapped in the diving gym, we have plenty of time¡­ What do you think, Lan Yulian?¡± After finishing his point, Wang Tao looked towards Lan Yulian. ¡°¡­Whatever you say!¡± Lan Yulian nodded. She didn¡¯t have much say in front of Wang Tao, and besides, she felt that what Wang Tao said also seemed reasonable? ¡°Good, now we focus on improving our strength, and at the same time, think about how to rescue them¡­ Let¡¯s head back first, after all, it¡¯s still too dangerous at night,¡± Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun might be strong, but without Night Vision, nighttime was still risky. ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone agreed. On their way back, Wang Tao handed the Night Demon des to Jiang Shixue.
¡°These are for you, see if you like them.¡± Upon taking the two daggers, a look of surprise shed in Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes. She could feel that the des were powerful. She tried them out and found they even increased her attack speed! ¡°Thank you, Brother Wang, I love them~¡± Jiang Shixue looked at Wang Tao with a happy expression. ¡°d you like them.¡± Wang Tao smiled and tousled her hair. ¡­ Upon returning to the building, it was thetter half of the night. Lan Yulian and the other woman went to rest¡ªafter all, the area was still dangerous, and they needed to maintain their condition. Wang Tao told Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun to rest as well, while he and Jiang Shixue examined the Crystal Cores they had acquired that day, picking and choosing. The General had been generous this time, not all the Crystal Cores given were trash. Although most were white, under Wang Tao¡¯s Synthetic skills, they could immediately turn red or orange. ¡°These Crystal Cores should allow us to create quite a number of Level 2 pinnacle Ability Users¡­ but this General clearly has many more secrets. They must have killed quite a few Level 3 zombies, but not even one Level 3 Crystal Core is here¡­ we have to squeeze it out of them!¡±
Chapter 512: 221 Rescuing People_3 Chapter 512: Chapter 221 Rescuing People_3 Wang Tao stroked his chin in thought. Soon, he had an idea. The next morning. After everyone woke up, Lan Yulian said to Wang Tao: ¡°Today we n to fix the vehicle; with some time spent, we should be able to patch it up. There are still many injured here, and I want to send them back to base first¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao nodded. Lan Yulian took a group of people down to repair the vehicle. The zombies were rtively fewer during the day, and those here had all been drawn away by the aquatics center, so it was rtively safer. After Lan Yulian and the others went downstairs, Wang Tao said to Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan: ¡°You two get familiar with Level 3bat power this morning; in the afternoon, we can go rescue people at the aquatics center.¡± ¡°Ah? We¡¯re going to rescue people? But am I capable enough¡­¡±
Nie Siyan seemed somewhat unconfident. Although she was now a Level 3 ability user, rescuing people was not the same as killing ¨C the former was more difficult, not to mention doing so amidst so many people surrounded by zombies¡­ Wang Tao said with a smile: ¡°You don¡¯t need to save too many people, just pick someone you find agreeable and bring them back, that¡¯s all.¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Just save one person? That¡¯s no problem!¡± Nie Siyan immediately said, patting her chest. Although having to take care of one person would definitely affect her performance, she wasn¡¯t asked to engage in a bloodbath with zombies, so it wasn¡¯t a big problem. Plus, she had Xu Xiaojun to coordinate with on the side. For the entire morning, Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun were familiarizing themselves with their strength and had some friendly sparring. Wang Tao felt that Xu Xiaojun was a bit stronger. If it came down to a life or death struggle, Nie Siyan probably wouldn¡¯t be his match. Of course, if it really were a life or death struggle, Nie Siyan could escape, and Xu Xiaojun wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up. This made sense. After all, when Xu Xiaojun advanced from Level 1 to Level Two, Wang Tao gave him four Level 2 Ascension Crystal Cores. But when Nie Siyan advanced to Level Two, she only used one Ascension Crystal Core. The gap was there. Wang Tao also sparred with Jiang Shixue, mainly to test the power of her pair of daggers. As the saying goes, longer weapons have their strength, shorter ones have their risks. During the fight with Jiang Shixue, Wang Tao felt it was precarious. If he didn¡¯t let Jiang Shixue get close, he could win easily. But once Jiang Shixue got close, Wang Tao felt he could be killed at any moment! Then Wang Tao had Jiang Shixue spar with Xu Xiaojun, and Xu Xiaojun couldn¡¯t handle Jiang Shixue at all; shepletely countered him! Even after reaching Level 3, he still was no match for Jiang Shixue. As for Nie Siyan, she was rtively better off. She was a speed and agility type of ability user, not restrained like Xu Xiaojun. But still not as good as Jiang Shixue. Second Level Jiang Shixue was stronger than both Levels 3! The two daggers provided Jiang Shixue with a bonus that was 1+1>2; for Jiang Shixue, it was like adding wings to a tiger. The only regret was that Wang Tao did not know how to help Jiang Shixue ascend to Level 3. He very much looked forward to Jiang Shixue¡¯s strength after her Level 3 Ascension¡­
In the afternoon, Lan Yulian¡¯s side still hadn¡¯t fixed the vehicle. Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun had already set out. The zombies during the day were not as frenzied as at night, and there were fewer of them. Nie Siyan found a good opportunity, had Xu Xiaojun distract the zombies for a moment, and then used her jump ability again to reach the outside of the aquatics center.
Since it was daytime, there were people on guard at the rooftop of the aquatics center. They had spotted Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun a long time ago and reported to the General. However, when they saw Xu Xiaojun, the hulking figure wielding a Giant Axe, killing his way in and out of the zombie horde, they were utterly shocked. ¡°Another, another Level 3 ability user?¡± Momentster, Nie Siyan jumped onto the rooftop again. ¡°Sister Nie!¡± Several ability users greeted Nie Siyan with great respect upon seeing her. ¡°Mhm.¡± Nie Siyan nodded, then jumped back down without hesitation. Thud¡ª The three Generals were already waiting for her. ¡°Has Ms. Nie found a method?¡± The three men looked at Nie Siyan somewhat surprised. Last night, when Nie Siyan left, she said she would think of a way to rescue them. It was only half a day, and she had already thought of a method?
¡°I have an idea that¡¯s not so great, but let¡¯s try it first.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± The people around were looking at Nie Siyan with some excitement. Nie Siyan looked around, then pointed to a thin woman and said: ¡°You,e here.¡± The woman looked at the General subconsciously, and after seeing him nod, she came over to Nie Siyan¡¯s side. Nie Siyan said to the Generals: ¡°I myself have some strength now, and there¡¯s apanion outside covering for me. So I think I can start by saving a few people.¡± Without waiting for the Generals to respond, she hugged the still bewildered woman with her arm, then jumped up to the rooftop, and from there, leaped down again. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± The woman screamed, closing her eyes and clinging tightly to Nie Siyan. Nie Siyan holding her, jumped next to Xu Xiaojun. ¡°I¡¯m heading out first!¡±
After saying this, Nie Siyan didn¡¯t stop, immediately took off. Xu Xiaojun killed a few more zombies, then with a Rush, instantly escaped the battle and ran without looking back. The zombies, having lost their target, twisted their bodies and ran to attack the aquatics center again. Inside the aquatics center, the Generals opened their mouths but remained silent. This method of rescuing people¡­ not to discuss the efficiency, but shouldn¡¯t you save the leaders first when rescuing? You went to such great lengths to save an ordinary Level 1 ability user; what¡¯s the meaning of that? Watching the survivors, after the initial shock, be somewhat excited, the countertenance of the three Generals was not very good. At that moment, one of the people on duty at the rooftop came down. ¡°General! Ms. Nie also has another teammate, seems like a Level 3 too!¡± ¡°¡­ Damn! Another Level 3?¡± Prison Head became unsettled at once. ¡°Quick! Contact Lan Yulian again, give her Crystal Cores! Let her save us first!¡±
Chapter 513: 222 What Do You Know I Want_1 Chapter 513: Chapter 222 What Do You Know I Want_1 ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± After Nie Siyan returned to the building, she spoke to a female survivor. This survivor had been either scared witless or utterly baffled along the way, until now she finally realized¡ªshe had been saved! She could never have imagined that she would be the first person to be rescued! ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll follow all of Sister Nie¡¯s instructions!¡± After Nie Siyan had settled her down, she went to look for Wang Tao. Lan Yulian had also just returned. ¡°The vehicle has been patched up a bit. Although it¡¯s not fully repaired, it should hold up till we get back to base.¡± Lan Yulian exined to Wang Tao. ¡°Good. Then you take care of arranging it.¡± Wang Tao nodded.
There were quite a few injured people here who needed to get back and rest. And his group also needed to switch out a few vehicles, the temporarily repaired ones obviously wouldn¡¯tst long. ¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯ve already rescued a woman¡­¡± Nie Siyan came over and recounted the rescue from the afternoon. ¡°Well done!¡± Wang Tao patted her shoulder, then said with a smile,n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°I guess it won¡¯t be long before the General contacts us again¡­¡± No sooner had Wang Tao finished speaking than the walkie-talkie on Lan Yulian rang out. ¡°Lan Yulian, do you copy? This is the General.¡± Everyone immediately looked at Wang Tao. Wang Tao shrugged and then asked Lan Yulian to answer the call. ¡°This is Lan Yulian¡­¡± Everyone was silent, listening to the conversation between the General and Lan Yulian. The call ended a momentter. A brilliant smile appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. The General had just indicated he would offer a Level 3 Crystal Core to have Nie Siyan rescue him. Of course, the Prison Head and Kong Xiu felt the same¡ªthey were willing to offer Level 3 Crystal Cores as payment for the journey. ¡°Shall we rescue them?¡± Nie Siyan looked at Wang Tao. Now that she had a clear understanding of her rtionship with Wang Tao, she naturally didn¡¯t want or dare to have too close contact with other men. Like carrying other survivors out. Even though she was wearing a full set of armor, it still felt inappropriate. Of course, if Wang Tao asked, she would certainlyply. ¡°No rush. Go over there tomorrow, fabricate a reason to refuse them, and then casually rescue a couple more people.¡±
Wang Tao¡¯s eyes twinkled as he spoke. If Nie Siyan went to rescue those people like the General, the odds were good that she could seed. But once that happened, Wang Tao¡¯s n couldn¡¯t be executed. The reason he had Nie Siyan rescue others was to show the General that she was capable of bringing people out. She could bring them out too, but it depended on whether what they offered was worth her intervention¡­ He wouldn¡¯t consider rescuing them until he drained them of all their resources.
¡°Alright!¡± Nie Siyan nodded. That night, Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan voluntarily hunted zombies nearby. Wang Tao had given them so many Crystal Cores, they also wanted to give something back to him. Wang Tao called Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng over. ¡°The batch of Crystal Cores the General provided is quite good, containing some Omnipotent Crystal Cores. So, what do you think?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take it!¡± Lan Yulian immediately agreed. Then she looked at Lu Yingfeng and said, ¡°Give them to Little Feng. If Little Feng can be a Level 3 ability user, her role would be much greater than mine!¡± ¡°Jade Lotus¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng was moved and held Lan Yulian¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao nodded.
Lu Yingfeng had four abilities, which were [High-Frequency Vibration], [Athlete], [Precision Shooting], and [Sprint]. Both [Athlete] and [Sprint] had already reached +10, while [Precision Shooting] and [High-Frequency Vibration] were still at +1. [Precision Shooting] was okay, but the main issue was [High-Frequency Vibration]. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have the corresponding Crystal Core anymore. The Omnipotent Crystal Cores he had were prepared for himself. However,st night, Nie Siyan brought some white [Omnipotent] Crystal Cores, which, after synthesis by Wang Tao, could now be assembled into something useful. Looking at Wang Tao taking out high-quality [Precision Shooting] Crystal Cores, the two women were somewhat skeptical. The General would offer such high-quality cores? But despite their confusion, both naturally didn¡¯t ask further questions. Once Lu Yingfeng finished integrating the [Precision Shooting] Crystal Cores, Wang Tao then produced nine red [Omnipotent] Crystal Cores. The two women internally eximed¡ª ¡°Impossible! These definitely aren¡¯t the General¡¯s Crystal Cores!¡± If the high-quality [Precision Shooting] cores were given out because the General couldn¡¯t merge them, that would be one thing, but these high-quality [Omnipotent] cores would absolutely be another story! After all, [Omnipotent] cores could be synthesized by everyone! These [Omnipotent] cores must surely be Wang Tao¡¯s own! It was just unclear where he had obtained them from¡ªwere they leftovers from before, or did he secure them during the time he disappearedst night? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Any questions?¡±
Wang Tao looked at them, puzzled. ¡°No!¡± Lan Yulian immediately took the Crystal Cores and then passed them to Lu Yingfeng. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lu Yingfeng thanked Wang Tao excitedly, then began to integrate them in sequence. After a moment, [High-Frequency Vibration] on Lu Yingfeng also reached +10! Now, all her abilities had achieved +10, and she could continue to integrate Ascension Crystal Cores. A short whileter, Lu Yingfeng suddenly became excited. ¡°I feel like I can start the Ascension within three days!¡± ¡°Congrattions, keep it up!¡± ¡°Get some good sleep.¡± Lan Yulian encouraged her, and Lu Yingfeng nodded gratefully at Wang Tao and Lan Yulian before going to sleep. By this time tomorrow, Lu Yingfeng would be a Level 3 ability user!
Seeing Lu Yingfeng enter Ascension state, Lan Yulian came over to Wang Tao and gave a solemn bow. Chapter 514: 222 What Do You Know I Want_2 Chapter 514: Chapter 222 What Do You Know I Want_2 ¡°Wang Tao, thank you! Without you, who knows when Little Feng would have reached Level 3¡­¡± Although the Crystal Cores that Wang Tao provided her were bought or obtained on credit, it seemed like a fair trade. But at this point in time, the Crystal Cores in Wang Tao¡¯s hands were priceless. If Wang Tao was willing to sell them to her, that alone would be a huge favor! Not to mention that Wang Tao was even willing to let her buy on credit¡­ Wang Tao was so good to her that she felt it was almost surreal. She had thought it was natural for Wang Tao to have an interest in her. However, the moment she recalled Wang Tao saying that he liked both her and Lu Yingfeng, Lan Yulian felt her face inexplicably flush. She wanted to know if Wang Tao was just kidding¡­ ¡°We¡¯re friends, no need for thanks,¡± Wang Tao said generously with a wave of his hand. Since he could synthesize Crystal Cores, these high-quality ones were no trouble for him at all. Moreover, the price he sold to Lan Yulian wasn¡¯t cheap; essentially, for every Crystal Core he sold her, Wang Tao could earn more than two of the same Quality and Level. Even if Lan Yulian couldn¡¯t pay off the debt, Wang Tao was still making a killing. Of course, it wasn¡¯t possible that she couldn¡¯t pay him back, she thought, once she had control over the entire base, she would make sure to settle Wang Tao¡¯s ount first! Lan Yulian was unaware of Wang Tao¡¯s thoughts, and seeing his magnanimity made her heart surge with even more appreciation.
Apart from her rtives, she had never felt such kindness from a stranger ¡ª no, they weren¡¯t strangers now, they were close friends! ¡°Ahem, don¡¯t you wonder why I kept trying to get you to join us?¡± Lan Yulian suddenly said. She was no longer willing to keep secrets from Wang Tao since they were now good friends; there was no need to hide things. ¡°Oh? Do tell,¡± Wang Tao was genuinely curious. If Lan Yulian hadn¡¯t brought it up, he would have almost forgotten about it. ¡°We previously obtained a type of Crystal Core, which is quite powerful, it seems to be able to rapidly recover one¡¯s own energy!¡± ¡°Rapidly recover one¡¯s own energy?¡± Wang Tao was astonished! If it was as Lan Yulian stated, then this Crystal Core was indeed impressive! Nowadays, replenishing HP was nothing special; whether it was Abilities or medicine, Wang Tao had them. But he had never seen anything that could restore Mana. If Ability Users were likened to a gun, then Mana could roughly be equated to ammunition! If you had enough ammo and it never ran out, you¡¯d almost be unbeatable! Although Wang Tao had nearly twenty thousand Mana, his Abilities also consumed a lot of it. Therefore, if he got involved in a prolonged battle, he could not be sure of the oue. If he could obtain an Ability that could rapidly ¡ª no, even slowly ¡ª restore Mana, as long as it was faster than the natural recovery rate, that would be a huge enhancement for Wang Tao!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s greatly interested expression, Lan Yulian couldn¡¯t help but feel a small sense of pride. Aside from this Crystal Core, she had never seen any Ability that could restore energy, so she knew the value of this Core. If it were before, she definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to tell Wang Tao. After all, it was her secret weapon. If other powers were to learn of it, it might cause some trouble. But now that Wang Tao had given her so many good things, even helping Lu Yingfeng to reach Level 3, the value of those things certainly surpassed the worth of that Crystal Core. Therefore, being open and honest with him was no problem. Moreover, they were about to have a Level 3 ability user in their ranks, so what was there to be afraid of in terms of trouble? Yet Lan Yulian shook her head somewhat helplessly and said:
¡°But, this Crystal Core can only be fused by males. I¡¯ve done experiments, and all attempts to fuse by us females failed¡­¡± ¡°Only males can fuse it?¡± This reminded Wang Tao of the Perception Crystal Cores, which, while not limited to females, reduced the effectiveness by half for males, effectively making no difference¡­ ¡°Yes, only males can fuse it. And this Crystal Core seems to devour an Ability upon sessful fusion, so even if you have four Abilities, you could still fuse this Core. This was also a main reason why I invited you to join our facility department. Because Zhang Hong said you¡¯re a good person, I trust her judgment, and I think you¡¯re capable of fusing with this Core¡­¡±
¡°I see.¡± Wang Tao finally understood. He thought it strange ¡ª why was Lan Yulian so adamant about him joining their facility? It turned out to be for this reason. But this Crystal Core seemed quite intriguing, being able to consume other Cores¡­ ¡°Now, I don¡¯t have much with which to thank you. So, I¡¯ve decided to give you this Crystal Core. However, it¡¯s hidden within the Vast Base right now, so I can¡¯t give it to you just yet. Once we¡¯re back, I¡¯ll personally deliver the Core to you!¡± Lan Yulian dered earnestly. ¡°Alright!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He was also curious about what kind of Core it was. If it was really good, he nned to fuse it himself. If he could both replenish Mana and HP, wouldn¡¯t that be amazing? Moreover, he had obtained quite a few Rejuvenation Crystal Cores from the hospital in Shuize County, which used Mana to recover physical strength and spirit! If he could learn all three abilities¡­ wouldn¡¯t he be like a perpetual motion machine? Wang Tao fantasized a bit YY. But as for the specifics, he would have to wait until he saw the Crystal Core. If the requirements for Mana recovery were too stringent, or there were some unavoidable side effects, then he¡¯d have to think about it in the long term¡­
Chapter 515: 222 What Do You Know I Want_3 Chapter 515: Chapter 222 What Do You Know I Want_3 ¡­ The next day. Everyone woke up early. Lan Yulian began to arrange for people to head back. She herself definitely wasn¡¯t returning, as she needed to stay here to help Wang Tao and take care of Lu Yingfeng, who hadn¡¯t woken up yet. Some of the people in her team were strong enough to lead the group. As for the news that the generals and others were trapped, she didn¡¯t issue any orders to keep it a secret. After all, her subordinates weren¡¯t professionals, and expecting them all to keep secrets was highly unlikely. It was better to announce the situation openly, since the generals weren¡¯t dead, just temporarily trapped. She was looking for a way to rescue them¡­ The situation wasn¡¯t too bad, and it shouldn¡¯t lead to chaos within the base. Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun naturally had to make another trip to the diving hall. Last night, they had been killing zombies until midnight and only slept in thetter half of the night. But now they were very spirited and not tired at all. As for Wang Tao, he was nning to take Jiang Shixue out for a walk, to see if they could find another Level 3 Zombie Lord, and also to look for traces of the zombie queen. After everyone had divided up their tasks, they left the building one after another.
Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun did the same as yesterday: Xu Xiaojun would attract the zombies¡¯ attention, and Nie Siyan would quickly jump into the diving hall. Thud! Nie Siyan, d in brown armor, arrived at the diving hall for the third time. The generals and others had be used to her way of entering. ¡°I heard the general is nning to fund another rescue operation?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The general didn¡¯t waste words and directly took out a bag of Crystal Cores. This time, there were far fewer Crystal Cores thanst time, but upon inspection, Nie Siyan¡¯s face was very satisfied. Because these Crystal Cores were all Level 3! ¡°Excellent. With this funding, I believe we can rescue everyone soon!¡± The three generals looked at Nie Siyan with anticipation, wondering which of them would be rescued first, or if they would be taken out at the same time. Nie Siyan was a Level 3 ability user, and even if she wasn¡¯t specialized in strength, she was quite strong and should be able to carry all three grown men at once¡­ However, Nie Siyan shed and directly grabbed a woman¡ªno, two women, tucking one under each arm. Now that the general had contributed more, it was natural to rescue one more person. The two female survivors couldn¡¯t believe they had been chosen. The three generals were even more incredulous; she hadn¡¯t chosen them? As Nie Siyan was about to leave, the Prison Head hastily stopped her. ¡°Ahem, Miss Nie, I think, shouldn¡¯t you take us three out first?¡± Hearing this, Nie Siyan actually nodded. ¡°I was supposed to take you guys out first, but¡­¡± Her face became somewhat respectful ¡°but I am the master¡¯s private property and cannot make contact with other men!¡±
¡°Hiss! Master?!¡± The three men were shocked. Is that true? Who has such great authority to make a Level 3 ability user submit to them?
¡°So, I am really sorry!¡± Nie Siyan apologized with a smile, then with a few jumps, she leaped out with the two women. The Prison Head and Kong Xiu were still in a daze. If Nie Siyan truly had such a master, then perhaps this reason might be usible¡ªusible my ass! They had handed over Level 3 Crystal Cores, for crying out loud! And she just rescued two nobodies, leaving the three big leaders stuck here? The Prison Head was livid, suddenly feeling an urge to kill every female in sight. Luckily, Kong Xiu, noticing something was off with him, quickly grabbed him¡­ ¡°Damn it! All those Crystal Cores better not have been for nothing!¡± The Prison Head scratched his head anxiously. Kong Xiu was also angry and helpless; was it easy for him to save up Level 3 Crystal Cores? It was bad enough they took away his Level 2 Crystal Cores, but he could console himself by iming he didn¡¯t need Level 2 anymore. But if these Level 3 Crystal Cores went to waste, that would be uneptable! The general, on the other hand, suddenly remembered what the Prison Head had said before. If Lan Yulian really intended to bleed them dry¡­ he realized he truly had no power to resist. As for the ¡°master¡± mentioned by Nie Siyan, whether it was true or false no longer mattered. A single Nie Siyan was enough to firmly control them¡­ If this master was real, then he must be even more powerful than Nie Siyan! Plus the big guy outside¡­ that meant they had at least three Level 3 ability users! And they weren¡¯t sure what Lan Yulian¡¯s rtionship with them was, but it seemed that Nie Siyan listened to Lan Yulian. Could it be that Lan Yulian also had a Level 3 ability user on her side¡­ The more the general thought about it, the colder he felt.
The whole of Zijing City had been effectively under his control, hadn¡¯t it? Where exactly had things started to go awry? At this time, some survivors came over. ¡°General, what the hell is going on? Why is Miss Nie only rescuing ordinary people? Do we still have a chance to survive? If it reallyes to it, we have some Crystal Cores as well¡­¡± The speaker was a leader of a minor faction. Among the survivors in the diving hall, there weren¡¯t just the leaders of the three major factions, but also many leaders of medium and small factions within Zijing City. At least half of Zijing City¡¯s leaders were here. If they all died, it would be a huge blow to the survivors of Zijing City. After all, in most factions, the strongest individual was the leader¡­ ¡°Right, what¡¯s going on? We don¡¯t want to die; we want to live and get out¡­¡± As the people looked at each other with urgent and anxious expressions, the general raised his hand. ¡°Everyone, please be calm. I will talk to her again.¡± Seeing the general speaking, the others held their peace. After all, the general¡¯s prestige and capabilities were trusted by everyone.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The general took a walkie-talkie and moved to a corner. ¡°Lan Yulian, just tell me, what do you want for you to rescue us?¡± On the other side, upon receiving the message, Lan Yulian did not reply immediately. Instead, she went to a window to look in the direction of Zijin Base and then said:
¡°You know what I want.¡± The general fell silent. Chapter 516: 223 Honesty and Trustworthiness_1 Chapter 516: Chapter 223 Honesty and Trustworthiness_1 ¡°He agreed.¡± When Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue came back, Lan Yulian blurted out these four words to him. ¡°What?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat puzzled. Taking a deep breath, Lan Yulian¡¯s face bore a mix of excitement and seriousness. ¡°The General agreed to give up the Zijin Base as a reward for saving them!¡± ¡°Uh, that was quick?¡± Wang Tao was a bit surprised. He thought it would take a few more days, but who would have expected the General to cave so quickly? ¡°From his words, I feel that he is not only afraid of dying but is even more afraid of falling behind in the Ascension process¡­¡±
Lan Yulian exined a bit. The General had been subtly inquiring about news of Level 3 ability users during his interactions with her. In the end, he directly asked Lan Yulian how many Level 3 ability users were there with her. Thinking about Lu Yingfeng, who hadn¡¯t woken up yet, Lan Yulian said there were more than three. The General then asked when these Level 3 ability users had ascended, and Lan Yulian replied it happened these past few days. So, the General, who was initially hesitant, immediately agreed to give up the base in exchange for their rescue. Lan Yulian could somewhat understand the General¡¯s thoughts as a leader herself. Simply put, the General panicked when he saw so many people reaching Level 3 in a short period while he himself was stuck. From the beginning of the apocalypse till now, the General had always been in the leading group, never left behind. But now, if he were to fall behind¡ªnot if, but since he had already fallen behind! Others had reached Level 3, not just one or two, but more than three! Yet he was still at Level Two. This was like a math ss during one¡¯s school days¡ªwhen you bend down to pick up a pen you dropped, and by the time you look up, you can no longer understand what the teacher is saying. If you don¡¯t understand that lesson, you might never catch up with the teacher¡¯s pace again! There¡¯s a saying: one step behind, always behind! This was something the General couldn¡¯t ept. And it wasn¡¯t just the General; the Prison Head and Kong Xiu couldn¡¯t ept this either. Especially Kong Xiu, his strength may not have been the strongest among the three, but his Level was at the pinnacle of Level Two, with all four abilities at +10. He was just one Ascension crystal core away from reaching Level 3! But he had tried fusing with three Level 3 White Ascension Crystal Cores, and all attempts failed! Although he knew that the sess rate with White Crystal Cores was low, the triple failure still hit him hard. He failed, while others seeded! That made him somewhat anxious. If they dragged this on, even if they were sessfully rescued, their strength would still be a notch below others, which was obviously uneptable! No one wants to live in someone else¡¯s shadow forever.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om It was the same for the Prison Head; he too had secretly tried fusing with a White Ascension Crystal Core and failed. Now, learning from the General that there were at least three Level 3 ability users with Lan Yulian, he became unsettled. He had to get out; he had to ascend to Level 3!
Thus came the General¡¯s decision to give up the base. You can rebuild a lost base, even take it back. But if you can¡¯t keep up with the group, you might be stepped on by others for a lifetime! ¡°I see¡­¡± Wang Tao nodded his head.
Lan Yulian¡¯s analysis made sense. ¡°So¡­ should we rescue them now?¡± Lan Yulian asked. This was a bit different from the original n. ¡°Of course, we must rescue them. We are honest and trustworthy people, and since he is willing to offer the reward, we must keep our promise. However, we should take control of the base first, and as for how to rescue them, we need to study that¡­¡± Wang Tao gathered everyone to prepare for a meeting to discuss the rescue. It was now nighttime, and Lu Yingfeng had woken up. ¡°Leader! Wang Tao!¡± After waking up, Lu Yingfeng immediately greeted Lan Yulian and Wang Tao. Wang Tao looked at her attributes. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 13600/13600] [Grade: Level 3]
Hidden attribute: Hate the wicked as if they were enemies] [Internal Impurity: 12%] ¡°Not bad!¡± Wang Tao nodded. Her attributes were fine, not much different from Nie Siyan¡¯s. However, her strength was certainly much stronger than Nie Siyan¡¯s. ¡°Now we have three Level 3 ability users!¡± Lan Yulian clenched her fists excitedly. After congratting Lu Yingfeng, they all began to discuss the rescue operation together. In the end, Wang Tao made a decision: first, they would look for a Zombie Lord near the dive hall, which was the Mother Zombie. If one exists, they would find a way to kill it. If not¡ªimpossible, there had to be one! Wang Tao was firm in his judgment. Without killing this zombie, they can¡¯t carry out the rescue, as no one knows the abilities of this zombie. If an ident urs during the rescue, that would mean big trouble. Moreover, they still need to improve everyone¡¯s strength to ensure the group can cope well with any unexpected situations. So, for the next few days, they would search for the Mother and Zombie Lords and increase their strength by killing other zombies. The next day.
Everyone gathered on the rooftop of the building. After the vehicles were repaired yesterday, the injured had returned to the base. But some people stayed behind. That included Lan Yulian¡¯s 8 subordinates, Nie Siyan¡¯s 5 subordinates, and 6 others from two smaller forces. The people from the two smaller forces had merely sent their injured back; their leaders each brought two others to stay, which was somewhat unexpected to Wang Tao. It only showed that the leaders of these two small forces had great foresight. Choosing to stay at this time was indeed dangerous, but that also made them half their own¡­ and Wang Tao never mistreated his own people. The crowd stood in rows, with only one person at the very front of the crowd¡ªWang Tao himself. Chapter 517 - 223 Honesty and Trustworthiness_2 Chapter 517: Chapter 223 Honesty and Trustworthiness_2 Everyone looked at Wang Tao with excitement in their eyes. After all that had happened, everyone had long known that although Jade Lotus ostensibly led the team, the actual leader was Wang Tao. No one objected, including the eight trusted followers led by Jade Lotus. Not to mention Wang Tao¡¯s strength, just the fact that three Level 3 ability users had suddenly appeared in the team and were all rted to Wang Tao was enough tomand everyone¡¯s respect! Looking at the group, who even with wounds sported an energetic appearance, Wang Tao nodded with satisfaction. If they wanted to rescue everyone from the diving gym, relying only on the few of them was certainly not enough. But with these people¡¯s participation, the chance of sess had greatly increased. And not to say it outright, but Jade Lotus and her people were the most pleasing to the eye. Jade Lotus, Ying Feng, and their eight followers were all tall and curvy. Their presence was captivating. Wang Tao came before these people and then looked at Jade Lotus. Seeming to understand what Wang Tao meant, Jade Lotus came over and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these are my sisters, absolutely reliable. They are among the few here in the club that I trust, and they have saved me many times before¡­¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Wang Tao nodded his head. Then, pointing to the neatly arranged Level 2 Iron Tree Armors and Bone Hand Crossbows, along with crossbow arrows, he said, ¡°Each person takes a set of armor, a hand crossbow, and 100 crossbow arrows.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The women responded excitedly, with a few bold ones even throwing Wang Tao a flirtatious nce. Wang Tao¡¯s expression remained unchanged; after all, having seen many beauties, he had developed a degree of immunity.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He then approached Nie Siyan and her group. Nie Siyan was apanied by five followers, including Zhu Han and the four ability users who could emit soporific mists. ¡°You go too, each person takes a set of armor, a hand crossbow, and 100 crossbow arrows.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Zhu Han immediately led the four over.¡± Then Wang Tao looked to the six people from the two other smaller forces. ¡°Your equipment is over there, simrly each person takes a set of armor, a hand crossbow, and 100 crossbow arrows.¡± Wang Tao pointed to another pile of armor and arrows, which were all Level 1. ¡°Yes!¡± They could clearly see that their equipment was different from that of the others; likely to be of lesser quality. But they were still grinning without anyints. After all, their rtionship with Wang Tao was still fresh, and disparate treatment was normal. Besides, this gear was far superior to their own! As for Jade Lotus, Ying Feng, and Nie Siyan, they naturally wore Level 3 Iron Tree Armor and wielded Level 3 Bone Hand Crossbows. After some time, everyone had donned their armor. Seeing the group d in full body armor, wielding various close-quarter weapons, and with Bone Hand Crossbows and arrows at their waists, Wang Tao was very pleased. Although he had the power to equip them all with Level 3 gear, the distance and status between people varied, so naturally, they couldn¡¯t wear the same armor. A hierarchical system was essential, as it gave them the incentive to strive higher. And even Level 1 armor was much better than their original gear. Of course, this equipment wasn¡¯t given to them for free; from now on, all the Crystal Cores from the zombies they killed would belong to Wang Tao! ¡°Now we split into three teams¡­¡± Jade Lotus and Ying Feng led their followers as one team; Nie Siyan with her followers and those from the two small forces formed another team; Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were the third team. The task of the first two teams was to kill zombies in an organized manner to boost their strength, as many people had yet to reach the HP limit of 29,999. They were also tasked to collect Crystal Cores for Wang Tao. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue, on the other hand, would see if they could locate the mother zombie. ¡°Begin the operation!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With a wave of his hand, Wang Tao led the group downstairs in an orderly fashion, heading in the direction of the diving gym. In the building, the three rescued women huddled together. They watched the group d in full body armor with eyes full of envy, wishing they could be part of them¡­ Wang Tao warned them not to wander around; otherwise, if danger arose, no one would save them. The three promptly nodded, indicating they understood. Then Wang Tao asked Nie Siyan to make a trip to the diving gym. They needed to rify the situation of the base, including how to take over the base, and who was holding the Self Detonation remote control. She would also exin the rescue n here so that they would be ready to cooperate in the days toe. ¡°Okay!¡± Nie Siyan nodded her head. Everyone began to act on their separate ways. Wang Tao had searched for an entire day yesterday, without finding any trace of the mother zombie. But he hadn¡¯t given up; he felt certain that a mother zombie was out there. Unfortunately, today had wasted another whole day without any finds. ¡°Could it be that the mother is hiding right in the middle of the zombies¡­ but that doesn¡¯t seem quite right. These zombies are constantly moving; none of them stay fixed together¡­ Perhaps, the mother is hiding in a building and neveres out?¡± Wang Tao felt like he might be going in the wrong direction. He originally thought that with the survivors in the diving gym as bait, the mother zombie would also be attracted there. But then he remembered the Green-eyed Zombie that stayed in the basement and did not go out, not from its own wishing, but because it was stuck and couldn¡¯t leave¡­ Maybe the mother zombie was in the same situation. Chapter 518 - 223 Honesty and Trustworthiness_3 Chapter 518: Chapter 223 Honesty and Trustworthiness_3 Wang Tao nned not to focus on the zombies tomorrow but to search the buildings more thoroughly instead. However, today was not without gains; he killed some Level 3 Elite Zombies and obtained quite a few Crystal Cores. Not only him, but others also gained many Crystal Cores. After changing into new gear, the efficiency of hunting zombies increased significantly. Moreover, Nie Siyan retrieved quite a few Crystal Cores from the diving gym! ¡°Brother Wang, these are from the General.¡± Wang Tao raised his eyebrows slightly; it seemed the General really wanted to get out soon. ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t have any Crystal Cores left and asked us to rescue them as soon as possible¡­ As for the matter of transferring the base, he also mentioned¡­¡± After Nie Siyan¡¯s exnation, Wang Tao finally understood. It was true that there were many bombs installed in the base, and the remote control was in the hands of arade-in-arms who had once shared life-and-death experiences with the General. From the moment the General appeared before the public, he had always been a loner. Even after establishing his power, there was no one he seemed particrly close to; he always looked lonely. Unexpectedly, he had arade-in-arms who shared life-and-death camaraderie with him¡­ Indeed, he was very cunning! There was a code between the General and thisrade. Regardless of whether they met or not, as long as they matched the code, they could retrieve the remote control. To take over Zijin Base, they first had to deal with thisrade-in-arms. But¡­ who to send to handle thisrade-in-arms was a problem. After all, this was just the General¡¯s word. What if the code he gave was wrong, leading to an attack or an ambush during the exchange? Or even more seriously, what if thisrade-in-arms simply pressed the remote control after the code exchange and detonated the bombs? It was all hard to say. Therefore, exchanging codes with thisrade-in-arms was a very dangerous action. Wang Tao called over Lan Yulian and several others. Before discussing this matter, he first mentioned the issue of the base¡¯s ownership. ¡°I think Jade Lotus is very suitable; what do you guys think?¡± Wang Tao asked the group with a smile. ¡°What?¡± Everyone was momentarily startled. They all thought Wang Tao wanted to be the leader of Zijin Base, but he rmended it to Lan Yulian instead! ¡°You¡­ you yourself don¡¯t want to be the leader?¡± Lan Yulian asked in surprise. Wang Tao had worked hard for so long; wasn¡¯t he going to take the position of leader himself? She had always thought that Wang Tao wanted to be the leader. She respected Wang Tao, but his words disrupted all her ns¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± Wang Tao shook his head. The base was indeed not bad, but it was actually an unfinished base still under construction. Although the General and others had found ways to improve it, without the professional talent and equipment, the improvements were not well made.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Moreover, Wang Tao wanted to go to the military base, and might leave in a few days. Having the position of leader would be of no use to him. Of course, not taking the leadership position didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t take benefits. At least one share of the Crystal Cores in the base belonged to Wang Tao. As for the candidate for leader, there were currently two options: Nie Siyan and Lan Yulian. Wang Tao felt that Nie Siyan¡¯s abilities were far inferior to Lan Yulian¡¯s, so he wanted her to take the position. ¡°Then, Siyan¡­¡± Lan Yulian nced at Nie Siyan again. She was unclear about the specific rtionship between Nie Siyan and Wang Tao, but Nie Siyan was obviously closer to Wang Tao than her. ¡°She¡¯s not cut out for it.¡± Wang Tao directly vetoed on Nie Siyan¡¯s behalf. Hearing this, Nie Siyan felt a little disheartened inside. She also knew that she was notparable to Lan Yulian in managing a base. After all, when Lan Yulian took over the clubhouse, it was just a small force established by a few women. But under her leadership, it gradually became one of the four major powers, and her strength was recognized by all. But Wang Tao stating it so bluntly¡­ it hurt! Lan Yulian looked at Wang Tao, who didn¡¯t seem to be joking, and then at the encouraging gaze from Ying Feng by her side. She gritted her teeth. ¡°Fine! Since you don¡¯t want the base, I¡¯ll take it!¡± Being the leader of the base certainly had many benefits, but it also came with a lot of pressure. However, she wasn¡¯t afraid and felt she could do it! ¡°Good!¡± Wang Tao nodded in approval, smiling. ¡°Then let¡¯s discuss the debt issue. After you be the leader of the base, don¡¯t forget to pay it off, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s face immediately turned bitter. Seizing the benefits of this base, at least half of them would probably have to be split with Wang Tao! She wasn¡¯t unwilling to part with them, as it was what they had agreed to before. She just felt that life was tough¡­ She would have to manage the base well in the future and earn those Crystal Cores back! After deciding on a candidate, Wang Tao mentioned the matter of the General¡¯srade-in-arms. ¡°Who will retrieve the remote control?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± Lan Yulian immediately spoke up. Since she was to be the new leader of Zijin Base, it was her inescapable responsibility. ¡°Let me go instead.¡± At this moment, Lu Yingfeng spoke up. Lan Yulian, after all, didn¡¯t have strongbat capabilities. She was worried Lan Yulian might encounter trouble she couldn¡¯t handle. Lan Yulian retorted: ¡°No. This is my base; I must go! As the new leader, I need to set an example. If even I¡¯m afraid to go, what would others think of me?¡± That was just one reason she gave; another reason was that, although she seemed to be Ying Feng¡¯s superior, they were actually very close, like sisters. Just as Ying Feng was afraid of her getting hurt, she was also afraid for Ying Feng. Seeing both of them eager to go, Wang Tao said: ¡°How about this? You both go, one overt, one covert. Having a partner would be good for backup.¡± Lu Yingfeng was a Level 3 ability user, and with her strength in the current Zijin Base, she could probably wreak havoc. ¡°¡­ That works.¡± The two women exchanged nces and nodded in agreement. The matter was settled. They were prepared to set out early the next morning to settle the issue and avoid any unnecessaryplications. ¡­ That evening. Wang Tao piled up all the Crystal Cores he had obtained today and, after making a selection, suddenly grinned. He had finally found the Crystal Core suitable for his Synthetic ability! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 519 - 224 Zombie Mother_1 Chapter 519: Chapter 224 Zombie Mother_1 ¡°` Wang Tao had not ascended to Level 3 because he still had two superpowers that had not been synthesized to their limit¡ªhe could merge his own superpower with others to obtain new superpowers, and couldbine up to four native superpowers into one. Therefore, Wang Tao had been collecting other Crystal Cores. In the past few days, many Crystal Cores hade into his possession, and he had finally found two that were quite suitable. The first Crystal Core was ¡°Indirect Attack,¡± and the second was ¡°Energize One Hit.¡± [Level 2 Crystal Core: Indirect Attack] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Strength reduced by half)] [Indirect Attack: Consumes energy during an attack, allowing to attack over a short distance, but the attack is somewhat weakened] The Ability ¡°Indirect Attack¡± was still decent; some of the people from the smaller forces possessed this power. It was different from Shockwave, which affected everything in front of it and would first hit an obstacle if present. Indirect Attack, however, attacked over a distance. If there was an obstacle, the attack would skip over it. For instance, if the opponent was wearing a suit of Armor, using Shockwave would hit the Armor first. But with Indirect Attack, the attack could bypass the Armor and hit the opponent¡¯s body directly. However, this attack was somewhat weakened and the gap distance was very small; it might just bypass ayer of Armor or a wall, but may not be effective beyond that range. Coupled with the side effect of halving the user¡¯s strength¡­ in actualbat, this power was not strong. But that didn¡¯t matter to Wang Tao, as he was capable of synthesis. He had also saved up two of these, and with this one, he now had three. Momentster, an Epic Indirect Attack Crystal Core appeared. Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush to merge it, but instead turned his attention to the other Crystal Core. [Level 2 Crystal Core: Energize One Hit] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: One arm bes powerless)] [Energize One Hit: Consumes energy to build up power. The longer the buildup, the higher the damage of the strike. Maximum buildup time is 10 seconds] This superpower wasn¡¯t bad either. It allowed for a build-up strike, which could be a finisher in critical moments. However, its side effect was significant, effectively disabling one arm. Wang Tao had also umted a few Energize One Hit Crystal Cores, and after merging them, an Epic Energized One Hit emerged. Wang Tao felt that these two Crystal Cores should be mergeable with Vibration Shock, but he would have to test to be sure. He extracted the Level 1 +10 Sprint Ability from his body and first merged it with an Indirect Attack Crystal Core. ¡°Sure enough!¡± n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Seeing a 92% sess rate, Wang Tao didn¡¯t hesitate and went ahead with the synthesis. After the process wasplete, Wang Tao didn¡¯t examine it closely but continued and merged the Energize One Hit. The sess rate for this was 90%, and Wang Tao confirmed the merge once again. [Fusion sessful, new superpower obtained: Level 2, Rank 1: Mastery Fusion] [Mastery Fusion: Consumes energy to utilize high-frequency vibration, Shockwave, Indirect Attack, and Energize One Hit] Without a second thought, Wang Tao used the nine Omnipotent Crystal Cores he had prepared in advance. Momentster, all Crystal Cores werepletely merged. And Wang Tao¡¯s Mana had just reached 20,000! ¡°Thest superpower is all that¡¯s left now¡­ I need to study it carefully.¡± He didn¡¯t have any more Crystal Cores suitable for himself in hand. He wanted to merge a Perception one, but the Perception Crystal Cores were currently scarce, and he was one short. He would have to wait longer. The next day. Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng left early in the morning. While the others continued to team up and hunt zombies, Wang Tao also continued to search for the Mother Zombie with Jiang Shixue. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t n on going near the swimming venue any longer; he had searched there for a long time with no findings. So today, he prepared to inspect other buildings for any clues. And indeed, there were many zombies. Not all zombies were attracted to the area near the swimming venue; many lingered inside buildings. Although it was pitch ck inside, this did not affect Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue. Wang Tao encountered several strong Level 3 Elite Zombies. He obtained quite a few Crystal Cores and potions. It could be considered a fruitful trip, not a wasted journey. And at one moment, Jiang Shixue suddenly looked up. ¡°Brother, I feel like something is watching me¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Wang Tao immediately became vignt. With increased strength, his perception had also be more sensitive. Often, these sensations were not just illusions. Wang Tao followed Jiang Shixue¡¯s gaze, which was in the direction of the gymnasium. He saw nothing. So he employed his nt Affinity Ability to carefully probe the gymnasium. Apart from some ordinary zombies, he didn¡¯t sense anything else. Although Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity Ability was not very precise, its range was extensive, and he immediately expanded it. ¡°Hmm?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao felt something was off in a particr area¡ªand that ce was a park next to the gymnasium. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao immediately grabbed Jiang Shixue and ran towards the park. The park¡¯s vegetation was lush, giving the impression of entering a primeval forest upon arrival. Because Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity Ability could use nts for perception, he had already sensed the area and hadn¡¯t detected anything unusual. Moreover, every day as he passed by, he would sense it once to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything. ¡°` Chapter 520 - 224 Zombie Mother_2 Chapter 520: Chapter 224 Zombie Mother_2 But upon reflection, he realized that although he had sensed this ce several times through his nt Affinity Ability, he had never actively entered it. Could he have overlooked something? After he and Jiang Shixue entered the park, they explored cautiously and slowly. About an hourter, Wang Tao looked puzzled. ¡°Why is there nothing at all?¡± He and Jiang Shixue both felt that something was not quite right here, as there wasn¡¯t a single zombie to be found! Even though many zombies had been lured away by the General and his forces, the park was still massive in size, so how could there not be even a single Level 1 Ordinary zombie? This was clearly not normal! After searching for over an hour, however, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue found nothing¡­ Moreover, Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity Ability couldn¡¯t possibly be fake, could it? He had sensed the area multiple times with this ability, and it seemed like there really was nothing unusual here. ¡°Little Xue, is there anywhere we haven¡¯t searched yet?¡± Wang Tao asked Jiang Shixue, who was standing beside him. Jiang Shixue tilted her head to think, then pointed toward the artificialke next to the park: ¡°The only ce near the park we haven¡¯t searched is theke.¡± ¡°Theke?¡± Wang Tao frowned. The sports center had arge artificialke, located by the south gate of the stadium, next to the park, and several other buildings. Wang Tao had walked over a bridge on the artificialke when he had entered the stadium before. And Wang Tao had previously¡­ subconsciously ignored this ce! ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look!¡± Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue went to thekefront. Theke water was very murky, and nothing could be seen clearly. ¡°There might be a problem here¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned, suspecting that the problem might lie within theke. But he dared not enter the turbid waters, as who knew what was beneath. After thinking it through, Wang Tao caught several Ordinary zombies and threw them into theke. Plop~ The zombies struggled on the surface briefly before slowly sinking into theke. Wang Tao waited for a while, but there was no movement in theke. Then he took out somerge dried fish from his Magical Stomach Pouch and threw several big pieces into theke. A momentter. Gurgle~ Suddenly, bubbles began to rise from the turbid waters! ¡°There¡¯s definitely something down there!¡± Afterward, Wang Tao threw in some chunks of meat and other such things, but the water just gurgled and bubbled without anythinging out. And since the water was too murky, Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare to go down¡­ The situation was at a stalemate. ¡°I don¡¯t believe this, I must get you out today!¡± At noon, Wang Tao returned to the building. He found the three women that Nie Siyan had saved. ¡°I need fresh blood¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± All three women were somewhat afraid, as Wang Tao¡¯s words gave them a feeling that they might be murdered. The first woman saved by Nie Siyan timidly spoke up: ¡°Mr. Wang, I am willing to donate blood! But if it¡¯s too much, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to handle it¡­¡± She was very grateful for Nie Siyan¡¯s lifesaving grace and was willing to do something within her capability. ¡°I don¡¯t need much, it won¡¯t cost you your life.¡± Wang Tao brought over two stic bottles, and suddenly a Surgeon¡¯s Knife appeared in his hand. ¡°¡­¡± The woman suddenly regretted her decision; she thought Wang Tao would use a needle, but instead, he directly used a knife¡­ That meant a lot of blood would be taken! But it was toote for regrets, so she simply rolled up her sleeve, extended her wrist, closed her eyes, and presented herself like amb to the ughter. The other two women sneaked nces at her, looking somewhat happy about her misfortune. After disinfecting the woman¡¯s arm with medicines from the medical kit, Wang Tao made a cut over her vein. The woman¡¯s body shook, but she still didn¡¯t dare to open her eyes. The Surgical Knife was very sharp, so the pain wasn¡¯t much¡ªat least not at that moment. It was just that the thought of it was terrifying, and she kept feeling like she might bleed to death¡­ Wang Tao, of course, wouldn¡¯t let her bleed to death. He watched carefully and, feeling it was enough, suddenly squeezed the woman¡¯s arm. ¡°Mm~¡± The woman moaned, not from pain but from fright. Wang Tao quickly took out the medical kit and stopped her from bleeding. It wasn¡¯t until he had bandaged her wound with bandages and told her it was okay that the woman opened her eyes with a pale face. ¡°Thanks, when Lan Yulianester, have her treat your wounds,¡± Wang Tao said, while taking out a Red Crystal Core and putting it in her hand, ¡°This is for you.¡± Seeing the Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core of red quality in her hand, the woman was stunned. ¡°A Red Level Two Ascension Crystal Core?¡± She was only Level 1, and a Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core was exactly what she needed most right now, not to mention a red one! ¡°Thank you!¡± n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Btedly, she hastily expressed her thanks, but only Wang Tao¡¯s retreating figure was in sight. The other two women looked on in astonishment, followed by envy and regret. If only they had known that donating a little blood would get them a Red Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core, they would surely have rushed to offer their help! ¡­ Wang Tao, holding the fresh blood, returned to the artificialke. Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan had also been called by him, but Wang Tao told the two to wait at a distance and wait for Wang Tao¡¯s instruction. ¡°I refuse to believe you won¡¯te out!¡± Wang Tao directly spilled the fresh blood into theke. Gurgle~ As expected, the murkyke water began to boil. A momentter. Whoosh¡ª A rotten, gaping mouth suddenly rose to the surface, swallowing all the fresh blood in one gulp! The mouth was less than a meter away from Wang Tao, who could smell the rotten stench. Well-prepared, Wang Tao immediately covered his body with Entangling Roots, turning into a ¡°tree root monster,¡± and then he grabbed the upper and lower jaws of the gaping mouth and pulled it towards the shore! Chapter 521: 224 Zombie Mother_3 Chapter 521: Chapter 224 Zombie Mother_3 ¡°Rise¡ª¡ª¡± Then, Wang Tao discovered that he couldn¡¯t move it at all! Instead, this big-mouthed monster tried to sink into theke, dragging Wang Tao towards the water, cracks appearing one after another under his feet! Jiang Shixue hurried over to help, but even with her assistance, it was no good! ¡°Quick,e over!¡± Wang Tao yelled. Rumble¡ª¡ª Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan both rushed forward and arrived in front of Wang Tao, grabbing hold of the big-mouthed monster! After Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan joined in, the big-mouthed creature immediately lost its ability to sink. ¡°Alright, on three. One, two, three, lift!¡±
Wang Tao shouted, and everyone put forth their full strength. Then, they saw a gigantic monster slowly being hauled out of the water! Finally. Whoosh¡ª¡ª The big-mouthed monster was yanked out by several people! ¡°So huge!¡± When Nie Siyan saw the full extent of the monster, she couldn¡¯t help but exim in shock. Thud! The crowd pulled the monster overhead, and it fell behind them into the park, shattering the trees and the ground. Wang Tao looked at the monster with a hint of shock on his face. It was over twenty meters long and five or six meters tall, shaped like a caterpir, but instead of fur, it was covered in human arms, legs, and heads, looking incredibly eerie¡ªa stitched together colossal zombie monster! Previously, thergest creature Wang Tao had encountered was the gori zombie. But lying there, it was about the same height as a standing gori zombie! However, once this stitched-together zombie left the water, it seemed to lose its ability to move; it wriggled on the spot for a while and could only walk a few steps. ¡°Could this be a four-level zombie?¡± Nie Siyan was somewhat frightened, her Perception of this zombie was not very clear. ¡°No, just a Level 3, Lord,¡± said Wang Tao with a smile. Even though the stitched zombie was huge and looked terrifying, it wasn¡¯t a Level 4. Otherwise, Wang Tao would have retreated the moment he saw its mouth. He had experienced the power of a Level 4 monster, and he knew it wasn¡¯t something he could handle at the moment. [HP: 60000/60000] [Mana: 60000/60000]
[Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Tao believed it was the maternal zombie lurking in the shadows! ¡°Just a Level 3, Lord hmm?¡± Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Nie Siyan breathed a sigh of relief. She still had a residual fear from the Level 4 monster she had encountered with Wang Tao.
If it was only Level 3, that was manageable. After all, with two Level 3s, plus Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue, couldn¡¯t they deal with a Level 3, Lord? ¡°Attack!¡± Wang Tao was not certain of the stitched zombie¡¯s capabilities just yet, but decided to take action. Wang Tao pulled out his Bone Knife and charged straight at it. Jiang Shixue followed closely with her daggers clenched tightly. Next was Nie Siyan, jumping high into the air, and finally came Xu Xiaojun with the Broken Giant Axe. However, Xu Xiaojun used Rush and consequently was the first to attack,nding a hit on the stitched zombie¡¯s head. [-3423] One axe chop took off more than three thousand HP. Wang Tao saw the damage numbers and immediately rejoiced. Its Defense is low! Wang Tao was the second to rush in. He leaped high, his Bone Knife enhanced with high-frequency vibration cutting into the stitched zombie¡¯s head. Squish! [-5265] The de plunged in, chopping off over five thousand HP!
¡°Hit its head! This zombie¡¯s Defense is very weak!¡± Wang Tao immediately shouted to the others. Jiang Shixue was the third to rush in. She also leaped up like Wang Tao, thrusting her Daggers at the zombie. But¡­ the zombie didn¡¯t lose any HP! Seeing this, Wang Tao seemed to realize something and immediately said to Jiang Shixue, ¡°This zombie¡¯s skin is too thick, Little Xue, your Daggers are too short, they didn¡¯t pierce through!¡± Jiang Shixue: ¡°¡­¡± Nie Siyan¡¯s weapon was a sharpened steel rebar. As soon as she heard Wang Tao¡¯s words, she who was mid-jump immediately adjusted her angle, directing the rebar towards the suturing zombie¡¯s head. Thwack! [-2743] The rebar plunged into the zombie¡¯s head, killing nearly three thousand of its HP. Wang Tao seized the opportunity to hack at it twice more, while Xu Xiaojun also swung his axe once. Just the first round of attacks reduced the suturing zombie¡¯s HP by twenty-two thousand! ording to this situation, at most thirty secondster, it would be dead!
¡°This zombie looks quite scary, but is it actually weak?¡± Just as this thought crossed Wang Tao¡¯s mind, he saw the zombie suddenly tilt its head back and open its mouth wide. There was no sound, but Wang Tao suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head. Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun¡¯s bodies wobbled, almost falling over. It seemed that only Jiang Shixue was not greatly affected. ¡°Mental Shock!¡± This feeling was almost the same as when they had been attacked by that Hundred-armed Zombie before! ¡°This is a zombie focusing on mental attacks!¡± Although Mental Shock was colorless and formless, impossible to guard against, it could be blocked by obstacles. Except for Jiang Shixue, the three of them, including Wang Tao, were all wearing full body armor, firmly protecting their heads. And since Jiang Shixue was the person least afraid of mental attacks¡­ the impact of this Mental Shock on them wasn¡¯t big. ¡°Rush!¡± Wang Tao once again raised his Bone Knife. Thwack! [-5354] Thwack! [-5234]
Two strikes took off another ten thousand HP. The suturing zombie opened its mouth wide again,unching another Mental Shock. ¡°Ugh¡ª¡ª¡± This time Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun immediately dropped to one knee. The Mental Shock was stronger than before! Even with their helmets on, they could scarcely block it, and they were no longer able to attack. As for Wang Tao, it felt as if his head had been pricked by a needle! However, he had previously fused with a Crystal Core that increased his spiritual power, and he had drunk many Potions that enhanced his spiritual power, so he was able to withstand it. Thwack! Thwack! [-5843] [-5631] Another two shes left the suturing zombie with only twenty-six thousand HP remaining! The suturing zombie continued to open its mouth wide. ¡°Sss¡ª¡ª¡± Wang Tao suddenly felt a splitting headache! ¡°Brother, the zombies areing!¡± At that moment, Jiang Shixue suddenly spoke next to Wang Tao¡¯s ear, and he immediately turned his head. He saw from the direction of the diving hall, quite a few zombiesing their way! ¡°Quick battle, quick decision!¡± Wang Tao endured the headache and once again hacked at the suturing zombie¡¯s head. Several more blows followed. Thwack! [-5485] [0/60000] The zombie¡¯s HP bar emptied! tter¡ª¡ª A bunch of items burst out of its body, among them many bottles of Zombie Culture Fluid! Wang Tao immediately gathered everything that could be taken, while Jiang Shixue reached into the zombie¡¯s head and pulled out an Orange Crystal Core. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± mping down on his teeth, Wang Tao carried the somewhat groggy Xu Xiaojun. Jiang Shixue picked up Nie Siyan, and the two of them ran straight towards the building. Meanwhile, the distant zombies stopped in their tracks as if they had lost their target the moment the suturing zombie died. Only a part of the zombies headed to thekeside, while the rest wandered back to the diving hall in a daze. Chapter 522: 225: Taking Zijin Base_1 Chapter 522: Chapter 225: Taking Zijin Base_1 Everyone ran back to the building. ¡°No zombies are chasing us, they¡¯ve gone back¡­ Little Xue, go take care of them!¡± Seeing only a few scattered zombies following them, Wang Tao ordered Jiang Shixue. ¡°Okay!¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s spirit had not been greatly affected; she set down Nie Siyan and retraced her steps, quickly dispatching all the pursuing zombies. ¡°Ahem, Brother Wang, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Nie Siyan spoke somewhat embarrassed. She hadn¡¯t expected the mental shock from the zombie to be so strong that even she, being Level 3, could barely withstand it¡­ she almost ended up being a hindrance. ¡°Brother Wang, I¡¯ve been a drag¡­¡± Xu Xiaojun scratched his head, feeling embarrassed as well.
¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as the oue is good. And that zombie¡¯s mental attack really was strong. I almost couldn¡¯t withstand it either. You guys just rest up.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. After a mental attack, one¡¯s head would feel very ufortable, and there might even be some aftereffects. Get a good night¡¯s sleep, let your mind empty, and you¡¯ll feel much better. ¡°Got it!¡± The two didn¡¯t try to act tough and immediately went to rest. Their heads really were still bothering them. Wang Tao then started to tally the loot. Killing this stitched zombie brought Wang Tao a total of 14400 special energy. It was the most he had ever gained from killing a single zombie. His total special energy had also reached 135,000. ¡°Big brother, here~¡± At this moment, Jiang Shixue handed Wang Tao the Crystal Core she took out from the zombie¡¯s head. [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Mental Defense] [Quality: Epic (100%)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: reduced defense)] [Mental Defense: Passive Ability, increases mental defensive power] ¡°Eh?¡± Surprised at the attribute of this Ability, Wang Tao was somewhat taken aback. He hadn¡¯t expected the zombie to have a mental defense ability, no wonder its defense was low! And this mental defense was an ability that Wang Tao needed! If he had this ability, he would be much more at ease when dealing with zombies capable of mental attacks in the future! However, speaking of which, this stitched zombie was quite unlucky. Its mental defense ability waspletely useless against Wang Tao and his group¡ªbecause none of them could perform mental attacks. In addition to the Crystal Core, the insides of the stitched zombie also contained plenty of Zombie Culture Fluid, which Wang Tao had all collected at the time.
[Gained: Zombie Culture Fluid x44745] ¡°So much Zombie Culture Fluid¡­ Little Xue won¡¯t be short on itter¡­¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn Apart from using it on Jiang Shixue, Wang Tao didn¡¯t know what else this substance could be used for. Though speaking of Zombie Culture Fluid, Wang Tao had originally thought that the progenitor would be a Four-level zombie. ording to his previous experience, Level 3 zombies shouldn¡¯t be able to cultivate other Level 3 zombies¡ªyet it indeed was a Level 3 progenitor zombie!
Wang Tao suspected that the progenitor zombie must have undergone some mutation, or some idental event had urred¡­ Wang Tao looked towards the Loot Packs, totaling four. Inside the first Crystal Core Gift Bag, there were a blue [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension], a purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent], a purple [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Perception], a blue [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Mental Attack], and an orange [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Bloodline Inheritance]. Apart from thest one, all were Crystal Cores Wang Tao had seen before. Especially Perception and Mental Attack, these two Abilities were among Wang Tao¡¯s favorites. He now had three Perception Crystal Cores, although one was Level Two and not yet able to be synthesized. He also had two Mental Attacks; if he could get one more, that would be even more perfect. The attributes of thest Core, however, raised Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows. He knew there had to be a reason the zombie could cultivate Level 3 zombies, and here it was! [Level 3 Crystal Core ¨C Bloodline Inheritance] [Quality: 100% (Epic)] [Purity: 40% (Side effect: none)] [Bloodline Inheritance: Can transfer part of one¡¯s own strength to others, up to the limit of one¡¯s own strength (one¡¯s own strength will not be permanently reduced, but it takes time to recover)]
This Ability was interesting, as it could transfer one¡¯s strength to others. But what did ¡°strength¡± specifically refer to? HP? Mana? Physical condition? Ability? Or something else? Just by looking at the Core, it¡¯s not apparent. To find out exactly what it is, one would need to experience it personally. But what was certain was that the zombie¡¯s ability to cultivate other Level 3 zombies was definitely rted to this Ability! The second pack contained Potions and Blueprints. [Gained: Mental Boosting Potion x20] [Gained: Mental Potion (Small) x10] [Gained: Mental Potion (Small) Recipe x1] Wang Tao had seen the Mental Boosting Potion before, but it was his first time seeing the Mental Potion (Small). [Mental Potion (Small): After injection, increase mental strength by 10%-100% (the stronger the spirit, the greater the increase),sts for 1 minute, with a 12-hour cooldown] [Mental Potion (Small) Blueprint: Once learned, one can make 5 Mental Potion (Small) each time. Required materials: Psychic Mushroom x1, Zombie Crystal Core x1, Purified Water 100ml, Food 10 Kcal] The effects of the Mental Potion seemed good, simr to the Strength Potion and Defense Potion. Plus, with the blueprint, once learned, it could be made continuously! Wang Tao used all of the Mental Boosting Potions, and then learned the blueprint for the Mental Potion. He didn¡¯t have Psychic Mushrooms now, but he would eventually. The third Loot Pack contained more Zombie Culture Fluid.
[Gained: Zombie Culture Fluid x10000] Chapter 523: 225: Taking Zijin Base_2 Chapter 523: Chapter 225: Taking Zijin Base_2 ¡°` With the addition of those produced by the zombies, there are now over 50,000 units of Zombie Culture Fluid. Wang Tao even started to entertain the idea of cultivating zombies himself for hunting¡­ Thest package contained Hand Grenades and Blueprints. [Obtained: Mental Shock Grenade x10] [Obtained: Mental Attack Grenade Blueprint x1] [Mental Shock Grenade: Causes mental shock within a specific range upon detonation] [Mental Attack Grenade Blueprint: Allows for crafting of 10 Mental Shock Grenades, required materials: Level 3 Flesh x10kg, Crystal Core x1, Metal x1kg] This grenade should have an effect simr to the Mental Shock special ability, but it doesn¡¯t consume mana and can be used by anyone. As for the blueprint, like the previous Slime Spitter Grenade Blueprint, it is single-use, each only able to produce 10 grenades. However, the threshold for crafting it is very low. Just Level 3 Flesh and any Crystal Core are needed, which Wang Tao could obtain by taking down a Level 3 zombie. Since he couldn¡¯t merge with a Mind Attack Crystal Core for now, these grenades would serve as a good substitute.
After tallying up the spoils of war, Wang Tao looked up at the sky; it was already evening. The personnel who went out to hunt zombies were beginning to return one after another. Wang Tao pondered that now the mother zombie had been dealt with, it was time to start rescuing people. All he needed was to wait for news from Lan Yulian. Just as he thought of Lan Yulian, his walkie-talkie crackled to life. ¡°Wang Tao, it¡¯s Lan Yulian. The work is done. I¡¯m handling some affairs; I¡¯lle to you in about three or four days.¡± ¡°Wang Tao, I am¡­¡± The voiceing from the walkie-talkie wasn¡¯t Lan Yulian¡¯s¡ªit must be one of her subordinates. Zijin Base could send signals to him, but he couldn¡¯t respond. Lan Yulian had to keep sending messages to prevent Wang Tao from missing them. ¡°That was sorted out so fast?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. It seemed the General hadn¡¯t set any traps. But that made sense. He was a smart man and knew that if he yed any tricks, he would be the first to suffer the consequences. ¡°If she will arrive in three or four days, then we will wait until shees before performing the rescue.¡± If it were simply killing zombies, having Lan Yulian there or not didn¡¯t matter, but when it came to rescuing people, certainly, her presence as a healer was best. After all, Wang Tao was someone with a professional ethic; since he promised to save people, he intended to save them alive. The next day. After a good sleep, Wang Tao and the other two felt almost no issues at all. ¡°We¡¯ll continue to hunt zombies today. Everyone, gear up; if we hunt down an Ascension Crystal Core¡­ I will prioritize distributing them to you all!¡± Wang Tao said to everyone with a smile. Upon hearing this, everyone was extremely excited. The mainstream level of survivors in Zijing City was still Level 1, Level Two was very rare, and Level 3 consisted of only a few people like Nie Siyan. Many among this group were Level 1 ability users. They dared not think about reaching Level 3, but if they could ascend to Level Two, it would be like being offered a pie from the sky! Seeing everyone¡¯s enthusiasm roused, Wang Tao waved his hand.
¡°Let¡¯s move out!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Taking advantage of the few days before Lan Yulian¡¯s return, Wang Tao nned to lead everyone on high-intensity zombie hunts, hoping to boost their strength a bit. This way, the rescue mission would have a better chance of sess. ¡­
Three dayster. Inside a building. ¡°We won¡¯t go out today; take a day off.¡± Upon hearing that they wouldn¡¯t be hunting zombies today, everyone instantly breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°We can finally rest!¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om In these three days, they had experienced what high-intensity zombie hunting really meant! They had no idea how many zombies they had killed, nor were they aware of how many spoils they had collected. The only thing on their minds was¡ªkill. If they didn¡¯t rest today, they felt they would be done for. Not just them, even Xu Xiaojun, with his capacity to endure hardship, was feeling overwhelmed. Wang Tao himself also felt utterly exhausted. Perhaps only Jiang Shixue appeared as if nothing was wrong; her physical strength remained a mystery. Wang Tao told everyone to rest well, but he had no time to rest; he needed to sort through the spoils of war properly. In these three days, everyone fought intensively for over a dozen hours every day! This was far more exhausting than any job because one small mistake could mean death!
With such intensity, the spoils of war were naturally bountiful! Wang Tao alone had gained over 100,000 units of Special Energy! His total Special Energy had now reached 310,000! Merging and extracting from a Level 3 Crystal Core required 30,000 units of Special Energy each time, so his stockpile was enough for a dozen such procedures. Then there were the Crystal Cores; all Crystal Cores obtained from killing zombies were with Wang Tao. There were 5,000 Level 1 Crystal Cores, 1,000 Level 2 Crystal Cores, and 200 Level 3 Crystal Cores! Under normal circumstances, obtaining so many Crystal Cores would be impossible¡ªnot due tock of strength, but simply because there were not enough Elite Zombies since only Elite Zombies could drop Crystal Cores. But the circumstances here were special; cultivated by humans and the mother zombie alike, many of the zombies here had Crystal Cores. This presented Wang Tao with an opportunity. Though most were White Crystal Cores, after his operations, he had quickly merged them into Red and Orange Crystal Cores. Wang Tao set aside some Omnipotent Crystal Cores and Ascension Crystal Cores in particr. ¡°With so many Crystal Cores, they¡¯ll have the chance to undergo aplete transformation!¡± Wang Tao said to Nie Siyan, who was massaging his shoulders: ¡°Call Zhu Han and the other four in here.¡±
¡°Yes, Brother Wang!¡± A momentter, Zhu Han and the four others were brought before Wang Tao. These five were among Nie Siyan¡¯s trusted subordinates; of the over three hundred members of the Skull Club, she only trusted these five. ¡°` Chapter 524: 225: Taking Zijin Base_3 Chapter 524: Chapter 225: Taking Zijin Base_3 Although Zhu Han and his group often bad-mouthed Nie Siyan behind her back, they were truly loyal to her. In the apocalypse, there was no shortage of clever people, but each clever individual had different ideas. The simple thought shared by Zhu Han¡¯s group of five was to find a powerful patron and cling to them. As long as their patron survived, they wouldn¡¯t leave! As it turned out, their choice was the right one. They hadtched onto Nie Siyan, who in turn hadtched onto Wang Tao. Thus, they were indirectly clinging to Wang Tao¡¯s coattails. Though they were tired from the past few days, what did that matter as long as they were safe? In the apocalypse, it wasn¡¯t about being tired; it was about being unsafe. As long as they could follow Wang Tao, they had no worries about future benefits! For instance, at this moment, when Zhu Han learned that the five of them were summoned by Wang Tao, excitement surged within him. It seemed¡­ there were benefitsing! When he met Zhu Han and the others, Wang Tao first inquired about their Ability statuses and then said, ¡°In light of your recentmendable performance, I¡¯m giving you two choices¡ª¡± ¡°One, I give each of you a Purple Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core for your own future use.¡± ¡°Two, I give each of you one Level 3 Red Ascension Crystal Core for immediate fusion.¡±
¡°Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core?!¡± Zhu Han and hispanions were bbergasted when they heard what Wang Tao said. Wait, the reward is a Level 3 Ascension Crystal Core? Did they hear wrong, or were they dreaming? Did they also have a chance to be a Level 3 Ability User? Just on their way here, Zhu Han and the others had been wondering if Wang Tao would reward them with some Level 2 Crystal Cores that they could use. If he did, that would be a huge gain! As for a Level 3 Crystal Core, they didn¡¯t even dare to dream of that, let alone an Ascension Crystal Core! But now, Wang Tao was actually offering them Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores! And high-chance fusion Red Quality ones at that? This couldn¡¯t be a dream, could it? The men all pinched their thighs subconsciously. ¡°Hiss¡ªpainful!¡± Nie Siyan on the side covered her face a bit. How disgraceful, embarrassing! But if she thought about it, when she Level 3 Ascended, it wasn¡¯t all that different¡­ Wang Tao gave them time to think. Finally, Zhu Han was the first toe to his senses, and he spoke with a face full of excitement, ¡°Two! I choose two!¡± The remaining four, upon hearing Zhu Han¡¯s words, finally realized the situation. ¡°We also choose two!¡±
The two options Wang Tao had given were easy to understand. Option one meant that if they wanted to pursue the limit and wait tobine four Level 3 Crystal Cores before ascending, then one core was definitely not enough, so they should save the core forter. Option two meant that if they didn¡¯t insist on gathering four crystal cores before advancing, then one would be enough, and they could ascend right now! Anyone could figure out with their toes that option two was the must-choose!
Gathering four Level 3 Crystal Cores was incredibly difficult! Moreover, the fusion might not even be sessful unless they had high-quality Red or Orange cores. But they couldn¡¯t even get their hands on White ones, how could they get high-quality cores? Suppressing one¡¯s level and gathering cores was something only high-level figures could y with. They were self-aware that they had to ascend whenever there was an opportunity! When they ascended to Level Two, they had also used just one Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core, so now it seemed normal to use one for Level 3 Ascension. And more importantly¡ªthere was a rescue missioning up. If they could ascend to Level 3, they would definitely be a great help to the mission! Wang Tao was the one organizing this rescue mission, and since he had rewarded them so generously, they certainly needed to repay him! Therefore, the group didn¡¯t hesitate and directly chose option two. ¡°Very good.¡± Wang Tao nodded in satisfaction upon seeing their choices. These people were very sensible. Thus, Wang Tao directly took out ten Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores for them. Moreover, he had thoughtfully prepared the Level 2 Crystal Cores they needed to reach their full potential. In the past days, their high-intensity zombie ying had brought their HP to 29999, fulfilling one of the conditions for Level 3 Ascension. However, some of them hadn¡¯t reached +10 in Ability yet, so they still needed a boost. To Wang Tao, these Level 2 Crystal Cores were a mere trifle. Zhu Han and hispanions gazed at the glistening Crystal Cores with trembling hands as they epted them. Then, as if moved by a shared impulse, they knelt before Wang Tao with a thud and kowtowed to him. Considering the rewards Wang Tao had bestowed upon them, not to mention a grand gesture, selling their lives to Wang Tao would still mean they came out ahead!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Wang Tao didn¡¯t dodge; he could ept this grand gesture. After Zhu Han and his group got up, Wang Tao waved his hand. ¡°Go and fuse with the Crystal Cores.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After the others had left, Wang Tao asked Nie Siyan to call over the eight women from the club. ¡°Mr. Wang, you wanted to see us?¡± The women¡¯s faces were all visibly fatigued, but since it was Wang Tao who had summoned them, they didn¡¯t dare not toe. They were also curious about what Wang Tao wanted from them. Wang Tao first chatted with them and inquired about their Ability situation. The women held nothing back and revealed everything readily. It had to be said, Lan Yulian had picked some good people. All eight women were Ability Users who had fused with four types of Crystal Cores. Zhu Han and his men could only fuse with two or three types of Abilities. However, when these eight women had their Level 2 Ascension, they had only used one Ascension Crystal Core each. After all, they were not Wang Tao; they couldn¡¯t synthesize Crystal Cores, and the high-quality ones were all supplied to Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng. ¡°Considering your recent good performance, I¡¯m giving you two choices¡ª¡±
Wang Tao repeated what he had just said to Zhu Han and his men to the women. ¡°You¡¯re, you¡¯re giving us Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores?!¡± The women were somewhat stupefied. They were even more bewildered than Zhu Han. After all, Zhu Han had been in contact with Wang Tao earlier than they had and knew about Wang Tao¡¯s character from their time at the arcade. But these women had only recentlye into contact with Wang Tao and knew he was powerful and had a good rtionship with their leader¡­ and that was about it. Yet, they hadn¡¯t expected that Wang Tao would actually reward them with high-quality Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores! These were things that even the generals hadn¡¯t obtained, despite having sacrificed countless lives! ¡°Could it be that Mr. Wang has some designs on us?¡± This thought unconsciously sprang to the women¡¯s minds. You couldn¡¯t me them for overthinking; the situation was indeed frightening! Their leader, Little Yan, spoke up: ¡°Ahem, Mr. Wang, we, we have already sworn to follow our leader for life and will never betray him¡­¡±
The others nodded in agreement. Looking at the women¡¯s excitement, coupled with their restraint, Wang Tao found the situation quite amusing. But before he could speak, Little Yan continued gritting her teeth: ¡°Aside from betraying the leader, you can ask for anything! Otherwise, we won¡¯t be at ease epting these Crystal Cores!¡± Chapter 525 - 226 Let Him Stay_1 Chapter 525: Chapter 226 Let Him Stay_1 ¡°` ¡°Oh? Any other conditions I can freely propose?¡± Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. The women didn¡¯t speak; they all watched Wang Tao with faces full of tension and excitement. They really wanted the Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores, but since they were unsure of Wang Tao¡¯s specific intentions, they dared not ept easily. They wanted Wang Tao to rify his terms¡ªthey would agree to anything except betraying their leader! Wang Tao appraised the eight women carelessly. Some were quite shy, not daring to look Wang Tao in the eye, while others were bold enough to thrust out their chests and hold their heads high, presenting their most magnificent features to him. Wang Tao suddenly thought it would be quite interesting to have a personal guard of powerful and beautiful women like these. But after all, they were Lan Yulian¡¯s people, and Wang Tao wasn¡¯t about tomit the offense of seizing them for himself. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. What do you think you could possibly offer me? Or rather, what do you think I want from you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± This remark from Wang Tao was rather blunt, but it seemed not without reason. He was far stronger than they were, had many Crystal Cores, and was already apanied by two beauties, a young one and an older one. There wasn¡¯t much they had that could interest Wang Tao¡­ ¡°Just choose one of the options. Either way, it will be on your leader Lan Yulian¡¯s tab.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. These Crystal Cores weren¡¯t given for free; at the very least, he would have to reel in profits several times over. Though for him, synthesizing high-quality Ascension Crystal Cores was a trivial matter, costing only a few ordinary Ascension Crystal Cores. After leading his team to kill so many Level 3 zombies, bursting forth with numerous Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores, he wasn¡¯t running short. However, the value of this Crystal Core was obvious to others. Definitely not something to be given away for free. ¡°¡­We choose option two!¡± The women spoke up simultaneously. ¡°Very well.¡± Wang Tao handed over the Crystal Cores to them. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Wang!¡± After the emotional women left with gratitude, Wang Tao had Nie Siyan call in six others from two minor powers. Among these six, besides their own two leaders who were Level Two, the other four subordinates were still Level 1. Wang Tao took out Crystal Cores again, offering them the chance to ascend from Level 1 to Level 2, and from Level 2 to Level 3. But this time, it wasn¡¯t without demands; Wang Tao wanted them to lead their own subordinates into the Firefly Club. Yet for them, this wasn¡¯t a demand; it was an opportunity! The two leaders mused internally that this was the advantage of siding with the right team! Before their arrival, they couldn¡¯t have imagined they would have the chance to ascend to Level 3 and join the Firefly Club! This further solidified their belief that they had to clutch onto the big leg! Once these grateful people left, the building quieted down immediately. They all went to fuse with the Ascension Crystal Cores. In half a day, there would be 15 Level 3 ability users emerging here! Adding the original few, there would be almost 20 Level 3 ability users! The rescue mission could not be said to be foolproof, but the sess rate had undoubtedly increased by countless timespared to before! In the afternoon, those fusing with the Crystal Cores began to wake up one after another. Having fused with only a Crystal Core, their ascension didn¡¯t take long; 6 hours were sufficient. ¡°Mr. Wang!¡± These people came to Wang Tao as soon as theypleted their ascensions. ¡°Well done, well done!¡± With 15 new Level 3 ability users, plus Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan, that was 17, and with Lu Yingfeng¡¯s return, it would be 18! If one included Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue, who hadn¡¯t ascended to Level 3 but possessed thebat power of Level 3, that made 20. Finally, adding a healer¡­ with such power, it wasn¡¯t just about rescuing anymore; Wang Tao even harbored the thought of hunting down all the zombies here! However, it was just a fleeting thought for Wang Tao, as these newly ascended Level 3 ability users weren¡¯t as strong as Nie Siyan, Xu Xiaojun, and the like. It would still be very dangerous to take on so many zombies head-on. Of course, if they eliminated the zombies slowly, perhaps they could indeed clear out this ce. But if they really did that, the group at the diving pool would probably starve to death before the zombies got to them. At that moment, Wang Tao¡¯s walkie-talkie suddenly rang. ¡°Wang Tao, this is Lan Yulian, can you hear me? I¡¯ll reach the building in another hour!¡± It was Lan Yulian¡¯s voice on the walkie-talkie this time. ¡°This is Wang Tao, received, we are waiting for you.¡± ¡°Great!¡± It wasn¡¯t even an hour before Lan Yulian returned. When she left, it was with Lu Yingfeng, but now she came back leading a group of over thirty Level Two ability users! Mostlyprised of generals, prison heads, and Kong Xiu¡¯s people. These were the elite forces and the trump cards of their factions. ¡°Wang Tao, I¡¯ve brought reinforcements!¡± Upon seeing Wang Tao, Lan Yulian quickly approached, with Lu Yingfeng following close by. ¡°Yes, not bad at all.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Tao nodded after sizing up the group. The group also secretly assessed Wang Tao. They weren¡¯t clear about Wang Tao¡¯s strength, but Lan Yulian¡¯s attitude indicated that Wang Tao must be formidable. Yet after observing for a while, they didn¡¯t think Wang Tao seemed all that formidable¡ªjust possibly a Level Two ability user. But why was Lu Yingfeng so courteous to him? After all, Lu Yingfeng was now one of the few Level 3 ability users! Unaware of their thoughts, Wang Tao said to Lan Yulian: ¡°Are these people reliable? I don¡¯t want any idents during the rescue.¡± ¡°I picked them based on the list given by their leaders. They are all valued by their leaders, so they should be rtively dependable¡­¡± ¡°` Chapter 526 - 226 Let Him Stay_2 Chapter 526: Chapter 226 Let Him Stay_2 Jade Lotus whispered an exnation. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Wang Tao nodded and then added, ¡°Let¡¯s go rescue them tomorrow, what do you say?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking!¡± Jade Lotus was eager to try. She gestured to everyone to enter the building. Jade Lotus briefly exined to Wang Tao about her taking over Zijin Base. In short, there were some minor troubles, but no major issues, and the transition was overall smooth. Since the General had long been prepared for his own demise, he had made arrangements at the base¡ªif the base were to be forcefully seized, it would probably self-detonate. But if it were to be handed over to someone he designated, it would transition peacefully. The current situation with Jade Lotus was considered a designated session, so the transition was peaceful. Of course, things couldn¡¯t possibly gopletely smoothly. Even if the General had excellent foresight, he couldn¡¯t urately predict human nature. It was smooth for Jade Lotus to get the remote control, but after some people learned that the leader of Zijin Base had changed, they started having other ideas and nned to seize the base. But with Ying Feng, the Level 3 Ability User there, nobody could cause trouble. So they were just minor irritations, easily dealt with by Ying Feng. What Jade Lotus feared was the base¡¯s self-detonation, but with the remote control in her hands, Ying Feng would have no rivals within the base! So, Jade Lotus boldly made some personnel adjustments in the base. Those who were disobedient were either detained or eliminated. She even carried out a purge within her own club. She had mentioned to Wang Tao before that some people in the club were causing discord, which led to unrest within it. Seizing the opportunity, she let Ying Feng deal with them. Those who resisted were eliminated, leaving only her staunch supporters. This was why she had stayed at the base for three or four days. ¡°Impressive,¡± Wang Taoplimented. He had said before that Jade Lotus was quite good at managing the base. If it had been Nie Siyan who went, it¡¯s very likely she wouldn¡¯t have been able to aplish as much, and even if she could, who knows how long it would take¡ªit certainly wouldn¡¯t be settled in just three or four days. Jade Lotus felt a bit proud upon receiving Wang Tao¡¯s praise. She had always felt overshadowed by Wang Tao, and though she didn¡¯t have muchpetitive spirit, being outdone by him certainly caused some difort. Now, having demonstrated her capabilities, she could consider it evening the score, right? While she was thinking this, suddenly, a group of people appeared before her. Among them were several of her loyal subordinates, who slightly bowed and said to Jade Lotus: ¡°Leader!¡± Jade Lotus was about to speak when she clearly saw them and suddenly froze. It wasn¡¯t just her; Ying Feng also rubbed her eyes in disbelief. As for the more than thirty elite reinforcements behind her, they were dumbstruck upon seeing this group. ¡°Level 3?¡± They were acutely aware of the aura¡ªit was unmistakably Level 3! But the issue was, this aura emanated from every single person in the group! Nearly twenty Level 3 Ability Users? My God, what was happening! The reinforcements couldn¡¯t believe it, or perhaps didn¡¯t want to. If there were only one or two Level 3 individuals, they might chalk it up to good luck. But the appearance of nearly twenty Level 3s¡­ that could only mean one thing¡ªthey were truly powerful! And it meant they were really falling behind! ¡°You all¡­¡± Jade Lotus approached these groups of subordinates, squeezed her team leader¡¯s cheek a bit, and asked, ¡°This is not an illusion¡­ have you all really reached Level 3?¡± The subordinate nodded, then whispered in Jade Lotus¡¯s ear: ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Mr. Wang¡¯s care that we were able to reach Level 3. However, Mr. Wang said¡­ cough cough¡­ it should all be credited to you, leader¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t even there, and she was ruing debts? But if it was this kind of debt, she didn¡¯t mind owing at all! ¡°Everyone¡­¡± It was then that Wang Tao spoke up. All eyes turned towards him. ¡°We¡¯ll start the rescue operation tomorrow, let¡¯s discuss the tactical arrangements first¡­¡± Jade Lotus no longer dwelled on it and immediately started discussing with Wang Tao. After several hours of discussion, they came up with a final n. They would split into three teams tomorrow: one team to hunt zombies, another to draw the zombies¡¯ attention, and a third to go into the dive hall to rescue people.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Of these, luring and hunting zombies were the most dangerous¡ªso teams one and two. While anyone could lure zombies, hunting them could only be done by the strong. Thus, it was decided that the Level 3 Ability Users would form the team hunting zombies, and the reinforcements would either draw the zombies¡¯ attention or go into the dive hall for the rescue. If this was before their arrival, the reinforcements would definitely have objected to such an arrangement. They would have wanted to kill zombies since doing so yielded Crystal Cores! Luring zombies was both risky and offered little reward¡ªwho would want that? But now¡­ these Level Two elites were actually the weakest among this group! They had no say in the matter! What else could they do but obey the orders? ¡°Everyone rest well tonight, we move out first thing in the morning!¡± Wang Tao waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse. ¡°Yes!¡± As the reinforcements left, they instinctively stole nces at Wang Tao. They were curious to know why so many Level 3 Ability Users showed him such respect¡­ In the evening. Jade Lotus brought Ying Feng to Wang Tao¡¯s room. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 527 - 226 Let Him Stay_3 Chapter 527: Chapter 226 Let Him Stay_3 ¡°I¡¯ve already heard from Little Yan and the others, I¡¯m very grateful for the Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores you gave them!¡± Seeing Lan Yulian¡¯s sincere face, Wang Tao immediately said with a smile: ¡°Gratitude shouldn¡¯t just be in words, right? Isn¡¯t there anything tangible?¡± ¡°Of course, there is!¡± Lan Yulian took a backpack from Lu Yingfeng¡¯s hand and handed it to Wang Tao. ¡°Oh?¡± Wang Tao had just been teasing her, and hadn¡¯t expected there to be something tangible. He took the backpack, which was heavy. Opening it to take a look, wow! It was full of Crystal Cores! ¡°These are all from the General¡¯s stockpile in Zijin Base, of course, now they¡¯re mine. I owed you so much before, these should be enough to pay back half, right?¡± ¡°Haha, half is certainly enough!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily. Although most of the Crystal Cores were Level One, with only a few Level Two ones, for Wang Tao, who could extract Crystal Cores, even Level Ones were fine. ¡°As for the rest, I¡¯ll think of a wayter on. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely be able to pay it back!¡± Lan Yulian said again. ¡°Ok, I still trust you.¡± ¡°Oh right, the kind of Crystal Core I promised you before is still in the safe at the clubhouse. I¡¯ve been too busy to go personally in the past few days, so when we head back, let¡¯s make a trip to the clubhouse, and I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± Lan Yulian spoke as if she had just remembered. ¡°No problem,¡± Wang Tao nodded and then asked, ¡°You guys aren¡¯t moving away from the clubhouse?¡± Now that she had taken over Zijin Base, wouldn¡¯t she have to move all her people into Zijin Base? ¡°We¡¯ve already started moving. By the time we get back, they¡¯ll have finished moving. But I don¡¯t n to give up the clubhouse; after all, we¡¯ve reinforced it, and its defense is not bad. It can be used as an outpost in the future.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Wang Tao nodded. Previously, when they were at Shuize Base, they had quite a few temporary outposts within the county city, which could sometimes y a significant role. At that moment, Lan Yulian nced at Wang Tao and said: ¡°And I n to turn the prison and the small gymnasium into our outposts as well!¡± Wang Tao looked at her in surprise. The prison naturally referred to the prison forces, and the small gymnasium was the territory of the Ability User¡¯s Alliance. Lan Yulian¡¯s words clearly meant she intended to swallow up the prison and the Alliance! But this was normal. After all, whether in terms of base size or strength, she was stronger than both the prison and the Alliance. Especially now that she had so many Level 3 subordinates, this was a good time to make a move! Probably every leader of a force in Zijing City had the ambition to unify the city. Not necessarily for the feeling of superiority, some people genuinely wanted to unite humanity to fight against the disaster together. If Zijing City could be unified, with everyone living inside Zijin Base and following Lan Yulian¡¯s orders, whether the days ahead would be better was uncertain, but at least it could avoid pointless infighting. ¡°Very ambitious, but I strongly agree,¡± Wang Tao said. Lan Yulian, pleased with Wang Tao¡¯s approval, looked at him with a seductive smile and said: ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want the position of base leader? This is about bing the leader who unifies the entire Zijing City. At least ten thousand survivors will obey your everymand, whatever you want them to do¡­¡± Hearing this, Wang Taoughed and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want it, not interested.¡± ¡°Are you about to leave?¡± Lan Yulian suddenly said. She had discussed with Lu Yingfeng yesterday, and since Wang Tao didn¡¯t want this or that, only wanting easily transportable Crystal Cores¡­ it seemed like he was nning to leave. Although she couldn¡¯t understand why Wang Tao would want to leave¡­ ¡°Yes. I¡¯m heading to the military base in Wuyang City.¡± Now that they were all friends, Wang Tao didn¡¯t hide his intentions. ¡°The military base!¡± Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng looked at each other in surprise. They hadn¡¯t expected Wang Tao to go there. ¡°The journey to the military base is very dangerous¡­¡± Lan Yulian quickly said. ¡°I know, but I have to make the trip.¡± Wang Tao feared danger, but was not one to shrink away from it. ¡°Alright then¡­ I wish you a safe journey in advance. We¡¯ll be heading back first¡­¡± Lan Yulian, seeing Wang Tao had made up his mind, said no more. Returning to another room, Lan Yulian suddenly said to Lu Yingfeng: ¡°I don¡¯t want him to leave.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng was silent; she didn¡¯t want Wang Tao to leave either. After all, his strength was evident to all. ¡°There were some sparse messages before, saying that Wuyang City has be a living hell! There might be survivor forces in other cities, but Wuyang City doesn¡¯t have a single survivor force! It may not even have any survivors at all! After all, it¡¯s a city with a poption of millions, perhaps tens of millions of zombies! Even if his strength is great, it would be very difficult for him to survive there¡­¡± Worry was written all over Lan Yulian¡¯s face. ¡°Indeed, it is difficult,¡± Lu Yingfeng nodded. ¡°So, we need to think of a way to make him stay! How about¡­ cough, you make a sacrifice¡­¡± Lan Yulian nced at Lu Yingfeng. ¡°?¡± Lu Yingfeng was initially taken aback, then realized what ¡®sacrifice¡¯ meant and gave Lan Yulian a speechless look. ¡°What¡¯s with that look? You are my subordinate, aren¡¯t you supposed to do this kind of thing, or do you expect me to do it?¡± Lan Yulian immediately red at Lu Yingfeng. Lu Yingfeng seriously considered it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible. There aren¡¯t many in Zijing City who can match you, and you can¡¯t possibly stay single forever. You and him are well suited¡ªno, I feel, you¡¯re actually punching above your weight¡­¡± ¡°Ah? Are you revolting!¡± Lan Yulian suddenly grabbed Lu Yingfeng and pinned her on the bed, then yfully tickled her. Lu Yingfeng didn¡¯t resist, as she was used to this. ¡°Stop tickling my armpits, it¡¯s itchy¡­¡± ¡­ The next day. Everyone got up early. Wang Tao looked at the energetic crowd and waved his hand.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Let¡¯s move out, aiming to finish the battle within an hour!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chapter 528 - 227 Rescue Success_1 Chapter 528: Chapter 227 Rescue Sess_1 Diving Pool. General, Prison Head, and Kong Xiu sat on the ground with pale faces. Their mental state wasn¡¯t great. ¡°General, do you really have no food left at all?¡± Kong Xiu asked weakly. This was the third time he had asked in the past hour. ¡°None, we¡¯ve eaten it all.¡± The General shook his head. ¡°Damn it! If they don¡¯te soon, I¡¯ll starve to death!¡± Prison Head was visibly irritable. He cast some unfriendly nces at the other survivors, his eyes reddening slightly. Feeling the chill in the General¡¯s gaze, Prison Head sheepishly averted his eyes and then asked through clenched teeth: ¡°That bitch¡­ she couldn¡¯t have abandoned us, could she?¡± ¡°No. She will save us.¡± The General spoke up. ¡°How can you have so much faith in her?¡± Prison Head red at him.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Because she is a smart person.¡± They were all elite survivors from Zijing City. If they all died, who wouldbat the zombies in the future? The zombies evolved much faster than humans! Every powerful survivor was a precious asset in the fight against the zombies. Lan Yulian was a smart person, and it was highly unlikely that she would abandon them. Even if Lan Yulian wanted these leaders to die, she certainly wouldn¡¯t want other survivors to be buried along with them. So the General felt that as long as Lan Yulian was capable, and since he had given her many benefits, she would definitely try to save people. If it were Prison Head instead of Lan Yulian, then the General would have no hope at all, knowing that if Prison Head had the chance, he would definitely kill everyone else without considering the consequences¡­ However, exining all of this would be a waste of physical strength, and the General didn¡¯t want to say too much. After all, the more strength he preserved, the greater his chances of survival. ¡°Forget it¡­¡± Prison Head was just asking casually. He didn¡¯t really want to know the reason, he just wanted to go back, to eat meat, drink wine, sleep with women! He was so hungry¡­ ¡°Crackle¡­¡± Suddenly, the General¡¯s walkie-talkie crackled to life. ¡°I¡¯m Lan Yulian, I¡¯ming to save you.¡± Just those two sentences instantly revitalized the three men. ¡°This is General, what do you want us to do?¡± The General quickly responded. ¡°How muchbat power do you still have?¡± Lan Yulian asked. The General turned back to look at the wilted crowd and said somewhat helplessly: ¡°None at all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian was silent for a moment before responding, ¡°Alright, then you all just wait. We¡¯ll be there in a bit. But if you don¡¯t have anybat power, we might not be able to save everyone in one go. We¡¯ll have to do it in several batches. Prepare on your side and wait for my message.¡± Extracting so many people from a crowd of zombies was fraught with danger. If they had nobat power, they couldn¡¯t save too many people at once, or it would definitely lead to disaster. ¡°Okay!¡± The General nodded. After exchanging a few more words, Lan Yulian ended the conversation. The General looked toward Prison Head and Kong Xiu. ¡°You all heard, let¡¯s get ready. They¡¯ll be here soon.¡± ¡°Finally, they¡¯reing!¡± Kong Xiu was close to tears. After the apocalypse began, he was one of the luckier ones, hardly ever short on food. Thesest few days at the Diving Pool had been the most deprived of food he¡¯d ever been; it was the first time he realized how painful hunger could be. He was almost going crazy¡­ ¡°Damn that bitch! I suspect she deliberately dyed until now. Once I¡¯m free, she¡¯ll get what¡¯sing to her!¡± Prison Head said hatefully. Hearing this, the General gave him a look as if gazing at a dead man. But he said nothing more, immediately stood up and began to arrange for the survivors to form teams. Elsewhere. Outside the Diving Pool, Lan Yulian said to Wang Tao: ¡°I¡¯ve notified the General. He will coordinate with us.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded and then looked into the distance, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the second team¡¯s news.¡± The second team was assigned to attract the zombies. They had to cause a disturbance first, drawing some zombies away. About half an hourter. A moderate electronic horn sounded from the east. Zombies had very sensitive hearing, and those outside the Diving Pool quickly caught on. Some zombies remained inert, while others began moving eastward. ¡°Good.¡± Wang Tao, watching from a distance, nodded approvingly. The second team was truly among Zijing City¡¯s elite. Although their strength wasn¡¯t the strongest, their experience was very rich. The noise they generated was just right, attracting zombies from around the Diving Pool, but not enough to draw arge number of Mad Demon Zombies. As long as they weren¡¯t swamped by a horde of zombies, or ran into some particrly formidable ones, they were rtively safe to drive away in their familiar vehicles, and if necessary, they could make a quick escape. Ten minutester. Seeing that some zombies near the Diving Pool had been lured away, and the ones that remained were still indifferent, Wang Tao waved to the people behind him. ¡°Begin the operation!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Teams one and three, led by Lu Yingfeng, charged toward the Diving Pool. Their arrival immediately caught the attention of the zombies. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Roar¡­¡± Team one consisted of Level 3 ability users. Against these not-so-strong zombies, they were basically overpowering. They quickly cleared a path. The members of team three, seeing the Level 3bat power of team one, were deeply amazed and envious. ¡°So this is Level 3! Truly formidable!¡± Chapter 529: 227 Rescue Success_2 Chapter 529: Chapter 227 Rescue Sess_2 The person leading the team, besides Lu Yingfeng, included Lan Yulian, Nie Siyan, and Xu Xiaojun. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue did not join the battle; he was preventing sudden situations from afar. Although Wang Tao felt there shouldn¡¯t be any Level 3 Zombie Lords here anymore, it was still necessary to be cautious. Within less than three minutes, the first and third teams had charged to the outside of the diving gym. The General and others, who had been prepared, immediately removed the barricades blocking the entrance of the diving gym. ¡°General, we meet again.¡± Lan Yulian walked out from the crowd. The General originally wanted to say something, but his expression suddenly stiffened. In front of him, besides Lan Yulian, stood Lu Yingfeng, Nie Siyan, Xu Xiaojun, and nearly 20 Level 3 ability users! So many Level 3 ability users?
The General suspected he was seeing things! And all these people were wearing a simr set of armor! Standard armor? Did they actually have the capability to produce standard armor? So many Level 3 ability users, plus so many sets of standard armor¡­ What on earth had they been through these past few days?! The General¡¯s face looked somewhat bewildered. He had thought that after being rescued, he would see if he could take back the base; he certainly wasn¡¯t willing to give up the base. But seeing the current situation, he suddenly lost all such thoughts¡ªhe had fallen behind,pletely. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Kong Xiu couldn¡¯t believe his eyes and stared wide-eyed. Wasn¡¯t it agreed that there were only three Level 3s?! This is almost twenty, and still three? Misinformation! They¡¯re still deceiving him at this time!@@novelbin@@ As for Prison Head, upon seeing the reinforcements, he first felt ted, then shocked, followed by disbelief, and then his face turned pale¡­it was like a face-changing performance. After Lan Yulian saw that the three of them were mostly unharmed, she checked the mental state of the survivors inside the diving gym, then said: ¡°You three each lead a team. We will perform the rescue in three phases!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡± Lan Yulian had barely finished speaking when Prison Head excitedly raised his hand. The General did not speak. He did not want to waste time arguing over the order of things. Judging by the strength disyed by Lan Yulian, it didn¡¯t matter who went first orst. Seeing that the General did not object, Kong Xiu also did not speak.
¡°Good, follow me.¡± Lan Yulian nodded, then instructed Prison Head to start evacuating with a group of survivors. In the first group to evacuate, besides Prison Head, the rest were women and the injured. The reinforcements from Zijin Base, the third team, immediately brought outrge stretchers that could hold several people each and ced the injured on them.
The injured appeared pleasantly surprised, as being personally carried by a group of Level Two ability users was not something the average person could experience, especially since many of them were only Level 1. However, they then looked at the group of Level 3 ability users¡­ It seemed reasonable to have these Level Two ability users doing the heavy lifting. The zombies around the diving gym might have detected the strong human scent and became somewhat frenzied, all madly pouncing towards the people. But with Level 3 ability users present, obviously, the zombies couldn¡¯t get close. Moreover, Lan Yulian waved her hand, and a green halo flew out from her, instantly covering the entire team. ¡°Damn! A group healing ability!¡± Feeling the warm sensation in his body, Prison Head¡¯s face showed shock and envy. He knew Lan Yulian was still Level Two, and he had some dark thoughts about whether she had failed in fusing a Fusion Crystal Core and that¡¯s why she hadn¡¯t advanced. But seeing Lan Yulian¡¯s group healing ability, it was clearly not as he had thought. Lan Yulian had likely not advanced to Level 3 because the group healing crystal core was extremely rare, and her Omnipotent Crystal Core was insufficient for it! ¡°What on earth has she been through these days! Both her own strength and her subordinates¡¯ strength have increased so much! I can¡¯t ept this!¡± Prison Head roared in his mind. However, seeing so many Level 3 ability users around, he dared not show any dissatisfaction and just hung his head low without speaking. And seeing the zombies outside, he was also very fearful.
Inside the diving gym, although he could see that there were many strong zombies outside, he wasn¡¯t very clear about how many there were or how strong the zombies were. Now, being protected among these reinforcements and seeing those incessant zombies surging up, feeling the aura of those Level Two and Level 3 zombies¡­ He truly felt what a zombie wave was! He even wondered if all the zombies in the city hade here! Fortunately, there were many Level 3 ability users among the people who came to rescue them; if not for these Level 3 ability users, they absolutely wouldn¡¯t have been able to break out! But Prison Head suddenly regretted it; he shouldn¡¯t havee out first. Because the first toe out were all injured, their speed was severely hampered! ¡°Damn it, a bunch of wastes! If I had known, I would have killed all of you and saved some food¡­¡± Prison Head cursed in his heart. ¡­ About twenty minutester, Lu Yingfeng led a group of injured people and forcibly made a bloody path through the zombie horde, sessfully delivering these trapped individuals outside the zombie encirclement. Although there were a few unlucky ones who died, overall, it went smoothly. Several vehicles were waiting for them here. ¡°Everyone, get in the cars, let¡¯s head back to the building first!¡± Lu Yingfeng and the others then continued to fight their way back to the diving gym. ¡°Not bad, saved a third of the people in 19 minutes, even with the speed hampered by the injured¡­ we should be able to handle it within an hour.¡±
Chapter 530: 227 Rescue Success_3 Chapter 530: Chapter 227 Rescue Sess_3 ¡°` Wang Tao nced at his watch and was quite satisfied with the efficiency. Level 3 ability users are indeed powerful, especially when they move as one under themand of Lu Yingfeng, as disciplined as soldiers. Theirbined effect was definitely greater than the sum of their parts. Of course, arge part of their sess was due to Lan Yulian. Her ability to heal and boost HP, both individually and in a range, greatly increased the team¡¯s margin for error. As for her area-of-effect [Healing Light] Ability, Wang Tao had some criticism because it restored too little HP¡ªjust over ten drops per second, or roughly 1000 HP per minute. That was even less than Wang Tao¡¯s own [Iron Wall] Ability. However, this was an area healing ability. As long as one was within a ten-meter radius of Lan Yulian, they could benefit from the healing. The more people there were, the more effective the Ability. Particrly in situations where there were many wounded, Lan Yulian didn¡¯t need to heal them one by one. All she had to do was activate the [Healing Light] and let them regenerate their HP, keeping the critically injured alive. So overall, it was still a strong ability. It just wasn¡¯t as effective for someone like Wang Tao who could heal himself.@@novelbin@@ ¡­ Outside the building.
¡°You must be Mr. Wang, hello!¡± Prison Head approached Wang Tao and greeted him politely. During the evacuation, he had learned from Lan Yulian that the rescue operation was entirely organized by someone named Wang Tao. They owed their thanks to Wang Tao. Prison Head was unfamiliar with this name and wondered just who this Wang Tao was. Upon first seeing Wang Tao and noticing his stature and muscles, Prison Head felt envious, but he couldn¡¯t sense the strength of a Level 3 ability user from him. Was he not a Level 3 ability user? Prison Head was puzzled. To be honest, after seeing so many Level 3 ability users, he found it a bit unusual to encounter someone who wasn¡¯t one. After all, Lan Yulian seemed to treat this Wang Tao with a lot of respect¡­ ¡°Do you need something?¡± Wang Tao gave him a cold look. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have a high opinion of the leaders of the four major forces in Zijing City¡ªexcept for Lan Yulian. Especially the General and Prison Head, who secretly reared zombies. Therefore, Wang Tao was not inclined to show him any pleasantness. ¡­ The color drained from Prison Head¡¯s face. He hadn¡¯t expected that his polite approach would be met with such an attitude! If this had happened before, he wouldn¡¯t have thought twice before starting a fight. But now, weakened as he was and the other person being Lan Yulian¡¯s man, he restrained himself. ¡°Cough, there¡¯s nothing in particr, just wanted to make your acquaintance¡ª¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing, then stay inside the building and don¡¯t wander around,¡± Wang Tao said curtly. ¡°¡­Alright!¡± Prison Head wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded his head in frustration and went back.
Wang Tao continued to watch the rescue operation through binocrs. The first group of survivors was saved in 19 minutes. The second took 16 minutes, and thest group 15 minutes. In other words, it took everyone about 50 minutes to rescue all the survivors from the diving hall. They had saved 10 minutes on Wang Tao¡¯s estimate.
After thest group of trapped individuals was saved, Lu Yingfeng took the Level 3 ability users to cover the rear and lure the zombies away. There were too many zombies; even with all Level 3 ability users, they couldn¡¯t kill them all. After some time, everyone returned to the building. The rescue operation was aplete sess. As long as they didn¡¯t encounter any Zombie Lords above Level 3, the situation was rtively safe, given the number of Level 3 ability users present. And the only two Level 3 Zombie Lords in the vicinity had been killed by Wang Tao¡­ Of course, the mission was not without its difficulties. There were injuries and deaths. Many of the reinforcements from Zijin Base were injured, and the more serious cases had already used Inhibitors. They didn¡¯t have Iron Tree Armors to protect their entire bodies. A single mistake could lead to infection¡­ Many of them envied the armor on Lan Yulian¡¯s side and nned to inquire about its source afterwards to see if they could buy a set. As for the deceased, they were naturally the trapped ability users in the diving hall. They were very weak and many were injured. Breaking out from the midst of so many zombies was not guaranteed even for Level 3 ability users. In the end, some unlucky ones died in the jaws of the zombies¡­ It was an unavoidable oue. Sessfully saving the majority was already considered aplete sess. ¡°Hard work everyone!¡± Wang Tao said to the returning crowd. ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s our duty!¡± Nie Siyan quickly spoke up, and the others nodded in agreement. They held Wang Tao in high regard. ¡°` Lan Yulian wiped the sweat off her forehead and said:
¡°Shall we head back now?¡± It was eleven in the morning, and if nothing unexpected happened on the road, they could make it back to Zijin Base by evening. The zombies near the diving center had scattered, and were bound to slowly infest the entire sports center. Staying here was no longer very safe. ¡°Sure.¡± Wang Tao nodded. The group went into the building to gather everyone else. ¡°Hmm?¡± As they entered the first-floor lobby, Jiang Shixue suddenly turned to look at Wang Tao. ¡°There¡¯s a fresh scent of blood upstairs.¡± The smell here was chaotic, with the scent of blood everywhere. But what Jiang Shixue referred to was certainly not from these people. ¡°Let¡¯s go up and take a look.¡± Wang Tao went upstairs, and the others followed. Watching the figures of Wang Tao and the others go upstairs, the General¡¯s face remained unchanged as he said to Kong Xiu beside him:
¡°He¡¯s a dead man.¡± Kong Xiu¡¯s face was pale. As soon as they reached the upper floor, Wang Tao smelled a fragrance, but this scent¡­ was nauseating. As if he had realized something, Wang Tao¡¯s expression changed abruptly. He immediately headed towards the source of the fragrance, and as he turned a corner, he saw the Prison Head. Seeing Lan Yulian and the others arrive, the Prison Head used his foot to stamp out a small fire that hadn¡¯tpletely died down, then smiled and said: ¡°Madam Lan, you¡¯ve finally returned safely! So, shall we head back now?¡± ¡°What have you eaten?¡± Wang Tao asked with a cold face. ¡°Hey, I just roasted some food I brought with me!¡± The Prison Head spoke nonchntly. ¡°Beef jerky?¡± Wang Tao turned to look at Jiang Shixue beside him.
Jiang Shixue immediately said: Whoosh¡ª The expressions on Lan Yulian and the others changed instantly. The Prison Head panicked at once and pointed at Jiang Shixue: ¡°You little bitch, don¡¯t talk nonse¡ª¡± Whoosh! Before everyone¡¯s eyes shed, Lu Yingfeng appeared in front of the Prison Head. She instantly grabbed his neck and lifted him up with one hand. ¡°You¡­ ugh¡­ let me go¡­¡± The Prison Head iled at Lu Yingfeng with punches and kicks, but he was still weak and had little strength. This was almost like tickling Lu Yingfeng, who was d in a full set of armor. Coldness filled Lan Yulian¡¯s beautiful features. ¡°Prison Head, I didn¡¯t want to kill you, but you crossed our line¡­¡± Lan Yulian waved her hand. ¡°Drag him out and kill him.¡± ¡°You¡ªI didn¡¯t¡­ you don¡¯t have any evidence¡­¡± The Prison Head argued in fear and desperation. But Lan Yulian was unmoved. She had just be the leader of Zijin Base, even the leader of the entire Zijing City, and was looking for an opportunity to establish her authority, when someone just happened to present themselves on a tter. Chapter 536 - 229: I Like You a Little Bit_3 Chapter 536: Chapter 229: I Like You a Little Bit_3 After a simple dinner, Lan Yulian led Wang Tao into the room, and then closed the door behind them. A momentter, Lu Yingfeng, who was eavesdropping outside the room, blushed. ¡°Tsk!¡± ¡­ The next day, early morning. Lan Yulian was extremely gentle as she helped Wang Tao get dressed and freshened up, just like a very sensible newly-wed wife. Wang Tao knew she was trying to use her tenderness to keep him here! The two of them didn¡¯t go anywhere today and just sweetly lingered together in therge courtyard all day. Lu Yingfeng couldn¡¯t stand it and slipped away directly. Only Jiang Shixue stayed with them. And so another day passed. Lan Yulian really wanted to stay glued to Wang Tao¡¯s side; the feeling of being away from worldly concerns was truly exhrating. But she also knew she couldn¡¯t be capricious. She had just be the leader of the base and there were many tasks to attend to; even taking one day off to waste was already a luxury. Wang Tao, however, didn¡¯t mind. He went next door to see Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan. Nie Siyan had already brought the members of the Firefly Club to Zijin Base the day before, and Lan Yulian had given them a very good ce. All the members of the Firefly Club were grateful to Nie Siyan. Lan Yulian and the General had different ideas; the General was more exclusionary. Only their own forces were inside Zijin Base. Nie Siyan, on the other hand, was more inclusive. She wanted to bring all the forces in Zijing City into the base¡ªactually, the original base was created with this idea in mind, but unfortunately, it was destroyed due to an ident¡­ In doing this, she was essentially continuing the legacy of her predecessors. Wang Tao was more supportive of Lan Yulian¡¯s idea. After all, there is strength in numbers. Besides, by having all these people in the base and possibly taxing themter on, the base could earn more money. The reason the General hadn¡¯t done this was that he felt other people were like ticking time bombs, with the cost of managing them not bncing the gains. But what he didn¡¯t realize was that in the eyes of Wang Tao and others, the General himself was a ticking time bomb¡­ Lan Yulian was confident she could manage the base well. She even kept the General, Kong Xiu, and others around. Her action confused the usually calm General, while the others were overjoyed. Actually, many forces wanted to live in Zijin Base, but the General had never opened it up before. Now that the opportunity had arisen, they were naturally very happy. However, Lan Yulian alsoid out the harsh truth upfront: living in the base was okay, but they had to follow the rules. If they didn¡¯t obey the rules, Prison Head and his ilk would serve as a warning to them. Whenever Prison Head was mentioned, many felt a chill in their hearts. Thinking about how Lan Yulian had ordered the execution of Prison Head without batting an eye, they felt even more respect towards this new female leader¡­ ¡°Brother Wang!¡± Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun greeted Wang Tao the moment they saw him. ¡°During this time, take the opportunity to enhance your strength,¡± Wang Tao said to them. The two were already Level 3, and the upper limit of HP for Level 3 should be around one hundred thousand HP, but now they only had a little over forty thousand HP, so there was much room for improvement. ¡°Yes!¡± The two nodded. At that moment, Nie Siyan suddenly pulled out a small notebook and said: ¡°Brother Wang, Lan Yulian gave me a few positions to choose from, which one do you think I should take?¡± Since Lan Yulian wanted to attract other people from within Zijing City to the base, she would no doubt have to offer them some benefits. Someone with a good rtionship like Nie Siyan would naturally get a lot out of it, such as an official position. But without even looking, Wang Tao shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not the right fit.¡± Nie Siyan was taken aback and then her head drooped like a frost-stricken eggnt. ¡°Oh¡­ then I¡¯ll go and refuse her. Actually, being the Big Boss of Firefly Club is quite good for me¡­¡± At this statement, Wang Tao immediately nced at her. ¡°You still want to be the Big Boss of the Firefly Club? Fine, then you can stay here. We¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nie Siyan looked up, her expression somewhat baffled. It was then that Xu Xiaojun exined: ¡°Brother Wang won¡¯t stay long at Zijin Base. We are heading to a military base.¡± Unless Wang Tao brought it up himself, Xu Xiaojun wouldn¡¯t speak out of turn. Thus, Nie Siyan was unaware of Wang Tao¡¯s true destination until now. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, she was stunned. Then, as if something dawned on her, her face suddenly showed a mix of surprise and excitement: ¡°Brother Wang! Do you mean, I cane with you?¡± ¡°If you want to stay in Zijin Base, I won¡¯t insist,¡± Wang Tao said indifferently. Thump! Nie Siyan knelt in front of Wang Tao and wrapped her arms around his thigh. ¡°Brother Wang, I want to follow you! I¡¯ll do anything for you! Please don¡¯t abandon me!¡± Nie Siyan suddenly realized why Wang Tao immediately rejected her as a candidate for the leadership of Zijin Base. Although her abilities indeed weren¡¯t sufficient, she suspected that Wang Tao also had reasons to take her with him! This time it was the same. Wang Tao didn¡¯t give it a second thought and said she was unfit; she was heartbroken, thinking that even though she was already Level 3, she didn¡¯t carry much weight in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. But in reality, it was not so! Wang Tao was nning to take her with him! In Wang Tao¡¯s heart, she at least had a bit of significance! As for choosing between staying at Zijin Base or following Wang Tao, there was no need to think about which choice had greater future potential. She would definitely choose to follow Wang Tao! The more Nie Siyan interacted with Wang Tao, the more she understood his capabilities. She had never feared anyone as much as him before, and likewise, never admired someone so deeply! Following Wang Tao might be dangerous, given the terrible situation in Wuyang City, but the benefits of being with Wang Tao were worth taking the risk! Not to mention, she felt that she had truly fallen for Wang Tao¡­ Wang Tao hadn¡¯t intended to take Nie Siyan with him since she was weak. But since Nie Siyan had risen to Level 3, she wouldn¡¯t be a drag, and she had shown staunch loyalty, so he agreed to bring her along. @@novelbin@@ ¡°Then focus on hunting zombies in the meantime and boost your strength; you¡¯re still too weak,¡± Wang Tao said as he patted her head. ¡°Yes!¡± Chapter 538: 230 Iron Tree Vines_2 Chapter 538: Chapter 230 Iron Tree Vines_2 Actually, the first two Abilities weren¡¯t too great, but Ability-rted Crystal Cores focused on the spirit were too rare. Wang Tao wanted to level up to Level 3 quickly, so naturally, he could no longer wait. So, after a series of operations by Wang Tao, he acquired a new Superpower. [Level 2 Ability: Yin and Yang Bnce] The name hadn¡¯t changed; it was still called Yin and Yang Bnce, but the detailed information had increased significantly. [Yin and Yang Bnce: Can slightly influence the spirit of living beings, can destabilize the spirit of living beings, can create a barrier that blocks mental attacks, and during sexual intercourse with the opposite sex, both parties¡¯ Mana will quickly be restored, and the user will gain a permanent increase in Mana. The permanent Mana increase has a cooldown, which is random. (Side effect: None)] Seeing this Ability, Wang Taoughed loudly, and then he fused the Omnipotent Crystal Core he had prepared in advance. After some time, Wang Tao¡¯s new Ability had leveled up by +10! [Level 2 Yin and Yang Bnce (+10)] Now all four of his Abilities were at +10, and he could ascend to Level 3! He had already prepared the Ascension crystal cores needed for Level 3 Ascension. However, Wang Tao was not in a hurry to ascend. After his ascension, killing Level 3 Ordinary Zombies and Level 3 Elite Zombies would no longer count as defeating higher-level enemies. Loot Packs were a minor issue; the main concern was Special Energy. For Level 3 Abilities, whether for fusion or extraction, each time it would consume 30,000 Special Energy. Wang Tao had spent over a hundred thousand Energy on synthesizing Crystal Cores, and now he only had a little over one hundred thousand left, which wouldn¡¯tst many uses. Therefore, Wang Tao nned to kill some more Level 3 Zombies to save up some Special Energy before proceeding with his Level 3 Ascension. After all, he currently had Level 3 Combat Power, and killing most Level 3 Zombies was no trouble for him. Wang Tao checked his belongings and the items in his Space Backpack again to see if anything had been missed. ¡°Right, I almost forgot about this thing!¡± A seed appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. [Iron Tree Vine Seed: When nted in the ground, it will grow into a violent Iron Tree Vine. When nted inside the body, it will grow into an obedient Iron Tree Vine.] ¡°Should I nt it inside my body¡­¡± Wang Tao was slightly hesitant. nting it in the ground was obviously pointless. Even if he killed the vine, at most he would get an Extraction Crystal Core, and that wasn¡¯t even guaranteed. But if it were nted inside his body, Wang Tao was afraid he would be a monster. After all, this was different from the previous Magic Seeds, which clearly stated they would develop Hidden Abilities¡­ ¡°Screw it, let¡¯s nt it!¡± In the end, Wang Tao steeled his heart and ced the seed inside his mouth. The seed instantly melted within Wang Tao¡¯s body, just like a Crystal Core. Then, an icon appeared below Wang Tao¡¯s HP bar: [Iron Tree Vine Seed Germination Countdown: 2 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds] The previous Magic Seed needed ten days, whereas this Iron Tree Vine Seed only needed three days, which was significantly faster. ¡°It¡¯s just three days; let¡¯s wait.¡± Shaking his head, Wang Tao temporarily put the thought aside. He and Jiang Shixue went out together to hunt zombies. The zombies near the sports center had begun to run off to other ces, which made Zijing City much more dangerous all of a sudden. After all, there were quite a few Level 3 Zombies. Fortunately, many factions had moved their families to Zijin Base. As long as they didn¡¯t go out, they were basically safe. This also made things easier for Wang Tao; he didn¡¯t have to go out of his way to head to the sports center. Three dayster. Wang Tao¡¯s Special Energy was back to over three hundred thousand, which meant he could use it for fusion or extraction of Level 3 Crystal Cores about ten times. And the Iron Tree Vine Seed inside Wang Tao finally sprouted. The situation he was worried about did not happen; he didn¡¯t turn into a monster. When the countdown ended, Wang Tao felt as if something was in his mouth. He then spat out something resembling a small ck snake¡ªalthough it was called a vine, it didn¡¯t have many leaves and felt simr to Entangling Roots. In fact, they were indeed quite simr. Not only could it transform into a bracelet that wrapped around Wang Tao¡¯s wrist like the Entangling Roots, but it was also a Level 3 Weapon! [Level 3 Weapon: Iron Tree Vine] [HP: 10,000/10,000 (Maximum 100,000)] [Status: Awakened] [Enhancement: Split (1), Independent Attack] [Compatibility: 100%] However, unlike Entangling Roots, which provided various enhancements when worn, the Iron Tree Vine¡¯s features were splitting and independent attacking. [Split (1): Currently 1 tendril, up to 10 tendrils] [Independent Attack: Can follow the owner¡¯smands and attack on its own] ¡°This vine can split, up to 10 tendrils? Interesting¡­¡± Wang Tao could vaguely feel a very faint and simple consciousness, which was the consciousness of the Iron Tree Vine. Since it grew out of his body, it had a 100% Compatibility, and Wang Tao could control it directly. With just a thought, he saw the vine suddenly grow ten meters, wrapping around a nearby brick, and then retracting quickly, bringing the brick to Wang Tao¡¯s hand. ¡°This is pretty interesting!¡± Wang Tao experimented several more times and discovered that the vine¡¯s greatest use seemed to be in helping him capture prey! He tested it with zombies, finding that when a Level 2 Zombie was entangled by the Iron Tree Vine, it couldn¡¯t escape at all and was pulled directly in front of Wang Tao, where he could easily kill it with a single strike.@@novelbin@@ As for using the vine to attack, it was rather unsuitable. Its Attack power was far less than Wang Tao¡¯s, so it was better as a controlling ability. Chapter 533: 228 Yin and Yang Balance_3 Chapter 533: Chapter 228 Yin and Yang Bnce_3 ¡°` ¡°It was discovered on some male zombies in the luxurious private room of the club¡¯s basement. However, there were also many femalepanions around these zombies, and of course, those femalepanions were also zombies¡­¡± Lan Yulian frowned in thought.@@novelbin@@ She didn¡¯t find anything strange about it. After all, it was a club. A man ying games with several women suddenly gets infected, and then they all turn into zombies¡­ it sounded quite reasonable! ¡°How did you know that this Crystal Core would replenish energy?¡± Wang Tao asked again. Lan Yulian thought for a moment before exining: ¡°Because our strength wasn¡¯t very strong at that time, fighting with these Level 2 Elite Zombies was still very tough. So our strategy was to first deplete these Elite Zombies¡¯ energy before engaging inbat with them¡­¡± ¡°These Elite Zombies were all in the underground private rooms of the club, encased in reinforced concrete structures, so they couldn¡¯t get out. So we would open the door to entice them, wait until we had depleted some of their energy, then close the door. We repeated this process.¡±
¡°But unexpectedly, this method worked with other zombies but not these ones¡ªtheir Mana seemed inexhaustible!¡± ¡°In the end, it was only after our strength increased that we went in and forcefully killed these zombies. So, I suspect these zombies had a Special Ability that allowed them to recover energy. The Crystal Cores they dropped should be able to recover energy as well¡­¡± After listening to Lan Yulian¡¯s exnation, Wang Tao suddenly understood. ¡°No wonder¡­¡± He looked at the four Crystal Cores with a bit of admiration. [Level 2 Crystal Core¡¤Yin Yang Harmony] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 45% (Side effect: Cannot be sessfully fused by non-males)] [Yin Yang Harmony: During sexual intercourse with the opposite sex, both parties¡¯ Mana will rapidly replenish, and the user will permanently increase a certain amount of Mana. There is a cooldown for the permanent Mana increase, which is random (This Special Ability Fusion will rece the lowest-level Special Ability upon sessful fusion, and if all Abilities are at the same level, it will be reced randomly.)] For this Crystal Core¡¯s Attributes, all Wang Tao could say was impressive! Beforeing here, he had thought of countless ways that this Crystal Core could increase Mana, but he had never thought of this one. However, considering the nature of the club and the situation of those zombies described by Lan Yulian, Wang Tao found it very reasonable. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Lan Yulian asked with a bit of confusion. She felt that Wang Tao¡¯s expression was strange, as if he had found something amusing. ¡°This Crystal Core is quite good.¡± Wang Tao affirmed. ¡°You can tell the effects of this Crystal Core?¡± Lan Yulian was somewhat surprised. ¡°I have a special ability that lets me get a rough idea.¡±
Wang Tao exined. ¡°No wonder! No wonder you recognize all the Crystal Cores!¡± Lan Yulian suddenly realized. She recalled the previous times she had fought zombies with Wang Tao, and he always seemed to know the function of each Crystal Core. She thought it was because he had a wealth of knowledge and experience, but now it appeared that Wang Tao had some special ability! But now in the post-apocalyptic world, who didn¡¯t have some special abilities? It was normal. And since this was Wang Tao¡¯s secret, Lan Yulian tactfully did not ask further.
She was just very interested in this Crystal Core. After all, she had tried so many times with other people without sess, which made her very eager. So she quickly asked: ¡°So this Crystal Core can only be fused by males?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ¡°And this Special Ability can recover energy?¡± ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s not just one person who recovers, but it can make two people recover energy at the same time.¡± Wang Tao nodded again. ¡°To recover two people at the same time! That¡¯s amazing!¡± Lan Yulian was somewhat shocked, and then she continued, ¡°Are you going to fuse it?¡± ¡°Of course, this Crystal Core is very good, I¡¯m definitely going to fuse it.¡± Wang Tao continued to nod. Up until now, he had only seen this type of Crystal Core that could replenish Mana and even increase the Mana limit, so he had to fuse it! When Lan Yulian heard Wang Tao was willing to fuse it, she immediately said:
¡°There¡¯s a red one, which should guarantee your fusion. How about you fuse it now? I¡¯ve used a lot of healing today and exhausted much energy. I¡¯d like you to help me recover! After all, this is a rare Ability that can restore energy, and I want to experience it!¡± Hearing Lan Yulian¡¯s words, an even more peculiar expression appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. ¡°Are you sure you want to try it?¡± ¡°Of course! After all, I¡¯ve been keeping this Crystal Core for a few months now, so I should really experience it!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Seeing Lan Yulian¡¯s eager appearance, Wang Tao suddenlyughed, and then theughter grew louder and louder. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Lan Yulian was puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m curious if you would still want to try it if you knew the correct way to use this ability¡­¡± ¡°Usage? It should be simr to the healing ability, right? Couldn¡¯t be that this ability is bizarre, like¡­ you have to beat me up to heal? Haha, there can¡¯t be a Crystal Core that weird, right?¡± Lan Yulian was amused by her own suggestion. But Wang Tao suddenly smiled mischievously and said: ¡°It is indeed a fight, but it¡¯s in bed, of course, it could also happen in other ces¡­¡±
¡°Huh?¡± Lan Yulian froze for a good ten seconds or so, then, as if remembering something, her face instantly turned red. ¡°You¡­ I¡­ not¡­ oh my!¡± She was somewhat incoherent, unsure of how to exin. Finally, she simply turned away, burying her head in the sand like an ostrich. Wang Tao did not continue to tease her, but silently extracted his Sprint Ability and then synthesized the ¡°two white¡± and ¡°one purple¡± Crystal Cores into a single Epic Crystal Core. He still had one red one left. While Lan Yulian was not paying attention, Wang Tao fused the Epic Crystal Core. After a moment, Wang Tao gained the [Yin Yang Harmony] Special Ability. He was about to tell Lan Yulian about his sessful fusion when he heard her, still turned away, suddenly whisper: ¡°Cough, I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ it¡¯s not out of the question¡­¡± ¡°` Chapter 545: 232: How Did You Shrink?_3 Chapter 545: Chapter 232: How Did You Shrink?_3 ¡°` [Level 3 Superpower¡¤Berserk Enhancement] [Berserk Enhancement: Passive Ability, can increase strength, defense, spirit, running speed, athletic ability, throwing technique, and constitution; standing in sunlight allows absorption of sr energy, slowly regenerating Mana; standing on the ground allows the drawing of nutrients from the soil, slowly regenerating HP; when HP falls below 30%, Trigger Berserk (side effects: none)] Staring at this long list of terms, Wang Tao grinned. This looks truly exhrating! Then Wang Tao extracted the [Integration] and [Yin Yang Harmony] superpowers. He was only left with [Berserk Enhancement] now. The reason for doing this, naturally, was because he intended to fuse with the Omnipotent Crystal Core. After all, the other three superpowers hadn¡¯t been synthesized yet, and since the Berserk Enhancement was maxed out, in order to avoid upgrading those three superpowers with the Omnipotent Crystal Core, they naturally had to be extracted. Wang Tao happened to have quite a few Level 3 Omnipotent Crystal Cores at hand, as killing zombies above his level made it especially easy to drop [Omnipotent] and [Ascension] Crystal Cores. A momentter.
[Level 3 Superpower¡¤Berserk Enhancement (+10)] The level of this superpower was instantly maxed! Since Wang Tao¡¯s passive superpower contained attributes such as strength and constitution, the level increase to +10 produced a rtively tangible feeling. Wang Tao could clearly feel that his attributes had be much stronger! He felt that if he were to fight a Level 3 Night Demon again, even if he didn¡¯t use Entangling Roots or any other superpower, just with his own physical conditions he should be able to suppress and beat a Night Demon! This wasn¡¯t arrogance, but confidence in his own progress this time! Wang Tao was preparing to find a few Night Demonster to test his abilities¡­ After briefly enjoying the sense of his own enhancements, Wang Tao turned his attention to [HP Enhancement] and [Energy Boost]. Since these two superpowers would increase HP and Mana after fusion, Wang Tao had an idea: to synthesize these two Crystal Cores as an emergency ability! +10 HP Enhancement could add 10,000 to current HP and maximum HP. Suppose Wang Tao was critically injured, suddenly extracted his other superpowers, and then fused this +10 HP Enhancement into his body¡ªwouldn¡¯t that be like instantly gaining an extra 10,000 HP? If it really worked that way, it would be a life-saving ability at critical moments! If it turned out to be infeasible, it didn¡¯t matter, because Wang Tao had a lot of Special Energy at the moment. Having used only 180,000 just now, he still had over 340,000 left, enough to give it a try. Wang Tao fused the two Crystal Cores and obtained a New Superpower, [HP Enhancement]. He then used an Omnipotent Crystal Core to max this new superpower to +10. [Level 3 Superpower¡¤HP Enhancement (+10)] [HP Enhancement: Passive Superpower, adds 10,000 HP, adds 10,000 Mana] At this point, Wang Tao¡¯s HP had increased by 10,000, and his Mana increased by 14,400! The reason for such a significant increase in Mana was that Fusion Crystal Cores themselves add Mana, and he fused these cores one by one, naturally adding a lot of Mana. HP Enhancement is a very in and unadorned superpower, but it should y a significant role at crucial times. However, it can only be used at such times; normally, of course, the other four main superpowers would be used. So Wang Tao was preparing to extract it and switch back to his main superpowers. Using 30,000 Special Energy, he sessfully extracted the [HP Enhancement] superpower into a Crystal Core. But just as Wang Tao was about to integrate the two extracted superpowers back into his body, he suddenly paused. ¡°Huh? Why haven¡¯t my HP and Mana decreased?¡± Theoretically, once he extracted the Crystal Core, the bonuses it provided to his body should have been lost, things like HP and Mana should have been gone too. But now¡­ they were still there! And that extracted [HP Enhancement] Crystal Core was still lying properly in his backpack! ¡°Could it be that HP and Mana are different from other attributes? If I keep fusing ¡®HP Enhancement¡¯ Crystal Cores, could I continue to raise my HP and Mana?¡± Wang Tao suddenly became excited; did he just find a bug in this world? ¡°` So, he immediately prepared to fuse the extracted ¡°Level 3 Superpower ¨C HP Enhancement (Discarded)¡± Crystal Core again. However, Wang Tao realized that he couldn¡¯t fuse it anymore! And he hadn¡¯t looked carefully before, but he noticed now that the name of the extracted Crystal Core had changed. Normally, inside the parentheses, it should say ¡°+10,¡± but now it had turned into ¡°Discarded¡±! ¡°Damn! I knew it, there¡¯s no such thing as a bug¡­¡± Wang Tao felt somewhat disappointed. If this bug really existed, then through the extraction and fusion process, he could have infinitely boosted his HP and Mana. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t. But Wang Tao wasn¡¯t too discouraged. Although he couldn¡¯t boost his attributes infinitely, he had managed to fuse the attributes of this Crystal Core into his body. After Wang Tao fused the other two extracted abilities again, he checked his attributes. [HP: 40000/40000] [Mana: 40000/40000] 40,000 HP, 40,000 Mana! In just a short while, Wang Tao¡¯s strength had increased significantly! It felt rather exhrating! It¡¯s a pity that this could only happen once. If it could happen several times, that would be even more exciting. Wang Tao looked at the discarded Orange Crystal Core; its exterior was still sparkling gold, giving no indication of its discarded status. Perhaps in the future, if he found someone displeasing, he could use this Crystal Core to trick them? A Crystal Core extracted from Wang Tao¡¯s fused abilities couldn¡¯t be used by anyone else anyway. But if it were a functioning Crystal Core, Wang Tao definitely wouldn¡¯t want to waste it. Since this Core was already discarded, it might be good if he could find a way to recycle it. Moreover, Wang Tao suddenly thought that if this wasn¡¯t a bug but a mechanism of this type of superpower, could others use it in the same way? For instance, if Jade Lotus fused with an ¡°HP Enhancement¡± Crystal Core and then used an Extraction Crystal Core to remove it, would Jade Lotus also gain an additional 10,000 HP? But Wang Tao only had a Level 2 Extraction Crystal Core, not a Level 3. Since Jade Lotus was already Level 3, it wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll find a Level 2 person to experiment with¡­¡± If it really worked, this could be an alternative way to enhance strength! At this moment, Wang Tao heard someone entering the room. Then with a click, the lights in the room went out. Wang Tao could sense someone approaching the side of the bed. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is Jade Lotus up to, wanting to y role-ying games? Fine, I¡¯ll y along.¡± Wang Taoy on the bed without getting up or opening his eyes, pretending to be asleep. Then Wang Tao felt Jade Lotus hovering by his bed for quite a while withouting closer. It seemed like she was¡­ hesitant? Wang Tao suddenly got a bit more expectant. Even though Jade Lotus often stuck close to him, she was rather traditional in certain aspects¡­ Wang Tao felt that Jade Lotus might havee up with something new this time. A momentter, as if resolute, Jade Lotus cautiously made her way to the side of the bed. Then she quietly climbed onto it, carefully avoiding any contact with Wang Tao, as if afraid to wake him up. Wang Tao didn¡¯t know what she was up to, thinking that with Jade Lotus¡¯s personality, she would normally just hug him directly. Could it be that she wanted him to take the initiative? So, Wang Tao suddenly stretched out his arm, directly embracing the person who had justin down beside him. ¡°Mmm~¡± The other person seemed startled and tensed uppletely.@@novelbin@@ But Wang Tao paused, puzzled. ¡°Huh? Howe you¡¯ve gotten smaller?¡± Chapter 535 - 229: I Like You a Little Bit_2 Chapter 535: Chapter 229: I Like You a Little Bit_2 @@novelbin@@ For a moment, neither of them made a sound. ¡°Brother, it¡¯s getting dark soon.¡± Suddenly, a voice rang out beside the two. The pair turned their heads at the same time and saw Jiang Shixue, who was tilting her head at the side of the bed. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡± Lan Yulian swiftly grabbed the quilt and covered herself uppletely, huddling into Wang Tao¡¯s chest like an ostrich. ¡°Little Xue, you¡­ haven¡¯t been here the whole time, have you?¡± Wang Tao massaged his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. The two of them had been too engrossed just now and forgot there was another person right beside them! ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been here the whole time.¡± Jiang Shixue stated as if it were only natural. ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian curled up even tighter in his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s forget it, let¡¯s go back.¡± Wang Tao said, somewhat helplessly. Anyway, Jiang Shixue was different from others; just treat her as if she were a zombie. Wang Tao patted Lan Yulian¡¯s buttocks. ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s about to be dark. Maybe Lu Yingfeng is already looking for you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian squirmed a bit in Wang Tao¡¯s arms but didn¡¯t get up. Wang Tao could feel that her body temperature was quite high, probably due to shyness. So, with a surprised cry from Lan Yulian, Wang Tao flipped the quilt open. Seeing that Lan Yulian still buried her head, acting as if she couldn¡¯t bear to see anyone, Wang Tao had no choice but to take the trouble to help her get dressed himself. Lan Yulian did not resist any further; she was enjoying Wang Tao¡¯s gentleness. Wang Tao looked at the faint bloodstain on the sheets and sighed to himself. He did not want to get involved with so many women, but s, his charm was too irresistible! Once the two were dressed, Wang Tao ruffled Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay~¡± After they left the club, Lan Yulian looked at Wang Tao with a pitiful expression. ¡°You drive.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao drove, Lan Yulian sat in the passenger seat, and Jiang Shixue sat in the back seat. Wang Tao found that Lan Yulian, though she seemed very independent, was actually quite clingy. On the way from the club to Zijin Base, she kept her gaze on Wang Tao, asionally poking and prodding him. If Wang Tao wasn¡¯t driving, it felt like she would pounce on him at any moment. The intense affection in her eyes was palpable to anyone but a fool. Of course, it could also be because they had just confirmed their rtionship, and they were still in the honeymoon phase¡­ However, upon reaching Zijin Base, Lan Yulian¡¯s demeanor immediately turned serious, transforming into the cold andposed leader of Zijin Base, as if nothing had happened between her and Wang Tao. ¡°Women are indeed fickle creatures.¡± Wang Tao eximed softly and then drove the car directly to the central area of the base. This used to be the residence of the General, but now, naturally, it belonged to Lan Yulian. Beforeing back just now, Lan Yulian had contacted Lu Yingfeng. Lu Yingfeng was waiting at the entrance at this time. As Wang Tao and the two women got out of the car and walked toward the house, Lu Yingfeng¡¯s eyes asionally drifted toward Lan Yulian. ¡°Why are you always looking at me? Is there something on my face?¡± Lan Yulian felt somewhat ufortable under the scrutiny. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that the leader seems to be in a good mood, glowing with health, as if she¡¯s leveled up to Level 3, even though the leader hasn¡¯t reached Level 3 yet¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng was a bit puzzled. She, like Lan Yulian,cked any experience with matters of men and women. ¡°Cough, stop looking, let¡¯s go inside!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The central area of Zijin Base consisted of several buildings arranged together. It was designed as a ce for handling official matters and for the rest of the high-level personnel of the base. The ce where Lan Yulian lived was arge courtyard. Her Level 3 subordinates were arranged to live around it. ¡°Should I arrange a separate ce for Mr. Wang?¡± Lu Yingfeng whispered to Lan Yulian by her side. ¡°No need.¡± Lan Yulian shook her head. ¡°Yes.¡± Once inside the courtyard, there were no outsiders. Lan Yulian instantly hugged Wang Tao, clinging to him under the shocked gaze of Lu Yingfeng. ¡°You two¡­ you two¡­¡± ¡°Little Feng, let me introduce him again, this is my boyfriend, Wang Tao!¡± Lan Yulian introduced openly. ¡°¡­Congrattions!¡± Lu Yingfeng opened her mouth, then smiled slightly. Although she didn¡¯t know what had happened between Lan Yulian and Wang Tao that afternoon, it was obviously something she was pleased to see. But why did she suddenly feel a slight heartache¡­ Lu Yingfeng shook her head and decided not to ponder it further. She nned to interrogate Lan Yulian thoroughly that night to find out exactly what was going on. Then, with a somewhat reddened face, Lan Yulian said: ¡°Little Feng, Wang Tao will stay in my room tonight, you find another room for yourself.¡± She usually roomed with Lu Yingfeng because they were close, and also because Lu Yingfeng could protect her. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Lu Yingfeng suddenly felt a sense of abandonment. She looked at Wang Tao with a slightly resentful expression, then sighed and went to prepare food. ¡°Heartless woman, you¡¯re abandoning me now, after all the confusing signals?¡± Wang Tao teased, poking Lan Yulian¡¯s nose. ¡°Hmph~¡± Lan Yulian snorted coyly, and then her tone turned somewhat mncholic: ¡°I could be with her for a long time, but I don¡¯t know how many more days I can be with you¡­¡± Wang Tao tenderly stroked Lan Yulian¡¯s hair but did not respond. ¡°Right, where are Xu Xiaojun and the others?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for them next door. Do you want to go there?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go tomorrow.¡± Wang Tao thought Lan Yulian was right¡ªhe didn¡¯t know how many days he would have with her, so it was better to spend more time with her and do some meaningful things in the meantime. Chapter 551: 234 Encounter with Yang Changhong_3 Chapter 551: Chapter 234 Encounter with Yang Changhong_3 Wang Tao parked his car next to Yang Changhong¡¯s. Then he registered his name and car. ¡°Mr. Wang, rest assured, our parking lot is manned, just lock your doors, and we guarantee that nothing will be taken from your car!¡± The bald middle-aged man assured, patting his chest. ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded. He came fully armed this time, unless someone forced their way in, there was no way they could pry the door open. He casually threw a white Level 1 Garbage Crystal Core to the man. ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡± Just like the previous inspector, the bald middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment before subconsciously catching the Crystal Core. Upon realizing he was holding a Level 1 Crystal Core in his hand, he widened his eyes and stammered:
¡°Wang, Mr. Wang? W-we don¡¯t charge for parking¡­¡± The fact of the matter was, in the beginning, the leader of their base was inclined to charge a fee, since making some money was always good, but it waster rescinded. The reason was simple¡ªif someone could drive their car here and park it, they were generally second-order superpower owners. And in their base, there was only one second-order superpower owner¡­ In the absence of legal stiptions, the one with the biggest fist had the final say. You don¡¯t have the strength and still want to charge a fee? That was just asking for death! As is widely known, many people, especially those who had not fared well before the end of the world, tend to be inted and even psychologically twisted once they gained strength after the apocalypse. Even if the fees they charged were not high, it could appear offensive in the eyes of some hot-tempered individuals¡ªit was like looking down on them! If someone got unhappy and confronted the base, that would be a disaster! Of course, although they didn¡¯t charge a fee, there were a small number of people who would give tips. These tips were a bonus for them. Not much, but better than nothing. ¡°No charge? Then consider it a tip for you.¡± Wang Tao waved his hand dismissively. ¡°A tip?¡± In the post-apocalyptic world, the valuable things pretty much fell into a few categories: food, weapons, vehicles, and the most valuable of all, Crystal Cores. He never expected Wang Tao would actually give him a Crystal Core as a tip! Even if it was the lowest-grade Level 1 White Crystal Core, it was still a Crystal Core! This could be exchanged for a lot of food in the trade hall! After a moment of stunned silence, the man immediately stood at attention. ¡°Yes! Mr. Wang, rest assured, I will take good care of your car! There won¡¯t be any problems!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, ready to leave. The man immediately brought out four bulky-looking oil-paper umbres from a corner and handed them to Wang Tao. ¡°Mr. Wang, these are the umbres we make here, especially for these acid rains! This umbre can withstand at least three hours of corrosion!¡± ¡°Oh? Interesting.¡± Wang Tao took them and handed one to each Xu Xiaojun and the others. Then he headed towards the trade hall. Once Wang Tao left, the bald middle-aged man immediately called out. ¡°Guys, get some clean water, let¡¯s give Mr. Wang¡¯s car a good wash!¡± ¡­ The trade hall was thergest building in Duzhu Town Base, a three-story structure that seemed to have been converted from a small shopping mall. The first floor was the trade hall, providing a trading space and a ce to post bounty tasks. The second floor was specially prepared for visitors¡¯ amodation. Of course, you could stay elsewhere if you didn¡¯t want to stay here; it was quite free. The third floor was where the leadership of Duzhu Town Base lived and dealt with daily affairs. The trade hall was located right next to the parking lot, just a few steps away. Upon arriving at the trade hall, it was busier inside than Wang Tao had imagined, filled with people. The entrance of Wang Tao and his group immediately drew quite a bit of attention. It couldn¡¯t be helped, the stature of Xu Xiaojun and Wang Tao was too striking: one was two meters tall, the other was two meters twenty. Both of them standing at the entrance could block out the light. As for the two beautiful women beside Wang Tao, they didn¡¯t attract as much attention. After all, Wang Tao and hispanions clearly were not ones to be trifled with; for all anyone knew, the beauties might be their forbidden fruit. It wasn¡¯t worth the trouble of looking for trouble. Among the outsiders there, two of them became somewhat uncertain upon seeing Wang Tao and his group. ¡°Level 3? Really?¡± They could vaguely sense an oppressive aura distinct from Level 1 and Level 2 Ability Users emanating from Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan, but it wasn¡¯t as evident as that of a Level 3 zombie¡­ Wang Tao ignored the gazes of others, scanned the area, and did not spot Zhang Hong. ¡°Excuse me, sir, my name is Zheng Hai. May I help you with anything?¡± At that moment, a short, plump middle-aged man with only a few hundred HP walked over, nodding and bowing to Wang Tao. ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. An outsider, a woman who is quite pretty¡­¡± Wang Tao described her simply. Zheng Hai thought for a moment, then tentatively asked: ¡°I think I know who you are looking for. May I be so bold as to ask what your rtionship with thedy is¡­¡± Their base dreads incidents involving grudges because, if a fight breaks out, they can¡¯t afford to offend either party. However, judging by the look of Wang Tao and hispanions, they didn¡¯t seem like they were after revenge, which is why he dared to ask. Of course, the most important point was that his good brother from the inspection team had justmunicated with him using a walkie-talkie, saying that a group of very generous bosses had arrived¡­ ¡°Good friends.¡± Wang Tao replied.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Alright, please wait a moment, I¡¯ll go notify¡ª¡± Zheng Hai hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Wang Tao threw him a white Crystal Core. ¡°Take me to her.¡± Wang Tao said calmly. Looking at the Crystal Core in his hand, Zheng Hai suppressed his excitement and said: ¡°Please follow me!¡± He led Wang Tao and his group to a room on the second floor and stopped outside the door. Wang Tao knocked directly. Knock knock knock¡ª ¡°Who is it?¡± A wary female voice came from inside. Wang Tao was very familiar with this voice; it was indeed Yang Changhong. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Wang Tao spoke deliberately in a lowered voice. Click¡ª The door opened a crack, and Yang Changhong¡¯s haggard face appeared. Upon seeing Wang Tao at the door, she froze. Then she instinctively reached out. ¡°Am I¡­ dreaming again¡­¡± Chapter 554 - 235 Do you still have planes here?_3 Chapter 554: Chapter 235 Do you still have nes here?_3 ¡°Back then there were more than ten vehicles together, and now only these two are left¡­¡± After everyone finished organizing the cars, night had already fallen. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Check out the hall.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The number of people inside the trading hall was much less than during the day, but it was livelier. Most of the locals who were there during the day had left. Now the ce was full of outsiders who were stronger, and many of them were trading with each other, bringing out items that were much better than what the locals had. ¡°Mr. Wang!¡± At this moment, Zheng Hai came over with several middle-aged men and women. ¡°Let me introduce you, this is our base leader, Fan Peng¡­¡±
Fan Peng was a tall middle-aged man with second-order strength, but his HP was not even ten thousand. His mana was also not much, and he had no hidden attributes. This was an ordinary second-order ability user. ¡°Mr. Wang, hello, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you!¡± When he was still at a distance, Fan Peng bent slightly at the waist and extended both hands. ¡°Hello.¡± Wang Tao shook his hand. After a few polite exchanges, Fan Peng said: ¡°Mr. Wang Tao, if there¡¯s anything you need our help with, just mention it. I will do my best to satisfy your needs!¡± He positioned himself very humbly. He had to be humble, as these outsiders were not easy to provoke, with almost every team having several level two ability users. Their base had only one level two ability user. If there really was a conflict, their small base would not withstand the turmoil caused by these ability users. Moreover, his subordinates reminded him that there might be a level three ability user among Wang Tao¡¯s group! He had to be even more cautious and submissive! Of course, there was also a most important point: Wang Tao¡¯s group was very wealthy! Due to the small poption and few zombies in Duzhu Town, crystal cores were also scarce. For them, crystal cores were a very rare resource. Now that such a ¡°rich man¡± hade, if they could trade for some crystal cores from Wang Tao to help cultivate some ability users, that would be very worthwhile. So he was exceptionally polite to Wang Tao. ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll trouble you.¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. ¡°Haha, no trouble at all, no trouble! Please, this way Mr. Wang¡­¡± Fan Peng led Wang Tao and his group to the center of the trading hall. When the others saw this, they also immediately stood up. Although they were considered strong in this ce, they still had a big gappared to Wang Tao¡¯s team, which was suspected to have a level three ability user. Especially Wang Tao and Xu Xiaojun, their physiques were so oppressive, they looked hard to mess with. ¡°Hello everyone.¡± Wang Tao greeted everyone with a smile and then sat down in the spot arranged by Fan Peng. Fan Peng stood in the middle and addressed the crowd. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I am Fan Peng, the leader of Duzhu Town. The purpose of hosting this exchange is to share what we have and what weck; there are no rules here, and everyone should speak freely¡­¡± Wang Tao also took the opportunity to observe the other people. There were more than thirty outsiders, a considerable number. Among them, twenty were level two ability users, and the rest were level one ability users, with not a single ordinary person among them. However, among these level two ability users, only two had 29999 HP, one male and one female. The man was named Cai Ping, in his forties. The woman was named Tan Ya, in her thirties. The rest were mostly between ten thousand and twenty thousand HP. In Wang Tao¡¯s view, of course, this strength was not enough, but actually, it wasn¡¯t weak either. They could be considered second- or third-tier people¡­ After Fan Peng finished speaking, everyone began to exchange with each other, some seeking information, others bringing out items for trade. But these people didn¡¯t have any good crystal cores in hand, or maybe they had some but didn¡¯t bring them out. Anyway, Wang Tao was not interested in them. However, Fan Peng beside him seemed very interested. Unfortunately, the things they wanted were either vehicles or weapons which Fan Peng simply couldn¡¯t provide. Their base had plenty of food, but since level two ability users could generally find food themselves, the value of food was rtively not so high. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± Wang Tao looked towards Yang Changhong, Xu Xiaojun, and the others. They all shook their heads; Wang Tao¡¯s supplies were quite sufficient, and they weren¡¯tcking anything for now. Since they didn¡¯t need supplies, they went straight to exchanging information. Wang Tao cleared his throat and said: ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I want to know what the situation is like in your areas¡­¡± To show sincerity, Wang Tao first roughly described the situation in Zijing City. Hearing that the survivors in Zijing City were all inside arge base where they could grow vegetables and grains, and that there was even a level three ability user there, everyone¡¯s eyes, including Fan Peng¡¯s, lit up. ¡°Damn! Zijing City has such a ce? If I had known, I would have headed for Zijing City!¡± Someone regretted. ¡°Damn it! I had nned to escape to Zijing City, but I lost my map and ended up taking the wrong road to Wuyang City¡­¡± Someone was even more regretful. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to turn back now. Shall we go to Zijing City together in a few days?¡±@@novelbin@@ Someone made a suggestion. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s n it properlyter!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The people were very excited about the news from Wang Tao. After discussing for a while, they began to share the situation in their own areas. After Wang Tao heard it, he felt it was just one word¡ªdifficult! Then Wang Tao asked: ¡°How much do you know about Wuyang Military Base?¡± Everyone shook their heads. They knew there was a military base in Wuyang City, and some came here because of it. But as far as knowing more, they probably only knew the name. ¡°Nobody knows?¡± Wang Tao frowned slightly. He thought for a moment and then asked: ¡°Then have you picked up the recent airlifts from the military base, and did you find any news about the military base or any novel items inside?¡± There had been frequent airliftstely, and there might be some clues in them. However, after Wang Tao said this, everyone was stunned. Fan Peng said in a shocked whisper: ¡°Ah? Mr. Wang, do you mean to say that those nes flying over our heads¡­ are airlift nes?!¡± Before Wang Tao could reply, several people from other provinces said with a baffled look: ¡°Ah? There are nes here?¡± Chapter 537: 230 Iron Tree Vines_1 Chapter 537: Chapter 230 Iron Tree Vines_1 That day, Lan Yulian brought a lot of Crystal Cores to Wang Tao again. ¡°Wang Tao, see if there are any you can use.¡± Wang Tao nced at her and said: ¡°All for me? You still owe me so much, these Crystal Cores aren¡¯t enough to pay off your debt!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just letting you pick, I¡¯m not giving them all to you¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ Lan Yulian hurriedly said. ¡°Stingy.¡± ¡°¡­Anyway, I¡¯ve mortgaged myself to you, take it or leave it!¡± Lan Yulian first gave Wang Tao a re, then spoke in a pitiful tone, ¡°This is all I¡¯ve got left in Crystal Cores, I can¡¯t give them all to you, otherwise the base won¡¯t be able to develop¡­¡± Wang Tao was just joking; he knew Lan Yulian had now be the base leader and had to consider the needs of over ten thousand people at the base. ¡°Then leave the Crystal Cores, I¡¯ll pick a few, and you keep the rest.¡± ¡°Love you!¡± Lan Yulian immediately hugged Wang Tao joyfully and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek. Then she moved her face closer, and Wang Tao could only helplessly give her a peck. Lu Yingfeng gave the two a disdainful look from the side. She was choking on their public disy of affection, even feeling a bit envious. Having a suitable and strong partner in the post-apocalyptic world was indeed enviable. Lan Yulian had a lot more to do, so after delivering the Crystal Cores, she left. Wang Tao collected all these Crystal Cores into his space, and when he took them out again, more than half were gone, but they had all turned into purple and above high-quality Crystal Cores! Since Lan Yulian was now his woman, Wang Tao certainly didn¡¯t mind helping out a bit. Among these Crystal Cores, Wang Tao indeed found a few he could use. Wang Tao looked at his own Abilities. His current four Abilities were: [Level 2¡¤Iron Wall (+10)] [Level 2¡¤Extraordinary Rage (+10)] [Level 2¡¤Mastery Fusion (+10)] [Level 2¡¤Yin and Yang Bnce (+1)] The first three Abilities had already reached +10, only this newlybined Yin and Yang Bnce was at +1¡­ That clearly wasn¡¯t enough. So Wang Tao was nning tobine this Yin and Yang Bnce with other Abilities to see if they could merge. He now had over three hundred thousand in Special Energy, and extracting and synthesizing Second-order Superpower Owners required only five thousand, which was enough for his experiments. After a series of experiments, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. This Yin and Yang Bnce was a Passive Ability. He had thought it couldbine with other passive abilities, but the experiments showed that the merging probability with other Passive Abilities was not high. Instead, it had a much higher chance of merging with Psychic System Abilities! This indicated that the Yin and Yang Bnce was a Psychic System Ability. Surprise notwithstanding, this was actually good news, because Wang Tao did indeed have many Psychic System Abilities he wished to merge. Wang Tao looked around and found a few suitable Crystal Cores. They were [Mental Disturbance], [Mental Fluctuation], and [Mental Barrier]. [Mental Disturbance: Can slightly influence the minds of living beings] [Mental Fluctuation: Can make living beings mentally unstable] [Mental Barrier: Opens a barrier that blocks mental attacks] Wang Tao previously had a Mental Disturbance Crystal Core, which had dropped from that Toad zombie back at Shuize Base. Now, he had obtained another two from this batch, just enough to synthesize an Epic Crystal Core. This Ability basically caused living beings to make incorrect judgments. The simpler the brain, the more significant the impact. The smarter the being, the less the effect, and it might even be ineffective. Wang Tao specifically tried it out, and currently, this ability couldn¡¯t affect humans at all; it could only affect zombies. For example, it could make zombies mistake him for their Lord, then follow him, protect him, fight for him, and such. But the problem was, this Ability only worked at close range, and as soon as zombies got close to him, they would smell the human scent on him. This aroused their appetite, rendering the disturbancepletely ineffective¡­ However,bined with a Stealth Potion, things were different. Stealth Potion could change one¡¯s scent, making it undetectable to zombies. That way, zombies wouldn¡¯t want to eat him anymore. Of course, even with Stealth Potion, he couldn¡¯t be too close to zombies, or it would still fail, but at least he could control it now, unlike before. With Stealth Potion, Wang Tao could have around a dozen Level 2 Zombies circling him. It looked quite impressive, but it wasn¡¯t very practical. The second Mental Fluctuation Crystal Core was also quite interesting. Simrly, it had a greater impact on beings with simpler minds. However, this one influenced emotions. It had little effect on humans, but with zombies, it could suddenly make them go into a frenzy or be passive¡­ This Ability might be used as a trick up the sleeve. The third Mental Barrier Crystal Core was powerful. This Ability could create an invisible barrier that enveloped a person like a second skin and could move with them. This barrier couldst for about ten minutes, and during that time, it could block some mental attacks. For instance, if Wang Tao put a Mental Barrier on a zombie and then tried using Mental Disturbance on it, the Mental Disturbance would be ineffective. However, this Mental Barrier had its own HP, ten thousand, and receiving mental attacks would reduce the HP. Once the HP hit zero, the Mental Barrier would disappear. Physical attacks naturally couldn¡¯t be blocked, but they also didn¡¯t reduce HP. In any case, overall, the Ability Wang Tao liked most out of these was the Mental Barrier. A life-saving Ability for critical moments! Chapter 539: 230 Iron Tree Vines_3 Chapter 539: Chapter 230 Iron Tree Vines_3 ¡°` But there are two problems. One is that it¡¯s only ten meters long, a bit too short. The second is that it currently has only ten thousand HP, and its defense isn¡¯t too high¡­ Overall, it¡¯s still too fragile. The HP needs to be increased. With more HP, it should grow longer. After all, the Iron Tree Vines I¡¯ve seen before were very long. Wang Tao thought it was like the Entangling Roots; to increase the HP, either feed it his HP or feed it Crystal Cores. Turns out Wang Tao tried it, and that didn¡¯t work. A prompt also appeared, suggesting that the Iron Tree Vines need to split before they can be cultivated. For example, if it splits into two vines, then Wang Tao could increase its HP to twenty thousand, three vines to thirty thousand HP, and so on. This is a bit of a headache, but there¡¯s a silver lining. That¡¯s two vines each with twenty thousand HP! In other words, if Wang Tao could nurture this Iron Tree Vine to ten vines, and continuously nourish their HP, then Wang Tao would have ten vines, each with one hundred thousand HP! That¡¯s a total of one million HP! Wang Tao is somewhat looking forward to the final product. As for how it¡¯s going to split, it has to do with time. Anyway, Wang Tao just has to care for it, don¡¯t let it die, and it will eventually split¡­ This is consideredte-game equipment, so for now this is all he could do. However, for Wang Tao, even asionally using this vine as a Control Ability is enough. But speaking of weapons, Wang Tao thought of his Entangling Roots, which he had always said he would cultivate but never had the time. Now is the perfect time to cultivate it and see if he can raise it to one hundred thousand HP. When he tried this, Wang Tao cursed his luck¡ªraising it to one hundred thousand HP would require too many Crystal Cores! If the Entangling Roots are low on HP, and he wants to increase the current HP, then one Level 1 Crystal Core can add one hundred HP, Level 2 Crystal Core can add a thousand HP, and Level 3 Crystal Core can add ten thousand HP. But to increase the HP limit of the Entangling Roots, one Level 1 Crystal Core can only add ten HP to the limit, a Level 2 Crystal Core can add a hundred HP to the limit, and a Level 3 Crystal Core can add a thousand HP to the limit! The Entangling Roots currently have twenty thousand HP, and still need eighty thousand HP to reach one hundred thousand. To add this eighty thousand HP, that would require eighty Level 3 Crystal Cores, or eight hundred Level 2 Crystal Cores, or eight thousand Level 1 Crystal Cores! Wang Tao does have some savings now, but he cannot afford such an expense! With no other choice, Wang Tao could only decide to use his HP for the enhancement. Using HP to nourish the Entangling Roots would leave him in a state of Weakness, which normally wouldn¡¯t be viable. But now it¡¯s temporarily safe, with Lan Yulian and others protecting him, so it¡¯s not a problem. So, Wang Tao approached Lan Yulian and asked her to cooperate with him. Wang Tao nourished the Entangling Roots with his HP, and Lan Yulian replenished Wang Tao¡¯s HP. Adding HP does consume Spirit, but Wang Tao and Lan Yulian could recover Spirit at the same time¡­ Well, it¡¯s like a perpetual motion machine! Lan Yulian didn¡¯t know the specific details of the Entangling Roots, but once Wang Tao exined the n to her, she immediately agreed. So, the two began their operation. Then, there were two things that slightly caught Wang Tao off guard. The first was that the amount of his HP consumed to increase the HP limit of the Entangling Roots was truly a lot¡ªWang Tao had to spend ten thousand HP to add only a hundred HP to the Roots¡¯ limit! The second was that Weakness really felt weak¡ªso weak that Wang Tao couldn¡¯t actively help Lan Yulian recover Spirit. He could only let Lan Yulian take the initiative. Lan Yulian was adding HP to Wang Tao and simultaneously replenishing her own Spirit¡­ Wang Tao felt a bit guilty watching her. Fortunately, Lan Yulian was enjoying herself and didn¡¯t feel tired. Thus, Wang Tao and Lan Yulian stayed in the room all day, not going out. Lu Yingfeng almost thought something had happened to Lan Yulian. Aftering to check and seeing them, she blushed and ran away immediately. ¡°Broad daylight, shameless!¡± Finally, when Lan Yulian was close to copsing from exhaustion, the Entangling Roots reached one hundred thousand HP! After the Blood Sucking of the Entangling Roots had finished, Wang Tao was still in a state of Weakness, which would continue for another day, but it wasn¡¯t as extreme as the 99% Weakness he¡¯d experienced before, and he was now able to move. Wang Tao hugged Lan Yulian. ¡°It¡¯s enough now.¡± ¡°Phew¡ªYou¡¯ve tired out your sister!¡± Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Lan Yulian instantly rxed and flopped onto Wang Tao¡¯s chest like a dead fish. She was both physically and mentally exhausted, something most people probably wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand. However, it wasn¡¯t without benefits; at least after using so much healing, she became more adept with her Ability. ¡°Thank you for the hard work.¡± Wang Tao gently kissed her forehead. ¡°Hmph, stinky man¡­ I¡¯m going to rest a bit¡­¡± Lan Yulian snorted, and then fell asleep on top of Wang Tao. The next day. Lan Yulian woke up in Wang Tao¡¯s embrace. Seeing that Wang Tao was still holding her, letting her liefortably in his arms, Lan Yulian felt somewhat sweet inside. ¡°Wang Tao, I think I¡¯m starting to like you more and more¡­¡± She murmured. Wang Tao opened his eyes and kissed her forehead: ¡°Awake? Want to sleep more?¡± ¡°No, time to get up!¡± Lan Yulian is a disciplined person. After going crazy for one day, it was time to work today. She had just taken over the base and begun reforms, so she would be busy for some time. ¡°Alright.¡± Although both had strong physiques and weren¡¯t significantly harmed, they still felt somewhat weakened. Wang Tao because the state of Weakness hadn¡¯t worn off, and Lan Yulian due to the tremendous physical and mental effort. ¡°You¡¯ve finally decided to get out of bed¡­¡± At breakfast, Lu Yingfeng couldn¡¯t hold back ament. She was worried that Lan Yulian, so young, wouldn¡¯t know her limits and might run into trouble with her health.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Cough.¡± Lan Yulian blushed. Although she was doing important work with Wang Tao, it wasn¡¯t something she could easily exin. ¡°I¡¯ve eaten. I¡¯m off to work!¡± Lan Yulian quickly grabbed Lu Yingfeng and fled as if escaping. ¡°` Chapter 560 - 237 Duzhu High School_3 Chapter 560: Chapter 237 Duzhu High School_3 Seeing Wang Tao agree, Fan Peng¡¯s face lit up with joy. The others were all curious; they wanted to see just how strong these suspected Level 3 ability users really were! Fan Peng himself drove the car, leading several vehicles away from Duzhu Town Base. The ce he mentioned was in the center of the town, where there was a senior high school. The zombies were inside the high school. There were virtually no young faces in Duzhu Town except for the high school.@@novelbin@@ ording to Fan Peng, the high school had a closed management system, making it very difficult to leave. When the zombie virus outbreak urred, sses were in session¡­ so it was quickly overrun. Afterwards, no survivors dared to enter, and the zombies inside did note out. Fan Peng nned to cultivate more ability users for the base, so he set his sights on the zombies in the high school. He had thought that, with his Level 2 Ability strength, he should be able to lure some zombies out for others to kill. But once he climbed in, he discovered there was an incredibly terrifying zombie inside!
Since he hadn¡¯t seen the materials provided by the military before, he didn¡¯t know what type of zombie this was. Now, after going through Wang Tao¡¯s information, he realized this was probably a Zombie Lord! Knowing the characteristics of the Zombie Lord, Fan Peng no longer dared to go there alone. If it were only one zombie, he could probably still run away, but if that zombie had a bunch of underlings, then he would be in trouble! That¡¯s why he asked everyone for help, especially since Wang Tao and his group were Level 3 ability users. With them there, it was definitely going to be a lot safer. The convoy braved the heavy rain and arrived at the entrance of the high school. Abandoned vehicles filled the entrance, blocking the roadpletely, forcing everyone to get out and walk. Fan Peng distributed to each person one of the heavy umbres made by their base. These umbres could partially shield against the corrosive acid rain. Although they too would be corroded, the umbres were so thick that they couldst two to three hours without a problem. As soon as Wang Tao and his group got out of the car, they immediately drew everyone¡¯s attention. It couldn¡¯t be helped, aside from Wang Tao, who was holding an umbre, standing together with Jiang Shixue. Nie Siyan, Xu Xiaojun, and Yang Changhong were all dressed in armor, looking striking and projecting a sense of security. Especially Xu Xiaojun, who not only wore a set of ck armor but also had a shield on his back and a Giant Axe in his hand, exuding an aura of lethal intensity! As for the Mechanical Exoskeleton on Xu Xiaojun¡¯s body, Wang Tao didn¡¯t let him use it this time. The corrosive acid rain was falling right now, and it would be too much of a loss if it got corroded, because Wang Tao couldn¡¯t repair that gadget¡­ Looking at the abandoned vehicles at the school gate, Fan Peng sighed and said: ¡°These were driven by parents who hadn¡¯t been infected,ing to pick up their children when the zombie virus broke out. But by that time, basically everyone in the school had been infected, so¡­¡± At that time, he was also one of the parents who hade to pick up their children. ¡°So you mean to say that the school has never been opened up to now, the zombies inside have nevere out, and you haven¡¯t really gone in?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Upon receiving Fan Peng¡¯s affirmative reply, Wang Tao became immediately interested. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go in and take a look!¡± The school, like other buildings, was also covered with thick green vegetation. It was as if a school had been built in a primitive forest. Wang Tao used his nt Affinity Ability to sense, feeling there were many zombies inside, and they were not weak. But he didn¡¯t feel the presence of the Zombie Lord yet, given the school¡¯srge size. ¡°There are quite a few zombies inside and many of them are Level 2 Zombies. Do you all want to go in with me?¡± Wang Tao said to the others. ¡°There are a lot of Level 2 Zombies?¡± The people eximed. They were at most Level 2 themselves, and unlike Wang Tao and his group, they didn¡¯t have the ability to kill above their level. If they encountered arge number of Level 2 Zombies, they would be done for. However, with a Level 3 ability user present¡­ It¡¯d be a pity not to seize this opportunity! ¡°I¡¯ll go with Mr. Wang!¡± Fan Peng was the first to dere. Unlike others, who were outsiders and could leave at any moment, Fan Peng was the leader of Duzhu Town Base, which they couldn¡¯t just pack up and move. If those Level 2 Zombies broke out of the school gates, it might be his base that would be out of luck. He hoped that Level 2 Zombies would appear, so that he could hunt them for their Crystal Cores. But he didn¡¯t want too many of them to appear. After all, his base was weak andprised mostly of middle-aged and elderly people with poor fighting capabilities. He needed to assess the strength of these Level 2 Zombies. If he could kill one more, it would lessen the risk to his base and at the same time, he would gain some Crystal Cores. Moreover, he clearly felt that Wang Tao was only interested in that suspected Level 3 Lord zombie. He couldn¡¯t expect Wang Tao to help kill these zombies, so he had to try to do it himself as much as possible. Seeing Fan Peng step forward, the others hesitated for a moment, and eventually all decided to go in together. With a Level 3 ability user backing them up, it was a rare opportunity. If they didn¡¯t seize it, they would surely regret itter! ¡°Great.¡± Wang Tao was quite satisfied. He definitely couldn¡¯t kill all these zombies, and he didn¡¯t feel like doing so. Letting these people kill the zombies would resolve the danger in Duzhu Town and allow them to benefit as well. It was a win-win situation. Then Wang Tao said to Xu Xiaojun: ¡°You go and open up the main gate. We¡¯ll enter from the front entrance.¡± The main gate and the surrounding walls of Duzhu High School had been heightened, reportedly because many boarding students used to climb over the walls to go to Inte cafes at night. Not even the night-duty teachers catching them or the instation of surveince cameras could stop them. So the school simply decided to raise the walls and gate of the school grounds, preventing the students from climbing out. But since then, students secretly referred to the school as Duzhu Prison because the high walls and gates looked too much like a prison¡­ ¡°Okay!¡± With an agreement, Xu Xiaojun promptly moved to the gate. Then, swinging the Giant Axe, to the astonishment of onlookers, he hacked open the iron gate in just a few blows. Chapter 562 - 238 Ghost Claw Zombie_2 Chapter 562: Chapter 238 Ghost w Zombie_2 ¡°Wang Tao, it¡¯s in here¡ªI feel a very powerful presence! I have the sensation of being watched!¡± Yang Changhong was waiting outside the door for Wang Tao.@@novelbin@@ The higher the level of an ability user, the more acute their senses. The powerful presence she perceived should not be mistaken. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and take a look.¡± Wang Tao activated Entangling Roots, and in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a ¡°monster.¡± Yang Changhong had seen my ¡°transformation¡± before, but even now, she was still amazed. The reason Wang Tao was so cautious was that this library had no nts at all. This campus was full of nts, including many inside the teaching buildings, but this ce was devoid of them, which was clearly strange. So it was better to be cautious. The group followed Wang Tao inside.
The design of the library was quite good, with ample lighting. Without the obstruction of nts, one could see clearly inside even on overcast and rainy days. The first floor was a mess, with lots of coagted ck bloodstains on the floor, but no bodies. This was normal; in areas with many zombies, bodies would not be left behind¡ªthey either mutated upon infection or werepletely devoured by zombies. There was no third possibility. They arrived at the second floor. The second floor was much cleaner and had no zombies. The third and fourth floors were also zombie-free. Moreover, the bookshelves and everything else were neat and orderly, with no signs of being disturbed. Probably no survivors hade here. However, many books were missing, and many shelves were empty. The library had a total of five floors, with no basement. If the first four floors were fine, then the problem might be on the top floor. Wang Tao proceeded to the top floor with great caution. ¡°Hmm?¡± The situation on the fifth floor surprised Wang Tao. It was quite empty, although there were some bookshelves, they were devoid of books. Wang Tao and hispanions continued walking further inside. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± In the open hall before them was a chair, and on this chair sat a slender figure from behind! Wang Tao had encountered many zombie ¡°surprise attacks,¡± so he naturally didn¡¯t think much of this figure, especially with the conspicuous red HP bar above its head. [HP: 60000/60000] [Mana: 60000/60000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord] A White Bone Knife appeared instantly in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. Although he was now Level 3, even when hunting a rabbit, a lion must use all its strength! At that moment, the zombie turned around. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but draw in a breath of cold air when he saw the face of the zombie. For it was truly a beauty! This was a beauty wearing a white shirt, a ck pencil skirt, ck silk high heels, with a figure featuring a golden ratio, a perfect face, and intelligent sses! ¡°Huh?¡± Yang Changhong and the others eximed in surprise as well. They had all prepared themselves mentally, but who could have expected this to actually be a beauty? The beauty was holding a book and looked at them with slightly furrowed brows, as if she were disturbed by their arrival and interrupted from her reading. ¡°Could it be that this isn¡¯t a zombie?¡± Nie Siyan asked in surprise. This didn¡¯t look like a zombie at all! Wang Tao was also puzzled. He wasn¡¯t questioning whether the other party was a zombie¡ªit was obvious given the red health bar. He was wondering how this zombie managed to do this. Was it an illusion? But it was only a Level 3, Lord, not a Level 4. Could it create such an illusion? Wang Tao had encountered a ck Mist Monster before that could create illusions, a Level 3, Lord, but he could easily distinguish the real from the fake. Yet with this zombie, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t see any ws. At this moment, Jiang Shixue raised her head to look at the group and then said to Wang Tao somewhat strangely: ¡°Brother, do you like such an ugly zombie?¡± ¡°You can see its true form?¡± Wang Tao immediately asked. Jiang Shixue did not answer right away, but instead tilted her head thoughtfully, and then her eyes emitted a burst of red light. ¡°Ah!¡± The woman in front suddenly cried out while covering her face, as if she were in great pain. Then, she raised her head again, revealing a rotting countenance. At the same time, her head erged slightly, and her voluptuous body began to wither and decay. Especially her thin hands quickly grew sharp ck nails like ghost ws. ¡°¡­¡± What was going on? Wang Tao was baffled, but now was not the time to be confused. The Ghost w Zombie, having its true form exposed, seemed to be enraged and immediately lunged at Jiang Shixue. Wang Tao saw only a blur before the zombie appeared in front of Jiang Shixue, wing wildly at her. ¡°Such speed!¡± Wang Tao swung his knife out of instinct. Bang! [-2034] [57966/60000] The Ghost w Zombie was cut by the knife, losing two thousand HP. ¡°Such high defense!¡± With Wang Tao being Level 3, his attack on a Level 3 zombie would normally cost at least five thousand HP with one strike. But this had only removed two thousand, indicating the high defense of this zombie. The Ghost w Zombie was also quite strong; Wang Tao felt his hand go numb. But since it was lightweight, he managed to send it flying with a single blow. The others immediately followed up with more strikes. [-945] [-1043] [-923] [-821] [54234/60000] ¡°This damage¡­¡± If Fan Peng and the others were here, it would be questionable whether they could even break through this zombie¡¯s defense. However, it was fortunate that there were so many Level 3 ability users on Wang Tao¡¯s side; they were not at a disadvantage. After being attacked several more times, the Ghost w Zombie seemed even angrier and vanished from its spot in a sh. Chapter 566 - 239 Bone-Chopping Uniform Hand Axe_3 A pile of Loot Packs burst out. Wang Tao gathered up the Loot Packs, then noticed that the hand axe in the Chef Zombie¡¯s grasp could be stored in the Space Backpack. Without a word, Wang Tao collected the items, and after obtaining the Crystal Core from the Chef Zombie, he waved to the others. "Let¡¯s head back quickly!" Wang Tao had already seen quite a few Mad Demon Zombies appearing. Although they were all Level 1 and Level Two Mad Demon Zombies, there were too many of them, and since there wasn¡¯t much benefit to killing them, everyone naturally didn¡¯t want to get entangled. When everyone arrived at the school gate, they found that many Mad Demon Zombies had already rushed in. However, they were all held back, and it was the attacking nts that held them up! "Interesting, let them fight each other! We¡¯ll take another route!" Wang Tao led the others to the other side; although it was a tall wall with no gate, Xu Xiaojun had split arge hole in it with a few chops of his axe. The group squeezed through one by one and then hurriedly drove away. The heavy rain greatly affected the zombies¡¯ Perception, and after chasing the convoy for a while, the Mad Demon Zombies fell behind. Over ten vehicles returned to Duzhu Town Base quite smoothly. "Phew¡ª" After getting back to the base, Fan Peng and the others finally rxed. "Damn! That was thrilling!" Someone eximed excitedly. "Isn¡¯t it! I¡¯ve never been in such a big battle before! Althoug h I was just spectating¡­" "The strength of Level 3 is so strong! Lucky for us Mr. Wang was with us; otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t even know how we died facing those zombies!" "Yeah, yeah! We must thank Mr. Wang!" After getting out of the vehicles, everyone thanked Wang Tao. Wang Tao waved his hand and then asked with a smile, "How was your loot?" "Heh heh¡­ not bad!" Just by looking at them, Wang Tao knew they had gained quite a bit. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t ask further and said to Fan Peng, "We won¡¯t be leaving today; the battle took a lot out of us, so we need a day of rest." "Of course! Mr. Wang, please rest assured you won¡¯t be disturbed!" Wang Tao and the others returned to their room. Xu Xiaojun and the others took off their armor. Wang Tao nced at it and saw that the Durability of everyone¡¯s armor had dropped somewhat, especially for Yang Changhong; her armor was a brand new set of Level 3 Iron Tree Armor given by Wang Tao. With a total of 30 Durability, it had dropped by 5 points! And these 5 points were all scratched by the Ghost w Zombie. It must be said that the damage done by the Ghost w Zombie was really high. Wang Tao took out a medical kit and nutritional fluid to hand them. "Everyone, get some good rest." The group wasn¡¯t hurt much, and the battle ended quickly, amounting to a swift victory. However, high-intensitybat was still very mentally draining, so they needed to recuperate properly. "Mhm." While everyone was resting, Wang Tao nced at his HP bar. Having just killed this Chef Zombie, Wang Tao gained an additional 12,600 to his HP limit and special energy. This increase was actually not as much as the 60,000 HP from the Ghost w Zombie. Nevertheless, it was not insignificant¡ªWang Tao¡¯s HP had now reached 67,000! "After ascending to Level 3, my HP is really shooting up fast!" Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional. @@novelbin@@ Although the higher the level, the more HP needed for ascension, the amount of HP gained from killing higher-level zombies was also greater. Overall, his HP was increasing quicker than before. Wang Tao felt that if he encountered two or three more zombies like this one, he might reach a hundred thousand HP! Of course, the main reason was that Wang Tao was strong, with the ability to defeat enemies above his level. Plus, Xu Xiaojun and the others were notpeting with Wang Tao for the kills¡­ Wang Tao then turned his attention to the other loot. He first checked the Chef Zombie. Inside the Chef Zombie¡¯s head was a purple [Level 3 Crystal Core - Self-healing]. It had dropped four Loot Packs. The first Crystal Core Gift Bag contained a total of 3 Crystal Cores, including a red [Level 3 Crystal Core - Ascension], a blue [Level 3 Crystal Core - Strength], and a red [Level 3 Crystal Core - Frenzy]. Only then did Wang Tao understand why the Chef Zombie had given less HP than the Ghost w Zombie. Because the Chef Zombie had fewer abilities inside¡ªonly Power, Self-healing, and Frenzy. Zombies with more abilities provided a greater increase to the HP limit. After collecting the Crystal Cores, Wang Tao looked at the second Loot Pack. Inside were potions. [Acquired: Strength Potion (small) x20] [Acquired: Berserk Potion x20] "Huh, a Berserk Potion?" Wang Tao had never seen this potion before. [Berserk Potion: After injection, all attributes increased for 1 minute, with a 24-hour cooldown] This Berserk Potion seemed pretty good. Although the duration was only a short one minute and the cooldown was a lengthy 24 hours, it increased all attributes. Even if the potion gave just one-tenth the effect of the Frenzy ability, it would still be quite exceptional. At critical moments, it could potentially turn the tide of battle. The third Loot Pack contained a set of clothing. [Acquired: Chef Suit Set x1] [Chef Suit Set: Durability +10, Tear Resistance +10] It was a white chef¡¯s uniform, including a hat, jacket, pants, and shoes. The attributes were quite good, very durable. But Wang Tao felt it was somewhat strange to wear a chef¡¯s uniform, and also, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be as convenient as his current sweatshirt inbat. "I¡¯ll just put it away for now." Wang Tao checked his Space Backpack and found that he still had two other sets of clothing within: the Pink Nurse Uniform he had acquired long ago, and a Diving Suit obtained from killing a Zombie Fish. These three sets of clothing were of no immediate use, but they mighte in handyter. Since the drop rate for clothes was not high, it was better to keep them. The fourth Loot Pack contained a blueprint. [Acquired: Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe Blueprint x1] [Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe Blueprint: Once learned, allows for the crafting of 1 Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe each time. Required materials: Any axe head, any Crystal Core x1 (Level 1, Level Two, or Level 3 Crystal Cores can be used), Iron Block x10, de x10, Screw x10, Wood Block x10] "Huh? A uniform hand axe!" Upon seeing this blueprint, Wang Tao was immediately pleasantly surprised. Although the attributes of standardized equipment were slightly lower inparison to non-standardized equipment, they could be mass-produced! Without a second thought, Wang Tao immediately learned the Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe Blueprint. He already had the "Iron Tree Standard Armor" and "White Bone Standard Crossbow and Crossbow Arrows" blueprints. Now with the addition of the Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe¡­ it was as if he had aplete set of equipment for defense, rangedbat, and closebat! Chapter 543: Chapter 232: How Did You Shrink?_1 Chapter 543: Chapter 232: How Did You Shrink?_1 Wang Tao felt the sensation of ascending to Level 3 was pretty much the same as when he ascended to Level 2. He could also pass on one Ability to someone else and then learn a new Superpower. However, there was no need, as Lan Yulian and the others had not inherited anything after their ascension. After all, the Abilities they fused with in the past were carefully selected by Wang Tao, so there was no need to trade for other Abilities. When Wang Tao woke up, he felt refreshed and invigorated. The fatigue brought by zombie hunting hadpletely dissipated. Moreover, he could distinctly feel his physical condition and senses had significantly improved, iparably better than when he was at Level 2! ¡°Wang Tao, you¡¯re awake!¡± Lan Yulian was already sitting by the bed, and Jiang Shixue and Lu Yingfeng were also there. ¡°I must have slept for 24 hours, right?¡± ¡°Precisely 24 hours.¡± Wang Tao got out of bed and looked in the mirror, discovering that his physique had grown bigger! He measured himself with a ruler and found that his height had grown from 1.9 meters to a full 2 meters! Through his observations over time, Wang Tao knew that the stronger one¡¯s physique when ascending, the greater the possible increase in stature. When women like Lan Yulian ascended, even though they reached Level 3, their stature didn¡¯t grow much, and they might have even be slimmer? Only after Xu Xiaojun ascended did his physique grow taller and bigger, reaching 2.2 meters. Especially when he wore his armor, the imposing pressure was immense! Of course, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t far behind. With his 2 meters in height and muscles all over his body, even Lan Yulian couldn¡¯t help but shine with admiration. Wang Tao clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within his body, and said to the three women: ¡°I¡¯m going out to test my strength.¡± ¡°We¡¯reing with you!¡± It was afternoon when Wang Tao ascended the previous day, so it was naturally afternoon now as well. When they went outside, Wang Tao looked at the gloomy sky and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s going to rain¡­¡± ¡°It likely will tonight.¡± Lu Yingfeng looked at the sky and said. ¡°If it¡¯s going to rain tonight then I¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning,¡± Wang Tao suddenly said. ¡°What?¡± Both Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng looked at Wang Tao in some surprise, with Lan Yulian¡¯splexion turning somewhat flustered. ¡°Leaving tomorrow? That¡¯s so soon! Won¡¯t you stay a couple more days¡­¡± Wang Tao stroked Lan Yulian¡¯s delicate face, exining: ¡°Since the virus outbreak, there hasn¡¯t been any normal rain. It either doesn¡¯t rain at all, or it pours for many days. Although it¡¯s always corrosive acid rain, which humans cannot stay in for long, it significantly weakens the zombies¡¯ senses. So as long as we¡¯re well protected, it¡¯s a good time to leave.¡± ording to the limited information about Wuyang City, it was extremely dangerous. Despite ascending to Level 3, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t arrogantly think he was invincible. Heading to a dangerous ce like Wuyang City, one had to be extra cautious. Rainy conditions could provide a good opportunity! Hearing Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng both fell silent, realizing he was right. His departure at this time would be to their advantage. But¡­ they couldn¡¯t bear to see him leave! Initially, the two women were excited to witness Wang Tao¡¯s strength, but even after Wang Taopleted his tests, they were still somewhat out of sorts. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± After returning to the courtyard, night had already fallen. Wang Tao first went for a quick shower, then brought out a plethora of items. Including various Potions, medical kits, all kinds of Hand Grenades, armor, Hand crossbows, Crystal Cores he didn¡¯t need, and more. Seeing Wang Tao suddenly bring out a hoard of items, and with Lan Yulian still feeling a bit forlorn, her attention gradually shifted.@@novelbin@@ ¡°These things are for you, use them sparingly¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly exined the purpose of these items. Particrly the [Tree Essence], both were somewhat surprised, as it was their first time seeing something that could increase one¡¯s Energy limit! ¡°After you use it, you can feel if your Energy limit has increased. If not, then don¡¯t take it, to avoid wasting it. It has a cooldown time, but how long exactly isn¡¯t clear. It depends on each of your physiques¡­¡± This was one of the truly good items Wang Tao had, and he wasn¡¯t stingy, leaving a portion for the two women. The better Wang Tao treated Lan Yulian, the more reluctant she felt¡­ but she wasn¡¯t the kind of woman who could not prioritize, and since Wang Tao really didn¡¯t want to stay, she couldn¡¯t make him. ¡°Wang Tao, thank you¡­¡± ¡°What are you thanking me for? This isn¡¯t a gift. You owe me, and you will repay itter! Take good care of yourself and wait for me to collect interest!¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Lan Yulian didn¡¯t say more but instead embraced Wang Tao in a long kiss. Beside them, Lu Yingfeng looked utterly forlorn. There¡¯s someone right here, can¡¯t you be a bit more considerate? After they parted lips, Lan Yulian whispered enticingly into Wang Tao¡¯s ear: ¡°It¡¯s time to rest; I¡¯m going to take a shower. Wait for me!¡± Wang Tao waved his hand. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lan Yulian took Lu Yingfeng with her and left. Watching the two women walk away, Wang Taoy casually on the bed, directing his gaze toward his attribute panel. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 25600/25600] [Special Energy: 524200] [Level: Level 3] [Hidden Attributes: Improved Body Conditions, Night Vision, nt Affinity] [Ability: Level 3 Iron Wall (+1), Level 3 Extraordinary Rage (+1), Level 3 Mastery Fusion (+1), Level 3 Yin and Yang Bnce (+1)] Chapter 570 - 241: Reaching 110,000 HP_1 The next day. When they learned that Wang Tao was going back to the school, Fan Peng was somewhat surprised and quickly asked, "Can wee with you?" Although Wang Tao had dealt with the Level 3 zombie at the school, there were still many Level 2 zombies. For them at Duzhu Town Base, dealing with these zombies was still quite troublesome. If they could follow Wang Tao, they might at least get to share in the rewards. "Feel free." Wang Tao wasn¡¯t an unkind person. As long as these people didn¡¯t get in the way, it was fine. "Alright!" Fan Peng immediately ran off excitedly to call people. Everyone had originally nned to rest for the day, considering they had fought intensely the day before. But upon hearing Fan Peng¡¯s words, they all ran over excitedly once more. @@novelbin@@ After all, the chances of following a Level 3 ability user like this might note by often in a lifetime, so they had to seize the opportunity! Soon, a convoy set off from Duzhu Town Base once again, heading for the school. The hole that Xu Xiaojun had smashed open the day before was still there, and everyone entered in session. Walking at the front, Wang Tao immediately activated his Perception Ability. All nearby zombies had nowhere to hide. "This feeling of having x-ray vision... amazing! Right, I should check those nts..." Wang Tao informed the others of the zombies¡¯ positions, letting them go and kill. He himself approached the nts near the school¡¯s gate. Whether human or zombie, all were attacked by these nts. But these nts had no levels and probably offered no reward when killed. Besides, the nts were generallyrge, and Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure how to kill thempletely¡ªperhaps uproot them? So he had left them alone. Now, having learned the Perception Ability, Wang Tao used it to see if he could find anything on these nts. "Huh?" And indeed, he found something! Though not monsters, these nts did contain some energy, hidden in a particr part of their trunks. Could this be their consciousness? Wang Tao took out his Bone Knife and approached arge tree of an unknown species. Instantly, several branches attacked Wang Tao. The branches only had a few thousand HP, and their damage was very low. Even without activating Entangling Roots, Wang Tao¡¯s armor, including his Stubborn Armor and Rush Suit, allowed him to ignore these attacks. He then stabbed a particr spot at the base of the tree. Thrust! The Bone Knife easily pierced it. Wang Tao then noticed that the tree seemed to have lost its life energy, wilting instantly, and even dropped a Loot Pack. But... the tree hadn¡¯t died! "Interesting..." The spot Wang Tao had stabbed was where the tree¡¯s energy or consciousness resided. His strike might have directly killed its consciousness. But the tree itself hadn¡¯t died; instead, it had be an ordinary tree after losing its consciousness. Wang Tao looked at the Loot Pack it dropped. [You obtained: Tree Essence Liquid x10] Ten servings of Tree Essence Liquid, with one serving increasing HP and Mana by 100 each. However, there was a cooldown period for Tree Essence Liquid, and it couldn¡¯t be increased indefinitely. After using ten servings in a row, a cooldown period would start, the length of which varied from person to person. This was rather good stuff, and Wang Tao had been using it steadily, still having plenty on hand. After thinking a moment, Wang Tao used the Bone Knife to hollow out a cavity in the trunk. "As expected!" Inside the trunk, Wang Tao found a pool of Tree Essence Liquid, gathering 14 servings in total. Although these nts¡¯ method of attack was strange, their attack power wasn¡¯t high, at least for now. Therefore, Wang Tao thought that it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for ability users with average strength to kill these nts. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if others had discovered Tree Essence Liquid yet, but sooner orter, someone certainly would. Perhaps in the future, there would even be people who specialized in collecting it... Adhering to the principle of not wasting resources, Wang Tao walked around the grove. He killed the consciousness of every nt there and also gathered quite a bit of Tree Essence Liquid. After using his Perception Ability again to make sure nothing was missed, he finally left the grove. "How did you discover this stuff?" Yang Changhong held some Tree Essence Liquid in her hands, looking at Wang Tao with great curiosity. "The Perception Ability can detect the consciousness of these nts; killing it allows you to find the Tree Essence Liquid," Wang Tao exined briefly. He didn¡¯t hide the fact that he had learned the Perception Ability. Though Yang Changhong was curious about how he could still fuse Crystal Cores, she didn¡¯t ask further. "So that¡¯s how it is!" Yang Changhong looked at the distant nts, her eyes shining. Wang Tao had just given her some Tree Essence Liquid, and though she couldn¡¯t see the HP and Mana bars, after taking it, she truly felt as if she had grown slightly stronger. These kinds of things that can enhance one¡¯s strength are hard toe by. "Some are ordinary nts, and some have consciousness. It¡¯s not easy to tell just from their appearance." Wang Tao led a few people back into the nt grove. He killed the nts¡¯ consciousness while Yang Changhong and the others collected the Tree Essence Liquid. After all the nts¡¯ consciousness had been dealt with, Wang Tao finally rxed. Keeping the Perception Ability active was exhausting. If he hadn¡¯t discovered the Tree Essence Liquid, it would have been alright to miss out. But now that he knew how to get it, he didn¡¯t want to waste the opportunity, taking everything that he could. Chapter 573 - 242: Night Demon Breastplate, Gratitude and Repayment_1 Wang Tao shook his head. Although his HP had reached the upper limit of Level 3, his Ability Level was still insufficient, and he alsocked a Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core. No matter what additional conditions were needed to reach Level 4, Wang Tao still had a long way to go, so he refrained from pondering it any further. As for how exactly to ascend to Level 4, he assumed he would find out once he met the necessary conditions. Wang Tao turned his attention to the other loot. The loot from ordinary Night Demons consisted of Ultraviolet shlights and res. He had used quite a few res this time, which was perfect for restocking. Next were the Incubation Flesh and the iplete Night Demons, which Wang Tao had specifically instructed his teammates to reserve for him. After all, killing these things would not yield Loot Packs. After personally killing these things, Wang Tao gained a total of 54 [Level 2 Crystal Core - Omnipotent] and 22 [Level 2 Crystal Core - Extraction]. Even though they were all Level 2, and of no use to Wang Tao, they were still valuable and could be traded with others in the future. The focus was on the loot from the Blue-skinned Night Demon. Just like thest time a Blue-skinned Night Demon was killed, its pair of [Night Demon¡¯s ws] also dropped and was collected by Wang Tao into his Space Backpack. Then there were four Loot Packs: a Crystal Core Gift Bag, Potions, an Ultraviolet Suit, and Blueprints. The first three Loot Packs contained the same items as the ones obtained from killing a Blue-skinned Night Demon before. There were a Red [Level 3 Crystal Core - Ascension], a Blue [Level 3 Crystal Core - Energy Boost], a White [Level 3 Crystal Core - HP Boost], and an Orange [Level 3 Crystal Core - Body Constitution Boost] Crystal Core. Then there were three kinds of potions that increased Permanent Attributes, as well as shlights and res. [Strength Boosting Potion x10] [Agility Boosting Potion x10] [Mental Boosting Potion x10] [High Power Ultraviolet shlight x1] [Mini Ultraviolet Illumination Shell x40] The Ultraviolet Suit was stored in the Space Backpack, and he used up all the potions. As for thest pack... Last time he killed a Blue-skinned Night Demon, it dropped the Blueprint of the dagger [Night Demon de]. But this time, it wasn¡¯t a dagger, it was an armor Blueprint¡ª [Obtained: Night Demon Breastte Blueprint x1] [Night Demon Breastte Blueprint: Can be used to craft a Night Demon Breastte. Required materials: Night Demon Lord¡¯s Bone*10kg, Level 3 Crystal Core*1, Iron Block*20, Steel Wire*20, Nails*20, Rubber*20] [Night Demon Breastte: Attributes unknown] It was a Breastte! Wang Tao had note across a single-piece equipment blueprint in a long while. He was currently wearing the Stubborn Chest Armor, and also had Rush Arm Guard, kneeguards, and other pieces of equipment. This single-piece equipment might even have Suit Attributes, just like his Rush Suit that allowed him to use the Rush Ability once per hour. He had previously obtained a Night Demon de dagger, and now a Night Demon Breastte. Wang Tao felt that this might also be part of a suit with attributes! Wang Tao basically had all the required materials for the Night Demon Breastte. He justcked the Night Demon Lord¡¯s Bone, but its body was upstairs. Wang Tao ran to the rooftop and began crafting beside the Blue-skinned Night Demon¡¯s corpse. After a burst of radiant, colorful light, a ck Breastte tinged with a hint of blue appeared before Wang Tao. In contrast to the ferocious appearance of the Night Demon, this Breastte seemed rather understated. [Night Demon Breastte] [Level 3 (Excellent)] @@novelbin@@ [Durability +55, Defense +55] While this Breastte had no special attributes, a defense and durability of 55 were enough for Wang Tao to put it on. Moreover, the design of the Night Demon Breastte was not exaggerated and was very form-fitting, even somewhat flexible. Once Wang Tao had it on, it was like wearing an undershirt. He could wear a sweatshirt over it, and no one could tell there was a Breastte underneath. This waspletely different from Little Jun¡¯s Branch Armor, which was aplete set of armor with a rather exaggerated look, making it impossible for him to drive while wearing it. Wang Tao moved around a bit and felt that the Breastte did not hinder his movements¡ªit was very smooth. "Not bad!" Wang Tao nodded in satisfaction. "I need to hunt down more of these Blue-skinned Night Demons!" After all, this Breastte could very well be part of a Suit, and it would be worth it to collect a full set, even if it had no special attributes. "Let¡¯s go." Wang Tao went downstairs and signaled for everyone to leave. At the school entrance, Fan Peng and his team were still hunting zombies in the pouring rain. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and no one knew if more zombies would appear here tomorrow, so they were taking advantage of the chance to kill as many as they could now. Seeing that they were not in any danger, Wang Tao did not concern himself with them, but instead, he took a drive around Duzhu Town. He wanted to see if there were any Level 3 zombies left. Duzhu Town was small, and Wang Tao quickly circled all the buildings in town on the cement road, conducting a thorough search. He didn¡¯t find any Level 3 zombies, but he did find some Level 2 zombies. Wang Tao didn¡¯t take action himself; he nned to tell Fan Peng about the locations with Level 2 zombies so that they could hunt them and improve their strength. "It seems there are no special circumstances..." When Wang Tao returned to Duzhu Town Base, Fan Peng and his team had also returned. Many locals and outsiders had gone to the school. Although they hadn¡¯t finished killing all the zombies there, they had almost cleared out the Level 2 zombies. With the overcast and rainy weather, it got dark early, and it was dangerous to stay outte. Upon seeing that Wang Tao had already returned, Fan Peng immediately came over with a bag. "Mr. Wang..." He respectfully handed the bag he was holding to Wang Tao. Chapter 546: 233: Entering Wuyang City_1 Chapter 546: Chapter 233: Entering Wuyang City_1 After saying those words, Wang Tao instinctively opened his eyes. Then he was taken aback. ¡°Little Feng?¡± The person lying beside him was not Lan Yulian but Lu Yingfeng. Lu Yingfeng was wearing a light, form-fitting silk pajama set, with her eyes tightly shut, lying stiffly in Wang Tao¡¯s arms. One of Wang Tao¡¯s hands was wrapped around her waist. Although it was pitch-ck at this moment, Wang Tao could clearly see the blush on Lu Yingfeng¡¯s face. ¡°Why is it you?¡± She didn¡¯t seem like she had walked into the wrong room, did she? Lu Yingfeng still kept her eyes closed, not speaking, not moving.
Wang Tao suddenly raised an eyebrow. He initially thought that if it really was a misunderstanding, it would be better to rify it sooner rather thanter, especially since this was Jade Lotus¡¯s good sister. But looking at Ying Feng like this, she was obviously conscious. Given that, there was no way Wang Tao could turn down such a tempting offer presented to him! There¡¯s an old saying, ¡°You can never wake up a person who is pretending to sleep.¡± But Wang Tao now disagreed. ¡°Wang Tao¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng opened her eyes, her gaze brimming with a springtime warmth, her expression slightly aggrieved. She couldn¡¯t make out Wang Tao¡¯s features but could see a pair of eyes faintly glowing green looking at her. She and Lan Yulian both knew that Wang Tao had night vision, so she wasn¡¯t scared. It was just¡­ very embarrassing. Gently caressing her face, Wang Tao asked softly, ¡°Did Jade Lotus ask you toe here?¡± Lu Yingfeng and Lan Yulian had a very close rtionship. Although they had a superior-subordinate rtionship, they were like sisters. Wang Tao also believed in Ying Feng¡¯s character; if Jade Lotus hadn¡¯t asked her toe, she would definitely not have approached Wang Tao on her own. ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Lu Yingfeng hummed softly like a mosquito. If Wang Tao hadn¡¯t had good hearing, he probably wouldn¡¯t have heard it. The normally brisk and exceptionally cool Ying Feng, with her girlish demeanor at this moment, had a different kind of charm. ¡°This Jade Lotus¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head, though he wasn¡¯t sure what Jade Lotus was thinking, he was no Saint. Wang Tao leaned down and gently kissed Ying Feng on the forehead, cheeks, and corners of the mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, rx.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Looking at Ying Feng who once again closed her eyes, seemingly letting Wang Tao do as he pleased, Wang Tao brushed aside the hair on her forehead and suddenly shouted towards the door: ¡°Jade Lotus, get in here!¡± Wang Tao¡¯s voice startled Lu Yingfeng. She instinctively hugged Wang Tao¡¯s waist tighter. Although it was Jade Lotus who had asked her toe, she still felt like she was betraying her good sister. Outside the door, it waspletely quiet, no sound at all. ¡°Jade Lotus, hurry up! I¡¯ve learned a few sets of cool torture methods recently. If you don¡¯te in, don¡¯t me me for punishing Little Feng severely!¡± Wang Tao spoke menacingly. Hearing this, Ying Feng in his arms grew more frightened, her body trembling somewhat. Click~ The door opened, and a sneaky figure entered. Wang Tao saw that it was indeed Lan Yulian. He knew that Jade Lotus was most likely eavesdropping. ¡°Cough, what do you want me for!¡± Jade Lotus stood at the door, feigning indifference. ¡°Do.¡± Wang Tao responded sinctly. ¡°¡­¡± Jade Lotus was taken aback, her face flushing red, and she turned to flee out the door. Even though it was she who had prodded Ying Feng toe, joining them herself was too embarrassing; she couldn¡¯t ept it. But Wang Tao spoke again at that moment. ¡°Last time we made a bet, and you lost. You said I could ask for one thing, and you¡¯d agree to anything. What now? Do you want to go back on your word?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jade Lotus opened her mouth¡ªshe truly hadn¡¯t expected Wang Tao to bring up thest bet. She was suddenly conflicted. She didn¡¯t want to go back on her word in front of Wang Tao, but she also didn¡¯t want to join in, as it was simply too embarrassing¡­ ¡°Good girl, listen to me. I was just joking with you. I really do have something to ask you. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± Wang Tao called out again. With no choice, Jade Lotus walked over to Wang Tao¡¯s bedside, face flushed red. ¡°You¡ªah!¡± But Wang Tao suddenly reached out and grabbed her, and with Jade Lotus¡¯s yelp, he pulled her onto the bed. ¡°Jiejie¡ª¡ª¡± Wang Taoughed wickedly. ¡°You, you don¡¯t keep your word!¡± Jade Lotus red at Wang Tao with a face full of shame and indignation. ¡°How have I not kept my word? I really do have something to ask you, but I want to hear you tell me personally!¡± ¡°Mm¡ª¡± A deep kiss almost took Jade Lotus¡¯s breath away. Wang Tao then let her go, turning his gaze to Ying Feng and kissed her tenderly. ¡­@@novelbin@@ The next day, early morning. When Wang Tao woke up, he saw two pairs of big eyes watching him, one on the left and one on the right. Upon meeting his gaze, Jade Lotus and Ying Feng quickly turned their heads away. Wang Tao stroked both of the women¡¯s hair, silent, savoring this moment of tenderness. Then, Jade Lotus raised her head, her eyes showing reluctance, but she still took the initiative to speak: ¡°Wang Tao¡­ it¡¯s time for you to go.¡± The days she had spent with Wang Tao were some of the happiest in her life. She wished it could go on forever but knew it wasn¡¯t possible. So it was better to make a clean break when parting. After all, Wang Tao had promised he woulde back for her! ¡°Mhm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, then got up. Jade Lotus and Ying Feng helped Wang Tao dress, one on the left and one on the right. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t used to being attended to, but he didn¡¯t refuse this time. Once all three were dressed, Wang Tao spread out his arms. Jade Lotus walked into his arms and hugged him. Ying Feng hesitated for a moment but also came over. Chapter 580 - 244 He Jijun_2 "Building on past achievements, valorous above all armies! What a great name!" From He Jijun¡¯s marksmanship, stance, vital energy, and that old military uniform on him, Wang Tao could guess that he had likely served as a soldier before. Therefore,plimenting him in this regard should be well-received. Indeed, as soon as Wang Tao spoke, the cold look on He Jijun¡¯s face diminished somewhat. "Would the old master care to get in the car for a chat? I¡¯ve only been in Wuyang City for a few days, and I¡¯m quite unfamiliar with the situation here. I¡¯d like to exchange some information with you," Wang Tao said, smiling. "..." He Jijun was clearly reluctant. The main reason was Wang Tao¡¯s eerily bizarre Ability, and since he was unaware of Wang Tao¡¯s background, he had seen too much of the ugliness of human nature in his journey thus far. However, Wang Tao¡¯s invitation was somehow also a bit of a threat... "Oh right, I have some fine liquor in the car. I don¡¯t drink myself, and nobody among us does either. If the old master likes, I can join you for a small drink or two," He Jijun¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard about the liquor, and he gritted his teeth. "Okay!" Since Wang Tao had invited him with such sincerity, it would have been inappropriate for him to refuse any longer. "Is the old master alone? Do you have a car?" As they got in the car, Wang Tao asked. "Alone, no car," He Jijun shook his head. "It¡¯s already dark. Shall we find a ce to rest, old master?" "Whatever," Now that he had gotten into the car, He Jijun no longer dwelled on it. Wang Tao had already found a suitable ce to rest when he was searching for the gunshot earlier, and now they could head over there. It was a civilian house by the roadside with arge garage capable of amodating several cars. Even though ivy covered the outside of the house, the inside was still clean and free of zombies. After parking the car, Wang Tao took a bottle of wine down from the vehicle. He had promised Colonel Luo Guozhong, the parachuting ne pilot he had contacted earlier, to treat him to a drink upon meeting. Wang Tao was a man of his word, so naturally, he had prepared the liquor. Lan Yulian had helped him ready several bottles of this strong drink, and taking one out now left enough forter use. Seeing this bottle of wine, He Jijun, who had been grim-faced the whole time, had his eyes light up. Wang Tao didn¡¯t drink, so he didn¡¯t know much about liquor. However, Jade Lotus had mentioned that these bottles had been quite expensive before, so they must be of good quality. Xu Xiaojun cleared the table inside the house, and Wang Taoid out some food and the liquor. Then, he invited He Jijun to take a seat. "Old master, please take a seat," He Jijun snorted coldly and sat down carelessly. He had boarded Wang Tao¡¯s car out ofpulsion. In that situation, had he refused, he wasn¡¯t sure what Wang Tao might do to him; he had to get in the car. His expression had been quite cold in the car. Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind this at all. He personally poured a drink for He Jijun and then raised his ss. Seeing Wang Tao being so polite, He Jijun found it hard to keep up his stern demeanor. He picked up his ss, clinked it with Wang Tao¡¯s, smelled the aroma of the wine, looked intoxicated, and then drained it in one gulp. "Great wine!" He Jijun eximed instinctively. It had been so long since he hadst tasted alcohol, and now, suddenly relishing such fine wine, his expression softened considerably. Wang Tao seized the opportunity to ask: "Is the old master from Wuyang City?" There was an old saying about how one¡¯s mouth was indebted to the one who fed them, and He Jijun wasn¡¯t "cold" anymore. He shook his head. "No. I came from Chunhua Province," "Sss¡ª" As soon as he said this, Wang Tao and the others all gasped. Chunhua Province was separated from Wuyang Province by Cangsong Province! That was a long way from here! "Impressive!" Wang Tao gave a thumbs-up. Had He Jijun been an Ability User, Wang Tao might not have been so shocked, but he was an Ordinary man, even with 1000 HP he was still ordinary. For an ordinary person to travel such a distance was certainly surprising! Feeling the astonishment from Wang Tao and the others, He Jijun didn¡¯t show any smugness. Only he himself knew the hardships encountered on the road; there was nothing to celebrate. "Then what is the old master¡¯s purpose foring here?" Wang Tao asked. "Looking for someone." "..." This reason resonated with Yang Changhong, who said: "I¡¯m also here to find someone. I¡¯m looking for my little sister; I heard she came to Wuyang City. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s alive or dead..." He Jijun nced at her. "I hope you find your sister." "Thank you! I hope you find the person you¡¯re looking for too," Yang Changhong replied politely. But upon hearing that, He Jijun¡¯s expression suddenly turned wistful, though he didn¡¯t say more. So Wang Tao asked: "I¡¯m quite curious; how did the old mastere to Wuyang City? Did you have a team before? Did the team disband?" "No, I¡¯ve always been alone. But sometimes I¡¯d travel through the wilderness where there are fewer zombies." "No wonder..." Wang Tao suddenly understood. @@novelbin@@ If He Jijun avoided big cities or going into the cities, opting instead for the wilderness, and further had extremely good luck in not encountering any monsters, theoretically, he could have made it here alive. But that was just in theory; in reality, it would be much harder. After all, he was an ordinary person, and not to mention anything else, even food and sleep would pose big problems... "By the way, how old is the old master this year?" "Sixty-six." "..." Even though they had already guessed that He Jijun wasn¡¯t young, hearing the age of sixty-six still shocked everyone. Chapter 548: 233: Entering Wuyang City_3 Chapter 548: Chapter 233: Entering Wuyang City_3 She suddenly felt that the days ahead would be difficult to endure. ¡°Wang Tao, you muste back quickly!¡± She silently chanted in her heart. ¡­ After Wang Tao left Zijin Base, he didn¡¯t immediately leave Zijing City, instead, he took another turn around the downtown area. Only after confirming several times that the fourth-order monster must have left did Wang Tao let Xu Xiaojun drive them out of Zijing City. The Zijing City they had talked about before usually referred to the downtown area. All the major powers and such were located within the city center, including Zijin Base, which was rtively remote but still within the city limits. Of course, Zijing City wasn¡¯t just the downtown area, it also included suburbs, rural towns, and such, so Zijing City was veryrge. Leaving the bounds of Zijing City also took some time. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t in a hurry, feeling that this heavy rain wouldn¡¯t stop for ten days and a half month, so time was plentiful.@@novelbin@@
However, when speaking of rain in the post-apocalyptic world, no matter the size, as soon as it rained, it definitely wasn¡¯t a good thing! Through past experiences, after every heavy rain, the overall strength of the zombies would increase a lot. This time was probably no exception¡­ Inside the car. Wang Tao held Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand, checking her attributes and physical condition. There were four people in the car, three of them were level 3, with only Jiang Shixue stuck at level 2. Although Jiang Shixue wasn¡¯t in a hurry, Wang Tao was somewhat anxious. After all, if she couldn¡¯t ascend to level 3 after a long time, she would fall behind. Of course, even though Jiang Shixue hadn¡¯t reached level 3, her strength was still quite strong. However, Wang Tao felt that it would be even better if she could be stronger! Wang Tao had tried many crystal cores with Jiang Shixue, including Ascension crystal cores and Omnipotent Crystal Cores, but she could not merge with any of them. This left Wang Tao without a solution, but recently he had a lot of Zombie Culture Fluid, and since it was a waste to keep it, he would cultivate Jiang Shixue whenever he could. Although the cultivation didn¡¯t increase Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP, it seemed there was a slight improvement in her physical fitness, so this wasn¡¯t considered a waste¡­ In the passenger seat, Nie Siyan saw through the rearview mirror how Wang Tao cared so much for Jiang Shixue, and she felt envious. She wished she could get such attention from Wang Tao too. But soon, Nie Siyan felt happy again. Because in theing days, she could stay with Wang Tao all the time! Previously, when they were in the base, Wang Tao was always with Lan Yulian, so she rarely had a chance to approach him. She also felt that she couldn¡¯tpete with Lan Yulian and had nopetitive edge in front of her. At that time, she was afraid that Wang Tao would dump her. Fortunately, Wang Tao didn¡¯t choose to stay at Zijin Base and decided to go to Wuyang City, and he specifically kept her with him! Thinking of this, Nie Siyan was very excited inside. The uing period would be her time ¡°alone¡± with Wang Tao; she had to seize it! At this moment, several elite zombies appeared on the road, among them one was a level 2 elite zombie, and the others were level 1 elite zombies. Upon seeing this, Nie Siyan immediately told Xu Xiaojun to stop the car; she ran out into the heavy rain and easily handled the zombies. After collecting the crystal cores, she didn¡¯t return to the passenger seat, but instead, brazenly moved to the back seat. Wang Tao nced at her but didn¡¯t say much. The vehicle was a luxurious,rge, five-seater off-road car, and the rear space was very spacious. Wang Tao sitting in the middle didn¡¯t feel crowded at all. ¡°Hehe, Brother Wang, crystal cores!¡± Nie Siyan immediately passed the crystal cores to him. A level 2 Jumping Crystal Core, faced with the level 3 Nie Siyan, that zombie didn¡¯t even get a chance to jump before it was killed. Wang Tao checked Nie Siyan¡¯s HP; killing that level 2 elite zombie only increased her HP by 120, which was a slight boost to her current 40,000 HP. The other level 1 elite zombies didn¡¯t increase her HP at all. ¡°After ascending to level 3, the HP gained from killing level 2 zombies is halved. Level 1 elite zombies don¡¯t add any HP at all. This is simr to the situation at level 2. Hunting must focus on level 3 zombies from now on¡­¡± Wang Tao thought silently. He just didn¡¯t know if there were many level 3 zombies in other ces. No matter the number, he was conflicted. After all, although more level 3 zombies meant more hunting opportunities to gain HP, it also meant more danger. ¡°Brother Wang, you¡¯ve been working hard all day and night, you must be tired. Let me give you a massage,¡± Nie Siyan whispered beside him. Wang Tao always felt there was more to her words, but he didn¡¯t refuse. With his permission, Nie Siyan immediately began massaging Wang Tao. And she really had good technique, making Wang Tao doze off. ¡°Not bad.¡± A simplepliment made Nie Siyan incredibly happy. She suddenly filled with confidence. She must seize this rare opportunity and try to raise her status in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes! She didn¡¯t aspire to reach the stature of Jiang Shixue or Lan Yulian; as long as she could rank as high as Xu Xiaojun, she would be satisfied! Due to zombies¡¯ senses being severely impaired by the rain, the journey was rtively smooth and safe. asional zombies were easily dealt with by Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun. Thus, three dayster, Wang Tao and his group finally left the bounds of Zijing City and officially entered Wuyang City. The heavy rain continued unabated, growing even heavier. Wang Tao nned to find a ce to rest for a while. The corrosive acid rain was rather severe; even the steel tes of the car were corroded. He needed to check and maintain the car. Otherwise, running in the corrosive acid rain like this, the car might be scrapped before they even reached the military base. ¡°There¡¯s a town ahead¡­ There seems to be a Survivor Base ¡ª wait, why does that person look somewhat familiar?¡± Chapter 587 - 246 Military Base_3 "Let me think... I choose Rush!" Although He Jijun excelled in marksmanship, it didn¡¯t mean his closebat was weak. He was once known as the Soldier King in the military, an Omnipotent talent with no evident weaknesses, and his closebat skills were naturally strong. Rush, with its blend of melee capability, positioning, and retreat options, suited him well. "Alright." Wang Tao nodded. In fact, soldiers like Wei Zhenguo and Xiang Hongbin had all favored the Rush Ability. Wang Tao then gave He Jijun a Level 1 Epic Rush Crystal Core. He Jijun ced it directly into his mouth. A momentter, the fusion of Rush wasplete. However, as they were currently in the vehicle, there was no way to test the Rush Ability. Without waiting for Wang Tao to speak, He Jijun immediately said, "I feel like I can fuse two more Crystal Cores!" Hearing this, Wang Tao burst into joyfulughter. "Haha, it looks like you¡¯re quite lucky, Old He, being able to fuse four abilities! Tell me, what are the remaining two abilities you want to fuse?" "I need to think this through..." @@novelbin@@ He Jijun was excited; he hadn¡¯t expected that he could fuse four abilities. Previously, he had nned as if he could only fuse one ability, so he had to give it more thought. After discussing with Wang Tao, he chose Athlete as his third ability. Athlete was a Passive Ability, actually quite well-suited for survival in the apocalypse. It could simply be understood as transforming an Ordinary individual into a parkour expert! For someone like He Jijun, who already possessed strong athletic abilities, the enhancement from this ability would be even more significant! Soon, He Jijun hadpletely fused the Athlete Crystal Core. "I feel like my body has be much lighter..." He Jijun clenched his fists. He felt an urge to run out and revel in his newfound agility, unfortunately, there was no opportunity to test it now... "Now for thest Crystal Core..." Earlier, when Jiang Shixue attempted to control He Jijun, she had reminded Wang Tao that He had strong spiritual power. Wang Tao felt that someone with strong spiritual power was well-suited to fuse Spirit-rted Crystal Cores. However, unfortunately, he did not have any Level 1 Spirit-rted Crystal Cores; the lowest he had were Level Two. Therefore, he let He Jijun fuse other Crystal Cores first. After all, he had plenty of Level Two Exraction Crystal Cores, so when He Jijun reached Level Two, he could extract his Crystal Cores and swap them for Spirit-rted ones. In the end, after further discussion, they decided to let He Jijun fuse a Running Crystal Core as a transition. Whether for Attack or Defense, it¡¯s always good to run faster. Quickly, He Jijun alsopleted the fusion of his fourth Crystal Core. From then on, He Jijun had leaped from an "Ordinary" person to an Ability User with four abilities! But that wasn¡¯t the end of it; he was just an ordinary Level 1 ability user, and all of his abilities were at +1, which was too weak. Wang Tao gave him a handful of Crystal Cores to increase his abilities to +10. Before Wang Tao left Zijing City, he had left many low-level Crystal Cores with Lan Yulian. However, along the way, he encountered many zombies and thus acquired a number of Crystal Cores again. Coupled with the Cores He Jijun had saved up, they had enough to use. The fusion process was quick, and in no time at all, He Jijun had fused all the Crystal Cores, and all four of his abilities had reached +10! Next, it was time for him to fuse the Level 2 Ascension Crystal Core and ascend to Level Two. However, ascending to Level Two required sleep, and someone who had fused four Crystal Cores, like him, would need 24 hours. Given the current situation, there obviously wasn¡¯t time to provide He Jijun with the opportunity to sleep, so he couldn¡¯t ascend right now. Wang Tao gave him only three Ascension Crystal Cores. If he fused four Ascension Crystal Cores, he would have to choose to ascend within three days, or it would happen automatically after three days. But without fusing four Ascension Crystal Cores, there was no such restriction. He Jijun was lucky; after fusing these three Ascension Crystal Cores, he managed to elevate his three core abilities, Precision Shooting, Athlete, and Rush, to Level Two. "I can hardly wait to go out and test my strength now!" He Jijun felt a surge of excitement. "Haha, no rush. Old He, there will be plenty of opportunities for youter. But not now, because killing zombies as an Ability User will enhance your strength, and with every increase in strengthes the possibility of falling asleep..." At Level 1, HP reaching each thousand threshold would trigger sleep, and upon waking, physical abilities would be enhanced. Currently, in such unsafe circumstances, even a few hours of sleep posed a great danger. "I understand, we¡¯ll wait until we reach the military base!" He Jijun took a deep breath, restraining his excitement. The fastest route to this military base required crossing the urban area. However, the urban area was too dangerous; the memory of the giant zombie was still fresh in their minds. He Jijun hadn¡¯t seen that particr zombie, but he also knew the urban area was hazardous, so he led Wang Tao down an alternate path. Along the way, Wang Tao encountered several more zombies. However, none were particrly formidable, all easily disposed of by Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan. At noon, He Jijun suddenly announced, "We¡¯ve entered the military base¡¯s vicinity!" "Hmm?" Wang Tao didn¡¯t see any relevant buildings when He Jijun continued to zigzag them around. At a certain moment, Wang Tao saw high walls topped with barbed wire not far ahead, bearing a sign¡ªMilitary Area, No Unauthorized Entry. The military base had been reached! However, outside the high wall, there was arge number of zombies: Level 1, Level Two, and even Level 3 Zombies! "So many zombies..." Wang Tao quickly instructed to stop the vehicle. The pouring rain concealed the vehicle, and the zombies had not detected them. If it hadn¡¯t been raining, they might have been discovered, given that some of the zombies had keen Perception. "Old He, how are we going to get over the wall?" Wang Tao looked to He Jijun. "Get over the wall? No, no, no! In an emergency state, the base would activate automated defense systems, and I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re still operating. But if they are, we¡¯ll get riddled with bullets if we try to get over! We have to go through the main gate!" Chapter 591 - 248 I’m Already Dead_1 The scenery inside the wall was somewhat simr to the outside, overgrown with weeds. However, there were no zombies here, and many buildings were nearby, with what seemed to be an airport in the distance. Wang Tao and the others arrived at the entrance of one of the buildings. Although the door was locked, there was an eave to shelter from the rain. Having just fought a battle, they could take a brief rest to replenish some physical strength. Wang Tao looked towards He Jijun, admiration on his face, and said, "Old He, that was impressive! I didn¡¯t expect you toe up with such a method!" If He Jijun hadn¡¯t thought of the throwing pancake method, he would have definitely been injured. "Sigh¡­" He Jijun let out a sigh, then exined, "I used to have a retired military dog, but it turned into a zombie. When it knocked me down, I had an idea in the heat of the moment, recalling the way I used to train it, and it actually worked. But it was only temporary, as it had lost its own thoughts. In the end, I still had to end its life with my hands..." Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected He Jijun to have had this experience. "Condolences." "Haha, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m already used to it." He Jijun shook his head indifferently. Wang Tao didn¡¯t dwell on the topic and instead asked, "Where do you think we should go now?" It seemed there wasn¡¯t much danger inside the wall, but the doors and windows of these buildings were locked, and the locks were different from any Wang Tao had seen before; he felt unsure if he could open them. He Jijun thought for a moment and said, "Let¡¯s head to themand center. If there are any survivors, they must be there because it can monitor the entire military base." "Okay, you lead the way!" Wang Tao maxed out his Perception Ability, and the group followed He Jijun towards the direction of themand center. "Eh? Is that an airne?" Suddenly, Yang Changhong pointed to an area of the airfield and asked. Upon looking where she indicated, Wang Tao and hispanions indeed saw two military transport nes corroded by the acid rain. "Such a pity..." Seeing this, He Jijun sighed. By the looks of it, these two airnes had been exposed to the corrosive acid rain for quite some time and obviously couldn¡¯t be used anymore. Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. "These two nes probably aren¡¯t the one that air-dropped for us. They¡¯ve corroded into piles of scrap metal..." He Jijun spoke up, "There¡¯s a hangar here. If the air-drop ne you mentioned is in the base, it¡¯s highly likely to be in the hangar." "That¡¯s good!" Wang Tao was still counting on the chance of catching a flying ride. Momentster, Wang Tao and his group arrived at the grand building of themand center that He Jijun had referred to. "All locked up¡­" After walking around the exterior of the building and returning to the entrance of themand center, He Jijun¡¯s expression showed a hint of distress. "Isn¡¯t there a way to get in?" Wang Tao inquired. "The defenses here are tight. Unless we open it from the inside, the only other way in would be to blow it up with a bomb; otherwise, it¡¯s impossible to get through," "¡­" Hearing this, everyone was somewhat speechless. They had finally reached the military base; surely they couldn¡¯t just fail to get inside? All the important buildings within the military base were locked up like this; if they couldn¡¯t enter themand center, ess to other areas, including the hangar, was out of the question. Wang Tao had been using the military walkie-talkie all along, but regrettably, he still couldn¡¯t establish contact. He had no idea if Colonel Luo Guozhong had run into trouble¡­ "Buzz¡ª" But just then, an rm sounded suddenly at the entrance of themand center. While it wasn¡¯t very loud, it startled Wang Tao and the others who were outside. "What¡¯s going on!" They instantly became vignt. He Jijun was also puzzled. A rumbling noise emanated from behind the door. Then, the door opened! "The door¡¯s opening!" When the door slowly opened a small gap, Wang Tao felt a surge of excitement, but he didn¡¯t let his guard down. He immediately pulled out his Bone Knife and extended his Perception Ability inside. "It¡¯s safe inside, no zombies, no humans¡­" The door stopped after it opened wide enough to fit two people side by side; inside was pitch-dark, somewhat eerie to look at. Wang Tao¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with a green glow. His Perception saw no danger, and with his Night Vision Ability, he found no traps or the like. "Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re heading in!" Wang Tao led the way, and the group followed him in. Rumbling¡ª Just as they entered, the door behind them began to close slowly! Wang Tao naturally had time to get out, but his goal was the military base, so retreat was not an option. As the door fully shut and thest gleam of light vanished, lights in the facility automatically turned on with a buzz. "Is someone in control?" The hall looked somewhat sci-fi in style but was starkly empty. Wang Tao immediately called out, "Colonel Luo Guozhong, is that you? I¡¯m Wang Tao! We¡¯vemunicated over the radio before! I said I woulde to the military base to have a drink with you, and here I am, with liquor in hand!" Wang Tao¡¯s voice echoed through the empty hall, but there was no response. @@novelbin@@ He Jijun patted Wang Tao¡¯s arm and then pointed to the few cameras on the ceiling, blinking intermittently. Wang Tao instantly got the hint, walked confidently under a camera, and repeated his words, this time emphasizing the two bottles of liquor he was holding. However, after waiting for a while longer, there was still no movement. "What¡¯s going on here?" Chapter 551: 234 Encounter with Yang Changhong_3 Chapter 551: Chapter 234 Encounter with Yang Changhong_3 Wang Tao parked his car next to Yang Changhong¡¯s. Then he registered his name and car. ¡°Mr. Wang, rest assured, our parking lot is manned, just lock your doors, and we guarantee that nothing will be taken from your car!¡± The bald middle-aged man assured, patting his chest. ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded. He came fully armed this time, unless someone forced their way in, there was no way they could pry the door open. He casually threw a white Level 1 Garbage Crystal Core to the man. ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡± Just like the previous inspector, the bald middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment before subconsciously catching the Crystal Core. Upon realizing he was holding a Level 1 Crystal Core in his hand, he widened his eyes and stammered:
¡°Wang, Mr. Wang? W-we don¡¯t charge for parking¡­¡± The fact of the matter was, in the beginning, the leader of their base was inclined to charge a fee, since making some money was always good, but it waster rescinded. The reason was simple¡ªif someone could drive their car here and park it, they were generally second-order superpower owners. And in their base, there was only one second-order superpower owner¡­ In the absence of legal stiptions, the one with the biggest fist had the final say. You don¡¯t have the strength and still want to charge a fee? That was just asking for death! As is widely known, many people, especially those who had not fared well before the end of the world, tend to be inted and even psychologically twisted once they gained strength after the apocalypse. Even if the fees they charged were not high, it could appear offensive in the eyes of some hot-tempered individuals¡ªit was like looking down on them! If someone got unhappy and confronted the base, that would be a disaster! Of course, although they didn¡¯t charge a fee, there were a small number of people who would give tips. These tips were a bonus for them. Not much, but better than nothing. ¡°No charge? Then consider it a tip for you.¡± Wang Tao waved his hand dismissively. ¡°A tip?¡± In the post-apocalyptic world, the valuable things pretty much fell into a few categories: food, weapons, vehicles, and the most valuable of all, Crystal Cores. He never expected Wang Tao would actually give him a Crystal Core as a tip! Even if it was the lowest-grade Level 1 White Crystal Core, it was still a Crystal Core! This could be exchanged for a lot of food in the trade hall! After a moment of stunned silence, the man immediately stood at attention. ¡°Yes! Mr. Wang, rest assured, I will take good care of your car! There won¡¯t be any problems!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Wang Tao nodded, ready to leave. The man immediately brought out four bulky-looking oil-paper umbres from a corner and handed them to Wang Tao. ¡°Mr. Wang, these are the umbres we make here, especially for these acid rains! This umbre can withstand at least three hours of corrosion!¡± ¡°Oh? Interesting.¡± Wang Tao took them and handed one to each Xu Xiaojun and the others. Then he headed towards the trade hall. Once Wang Tao left, the bald middle-aged man immediately called out. ¡°Guys, get some clean water, let¡¯s give Mr. Wang¡¯s car a good wash!¡± ¡­ The trade hall was thergest building in Duzhu Town Base, a three-story structure that seemed to have been converted from a small shopping mall. The first floor was the trade hall, providing a trading space and a ce to post bounty tasks. The second floor was specially prepared for visitors¡¯ amodation. Of course, you could stay elsewhere if you didn¡¯t want to stay here; it was quite free.@@novelbin@@ The third floor was where the leadership of Duzhu Town Base lived and dealt with daily affairs. The trade hall was located right next to the parking lot, just a few steps away. Upon arriving at the trade hall, it was busier inside than Wang Tao had imagined, filled with people. The entrance of Wang Tao and his group immediately drew quite a bit of attention. It couldn¡¯t be helped, the stature of Xu Xiaojun and Wang Tao was too striking: one was two meters tall, the other was two meters twenty. Both of them standing at the entrance could block out the light. As for the two beautiful women beside Wang Tao, they didn¡¯t attract as much attention. After all, Wang Tao and hispanions clearly were not ones to be trifled with; for all anyone knew, the beauties might be their forbidden fruit. It wasn¡¯t worth the trouble of looking for trouble. Among the outsiders there, two of them became somewhat uncertain upon seeing Wang Tao and his group. ¡°Level 3? Really?¡± They could vaguely sense an oppressive aura distinct from Level 1 and Level 2 Ability Users emanating from Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan, but it wasn¡¯t as evident as that of a Level 3 zombie¡­ Wang Tao ignored the gazes of others, scanned the area, and did not spot Zhang Hong. ¡°Excuse me, sir, my name is Zheng Hai. May I help you with anything?¡± At that moment, a short, plump middle-aged man with only a few hundred HP walked over, nodding and bowing to Wang Tao. ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. An outsider, a woman who is quite pretty¡­¡± Wang Tao described her simply. Zheng Hai thought for a moment, then tentatively asked: ¡°I think I know who you are looking for. May I be so bold as to ask what your rtionship with thedy is¡­¡± Their base dreads incidents involving grudges because, if a fight breaks out, they can¡¯t afford to offend either party. However, judging by the look of Wang Tao and hispanions, they didn¡¯t seem like they were after revenge, which is why he dared to ask. Of course, the most important point was that his good brother from the inspection team had justmunicated with him using a walkie-talkie, saying that a group of very generous bosses had arrived¡­ ¡°Good friends.¡± Wang Tao replied. ¡°Alright, please wait a moment, I¡¯ll go notify¡ª¡± Zheng Hai hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Wang Tao threw him a white Crystal Core. ¡°Take me to her.¡± Wang Tao said calmly. Looking at the Crystal Core in his hand, Zheng Hai suppressed his excitement and said: ¡°Please follow me!¡± He led Wang Tao and his group to a room on the second floor and stopped outside the door. Wang Tao knocked directly. Knock knock knock¡ª ¡°Who is it?¡± A wary female voice came from inside. Wang Tao was very familiar with this voice; it was indeed Yang Changhong. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Wang Tao spoke deliberately in a lowered voice. Click¡ª The door opened a crack, and Yang Changhong¡¯s haggard face appeared. Upon seeing Wang Tao at the door, she froze. Then she instinctively reached out. ¡°Am I¡­ dreaming again¡­¡± Chapter 552: 235 Do you still have planes here?_1 Chapter 552: Chapter 235 Do you still have nes here?_1 Wang Tao grabbed Yang Changhong¡¯s hand and then, smiling, said: ¡°What? Don¡¯t recognize me anymore?¡± ¡°It really is you!¡± Only then did Yang Changhong react, instinctively throwing herself into Wang Tao¡¯s arms. Breathing in his scent, she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of security. Then she quickly let go of Wang Tao, her face showing a hint of embarrassment. ¡°Sorry, I got a little excited seeing someone familiar,e in and let¡¯s talk!¡± Yang Changhong quickly ushered Wang Tao and his group inside. The room inside wasrger than Wang Tao had imagined, with three bedrooms and a living room. After inviting Wang Tao and hispanions to sit in the living room, Yang Changhong suddenly became somewhat silent.
Her rtionship with Wang Tao was actually quite awkward. To call them friends was not quite right, since they were closer than ordinary friends, having known each other so well. But lovers wasn¡¯t suitable either. Their time together had not been long, and apart from the physical, they knew little else about each other¡­ The only fitting description, perhaps, was ¡°friends with benefits¡±? The reason she had been intimate with Wang Tao was because she felt that either of them could die at any time, so she might as well indulge herself before death. She never anticipated that they would meet again. So after the initial excitement, Yang Changhong felt a bit awkward. It was Wang Tao who broke the silence; he briefly introduced Nie Siyan to Yang Changhong. They had not met before. Xu Xiaojun and Jiang Shixue had met Yang Changhong before, so there was no need for introductions. ¡°Hello!¡± The two women shook hands. Yang Changhong wasn¡¯t surprised to see another woman with Wang Tao. She had seen many strong individuals with multiple partners before, both men and women. As for Nie Siyan, she felt somewhat resigned. She had thought this trip to the military base would be a time for her to be alone with Wang Tao. But by the looks of it, there would likely be another person joining them, and one who had a close rtionship with Wang Tao¡­ Of course, she certainly wouldn¡¯t reveal her thoughts, as causing Wang Tao to be unhappy would be unfortunate. Wang Tao, looking at Yang Changhong who didn¡¯t know what to say, took the initiative and asked: ¡°Zhang Hong, what¡¯s your situation now? Howe you¡¯re alone? I heard from Lan Yulian that you had news of your sister?¡± Hearing this, Yang Changhong was somewhat surprised. ¡°You¡¯ve seen Jade Lotus? That makes sense, with both of you in Zijing City, you would have the chance to meet. As for me¡­¡± Yang Changhong recounted her experiences since she had separated from Wang Tao. Half an hourter, Wang Tao understood her situation. In short, not long after separating from Wang Tao, Yang Changhong also went to Zijing City Downtown. That was exactly when Wang Tao had captured Nie Siyan and gone to the Skull Club¡¯sir. Therefore, on her way to the downtown area, apart from zombies, Yang Changhong didn¡¯t encounter any human threats. If it hadn¡¯t been for Wang Tao, it¡¯s possible she and Nie Siyan might have met. Given the circumstances at the time, it was hard to say who would have won or lost. Yang Changhong¡¯s purpose foring to Zijing City was to see if she could find her sister, even though she had little hope. To her surprise, she dide across some information about her sister¡ªshe met a ssmate of her sister who had seen her in Zijing City. But it was just a passing meeting, and they didn¡¯t even have the chance to speak; afterward, her sister wasn¡¯t seen again. Though the news couldn¡¯t be confirmed as true or false, she still began to search frantically in Zijing City. During her search, she met Lan Yulian. Lan Yulian invited her to stay, but she refused, using the excuse of looking for her sister. Moreover, at that time, she had just found some clues and left without much discussion with Lan Yulian. Unfortunately, in the end, she couldn¡¯t find her sister. However, she discovered some other information about her sister. All these clues pointed in one direction¡ªher sister had left with a group of people heading towards Wuyang City, and most likely to the military base, because there weren¡¯t many survivors left anywhere else in Wuyang City. At that time, Yang Changhong suddenly regretted not going with Wang Tao to Wuyang City. Of course, she didn¡¯t know that at that time, Wang Tao was still in Zijing City. Zijing City wasrge; Wang Tao¡¯s activities were all within the downtown area. Yang Changhong went to many other ces, so it was normal that they didn¡¯t run into each other.@@novelbin@@ Yang Changhong knew Wuyang City was dangerous, but she had to go. She didn¡¯t want her subordinates to risk their lives by apanying her¡ªand she could tell that they weren¡¯t keen on going. Therefore, Yang Changhong disbanded her team and let her subordinates stay in Zijing City. They were in the suburbs at that time, so those subordinates headed for a small camp there. Yang Changhong set off towards Wuyang City alone in a car. Although she wasn¡¯t weak, traveling alone still led her to encounter many troubles. Fortunately, it had rained recently, which quickened her pace, and she arrived in Wuyang City half a day earlier than Wang Tao. And her reason foring to Duzhu Town was not to avoid the rain, but because there was news of her sister here. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect to meet you here; I thought you had already gone to the military base and that I would never see you again in this lifetime¡­¡± After chatting with Wang Tao for a while, Yang Changhong¡¯s excitement had somewhat subsided, yet she still felt very moved. ¡°So, what are your ns going forward?¡± Wang Tao asked again. Yang Changhong didn¡¯t answer but instead looked at Wang Tao. Chapter 599 - 250 Lightning_3 ``` "I need to find a way to train Lightning!" Lightning has 1,000 HP, which clearly isn¡¯t natural. Wang Tao had seen those farmed pigs¡ªwith the little pigs having only about 100 HP. Even when they grew up, they might have a bit more HP, but never as much as 1,000. Wang Tao suspected that Lightning gained its 1,000 HP from killing zombies, considering that humans increased their HP by killing zombies, perhaps animals could too. The only question was whether it could integrate Crystal Cores¡ªprobably not. Otherwise, Luo Guozhong would have used them on Lightning already... For now, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure how to train it, but there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. It could definitely be stronger! With Lightning joining the team, there was a lot moreughter and joy. Even the usually cool He Jijun and the typically expressionless Jiang Shixue were extremely happy. "Lightning, do you know if there are any good things around here?" Wang Tao suddenly asked. Lightning might not understand what "good things" meant, tilting its head as if it was quite puzzled. Wang Tao didn¡¯t know how to describe it either, and after gesticting for quite a while, suddenly Lightning gave a small bark and then led Wang Tao and the others to themand center. "Hmm? Are we missing something?" Lightning brought Wang Tao to the outside of Colonel Luo Guozhong¡¯s room. Wang Tao had nced inside and, seeing that it was neat and tidy with nothing inside, had left without looking more carefully. After all, he had great respect for Colonel Luo Guozhong, the hero. "Woof!" Lightning barked at one of the wall hangings. Wang Tao walked over, removed the hanging, and discovered a safe hidden behind it. "Well, well, there really was something?" The group was somewhat surprised. Wang Tao rubbed Lightning¡¯s head, then turned his attention to the safe. This safe required both abination and a key to open. Wang Tao didn¡¯t bother with thebination, instead trying the key left to him by Luo Guozhong. Click~ The lock on the safe door opened. "Haha, I knew it. Colonel Luo Guozhong would never make it tooplicated for the next person to inherit his things!" Wang Tao said,ughing as he opened the door of the safe, and a bunch of shiny objects inside dazzled their eyes. "Crystal Cores." Wang Tao wasn¡¯t that surprised, considering that during the apocalypse, there are only so many valuable things, and it was likely that a Crystal Core would be kept in a safe. However, upon seeing the specific attributes of these Crystal Cores, Wang Tao was surprised, or rather shocked. "Level 4 Crystal Core!" There was actually a Level 4 Crystal Core among them! Level 1 to Level 3 Crystal Cores were diamond-shaped, with Level 1 being the smallest, Level Two being a bitrger, and Level 3 beingrger still. But the Level 4 Crystal Core was square, about the size of a keycap on a keyboard. [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Promotion] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 35% (Side Effects: None)] This Crystal Core was actually a Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core! This was a huge surprise for Wang Tao. Wang Tao carefully remembered that the previous battle logs had mentioned that Luo Guozhong and his team had encountered a very powerful zombie, which had taken a great deal of effort to kill. They felt this zombie was much stronger than other Level 3 zombies. But to say how much stronger, was hard to quantify, since they used modern weapons and didn¡¯t have much contact with it... Now, Wang Tao suspected that it must have been this Four-level zombie! ``` Although they weren¡¯t clear on what it actually looked like, they had experience killing level 4 zombies, which meant that these zombies weren¡¯t invincible. Wang Tao had felt helpless against the Giant Zombie they had seen before, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean all level 4 zombies were that strong. There was also that hundred thousand HP zombie. If there was a chanceter on, he would look for those hundred thousand HP zombies to really understand what a level 4 zombie was like... Besides the level 4 Crystal Core, there weren¡¯t too many other cores in the safe, only about a thousand or so. Moreover, level 1 Crystal Cores were rare; most of them were level two and level three. Wang Tao guessed that Luo Guozhong and his team must have used many crystal cores. Otherwise, judging from thebat logs, there should have been more. But Wang Tao was content. After all, whatever he got for free was a win. The safe contained only Crystal Cores, which Wang Tao took. He crouched down and rubbed Lightning¡¯s head. "Good boy!" Lightning immediately wagged its tail and frantically rubbed against Wang Tao. After Wang Tao "tortured" it for a while, he turned to the others and said, "Now there should only be two ces left to check, the garage and the hangar... Let¡¯s head to the hangar." @@novelbin@@ The group arrived outside the hangar. The hangar had several doors, and naturally they entered through a smaller one. The hangar wasrge inside and contained many rooms, but the most conspicuous thing was the military transport ne. It wasn¡¯t clear from the surveince footage, but on closer inspection, the aircraft looked very old, probably corroded by the acid rain. However, right now, their attention wasn¡¯t on the ne, but on the several busy figures underneath it. "Colonel Luo Guozhong..." "Hehe..." Feeling the approach of people, the four zombies instantly turned their heads to look at Wang Tao and his group. Lightning circled anxiously around Wang Tao, acting like it wanted to go over but didn¡¯t dare to. Wang Tao patted Lightning on the head to reassure it and took a closer look. Luo Guozhong and his men were actually level 1 zombies! "They didn¡¯t use crystal cores? They¡¯re not Ability Users?" This was somewhat unexpected to Wang Tao. But if they were all level 1, then this would be easy to deal with. Wang Tao immediately activated his Psychic Disturbance Ability. After his ascension to level 3, the range of this ability had increased slightly. Although it still couldn¡¯t affect humans, it was very effective against zombies, especially lower-level ones. The moment Wang Tao activated his ability, the four zombies stopped moving. They treated Wang Tao as a Zombie Lord. "Let¡¯s not worry about them for now; let¡¯s check the ne." Wang Tao first inspected the helicopter. It was a transport helicopter, with arge space inside. It was Wang Tao¡¯s first time boarding a helicopter, and he found it very novel. After inspecting the helicopter, He Jijun said to Wang Tao, "The helicopter is fine!" "That¡¯s good to hear!" He Jijun then led the others to inspect the transport ne. "This transport ne has advanced automatic assistance devices; no wonder they could still fly it... The ne should still be operable, but it needs maintenance..." After checking the nes, Wang Tao took everything from the airdrop container, but ultimately did not kill the four zombies. Wang Tao patted Lightning on the head. "Let¡¯s go." Lightning reluctantly followed Wang Tao out, looking back every three steps. Once they had closed the hangar doors, the zombies seemed confused for a moment and then resumed their repetitive task of moving the air-dropped supplies... Chapter 603 - 252 Method of Ascension_1 The next day. Wang Tao led the team to continue clearing zombies, this time with the addition of He Jijun. After ascending to Level Two, He Jijun¡¯s strength had naturally increased significantly. But to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, He Jijun really took his shooting skills to a whole new level; he could even make bullets slightly turn through precise calctions! This reminded Wang Tao of a joke he had seen on the inte before¡ªGunfighting! He Jijun indeed had that ability! Wang Tao had to admit, even though they both had the precision shooting ability, the gap between him and He Jijun was significant. The Soldier King deserved his reputation! He Jijun even tried to make arrows curve, but that was much more difficult than with bullets, and he had not seeded yet. However, it wasn¡¯t without merit, as he could shoot into the air, hitting zombies with a parabolic shot. While that seemed somewhat ostentatious, it was actually very useful¡ªfor instance, in executing a decapitation strategy or attacking over obstacles... Wang Tao was really looking forward to seeing to what extent He Jijun¡¯s abilities would develop as he became more familiar with them. There was a considerable number of zombies outside the base, and it took Wang Tao and hispanions the whole day to clear the vicinity and blockade the gate, including bringing in the two vehicles from before. More zombies mighte in the future, but for now, the absence of zombies made for a much morefortable view. Wang Tao deliberately let He Jijun take out some Level 3 zombies, boosting He Jijun¡¯s HP to 29999! "Can I ascend to Level 3 now?" He Jijun was somewhat dazed. Although he did feel his strength improving while killing zombies that day, he had just ascended to Level 2! It had only taken him two days to ascend from Level 1 to Level Two, with one of those days spent sleeping. Now, only a day had passed, and he could ascend to Level 3? "To be precise, you¡¯re a bit short because your special ability level is not high enough. You need to enhance your special ability level, and strip away the ¡¯Running¡¯ ability you merged with before..." He Jijun possessed strong spiritual power, and Wang Tao thought it would be good to integrate a spiritual-focused ability for him to leverage his strengths. However, the crystal cores rted to spiritual power Wang Tao possessed all started at Level Two. So, Wang Tao discussed with He Jijun and let him merge with a "Running" first. Now that he was Level Two, He Jijun could extract it. Wang Tao presented some crystal cores for He Jijun to choose from. To Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, He Jijun chose a "Mental Enhancement." [Mental Enhancement: For the duration, it increases spiritual power, making the user more focused and less likely to be disturbed by the outside world] To many, this ability seemed somewhatckluster, but Wang Tao had merged with it himself because it was useful for resisting illusions. He Jijun¡¯s decision to merge with this wasn¡¯t because he encountered an illusion, but because he felt it could enhance his precision shooting! Putting other aspects aside, the ability¡¯s focus and resistance to outside interference aligned precisely with the need for concentrated shooting, right? Additionally, an increase in spiritual power should also be helpful for shooting. Wang Tao felt that He Jijun had a point, so he gave him the crystal core. Anyway, Wang Tao had plenty of Level Two Exraction Crystal Cores. Even if the ability didn¡¯t work out as well as He Jijun hoped, he could just extract it again. Soon, He Jijun stripped the "Running" ability and merged with the "Mental Enhancement." He Jijun tried it out; activating precision shooting along with mental enhancement indeed elevated his shooting prowess¡ªnow it was genuine Gunfighting! "Awesome!" Watching He Jijun in the indoor shooting range, hitting various targets with closed eyes, even making bullets curve and the like, Wang Tao and the others were highly impressed. If it weren¡¯t for the risk of gunfire attracting arge number of zombies, everyone believed that He Jijun¡¯s potential for destruction would indeed be terrifying. Although some zombies could block bullets, the trouble was He Jijun¡¯s bullets could turn corners! Even the toughest zombies had weak spots, like the eyes, and He Jijun could target those weaknesses for attacks! Of course, if they were to encounter those without significant weaknesses or with exceptionally tough defenses, whether He Jijun could still be effective was questionable. Nevertheless, for now, He Jijun was still very strong! Once it was confirmed that this ability indeed boosted He Jijun¡¯s abilities, Wang Tao brought out some other crystal cores He Jijun had merged with and some Omnipotent Crystal Cores. After spending some time, He Jijunpleted all merges. His four abilities were all at Level Two+10. Then Wang Tao took out four Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores. "Thank you!" Seeing Wang Tao hand over these crystal cores as if they were free, He Jijun couldn¡¯t help feeling moved. When Wang Tao had invited him to join, he hadn¡¯t mentioned such benefits. But He Jijun didn¡¯t say much. Real men express their gratitude through actions. "Haha, we¡¯re all part of the gang, no need for thanks!" Wang Tao smiled, then his expression turned serious. "After Old He, you ascend to Level 3, we¡¯ll head to the city and see if we can challenge a Four-level zombie..." "No problem!" He Jijun immediately merged with the four Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores. Momentster, he seeded smoothly. Without dy, He Jijun prepared himself for the ascension. By this time tomorrow, he would be a Level 3 ability user! @@novelbin@@ After He Jijun fell asleep, Wang Tao looked at the others. Except for Jiang Shixue, whose HP hadn¡¯t increased, everyone else had seen a significant boost in their HP. Chapter 606 - 253: Restoring Memory_1 Jiang Shixue woke up earlier than Wang Tao had anticipated. Just as Wang Tao woke up, he saw Jiang Shixue, who was lying beside him, open her eyes; she was staring nkly at the ceiling. "Eh? You¡¯re awake? How do you feel?" Wang was somewhat surprised. Because Jiang Shixue¡¯s attributes weren¡¯t quite what he had expected. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 60000/60000] [Grade: Level 3 - Lord] [Internal Impurity: 50%] [Hidden Attributes: Eyes of Contract, Dark Sharp ws] Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP had reached thirty thousand, and her Mana had doubled to sixty thousand, but most importantly, her Internal Impurity had decreased by half! Advancement in zombies would not reduce Internal Impurity. Doesn¡¯t that mean that even though Jiang Shixue¡¯s physique is very close to that of a zombie, there¡¯s still a big difference, and she¡¯s more akin to human! This was a great development! Wang Tao had been concerned that Jiang Shixue might carry the zombie virus. Now it seems that she likely does not. After all, 50% Internal Impurity isn¡¯t much different from many Ability Users. Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Jiang Shixue turned her head to look at him and then suddenly hugged him tightly. "What¡¯s wrong?" Wang Tao was a bit puzzled as he rubbed Jiang Shixue¡¯s head. "I... I think I had a dream..." Jiang Shixue buried her head in Wang Tao¡¯s chest and spoke in a muffled voice. "A dream?" Wang Tao paused before suddenly eximing, "Did you recover your memory?" "Mhm..." Jiang Shixue hummed softly. Wang Tao quickly let go of Jiang Shixue, then looked at her seriously. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t look much different from before, except... her cheeks were very red. Jiang Shixue never used to blush. "Haha, that¡¯s fantastic!" Wang Tao, overjoyed, rubbed Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair, causing her face to turn even redder. @@novelbin@@ It was then that Wang Tao realized that he had always treated Jiang Shixue like a child, and because she liked being with him, they had be quite close. Now that Jiang Shixue had recovered her memory, and being a youngdy, it might not be appropriate for Wang Tao to be so intimate with her anymore. Wang Tao immediately withdrew his hand. "Ahem, well..." Before Wang Tao could speak, Jiang Shixue suddenly grabbed his hand. Her face was still a bit red, but her expression was very serious. "I, I remember everything now. Thank you... Brother!" Seeing that Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t be distant after regaining her memory, Wang Tao was happy. "We¡¯re family, no need for thanks!" At that moment, Jiang Shixue nervously said: "My mom, is she alright¡­?" "She should be fine..." Wang Tao sat on the bed with Jiang Shixue, and they talked about past events. "Before this¡­" After Jiang Shixue exined, Wang Tao roughly understood her previous situation. When the apocalypse struck, Jiang Shixue was on Shuizhe Mountain, participating in a sketching activity organized by her school. Naturally, when the virus broke out, Shuizhe Mountain was not spared. Fortunately, there were police officers with them who led their escape, helping them to avoid the first wave of crises. It was then that she called her mother, saying she woulde back to find her. With police officers leading them, she felt they could avoid the danger. But that was just escaping the initial crisis; many more followed... and eventually, their group got separated. Jiang Shixue, who had a brave character and had found some zombies¡¯ heads, was stronger than the others, so she struggled to survive for a while. But then zombies became more and more numerous and stronger, and she was on the brink of death. Barely escaping from many zombies, she ended up trapped and surrounded by them. Although temporarily safe from being eaten by zombies, she ran out of food. Her options were to be eaten by zombies or starve to death. Unwilling to give up, Jiang Shixue searched carefully where she hid. She then found some food and something that looked like food¡ªshe couldn¡¯t remember what exactly because after eating it, her consciousness blurred, and she emitted the same scent as the zombies. Then... The zombies stopped biting her! Her memory of the time that followed was hazy. She only remembered wanting to go back to find her mother... Afterward, her memory became rtively clear, as she made it to Shuize Base, saw her mother, and met Wang Tao, though she was infuriated by him. Jiang Shixue admitted that when Wang Tao used her mother to threaten her, she wanted to kill him¡ªback then, she didn¡¯t think much and was very irritable, with just a bit of reason left, or she might have really fought with Wang Tao. When they were fighting the ck Mist Monster, although she didn¡¯t fall into an illusion, she was still affected positively¡ªit made her slightly calmer. Calmer, she knew there was no saving her, she would turn into a zombie sooner orter. And only Wang Tao could save her mother, so in the end, she told Wang Tao to go first and she would cover him. But in the end, she didn¡¯t die; instead, Wang Tao saved her. Her memory after being revived by Wang Tao was very clear, including the instance she woke up and called Wang Tao "Daddy." Corrected by Wang Tao, she then followed him around calling him "Brother," even seeing him with Lan Yulian and the others... Recalling these events, Jiang Shixue wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. Chapter 556 - 236: Turns Out to Be an Example?_2 Chapter 556: Chapter 236: Turns Out to Be an Example?_2 It¡¯s not a cure, but to some extent, it¡¯s equivalent to one. Tan Ya suddenly knelt before Wang Tao. ¡°Mr. Wang! I beg for a bottle of Inhibitor! I can exchange all my resources for it, whatever your terms, I can satisfy them! Please, I beg you!¡± After speaking, she directly kowtowed to Wang Tao. ¡°Why? Has someone in your team been infected?¡± Wang Tao frowned. Logically, it shouldn¡¯t be possible, right? The method of checking pupils, though old-fashioned, is still effective for those infected with the zombie virus. Since they passed through Duzhu Town¡¯s inspection, they shouldn¡¯t have any virus carriers among them. Unless it¡¯s due to the Fusion Crystal Core causing an excess of Internal Impurity. In such cases, you can¡¯t judge by the colour of the pupils. But if that were the case, it would either be nothing, or, if something goes wrong, it would result in a mutation. There wouldn¡¯t be an infection step¡­ The others, upon hearing Tan Ya¡¯s words, all looked at her anxiously.
If she really brought an infected person into the base, that would be like a ticking time bomb! ¡°No, there¡¯s no one infected in my team right now. But, but we were ambushed by zombiesst night, and my husband got infected trying to protect me! He told us to go ahead, and he stayed behind in the wild, waiting to die¡­¡± Tan Ya sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Tan Ya lifted her head, her face streaked with tears. Wang Tao was silent for a moment, then directly tossed the bottle of Inhibitor to her hands. ¡°The zombie virus outbreak time is between 1 minute to 24 hours. The Inhibitor only works if used before the infected person fully turns into a zombie. This bottle of Inhibitor is for you, I hope you¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± Tan Ya kowtowed three times to Wang Tao, then immediately got up and said to Fan Peng: ¡°Please open the gate!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Fan Peng nodded seriously, then turned to the others and said, ¡°Excuse me for a moment, everyone.¡± Fan Peng hurried off with Tan Ya and her group. Those left behind hadplex expressions on their faces. They had mostly all experienced life-and-death separations, and if the Inhibitor truly was effective, and they just happened to have some, it would undoubtedly prevent many tragedies¡­ They looked at Wang Tao with eager eyes. If they could get Inhibitors now, it wouldn¡¯t be toote! Their loved ones might be gone, but their current teammates were their family! They were only hearing about the Inhibitor for the first time, unsure of its effectiveness, and did not know the price, so they did not strike a deal immediately with Wang Tao. That is, of course, if Wang Tao was willing to make a deal. From what Wang Tao had previously said, these Inhibitors might need to be used continuously, so certainly, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t mind having more on hand, but whether he was willing to sell was another question¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t speak again. What he wanted to know now was the situation at the military base. The inside of the military base must be safe, but there was the fear that outside was too dangerous. If that were the case, how he would get in was another issue. ¡°Ahem, Mr. Wang, I¡¯d like to ask if the Inhibitors you have are for sale?¡± At this point, Cai Ping couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Want to buy? Sure, exchange them for Crystal Cores.¡± Wang Tao spoke up. He had many Inhibitors, not just a lot, but very many. He had monopolized the recent air drops. A single airdrop crate contained 100 bottles of Inhibitor, and although not every crate had Inhibitors, the total number was not small, especially with those he had stored previously. Although he had left most of the Inhibitors for Lan Yulian, he still had five hundred bottles with him. Their group had armor, and they took precautions seriously, so they were not likely to get infected. The Inhibitors Wang Tao had were reserved for emergencies and trading. So, of course, they were for sale. Upon hearing that Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind selling, Cai Ping and the others became excited. Crystal Cores are good, but in truth, most of them are useless to individuals. Inhibitors, on the other hand, could save lives! ¡°Mr. Wang, please allow us to discuss which Crystal Cores to bring out for the trade¡­¡± Cai Ping said. ¡°Sure.¡±@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao responded indifferently. He knew that Cai Ping obviously wanted to wait for news from Tan Ya¡¯s side. If the Inhibitor truly saves Tan Ya¡¯s husband, he would definitely buy it. If Tan Ya¡¯s husband had turned into a zombie or was already dead, then he would be cautious about buying. If Tan Ya¡¯s husband was still alive but the Inhibitor had no effect after use, then he would have to consider¡­ Although Cai Ping felt that the likelihood of Tan Ya¡¯s husband being alive was very low, there was still hope. You couldn¡¯t me him for being cautious; he was scammed before the apocalypse, losing tens of thousands, money he earned from toiling at a construction site. It drove him to the brink of suicide¡­ So when it came to matters like this, he was rather careful. As for the others, seeing that the big shot, Cai Ping, did not immediately make a move, they too restrained themselves for the time being. They also decided to wait and see. At that moment, Fan Peng, who had gone to open the gate, returned. Upon hearing that Wang Tao was willing to sell the Inhibitor, he was ecstatic. But when he heard that Wang Tao wanted Crystal Cores in exchange, he immediately became disheartened. Even though Duzhu Town was safe, with few zombies, there were also few Crystal Cores. What their basecked the most was Crystal Cores! Otherwise, he might not have been the only Level 2 Ability¡­ Fan Peng felt upset for a while, then suddenly asked Wang Tao: Chapter 611 - 254: Sense of Security_3 These were all abilities that Wang Tao had seen before. Among them, this Extreme Speed Ability made for a total of two now, just one more, and he could synthesize it with Iron Wall! The second Loot Pack contained potions. [Acquired: Eyesight Potion (Small) x10] [Acquired: Attack Speed Potion (Small) x10] [Acquired: Mental Potion (Small) x10] The potions were also pretty good, it was just a shame there were none to increase Permanent Attributes. @@novelbin@@ The third Loot Pack... also had clothes, but this time there were two sets. [Acquired: Combat Suit x1] [Acquired: Work Uniform (Army) x1] [Combat Suit: Durability +10, Anti-Tear +10] [Work Uniform (Army): Durability +10, Anti-Tear +10] One was a Combat Suit, the other was an everyday uniform. Honestly, the two sets were pretty stylish, especially the Work Uniform for everyday wear. However, he didn¡¯t need them for now, maybe he would wear them sometime in the future. Thest Loot Pack contained a Blueprint. [Acquired: Air Bullet Rifle Blueprint x1] [Air Bullet Rifle Blueprint: Can be used to craft a rifle that shoots Air Bullets, required materials: Level 3 Crystal Core x1, Random Rifle x1, de x10, Steel Wire x10, Screw x10, Nails x10, Rubber x10] Air Bullet Rifle? Does that mean that the rifle crafted from this would work like the Air Bullet Ability? Wang Tao had all these materials and after a trip to the bathroom, he managed to craft the gun. Seeing Wang Taoing over with a peculiar looking firearm aroused some curiosity in the others, but they didn¡¯t ask too much. After all, they were used to Wang Tao asionally producing some novel items. "This is a gun that can shoot Air Bullets, something that the Zombie Lord dropped," Wang Tao said casually before turning to look at the gray rifle. This rifle looked nothing like ordinary guns; it resembled the toy water guns he yed with as a child. Wang Tao stepped outside to test it and found that it indeed could shoot Air Bullets, simr to the sensation the zombies gave him, more powerful than ordinary firearms, and without much noise. But there was one problem: the reloading was too slow! To be precise, it didn¡¯t need bullets, but it required charging. The gun had a charging device inside; only after it was fully charged could it shoot. And each charge took a whopping thirty seconds! That meant it could only shoot twice a minute! If it was for a sneak attack or a long-distance snipe, it should be viable. But for directbat, definitely not. Wang Tao handed the gun to He Jijun and exined its functions. "Old He, before you can fuse the Air Bullet Ability, why don¡¯t you make do with this gun?" If the gun¡¯s charging speed was a bit faster, Wang Tao might use it, but the speed was just too slow! Just to put it in perspective, Wang Tao could shoot an arrow every second with his hand crossbow, whereas the Air Bullet gun took thirty seconds for a single shot. Moreover, Wang Tao¡¯s battles were generally very swift. Like the Zombie Lord he killed today, it took less than a minute. With the gun¡¯s charging speed, it was questionable whether he could use it twice in a battle... "For me? Alright!" He Jijun¡¯s eyes lit up. He was quite interested in the gun, although the charging was slow, he could use it as a sniper rifle. Silent and deadly, it would certainly be amazing for sniping! He Jijun couldn¡¯t wait to try it out on the shooting range. Wang Tao said to the others, "I¡¯m going to rest now." He had been running around outside all day, with his spirit highly focused and using his Perception Ability extensively, so he was somewhat exhausted. "Okay." Yang Changhong had wanted to discuss life with Wang Tao that evening. After all, she had been quite tensetely and needed some rxation. But seeing Wang Tao looking a bit weary, she held back and cursed herself silently for herck of shame before hastily retreating to her own room. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about Jiang Shixue regaining her memory to anyone else, since they were unaware of Jiang Shixue¡¯s condition and her amnesia, there was no need for Wang Tao to tell them. Therefore, when they saw Jiang Shixue following Wang Tao back to his room, they weren¡¯t surprised, assuming in their minds that Wang Tao must have some intimate rtionship with Jiang Shixue... And seeing Jiang Shixue, who was lowering her head and following him, Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly. He had arranged a room for Jiang Shixue and thought that after regaining her memory, she would go to her own room. Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, Jiang Shixue spoke with a blush on her face, "Ahem, I¡¯ve gotten used to this bed..." She indeed was used to it, not the bed per se, but being by Wang Tao¡¯s side. Every time Jiang Shixue remembered her befuddled memories after regaining her memory, she felt terrified. It was hard to understand without experiencing it oneself. In simple terms, it was the feeling of "watching herself slowly turn into a zombie, yet being unable to do anything about it." That feeling was too frightening, and though she was now safe, she still shuddered at the thought. But being by Wang Tao¡¯s side gave her a sense of security. After all, Wang Tao had saved her from being turned into a zombie and the two had depended on each other for so long... "Okay," Wang Tao ruffled Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair. He could tell that Jiang Shixue seemed to be afraid. Certainly not afraid of the present, but perhaps she was recalling some upsetting memories. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t press further, knowing she would speak up when ready. Wang Tao took a shower, then vigorously petted Lightning. The dog¡¯s fur was sofortable to touch that it was hard to stop once he started. After Jiang Shixue finished washing up, Wang Tao finallyy down on the bed. Jiang Shixuey beside Wang Tao, holding one of his arms, breathing in his scent, and feeling extremely secure. Before long, she drifted off into a deep sleep. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t in a rush to fall asleep; instead, he extracted the Ability with Special Energy and fused the Air Bullet. "A 95% chance of sessful fusion with Mastery Fusion for the Air Bullet? Just as I expected!" Chapter 615 - 256: Level 4 Night Demon_1 ``` Wang Tao sheathed his Bone Knife and casually nced at his Special Energy¡ªit had increased by 19,000, not too shabby. After collecting the Loot Pack dropped by the Blue-skinned Night Demon, Wang Tao turned to Jiang Shixue and said, "Let¡¯s go kill the other Night Demons. You¡¯ll finish them offter." "Okay!" The two rejoined the battle. Although there were many Night Demons, they stood no chance under the sweeping coverage of numerous Mini Ultraviolet Illumination Shells. Blocked by Wang Tao and his team, they had no escape. After spending some time, they hadpletely cleared out the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. "Phew¡ª" Seeing that there truly were no more Night Demons, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Even though they had been in control most of the time, Night Demons were not to be trifled with, and a slight oversight could lead to injury. Therefore, they had all been extremely cautious, now feeling significantly drained both physically and mentally, and in need of a good rest. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were in the best shape physically; although they had killed a Hundred thousand HP Blue-skinned Night Demon, they hadn¡¯t exhausted themselves too much. Wang Tao handed out some nutrient solution to everyone. Glug glug glug~ After guzzling a few bottles, they all felt much better. "These Night Demons are tough, even being suppressed to this extent, they held on for so long¡­" He Jijun said. This was his first time fighting against Night Demons and he couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit emotional. He felt that if it weren¡¯t for the cheat-like item such as the Ultraviolet illumination res, not only would killing so many Night Demons have been out of the question, but even escaping with their lives would have been dubious. After all, they were facing two hundred Night Demons! "Despite the fatigue, it feels great!" Yang Changhong clenched her fists firmly. She wasn¡¯t sure how much her physical attributes had increased, but she felt as if she was touching the threshold of Level 3! Indeed, that was the case. Yang Changhong¡¯s HP had reached a hundred thousand! She previously had seventy thousand HP, and now after killing so many Night Demons, reaching a hundred thousand HP was easy. And it wasn¡¯t just her, Jiang Shixue, Xu Xiaojun, and He Jijun all had Hundred thousand HP now too! Only Nie Siyan was under a hundred thousand, but she was close, with ny thousand! Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help saying that raiding the Night Demon¡¯s Lair was truly exhrating. Thest time they raided a smaller Night Demon¡¯s Lair, it brought his own HP up to 110,000 and everyone else enjoyed a significant increase as well. This time, after raiding a muchrgerir, nearly everyone had reached Hundred thousand HP! An increase in HP signified an enhancement in physical constitution. With a hundred thousand HP, Yang Changhong and the others had reached an extremely elite level of physical constitution. Even though they hadn¡¯t merged with any Crystal Cores that enhance physical constitution, just based on their current condition, they could probably wrestle with Night Demons directly! Wang Tao did not rest but took Jiang Shixue and Lightning to "wreak havoc" in the Night Demon¡¯s Lair. Apart from the Night Demons, their housed many Unformed Night Demons and Incubation Flesh. These definitely needed to be eradicated. However, since only killings by Wang Tao would explode into Loot Packs, they were all left for him. The Night Demon¡¯s Lair was quiterge, and it took Wang Tao quite some effort to exterminate everything. Looking at the pile of loot in his Space Backpack, Wang Taoughed heartily. It¡¯s just a bit of fatigue¡ªtotally worth it! The loot from this operation was exceedingly rich. The Incubation Flesh that was killed exploded into 97 Extraction Crystal Cores! The Unformed Night Demons burst into 428 Omnipotent Crystal Cores! Although these were all Level Two Crystal Cores, being rare Extraction and Omnipotent types, they were highly valuable! Then came the loot dropped by the Elite Night Demons, all were Ultraviolet shlights and Ultraviolet illumination res¡ªaltogether three hundred shlights and six thousand res! This mission had initially consumed a lot of res, but they had just replenished a hefty amount. "For heaven¡¯s sake, don¡¯t let me find another Night Demon¡¯s Nest, or you¡¯ll have only yourselves to me!" With so many res, unless Wang Tao deliberately went looking for another Night Demon¡¯s Nest, it would be quite difficult to use them all up. Lastly came the loot from killing that Hundred thousand HP Blue-skinned Night Demon. @@novelbin@@ Being a Zombie Lord, and having been killed by Wang Tao, the killing was above his level. There were four Loot Packs and Night Demon¡¯s w x2. The first Loot Pack contained [Level 3 Crystal Core - Ascension], [Level 3 Crystal Core - Energy Boost], [Level 3 Crystal Core - HP Boost], and [Level 3 Crystal Core - Body Constitution Boost]. The second Loot Pack contained Potions. [Strength Increase Potion x20] [Agility Increase Potion x20] [Mental Boosting Potion x20] There wasn¡¯t much to say about these three types of Potions¡ªthey were all used by Wang Tao. Wang Tao felt that these kinds of Potions that permanently increased attributes seemed to have a diminishing effect. When his attributes were low, the increase was quite noticeable. The higher his attributes, the smaller the increment became. However, any increase was wee, no matter how small, and Wang Tao wasn¡¯t bothered by it. In the third pack was an Ultraviolet Suit, yetparing with the previous Blue-skinned Night Demons he had killed, there was an additional item. [High Power Ultraviolet shlight x1] [Mini Ultraviolet Illumination Shell x40] [Ultraviolet Illumination Light Strip x10] The new item was this "Ultraviolet Illumination Light Strip". [Ultraviolet Illumination Light Strip: Emits ultraviolet light once powered on. Any number of Ultraviolet Illumination Light Strips can be linked together, and the more there are connected, the stronger the ultraviolet light bes. Requires electrical energy and can be powered by batteries.] This Ultraviolet Illumination Light Strip looked like a tube and could be pieced together to form a continuous strip of light. ``` Chapter 559 - 237 Duzhu High School_2 Chapter 559: Chapter 237 Duzhu High School_2 Yang Changhong spoke with a high fighting spirit. When shest parted ways with Wang Tao, she swore to herself that if she saw Wang Tao again, she would certainly give him a hard time. She was a person of her word and couldn¡¯t go back on it! ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao was somewhat speechless. As a woman, is it really good to have such a strong desire to win in this matter? However, Yang Changhong had spoken, and naturally, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t back down. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a showdown for three hundred rounds!¡± ¡­ The next morning, Wang Tao rubbed his somewhat sore lower back helplessly as he looked at Yang Changhong, who had fallen asleep due to her Level 3 Ascension. This woman¡¯spetitive spirit was too strong. If Wang Tao hadn¡¯t had such a strong physical condition, he might not have been able to withstand it.@@novelbin@@
After ensuring there was nothing wrong with Yang Changhong, Wang Tao went to the living room. ¡°Brother Wang, where¡¯s Zhang Hong?¡± Nie Siyan, seeing Wang Taoe out alone, asked curiously. ¡°She¡¯s in the middle of Level 3 Ascension.¡± Wang Tao exined. ¡°Oh~¡± Nie Siyan had thought that Yang Changhong just didn¡¯t want to get out of bed, but it turned out she was overthinking it. The rain outside was still heavy, and Wang Tao and the others didn¡¯t go out today, instead staying inside to train their bodies. Mainly because there wasn¡¯t much to do around here. He nned to leave the Duzhu Town Base as soon as Yang Changhong woke up. At night, before going to sleep, Nie Siyan looked at Wang Tao with a pitiful expression. Wang Tao had a soft heart and couldn¡¯t stand to see a woman looking like that, so he ended up sleeping in Nie Siyan¡¯s room tonight. As for Jiang Shixue, who was in Nie Siyan¡¯s room, she naturally went to Yang Changhong¡¯s room. The night passed without incident. When he got up in the morning, Wang Tao suddenly discovered something amazing¡ªhis Mana had increased by 1000! It seemed like there was a mechanism to the cooldown time of his [Yin Yang Harmony] Ability? That is, the cooldown time for each different person of the opposite sex was calcted separately! For instance, after being with Yang Changhong yesterday, he gained 1000 Mana. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t continue to gain more Mana today, but in reality, he did. Clearly, the cooldown time was calcted separately! Doesn¡¯t that mean if he found a bunch of different people of the opposite sex, he could increase his Mana limitlessly? Wang Tao was somewhat tempted, but after some thought, he decided against it. The real world didn¡¯t have bugs for him to exploit, and this mechanism was likely capped or had other restrictions. Besides, these kinds of things should happen naturally, after all, Wang Tao was also a picky person¡­ After washing up, Wang Tao timed it just right and arrived beside Yang Changhong as she happened to wake up. ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Feeling the Level 3 Strength within her body, Yang Changhong was a bit excited. She quickly ran to the living room and tested her ascended body¡¯s capabilities. Wang Tao looked at her Attributes. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 13600/13600] [Grade: Level 3] [Internal Impurity: 11%] It was about the same as when Nie Siyan and Xu Xiaojun ascended before. It was not considered very strong among Level 3s because both her HP and Mana weren¡¯t very high, but her potential was great, especially since she had fused with four Ascension crystal cores. After ying around in the living room for a while, Yang Changhong approached Wang Tao and said: ¡°Wang Tao, when do we set out?¡± She couldn¡¯t contain the all energies within her body any longer, and she was eager to find zombies to test her strength. Wang Tao looked outside; it was still raining heavily, but his car had been repaired and was ready to hit the road. ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The group packed up their belongings and just as they went downstairs, they happened to see Zheng Haiing up. ¡°Mr. Wang, I was just about to look for you. Are you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m preparing to leave, is there something you need?¡± Hearing that Wang Tao was leaving, Zheng Hai was taken aback, then he hurriedly said: ¡°Please wait a moment, Mr. Wang. Our leader needs to speak with you. I¡¯ll go call him right away!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao nodded. He wasn¡¯t in a big hurry and was curious about what Fan Peng wanted. A short whileter, Fan Peng arrived, and not only him but the other outsiders came as well. ¡°Mr. Wang, here¡¯s the thing, we¡¯re hoping you and the others could help us resolve an issue¡­¡± After listening to Fan Peng¡¯s exnation, Wang Tao suddenly understood. The zombies within Duzhu Town were few and not very strong. However,st week he discovered a very powerful zombie, so powerful that even he couldn¡¯t see its exact appearance, only vaguely perceiving its strength. Although that zombie had always been in the town and there was no indication that it woulde to the Duzhu Town Base, Fan Peng had to be cautious. After all, humans were a food source for zombies, and he felt it was only a matter of time before it would arrive. So, he wanted to enlist everyone¡¯s help to deal with this troublesome opponent. As for the reward, naturally, it was food, as Duzhu Town didn¡¯t have much else to offer. However, killing zombies was highly beneficial for people, and even without a reward, it was expected that some would be eager to try. The original intention of Fan Peng was to have these outsiders take a look first, and if they couldn¡¯t handle it, they would then call for Wang Tao. But now that he saw Wang Tao was about to leave, he definitely couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so he quickly sought Wang Tao out. Fan Peng felt somewhat lucky. It was a good thing he hadn¡¯t gone out today, otherwise he might have missed his chance. ¡°A formidable zombie? Alright, then take me to see it.¡± Wang Tao agreed. A zombie described as formidable by a Second-order Superpower Owner was likely to be Level 3, which was exactly what Wang Tao needed. As for the chance of it being Level 4, that was unlikely. If it really were Level 4, Fan Peng probably wouldn¡¯t have made it back alive. ¡°Great! Let¡¯s head over now!¡± Chapter 622 - 258 Awakening Key_2 Wang Tao distributed the Stealth Potions, injecting one into himself, and then into Lightning, who was in his arms. Soon, a faint scent of decay emanated from their bodies. "Continue to rush!" A few minutester, Wang Tao felt the Giant Zombie falling further and further behind them. "Phew¡ª" Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that this Giant also relied on scent for perception. Before long, Wang Tao could no longer see the position of the Giant Zombie, nor hear its footsteps. Yet he remained extremely cautious and did not have everyone rush anymore, but instead started running. After all, the noise from rushing was rtively louder. Wang Tao didn¡¯t even know where he was now, as he had no way to discern direction while fleeing for his life. He just thought about getting as far away from the Giant Zombie as possible. After an unknown period of running, Wang Tao finally called a halt. "Stop, we should be safe now." During this time, Wang Tao fed numerous Crystal Cores to the Entangling Roots, recovering some of its HP. Relying on his Self-healing Ability, he had almost fully restored his own HP. His only problem was the massive Mana consumption, which he couldn¡¯t replenish for the moment, preventing him from maintaining full Perception, as this Ability drained a lot of Mana. "Thank goodness Brother Wang had the Stealth Potion..." Nie Siyan spoke with a trace of fear. They had encountered too many zombies along the way! If it weren¡¯t for the Stealth Potion, given the way they were running, they probably would¡¯ve triggered a zombie horde! "Let¡¯s go. While the effects of the Stealth Potionst, let¡¯s quickly find a ce to hide..." Wang Tao had also given it some thought. He figured that the Giant Zombie was not attracted by their scent, but by themotion they caused while fighting the ck Skin Night Demon! For instance, the ring res, the purple light filling entire floors, and being more than ten stories high¡ªit was hard not to attract attention. So Wang Tao thought that as long as they found a good hiding ce and concealed their scent, they should be able to avoid the Giant Zombie. "Let¡¯s go this way!" Wang Tao chose a direction. Although he had Night Vision, he was not familiar with Wuyang City, and it was still a bit hard to tell where exactly he was. But he felt that this direction should lead them out of the city. As long as they could leave the city and get to the car they had hidden, they would essentially be safe. Along the way, Wang Tao asionally activated his Perception to check for any significant dangers nearby. After cautiously walking for half an hour, although their pace slowed, fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. "We should be getting out soon..." Under a strangely shaped high-rise, Wang Tao rubbed his temples. His Mana was depleted, and his spirit felt unwell. Suddenly, Wang Tao¡¯s hair stood on end! A chill went from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head! Wang Tao immediately activated his Perception, only to see a massive energy body right before his eyes! "Shit!" Bang! Wang Tao couldn¡¯t react in time and was pped square on. Boom¡ª He was smashed into a civilian house. The others were confused; only then did they realize that what they thought was some mutant high-rise was actually a Giant Zombie leaning against the building! But... how could that be possible! How could its speed be so fast! They had all been running in a straight line under Wang Tao¡¯s lead, and there was no Giant Zombie behind them. Where did it chase them from?! However, no one had time to think deeply about it, and they hastened to the house, prying Wang Tao from the wall he was embedded in. "Cough, cough!" Wang Tao felt as if all the bones in his body were broken, tasted iron in his mouth, and his ears buzzed. "Cough... It¡¯s not that Giant Zombie, it¡¯s another one!" Wang Tao¡¯s words left everyone somewhat stunned. "Another one?" "Cough, quick! Rush! Keep rushing!" Wang Tao roared. @@novelbin@@ Everyone, not daring to dy, immediately engaged in Rush. Of course, this was a retreat Rush for escaping. Boom boom boom¡ª They burst out of the house. Although the appearance of this Giant Zombie was indistinct, Wang Tao saw it clearly: [HP: 200,000/200,000] [Mana: 100,000/100,000] [Grade: Level 4 - Lord] [Awakening: Giant] Your next chapter awaits on empire The Giant Zombie that had been chasing them earlier had 300,000 HP, but this one had 200,000 HP! These were clearly not the same one! There were two Giant Zombies¡ªor maybe even more! After all, they were only in one district of Wuyang City, and if there were already two Giant Zombies in this district, then in the other districts... Everyone didn¡¯t have time to ponder further. Even Wang Tao felt his mind was growing foggy, fearing he might faint, so he quickly said: "Little Xue, you lead the way!" Aside from him, only Jiang Shixue and Lightning had Night Vision, but since Lightning couldn¡¯t speak, it had to be Jiang Shixue. "Okay!" Thump, thump, thump¡ª This Giant Zombie also began to pursue. However, it was smaller than the previous one, so it was rtively slower. While the group took full advantage of the Stealth Potion¡¯s effects, which hadn¡¯t worn off yet, and rushed with all their might, they managed to shake off this Giant Zombie after some time. At this point, Wang Tao still had over 30,000 HP, but his head was very groggy, and he really wanted to sleep, but he didn¡¯t dare. He was holding a Rejuvenation Potion, and if there was any more danger, he would have to use this Potion. Then, the crisp voice of Jiang Shixue rang out. Chapter 561 - 238 Ghost Claw Zombie_1 Chapter 561: Chapter 238 Ghost w Zombie_1 ¡°So strong!¡± ¡°This is a Level 3 ability user!¡± Everyone was extremely amazed at Xu Xiaojun¡¯s strength. As soon as they entered the school, they distinctly felt that something was different, but they couldn¡¯t quite put their finger on what it was ¨C they just felt very oppressed. Wang Tao raised his eyebrows; he knew the reason for the oppression. ¡°Everyone be careful, these nts may attack.¡± Wang Tao turned his head and warned the others. ¡°What?¡± ¡°nts can attack?¡±
Everyone was a bit stunned. They knew that nts had mutated, but they had never seen nts that could attack. Fan Peng couldn¡¯t quite believe it; when he wasst here, these nts did not attack. But at that time, the nts weren¡¯t this big either¡­ Wang Tao looked at the nts beside the road. They were all erged versions of various trees, tendrils, and flowers. Moreover, Wang Tao could see that these nts had HP bars. It wasn¡¯t that Wang Tao saw HP bars on everything; if that were the case, he wouldn¡¯t be able to live normally. Only some sentient beings or particrly dangerous things would disy HP bars. The HP bars of the nts around now ranged from a few thousand to thirty thousand. But other than the HP bars, they had no other attributes. No mana, no level, no impurities. Clearly, they were not nt monsters but aggressive nts. After Wang Tao¡¯s reminder, everyone immediately became much more cautious, and some who had been about to touch the nts instantly withdrew their hands. Whoosh¡ª Just then, a branch from an unknown tree suddenly fell from a tree above and smashed towards Wang Tao, who was holding an umbre! Swish! Wang Tao stood still as a giant axe,ingter but arriving first, chopped the branch right off.@@novelbin@@ By the time the others reacted, the tendril had already been chopped into several pieces by Xu Xiaojun. ¡°The nts really do attack!¡± Seeing this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. And this tendril, like the flip of a switch, signaled various other nts to begin attacking the group as well. All sorts of tendrils, branches, even leaves could attack! Although these attacks were not potent, their strange methods were enough to give someone the chills. Some even regretteding in. Meanwhile, Fan Peng felt somewhat relieved that he had not acted rashly and had instead thickened his face to bring arge group of people with him; otherwise, if he had brought someone over by himself, he probably wouldn¡¯t even know how he died. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, everyone, keep calm. These attacks aren¡¯t lethal¡­¡± Wang Tao continued to hold Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand with one hand and the umbre with the other, walking through the school campus very calmly. Xu Xiaojun, Nie Siyan, and Yang Changhong could easily handle these nuisances. Although the others were a bit panicked, seeing how calm Wang Tao was, they slowly stabilized as well. ¡°We have several Level 3 ability users ¨C why panic!¡± It was only when they reached a teaching building that they hadn¡¯t encountered a single zombie, but they had been sneak attacked by the nts all the way. However, after arriving here, the nt attacks stopped abruptly. It seemed as though the nts had their own territory? These nts had HP bars, but they didn¡¯t seem to have much intelligence, nor did they have crystal cores. They attacked, it seemed, either because they were controlled or out of instinct. Wang Tao thought it was probably an instinct to attack that had evolved, since he didn¡¯t feel the presence of nt monsters here¡­ ¡°There are zombies!¡± The eagle-eyed Nie Siyan immediately pointed at the teaching building and said. Everyone looked in the direction Nie Siyan indicated and indeed saw some zombies wandering inside the hall of the teaching building. ¡°Those are Level 2 zombies, but they¡¯re not strong ¨C just ordinary zombies,¡± Wang Tao said. At this, Fan Peng immediately stood up with a machete in hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go too!¡± They could tell that Wang Tao clearly thought little of these Level 2 zombies, but this was an opportunity for them. Shortly after, they managed to exterminate the zombies without any incidents. Wang Tao felt around and found that there were a lot of zombies in this teaching building. However, he was not sure if there were any Level 3 zombies, as his nt Affinity Ability wasn¡¯t Perception, and he could not urately sense the levels of zombies. ¡°You guys wait here, I¡¯ll go up and take a look,¡± Wang Tao said to the others. ¡°Yes!¡± As soon as Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue went upstairs, a few zombies rushed in, and the two dealt with them easily. He ignored the other zombies, quickly checked the first floor, and, having ascertained there were no zombies above Level 3, proceeded to the third floor. After about ten minutes or so, Wang Tao came out. ¡°There are quite a few Level 2mon zombies inside; there are no Elites or higher. If you want to hunt, go ahead, but be careful,¡± Wang Tao stated. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Wang!¡± The group immediately rejoiced. Wang Tao also checked the other two teaching buildings and found many zombies, but all of them were Level 1 or Level 2 ordinary zombies, with asionally a few Level 2 Elites. Beyond that, there were no Level 2 Lords or Level 3 zombies. ¡°Let¡¯s split up and search other ces¡­¡± Wang Tao thought there should be Level 3 zombies here, at least a Level 2 Lord. ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone nodded. A whileter, Yang Changhong¡¯s voice suddenly came through the walkie-talkie. ¡°Wang Tao, I¡¯ve found something!¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± Wang Tao and the others reached Yang Changhong¡¯s location, which was the library of Duzhu High School. The library was the most prestigious building of the school. However, the times it was open were few and far between, and even many students might not have entered it except during a big cleanup. Chapter 562 - 238 Ghost Claw Zombie_2 Chapter 562: Chapter 238 Ghost w Zombie_2 ¡°Wang Tao, it¡¯s in here¡ªI feel a very powerful presence! I have the sensation of being watched!¡± Yang Changhong was waiting outside the door for Wang Tao. The higher the level of an ability user, the more acute their senses. The powerful presence she perceived should not be mistaken. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and take a look.¡± Wang Tao activated Entangling Roots, and in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a ¡°monster.¡± Yang Changhong had seen my ¡°transformation¡± before, but even now, she was still amazed. The reason Wang Tao was so cautious was that this library had no nts at all. This campus was full of nts, including many inside the teaching buildings, but this ce was devoid of them, which was clearly strange. So it was better to be cautious. The group followed Wang Tao inside.
The design of the library was quite good, with ample lighting. Without the obstruction of nts, one could see clearly inside even on overcast and rainy days. The first floor was a mess, with lots of coagted ck bloodstains on the floor, but no bodies. This was normal; in areas with many zombies, bodies would not be left behind¡ªthey either mutated upon infection or werepletely devoured by zombies. There was no third possibility. They arrived at the second floor. The second floor was much cleaner and had no zombies. The third and fourth floors were also zombie-free. Moreover, the bookshelves and everything else were neat and orderly, with no signs of being disturbed. Probably no survivors hade here. However, many books were missing, and many shelves were empty. The library had a total of five floors, with no basement. If the first four floors were fine, then the problem might be on the top floor. Wang Tao proceeded to the top floor with great caution. ¡°Hmm?¡± The situation on the fifth floor surprised Wang Tao. It was quite empty, although there were some bookshelves, they were devoid of books. Wang Tao and hispanions continued walking further inside. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± In the open hall before them was a chair, and on this chair sat a slender figure from behind! Wang Tao had encountered many zombie ¡°surprise attacks,¡± so he naturally didn¡¯t think much of this figure, especially with the conspicuous red HP bar above its head. [HP: 60000/60000] [Mana: 60000/60000] [Grade: Level 3 ¨C Lord] A White Bone Knife appeared instantly in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. Although he was now Level 3, even when hunting a rabbit, a lion must use all its strength! At that moment, the zombie turned around. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but draw in a breath of cold air when he saw the face of the zombie. For it was truly a beauty! This was a beauty wearing a white shirt, a ck pencil skirt, ck silk high heels, with a figure featuring a golden ratio, a perfect face, and intelligent sses! ¡°Huh?¡± Yang Changhong and the others eximed in surprise as well. They had all prepared themselves mentally, but who could have expected this to actually be a beauty? The beauty was holding a book and looked at them with slightly furrowed brows, as if she were disturbed by their arrival and interrupted from her reading. ¡°Could it be that this isn¡¯t a zombie?¡± Nie Siyan asked in surprise. This didn¡¯t look like a zombie at all! Wang Tao was also puzzled. He wasn¡¯t questioning whether the other party was a zombie¡ªit was obvious given the red health bar. He was wondering how this zombie managed to do this. Was it an illusion? But it was only a Level 3, Lord, not a Level 4. Could it create such an illusion? Wang Tao had encountered a ck Mist Monster before that could create illusions, a Level 3, Lord, but he could easily distinguish the real from the fake. Yet with this zombie, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t see any ws. At this moment, Jiang Shixue raised her head to look at the group and then said to Wang Tao somewhat strangely: ¡°Brother, do you like such an ugly zombie?¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°You can see its true form?¡± Wang Tao immediately asked. Jiang Shixue did not answer right away, but instead tilted her head thoughtfully, and then her eyes emitted a burst of red light. ¡°Ah!¡± The woman in front suddenly cried out while covering her face, as if she were in great pain. Then, she raised her head again, revealing a rotting countenance. At the same time, her head erged slightly, and her voluptuous body began to wither and decay. Especially her thin hands quickly grew sharp ck nails like ghost ws. ¡°¡­¡± What was going on? Wang Tao was baffled, but now was not the time to be confused. The Ghost w Zombie, having its true form exposed, seemed to be enraged and immediately lunged at Jiang Shixue. Wang Tao saw only a blur before the zombie appeared in front of Jiang Shixue, wing wildly at her. ¡°Such speed!¡± Wang Tao swung his knife out of instinct. Bang! [-2034] [57966/60000] The Ghost w Zombie was cut by the knife, losing two thousand HP. ¡°Such high defense!¡± With Wang Tao being Level 3, his attack on a Level 3 zombie would normally cost at least five thousand HP with one strike. But this had only removed two thousand, indicating the high defense of this zombie. The Ghost w Zombie was also quite strong; Wang Tao felt his hand go numb. But since it was lightweight, he managed to send it flying with a single blow. The others immediately followed up with more strikes. [-945] [-1043] [-923] [-821] [54234/60000] ¡°This damage¡­¡± If Fan Peng and the others were here, it would be questionable whether they could even break through this zombie¡¯s defense. However, it was fortunate that there were so many Level 3 ability users on Wang Tao¡¯s side; they were not at a disadvantage. After being attacked several more times, the Ghost w Zombie seemed even angrier and vanished from its spot in a sh. Chapter 632 - 261 Stirring the Tide of Corpses_3 But it doesn¡¯t eliminate the possibility of zombies capable of reproduction, given the vast array of zombie types. If it¡¯s true, Wang Tao feels it would probably be like the incubation flesh in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. It¡¯s impossible to imagine zombies giving birth to children, after all, the organs in their bodies are all decayed, and they should no longer have the ability to reproduce¡­ The speed of flying a ne is much faster than driving, even a helicopter, not known for speed, can reach the city center in just a few minutes. Looking at the skyscrapers far away, Wang Tao immediately said to He Jijun, "Keep away from the buildings, otherwise if we encounter Giant Zombies, there may be visual blind spots." "I understand!" He Jijun nodded. He didn¡¯t n to enter the city from here. After all, the image of that Giant Zombie disguising itself as a building at night was still vivid in his mind. The helicopter circled around and entered the city from a ce where the buildings were rtively low. And in the time it took to circle around, a massive number of zombies had already gathered below! Especially those Mad Demon Zombies, they were running and roaring chaotically below, looking extremely terrifying. If someone fell down at this moment, even Nie Siyan with her jump ability, would probably be torn to shreds instantly. However, as terrifying as therge gathering of zombies was, it actually made Wang Tao¡¯s search easier¡­ "No Level 4 zombies, keep moving." Wang Tao¡¯s target this time was the Level 4 Lord Zombies. Other than Level 4 zombies, even Level 3 Lords wouldn¡¯t get a second nce from him unless they provoked him. After all, they had already made such amotion. If they wasted time with other zombies, it would be too time-consuming. Only Wang Tao could see HP bars and distinguish the levels of zombies. The otherscked this ability, so they were all observing their surroundings, wary of those two Giant Zombies. Today¡¯s luck was neither good nor bad, they had yet to encounter a Level 4 Lord Zombie, nor had they encountered any Giant Zombies. This made Wang Tao and hispanions breathe a sigh of relief. Even though they were fully armed today with fierce firepower, if they really encountered a Giant Zombie, they would still have to flee¡­ "Hmm?" Suddenly, Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned serious. "Did you find something?" Yang Changhong quickly asked. "Not a Level 4 zombie, but I think I¡¯ve found a Night Demon¡¯s Nest!" Wang Tao spoke. His nt Affinity Ability could sense that, in a building wrapped in nt roots ahead, there were many zombies lying motionless, much like Night Demons. Night Demons typically rest in their nests during the day. Everyone¡¯s expressions turned solemn upon hearing this. Their previous encounter in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest had left a deep impression. Afterward, they had analyzed the origin of that Level 4, Lord Night Demon. They all spected that the nest might have housed two Lord Night Demons, one Level 3 and one Level 4! This would exin why the Level 4, Lord Night Demon, found them so quickly¡ªit might have been returning home, only to stumble upon the intruders... Now that Wang Tao had discovered another Lord Zombie, it¡¯s possible that there was also a Level 4 Night Demon inside! Wang Tao instructed He Jijun to fly lower, nearly grazing the building as they passed. Then, Wang Tao¡¯s Perception Ability instantly sensed the situation inside the building. "Indeed, Night Demons!" Perception allowed him to "see" more clearly, observing the poses and sizes of the Night Demons inside! When the helicopter flew by, those Night Demons were awakened. They were moving restlessly within the building, appearing somewhat agitated, but dared note out. Wang Tao carefully sensed it and found that it was a smaller Night Demon¡¯s Nestpared to before, harboring roughly dozens of Level 3 Elite Night Demons, with no Level 3 Lords or Level 4 zombies. Theoretically, there should be a Lord in a Night Demon¡¯s Nest. If there wasn¡¯t one, it might have either died or gone out. Wang Tao thought thetter was more likely. There could asionally be conflicts among zombies, but with the strength of Night Demons, they shouldn¡¯t be killed by other zombies. Wang Tao quietly took note of this location to check backter when possible. And just at that moment, a sense of rm suddenly arose in Wang Tao¡¯s mind. He immediately yelled at He Jijun, "Go now!" Without saying another word, He Jijun pulled the joystick, causing the helicopter to ascend sharply. About ten seconds after the helicopter left that building, a huge root-like object suddenly came around from behind the building, whipping at where the helicopter had just been. Fortunately, the helicopter had already left, and the tendril hit nothing. "What the hell!" All the onlookers shivered at this scene. Had the helicopter been struck, wouldn¡¯t it have crashed directly to the ground! "It¡¯s a Level 3 nt Monster Lord, it was hiding on the other side of this building!" Wang Tao exined, then gestured, "Let¡¯s go there!" Humming¡ª He Jijun circled around to the back of the building. Then they saw a giant tree, towering skyward from within the building! This tree was not the actual body of the nt Monster; it had no HP bar, indicating it was not aggressive. The real body of the nt Monster was one of the roots, hidden inside this giant tree. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao¡¯s Perception Ability, they would have never noticed! "Looking for death!" Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to waste time on zombies below Level 4, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t fight back when attacked. Wang Tao immediately activated his Iron Wall Ability and Precision Shooting appeared! Then he aimed at the root and pulled the trigger. "Ratatat¡ª" Two parallel Heavy Machine Guns fired at the same time, the furious firepower instantly covering the root. [-1478] [-1578] [-1034] [...] This nt Monster had quite high Defense, the Heavy Machine Gun only hit for a thousand HP. But it was toorge to avoid the shots and was soon sted to pieces. As they watched its corpse and the Loot Pack on it, Wang Tao asked He Jijun to get closer so he could pull the body over with Iron Tree Vines, gathering the loot. Then Wang Tao saw that a massive horde of Mad Demon Zombies was running over from afar, their numbers dark and dense like a tidal wave. "A zombie horde... Quick, leave!"@@novelbin@@ Chapter 635 - 262 Explosion-proof Zombie_3 ``` @@novelbin@@ However, fortunately, his willpower was not bad either, he forcibly blocked out these noises and concentrated on shooting headshots at the Explosion-proof Zombie. After one minute, the Explosion-proof Zombie had lost 20,000 HP and had 80,000 left! But by now, tens of thousands of zombies had gathered in the area! They all looked up at the helicopter with their murky eyes, howling and screaming. Yang Changhong and hispanions felt their scalps tingle as they watched more and more zombies umte. They feared that this situation would surely attract a Giant Zombie, it was just a matter of when it would show up... Another minuteter, the Explosion-proof Zombie had lost 10,000 more HP, leaving it with only 70,000! And it was at this moment that Wang Tao noticed the helmet, which could withstand heavy machine gun fire, on the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s head had cracked. The helmet had already grown onto the Explosion-proof Zombie, and with the helmet cracked, blood-red muscles were exposed directly underneath. Wang Tao subconsciously fired another shot. Bang! [-632] [+100] The damage had increased! It doubled! Wang Tao was immediately overjoyed! Previously, ounting for the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s Blood Regeneration, Wang Tao¡¯s shots could only take away 200 HP, but now one shot could deal 500 HP! Roar¡ª¡ª After realizing its helmet had shattered, the Explosion-proof Zombie became even angrier. It began attacking indiscriminately, and many nearby zombies were smashed to bits by it. Wang Tao was naturally pleased to witness this scene, and he continued to focus his attacks on the Explosion-proof Zombie. Yet another minute passed. The Explosion-proof Zombie had lost another 50,000 HP to Wang Tao¡¯s gunfire, leaving it with only 20,000 HP! It hadpletely entered a Frenzy, its muscles became even more developed, and its speed increased. It threw rocks frantically at the helicopter while ughtering the surrounding zombies. Wang Tao, from some distance away, was starting to have difficulty aiming. And at that moment. A series of muffled footsteps could be heard from afar. Thump, thump, thump¡ª¡ª Wang Tao immediately looked up. In the pouring rain, within the sea of zombies that was like a ck tide, a massive figure appeared! Each step it took crushed multiple zombies beneath its feet! The Giant Zombie had arrived! "Old He! Descend to within ten meters of the ground! Give me twenty seconds!" A fierce determination shed in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. If this Level 4 Explosion-proof Zombie still had a lot of HP left, Wang Tao would have decisively given up. But now it only had 20,000 HP left, and its helmet was gone, Wang Tao had to seize this opportunity! "Alright!" He Jijun didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary and immediately began to lower the helicopter. The closer the helicopter got to the ground, the more urate Wang Tao¡¯s heavy machine gun fire became. But the danger also increased greatly. This was a test of He Jijun¡¯s piloting skills. Wang Tao stared intently at the Explosion-proof Zombie and, at a certain moment, he threw a Weakness Potion at the zombie, then immediately pulled the trigger. Ratatatat¡ª¡ªRatatatat¡ª¡ª Wang Tao began firing in a rhythmic burst, and the HP bar of the Explosion-proof Zombie plummeted rapidly. Meanwhile, the Giant Zombie was getting closer and closer to the helicopter! Sweat broke out on the foreheads of Yang Changhong and the others; they felt as if they could smell the stench from the Giant Zombie¡¯s mouth. At this time, the helicopter was only ten meters away from the Explosion-proof Zombie. A vast number of zombies began building a wall of bodies, like a colony of ants, growing taller and taller! Jiang Shixue and the others fired their guns wildly to hold back the zombies, while Wang Tao remained incredibly calm, pinpointing hisst few bullets. Ratatatat¡ª¡ª [-845] [+100] [-743] [+100] [-223] ``` ``` [0/100000] The Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s HP dropped to zero! Its murky eyes widened as it stared at the helicopter, and ultimately, it copsed to the ground with great reluctance. Whoosh¡ª A ck tendril suddenly fell from the helicopter, instantly wrapping around the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s waist. Wang Tao gave a fierce tug, pulling the massive body of the Explosion-proof Zombie to the helicopter¡¯s door. The reason Wang Tao had He Jijun descend to within ten meters was that his Iron Tree Vines only extended ten meters. Any further and he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach. "Old He, let¡¯s go!" Whirring¡ª Without needing Wang Tao¡¯s instructions, the moment He Jijun saw the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s body being hauled up, he immediately began the helicopter¡¯s ascent. But just three seconds after the helicopter began to rise, many zombies within the giant human wall jumped up at once, lunging towards the helicopter. Unfortunately, the helicopter had already taken off, and they couldn¡¯t reach it. The human wall copsed with a thunderous crash. "That was close!" Seeing the zombie human wall fail, Jiang Shixue patted her chest, feeling her heartbeat racing. Rumble¡ª At that moment, the helicopter suddenly made a sharp turn, catching everyone inside off-guard and sending them tumbling around. Had it not been for the seat belts, they would have all been thrown out. Everyone hastily looked out the window only to see a huge, rotting palm swipe past the side of the helicopter. The wind from the palm caused the helicopter to wobble. Stay tuned for updates on empire "Giant Zombie!" "Everyone, hold tight!" He Jijun skillfully maneuvered the helicopter, flying right through the Giant Zombie¡¯s arms! Wang Tao had already grabbed the spoils from the Explosion-proof Zombie. He secured the body in the storage area at the back of the helicopter. Then he picked up the heavy machine gun again, aiming at the Giant Zombie. "I want to see just how strong you are!" Ratatat¡ª [-12] [-21] [-10] [-9] [...] [299923/300000] "..." "Retreat! Retreat quickly!" At this moment, there was activity both from the north and the south. Thud, thud, thud¡ª After seeing the figures from these two directions, Wang Tao let out a curse. "Damn! Two more Giant Zombies!" One with 200,000 HP! And the other... 400,000 HP! "I just knew there would be more Giant Zombies in the city! The Giant Zombies seemed to move slowly, but with each step covering twenty to thirty meters, it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to get here, and one of the Giant Zombies even bent down to pick up a rock! However, as they were still at some distance from the helicopter, He Jijun remained calm, throwing a bunch of incendiary and smoke bombs to distract the Giant Zombies. Wang Tao also took the opportunity to throw out many Self-Destruct Bombs outside of the helicopter. Boom, boom, boom¡ª In a violent explosion with smoke, a camouged helicopter burst forth! A huge boulder nearly grazed the helicopter as it flew by; the helicopter shook slightly but quickly stabilized and sped away from the area, leaving only roars in the smoke. ``` Chapter 638 - 263 Anomalous Equipment_3 Now, making this explosion-proof shield really came into use! The baton was easy to craft since the infected baton dropped by the explosion-proof zombie was useless, and it could be used directly for crafting. As for the level 4 crystal cores, Wang Tao thought it over and chose one with [Defensive Power] and [Strength]. Wang Tao had already fused with both these crystal cores, so they were of no use to him personally. After gathering all the materials, Wang Tao began to craft. Shortly after, two items appeared before Wang Tao. The "Mutant Explosion-proof Baton" differed in appearance from an ordinary baton, being ck and red with vein-like patterns that made it look less like a proper weapon. But appearances didn¡¯t matter, what was important were the attributes. [Mutant Explosion-proof Baton] [Level Four (Excellent)] [Durability +80, Attack Power +60,es with Electric Shock Effect (Electric Shock Effect requires Awakening Energy)] The attributes were interesting. The durability was 10 points higher than his previous level 4 equipment, although the attack power was slightly weaker. However, that was understandable, since it was, after all, a baton, so it was normal for its lethality to be weaker. But the electric shock effect requiring Awakening Energy to be used? This left Wang Tao somewhat speechless, as he didn¡¯t have Awakening Energy and could only use it as an ordinary baton. But did this mean that the electric capability must be quite strong? After all, it consumed Awakening Energy, so it should be more than just a regr stun baton, right? Wang Tao turned his attention to the shield. This shield¡¯s appearance also greatly differed from that of ordinary shields, being a square shield primarily ck in color but decorated with many white bones, giving it a somewhat fierce aspect. Its attributes, however, were the highest Wang Tao had ever seen on equipment. [Mutant Explosion-proof Electric Shield] [Level Four (Excellent)] [Durability +100, Defensive Power +100,es with Electric Shock Effect (Electric Shock Effect requires Awakening Energy)] Both durability and defensive power were increased by 100, which Wang Tao had never seen before in equipment. However, since it was a shield, it made sense. As for the electric shock effect, it also required Awakening Energy to be used. This made Wang Tao quite frustrated, as a person with strong curiosity, having equipment but not being able to use it was quite annoying. "Level Four! Awakening!" Wang Tao clenched his fist. The Awakening was bing more and more attractive to him! Now, he was just one Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core and one attack type ability short. Of course, he could do without the attack type ability, but since he had the opportunity to fuse with other abilities, he couldn¡¯t let it go to waste. Wang Tao wondered whether he should first promote his other three abilities to Level Four... He could actually fuse a Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core now, promoting his three already +10 abilities to Level 4. Level 4 abilities would undoubtedly be much stronger than Level 3 abilities, greatly increasing his strength. But he hesitated because his Special Energy only allowed him to extract and synthesize Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 abilities. There was no option for Level 4 abilities. Wang Tao didn¡¯t know whether ascending to Level 4 would grant him the ability to extract and synthesize Level 4 abilities. As of now, he couldn¡¯t. This meant that if he promoted his abilities to Level 4, he wouldn¡¯t be able to extract and synthesize anymore. If he encountered special circumstances where he needed to fuse other crystal cores, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use them. Thus, he hesitated... "Forget it, no rush to fuse the Ascension Crystal Core. After all, our main reliance on hunting Level Four zombies is still on thermal weapons..." In the end, Wang Tao decided not to fuse just yet. After all, they were currently using thermal weapons, and a minor increase in strength wouldn¡¯t change the overall situation. Even if he promoted his abilities to Level Four, his overall strength would still be far inferior to that of Level Four zombies, because hecked an Awakening... The next day. Everyone assembled in the hall. Because of the helicopter¡¯s activity yesterday, more zombies had gathered around the base, and Wang Tao called everyone to clear them out. They were too few in number, and an excessive umtion of zombies around the base could lead to unforeseenplications. Hence, whenever zombies gathered, Wang Tao would lead a team to clear them out. Soon, two military vehicles took everyone away from the military base. With the number of zombies outside being significant, Wang Tao divided them into two teams to proceed separately. After spending the whole day, they finally cleared all the zombies surrounding the base. Wang Tao unexpectedly received two pieces of good news. The first piece of good news was that his special vine had split! [Level 3 Weapon: Iron Tree Vine] [HP: 10,000/10,000 (upper limit 100,000)] [Status: Awakened] [Enhancement: Splitting (2), Independent Attack] [Compatibility: 100%] His Iron Tree Vine had to split before it could be nurtured; previously there had only been one vine, so it always had 10,000 HP. @@novelbin@@ Stay connected through empire Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure what would cause it to split, suspecting maybe it was rted to time. Today, the Iron Tree Vine seeded in splitting! It became two vines, each with 10,000 HP! Without a second thought, Wang Tao took out a crystal core to start nurturing. Momentster, the upper limit of the vine¡¯s HP increased to 20,000, creating two vines both with 20,000 HP. Although the HP was still not high, it wouldn¡¯t be as easy to cut as before, right? Furthermore, not only had the HP increased, but the length had also grown. Previously at 10,000 HP, the vine¡¯s length was ten meters. Now, with 20,000 HP, the length of both vines reached twenty meters! The increase in the length of the Iron Tree Vine was a significant boost for Wang Tao, who was relying on it to pull zombie corpses up to the helicopter! The length of twenty meters, now having two of them, greatly increased Wang Tao¡¯s margin for error! The second piece of good news was that Wang Tao finally obtained another active attack type crystal core! And while clearing the surrounding zombies, they also collected many Omnipotent Crystal Cores. That meant he could make all four abilities +10, and then integrate the Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core! Chapter 566 - 239 Bone-Chopping Uniform Hand Axe_3 A pile of Loot Packs burst out. Wang Tao gathered up the Loot Packs, then noticed that the hand axe in the Chef Zombie¡¯s grasp could be stored in the Space Backpack. Without a word, Wang Tao collected the items, and after obtaining the Crystal Core from the Chef Zombie, he waved to the others. "Let¡¯s head back quickly!" Wang Tao had already seen quite a few Mad Demon Zombies appearing. Although they were all Level 1 and Level Two Mad Demon Zombies, there were too many of them, and since there wasn¡¯t much benefit to killing them, everyone naturally didn¡¯t want to get entangled. When everyone arrived at the school gate, they found that many Mad Demon Zombies had already rushed in. However, they were all held back, and it was the attacking nts that held them up! "Interesting, let them fight each other! We¡¯ll take another route!" Wang Tao led the others to the other side; although it was a tall wall with no gate, Xu Xiaojun had split arge hole in it with a few chops of his axe. The group squeezed through one by one and then hurriedly drove away. The heavy rain greatly affected the zombies¡¯ Perception, and after chasing the convoy for a while, the Mad Demon Zombies fell behind. Over ten vehicles returned to Duzhu Town Base quite smoothly. "Phew¡ª" After getting back to the base, Fan Peng and the others finally rxed. "Damn! That was thrilling!" Someone eximed excitedly. "Isn¡¯t it! I¡¯ve never been in such a big battle before! Althoug h I was just spectating¡­" "The strength of Level 3 is so strong! Lucky for us Mr. Wang was with us; otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t even know how we died facing those zombies!" "Yeah, yeah! We must thank Mr. Wang!" After getting out of the vehicles, everyone thanked Wang Tao. @@novelbin@@ Wang Tao waved his hand and then asked with a smile, "How was your loot?" "Heh heh¡­ not bad!" Just by looking at them, Wang Tao knew they had gained quite a bit. However, Wang Tao didn¡¯t ask further and said to Fan Peng, "We won¡¯t be leaving today; the battle took a lot out of us, so we need a day of rest." "Of course! Mr. Wang, please rest assured you won¡¯t be disturbed!" Wang Tao and the others returned to their room. Xu Xiaojun and the others took off their armor. Wang Tao nced at it and saw that the Durability of everyone¡¯s armor had dropped somewhat, especially for Yang Changhong; her armor was a brand new set of Level 3 Iron Tree Armor given by Wang Tao. With a total of 30 Durability, it had dropped by 5 points! And these 5 points were all scratched by the Ghost w Zombie. It must be said that the damage done by the Ghost w Zombie was really high. Wang Tao took out a medical kit and nutritional fluid to hand them. "Everyone, get some good rest." The group wasn¡¯t hurt much, and the battle ended quickly, amounting to a swift victory. However, high-intensitybat was still very mentally draining, so they needed to recuperate properly. "Mhm." While everyone was resting, Wang Tao nced at his HP bar. Having just killed this Chef Zombie, Wang Tao gained an additional 12,600 to his HP limit and special energy. This increase was actually not as much as the 60,000 HP from the Ghost w Zombie. Nevertheless, it was not insignificant¡ªWang Tao¡¯s HP had now reached 67,000! "After ascending to Level 3, my HP is really shooting up fast!" Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional. Although the higher the level, the more HP needed for ascension, the amount of HP gained from killing higher-level zombies was also greater. Overall, his HP was increasing quicker than before. Wang Tao felt that if he encountered two or three more zombies like this one, he might reach a hundred thousand HP! Of course, the main reason was that Wang Tao was strong, with the ability to defeat enemies above his level. Plus, Xu Xiaojun and the others were notpeting with Wang Tao for the kills¡­ Wang Tao then turned his attention to the other loot. He first checked the Chef Zombie. Inside the Chef Zombie¡¯s head was a purple [Level 3 Crystal Core - Self-healing]. It had dropped four Loot Packs. The first Crystal Core Gift Bag contained a total of 3 Crystal Cores, including a red [Level 3 Crystal Core - Ascension], a blue [Level 3 Crystal Core - Strength], and a red [Level 3 Crystal Core - Frenzy]. Only then did Wang Tao understand why the Chef Zombie had given less HP than the Ghost w Zombie. Because the Chef Zombie had fewer abilities inside¡ªonly Power, Self-healing, and Frenzy. Zombies with more abilities provided a greater increase to the HP limit. After collecting the Crystal Cores, Wang Tao looked at the second Loot Pack. Inside were potions. [Acquired: Strength Potion (small) x20] [Acquired: Berserk Potion x20] "Huh, a Berserk Potion?" Wang Tao had never seen this potion before. [Berserk Potion: After injection, all attributes increased for 1 minute, with a 24-hour cooldown] This Berserk Potion seemed pretty good. Although the duration was only a short one minute and the cooldown was a lengthy 24 hours, it increased all attributes. Even if the potion gave just one-tenth the effect of the Frenzy ability, it would still be quite exceptional. At critical moments, it could potentially turn the tide of battle. The third Loot Pack contained a set of clothing. [Acquired: Chef Suit Set x1] [Chef Suit Set: Durability +10, Tear Resistance +10] It was a white chef¡¯s uniform, including a hat, jacket, pants, and shoes. The attributes were quite good, very durable. But Wang Tao felt it was somewhat strange to wear a chef¡¯s uniform, and also, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be as convenient as his current sweatshirt inbat. "I¡¯ll just put it away for now." Wang Tao checked his Space Backpack and found that he still had two other sets of clothing within: the Pink Nurse Uniform he had acquired long ago, and a Diving Suit obtained from killing a Zombie Fish. These three sets of clothing were of no immediate use, but they mighte in handyter. Since the drop rate for clothes was not high, it was better to keep them. The fourth Loot Pack contained a blueprint. [Acquired: Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe Blueprint x1] [Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe Blueprint: Once learned, allows for the crafting of 1 Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe each time. Required materials: Any axe head, any Crystal Core x1 (Level 1, Level Two, or Level 3 Crystal Cores can be used), Iron Block x10, de x10, Screw x10, Wood Block x10] "Huh? A uniform hand axe!" Upon seeing this blueprint, Wang Tao was immediately pleasantly surprised. Although the attributes of standardized equipment were slightly lower inparison to non-standardized equipment, they could be mass-produced! Without a second thought, Wang Tao immediately learned the Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe Blueprint. He already had the "Iron Tree Standard Armor" and "White Bone Standard Crossbow and Crossbow Arrows" blueprints. Now with the addition of the Standard Bone-Chopping Hand Axe¡­ it was as if he had aplete set of equipment for defense, rangedbat, and closebat! Chapter 644 - 265 - A Sea of Flames (End of Month Plea for Monthly Pass)_3 Chapter 644: Chapter 265 ¨C A Sea of mes (End of Month Plea for Monthly Pass)_3 ¡°Such strength!¡± That kick had cost Wang Tao 5,000 HP! Wang Tao got up from the ground, saw that the me Monster still had three-quarters of its HP left, and his Entangling Roots had only half its HP left; he immediately began to transfer his own HP to the Entangling Roots! In just a few seconds, the Entangling Roots¡¯ HP was fully restored, while Wang Tao lost 50,000 HP. Wang Tao didn¡¯t feel any weakness at the moment, but he couldn¡¯t dispel the Entangling Roots; otherwise, it would have been over for him. Whoosh¡ª By this time, the me Monster had already charged in front of Wang Tao. Seeing that the monster was raising its foot again, a fierce-looking shield instantaneously appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. Boom! The me Monster¡¯s kicknded on the shield, and while Wang Tao wasn¡¯t injured, the impact numbed his hand a bit.
After attacking with its foot, the me Monster was much stronger. However, with Wang Tao using the shield, he wasn¡¯t sent flying again, which saved him some time. Wang Tao quickly stowed away the shield and shed at the me Monster with a knife. [-2319] The me Monster kicked at Wang Tao again, but with his guard up, Wang Tao easily dodged the attack. He raised the Bone Knife and performed another Indirect Attack. But to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, the me Monster also dodged his strike. Moreover, its dodging posture was very simr to Wang Tao¡¯s earlier one! ¡°Why does it feel like it¡¯s imitating me?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned unsightly. By now, he could almost be sure that this me Monster indeed possessed intelligence! Never mind how high its intelligence was, the fact that it could learn Wang Tao¡¯s techniques and use his own moves against him was causing Wang Tao a lot of difort. What if it continues the fight and learns all of Wang Tao¡¯s techniques? ¡°I have to end this quickly!¡± Wang Tao gritted his teeth, and instantly, a tendril of Iron Tree Vine shot from his wrist. The vine wrapped around the me Monster¡¯s body, preventing it from dodging, and then Wang Tao, holding the Bone Knife, began to wildly execute Indirect Attacks! [-2386] [-2287] [¡­] Though the Iron Tree Vine also contained the words ¡°Iron Tree¡±, it did not have any Fire Resistance attributes. Wang Tao had tried before; the fire on the me Monster¡¯s body could burn several hundred HP off the Iron Tree Vines every second. So, unless it was a critical moment, Wang Tao certainly couldn¡¯t afford to let the Iron Tree Vines die for nothing¡­ After being bound by the vine, the me Monster was stuck for a while. But after being shed by Wang Tao several times, it finally broke free from the Iron Tree Vines. Bang¡ª@@novelbin@@ The Iron Tree Vines snapped! Wang Tao quickly retracted it; this tendril was left with just a sliver of HP, barely surviving the me Monster¡¯s attack! Meanwhile, the me Monster had already lost half of its HP because of Wang Tao¡¯s shes. It suddenly raised its head, emitting a silent roar. Then its mes began to burn even more fiercely. [-23] [-31] [-28] [¡­] The Burn Damage Wang Tao was taking suddenly doubled! Not knowing if the me Monster had any trump cards left, Wang Tao retreated immediately, putting some distance between them. Whoosh! ¡°` But as soon as Wang Tao turned around, he saw the me monster charging towards him. It was much faster than before! Wang Tao had been able to kite the me monster a bit before, but now, he was caught up in an instant. Bang! [-6783] Wang Tao was pped fiercely. ¡°The damage has increased this much!¡± With a grimace, Wang Tao saw the damage number while being struck. If the me monster¡¯s damage had increased by so much, Wang Tao might no longer stand a chance against it! ¡°Wang Tao, how much longer do you need?¡± At that moment, He Jijun¡¯s voice came through the headset, which was well protected by the entangling roots and thus still functional. Wang Tao quickly looked up and saw the giant zombie in the distance swatting at the helicopter like it was chasing mosquitoes, with the helicopter in dire straits. When Wang Tao looked over, he saw the giant zombie suddenly throw an abandoned sedan at the helicopter, which flew past, scraping the side of the helicopter and causing sparks to scatter, while two heavy machine guns fired at the giant zombie. At this sight, Wang Tao took a deep breath. ¡°Give me three more minutes; I¡¯ll be ready for pickup in three minutes!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± He Jijun didn¡¯t say much more, and even his tone was steady, without any panting. Wang Tao shifted his gaze back to the me monster that had already reached him, immediately using every potion avable to him ¨C the running potion, strength potion, mental potion, and the like. These potions didn¡¯tst long, but they had a long cooldown. They could only be used at critical moments, like right now. As soon as the potions entered his system, Wang Tao immediately felt his physical condition improve significantly. With a slight sidestep, he instantly dodged another attack from the me monster. Then he turned around sharply and kicked at the me monster. Bang! [-1092] He used Indirect Attack in that kick, which knocked off over a thousand HP from the me monster. The me monster was sent flying,nding outside the sea of fire. Wang Tao immediately rushed out of the sea of fire as well. The me monsternded among a group of zombies that had not left the perimeter of the sea of fire. Then¡­ in an instant, the zombies within a few meters of the me monster were set aze. These zombies lost five to six thousand HP every second, and in the blink of an eye, they were burned to cinders. ¡°Damn it!¡± Wang Tao was initially stunned and then seemed to understand something. He had wondered why this me monster seemed weaker, at least not as strong as the previous Level 4 Lord Night Demon. After all, he couldn¡¯t take on a Level 4 Lord Night Demon alone, but he could handle this me monster. But now Wang Tao understood, it wasn¡¯t that the me monster was weak, but that its strongest ability was its mes! However, those mes were blocked by Wang Tao¡¯s entangling roots! The me monster¡¯s burning of the entangling roots caused only a few dozen HP loss per second. But when burning those zombies, it caused thousands of HP loss per second! Realizing this, Wang Tao took a deep breath and then charged toward the me monster. But at that moment, the me monster suddenly turned its head towards Wang Tao. The mes on its body expanded rapidly! They reached three meters high, five meters high, even ten meters high! Then¡ªboom! A burst of mes exploded! A huge fire erupted, covering the sky and the earth. Within a hundred meters radius, everything was engulfed in a sea of fire! ¡°` Chapter 655: 269 Airplane Crash_2 Chapter 655: Chapter 269 Airne Crash_2 ¡°Next, let¡¯s head to Red Stone Base,¡± Wang Tao returned to the co-pilot¡¯s seat. ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao knew the location of Red Stone Base, and He Jijun had looked at the map before. He slightly altered the direction and headed towards Red Stone Base. Wang Tao had never seen what Red Stone Base looked like. He had only heard some news about Red Stone Base during the early days of the apocalypse when the inte was still functioning. His impression of Red Stone Base could be summed up in two words ¡ª safety. Back then, many people were heading to Red Stone Base, and Wang Tao had paid special attention to a few individuals, wanting to follow their updates. But unfortunately, the inte went down subsequently and he didn¡¯t know what had specifically happened to them¡­ When Wei Zhenguo and the others fled, they headed to Red Stone Base. Wang Tao felt they should have been able to reach it, and there was a high probability that they were indeed there. Red Stone Base was a bit far from Zijing City, requiring some time to reach.
On the way there, Wang Tao had already encountered numerous hordes of zombies, bothrge and small. It felt as though the zombies were especially active, and he didn¡¯t know what was going on. However, aside from Zijin Base, Wang Tao had note across any other Survivor Base. Of course, there might be survivors who were well hidden and couldn¡¯t be seen even from the sky. Nevertheless, this weighed somewhat heavily on his mind. The only constion was that, for the time being, he hadn¡¯t encountered any Level 4 zombies. Wang Tao spected that perhaps only the area around Wuyang City had a significant number of Level 4 zombies? The base that had been in contact with them but was now obliterated was located at some distance from both Wuyang City and Zijing City, with the three forming a triangle. It was possible that zombies from Wuyang City had overrun it. But if that were the case, Zijing City might also face the arrival of Level 4 zombies, given its proximity to Wuyang City. Wang Tao furrowed his brow in thought. If Zijing City really did have a lot of Level 4 zombies approaching, he would need to think of a way to evacuate Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng, perhaps using a helicopter. But Zijin Base had over ten thousand people¡­ Shaking his head, Wang Tao stopped considering these matters. His capabilities were limited; he was not a savior, nor could he act as one. After a while, the ne finally reached the vicinity of Red Stone County. ¡°Huh?¡± Red Stone County was not veryrge; from a distance, he could already see the entirety of it. But¡­ where was the Survivor Base? Before the inte outage, Wang Tao had seen photos of Red Stone Base, and its tall walls had filled him with longing. But now, where were those walls? The tallest structure here seemed to be an abandoned hotel over ten stories high. Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned grim. Could the Red Stone Survivor Base have been a sham? But that seemed unlikely¡­ The Government wouldn¡¯t deceive people with something like this, would they? After all, ces like Zijin Base were real¡­ At that moment, He Jijun suddenly spoke up: ¡°There seem to be traces of tall walls amid that ruin¡­¡± Wang Tao looked in the direction he pointed and immediately frowned. Ruins were all toomon in the post-apocalyptic world, and Wang Tao hadn¡¯t paid much attention to them before. But now, looking closely, he could indeed see signs of copsed structures that resembled tall walls. The ne circled the area, and Wang Tao got a clearer view of the situation. However, his expression grew even more troubled. ¡°There seems to have been arge base here, but it¡¯s been destroyed! It was most likely blown up by explosives, with even the foundations obliterated¡­¡± An uneasy thought shed through Wang Tao¡¯s mind about Zijin Base, where arge amount of explosives were buried, intended to obliterate everything if the base were to fall to the zombies! So could it be that Red Stone Base activated its Self Detonation mechanism and was annihted along with the zombies? If that was indeed the case, there must have been a moment of desperate crisis; otherwise, there would be no need to destroy a base! Just like Zijin Base, which had not been fully constructed and was overrun beforepletion, it did not Self Detonate. Perhaps they still saw a chance to retake the base, and, in fact, survivors did manage to recover it from the zombies. But now, Red Stone Base might have faced utter despair, knowing there was no hope left, and so those inside chose to perish together with the zombies¡­ Now, only one question remained. When did the base explode, before Wei Zhenguo and his group arrived or after¡­ He Jijun quickly provided an answer. ¡°I believe that this base exploded quite some time ago,¡± he said. Then he exined:@@novelbin@@ ¡°Compared to Zijin Base, it¡¯s clear that the area of this base¡¯s ruins is smaller, yet the space here is ample enough to have built a muchrger base.¡± ¡°Since these bases were built by the Government, the design would likely be simr underparable spaces, aiming forrge survivor bases. There¡¯d be no need to purposely create smaller bases.¡± ¡°So I think, this base might have faced problems right at the beginning of its construction. Didn¡¯t we say that Zijin Base encountered issues before it was finished? The problem here must have urred even earlier than that¡­¡± After hearing He Jijun¡¯s analysis, Wang Tao¡¯s tightly knitted brows rxed slightly. If that was indeed the case, then Wei Zhenguo and the others still had a chance at survival. After all, during the early days of the apocalypse, they were at Shuize University Base. Wang Tao instructed He Jijun to circle a few more times around Red Stone County and the neighboring towns, but they found nothing. Chapter 659: 270 I miss you_3 Chapter 659: Chapter 270 I miss you_3 ¡°Whimper¡­ I just knew you were still alive! Thank heavens! You¡¯re still alive! Whimper¡­¡± ¡°Alright, stop crying. So many people are watching.¡± Over the walkie-talkie, Wang Tao¡¯s tone was very gentle. ¡°Whimper¡­¡± At this moment, a face marred with the vicissitudes of life, Wei Zhenguo, walked over. ¡°Wang Tao, to still hear your voice is truly a blessing! If you had died, even if I lived on, I would¡¯ve felt guilty for the rest of my life! Now that I see you¡¯re okay, I feel relieved all at once!¡± They had been able to escape back then because Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue had lured away the ck Mist Monster. Wang Tao had risked his life to ensure their safety! He knew he couldn¡¯t disappoint Wang Tao¡¯s kindness, so he led the group away. But he also knew that once he left, he would never be able to forgive himself¡ªhe would have to live with this guilt for the rest of his life! Now hearing Wang Tao¡¯s voice, he instantly felt at ease; even if he died now, he would have no regrets!
¡°Haha, Old Wei, aren¡¯t you being sentimental! I wonder if your strength has improved after such a long time. Let me tell you, on the way, I met a retired old man who must be in his sixties or seventies, but he¡¯s incredibly strong! I bet even if he gave you one hand, you wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him!¡± Wang Tao said with augh. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s impossible! Absolutely impossible!¡± If it were about anything else, Wei Zhenguo might have been modest, but when it came to a showdown of strength between peers, he had to vie for the top spot! Especially since Wang Tao said it was an old man in his sixties or seventies, he couldn¡¯t admit defeat! ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll have you two spar when I¡¯m back!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily. He felt that He Jijun could easily bully Wei Zhenguo with just one hand. It wasn¡¯t that he looked down on Wei Zhenguo, but He Jijun was just too freakishly strong! ¡°Sure!¡± Wei Zhenguo responded firmly. If there was a chance, he was very much looking forward to meeting Wang Tao, but for now¡­ He sighed, handing the walkie-talkie back to Ding Yuqin. Li Qiuyu, standing beside, moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but being the weakest link in the team, she felt too embarrassed to speak up. Ding Yuqin wanted to keep talking to Wang Tao, but she knew now was not the time. She wiped her red eyes and hurriedly said: ¡°Where are you now, are you safe? We are currently at¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m safe! Hang in there, I wille for you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ah?¡±@@novelbin@@ This response startled Ding Yuqin, and she quickly added: ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here! There¡¯s a Level 3, Lord! We can¡¯t get out!¡± If someone else were on the other side, she would definitely hope they coulde to help them. But if it was Wang Tao, she certainly hoped he coulde, but more than anything, she wanted Wang Tao to be safe! ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°No no no, I trust you¡ª¡± ¡°Then just wait patiently. Tomorrow watch me descend from the sky like divine intervention!¡± ¡°Then¡­ you must be careful! We¡¯ll all be waiting here for you!¡± ¡°Sure, keep yourmunication equipment on, and contact me at the first sign of danger¡­¡± Wang Tao chatted with Ding Yuqin and the others for a while longer, then proactively ended the call. Wang Tao finally understood why Ding Yuqin and the others were able to contact the military base. They had found a wiredmunication device left by the military in a building next door, which was well preserved and not broken. After tinkering with it, Wei Zhenguo and the others got it working. They connected their walkie-talkies to this device, and then used it to reach out to other locations. The device essentially acted as a wireless repeater. However, many of the underground lines were damaged, and they had not been able to contact anyone else for a long time. But fortunately, this time they finally got through to someone, and it was Wang Tao¡­ Wang Tao briefly reported to He Jijun about Wei Zhenguo and the others. When He Jijun heard that there were three active members of the Security Army there, he was very interested. From the onset of the apocalypse to now, he had hardly encountered peers. Now having a chance to meet a few excellent younger peers, he was delighted. ¡°But there¡¯s one problem, if we go to pick them up tomorrow, there won¡¯t be any issue with the helicopter, right?¡± Wang Tao said, stroking his chin. If the helicopter cut out midair, he could save himself, but if they lost the helicopter, it would be a huge loss. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problem. Anyway, their location is quite far from the ¡®No-fly Zone¡¯ we deduced. If we don¡¯t venture into the ¡®No-fly Zone¡¯, we should be safe¡­¡± He Jijun exined. He and Wang Tao were much the same; they were not afraid for themselves but concerned about the possibility of the ne crashing since it was theirst helicopter. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll set off tomorrow morning, just the two of us.¡± The spot where Ding Yuqin and the others were located wasn¡¯t too far from the military base, and with no Four-level zombies, Wang Tao thought it would be okay for just the two of them to go¡ªhe was mainly concerned about the helicopter having issues, and having too many people to look after might lead to difficulties, as thest incident had left him somewhat traumatized. Wang Tao returned to his room. Hearing the noise, Lightning, who was lying beside the bed, looked up at him and thenid his head back down to sleep. Jiang Shixuey in bed, gazing absentmindedly at the ceiling. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Brother, do you think¡­ my mom is still alive? She¡¯s so frail¡­¡± Last time, she and Wang Tao went out but couldn¡¯t find any clues about her mother, and the ne had crashed. Having no leads today either¡­ all of this weighed heavily on Jiang Shixue. Wang Tao heard her and rubbed her hair. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s still alive. Do you believe I¡¯ll find her tomorrow?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe~¡± If it were the Jiang Shixue from before she regained her memory, she would believe anything Wang Tao said. Now, well¡­ she still believed him, but she could tell which words were serious and which were meant tofort her. Just like what Wang Tao was saying now, it was obviously just tofort her. ¡°What if we make a bet?¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Chapter 661 - 271: Meeting Again_2 Chapter 661: Chapter 271: Meeting Again_2 ¡°I think Little Xue will definitely be okay!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Li Qiuyu obviously didn¡¯t believe that. At this moment, Wei Zhenguo and a few others came over and said to the three women: ¡°Have you all packed your things?¡± Since Wang Tao said he would take them away today, they had to be ready, even though he really did not know how Wang Tao was going to get them out¡­ Could they possibly fly out? ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve packed up too.¡± Han Rui nodded. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll call everyone else over; hopefully everything goes smoothly for Wang Tao¡­¡±
Wei Zhenguo gathered everyone together. There were 22 people in total. Besides a few of their core members, the rest were survivors they had encountered on the road. If they felt someone was of good character, they kept them in the group. Since they had been on the move, the size of their team had essentially not expanded, with the number fluctuating around twenty. The rest of the team members knew that someone wasing to rescue them today, but they weren¡¯t too excited. After all, their previous n involved drawing the zombies¡¯ attention while they made a forced breakout. The n was very risky, and there would definitely be casualties! Thus, far from being excited, they were filled with a sense of grim determination¡­ Just then, someone standing at a high point with a pair of binocrs suddenly spoke up: ¡°Captain! A Level 3, Lord Zombie ising this way!¡± Upon hearing this, everyone tensed up. In this group, the strongest were Wei Zhenguo and a few others, but all were Level Two. They had already struggled against the horde, and if a Level 3 Lord Zombie attacked their temporary camp, then they would be in even more trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Wei Zhenguo ran to a higher ground, took out the binocrs, and saw a Level 3 Lord Zombie approaching their location. They had spotted about three to five Level 3 Lord Zombies in this horde, but not all of them woulde at once, only asionally one or two Level 3 Lords would attack the base. But whenever they came, everyone had to give their all. Unfortunately, their luck was not good today as a Level 3 Lord Zombie arrived early in the morning. Wei Zhenguo quickly checked and, confirming there was only this one zombie, immediately gave an order. ¡°Grab the gasoline and light up the fire barrels around us!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Everyone immediately grabbed the gasoline and poured it into the iron barrels around the base, then ignited the gasoline inside. Boom! In an instant, mes surrounded the entire camp. Even the rain wasn¡¯t enough to extinguish the fire. But Wei Zhenguo didn¡¯t feel much relief; after all, this was thest of their gasoline. They might be able to hold off the zombies until the gasoline burned out, but what would happen after that? Zombie Lords generally brought minions with them or could control other zombies. This was one way to tell if a zombie was a Lord. Like the zombie that was approaching now, although it didn¡¯t have minions, as soon as it arrived, ordinary zombies immediately gathered around it, bringing a group of other zombies to the outskirts of the camp. Facing the mes, the ordinary zombies were somewhat afraid and halted in their tracks. The Level 3 Lord Zombie, although also instinctively afraid, wasn¡¯t so scared that it wouldn¡¯t dare toe closer. It stood outside the mes and howled, staring at the people on the rooftop with its pale grey eyes, giving off a feeling it could leap in at any moment. Everyone was on edge. If the Level 3 Lord forcibly assaulted their camp, they definitely would not be able to hold it back. Fortunately, the Level 3 Lord Zombie just roared outside and didn¡¯t actually charge in. This allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief, but before they could speak, they saw another Lord Zombie approaching from another direction! ¡°Herees another one!¡± Everyone¡¯s faces looked grim. They could deal with one Level 3 Lord Zombie if they worked together, but two would be a different story. ¡°It looks like¡­ there¡¯s another!¡± Someone noticed that yet another Level 3 Lord Zombie wasing from a different direction! Three Level 3 Lord Zombies had effectively surrounded their camp. Although the mes kept the Lord Zombies at bay for the moment, the gasoline was burning out fast! Once it did, they would have to face the assault of three Level 3 Lord Zombies¡­ They wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out! ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have to fight hard in a bit¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo sighed helplessly. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the situation; when they were surrounded by the horde, he had already prepared for the worst.@@novelbin@@ The others were silent. So a battle was inevitable, after all? The so-called rescue probably wasn¡¯t going to arrive in time. Everyone felt downhearted. No one wanted to die, but in this situation, even if they could escape, there probably wouldn¡¯t be many who¡¯d make it out alive. Watching the mes in the surrounding barrels grow smaller, nobody spoke, but everyone was prepared for thest stand. Suddenly, someone¡¯s ears twitched, and they said with uncertainty: ¡°Do you hear a ¡®buzzing¡¯ sound?¡± ¡°Huh? Do we? I haven¡¯t heard anything, just the sound of rain¡­¡± Some shook their heads. ¡°I think I heard it too¡­¡± But there were those who said they heard it. Wei Zhenguo and the others exchanged nces, confusion in their eyes¡ªthey had heard it too. ¡°There definitely is a buzzing sound, but why does it sound so familiar¡­¡± Chapter 571 - 241: Reaching 110,000 HP_2 They ultimately managed to acquire over thirty-thousand portions, which was quite a bountiful harvest indeed. Wang Tao intentionally left a few nts that still had a consciousness and then called over Fan Peng and the others to demonstrate for them. After all, there were no conflicts of interest between Wang Tao and them, and they might never have the chance to meet again. So, there wasn¡¯t a problem with sharing this information with them, as everyone was a human survivor, and the stronger humanity was as a whole, the greater its chance of survival. "There¡¯s actually such a thing..." Seeing Wang Tao extract some nt essence from a nt whose name they didn¡¯t even know, everyone was somewhat surprised. Especially when Wang Tao said that this nt essence could enhance one¡¯s strength, that got everyone instantly excited. We might not be able to deal with zombies that are too powerful, but can¡¯t we deal with these low-intelligence nts? We¡¯ll have to pay more attention from now on! We can¡¯t let any nt that can attack, but whose attack power isn¡¯t high, slip through! After Wang Tao shared these matters with everyone, he went to look around other ces. @@novelbin@@ This school wasn¡¯t small, and since he hadn¡¯t examined it carefully yesterday, now with his Perception Ability, he could conduct a carpet-style search. It took an hour, but Wang Tao had almost turned the whole school upside down. There were quite a few Level 2 Zombies, but there were no longer any Level 3 Zombies in the school. However, that didn¡¯t mean there were no gains¡ªWang Tao unexpectedly found a Night Demon¡¯s Nest! This Night Demon¡¯s Nest was not in the school but in a hotel next door. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao¡¯s Perception Ability, he would definitely have missed it. Night Demons were strong, and there were many of them in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, but Wang Tao and his group were all Level 3 now, and his own HP had even reached nearly seventy thousand. With this strength, they were more than capable of storming the Night Demon¡¯s Nest! "There¡¯s basically no significant danger left in the school now, just some Level 2 Zombies that you can easily handle if you cooperate. We¡¯re heading next door." Wang Tao picked up the walkie-talkie and spoke to Fan Peng on the other side. "Ah? You guys are..." "There¡¯s a Night Demon¡¯s Nest in the hotel next door; we¡¯re nning to check it out." "Hiss¡ª" As soon as Wang Tao uttered those words, he could hear several people on the other end sucking in a breath of cold air. Everyone knew about Night Demons; these zombies were at a minimum Level 3, with formidable strength. If a single Night Demon appeared, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. Even if they could eventually kill it, they would likely have many casualties. They didn¡¯t know how many Night Demons were within the nest, but the military information Wang Tao had shown to them earlier stated that Night Demons were nocturnal creatures that only emerged at night, and during the day... they all hid inside their nest! A Night Demon¡¯s Nest during the day was even more dangerous than at night! "Mr. Wang, please be careful!" "Hmm." Wang Tao and hispanions climbed over the school¡¯s courtyard wall and directly entered the hotel¡¯s backyard next door. There were some Ordinary Zombies in the yard, which Xu Xiaojun eliminated in an instant with a Shockwave. Wang Tao used his Ability to sense the area. "Tsk, tsk..." There were at least fifty Night Demons inside, and there was even a Lord among them, likely a Blue-skinned Night Demon! Hearing the number, both Yang Changhong and Nie Siyan were both nervous and thrilled. "Let¡¯s go." Wang Tao immediately activated Entangling Roots and then swaggered through the hotel¡¯s main entrance. It was very dark inside the hotel, but Wang Tao¡¯s eyes gleamed with a green light. Jiang Shixue followed next to him, her eyes glowing red, and dark red nails grew out of her delicate white hands. As for Xu Xiaojun, Nie Siyan, and Yang Changhong, theycked Night Vision, so fighting Night Demons here was obviously a disadvantage. That¡¯s why Wang Tao immediately handed them Ultraviolet shlights and res! These Ultraviolet devices not only provided illumination but also caused damage to Night Demons! This was one of the reasons why Wang Tao dared to confront so many Night Demons! "Roar¡ª" As soon as several people entered, a Night Demon immediately charged at them. Swish! Several Ultraviolet shlights were turned on at the same time, instantly illuminating the Night Demon¡¯s entire body. Sizzling¡ª The Night Demon immediately stopped in its tracks and instinctively covered itself from the light as its body emitted a sound of burning. "Roar¡ª" Smelling the scent of humans, the Night Demon was somewhat unable to control its own body, but the Ultraviolet light made it so ufortable that it instinctively feared it. Thus, an interesting phenomenon urred¡ªthe Night Demons seemed frozen in ce, alternating between roaring and covering their faces, unwilling to leave. For everyone else, this was like shooting at targets! Immediately, each kind of attack was directed towards the Night Demon. With a total of thirty thousand HP, the Night Demon¡¯s health bar was cleared in just a few seconds without Wang Tao even making a move. "Roar¡ª" That¡¯s when more Night Demons ran down from upstairs. Wang Tao waved his hand, and several people immediately lit the Ultraviolet illumination res and threw them around the hotel lobby. By the time the other Night Demons arrived, the entire lobby was bathed in purple light. Sizzling¡ª Wave after wave of burning sounds rose as the skins of those Night Demons were scorched, smoking and cracking. "Roar¡ª" The Night Demons roared loudly but were halted by the Ultraviolet light, not daring toe closer. In the purple-lit lobby, a brief safe zone was created. "Charge!" Wang Tao gripped his Bone Knife and charged forward. These Night Demons all had thirty thousand HP. If it had been back when Wang Tao was Level 2, he might have had to be very cautious. But now, they were basicallypletely suppressed by him. Chapter 667 - 273: Enhancing Strength_2 Chapter 667: Chapter 273: Enhancing Strength_2 Wang Tao shook his head. Whew¡ª¡ª Hearing what Wang Tao said, the others actually breathed a sigh of relief. If Wang Tao were truly Level 4, that would definitely be good news, but it would also give them a strong sense of defeat since they were only at Level 2¡­ But then Wang Tao added something. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to start my Ascension to Level 4 until tomorrow.¡±
¡°¡­¡± Seeing Wang Tao wasn¡¯t joking, everyone was dumbfounded. Wait, seriously Level 4? Ding Yuqin and Han Rui both grabbed Wang Tao¡¯s hand at the same time, their faces showing some pride, after all, he was their man. Feeling a little hit by this, Wei Zhenguo asked, ¡°What about everyone else? Including that Old He, what are their strengths?¡± ¡°They are all Level 3, and at the pinnacle of Level 3.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Holy moly, no wonder you said I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat Old He! You set me up!¡±
Wei Zhenguo pretended to be furiously indignant. ¡°Haha, you were the one who agreed to spar with Old He, and he epted, so you can¡¯t back out now! But if you go fight him now, you¡¯re definitely going to get thrashed. Wait until you advance to Level 3 to challenge him. Though you will still get thrashed, you won¡¯t lose too badly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo felt that Wang Tao was too crafty, calcting even at a time like this. But he didn¡¯t refuse either, after all, sparring with a stronger opponent can also raise one¡¯s strength. Other people were still longing for this opportunity! Wang Taoughed and took out a pile of Crystal Cores, both red and orange ones. Although they knew Wang Tao was strong, and he had previously provided them with many high-quality Crystal Cores, seeing so many Level 2 Crystal Cores and even Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores still shocked them. Wang Tao said to them, ¡°What kind of Crystal Cores did you guys merge with when you were at Level 2? If they are just ordinary ones, you can extract them and re-merge. I have quite a few Level 2 Crystal Cores here.¡± Wang Tao had a lot of Extraction Crystal Cores for Level 2, which he basically couldn¡¯t use anymore, so they were perfect for the others. ¡°Can they be extracted?¡± Ding Yuqin and the others were all curious, as they had never heard of being able to swap a merged Ability. ¡°This is the Extraction Crystal Core.¡± Wang Tao took out an Extraction Crystal Core and introduced it to them. Then he started asking one by one, matching them with suitable Abilities. They extracted what needed to be extracted and merged with new Superpowers where necessary. ¡°Wang Tao, I don¡¯t need it, I¡¯m crippled, it would just be a waste to give it to me¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin looked enviously at the Crystal Cores but waved his hand. He was already a cripple with greatly reducedbat power. He could provide remote support with a gun, but without it, he was one of the two biggest burdens of the team; the other being Li Qiuyu. However, Xiang Hongbin and Li Qiuyu were special cases. Xiang Hongbin was injured for everyone¡¯s sake; while Li Qiuyu¡¯s daughter Jiang Shixue and Wang Tao distracted the ck Mist Monster at risk to their own lives, making her a lifesaver to everyone. So whether it was their past rtionship or their contributions, there was no reason for everyone to abandon them. On the contrary, both had advanced to Level 2. But one of them was a cripple and the other had hardly fought at all¡­ theirbat power was very weak. Normally, the two of them would give up resources for the other members of the team to use, and only use the leftovers themselves. That¡¯s why up to now, Wei Zhenguo and the others all had 29,999 HP, the upper limit of Level 2, but Xiang Hongbin only had just over twenty thousand HP, and Li Qiuyu even less, not even ten thousand¡­ so in a way, both were burdens. Xiang Hongbin¡¯s words made Ding Yuqin and the others feel ufortable, after all, Xiang Hongbin had gotten his injuries for their sake. ¡°I don¡¯t need it either, I have nobat power, it would be too wasteful on me¡­¡± Li Qiuyu whispered to Wang Tao by his side. She was aware of her circumstances, knowing that these things would provide more benefits to others than to herself. Seeing them like this, Wang Tao suddenly smiled. He first walked up to Xiang Hongbin and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I won¡¯t talk about other things. I¡¯ll just tell you this much, after a sessful Ascension, your internal impurities are reduced by half! You were infected with a zombie virus before, and though we used Inhibitors to save your life, your body has umted a lot of internal impurities. If you don¡¯t find a way to get rid of those impurities, you¡¯ll eventually turn into a zombie. So, your Ascension isn¡¯t just about increasing your strength, it¡¯s also to stop you from turning into a zombie!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao¡¯s words rendered Xiang Hongbin silent. If he could keep living, he¡¯d want to live! But¡­ since he became disabled, he seemed really open-minded, but actually, he was very distressed.@@novelbin@@ After all, the past him was Shuize Base¡¯s top fighter, and now he was a cripple. Few people could ept such a fall from grace. If he weren¡¯t so strong-willed, he might have considered ending it all¡­ So he¡¯d be somewhat self-abandoning. Of course, he also didn¡¯t want Wang Tao to waste the Crystal Cores. Seeing that Xiang Hongbin wasn¡¯t speaking, Wang Tao had to bring out his trump card. ¡°Actually, I think there might be a way to remedy your disability¡­¡± Xiang Hongbin suddenly looked up. But before he could speak, Wei Zhenguo, who was next to him, immediately interjected, ¡°What way?¡± ¡°Just wait a moment.¡± Shortly after, Wang Tao walked in with a huge mechanical arm. ¡°This is Little Jun¡¯s mechanical arm, his third hand.¡± Wang Tao demonstrated in front of everyone how the mechanical arm was operated. Xu Xiaojun hadn¡¯t gone out to fight today, so he wasn¡¯t wearing the equipment. Chapter 671 - 274 Ascension to Level 4_3 ``` Shaking his head, Wang Tao stopped thinking about these things. Anyway, whether he was strong or not, a test would tell. ``` Wang Tao looked at hisst attribute. ``` [Awakening Energy: 100/100] ``` [Note 1: 100 Awakening Energy can release one Active Awakening] ``` [Note 2: When Awakening Energy is full, you can consume all the energy to increase the Awakening Energy cap by 100 points] ``` [Note 3: Killing a Lord of the same or higher level will replenish 100 Awakening Energy] ``` [Note 4: Natural Recovery Speed: 100 recovered in 24 hours] ``` Reading these notes, Wang Tao furrowed his brow. ``` The release of Awakening didn¡¯t need Mana, but rather required specific Awakening Energy, and only when it reached 100 energy could it be released once. ``` He currently had only 100 energy, and the natural recovery rate was 24 hours for 100, so that was roughly 1 point every 15 minutes or about 4 points per hour. ``` That meant, under normal circumstances, he could only unleash his Awakening once a day? ``` Good grief, that was way too stingy! ``` It seemed that Awakening couldn¡¯t be used as a regr ability but had to be treated as an ultimate move. Usually, he would have to rely on his Ability as the main source of power. ``` However, the Awakening Energy didn¡¯t only rely on time for recovery but could also be obtained by killing Lords of the same level. If he could kill a Level 4 Zombie Lord, then he would gain 100 energy and be able to use Awakening again! ``` Of course, the Awakening Crystal Core and Awakening Energy Pearl he had obtained before could also be used. Those two items each added 100 energy, which was the equivalent of releasing one Awakening. ``` Last of all, there was the matter of increasing the cap on his Awakening Energy. ``` Wang Tao could now increase the cap¡ªby consuming all of this 100 energy and then adding an extra 100 to his limit. ``` Though he felt somewhat reluctant to do so, the initial cap of 100 for Awakening Energy was indeed too low, allowing its use only once, which made Wang Tao feel very insecure. ``` So, Wang Tao immediately went ahead and increased the cap. ``` Instantly, his current Awakening Energy dropped to zero, and the cap for Awakening Energy became 200. ``` [Awakening Energy: 0/200] ``` When the Awakening Energy was reduced to zero, there wasn¡¯t that feeling of fatigue like when Mana was too low, which was not too bad. ``` Wang Tao still had 2 Awakening Crystal Cores and 2 Awakening Energy Pearls in his hand, which amounted to 400 Awakening Energy. But using the Fusion Awakening Crystal Core umted Internal Impurity, and since he currently had only two cores, he couldn¡¯t synthesize any without impurities for now. ``` He currently had 2% Internal Impurity, which in reality was 1.3%. ``` Because he had fused 4 Level 4 Ascension Crystal Cores before, each with 65% impurity, which made 0.65% once inside the body. Four cores added up to 2.6%. Havingpleted his Level 4 Ascension, the Internal Impurity in his body was halved, leaving only 1.3%. ``` After some thought, Wang Tao directly fused a Level 4 Awakening Crystal Core. ``` Once the crystal core fusion wasplete, his Mana increased by 800, and his Awakening Energy rose by 100. Meanwhile, his Internal Impurity also increased by 0.65%, bringing it to 1.95%. ``` Wang Tao quickly used two Cleansing Potions from the three he had in hand. ``` Shortly after, all the impurities in Wang Tao¡¯s body were cleared. ``` He immediately felt his whole body loosen up; the sensation of being free from internal impurities was veryfortable! ``` Then Wang Tao looked at his Advanced Special Energy. ``` Each point of Advanced Special Energy could be exchanged for 100 Awakening Energy. ``` Without any hesitation, Wang Tao immediately started to exchange. ``` First, he used 1 point of Advanced Special Energy to add 100 Awakening Energy, bringing his Awakening Energy to [200/200], and then he once more increased his Awakening Energy cap to [0/300]! ``` Keep going! ``` 3 points of Advanced Special Energy, add 300 Awakening Energy to make it [300/300], then use that 300 Awakening Energy to increase the limit to [0/400]! ``` After that came 4 points of Advanced Special Energy, 5 points of Advanced Special Energy... ``` In the end, Wang Tao spent 13 points of Advanced Special Energy, bringing his Awakening Energy to [0/500]. When his Awakening Energy was fully recovered, he would be able to unleash Awakening 5 times! ``` Actually, Wang Tao originally wanted to increase his Awakening Energy cap to 1000, but after some calction, he realized doing so would exactly deplete all his Advanced Special Energy! ``` So Wang Tao restrained himself. It wasn¡¯t easy to save up Special Energy, and he couldn¡¯t squander it like that! A 500 energy cap was enough. ``` ... ``` Originally, Wang Tao nned to first check what his Awakening was and then go to the indoor training field to test his strength. ``` But now that he saw using Awakening would consume 100 energy, he didn¡¯t want to experiment with it. It wasn¡¯t easy to save 100 energy, so it had to be used on zombies to avoid waste. ``` However, not testing Awakening didn¡¯t mean not testing his strength; after all, he had not only gained an Awakening, but he had also ascended to Level 4! ``` Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue went to the indoor training field together. ``` To Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, there were many people in the training field, aside from Yang Changhong and the rest. Ding Yuqin, Wei Zhenguo, and several others were also there. ``` Wang Tao then remembered that his time of Awakening and the others¡¯ Ascension were around the same, just about half an hour apart. ``` So they were also there to test their new strengths, as they had just advanced to Level 3 and were very excited. Yang Changhong and the others were probably there to instruct these new Ascenders, as they had ascended earlier and were now Level 3 ability users with Hundred Thousand HP, which made them somewhat like seniors. ``` Seeing Wang Taoe over, everyone hurriedly crowded around. ``` "Wang Tao, did you seed?" ``` Yang Changhong asked eagerly. They did not know how long Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening would take, so they hadn¡¯t specifically stayed beside him, leaving only Jiang Shixue to watch over him. ``` "Mhmm. I seeded," Wang Tao nodded with a smile. ``` "Wow!" ``` "That¡¯s amazing!" ``` Everyone eximed with delight, especially Yang Changhong and Xu Xiaojun¡ªthey were beyond thrilled because they knew very well the effort Wang Tao put into achieving his Awakening. ``` "Then can we see your Awakening?" ``` Ding Yuqin asked, somewhat curiously. ``` "Not for now. My Awakening Energy has been depleted..." ``` Wang Tao briefly exined to everyone about Awakening Energy and how to raise its limit. ``` Hearing that Wang Tao said he could only use Awakening energy once a day under normal circumstances, they were all somewhat bbergasted. But this should mean that Awakening is very powerful, right? ``` Wang Tao said to Yang Changhong and the others: ``` "Come on, test with me!" @@novelbin@@ ``` Chapter 672 - 275 Starfire Prairie_1 Chapter 672: Chapter 275 Starfire Prairie_1 After a series of tests, Wang Tao had roughly understood his current strength. His physical condition had been significantly enhanced, and it was difficult to say by how many timespared to before. After all, he couldn¡¯t fight himself, but it could be simply understood that his physical quality now surpassed that of a Level 3 Lord Night Demon but fell short of a Level 4 Lord Night Demon. Night Demons didn¡¯t possess any Abilities; they were purely physically powerful. When Wang Tao was at Level 3, he could defeat a Level 3 Lord Night Demon, but that was because he had numerous tactics. If talking purely about physical quality, he couldn¡¯tpare with a Level 3 Lord Night Demon. Now, after ascending to Level 4, he couldpletely dominate a Level 3 Lord Night Demon based solely on physical quality.
And as for Level 4 Lord Night Demons, Wang Tao currently couldn¡¯t match them. This was because Level 4 Lord Night Demons weren¡¯t just physically strong; they also had an Awakening, and his Awakening was a passive Ability that increased physical quality¡­ Therefore, Wang Tao felt that at present, no one could surpass the physical quality of a Level 4 Lord Night Demon. Having physical strength even more formidable than a Level 3 Lord Night Demon was already very impressive. If he encountered a Level 3 Lord again, Wang Tao could directly smash them with his fists! As for the question of who was stronger or weaker in terms of overall strength between him and Level 4 Lord zombies, that was currently hard to say. Level 4s were not all the same. For example, a Level 4 Lord Night Demon and a fourth-order Giant Zombie would certainly result in the Giant Zombie winning if they fought each other. Wang Tao had just enhanced his strength and had not fought against a Level 4 Lord, so it wasn¡¯t easy to say who was stronger. However, he was certain that if he encountered the same Level 4 me Monster fromst time, he could suppress and beat it! Of course, after the Ascension to Level 4, the improvement of physical quality was actually secondary. The most important thing was the Awakening! The Awakening was the real difference between Levels 3 and 4. But Wang Tao now had no way to test this; he also had no concept of his own Awakening Ability.
So, Wang Tao nned to go to Wuyang City tomorrow to test his Awakening Ability! ¡°So strong!¡± After sparring with Wang Tao, this was the thought in everyone¡¯s mind. Whether it was speed, defense, or attack, Wang Tao was strong in all aspects! Wang Tao could dominate a group of them with just one hand! This not only amazed everyone but also filled them with excitement. This was the power of Level 4! This was their goal! ¡°Everyone, keep working hard; one day, you all can be like me!¡± Wang Tao served up a motivational pep talk to everyone. Knowing it was just pep talk, they were still instantly filled with enthusiasm! At this time, Yang Changhong said to Wang Tao, ¡°Wang Tao, are you going to the urban area tomorrow? Take me with you!¡± She was very eager to see Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening. ¡°Okay,¡± Wang Tao nodded. He had already chosen his target, which was the Night Demon¡¯s Nest he had noticed before. He estimated that there might be a Level 4 Lord Night Demon inside the nest, but it didn¡¯t matter if there wasn¡¯t one; the Level 3 Night Demons were no longer a threat to him. Of course, the premise was that he took precautions to avoid getting infected. If there were other fourth-order Lord zombies, he could try to encounter them, but it wouldn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t. As for those Giant Zombies, Wang Tao had no intention of fighting them now; they were too terrifying! Wang Tao didn¡¯t think he could win. Moreover, Wang Tao also didn¡¯t know how to fight them; the opponent was so tall, he certainly couldn¡¯t climb up on them¡­ The next day. He Jijun handed over the tasks like repairing military cables to others. He piloted the helicopter, carrying Wang Tao, Zhang Hong, and Jiang Shixue, and once again entered Wuyang City. Wang Tao didn¡¯t bring too many people with him; for him now, taking a lot of people to hunt fourth-order zombies might rather be a hindrance. Humming¡ª The helicopter left the military base and flew toward the urban area of Wuyang City. Having not been out for two days, Wang Tao could clearly feel that there were more zombies outside. ¡°Giant Zombies!¡± As the helicopter approached the vicinity of the urban area, they immediately spotted the tall figure. ¡°Why do these Giant Zombies always linger on the outskirts of the urban area?¡± Yang Changhong was somewhat puzzled. Initially, Giant Zombies were virtually unseen at the outskirts of the city. It seemed that since Wang Tao went to hunt the me Monster, the Giant Zombies had started to constantly roam the outskirts and never entered the city center, which was a bit strange. Of course, there might be Giant Zombies in the city center as well¡­ ¡°Not sure,¡± Wang Tao shook his head. However, it was beneficial in its own way to have these Giant Zombies outside; at least they could spot the Giant Zombies from afar and avoid them in advance.@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao had no intention of causing a conflict with the Giant Zombies, so he directed the helicopter to change its course from a distance, avoiding attracting the attention of the Giant Zombie. After a big detour, Wang Tao spotted a second Giant Zombie. Though he had anticipated it, he still found it rather frustrating. It wouldn¡¯t be likest time, where many Giant Zombies blocked his way, would it? Fortunately, after another detour, there were finally no more Giant Zombies in the area. Wang Tao carefully observed and confirmed there were no other fourth-order zombies before instructing He Jijun to fly the helicopter in. Wang Tao had paid special attention to the location of that Night Demon¡¯s Nest and remembered the rough route. It didn¡¯t take long before the helicopter arrived near the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. The noise of the helicopter had already attracted arge number of zombies. After confirming there were no Giant Zombies, He Jijunnded the helicopter on the rooftop of a building more than twenty stories high, then turned off the engine, and Wang Tao and the others disembarked. Chapter 575 - 242: Night Demon Chest Armor, Gratitude and Repayment_3 Wang Tao smiled and nodded, after all, it was a kind gesture from them. The biggest threats in Duzhu Town had been eliminated by Wang Tao, so sending them off was no big deal. Now that Yang Changhong had joined Wang Tao¡¯s team, Wang Tao¡¯s group consisted of five people with two vehicles. Five people could actually fit in one vehicle, but due to the corrosive acid rain, many cars were no longer usable. Sometimes cars were even more expensive than Crystal Cores, and you couldn¡¯t buy them even if you had the money. Thus, both vehicles had to be driven away. Following behind the two cars were more than a dozen others; these belonged to the people from Duzhu Town Base who came to see them off. They escorted them all the way to the border between Duzhu Town and another town, where they finally stopped. "Mr. Wang, take care!" Fan Peng, Cai Ping, and Tan Ya rolled down the windows and gestured to Wang Tao with sped fists. "You too, stay alive." Wang Tao waved to them. In the eyes of the people watching, the two cars entered the rain and slowly disappeared from view. "What are you guys going to do next?" Fan Peng looked at Cai Ping, Tan Ya, and the others. Cai Ping replied with a smile: "We¡¯re nning to go to Zijin Base! We originally thought about heading to a military base, but even Mr. Wang, who is so strong, can¡¯t ensure his safety for certain. We thought it better to go to Zijin Base for more stability. Moreover, Mr. Wang said that there¡¯s also a Level 3 ability user in Zijin Base, so we can seek refuge there." "We¡¯re also nning to go to Zijin Base. We¡¯ll be leaving in a few days," Tan Ya also responded. "Then I wish you a safe journey in advance¡­" Fan Peng sighed. To be honest, he wanted to go to Zijin Base too. But there were too many survivors in Duzhu Town Base, they couldn¡¯t just up and leave like Cai Ping and the others. However, Fan Peng could start preparing in advance. Maybe once the survivors at the base improved their strength, they might also be able to move directly to Zijin Base... ... "Suddenly, with so many people gone, it feels a bit unusual..." Inside Yang Changhong¡¯s car, she couldn¡¯t help but remark, then she nced at the back seat. On the back seat, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue sat together. Jiang Shixue rested her head on Wang Tao¡¯s chest, and he gently stroked her hair as if petting a cat. This time, Wang Tao was riding in Yang Changhong¡¯s car and brought Jiang Shixue along. Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan were in the car in front. Wang Tao had switched cars for a simple reason, because Yang Changhong¡¯s was morefortable. The car he had taken from Yang Changhong before was worth around a million. Wang Tao was attracted by itsrge space. Yang Changhong¡¯s own car, on the other hand, was worth five million and better in every aspect than the other car. Of course, now in the apocalypse, after all the abuses they suffered, the cars certainly weren¡¯t like they were before the apocalypse. But Yang Changhong was protective when using her car. As a fine specimen owned only bydies, the interior of the car was well-maintained, making Wang Tao¡¯s ride veryfortable. "How did you manage when you were alone before?" Wang Tao asked in return. "I... I don¡¯t know... I somehow muddled through. Maybe it was the obsession with finding my sister that kept me going... Should I tell you about my sister?" @@novelbin@@ Yang Changhong¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up; she realized she hadn¡¯t really shared details of her sister with Wang Tao. "Sure," Wang Tao nodded. "My sister is a bit older than Little Xue, just starting her sophomore year in college. She¡¯s really rebellious and doesn¡¯t listen to our parents, but for some reason, she listens to me. My parents dote on her, but I¡¯ve never spared her the rod! Haha..." "...After the apocalypse began, I was at thepany, and she was escaping with her ssmates. During ourst call, she told me she wasn¡¯t actually scared of me at all; she only pretended to be to get pocket money from me. If we ever meet again, she said she¡¯s going to beat me up! Heh, if we meet again, if I don¡¯t whoop her butt into bloom, then I¡¯m not her big sister! That little brat better wait for it!" "..." Yang Changhong talked while driving. The conversation was mostly one-sided, with Wang Tao quietly ying the listener. ... The cars drove on the national highway; despite the heavy rain, there were still zombies wandering about. Wang Tao avoided them if he could, and if not, he let Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan get out of the car and deal with them. They traveled without encountering any major danger until it was close to dark. The car didn¡¯t move very fast, as various messages suggested that Wuyang City was very dangerous, so it was best for Wang Tao to be cautious. "Let¡¯s rest up ahead." There was an abandoned gas station ahead, which was a good chance to check for any gasoline. "Okay." The two cars stopped one after another outside the gas station. Upon getting out of the car, Wang Tao immediately used his Perception Ability to scan the area. "There are a few Level 2 zombies in the building, and a few in those cars..." With directives from Wang Tao, Yang Changhong and the others immediately took up their weapons and headed straight for the zombies. Momentster, the gas station was cleared out. Not a drop of fuel was left in the station¡¯s tanks, but there was some gasoline in the abandoned vehicles nearby, which Wang Tao siphoned out for future use. The group tidied up the inside of the building, and by that time, it was already dark. After assigning night watch duties, Wang Tao said to everyone: "Alright, rest up. We¡¯ll get up early and continue on our way." "Okay." The night passed without incident. The next morning, while Wang Tao was still asleep, he was suddenly awoken by a buzzing sound. "Brother Wang, there¡¯s an air drop ne!" Xu Xiaojun, on thest watch, rushed in immediately. "I¡¯ll check it out!" Wang Tao picked up the military walkie-talkie, then went outside and saw a ck dot in the sky in the distance. "Is it okay to fly a ne in such heavy rain, and the frequency of these airdrops seems too hightely..." Wang Tao didn¡¯t understand much about this and frowned. However, he still took out the walkie-talkie and immediately tried to contact the pilot. "This is Wang Tao... " Wang Tao tried to make contact for a while, but likest time, there was no response. But when the ne flew overhead, arge number of airdrops fell to the ground. Seeing this, Yang Changhong and the others were very excited. Only Wang Tao could get the airdrops! But Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed. "What exactly is going on? Why won¡¯t Colonel Luo respond? Could the equipment really be broken..." Chapter 576 - 243 Giant_1 Whooosh¡ª The sky was gloomy with dense clouds as a downpour ensued. "Phew¡ªThere should be nothing left behind now!" @@novelbin@@ Yang Changhong entered, wiped the rain off her forehead, and passed thest item from the supply drop box to Wang Tao. Everyone then began to categorize the items from the supply drops. There were a total of 10 supply drops, and the contents had been retrieved by the group. "Inhibitors,pressed food, medical kits..." The contents of the supply drops were the same as before, with no special items like mechanical arms. However, these items were still precious. Especially the inhibitors, which could currently only be found in supply drops. What Wang Tao actually wanted to see was the Zombie Guide and news from the military base, but unfortunately, neither was avable¡ªthe Zombie Guide did indeed exist but it was an outdated version, not updated for a long time. "Let¡¯s pack everything up and continue on our way!" "Alright!" Wang Tao now had two vehicles, which could carry quite a lot of stuff. Naturally, there was a ce for these supplies. Once everything was packed, Wang Tao and his group hit the road again. Wang Tao knew the location of the military base; although it wasn¡¯t marked on the map, the first supply drop he retrieved had the precise location of the military base written inside it. But just knowing this location wasn¡¯t enough to find it at will; a lot ofndmarks were needed. Wang Tao had a rough idea of the area it was in. Once they got close to the Wuyang City urban area, they could determine the location of the military base based on thosendmarks. "Is the urban area really as dangerous as they say?" Inside the vehicle, Yang Changhong asked with some uncertainty. Beforeing, she had heard many say that the urban area of Wuyang City, in fact the whole of Wuyang City, was extremely dangerous, a ce of certain death. But now, they were already in Wuyang City, and the distance to the urban area wasn¡¯t very far. The journey hadn¡¯t been entirely peaceful, but they hadn¡¯t encountered any real danger either... "The danger is certain. Don¡¯t forget, the urban poption of Wuyang City is ten million!" Wang Tao had no doubts about this. After the apocalypse, he had travelled through many ces. Less popted areas weren¡¯t necessarily safe, but densely popted areas were definitely dangerous¡ªthis was the wisdom he gained from experience. "That¡¯s true, after all, it¡¯s a city with such arge poption..." Yang Changhong felt she might have been a bit too arrogant after increasing her strength, even daring to question the danger level of Wuyang City. Wang Tao then added, "But there is no need to worry too much. As long as we don¡¯t encounter arge-scale swarm of zombies or Level 4 zombies, we can handle anything." Wang Tao wasn¡¯t arrogant; he was simply confident in his own strength. After all, he had 110,000 HP. Even if it was a Level 3 Zombie Lord with 100,000 HP, he felt he could put up a fight! Of course, if it were Level 4 zombies, then running would be the only option. He didn¡¯t know much about Level 4 yet, having only seen one that could create illusions... His data on them was limited, and he couldn¡¯t urately estimate thebat power of a Level 4. "Mhm!" Yang Changhong nodded. She was very grateful to be with Wang Tao; otherwise, she wasn¡¯t sure if reaching this ce would have even been possible... "There¡¯s a Level 3 zombie ahead." Wang Tao suddenly said. "Where?" Yang Changhong instantly became alert. "Inside that abandoned car. It¡¯s one of the weaker Level 3 Elite Zombies." Following Wang Tao¡¯s indication, Yang Changhong immediately responded, "I¡¯ll deal with it! Don¡¯t interfere, I want to test my strength." "Okay." Wang Tao nodded, then used the walkie-talkie to get Xu Xiaojun to stop the car. The rain was still falling heavily outside, and even though it was corrosive acid rain, humans wouldn¡¯t have much of an issue as long as they didn¡¯t get drenched too much. This was especially true for Ability Users with high HP, who could withstand the corrosive acid rain for quite some time. Yang Changhong, holding the standard hand axe Wang Tao had given her, approached the vehicle. "Roar¡ª" A zombie suddenly opened the car door and lunged at Yang Changhong. Well-prepared, Yang Changhong dodged and then swung her high-frequency vibrating axe, chopping the zombie¡¯s hand off. St! The zombie¡¯s hand was severed! Yang Changhong¡¯s method of chopping off the limbs of zombies first was amon strategy among survivors. Although it didn¡¯t kill zombies quickly, it incapacitated them. Unless some zombies had special abilities, after having their limbs cut off, they became easy targets. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have this habit; he always aimed straight for the head. The reason was simple¡ªhe had high damage output. If he could kill quickly, there was no need to waste time with zombies. This Level 3 Elite Zombie only had 30,000 HP, and no special abilities, though its defense was a bit high. After Yang Changhong sliced off its hands, it managed to hold on for a short time before she killed it. "A defense crystal core, no wonder it was so tough!" Yang Changhong got back into the car and conscientiously handed the crystal core to Wang Tao. "Let¡¯s keep moving," Wang Tao informed Xu Xiaojun over the walkie-talkie before turning to Yang Changhong and asking, "How do you feel?" "Incredible! I¡¯ve never felt so strong before!" Yang Changhong said with some emotion. She now had over 50,000 HP and four abilities. Killing this Level 3 Elite Zombie with 30,000 HP was no challenge at all. "Thank you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d ever have had the chance to reach Level 3 in my lifetime..." Yang Changhong looked at Wang Tao sincerely. "Then just help me kill more zombies and earn crystal cores. And maybe warm my bed on the side..." Wang Tao said with a smile. "..." Yang Changhong rolled her eyes at him. The group continued their journey. Chapter 680 - 277: Newborn Population_3 Chapter 680: Chapter 277: Newborn Poption_3 Wang Tao himself had the same idea; he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of having children. But then again, he had been with quite a few women, sometimes without taking any safety measures, and yet he had never ¡°hit the target¡±¡­ ¡°Could there be something wrong with me?¡± Wang Tao suddenly began to doubt himself. After all, if a man and a woman can¡¯t have children, there could be a problem with either party, but if one man with many women still can¡¯t, that¡¯s a hundred percent a problem with the man¡­ Shaking his head, Wang Tao hurriedly dismissed the thought. Children were too far removed from him, not something he could consider right now.
Lan Yulian, of course, had no idea Wang Tao had thought so much in that instant. When she heard Wang Tao¡¯s surprise about the birth rate at the base, she said with some pride: ¡°Ahem, before I took over this base, the birth rate of newborns here was almost zero¡ªno one wanted to, and no one dared to have children. But in the two months since I took charge, there have already been more than twenty newborns! Unfortunately, we¡¯ve lost a few shortly after birth¡­¡± Lan Yulian sighed. Medical conditions are poor now, and newborns are very fragile; a slight misstep can lead to their demise. The first time Lan Yulian saw a deceased infant, she was upset for a good half-month¡­ However, Lan Yulian quickly raised her head again and said with a smile: ¡°The new generation represents hope! If a base has no newborns, then it is doomed to destruction, but our Zijin Base already has nearly thirty newborns, so I believe our base will be able to exist forever!¡± Seeing Lan Yulian, whose face seemed to radiate light, Wang Tao suddenly felt a little reluctant to burst her bubble. But Wang Tao had a responsibility to inform Lan Yulian of the current situation. ¡°Jade Lotus, I think you¡¯re amazing, and I am inferior to you. But I have to tell you, the situation right now¡­ is tough.¡±
Wang Tao looked at her seriously. Lan Yulian felt a bit flustered under Wang Tao¡¯s gaze and said subconsciously: ¡°It¡¯s just a horde of zombies! Our base can hold up for now! Plus, we¡¯ve got you! You¡¯re a Level 4 now, and you¡¯re so strong¡­ You¡¯ll protect us, won¡¯t you?¡± Towards the end, Lan Yulian¡¯s tone suddenly grew weaker. Asking Wang Tao to protect Zijin Base meant asking him to take on a great risk. She wanted to protect the people of the base, but she also didn¡¯t want Wang Tao to get hurt¡­ Seeing Lan Yulian like this, Wang Tao stroked her face. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll protect you, protect all of you. But, you haven¡¯t seen those formidable Level 4 zombies, those Giant Zombies tens of meters high, like skyscrapers. If theye, they can step right into Zijin Base with a single step¡­¡± Wang Tao talked to Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng about the situation in Wuyang City. Hearing about the Giant Zombie that could take down an airne, their eyes filled with horror, and then they fell silent. ¡°And let me tell you some bad news. Before we got in touch with you, we had contacted another base. They were trapped by the horde too. As we were preparing to go support them, their base fell, easily breached by the Giant Zombie¡­¡± ¡°How could this be¡­¡± If the Giant Zombie hadn¡¯t attacked a human survivor base, Lan Yulian might still have been a little hopeful, but now with an example right there, she lost thatst shred of hope. But Wang Tao wasn¡¯t finished with her yet and continued: ¡°When I was piloting the military transport ne, I encountered a Giant Zombie. It wasn¡¯t in the city center; it was moving with the horde, heading east.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The east of Wuyang City¡­ is Zijing City! Lan Yulian suddenly felt ice-cold all over as if she had lost all her strength at once. Wang Tao wrapped his arms around her. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to discourage you, I just think you should know the reality of our current situation.¡± ¡°¡­So, if a lot of level 4 zombies or giant zombies really dide, what would you do?¡± Lan Yulian looked up, biting her lip as she gazed at Wang Tao. ¡°I¡¯d take you both with me. That¡¯s all I could do. After all, I only have one helicopter.¡± Wang Tao spoke very calmly. In truth, if that situation really urred, even if he left, he wouldn¡¯t know where to go¡ªhe himself was still lost¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s eyes suddenly reddened a bit. She was the leader of the Zijin Base; she didn¡¯t want to abandon these survivors. If she just left, what would make her different from a murderer? But¡­ she was truly powerless! If even Wang Tao couldn¡¯t manage it, what could she possibly do? ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t think too much! This is all Wang Tao¡¯s spection. What if the zombie tide passes quickly and no serious danger arises? You know, no matter the tide, it¡¯s bound to recede eventually! And even if there really is danger, that¡¯s a problem forter. By then, we might already have a solution!¡± He Jijun suddenly spoke up.@@novelbin@@ He felt that the morale of the group was somewhat low and needed a boost. ¡°Ha ha, that¡¯s true. I¡¯m talking about the worst-case scenario, but ever since the apocalypse, I¡¯ve been quite lucky and have never encountered any dead end situations. Even if I did, I always managed to turn danger into safety¡­ I believe that we will ultimately be alright!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily, then nted a firm kiss on Lan Yulian¡¯s face. Lan Yulian red at Wang Tao, but she didn¡¯t say anything more. He Jijun was right. Even if real danger came, it would beter. They were at least safe for now, and there was no need to flee yet¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go see the newborns.¡± Lan Yulian suddenly suggested. Wang Tao hesitated for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Lan Yulian led Wang Tao to the base¡¯s hospital. The conditions in the hospital were simple, but the space wasrge, with many different areas sectioned off. The maternity ward was one such area, where the mothers were concentrated, with special care and diets provided. Lan Yulian gave them excellent treatment. Wang Tao saw the more than twenty newborns. The just-born babies were all wrinkly and looked quite ugly, and they also had a bit of a smell. But Lan Yulian didn¡¯t mind it at all. Suddenly, she handed one of the babies to Wang Tao. Wang Tao looked at the wrinkled little face of the child, and then at Lan Yulian¡¯s expectant gaze, he shook his head and didn¡¯t take it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve seen enough. I¡¯m going back to get ready; I¡¯ll head out tonight.¡± After speaking, Wang Tao turned and walked away, without a hint of reluctance. Lan Yulian stiffened, herplexion a touch pale. Chapter 578 - 243 Giant_3 Today, there were far fewer zombies on the road, and those remaining weren¡¯t idly standing around but were instead running chaotically. Especially when the thunder sounded, they ran around like madmen. Moreover, Wang Tao saw many Mad Demon Zombies, which were also frantically running around in the rain. Even when vehicles passed by them, they didn¡¯t even spare a nce. "It seems the effect of thunder on the zombies is greater than I expected... If this is the case, perhaps we¡¯ll arrive at the urban area sooner," Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. He had originally calcted that they would reach Wuyang City urban area by evening, but looking at the situation now, they might arrive in the afternoon. In fact, it was almost as Wang Tao had guessed. Along the way, they hadn¡¯t encountered any trouble, not too many Elite Zombies, nor any Zombie Lords. Around four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Wang Tao saw a road sign that read there were only 3 kilometers remaining to the Wuyang City urban area. However, due to the heavy rain and some fog, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t see the state of the urban area clearly. "Everyone, stay alert, we¡¯re almost there!" Wang Tao said to the others. "Yes!" For thest 3 kilometers, Wang Tao was exceedingly cautious. After a little time, Wang Tao finally saw high-rise buildings in the distance. Wuyang City urban area... They had arrived. Just then, a sh of lightning suddenly appeared, instantly illuminating the overcast sky, the urban area, and a huge and terrifying figure. "Shit!" Wang Tao cursed instinctively. He saw next to a building more than twenty stories high in the distance, there was a huge humanoid zombie almost as tall as the building itself! It was using its red eyes to peer closely into the exterior ss of the building, as if looking at the situation inside! Then it thrust its hand violently into the building and rummaged around. It seemed to have grabbed something and stuffed it straight into its mouth. "Hiss¡ª" "What is that thing! So terrifying!" Yang Changhong and the others turned pale with fright when they saw it. Even Jiang Shixue, who was always fearless, subconsciously grabbed Wang Tao¡¯s hand, her small face utterly serious. Boom¡ª The sound of thunder followed, the lightning was but a brief flicker, and the sky once again fell into darkness, with everyone losing sight of the giant zombie. "That¡¯s a zombie, a... Level 4, Lord Zombie!" Wang Tao took a deep breath and said. [HP: 300,000/300,000] [Mana: 200,000/200,000] [Grade: Level 4 - Lord] [Awakening: Giant] [Giant: Body size grows without limit, all basic attributes significantly enhanced. Therger the body, the stronger the strength.] Although he had only seen it for a moment, he had still managed to glimpse the zombie¡¯s stats. 300,000 HP! 200,000 mana! But what was most important was not these numbers. What was most important was that, after his Level 3 Ascension, Wang Tao could now see awakening attributes! The giant zombie¡¯s awakening was [Giant], whose attribute description was very simple and didn¡¯t reveal specific numbers, but even a fool could tell it was powerful¡ª Body size grows without limit! All basic attributes significantly enhanced! Therger the body, the stronger the strength! "So this is the ¡¯Awakening¡¯ after Level 4..." Wang Tao murmured to himself, but now was not the time to think about Level 4. He immediately signaled the others to retreat. @@novelbin@@ "Let¡¯s go, we can¡¯t afford to mess with this zombie!" Wang Tao felt that for a zombie of this size, HP alone couldn¡¯t define its strength anymore. He now had 110,000 HP, plus the 100,000 HP from the Entangling Roots, making it 210,000 HP in total. It seemed not far off from this zombie¡¯s 300,000 HP, but Wang Tao didn¡¯t feel he stood the slightest chance! Because this was no longer an issue of HP! Not to mention other factors, the zombie¡¯s weak spot was its head, but this zombie appeared to be fifty meters tall, and Wang Tao¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t reach its head at all! Moreover, it was clearly thick-skinned and burly; even if Wang Tao could hit its head, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to reduce much of its HP... Boom~ The two vehicles mmed on the gas and immediately left the road. Wang Tao¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to enter the urban area but to find a military base. The approximate location of the military base required passing through half of the city. However, if the city was too dangerous, they definitely couldn¡¯t go through it; instead, they would have to take a detour. After leaving the area, Wang Tao opened the map and pointed to a location. "Let¡¯s head there..." "Okay!" The vehicles quickly left the road and started to prepare to bypass the urban area. However, the detour was longer than Wang Tao had anticipated, and many abandoned vehicles obstructed the road. "We won¡¯t make it before dark. Let¡¯s find a ce to rest for the night. Keep an eye out for any suitable ces..." Wang Tao said to everyone. "Okay!" Everyone responded in unison. "Bang¡ª¡ª" Suddenly, Wang Tao¡¯s ears twitched, and he turned to Yang Changhong beside him. "Did you hear anything?" "Other than the rain, I don¡¯t think there were any other sounds..." Yang Changhong shook his head. Wang Tao then looked at Jiang Shixue, who nodded. "It sounded like... gunfire?" ... On the wide asphalt road, there was an old, rusted abandoned sedan, inside which sat two figures. The passenger seat was upied by an old man in worn military attire, with binocrs hanging from his chest and a knitted hat on his head, his face covered in a white beard. He rummaged through the glove box and pulled out a yellowed photograph, which depicted a little girl with a bright smile. Looking at the little girl¡¯s smile, the old man also broke into a grin. "I have a granddaughter, as cute as the girl in this photo. She always liked to cling to me and ask for bedtime stories..." The old man said while passing the photo to the driver for a look. "Hehe..." The figure in the driver¡¯s seat suddenly lifted its head, revealing a rotten and ferocious face! But its jaw was missing, and both arms were broken! It struggled to move closer to the old man, but was tightly restrained by the seatbelt, unable to move. The old man didn¡¯t look at the ferocious zombie but continued to gaze at the photo and spoke. "A few months ago, she asked me, ¡¯Grandpa, are you old?¡¯" "I said, ¡¯Yes, I¡¯m old. And someday, you will be old like me, haha!¡¯" "Then she asked, ¡¯Grandpa, will you die?¡¯" "I said, ¡¯Of course, I will die.¡¯" "Finally, she asked, ¡¯Grandpa, will I die too?¡¯" "Looking at the wound on her arm, brimming with ck veins, it was the first time I didn¡¯t know how to answer her question..." The old man lifted his head and looked at the zombie in the driver¡¯s seat. "Have you ever exined things to a child? I am ashamed that I didn¡¯t get to exin before she ran away¡ªnot died, ran away." The old man took a police revolver from behind his waist and aimed it at the forehead of the driver¡¯s seat zombie. "I will find her, I promise." Bang! Chapter 579 - 244 He Jijun_1 Wang Tao heard gunshots, which stirred some excitement in him. There was a military base close by. Hearing gunshots here could very well mean they hade across soldiers, right? Wang Tao immediately ordered Yang Changhong to drive towards the direction where the gunshots rang out. "Are you sure you really heard gunshots?" Yang Changhong was somewhat uncertain; she hadn¡¯t actually heard anything just now. It wasn¡¯t that her ears weren¡¯t sharp, but the noisy environment of rain, wind, and thunder made it difficult to distinguish other sounds. "I think it was gunshots, but I¡¯m not sure either, let¡¯s go have a look." Wang Tao nodded. He and Jiang Shixue discussed for a while, and after some time, they finally set their sights on another asphalt road. "The sound probably came from this direction, let¡¯s go search!" The two vehicles slowly searched along the asphalt road. At a certain moment, Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue both looked towards one location. At the same time, a "bang" was heard, and a bullet hit the ground beside the vehicle Wang Tao was in. Yang Changhong and the others immediately became vignt when they saw an old man with a white beard and a knitted hat appearing among the pile of abandoned vehicles. He was holding a shotgun aimed at the vehicle, with wisps of pale smokeing out from the barrel. "What are you following me for?" The old man¡¯s eyes were as sharp as an eagle¡¯s, staring at Wang Tao¡¯s two vehicles. Wang Tao was taken aback when he saw the old man. This was actually an ordinary person with 1000 HP! [HP: 896/1000] [Status: Corrosive acid rain, body slightly corroded, rest for some time to recover as usual] [Mana: 0/0] [Level: None] [Hidden Attributes: Old but vigorous] [Old but vigorous: Physical strength and spirit not limited by age] In the vicinity of Wuyang City urban area, where it was said that even Ability Users would die nine times out of ten, they actually encountered an ordinary person? Although he had a shotgun in hand, could he really survive here with just that weapon? Keep in mind, gunshots can attract zombies! However, the old man had a hidden attribute named "Old but vigorous," which seemed quite impressive. It might be one of the reasons he had survived until now. "Old man, no offence intended. I mean you no harm!" Wang Tao didn¡¯t get out of the car; his voice came from inside the vehicle. After all, the old man had a gun and was very alert. While Wang Tao was strong, there was no need to confront bullets head-on. "No ill intentions? Then you all can leave." The old man¡¯s gaze flickered but he didn¡¯t say anything more. He clearly did not want to start anything. Wang Tao definitely couldn¡¯t just leave. Since leaving Duzhu Town, he hadn¡¯t seen a single human survivor on his journey. Now that he had finally met someone, he needed to find out more. Moreover, Wang Tao was quite interested in the old man himself. "Old man, we really mean no harm. And to speak frankly, if I did harbor ill intentions, you wouldn¡¯t be able to stop me." Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, the old manughed derisively. "Ha, then you can try and see, whether your speed is faster or my bullet!" Wang Tao didn¡¯t need to test the old man¡¯s gun, but he had a way to intimidate him. "Little Xue, could you control him a bit? That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?" Jiang Shixue¡¯s hidden attribute, the Eyes of Contract, allowed her to control others¡¯ thoughts to a certain degree, in addition to Night Vision. The lower the level and spirit of a person, the easier they were to control. "It shouldn¡¯t be a problem." @@novelbin@@ Jiang Shixue looked at the old man through the window; her eyes glinted red. The old man suddenly paused, his eyes bing vacant in an instant. However, Jiang Shixue¡¯s expression was one of surprise. "His spirit is so strong! I can only control him for a few seconds¡­" "That¡¯s enough!" Wang Tao immediately got out of the car and swiftly moved behind the old man, taking his shotgun into his own hands. "Any other guns?" Wang Tao noticed another revolver at his waist and proceeded to take his pistol as well. By this time, the old man had recovered from being controlled. His eyes were filled with confusion¡ªhad he just felt like he cked out for a moment?! Hmm? Where¡¯s my gun? Only then did he realize that the shotgun was no longer in his hands! Whoosh! The old man immediately turned around and saw a tall figure standing behind him, holding the shotgun. Without thinking, he reached behind his back for a feel¡ªhis pistol was gone too! "Looking for this, old man?" Wang Tao now held a ck revolver in his hand, the very one the old man had on him. The old man, surprised at Wang Tao¡¯s seemingly teleporting ability and his skill at disarming, was shocked but not afraid. "Who are you!" The old man looked at him angrily. "Just an ordinary survivor. See, as I said, no harm intended¡ªyou would be dead otherwise." As he spoke, Wang Tao threw both guns back to him. Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s action, the old man was taken aback. He hadn¡¯t expected Wang Tao to actually return the guns to him, which suddenly made him regard Wang Tao more favourably. However, as soon as he caught the guns, he realized he had been na?ve¡ªthe bullets had been removed! While he could reload, given the opponent¡¯s unexinable ability to move instantly, he clearly wouldn¡¯t have the chance. "Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Wang Tao." Wang Tao reached out his hand. The old man slung the shotgun over his back, and tucked the revolver behind his waist. He didn¡¯t shake hands with Wang Tao but spoke coldly: "He Jijun." "He Jijun¡­" Wang Tao muttered to himself. He had never heard the name, but that didn¡¯t prevent him from offering some praise. Chapter 580 - 244 He Jijun_2 "Building on past achievements, valorous above all armies! What a great name!" From He Jijun¡¯s marksmanship, stance, vital energy, and that old military uniform on him, Wang Tao could guess that he had likely served as a soldier before. @@novelbin@@ Therefore,plimenting him in this regard should be well-received. Indeed, as soon as Wang Tao spoke, the cold look on He Jijun¡¯s face diminished somewhat. "Would the old master care to get in the car for a chat? I¡¯ve only been in Wuyang City for a few days, and I¡¯m quite unfamiliar with the situation here. I¡¯d like to exchange some information with you," Wang Tao said, smiling. "..." He Jijun was clearly reluctant. The main reason was Wang Tao¡¯s eerily bizarre Ability, and since he was unaware of Wang Tao¡¯s background, he had seen too much of the ugliness of human nature in his journey thus far. However, Wang Tao¡¯s invitation was somehow also a bit of a threat... "Oh right, I have some fine liquor in the car. I don¡¯t drink myself, and nobody among us does either. If the old master likes, I can join you for a small drink or two," He Jijun¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard about the liquor, and he gritted his teeth. "Okay!" Since Wang Tao had invited him with such sincerity, it would have been inappropriate for him to refuse any longer. "Is the old master alone? Do you have a car?" As they got in the car, Wang Tao asked. "Alone, no car," He Jijun shook his head. "It¡¯s already dark. Shall we find a ce to rest, old master?" "Whatever," Now that he had gotten into the car, He Jijun no longer dwelled on it. Wang Tao had already found a suitable ce to rest when he was searching for the gunshot earlier, and now they could head over there. It was a civilian house by the roadside with arge garage capable of amodating several cars. Even though ivy covered the outside of the house, the inside was still clean and free of zombies. After parking the car, Wang Tao took a bottle of wine down from the vehicle. He had promised Colonel Luo Guozhong, the parachuting ne pilot he had contacted earlier, to treat him to a drink upon meeting. Wang Tao was a man of his word, so naturally, he had prepared the liquor. Lan Yulian had helped him ready several bottles of this strong drink, and taking one out now left enough forter use. Seeing this bottle of wine, He Jijun, who had been grim-faced the whole time, had his eyes light up. Wang Tao didn¡¯t drink, so he didn¡¯t know much about liquor. However, Jade Lotus had mentioned that these bottles had been quite expensive before, so they must be of good quality. Xu Xiaojun cleared the table inside the house, and Wang Taoid out some food and the liquor. Then, he invited He Jijun to take a seat. "Old master, please take a seat," He Jijun snorted coldly and sat down carelessly. He had boarded Wang Tao¡¯s car out ofpulsion. In that situation, had he refused, he wasn¡¯t sure what Wang Tao might do to him; he had to get in the car. His expression had been quite cold in the car. Wang Tao didn¡¯t mind this at all. He personally poured a drink for He Jijun and then raised his ss. Seeing Wang Tao being so polite, He Jijun found it hard to keep up his stern demeanor. He picked up his ss, clinked it with Wang Tao¡¯s, smelled the aroma of the wine, looked intoxicated, and then drained it in one gulp. "Great wine!" He Jijun eximed instinctively. It had been so long since he hadst tasted alcohol, and now, suddenly relishing such fine wine, his expression softened considerably. Wang Tao seized the opportunity to ask: "Is the old master from Wuyang City?" There was an old saying about how one¡¯s mouth was indebted to the one who fed them, and He Jijun wasn¡¯t "cold" anymore. He shook his head. "No. I came from Chunhua Province," "Sss¡ª" As soon as he said this, Wang Tao and the others all gasped. Chunhua Province was separated from Wuyang Province by Cangsong Province! That was a long way from here! "Impressive!" Wang Tao gave a thumbs-up. Had He Jijun been an Ability User, Wang Tao might not have been so shocked, but he was an Ordinary man, even with 1000 HP he was still ordinary. For an ordinary person to travel such a distance was certainly surprising! Feeling the astonishment from Wang Tao and the others, He Jijun didn¡¯t show any smugness. Only he himself knew the hardships encountered on the road; there was nothing to celebrate. "Then what is the old master¡¯s purpose foring here?" Wang Tao asked. "Looking for someone." "..." This reason resonated with Yang Changhong, who said: "I¡¯m also here to find someone. I¡¯m looking for my little sister; I heard she came to Wuyang City. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s alive or dead..." He Jijun nced at her. "I hope you find your sister." "Thank you! I hope you find the person you¡¯re looking for too," Yang Changhong replied politely. But upon hearing that, He Jijun¡¯s expression suddenly turned wistful, though he didn¡¯t say more. So Wang Tao asked: "I¡¯m quite curious; how did the old mastere to Wuyang City? Did you have a team before? Did the team disband?" "No, I¡¯ve always been alone. But sometimes I¡¯d travel through the wilderness where there are fewer zombies." "No wonder..." Wang Tao suddenly understood. If He Jijun avoided big cities or going into the cities, opting instead for the wilderness, and further had extremely good luck in not encountering any monsters, theoretically, he could have made it here alive. But that was just in theory; in reality, it would be much harder. After all, he was an ordinary person, and not to mention anything else, even food and sleep would pose big problems... "By the way, how old is the old master this year?" "Sixty-six." "..." Even though they had already guessed that He Jijun wasn¡¯t young, hearing the age of sixty-six still shocked everyone. Chapter 692 - 281 Disaster Class_3 Chapter 692: Chapter 281 Disaster ss_3 After the ne entered the urban area of Wuyang City, Wang Tao could clearly feel that the zombies here were more active. Under normal circumstances, if it was raining, during the daytime, and no one was disturbing them, these zombies would stand in the rain in a daze. Because the rain was beneficial to them, it was like they were absorbing nutrients. But now, the zombies in the rain appeared to be very excited and lively, resembling their nocturnal counterparts, as if they had been buffed with frenzy. But it was daytime¡­ Wang Tao had no idea what chaos nighttime would bring here. Wang Tao maximized his nt Affinity and Perception abilities, carefully searching every corner of this ce. He currently had two Level 4 Ascension Crystal Cores on hand, and if he could get two more, he would have the capital to train another Awakener! With one more Fourth-order Superpower, theirbat power would increase. Moreover, killing Level 4 Zombie Lords would grant him Advanced Special Energy, which could boost his chances of sess for a Second Awakening, giving him the opportunity to undergo it! Not to mention that killing Level 4 zombies would yield various items and equipment. This could also enhance everyone¡¯s strength. Anyway, no matter what, he was determined to y the Level 4 zombies in Wuyang City! But¡­ the more he wanted to find something, the harder it seemed to find. Wang Tao thought there should be quite a few Level 4 Zombie Lords in the urban area of Wuyang City, considering the number of Giant Zombies, it would be normal to have Level 4 Zombie Lords as well. However, after searching all afternoon, flying to the city center, he found nothing. He didn¡¯t even locate the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. He did find a Mad Demon Lair, but upon perceiving it, Wang Tao found that the Mad Demon Lair only had Mad demons of simr strength and no Level 4 Lord Mad demons. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go back.¡± As it was getting dark, Wang Tao had no choice but to head back home. ¡°Hm?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao felt his nt Affinity detected a huge figure. This figure was veryrge, but it was definitely not a Giant Zombie! But just after Wang Tao perceived this figure, it disappeared from his Perception. Wang Tao thought the figure had evaded his Perception, but after testing it again, he realized it wasn¡¯t that the giant figure had hidden; instead, the medium of his Perception¡ªthe nts¡ªhad died! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± This was Wang Tao¡¯s first encounter with such a situation. When he used nt Affinity to perceive zombies, he had encountered zombies suddenly dying or fleeing, but he had never encountered the death of nts! After all, Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity wasn¡¯t limited to using just one kind of nt for Perception; he could use most nts. He had been using arge area of moss, and there was a lot of it scattered over a wide range. But in that moment just now, all of that moss died! ¡°Could it be that the figure sensed my Perception and eradicated all these nts?¡± Wang Tao quickly shared his discovery with everyone. ¡°Could it be there¡¯s a zombie with a Perception ability especially strong, or maybe there¡¯s a zombie with a Hidden Ability simr to yours?¡± Han Rui analyzed with a frown. ¡°Not sure¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head, then said to He Jijun, ¡°Old He, don¡¯t go yet, I want to see what¡¯s really going on.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The helicopter didn¡¯t leave but started circling nearby.@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao meticulously used his [nt Affinity] and [Perception] Superpower to ¡°look¡± at the surrounding situation. Soon, Wang Tao made a discovery. ¡°Found it again! But¡­ the nts are dying!¡± The very moment Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity Ability perceived the huge figure, the nts around the figure died! Moreover, more and more nts were dying! It seemed like wherever this huge figure went, the nts there would die! Wang Tao could only judge the position of that huge figure from the brief information of the nts before their death. Wang Tao ¡°saw¡± more and more nts dying, and the direction of these deaths¡­ was toward their helicopter! ¡°It seems to being! Be alert!¡± Wang Tao immediately called out a warning. The others couldn¡¯t see anything but were ready for battle. ¡°Click, ck, click, ck¡­¡± Suddenly, a clicking sound came from inside the helicopter. Although the propeller noise was loud, it could not cover up this clicking because the sound came through the headset. And the sound was getting faster and more urgent. ¡°Clickety-ck, clickety-ck, clickety-ck¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Wang Tao was puzzled, and the others were also confused. But upon hearing the rapid clicking, He Jijun, without a word, yanked the control stick, causing the ne to ascend rapidly! After Wang Tao¡¯s inquiry, he shouted loudly, ¡°The Geiger counter on the ne is going off! Radiation! Arge amount of radiation has appeared!¡± ¡°Ah? Radiation?¡± Everyone was somewhat puzzled, wondering how radiation could be involved at this time. Could there be some kind of nuclear leak? Boom¡ª Just then, a building below the helicopter suddenly copsed. The Geiger counter¡¯s noise grew even more frantic. Wang Tao and the others quickly looked down and saw a huge figure slowly emerging from a cloud of dust! ¡°God! What the hell is that!¡± Seeing the figure, everyone felt a tingling on their scalps. It was a giant monstrosity in the shape of a meatball, made up of countless zombies, animals, and even mechanical parts! The spot it emerged from seemed to be a subway entrance, with nearby buildingspletely destroyed. The zombies around it were copsing in waves, and the green nts nearby were withering at a visible rate! This meatball had many pairs of eyes, all staring dead at the helicopter, watching everyone get goosebumps and stiffening their bodies. A terrorizing aura directly intimidated everyone! When Wang Tao saw the meatball¡¯s HP bar, he broke out in a cold sweat. [HP: 1000000/1000000] [Mana: 0/0] [Level: Level 5 ¨C Disaster] [Cataclysmic Awakening: Radiation] [Radiation: Carrying arge amount of radiation] Chapter 695 - 282: Radiation Zombies_3 "So that¡¯s the situation. If only we could have contacted you earlier, we¡¯ve already lost a military transport ne..." Wang Tao said somewhat helplessly. "...Condolences." Li Ping was silent for a moment, she had thought that all the crew members on Wang Tao¡¯s side had perished. After all, flying above three thousand meters and suddenly losing control was practically a death sentence. Even with parachutes, it might be toote¡ªthe military transport wasn¡¯t a fighter,cking specialized ejection seats... Wang Tao wasn¡¯t aware of this little misunderstanding, and he asked about some issues concerning Changhe City Base. Li Ping was forting with all she knew, and an image of a huge Survivor Base began to form in Wang Tao¡¯s mind. A city with arge poption, strongbat capabilities, and no formidable zombies nearby! Wang Tao could already confirm that this was the base he was looking for! Wang Tao also gave a brief description of the situation in Wuyang City. Upon hearing about the appearance of Level 5 Zombies, Li Ping was startled. "Level 5 Zombies! Even higher than Lord Rank, a Disaster Level? My God! This information is quite important. Thank you, Mr. Wang Tao!" Apparently, they had possibly not seen a Level 5 Zombie before. Discover more content at NovelBin.C?m This was actually good news. Because there were so many people there and since they hadn¡¯t seen any, it indicated that Level 5 Zombies were extremely rare¡ªperhaps there was only one... When Wang Tao felt the time was right, he then said: "There are still some survivors here at Wang Tao¡¯s location. The helicopter can¡¯t take everyone away... So, can you send someone to support us?" Aftermunicating with Li Ping, Wang Tao had an idea¡ªto leverage the strength of the city base to rescue the people from Zijin Base! Wang Tao didn¡¯t really expect the other party toe in person. His request wasn¡¯t high; from what Li Ping said, Changhe City Base obviously had nes, so if they could air drop some weapons or even vehicles, that would give the survivors at Zijin Base a fighting chance. That would be enough. "Rescue?" Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s words, Li Ping immediately felt troubled. "I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Wang. It¡¯s not that we aren¡¯t willing to rescue you. It¡¯s just that you are too far away..." No matter the time or the deed, one must always consider the cost and benefit. Especially now, in an apocalyptic world where every life is precious, if rescuing a few would cost more lives, it would be a loss not worth the gains! Hearing the refusal, Wang Tao was immediately disappointed. Yet, he hadn¡¯t given up. "I can exchange supplies, such as Crystal Cores." "Mr. Wang, I¡¯m very sorry, it¡¯s not a matter of Crystal Cores..." Li Ping continued to shake her head. "I¡¯m just asking for some air drops. Is that not possible either?" "Just air drops? Theoretically, it should be possible. But it¡¯s not feasible right now, as the weather here is bad. Every day we have fierce winds and lightning, making it impossible for nes to take off..." Qian Country is vast, and it¡¯s normal for different regions to have varying climates. Just because nes can fly in Wuyang City doesn¡¯t mean they can in the City Base... "I see... Okay then, I¡¯ll think of another way. Even if these 20,000 or more people could make it to the City Base, who knows how many would be left by then..." Wang Tao¡¯s voice carried an undeniable resignation and beside him, Ding Yuqin and the others all sighed. So it¡¯s still no good, huh... "Ah? Wait a minute!" Just at that moment, Li Ping on the other end of the line suddenly eximed. "What you just said... I didn¡¯t catch it clearly?" Wang Tao frowned. Was the signal failing again? "I said, I can only think of another way myself." "No, there was another sentence!" "Uh... Even if these 20,000 or more people¡ª" "20,000 or more people!" Before Wang Tao could finish, he was interrupted by the other party. "Did you say you have 20,000 or more people?!" Li Ping sounded both shocked and surprised. "Yes." Wang Tao nodded. "But didn¡¯t you tell us before that you only had about a dozen people?" The other party quickly asked. @@novelbin@@ Wang Tao looked at Han Rui, who just shrugged in response. It was vital to be cautious. Not knowing anything about the other side during their first contact, Han Rui naturally kept some information hidden. Moreover, she didn¡¯t count the people at Zijing City Base; she only considered the military base. There were over thirty people at the military base, so it was reasonable for her to say there were over a dozen people. So Wang Tao exined: "We have two bases here. There are about a dozen people at Wuyang Military Base, but there are over 20,000 people at Zijing City Base. However, these 20,000 or more people are trapped by a horde of zombies, and we¡¯re having a difficult time right now. So, I was hoping for some air support from you..." "Mr. Wang, please hold on! I need to report this!" After speaking to Wang Tao, Li Ping immediately went silent. Wang Tao and the others looked at each other, unclear about what was happening. After a while, a robust and powerful voice came through the other side. "Mr. Wang, hello. I am Hou Zhiyuan, Commander of the Third Legion of the City Base. May I confirm with you, is it true that you have over 20,000 survivors?" "It¡¯s true." Wang Tao nodded. "Do you have equipment capable of recording video? I need you to film all your survivors and send it to us. I need to be sure you are not deceiving us." Hou Zhiyuan continued. "Hmm? Why?" Wang Tao frowned upon hearing this. There was nothing to deceive about, and it wouldn¡¯t bring him any benefits. "Because if it is true, I will dispatch the Third Legion to rescue you!" Wang Tao was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise: "You¡¯re going to send people over? That¡¯s too dangerous!" Rescuing people is harder than simply killing zombies. They not only had toe over, but also bring people back! The risk was exponentially greater! "With over 20,000 survivors, no matter the risk, they must be rescued! You don¡¯t have to worry about us; you just need to send the video to me and then hold on and wait for rescue!" Chapter 697 - 283 Waiting for Rescue_2 Chapter 697: Chapter 283 Waiting for Rescue_2 And not just them, even Lan Yulian herself felt this way. Although the survivors were very afraid, they all obediently stood there. One reason was Lan Yulian¡¯s high prestige; another was that they too knew they had nowhere else to turn. Looking at those docile yet frightened faces in the camera, Lan Yulian sighed helplessly. Then she lifted her phone and approached the infants being held in arms. ¡°Come on, smile~¡± Lan Yulian teased one of the infants who was staring wide-eyed. Perhaps it was Lan Yulian¡¯s gentle manner, soforting and familiar, that the infant immediately broke into a grin, smiling happily. ¡°Such a good baby~¡± Lan Yulian filmed for a good while before moving away. If these were truly to be theirst images, Lan Yulian hoped to capture a smiling face. The adults certainly couldn¡¯t manage a real smile¡ªonly a forced one at best. Only these little children, who understood nothing, could smile from the heart. After filming for a while, Lan Yulian finally approached Wang Tao. ¡°Will this do?¡± Wang Tao quickly watched the video and nodded. ¡°It should be enough. I¡¯ll take a few more pictures.¡± After taking a few more photos, Wang Tao nodded at Lan Yulian. ¡°All set. I¡¯m off to get busy.¡± Wang Tao sent the video and photos to the military base, which then forwarded them to Changhe City Base. Theoretically, it should¡¯ve been transmitted quickly. But, as expected, a minor mishap urred¡ªthe underground cables were damaged again. With no other option, Wei Zhenguo and others left at the military base started repairs, busy until the evening, before the documents were finally sent. ¡°Wang Tao, the situation isn¡¯t looking good. The underground cables are having a lot of issues, and we can¡¯t repair them indefinitely. We might lose contact with Changhe City Base any moment¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo conveyed to Wang Tao during their call. They¡¯re actually quite lucky now; the damaged cables are not too far from the military base, allowing for repairs. But if the lines were to fail at a distant location, let alone repairing them, they might not even be able to locate the issue¡­ ¡°I hope we can finalize everything quickly¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed. ¡­ Changhe City Base. At night, themunication hall was brightly lit. A middle-aged man in military uniform, tall and burly, stood in the hall, looking at a map of Changhe City Base on the wall. He was Chief Hou Zhiyuan of the Third Legion of Changhe City Base. ¡°Chief Hou, there¡¯s a message!¡± Suddenly, someone shouted with excitement. Hou Zhiyuan immediately turned and walked over to a workstation. At the workstation, there was aputer and a phone, with a woman in her thirties, Li Ping, seated at it. Hearing themotion, many others gathered around. They all knew that Li Ping had made contact with a base that was suspected to have twenty thousand survivors! If it were true, it would be a major event for the entire Changhe City Base! After all, twenty thousand survivors! ¡°Put it on the big screen!¡± Hou Zhiyuan ordered immediately. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Li Ping connected to the big screen. There was a video and a few photos. She opened the video. ¡°Heh-heh¡­ roar¡­¡± As soon as the video yed, it was filled with various zombies growling. The video was from a bird¡¯s-eye view, probably shot from a helicopter. One could clearly see the zombies¡¯ heads were tilted back, showing their pale pupils and ferocious expressions. As the helicopter flew, a dense, unending stream of zombies was revealed! ¡°Heaven¡ª¡± Li Ping covered her mouth, and the others were also startled by the scene. ¡°So many zombies¡­ such a terrifying horde!¡± ¡°Can they¡­ Can they survive this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s horrifying!¡± ¡°We¡¯re really lucky to be living in the base city¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Compared to the others¡¯ fear, Hou Zhiyuan watched the horde with an expressionless face. Then, the video switched to a base of a decent size. The base¡¯s high walls werepletely surrounded by the horde! ¡°There¡¯s a Survivor Base!¡± ¡°Judging by the style of the base, it must be one left behind by the Government¡­ but it¡¯s tightly besieged by the horde!¡± ¡°The base¡¯s walls don¡¯t look too high, if too many zombies gather, they might be able to climb over!¡± ¡°They have no way out¡­¡± ¡°Given the size of the horde and their Weapon Equipment, I don¡¯t think they¡¯llst much longer¡­¡± Everyone in the hall whispered among themselves. Hou Zhiyuan remained silent. The video then shifted again, this time to the interior.@@novelbin@@ It was a spacious hall, filled with people. The people were yellow and pale, wearing patched clothes, with unkempt hair. Yet, they stood in order, clearly disciplined. ¡°So many survivors!¡± Someone in themunication hall instinctively eximed. The camera slowly moved across their faces, clearly capturing the fear in their eyes. Seeing the expressions of those survivors in the video, nobody spoke again. They could empathize. They had felt the same terror, the same helplessness. If they hadn¡¯t been fortunate enough to be rescued by the army, they might have been worse off than these survivors¡­ Then, the camera moved to a slightly overweight woman. She appeared to be in better mental and physical state than the others, as if she had been given preferential treatment. Could she have some special status? Chapter 584 - 245 Soldier King_3 He looked at Wang Tao with some surprise. Although the distance wasn¡¯t very far, all these zombies were in the woods, and the heavy rain obscured the view. How could Wang Tao have seen them? He naturally didn¡¯t know that Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinitybined with Perception was essentially radar plus x-ray vision, making it easy to spot the zombies. The group of zombies was quiterge, and they were at a turning point at an intersection, blocking the road. Therefore, they had to clear out these zombies first. Wang Tao and the others got out of the car. "Clear out these zombies." "Yes!" Everyone took out their weapons. He Jijun also took out his hunting shotgun, then turned to Wang Tao and asked, "It¡¯s not a big problem if I fire a few shots, right?" If he were alone, he would have fired long ago. But now, they were a temporary team, and he had to consider the group as a whole. "No problem." Wang Tao nodded. They were outdoors, and the sound of the rain was loud, which would greatly reduce the noise of the gunfire. Moreover, they weren¡¯t staying in this ce for long, they would leave after clearing out the zombies. As long as they could fight quickly and decisively, making some noise wasn¡¯t an issue. Bang! Just as Wang Tao nodded, He Jijun raised his hand and fired a shot, directly sting the head off a zombie. "Old man, your shooting skills are impressive!" Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. At this distance of several dozen meters, using iron sights to headshot a zombie was not an easy task! If Wang Tao wasn¡¯t using Precision Shooting, he couldn¡¯t achieve this level. "Ha, did you really think this old man was bluffing you!" Between words, He Jijun fired another shot. Bang! A second zombie¡¯s head exploded. At this moment, the zombies heard the noise and began to move towards the group. He Jijun didn¡¯t continue talking to Wang Tao, focusing on aiming at the zombies, and in an instant fired another shot. The third zombie fell. While killing the zombies, He Jijun also took the opportunity to nce at Wang Tao and the others. He wanted to know how strong these Ability Users were. Since Wang Tao wasn¡¯t afraid to draw so many zombies over, he must have had a method to fend them off. If it was just him alone, he would not have been so reckless; he would most likely have chosen another path to avoid confronting these zombies. On the other side, Xu Xiaojun, holding arge axe, charged at the pack of zombies. Boom boom boom~ Mud sshed everywhere as Xu Xiaojun instantly reached the midst of the zombie group, many zombies were directly knocked flying, even smashed to pieces. Then he raised his giant axe and sent out a Shockwave at the zombies. St! In an instant, dozens of zombies were shattered, turning into a pile of broken flesh. "So this is an Ability User..." Not far away, He Jijun was somewhat astounded. Thebat power of Ability Users was truly strong! Such a wide-range method of killing zombies, unless he had a machine gun, he simply couldn¡¯tpare. But He Jijun was not one to give up. He continued shooting. Bang! A zombie fell. Bang! Another zombie hit the ground. Bang! Two zombies were simultaneously pierced and had their heads blown off by the bullets! Wang Tao didn¡¯t join the fight; he was observing He Jijun the whole time. He Jijun was almost hitting his mark every time; so far, he had only missed one shot because Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Shockwave had shattered the zombie first. After the battle, Wang Tao calcted, and the number of zombies He Jijun had killed was almost equal to that of Nie Siyan! Although He Jijun was using a gun, Nie Siyan was a Level 3 ability user! He Jijun¡¯s marksmanship was practically identical to Wang Tao using Precision Shooting! The group set off once more, and Wang Tao couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Old man, what did you do in the military?" Soldierse in various types, and he felt that with He Jijun¡¯s abilities, he must have been some kind of special forces, right? "If you¡¯re asking what specifically I did, that¡¯s hard to say. I¡¯ve carried rifles, fired cannons, operated tanks, piloted nes..." An all-around talent, then? Wang Tao quickly asked, "...then what was your military rank? You surely weren¡¯t an ordinary soldier, right?" At this point, He Jijun did not remain humble, but instead proudly said, "Nothing much, just a little First Sergeant." "Hiss¡ª" @@novelbin@@ Wang Tao, who had some understanding of military ranks, suddenly drew in a sharp breath. The nonmissioned officer ranks are divided into 7 levels, namely, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Master Sergeant, Warrant Officer ss Three, Warrant Officer ss Two, Warrant Officer ss One, and First Sergeant. A First Sergeant is the highest rank, enjoying treatment at a division level! It¡¯s said that First Sergeants are even rarer than generals, they are the elite in various fields within the army, the true Soldier Kings! Good gracious, the old man randomly encountered on the road was a Soldier King! Wang Tao suddenly understood why He Jijun had been able to travel such a long distance to Wuyang City, why, with the body of an ordinary person, he could kill so many zombies! Why, without any abilities, his shooting was godlike, hitting the mark every single time! He was a former battle-hardened elderly Soldier King! Wang Tao felt a sense of deep respect. He had been considering whether to invite He Jijun to join his own team. Even though He Jijun was older, he had the Hidden Attribute of being old but vigorous, and with certainbat experience, he was no worse than many Ability Users. But Wang Tao had only just met He Jijun; he thought he ought to observe and learn more about him first. But now, why bother learning more! This was a Soldier King known as a "Panda Soldier"! His capabilities and character were definitely top-notch! Even though he was older, it also meant he had even richer experience! He was already this strong as an ordinary person, how powerful would he be as an Ability User? "Old man, I can help you be an Ability User without any side effects, and then you join my team, what do you think?" Wang Tao suddenly said. He Jijun looked at him. "Let¡¯s not talk about joining you for now, as for bing an Ability User, I haven¡¯t decided yet! Those side effects are too much!" Wang Tao immediately said, "What I¡¯m offering you is to be an Ability User just like us, without any side effects!" "Ah?" Chapter 703: 285: Chainsaw Zombies_2 Chapter 703: Chapter 285: Chainsaw Zombies_2 ¡°` But now, these zombies chopped in half were indeed as dead as they could be¡­ This Chainsaw Zombie had something going for it! Wang Tao became even more vignt. He gave Jiang Shixue a heads up and then charged at the Chainsaw Zombie again. He still had a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. While he swung the knife he fired the gun simultaneously, forcing the Chainsaw Zombie to make a choice. This time, the Chainsaw Zombie blocked the Air Bullet. Wang Tao¡¯s tusk long knife cleanly struck the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s body.@@novelbin@@ [-0] [-6173] [-617] [¡­] The damage from the high-frequency vibration was still high, shing six thousand HP off the Chainsaw Zombie. And there was an additional bleed damage thrice, roughly around eighteen hundred. It was as if Wang Tao¡¯s single strike could deal eight thousand damage! Afternding a sessful hit, Wang Tao did not press on; he immediately retreated. The chainsaw missed its target. Seeing his attack had been effective and that he had evaded the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s strike, Wang Tao roughly knew how to fight it now. The Chainsaw Zombie was quick to react and attack, but the chainsaw, after all, was not a shield; it couldn¡¯t block all attacks. Especially since Wang Tao was using two different modes of attack from varying angles, the Chainsaw Zombie could only block one. The other would hit its mark. But after striking a blow, he could not pursue his advantage but had to retreat immediately because the Chainsaw Zombie would surelyunch a very fast counter-attack at Wang Tao, too quick for Wang Tao to see its movements clearly. If this strike hit him, Entangling Roots would lose over thirty thousand HP! So, there was no need to sh head-on with the Chainsaw Zombie, nor to be greedy. Simply strike and retreat. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Chainsaw Zombie, having missed its target, became even angrier. The zombies nearby, as if following the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯smand, all swarmed towards Wang Tao. Jiang Shixue immediately took them on to provide Wang Tao with the space to fight. ¡°Bring it on!¡± Wang Tao charged at the Chainsaw Zombie once more. It was the same old tactic, one hand firing the gun, the other swinging the knife. He forced the Chainsaw Zombie to answer the multiple-choice question. But this time, the Chainsaw Zombie chose the third option. [-3002] [-6281] [-628] [¡­] Wang Tao¡¯s Air Bullet and high-frequency vibration both hit the Chainsaw Zombie. Because it didn¡¯t block the attack! Thud! The chainsaw heavily struck Wang Tao¡¯s chest, and a powerful force sent him flying. [-42652] [110000/110000£¨24964/100000£©] Entangling Roots had only a little over twenty thousand HP left and could no longer withstand any attack from the Chainsaw Zombie. Uponnding, Wang Tao immediately deactivated the armor mode of Entangling Roots. Entangling Roots was still useful to Wang Tao, and even if it truly wasn¡¯t anymore, it was his battlepanion¡ªWang Tao did not want it to die. ¡°That damage is really high!¡± Just as Wang Taoined to himself, he saw the Chainsaw Zombie, holding the chainsaw aloft, charging towards him at high speed. Any zombie in its path got sliced into two halves! A somewhat ferocious shield suddenly appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hands. Bang! The chainsaw struck the shield. Wang Tao didn¡¯t lose any HP, and a spark of electricity shed by. Crackle¡ª [-1024] [96677/120000] ¡°This thing isn¡¯t afraid of electricity?¡± Seeing that the current from the Electric Shield only caused a thousand damage to the Chainsaw Zombie, Wang Tao also gave up on the idea of trying it with an electric baton. With a forceful push from his left arm, he thrust the shield forward sharply. The Chainsaw Zombie instantly staggered backward several steps. Wang Tao, holding the long knife in his right hand, struck the Chainsaw Zombie with it. [-5328] [-532] [¡­] [89728/120000] Another seven thousand damage! The damage from wielding the knife with one hand might be lower, but it was still significant. While making this cut, Wang Tao didn¡¯t even look at the oue, but immediately raised his shield instead. Bang! As expected, the chainsaw hit the shield. [-1003] Wang Tao again sessfully blocked the strike without taking any damage, and even reprised a thousand HP from the Chainsaw Zombie! Is that all? Wang Tao pressed his advantage, one hand with a shield, the other with a long knife. As the Chainsaw Zombie attacked, he would immediately block with the shield and, in the moment he blocked the attack, he would sh the Chainsaw Zombie with the long knife. Although this slowed down his attacking speed considerably, it was much safer. In the blink of an eye, Wang Tao had made four cuts, and the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s HP had already dropped below sixty thousand. At this point, the Chainsaw Zombie roared and raised its chainsaw, spinning it around like a windmill. Whirring¡ª The chainsaw roared! Wang Tao had seen this move before from a Terrorizer, so he immediately backed away, not giving the Chainsaw Zombie a chance. Then he saw the Chainsaw Zombieplete a circle and not stopping! Instead, it spun like a top, speeding towards Wang Tao and cutting every zombie in its path in half! ¡°What the hell!¡± Wang Tao was startled and promptly raised his shield to fall back. The Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s move seemed extremely damaging, and there was no need to meet it head-on. At the same time, Wang Tao urged Jiang Shixue to retreat quickly to avoid being hit by the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s attack, as her small frame might not be able to withstand it. Thud¡ª The Chainsaw Zombie spun faster and faster, dismembering arge number of zombies around it and even grinding some into mincemeat! Wang Tao was astonished, then, as if struck by a thought, he looked down at his shield subconsciously. ¡°Damn!¡± It was then Wang Tao realized that his shield¡¯s Durability had decreased by nearly half! [Durability +70] The Mutant Explosion-proof Electric Shield¡¯s Durability was originally 100. Although Wang Tao had used it a few times, he had not consumed any Durability before. ¡°` Chapter 705: 286 Bloody Chainsaw_1 Chapter 705: Chapter 286 Bloody Chainsaw_1 Killing the Chainsaw Zombie brought Wang Tao an Advanced Special Energy and an Awakening Key. He now had amassed 5 Awakening Keys! The Chainsaw Zombie dropped three items and burst out five Loot Packs. The three items were the Red Crystal Core in its head, an Awakening Energy Pearl, and its chainsaw. [Acquired: Fourth Order Crystal Core: Promotion x1] [Acquired: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] [Acquired: Fourth-Order Weapon¡¤Bloody Chainsaw] The Ascension Crystal Core and Energy Pearl need no mention, but this chainsaw ¨C it¡¯s actually a fourth-order weapon! [Fourth-Order Weapon¡¤Bloody Chainsaw] [HP: 10000/10000 (Upper limit 100000)] [Status: Dormant] [Enhancement: Bone Removal] [Compatibility: 0%] [Bone Removal: Can directly strip away life energy]@@novelbin@@ [Note: The upper limit of HP cannot be increased using crystal cores; it can only be raised by killing lifeforms of level 3 or higher] Upon seeing the attributes of the Bloody Chainsaw, Wang Tao suddenly understood. No wonder the Chainsaw Zombie directly killed the zombies after chopping them in half. It turned out that this chainsaw could directly strip away life energy! That meant this chainsaw was very effective against zombies! There was no need to aim specifically for the zombies¡¯ heads; hitting their bodies could kill them too! The Bloody Chainsaw¡¯s upper limit of HP increased differently from other weapons; it couldn¡¯t be enhanced using crystal cores and could only be raised through killing lifeforms of level 3 or higher. However, for Wang Tao, this was not bad news. Because the consumption for upgrading fourth-order weapons was too great, he didn¡¯t have enough crystal cores. Being able to raise its potential through killing zombies was the best possible oue. The only question was how strong exactly was the attack power of this Bloody Chainsaw¡­ Unable to contain his curiosity, Wang Tao fed the chainsaw some crystal cores to increase thepatibility slightly and tested it on a few zombies. Then Wang Tao frowned. The damage of the Bloody Chainsaw¡­ wasn¡¯t high! When the Chainsaw Zombie wielded the chainsaw, it could chop the Entangling Roots causing over thirty thousand damage to HP, killing many zombies with a single cut. But after Wang Tao¡¯s tests, he found that the damage of this chainsaw was about the same as when he fought with his bare hands. Moreover, the mechanism of this chainsaw was very peculiar; the chainsaw itself lost HP while being used! Wang Tao had never seen equipment that lost HP before. No wonder it had a health bar. Luckily though, every time it killed a zombie, it would regenerate HP and the upper limit of its HP would increase. If it could continuously kill zombies, then it would be fine. But if it couldn¡¯t kill zombies, then it might end up ¡®dying¡¯ itself¡­ As for why its damage was so low¡­ it was obviously because of that Chainsaw Zombie. Its Awakening [Cutting] was a pure attacking ability. [Cutting]bined with the [Bloody Chainsaw] had an effect greater than the sum of their parts. ¡­ After returning to the high wall, Wang Tao checked the five Loot Packs once more. The first Crystal Core Gift Bag contained a total of five crystal cores: a red [Level 4 Crystal Core ¨C Awakening], a purple [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Versatility], a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core ¨C Strength], another red [Level 4 Crystal Core ¨C Mental Defense], and an orange [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: High Speed Rotation]. There was one Awakening Crystal Core, which was not bad. Wang Tao had seen most of the other crystal cores before, but he was seeing thest core for the first time. [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: High Speed Rotation] [Quality: Orange (100%)] [Purity: 35% (Side effect: Reduced vision)] [High Speed Rotation: Consumes energy to rotate at a bnced, high speed] This was the ability the Chainsaw Zombie had used before. The description alone didn¡¯t hint at how powerful this ability could be. However, considering the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s prior engagement, if one had a suitable weapon to hand, this ability could be terrifying. Wang Tao looked toward the second Loot Pack. [Acquired: Cleansing Potion x20] [Acquired: Purification Agent (Experimental) x5] [Acquired: Deactivating Potion (Experimental) x20] ¡°Eh?¡± Upon seeing the contents of this Loot Pack, Wang Tao thought he had seen wrong. He rubbed his eyes, but there was no mistake! These were Cleansing Potions, Purification Agents, and Deactivating Potions! [Detoxification Potion: Can eliminate 1% of impurities in the body] [Purification Agent (Experimental): When used on zombies mutated for no longer than 3 days, there¡¯s a certain probability to purify the virus in their bodies, and a certain probability to cause selfbustion. Ineffective against zombies mutated for over 3 days (Note: This potion is an experimental version with certain unknown side effects)] [Deactivating Potion (Experimental): Can reduce the zombie virus activity in the infected for 3 to 10 days. After the decrease in virus activity, the mutation into a zombie will not ur] Previously, Wang Tao had only obtained one [Detoxification Potion], one [Purification Agent (Experimental)], and two cases of Deactivating Potion [Experimental]. Besides acquiring Deactivating Potion after Wu Fei¡¯s mutation into a zombie, the rest were obtained from the Green-eyed Zombie below Shuize First Hospital. Wang Tao had hypothesized that such potions could only drop from doctor-ss zombies. But since he hadn¡¯t encountered any special doctor zombies afterward, he couldn¡¯t confirm his guess. But now, Wang Tao felt his guess must be correct! He had previously thought that this Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s past life seemed a bit like a doctor¡¯s, except it was too incongruous holding a chainsaw. Now it appeared that it really was a doctor. Of these three potions, Wang Tao most coveted the Detoxification Potion. He had gotten five bottles previously and, after using them sparingly, now only had one bottle left. Chapter 709: 287: Four Level 4 Creatures_2 Chapter 709: Chapter 287: Four Level 4 Creatures_2 ¡°` Lightning strikes killed the zombies and added to his HP, and the Bloody Chainsaw did the same when it killed Level 3 zombies. Therefore, Wang Tao activated Entangling Roots and charged directly into the mob of Mad Demon Zombies, starting a frenzy of ughter. Buzzing¡ª It has to be said, the Bloody Chainsaw was extremely effective against Ordinary Zombies, hardly requiring any effort. By the time only a few Mad Demon Zombies remained, they all started to flee. Wang Tao naturally couldn¡¯t let them go, but during the pursuit, he suddenly thought, he had previously followed Night Demons to find the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. Now following these Mad Demon Zombies, could he find a Mad Demon Lair? Thinking it, he did it. He didn¡¯t kill those few Mad Demon Zombies but instead followed them with Jiang Shixue and Lightning to see where they intended to go. About ten or so minutester, Wang Tao grinned. Indeed, he had found it! It was a ce that looked like a hotel, and he could sense arge number of Mad Demon Zombies inside! Wang Tao had passed by several Night Demon Nests, but he hadn¡¯t entered a Mad Demon Lair before.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s take a look inside!¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t timid; he went straight in. He had just scouted the area and found that it was only filled with Level 1, Level Two, and Level 3 Mad Demon Zombies, with no other types of zombies or any Level Four zombies present. This was why he was so fearless. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± When Wang Tao, one person and one dog, appeared at the entrance of the hotel, they instantly drew the attention of the Mad Demon Zombies inside. Mad Demons are different from Night Demons; they aren¡¯t afraid of Ultraviolet Light. Upon seeing Wang Tao, the uninvited guest, arge number of Mad Demon Zombies immediately ran out of the hotel. ¡°Kill!¡± Wielding the Bloody Chainsaw, Wang Tao charged into battle, with Jiang Shixue and Lightning following behind him. Dealing with Mad Demon Zombies of these levels was naturally not difficult for Wang Tao. Their numbers weren¡¯t too many, at least not as many as a zombie horde, so Wang Tao could easily handle them. After some time, there wasn¡¯t a single zombie left standing inside the hotel. Lightning¡¯s HP had reached 80,000, and the Bloody Chainsaw¡¯s HP finally reached 100,000. Wang Tao began cleaning up the battlefield. The Mad Demon Zombies themselves didn¡¯t have Crystal Cores, and the Loot Packs that Wang Tao looted mostly contained materials, so there wasn¡¯t anything particrly valuable. However, inside their, there was some flesh that could hatch Mad Demon Zombies. After destroying all of this flesh, Wang Tao ended up with arge pile of Extraction Crystal Cores! Moreover, these Extraction Crystal Cores were not merely Level Two; there were Level 1, Level Two, and Level 3 ones! ¡°Hiss¡­ struck it rich!¡± Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected to find such valuable items inside a Mad Demon Lair. These Crystal Cores were of no use to Wang Tao himself, but to others, they were invaluable, especially the Level 3 Extraction Crystal Cores. Lan Yulian and her group were all at Level 3! Although the Crystal Cores they fused with were all selected by Wang Tao and were essentially wless, using the Extraction Crystal Cores with HP Enhancement Crystal Cores could potentially increase their extra HP! Wang Tao previously obtained an extra 10,000 HP this way. Of course, he didn¡¯t use Extraction Crystal Cores but instead utilized his Special Energy Extraction Ability, but they should be simr. The HP Enhancement Crystal Cores came from the Night Demon and were all Level 3; thus, they could only be used with Level 3 Extraction Crystal Cores. After his Ascension to Level Four, Wang Tao realized how difficult it was to increase his HP. Allowing them to gain an extra 10,000 HP while at Level 3 was quite significant. Moreover, Awakening required 100,000 HP. Wang Tao had 110,000, leaving him with some to spare. He was unsure what would happen if one had exactly 100,000 HP¡­ If everyone could increase their HP to 110,000, then that worry would be gone. After collecting all of the loot, Wang Tao used the walkie-talkie to inquire about the situation at the base. Jade Lotus reported that no Level 4 zombies had appeared and that the attack from the horde wasn¡¯t in a state of Frenzy, so the base was still safe. Thus, Wang Tao didn¡¯t return but continued with Jiang Shixue and Lightning, searching Zijing City for zombies to see if they could find another Mad Demon Lair. Although they searched for half a day without finding a second Mad Demon Lair, Wang Tao dide across a Night Demon¡¯s Nest. Unfortunately, this Night Demon¡¯s Nest was quite significant, but it contained no Level 4 Night Demons, only Level 3 Night Demons. But a mosquito¡¯s leg is still meat, and Wang Tao didn¡¯t let it go. After clearing out this Night Demon¡¯s Nest, Lightning¡¯s HP also reached 100,000. For the now, killing these Level 3 zombies was incredibly easy for Lightning, who could bite them to death in just a few bites. ¡°Let¡¯s go, back to base!¡± Since the base was currently surrounded by a zombie horde, Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to stray too far away. However, as they were leaving the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, and Lightning all looked toward the east at the same time. Thud, thud¡ª A towering figure in worn-out metal armor, carrying a metal pir simr to a utility pole on his shoulder, walked past in the distance. ¡°Level 4 Lord Zombie!¡± Upon seeing the zombie, Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. But before he could say anything, he saw a thin, shriveled, hunched-over figure emerge from behind the tall one. ¡°Two Level 4 Lord Zombies¡ªNo! There¡¯s more!¡± A massive obese zombie and another deformed one covered in green mist appeared! Four Level 4 Lord Zombies! ¡°Run!¡± If it were only one Level 4 Lord, Wang Tao would definitely have tried to see if he could defeat it. But suddenly, there were four! Without a second word, Wang Tao turned and ran. ¡°` Chapter 588 - 247 Zombie Dog_1 ``` "Automated defense facilities?" Wang Tao was somewhat curious, but he didn¡¯t ask further. Under He Jijun¡¯smand, the two vehicles headed toward the gate. He Jijun said there were several gates to the base, and naturally, he was leading Wang Tao to the closest one. Wang Tao also tried to contact the military base using the military walkie-talkie, but there was no response; it was unclear if the other side had received the message. @@novelbin@@ The two vehicles carefully navigated around the perimeter of the military base for a while, and finally, they saw a security checkpoint. "My God¡­" However, upon seeing the situation here, the expressions on the faces of Wang Tao and his group turned grim. The entrance was nearly blocked by abandoned vehicles, and arge group of zombies was wandering around, some of them clearly in military uniforms. The checkpoint gate was open, and one could vaguely see the high grass taller than a human and the zombies in the grass. "Has the military base¡­ fallen?" He Jijun¡¯s eyes became distant. Although he had mentally prepared for this, it was still difficult to see it with his own eyes. But Wang Tao shook his head. "No, the military base hasn¡¯t fallen!" "Hmm?" He Jijun looked at Wang Tao in confusion, and Wang Tao exined: "Military supply nes have been making airdrops continuously since the outbreak began, for several months now. Thetest airdrop was just the day before I met you!" "What? There¡¯s still airdropping? And recently?" He Jijun found it hard to believe. Seeing He Jijun¡¯s reaction, Wang Tao knew he probably hadn¡¯t seen any airdrops. So Wang Tao gave a brief exnation. After listening to Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, He Jijun felt bewildered. However, there was no need for Wang Tao to joke about such matters, and he quickly said: "If there are still living people in the military base, then they probably wouldn¡¯t just ignore this ce, right¡­" "Perhaps because the personnel at the military base have been greatly reduced, they were unable to manage such arge base and had to shrink their defensive perimeter?" Wang Tao suggested, frowning. "That¡¯s also a possibility¡­ We need to go in and see!" The two vehicles couldn¡¯t proceed as the abandoned vehicles outside were numerous. Therefore, Wang Tao parked the cars in the woods at a concealed spot, and everyone got out and put on their armor. Wang Tao took out two bottles of alcohol and then prepared to walk over. Uncertain about what was inside the military base, or whether there were any particrly strong zombies, Wang Tao, out of caution, handed out several Stealth Potions to everyone. "This is a Stealth Potion¡­" Wang Tao gave a brief exnation. He Jijun was aware of the Stealth Crystal Core, but it was his first time hearing about the Stealth Potion, which left him utterly amazed. Soon, everyone except Jiang Shixue and Wang Tao had injected themselves with the Stealth Potion. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t need it because she was already a zombie by nature and didn¡¯t require it. Wang Tao didn¡¯t need it because he had previously merged with a Spirit ability that allowed him to control some weaker zombies. He could move through these zombie groups without much trouble. It was still raining heavily, with the sound of raindrops pitter-pattering as they hit the ground. The zombies wandering around the entrance of the military base seemed irritable, asionally emitting growls. Wang Tao and the rest, drenched in rain, swiftly moved through the zombies. Under thebined effect of the heavy rain and the Stealth Potion, they managed to reach the gate without incident. The gate was only slightly ajar; Xu Xiaojun reached out and forcibly pried it open. Screech¡ª An unpleasant scraping noise attracted the attention of many zombies, and Wang Tao and his group quickly slipped inside. The rain severely impaired the zombies¡¯ perception, and coupled with the Stealth Potion, the zombies that noticed the noise only roared a few times before dispersing slowly. "It feels so deste¡­" Yang Changhong, having killed a zombie with an ax, murmured as she looked at the scenery before her. Looking around, all she could see were weeds taller than her, which hardly resembled a military base at all. Wang Tao, being tall, could see the situation in the distance more clearly. "There are buildings over there¡­" Then he looked toward He Jijun. After all, he was unfamiliar with the ce and didn¡¯t know where survivors might be located. "Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s head over there!" He Jijun pointed in the direction Wang Tao was looking and said. "Okay." Wang Tao extended his Perception to the maximum to avoid being ambushed by zombies. The military base was vast, and it took Wang Tao and hispanions a while to approach this cluster of buildings. "There¡¯s another defensive line here!" A high wall surrounded the perimeter of these buildings. Under the wall, numerous zombies were active, and the wall itself was covered with barbed wire and even had electrical arcs shing through it! "It¡¯s still electrified!" Wang Tao was surprised. "But there¡¯s no one manning the watchtowers¡­" There were watchtowers at regr intervals along the high walls, but they were empty. However, these weren¡¯t the main concerns; the question was how to get inside. Wang Tao looked at Nie Siyan. Nie Siyan possessed the ability to jump, and although the wall was high, she could get over it with a double jump against the wall. But if the barbed wire was electrified, were there other defenses inside, such as the automatic shooting weapons that He Jijun had mentioned earlier? If there were, Nie Siyan would be a target by jumping inside... Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, Nie Siyan tensed up inside. She had an idea of what Wang Tao was thinking, but she didn¡¯t dare say much. Instead, she looked at Wang Tao with a pitiful expression, hoping he wouldn¡¯t make her the cannon fodder. ``` Chapter 714 - 289: Proper Use (Two-In-One Mega Chapter)_1 Chapter 714: Chapter 289: Proper Use (Two-In-One Mega Chapter)_1 Zijin Base¡¯s exterior was swarming with zombies at a visibly rming rate. They screamed and howled, climbing up the tall walls. Da-da-da¡ªda-da-da¡ª The heavy machine guns mounted on the wall fired down below; the zombies at the front were riddled with holes, but countless more took their ce. In the blink of an eye, the base of the wall was piled high with zombie corpses, which served as adder for the other zombies. ¡°Gasoline!¡± Someone shouted, and barrels of gasoline started pouring down onto the heap of bodies. Bullets struck the gasoline, and mes erupted instantaneously, swallowing the zombies in a sea of fire. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Sizzle¡ª The ignited zombies¡¯ body fat emitted crackling noises. But the secretion of ck blood with fire-retardant properties began to reduce, even extinguish, the mes. Without pain or fatigue, they emerged from the fire and continued their assault on the wall. @@novelbin@@ ¡­ ¡°These zombies are tough to deal with! Even fire can¡¯t kill them¡­¡± Wei Zhenguoined as he reloaded, watching some zombies¡¯ mes slowly extinguished atop the tall wall. Unless they were directly doused in gasoline over their heads, these zombies might really be unburnable. Wang Tao remained silent. He was firing his rifle at the Elite Zombies in the horde while keeping an eye on the three zombies that stood out from the rest¡ªthree Level 4 Lords! After the arrival of these three Four-level Lord zombies, the situation didn¡¯t unfold as Wang Tao had predicted¡ªthey didn¡¯t lead a massive zombie charge against Zijin Base. Instead, they waited from afar while sending Ordinary Zombies ahead! Wang Tao felt that these zombies had truly be cunning, capable not only of strategic deployment but also of using these cannon fodder to wear down their enemies. The base¡¯s ammunition was limited, and people could weary. If the base was so depleted by other zombies that they ran out of bullets and supplies, by the time the Four-level Zombies attacked, they would stand no chance. ¡°Wang Tao, how about we rush out together! We¡¯ll hold off the other two Four-level Zombies, and you take care of the third. As long as we can split them up, I believe you can take them down!¡± Xiang Hong Bin suddenly said. Back at the military base, Wang Tao used a military printer to make a prosthetic limb for him. Although hecked thebat power of a normal person, he still had the ability to fight, which is why he was also on the frontline. Hearing this, the others turned their eyes towards Wang Tao. What Xiang Hong Bin said was also a viable strategy. They all knew Wang Tao was a strong fighter, capable of taking down a Level 4 Lord Zombie, but it needed time and had to be a 1v1 fight. With three Level 4 Lord Zombies present, Wang Tao obviously couldn¡¯t handle them. But if they could temporarily distract the other two, giving Wang Tao time and space, he would surely take care of the problem! But there was one major issue¡­ ¡°I disagree because you would die,¡± Wang Tao tly refused. He had fought against Level 4 Lords multiple times and knew how terrifying they were. Put simply, if Wei Zhenguo and the others were to fight these two Level 4 Lords, casualties would be inevitable! It¡¯s just a matter of how many would die; total annihtion was possible. Having recently reunited, Wang Tao naturally couldn¡¯t ept such a scenario. ¡°But if we don¡¯t do this, we¡¯re just slowly dying!¡± Xiang Hong Bin sighed. He wasn¡¯t afraid to die; what he feared was dying without achieving anything. ¡°There will be a way. I¡¯ll think of something,¡± Wang Tao still shook his head. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Seeing this, everyone else refrained from saying anything further. Ding Yuqin came up to Wang Tao¡¯s side, gripped his hand tightly, and whispered: ¡°We trust you, Wang Tao! But if there really is no other way¡­ you can retreat in time!¡± To ¡°retreat in time¡± meant to give up on the people of Zijin Base. Ding Yuqin feared Wang Tao would be obstinate and fight to the death against these zombies. Wang Tao certainly had the chance to retreat. She admitted, she was selfish. But as long as Wang Tao was alive, her selfishness was justified. She was never a generous person to begin with. Looking into Ding Yuqin¡¯s watery eyes, Wang Tao smiled and caressed her cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it reallyes to that, I¡¯ll make sure there¡¯s a way out for myself,¡± Wang Tao could leave by helicopter at any time. But he didn¡¯t want to flee ignominiously, especially when there was still a chance. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Ding Yuqin tilted her head, rubbed her face into Wang Tao¡¯s palm, then decisively turned away, picked up her rifle, and resumed firing skillfully at the base of the wall. Wang Tao took a deep breath and looked again at the three Level 4 Lord Zombies hiding in the dark distance. The first zombie was a gaunt and withered one, hunched over. [HP: 150000/150000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Awakening: Boulder Armor] [Boulder Armor: For the duration, defensive power is greatly increased.] Was this some kind of Earth Awakening? It seemed a bit simr to his Starfire Prairie. He didn¡¯t know how much this increased the defensive power, nor how long this Awakening wouldst¡­ The second zombie was over two meters tall, extremely obese. [HP: 120000/120000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Awakening: me Explosion] [me Explosion: Concentrate Awakening Energy to form a massive Fireball and explode.] Clearly, it was a Fire System Awakening Ability and by its description, the Awakening¡¯s power seemed considerable. The third zombie was a deformed one, surrounded by a yellow-green fog. Chapter 590 - 247 Zombie Dog_3 ``` Pfft! [-8139] A single blow, eight thousand blood! This zombie¡¯s defense isn¡¯t high. "Roar!" The deceived Zombie Dog seemed furious, its eyes glowing red, muscles bulging as it bit at Wang Tao with even greater speed than before. Realizing he couldn¡¯t dodge, Wang Tao took the hit head-on. [-3194] [110000/110000 (96806/100000)] @@novelbin@@ Instantly, Wang Tao felt like he was hit by a truck. Though uninjured, he was somewhat dazed. "Such high damage!" Seeing the damage numbers above his head, Wang Tao was surprised. The Zombie Dog¡¯s bite had actually taken¡ªoh, no, to be precise, it had bitten off 3,000 HP from the Entangling Roots! That was 1.4% of his total HP! If it bit him seventy or eighty times like this, wouldn¡¯t it chew him to death? But Wang Tao didn¡¯t panic; he forcefully escaped from the Zombie Dog¡¯s mouth, and uponnding, he sent a Shockwave at the Zombie Dog¡¯s head. [-5448] The Shockwave, being an area attack, was difficult for the Zombie Dog to evade and easily hit. But the power of the Shockwave was much less than the high-frequency vibration, only taking off five thousand of the Zombie Dog¡¯s blood. Seeing Wang Tao unharmed after being bitten and still attacking it, the Zombie Dog seemed even angrier. "Roar¡ª" The Zombie Dog let out a loud roar and frenziedlyunched a flurry of bites at Wang Tao. Wang Tao could only see its afterimages. However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t flustered. He dodged when he could, used the Bone Knife to block when he couldn¡¯t dodge, and if the Bone Knife couldn¡¯t block, he would have to rely on the Entangling Roots to take the hit. It must be said that the Zombie Dog¡¯s attack speed was truly fast, with too high a frequency of attacks. For every sh Wang Tao delivered, he¡¯d be bitten several times; even if the dog could only bite him once, it was scary enough. If not for Entangling Roots, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure if his body could withstand its attacks. If he were bitten just once, it would definitely hurt badly. Moreover, while attacking Wang Tao, the Zombie Dog was also slowly advancing toward the others. The attacks from Jiang Shixue and Yang Changhong, itpletely ignored, as if it had set its mind solely on Wang Tao. But at a certain moment, it suddenly released Wang Tao and lunged toward the others! And its target was none other than He Jijun! He Jijun was busy with the hand crossbow dealing with other zombies. Kill or not, his archery was urate, consistently hitting zombies in the forehead. He hadn¡¯t expected the Zombie Dog to give up its assault on Wang Tao and attack him instead. "This Zombie Dog is so smart!" Wang Tao was somewhat shocked. It was his first time seeing zombies employ strategy! He immediately used the Tendril to try to capture the Zombie Dog. Wang Tao¡¯s position was quite far from He Jijun, and the Iron Tree Vines couldn¡¯t reach him. But after the tendril wrapped around the Zombie Dog¡¯s leg, it only managed to hold the Zombie Dog for a second before it snapped! [-5000] The Iron Tree Vine with ten thousand HP lost five thousand instantly! "Old He, dodge quickly!" Wang Tao yelled at the top of his lungs. Though He Jijun had the abilities of an Athlete and Running, they were all Level 1, and now he was facing a Level 3 Zombie Dog with a hundred thousand HP. These Level 1 abilities were simply not enough! Faced with the Zombie Dog¡¯s immense figure lunging toward him at thest moment, He Jijun was unexpectedly calm. Knowing he couldn¡¯t outrun it, he didn¡¯t flee, but instead suddenly pulled out a giant pancake from his Loot Pack and threw it into the distance. Whoosh¡ª ``` The Zombie Dog paused for a moment when it saw the big pie He Jijun had thrown, then immediately changed direction and pounced toward the pie. "?" Wang Tao and the others were somewhat dumbfounded, unsure of what ability this was. The Zombie Dog was very fast and bit into the big pie that He Jijun had thrown in the blink of an eye. Given the size of the Zombie Dog, that big pie was hardly enough to fill its gaps between teeth; it was swallowed in an instant. However, it seemed to have no intention of eating the pie, so when the pie was gulped down, it appeared to be stunned for a moment. Then it looked at He Jijun... "Woof!" "..." Everyone was baffled. What was this situation? "It used to be a military dog; it¡¯s just acting on instinct." He Jijun exined. "Doesn¡¯t that mean we can control it?" Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. If they could control a big guy like this, that would be quite thrilling! But He Jijun shook his head with a somewhat mncholic expression. "No, it has no intelligence. This is just its instinct." He had lost a goodpanion a few months ago, unfortunately... "Roar!" As if to prove He Jijun¡¯s point, the Zombie Dog, after a moment of bewilderment, had a violent re return to its eyes. "Attack!" But now that He Jijun had escaped danger, Wang Tao had no more reservations. The group charged once again. Knowing that this was some remnant instinct of the Zombie Dog, attacking it became a lot easier. He Jijun threw out a few more big pies, two of which worked. Wang Tao was even more extreme, throwing out three Reinforced Concrete Hammers directly. The Zombie Dog might have thought they were bones and then..."crack," it bit through the reinforced concrete! But it lost HP in the process. Wang Tao and the others seized the opportunity, directing all their attacks at its head. After a few moves and with Wang Tao¡¯sst swing, the Zombie Dog¡¯s HP bar hit zero! [-1223] [0/100000] Boom¡ª The Zombie Dog fell to the ground with a thud. Wang Tao expertly cracked open its head, retrieved the Crystal Core, and also picked up the Loot Pack that had burst out. "Hm? Did its teeth fall out?" Wang Tao noticed that four of the Zombie Dog¡¯s teeth had names on them and immediately collected them. [You have obtained: Sharp Dog Teeth*4] "Woof woof woof!" At that moment, another group of Zombie Dogs appeared, but they were all Level 2 Elites, and not asrge. Wang Tao saw arge group of zombies behind these Zombie Dogs and had no time to check the loot, immediately saying to the others: "Since there¡¯s no danger inside, let¡¯s get in first!" "Okay!" Chapter 591 - 248 I’m Already Dead_1 The scenery inside the wall was somewhat simr to the outside, overgrown with weeds. However, there were no zombies here, and many buildings were nearby, with what seemed to be an airport in the distance. Wang Tao and the others arrived at the entrance of one of the buildings. Although the door was locked, there was an eave to shelter from the rain. Having just fought a battle, they could take a brief rest to replenish some physical strength. Wang Tao looked towards He Jijun, admiration on his face, and said, "Old He, that was impressive! I didn¡¯t expect you toe up with such a method!" If He Jijun hadn¡¯t thought of the throwing pancake method, he would have definitely been injured. "Sigh¡­" He Jijun let out a sigh, then exined, "I used to have a retired military dog, but it turned into a zombie. When it knocked me down, I had an idea in the heat of the moment, recalling the way I used to train it, and it actually worked. But it was only temporary, as it had lost its own thoughts. In the end, I still had to end its life with my hands..." Wang Tao hadn¡¯t expected He Jijun to have had this experience. "Condolences." "Haha, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m already used to it." He Jijun shook his head indifferently. Wang Tao didn¡¯t dwell on the topic and instead asked, "Where do you think we should go now?" It seemed there wasn¡¯t much danger inside the wall, but the doors and windows of these buildings were locked, and the locks were different from any Wang Tao had seen before; he felt unsure if he could open them. He Jijun thought for a moment and said, "Let¡¯s head to themand center. If there are any survivors, they must be there because it can monitor the entire military base." "Okay, you lead the way!" Wang Tao maxed out his Perception Ability, and the group followed He Jijun towards the direction of themand center. "Eh? Is that an airne?" Suddenly, Yang Changhong pointed to an area of the airfield and asked. Upon looking where she indicated, Wang Tao and hispanions indeed saw two military transport nes corroded by the acid rain. "Such a pity..." Seeing this, He Jijun sighed. By the looks of it, these two airnes had been exposed to the corrosive acid rain for quite some time and obviously couldn¡¯t be used anymore. Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed. "These two nes probably aren¡¯t the one that air-dropped for us. They¡¯ve corroded into piles of scrap metal..." He Jijun spoke up, "There¡¯s a hangar here. If the air-drop ne you mentioned is in the base, it¡¯s highly likely to be in the hangar." "That¡¯s good!" Wang Tao was still counting on the chance of catching a flying ride. Momentster, Wang Tao and his group arrived at the grand building of themand center that He Jijun had referred to. "All locked up¡­" After walking around the exterior of the building and returning to the entrance of themand center, He Jijun¡¯s expression showed a hint of distress. "Isn¡¯t there a way to get in?" Wang Tao inquired. "The defenses here are tight. Unless we open it from the inside, the only other way in would be to blow it up with a bomb; otherwise, it¡¯s impossible to get through," "¡­" Hearing this, everyone was somewhat speechless. They had finally reached the military base; surely they couldn¡¯t just fail to get inside? All the important buildings within the military base were locked up like this; if they couldn¡¯t enter themand center, ess to other areas, including the hangar, was out of the question. Wang Tao had been using the military walkie-talkie all along, but regrettably, he still couldn¡¯t establish contact. He had no idea if Colonel Luo Guozhong had run into trouble¡­ "Buzz¡ª" But just then, an rm sounded suddenly at the entrance of themand center. While it wasn¡¯t very loud, it startled Wang Tao and the others who were outside. "What¡¯s going on!" They instantly became vignt. He Jijun was also puzzled. A rumbling noise emanated from behind the door. Then, the door opened! "The door¡¯s opening!" When the door slowly opened a small gap, Wang Tao felt a surge of excitement, but he didn¡¯t let his guard down. He immediately pulled out his Bone Knife and extended his Perception Ability inside. "It¡¯s safe inside, no zombies, no humans¡­" The door stopped after it opened wide enough to fit two people side by side; inside was pitch-dark, somewhat eerie to look at. Wang Tao¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with a green glow. His Perception saw no danger, and with his Night Vision Ability, he found no traps or the like. "Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re heading in!" Wang Tao led the way, and the group followed him in. Rumbling¡ª Just as they entered, the door behind them began to close slowly! Wang Tao naturally had time to get out, but his goal was the military base, so retreat was not an option. As the door fully shut and thest gleam of light vanished, lights in the facility automatically turned on with a buzz. "Is someone in control?" The hall looked somewhat sci-fi in style but was starkly empty. Wang Tao immediately called out, "Colonel Luo Guozhong, is that you? I¡¯m Wang Tao! We¡¯vemunicated over the radio before! I said I woulde to the military base to have a drink with you, and here I am, with liquor in hand!" Wang Tao¡¯s voice echoed through the empty hall, but there was no response. @@novelbin@@ He Jijun patted Wang Tao¡¯s arm and then pointed to the few cameras on the ceiling, blinking intermittently. Wang Tao instantly got the hint, walked confidently under a camera, and repeated his words, this time emphasizing the two bottles of liquor he was holding. However, after waiting for a while longer, there was still no movement. "What¡¯s going on here?" Chapter 721 - 290: Flame Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_2 Chapter 721: Chapter 290: me Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_2 Wang Tao roughly estimated that with the density of these zombies, that single hand grenade must have incinerated at least a thousand zombies! Moreover, the mes wouldn¡¯t die out quickly but would continue to burn for a long time. During its duration, it was a one-way trip for any zombies that came near! ¡°Not bad!¡± This was the first time Wang Tao had witnessed the power of these hand grenades, and while they weren¡¯t as powerful as the abilities of the me Monster he¡¯d seen before, they were more than enough against these ordinary zombies. ¡°Continue!¡± Wang Tao directed He Jijun to fly towards other areas dense with zombies and threw several more hand grenades. Boom! Boom! Boom! The night sky turned red, and nearly all survivors inside the base could see the roaring mes. The western wall outside waspletely cleared, even the three level 4 zombies had retreated quite a distance. ¡°Old He, take a round to the other three directions!¡± As the sea of fire at the western wall would burn for a while, preventing zombies from entering, Wang Tao took the opportunity to head to other ces to help ease the pressure on everyone else. Humming¡ª The helicopter flew northward. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, we couldn¡¯t burn the level 4 zombies to death¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed. When he threw the hand grenades, he specifically targeted the area near those three level 4 zombies, but the mes that could kill level 3 zombies couldn¡¯t kill them. Plus, they were fast and had run out of the inferno. Of course, the oue was still very good. With a few grenades, at least ten thousand zombies had been incinerated! And those three level 4 Zombie Lords were also severely wounded! If it weren¡¯t for the base behind him that needed defending, Wang Tao might have switched his equipment and chased after them. The helicopter quickly reached the northern wall of the base. There were many zombies here too, but they were nothingpared to the Western wall. Wang Tao dropped an Explosion Grenade, killing countless zombies in moments, significantly relieving the pressure on the survivors atop the high wall. Then the helicopter went to both the eastern and southern walls, dropping a grenade at each location before Wang Tao returned to the breach at the western wall. Thud! Wang Tao released the helicopter,nding heavily. The fire outside was still burning, but it had greatly weakened. Beyond the mes, some shadowy figures could be seen. It seemed like they were waiting for the fire to die down¡­ ¡°These zombies are really insane!¡± Seeing this, theplexion of those watching turned grim. ¡°They¡¯re all under the control of those three level 4 Zombie Lords¡­¡± Zombie Lords could influence or even control other zombies. With these three level 4 Zombie Lords together, they could affect a lot of zombies. If they weren¡¯t dealt with, the zombies assaulting the base would never retreat. ¡°Wang Tao, should we charge out and fight those three Lords to the death!¡± Hong Bin spoke to Wang Tao. He had previously wanted to fight to the death against the zombies but was stopped by Wang Tao. Before, it was because he saw no hope and wanted to exert hisst bit of strength. This time, it was because he saw hope¡ªWang Tao¡¯s strength exceeded his imagination, and he felt that if they charged out and fought those three zombies together, they might have a chance to win. However, Wang Tao still shook his head. ¡°No rush. They wille to us!¡± Going out to fight the level 4 Zombie Lords was too risky, and if they were surrounded by arge horde of zombies, they would be in great danger even without those three level 4 zombies taking action. And as long as these three zombies weren¡¯t willing to give up this ce, they would inevitablye again. Wang Tao, d in ck Iron Heavy Armor, was meant for defense. As long as his Awakening Energy wasn¡¯t depleted, he could hold his ground, and even turn the tables! As expected, as the fire started to wane, zombies began charging through the mes toward his location, and right behind these zombies were those three level 4 Zombie Lords. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± Wang Tao, holding his long sword, stepped towards the approaching zombies. Once the zombies entered his attack range, Wang Tao unleashed a Shockwave, instantly ying arge swath of them. But at that moment, a figure d in Stone Armor suddenly appeared beside Wang Tao! Instantly, a shield appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. Bang! The sneak attack from the Stone Armor Zombie was sessfully blocked by Wang Tao. Then, with his sword in one hand, he swung fiercely. Bang! [-323] [-32] [¡­] Without using Starfire Prairie, the damage Wang Tao dealt to it was frighteningly low. But Wang Tao was already ustomed to the high Defense of its Stone Armor and was hardly surprised. Suddenly, though, Wang Tao¡¯s gaze sharpened. Because he noticed that the Stone Armor on the zombie¡­ seemed to have a small crack in it! He hadn¡¯t seen wrong; there was indeed a crack! Wang Tao was instantly overjoyed. He had been wondering why this zombie¡¯s Awakening Ability was so enduring! Clearly an active Awakening, once used, the Stone Armor seemed to be a part of its body and hadn¡¯t faded. This was much more enduring than Wang Tao¡¯s Starfire Prairie! @@novelbin@@ But now, Wang Tao understood. This Stone Armor created by its Awakening Ability probably had no time limit but perhaps a Durability limit! Now, after so many hits from Wang Tao, its Durability was likely almost depleted! This was an opportunity! Wang Tao immediately yelled to the others: ¡°Hold off the other zombies! I¡¯ll take care of this one!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The others responded. mes instantly erupted around Wang Tao, and he pushed the Stone Armor Zombie into the horde of zombies. Then, abandoning defense, he gripped the sword in both hands and ruthlessly hacked at the Stone Armor Zombie. [-1283] Chapter 724 - 290: Flame Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_5 ``` Does Wang Tao have a way to deal with that giant zombie?! "Wang Tao!" The crowd silently cheered and prayed for Wang Tao in their hearts. At the same time, they were all gripping their weapons tightly, ready to join the fight at any moment. They didn¡¯t know if Wang Tao could win, but if they were needed, they wouldn¡¯t shrink back! Lan Yulian hurriedly broadcasted to the other survivors, telling them that this me Giant wasn¡¯t a zombie or a monster, but their base¡¯s guardian deity, Wang Tao! "It¡¯s actually Mr. Wang!" "Mr. Wang is so strong! But... can he really beat the giant zombie? I heard that a giant zombie could ravage a city..." "Go Mr. Wang!" "May the heavens bless Mr. Wang to be safe and sound!" "..." ... "Sigh..." In the sea of fire, Wang Tao sighed as he saw himself be incredibly huge after triggering Berserk. He had remnants of poison gas on his body which caused his HP to continuously drop. Originally, he nned to find Lan Yulian for blood regeneration, but then he saw the giant zombie appear. Because he stared for a bit too long, his HP dropped below 30%, triggering Berserk. HP, mana, physical strength, spirit all restored to full! Aside from defense, all other attributes were enhanced! And the ck Iron Heavy Armor was proportionally erged, which was an effect of the extensibility attribute, and he still maintained the Starfire Original Status! This was originally Wang Tao¡¯sst resort since his Berserk could only be activated once a day, and he didn¡¯t know what would happen afterward... "Well, since it hase to this, let¡¯s see if you, an underage giant zombie, are truly invincible!" Wang Tao took a deep breath and then sprinted towards the giant zombie. Thud, thud¡ª Wang Tao was only five meters tall, still a significant difference from the giant zombie¡¯s twenty meters. However, his momentum was no less intimidating than that of the giant zombie, especially with the fierce mes burning around him, making him look like a demon returned from hell! Roar¡ª The giant zombie clearly noticed this tiny figure only as tall as its knee. Although Wang Tao¡¯s mes instinctively repulsed it, Wang Tao¡¯s human scent was far more enticing than others! It immediately shifted its target and walked towards Wang Tao. Attracting the giant zombie¡¯s attention, Wang Tao pulled out the tusk long knife. Then, somewhat annoyed, he discovered that although his body had erged, his weapon did not change; the long knife, formerly quite slender, became a "dagger" in his hand... Of course, a dagger wasn¡¯t unusable, certainly better than going empty-handed. Continue reading at NovelBin.C?m Wang Tao immediately took this "dagger" and sprinted towards the giant zombie. Whoosh¡ª His increased size did not diminish Wang Tao¡¯s speed at all. The survivors only saw a sh before the me Giant reached the front of the giant zombie. At the same time, everyone sensed the terror of the giant zombie¡ª Wang Tao had transformed into the me Giant not far from the base¡¯s entrance, and the survivors could feel the grandeur of Wang Tao¡¯s form. However, now that Wang Tao was beside the giant zombie, they saw him only reaching its knee! The disparity in size was immense! Everyone grew tense, and many even prayed to the gods for Wang Tao¡¯s safety. At that moment, Wang Tao himself felt the pressure mounting. Only when up close could he feel the giant zombie¡¯s terrifying aura. It was simr to the first time he encountered the ck Mist Monster in Shuize County, that shivering sensation all over! But unlike before, Wang Tao could no longer be intimidated by mere presence, nor was he unable to move. Although the giant zombie was huge, it was also Level 4. Who else isn¡¯t Level 4 nowadays! Whoosh! Wang Tao swung his long knife,unching a me Shockwave at the giant zombie¡¯s head. The range of his shockwave was about ten meters or so, and with his five-meter stature, he could just reach the twenty-meter tall giant zombie¡¯s head. But the giant was quick to react. Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s attack, it stretched out its monumental palm and blocked the me Shockwave! [-217] @@novelbin@@ [-102] "..." The Shockwave hit for two hundred HP, and the me burned for another hundred HP. That wasn¡¯t all, the HP the giant zombie lost began to slowly rise back up! No blood regeneration figures appeared above its head, but the small amount of HP it lost was increasing. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t an ability to regenerate HP, but rather it had high-quality physical attributes that made its passive blood regeneration very strong! Wang Tao swung his knife again, sending another me Shockwave flying at the giant zombie¡¯s head. Just like before, the giant zombie blocked it with a p of its hand. Its hand was extremely hard, and the me Shockwave had no effect on it. After blocking Wang Tao¡¯s attack, the giant zombie bent down and reached for Wang Tao. Wang Tao deftly dodged the giant zombie¡¯s attack and continued to strike it several times. Only one blow hit the giant zombie¡¯s head. [-1003] The rest of the damage, merely a hundred or even only dozens of HP, hit the giant zombie¡¯s body. Wang Tao¡¯s own me damage also didn¡¯t burn much of the giant zombie¡¯s HP. Although Wang Tao¡¯s damage was low, he felt he truly had a chance to win! After all, a thousand damage was still damage. He just needed to hit the giant zombie¡¯s head a hundred times¡ªno, considering the giant zombie¡¯s own blood regeneration, maybe one hundred fifty times. Just a hundred fifty hits to the giant zombie¡¯s head and he could kill it! ``` Chapter 594 - 249: Faith, Diary_1 "Why?" Nie Siyan blurted out subconsciously. "They¡¯ve all turned into zombies, so why are they still making airdrops, flying nes, and even after hearing Brother Wang¡¯s words, they actually took the initiative to airdrop for you..." Nie Siyan seemed bewildered. After bing zombies, aren¡¯t they supposed to be void of any consciousness? How could they... Hearing Nie Siyan¡¯s words, Wang Tao remained silent. He recalled the previous Blondy Wu Fei. He had saved Wu Fei¡¯s life, and Wu Fei had said he¡¯d repay him. Therefore, after turning into a zombie, Wu Fei exchanged his own life for that of a gori zombie. Wu Fei kept his promise to Wang Tao. And then there was Jiang Shixue by his side, whose condition at the time was almost equivalent to that of a zombie, slightly dazed. Wang Tao threatened her to help him, and she truly did help. Of course, she was actually doing it for her mother. These two had something inmon: they still retained some consciousness and had their own obsessions. And now, this Luo Guozhong and... "They have their own beliefs." He Jijun suddenly spoke. "This belief is etched in their bones, so even if they die, their beliefs will live on!" "Beliefs, huh..." Nie Siyan muttered to herself, still not quite understanding. But as she looked at the figures in the surveince footage repeatedly loading and unloading cargo, she seemed to grasp something. Wang Tao continued to check the surveince. There were several monitors in this hangar, covering various angles. "There¡¯s not much left for the airdrops... Hm? There¡¯s still one ne!" Wang Tao noticed that there were not many airdrop boxes left, but there was still one camouged helicopter. This made him raise his eyebrows. Wang Tao had originally nned toe to the military base to assess the situation; if there was still a military presence, he might have stayed. If the base had fallen, then he certainly wouldn¡¯t have stayed. The current situation was that although the military base hadn¡¯t fallen, there were no soldiers left, just the few of them. If arge number of zombies were to attack, could the few of them hold such a vast military base? Wang Tao felt it was unlikely. Moreover, humans are social creatures. Although Wang Tao spent most of his time working in small teams, this didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t willing to make contact with other survivors. If they had to stay there for a lifetime, Wang Tao would definitely go mad. And the most important point: was this military base really safe? If it had been before, Wang Tao would have thought so. But after seeing those Fourth-Order Giant Zombies with a hundred thousand blood, he wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. After all, given the size of those zombies, they could easily step over the walls and electric fences... So, it was uncertain whether they could stay long at the military base. If they were to leave, it would be even better to do so by ne. That transport ne should still be operational, but it wasn¡¯t easy tond. The helicopter, on the other hand, was much more convenient... Wang Tao turned to He Jijun. "Old He, can you fly this helicopter?" He Jijun nced at it and said: "This is thetest model of ne; I¡¯ve flown older models. It shouldn¡¯t be a big problem, I¡¯ll figure it out, including that transport ne, I can fly it! The premise is that both nes are not broken, and of course, if there are some minor issues, I can fix them." Upon hearing He Jijun¡¯s confident answer, a smile immediately appeared on Wang Tao¡¯s face. "Then we might need you to pilot itter!" It was lucky to have met He Jijun! Otherwise, even if he had gotten a ne, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to use it. This thing wasn¡¯t like driving; it¡¯s not something you can just ¡¯give a try¡¯¡ªone trial could end your life. "No problem!" He Jijun nodded first and then added, "But what do you n to do with these people?" By "people," he naturally meant the four zombies in the hangar. "What do you think, Old He?" Wang Tao looked at He Jijun with some indecision. "Sigh, let¡¯s liberate them..." He Jijun exhaled deeply. Looking at the situation on the monitors, there weren¡¯t many airdrops left. If it weren¡¯t raining, they might have finished airdropping in just two trips. Although their spirit was admirable, to be honest, they were no longer useful... and whether they could still fly nes was also a question. So rather than let their bodies go on living in such a daze, it would be better to liberate them. Putting himself in their ce, if he turned into a zombie, he would also hope someone would help him find liberation. "Kill them, huh..." Wang Tao felt somewhat reluctant. @@novelbin@@ "No, they¡¯re already dead. You¡¯re just helping them find peace." He Jijun said solemnly. "Sigh... I¡¯ll think about it some more." Wang Tao sighed. He wasn¡¯t like others; he could gain items from killing creatures. What if he dropped a potion that could undo the zombie virus and restore people to their original form? That was also uncertain. He Jijun saw the hesitation in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes and felt gratified. He could tell that Wang Tao was not a heartless person. He had great respect for Luo Guozhong and the three others. Wang Tao might even be naively thinking, could Luo Guozhong and the others be saved... But unfortunately, once turned into zombies, there was no saving them... For these four, liberation was a form of respect for them. However, He Jijun wouldn¡¯t interfere with Wang Tao¡¯s decision; it all depended on Wang Tao himself. "Forget it, we still have time, let¡¯s check out the other situations first. We can discuss this matterter." Wang Tao shook his head. The zombie Luo Guozhong and his group couldn¡¯te out of the hangar. He had time to think it over. Soon, the group had checked all the monitors. Some were broken, but most were still functional. Chapter 729: 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_4 Chapter 729: Chapter 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_4 They didn¡¯t have this thing when they were in service! Boom! Just then, a violent explosion sounded in the distance, causing the ground to tremble. Rumble¡­ Following that was a deep roar of engines rising up amidst the pervasive dust and smoke; a thick smoldering barrel of a cannon slowly emerged. It was an imposing and impressive camouge tank, at the rear of which fluttered a stark red g in the wind! ¡°Type 400 main battle tank!¡± Finally seeing something familiar, Wei Zhenguo quickly spoke up loudly. One tank, two tanks, three tanks¡­ a total of ten main battle tanks! Apanying the main battle tanks were over ten wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, equipped with machine guns! ¡°Type 400 wheeled IFV.¡± Between the tanks and IFVs, interspersed a group of well-trained, fully armed soldiers wearing mechanical exoskeletons. The mechanical exoskeletons they wore bore some resemnce to Xu Xiaojun¡¯s Mechanical Arm, but appeared to be lighter and more excellent than the Mechanical Arm. Humming¡­ At that moment, a familiar sound of propellers approached. Everyone instinctively looked up. They saw, in the fiery-red sky, the shapes of four ck helicopters bristling with multiple machine guns and rocketunchers. ¡°Armed helicopter-400!¡± Boom! Ratatat! Pupupu! Boom boom boom! The sounds of gunfire, cannon sts, and roaring engines sent tremors through the survivors within the base. It was then they realized¡ªreinforcements had arrived! The survivors cried tears of joy. The reinforcements had reallye, and they hade early! Under the relentless advance of the steel tide, the zombies outside the western wall werepletely cleared out! What Wang Tao had not managed to do before was swiftly aplished by this army! Of course, the military had only cleared the zombies in the area beyond the inferno on the western wall. The tide of corpses had not disappeared! Even though it was already daylight and the zombie attacks were no longer as frenzied as before, there was still an endless stream of zombies approaching from the distance. However, these zombies were held off by the formidable firepower and were temporarily unable to breach the base¡¯s perimeter. Hum¡­ At this moment, one of the powered armors sprouted several blue mes from its back and feet, as if gliding swiftly across the ground, passing by the edge of the sea of fire, to arrive in front of Wang Tao and his group. Up close, it was evident that the powered armor was somewhat crude in appearance, not as refined as Wang Tao had imagined, but this fit the current circumstances all the more. Click¡ª Whoosh¡ª The visor of the powered armor opened, revealing a face with thick eyebrows andrge eyes. ¡°Comrade, hello! I am Captain Duan Xuchang from the 4th Squad of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Legion of Changhe City Base. I¡¯m here to take you home!¡± Upon hearing Duan Xuchang¡¯s words, everyone was suddenly filled with an indescribable emotion. Unnoticed by many, the corners of their eyes began to moisten. Wang Tao took a deep breath. ¡°My name is Wang Tao! Thank you foring from afar to rescue us! Two thousand survivors of Zijin Base are ready and waiting for evacuation!¡± Ever since it was confirmed that Changhe City Base would send a rescue, Lan Yulian had gotten everything ready for retreat. The supplies they could take with them were taken, and those that couldn¡¯t were sealed underground with signs left behind. If anyters arrived, they could use these supplies in an emergency. Although leaving behind many things felt like a pity, they had to sacrifice some for the sake of their lives. So now they were ready to evacuate lightly equipped, able to move as soon as they picked up their things. ¡°Good, let¡¯s leave now! The horde of zombies can never bepletely wiped out, and we can¡¯t hold them off forever. While we still have the chance, let¡¯s retreat quickly!¡± Duan Xuchang nodded with satisfaction. What he feared the most was that the survivors would dawdle, dying the evacuation. Right now, in the midst of the zombie horde, every minute they stayed spelled added danger, after all, their supply of ammunition was finite. While Duan Xuchang spoke, several modified military trucks had already approached.@@novelbin@@ Seeing these trucks, Wang Tao was a bit puzzled. Did they reallye all this way in trucks, nes, and tanks? Could these vehicles travel such a distance? And even if they could, the fuel consumption¡­ As if perceiving Wang Tao¡¯s confusion, Duan Xuchang exined: ¡°We came by train. We¡¯ll also evacuate everyone by trainter!¡± Wang Tao suddenly realized. No wonder; he thought that if the tanks had to travel such long distances, aside from the question of whether they could make it, the fuel costs alone would be unbearable¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll go check on the evacuation of the people in the base!¡± Lan Yulian had just arranged for the survivors to evacuate via the radio, but she was a bit worried and decided to check in person. Duan Xuchang immediately gestured. Humming¡­ Two powered armors with a squad of mechanical exoskeleton soldiers came over. ¡°Let them assist you,¡± he said. He feared the survivors might have hesitations or concerns, and these soldiers would be able to alleviate them effectively. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lan Yulian led the group into the base. Duan Xuchang did not enter. He needed to stay outside andmand the forces, to prevent the zombie horde from breaking through. Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, and several others, out of curiosity and excitement, circled around Duan Xuchang. ¡°Captain Duan, this is¡­ powered armor?¡± Wei Zhenguo asked curiously. He wanted to touch it but was too embarrassed to do so. Duan Xuchang nodded. ¡°Correct. This is the D-100, a mass-produced product developed by the Hope Research Institute.¡± ¡°Wow! Mass-produced already!¡± The crowd eximed in shock. If it was a custom product, although they would be surprised, they wouldn¡¯t be this stunned. But mass production meant a whole different concept! ¡°I didn¡¯t have these things back when I was in service before the apocalypse! Have we old folks fallen out of step with the world¡­¡± Chapter 596 - 249: Faith, Diary_3 ``` So, eradicating the zombies in Wuyang City is very difficult. It¡¯s simply impossible to construct a Survivor Base. Even the survivors are dwindling, and the base can¡¯t find any more... Moreover, allmunication haspletely broken down, and for some reason, the satellites in the sky have all fallen! But thankfully, the military base still has other means ofmunication, such as radio and wired. Radios are more convenient, but the corrosive acid rain has corroded many of the signal towers, making it impossible to transmit wireless signals very far, usually only for short-range use. So, they used wiredmunications to contact other Government offices, other military branches, and the Hope Research Institute. There¡¯s not much information about the Hope Research Institute in the log, but it was enough for Wang Tao to grasp a general understanding. The Hope Research Institute was organized by the Government, with core personnel being surviving technicians, scientists, and other talents. The headquarters of the Hope Research Institute is in Capital City¡ªactually, they were reluctant to stay in Capital City because it¡¯s even more dangerous than Wuyang City! The ce is smaller, the poption denser... but there was no alternative since many scientists were there, and the risk of moving them was greater than the risk of staying. So, they had to struggle for survival in this tight spot. Thankfully, there were many wartime Defense facilities there, which barely allowed them to survive. Items such as inhibitors, detectors, synthesizers, and mechanical arms were all researched under such perilous conditions by scientists at the institute. But it¡¯s not enough to just research these things; they had to be delivered into the hands of the survivors. This was a big problem. nes could be used, but they make too much noise, easily attracting zombies, and would require airports, aviation fuel, pilots, and various support facilities. The people at the Hope Research Institute didn¡¯t dare leave their premises, so how could they possibly use nes to deliver these items across the country? Then someone had an idea: let the Hope Research Institute send the blueprints and forms to the various military bases because these bases are equipped with military 3D printers capable of producing these items! The Hope Research Institute thought it was feasible and sent the data to all the military bases. Upon receiving this data, Wuyang City Base began 3D printing. The Crystal Core Synthesizer, Energy Detector, and mechanical arms were all printed in this way. As for the inhibitor, naturally, it could not be printed¡ª at most, a bottle could be printed. But the Hope Research Institute provided a form, and the inhibitor could be produced ording to the form. The materials for the inhibitor weren¡¯t too rare; some were avable at the Wuyang Military Base, and others could be found within the city limits. So, after obtaining the form, the Wuyang Military Base began organizing squads to go into the city to collect raw materials. There weren¡¯t many soldiers left in the base, and sending them into the danger-filled city had predictable oues. The inhibitors were produced, but many soldiers were sacrificed. It can be said that these airdropped inhibitors were obtained with their lives! Seeing the form for the inhibitor, Wang Tao suddenly felt a heavy heart. "The form must be preserved well. If there¡¯s a chance, I also want to go into the city to collect some raw materials..." Wang Tao thought to himself silently. Then four months ago, it was unknown whether the underground cables were damaged or the other bases and the Hope Research Institute had fallen, but Wuyang Base suddenly lost contact with them. This rendered the Wuyang Military Base an isted ind, although not many were left there. After that, they began to shrink their Defense lines. They gave up on rescuing survivors or killing zombies and started focusing on airdropping supplies instead. Because those who had survived had used a lot of inhibitors. These inhibitors were produced by them, and they knew the side effects. It was simply a matter of dying sooner orter... At the time Colonel Luo Guozhong wrote his letter, only thest four of them remained. Wang Tao saw the monitoring footage of that time; Luo Guozhong and the others had intended tomit suicide. They didn¡¯t want to turn into the unsightly zombies, nor did they wish to harm others. But ns cannot keep up with changes, their mutation rate was faster than they anticipated. In a very short time, all four mutated and were unable tomit suicide. @@novelbin@@ However, Luo Guozhong probably didn¡¯t expect that after they turned into zombies, they did not go out to harm others but continued airdropping by instinct or perhaps their steadfast beliefs... "Sigh..." Everyone subconsciously let out a sigh. They felt pity for Luo Guozhong and hisrades and a glimmer of despair for the future. Wang Tao arrived at the military base with the idea of contacting the outside world. After all, the military base could contact the Hope Research Institute, so he also wanted to find out what the outside world was like, whether the whole country had fallen, if there were otherrge Survivor Bases, or whether the Government had organized anyrge-scale resistance... But now, all contact between the military base and the outside world had long been severed. Wang Tao had no way of knowing the situation outside. Wang Tao¡¯s curiosity about the Hope Research Institute could only be sated by snippets of information... "Could it be that only a few scattered survivors like us are left..." Zhang Hong murmured to herself. Although Wang Tao was also feeling down, he still patted her shoulder and said: "Even if we really are the only ones left, what of it? A single spark can start a prairie fire. From now on, we are humanity¡¯s hope! And I think things might not be as bad as we imagine. Maybe, in some ce we don¡¯t know about, other survivors are already living better lives!" "But..." "No buts! We still have the most important task at hand¡ªscavenging the military base!" "...Okay!" ``` Chapter 734 - 292: Obstacle-Clearing Train (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_3 Chapter 734: Chapter 292: Obstacle-Clearing Train (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_3 Wang Tao immediately took out a few more Magical Stomach Pouches. Since these people had risked their lives toe and rescue them from far away, it seemed quite appropriate to offer them a small gift. ¡°Then I¡¯ll dly ept!¡± Seeing these Magical Stomach Pouches, Duan Xuchang¡¯s eyes lit up. He didn¡¯t bother with formalities and took them straight away. In the post-apocalyptic environment, for these soldiers, there wasn¡¯t any particr etiquette about epting gifts. After all, it was the end of the world, and survival was of the utmost importance! If something given to you could increase your chances of surviving, then you absolutely had to ept it! Otherwise, if the superior officers knew he had refused, he would most probably get a scolding! Wang Tao showed Duan Xuchang and the others how to use the Magical Stomach Pouches, and once they¡¯d learned, they immediately began to put Cockroach Paste in and take it out, doing it over and over, clearly having a great time. Watching these guys, Wang Tao thought to himself that perhaps the technological level of Changhe Base was very advanced, but when it came to knowledge about zombies, those people might not be as informed as he was¡­ ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to try? I think it tastes alright, no weird vors or anything.¡± Wei Zhenguo held up some Cockroach Paste and raised an eyebrow at Wang Tao. For these soldiers, they really didn¡¯t have as many concerns and could just stuff the Cockroach Paste into their mouths as if nothing was the matter. And in all fairness, this was way more ptable than the insects and such they had to eat while on missions in the wilderness before. ¡°No way!¡± Wang Tao shook his head decisively. If the cockroaches were processed into a nutritional liquid, he might not feel toofortable about it, but he wouldn¡¯t have much concern about the liquid itself since anything produced by a Food Compressor should be very safe. But who knew how Duan Xuchang¡¯s Cockroach Paste was made, and what if there were still cockroach eggs remaining in it¡­ No, the more he thought about it, the more disgusted he felt. Wang Tao hurriedly shook his head to dispel the thought. ¡°Young man, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good!¡±@@novelbin@@ Wei Zhenguo shrugged his shoulders and then he, along with Xiang Hongbin and Lu Gang, began munching on the Cockroach Paste relishing every bite. At this moment, a soldier came over with a few people. ¡°Old He!¡± Wang Tao waved at He Jijun. He Jijun had been piloting the helicopter and after securing it in the middle of the train, made his way towards where Wang Tao was. However, the train was quite long, and there were a lot of survivors in the middle carriages, so he was a little dyed. Duan Xuchang immediately put down the Magical Stomach Pouch and went over to introduce himself to He Jijun. He had already learned about the general identities of Wang Tao and his group from Wang Tao himself. Naturally, he knew about He Jijun, the seasoned Soldier King. After officially meeting He Jijun, Duan Xuchang suddenly felt like he might not be able to beat him! As an Ability User, these feelings were usually quite urate, which meant¡­ he really might not be able to win? What a bunch of people! Duan Xuchang felt somewhat amazed inside. He could clearly sense that most of the people around Wang Tao were very strong. As for Wang Tao himself, there was no need to mention it ¨C a Fourth-order Superpower, he certainly would be thrashed without external assistance! Even if he were to operate Powered Armor, whether he could win was still questionable¡­ Perhaps because they were all soldiers and hadmon topics to discuss, Duan Xuchang, Wei Zhenguo, He Jijun and the rest quickly struck up a conversation. Wang Tao didn¡¯t interrupt and continued to eat while listening to Duan Xuchang talk about Changhe Base. In fact, Duan Xuchang didn¡¯t say much, only that Changhe Base might be the biggest Survivor Base in Qian Country, a home for all survivors. Changhe Base was great, but it wasn¡¯t a paradise untouched by the outside world¡­ The details wereplicated, and saying too much would ruin the surprise, so Duan Xuchang suggested that they would find out when they got there. Especially Wang Tao himself, as a Fourth-order Ability User, he would be well-regarded even in Changhe Base, and the treatment would certainly not disappoint him¡­ Everyone was even more excited by hisments. After a quick meal, Duan Xuchang left. He was the captain of this rescue operation, with two deputy captains. They formed the highest leadership of this team and had to ensure that at least one person was monitoring the entire train at all times. He was off to inspect the inside of the train to relieve someone from their shift. Wang Tao wanted to study their Powered Armor, and now that they were familiar with each other, with He Jijun and the others having a mutual military connection, Duan Xuchang probably would not refuse. Indeed, Duan Xuchang did not refuse, but the issue was that the Powered Armor was DNA-bound! Only they could use it, others could not; this was an anti-theft measure developed by the Hope Research Institute. In that case, there was nothing to be done, and Wang Tao and his team could only look on enviously. After Duan Xuchang left, Lan Yulian also took some people to check on the survivors in the carriages, especially the babies, to see if there were any issues or if they needed help. Wang Tao didn¡¯t go, instead he looked out the window. The windows of the train were notrge, but he could still observe the outside situation. The train wasn¡¯t traveling very fast, but it was very stable, and the obstacles and zombies outside were crushed directly by the train. The bulletproof ss of the windows was coated with ayer of ck blood. After ensuring there was no danger, Wang Tao found a rest room and prepared to take a rest. From resisting the tide of zombies until now, he had not had a moment¡¯s rest, and even though he was a Fourth-order Ability User, after fighting so many intense battles, he was starting to feel quite worn out. Chapter 598 - 250 Lightning_2 Some dogs are very smart, especially those selected as military dogs, whose intelligence could be estimated to be about the same as a child¡¯s. It¡¯s not strange that they can understand human speech. Wang Tao immediately squatted down in front of Lightning with a big smile on his face. "Lightning, from now on, you¡¯ll follow me. If I have a bite to eat, you¡¯ll have one too. How about it? Bark once if you agree." "Woof!" "Haha, great!" Wang Tao immediately rubbed Lightning¡¯s head vigorously and then took out a bottle of nutrient solution. "I don¡¯t have much food on me, so this will have to do for now." Wang Tao poured half a bottle for Lightning, and it licked it up with a few strokes of its tongue. Then its gaze at Wang Tao even seemed to sparkle. Wang Tao liked it more the more he looked at it. He checked Lightning¡¯s body; it was a one-year-old female dog, and apart from being a little skinny, it had no other issues. After rubbing Lightning¡¯s head vigorously for a while, Wang Tao said to it, "Lightning, show me around your home, will you?" "Woof!" Lightning immediately ran ahead wagging its tail, and Wang Tao and hispanions followed. "I really want to pet it too, can I, Wang Tao?" Yang Changhong asked with a gleam in her eyes. "Why don¡¯t you try?" Wang Tao didn¡¯t refuse. "Lightning!" Yang Changhong called out, but Lightning only turned its head to look at her and then continued leading the way. "..." Yang Changhong immediately felt a bit awkward. Why was it that Lightning was so obedient when Wang Tao called it, yet itpletely ignored her own call? "Haha!" Wang Tao found the scene interesting; he thought it must be because he was the first to call Lightning by its name. Perhaps Luo Guozhong gave Lightning instructions before he died, that it should recognize as its master whoever called it by its name first! Wang Tao was d to have been the first to call it. After all, he really liked such an obedient big wolf dog. Lightning led Wang Tao and the others around inside, and apart from Lightning, there were no other military dogs here. There were many toys and even an automatic feeder. However, Wang Tao noticed that the automatic feeder was empty. No wonder Lightning seemed a bit skinny. Wang Tao then poured the rest of the nutrient solution for Lightning. He also thought of something else¡ªLuo Guozhong had probably died about a month ago and had locked Lightning up here before his death. In other words, Lightning had been alone in this ce for at least a month! Wang Tao felt a pang of sympathy and rubbed Lightning¡¯s head, and Lightning immediately wagged its tail happily. Seeing the deep affection between Wang Tao and Lightning, Zhang Hong felt a twinge of jealousy. After Lightning licked the half bottle of nutrient solution clean, Wang Tao patted its head. "Let¡¯s go." Lightning obediently walked beside Wang Tao¡¯s feet. Zhang Hong finally seized the opportunity and quickly gave Lightning a couple of pets. Lightning clearly knew these were friends of Wang Tao, its new owner, so it didn¡¯t resist, but it also didn¡¯t show much affection. He Jijun, the old man, couldn¡¯t resist either and happily stroked Lightning. Compared to Zhang Hong, Lightning was much warmer toward He Jijun¡ªit even circled around him and rubbed against him with its head. "Haha, what a good dog!" He Jijunughed heartily. He once had an obedient big wolf dog just like Lightning. Seeing Lightning reminded him of his littlepanion. Wang Tao watched Lightning¡¯s actions and guessed that Lightning probably sensed an aura simr to its former master on He Jijun. After all, they were both soldiers, and they certainly had a lot inmon. Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan also touched Lightning after getting Wang Tao¡¯s permission. Lightning was indifferent to both of them, simr to how it was with Zhang Hong. However, what surprised everyone the most was that Lightning was very wary of Jiang Shixue, a young and pretty girl. It even bristled a bit when Jiang Shixue tried to touch it for the first time. Everyone was a bit puzzled¡ªdidn¡¯t Lightning like this cute girl? It wasn¡¯t even a matter of liking or not, it seemed almost scared! Wang Tao probably knew why; after all, Jiang Shixue¡¯s situation was quite special. Humans couldn¡¯t tell there was something wrong with her, but the dog, with its keen sense of smell, might have sensed something off. Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t usually care much about most things, but seeing Lightning¡¯s reaction, she suddenly felt a bit sad and lowered her head. After all, she wasn¡¯t a normal person... Wang Tao felt Jiang Shixue¡¯s mood had dropped, stretched out his hand to rub her hair, and then held her small hand tightly. He didn¡¯t speak, but everything was understood without words. Jiang Shixue felt better with Wang Tao¡¯sforting gesture. At this moment, Lightning, who had been observing Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue, suddenly came over and rubbed against Jiang Shixue¡¯s feet. "Ah!" Feeling the soft fur brush against her calf, and watching as Lightning rubbed her leg with its head, Jiang Shixue let out a surprised yelp, then her face immediately lit up with a bright smile. @@novelbin@@ Jiang Shixue quickly squatted down and gently stroked Lightning¡¯s head, and Lightning didn¡¯t resist and even rubbed its little head against her palm. Seeing this, Wang Tao was very surprised. He didn¡¯t expect Lightning to be so human-friendly. He hadn¡¯t said anything, and yet Lightning understood! It was simply like a little angel! The more Wang Tao saw, the more he liked it. Chapter 740 - 293: Fireball Special Ability_3 Although this fireball special ability can also grow in size, it just simply erges; the damage from the mes remains the same, without any explosive damage... We can simply understand that me Explosion is akin to a bomb detonation, where both the shockwave and the high temperature are lethal. On the other hand, the fireball is just about starting a fire, depending on burning to damage the enemy. Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that the fireball is trash, as thisparison is with awakening abilities. Compared to ordinary offensive abilities, the fireball is still quite powerful. After all, other abilities don¡¯t consume awakening energy, but the fireball requires the use of 1 awakening energy... After Wang Tao roughly understood the fireball special ability, he snapped his fingers. Pop~ A¡­ little me instantly appeared at his fingertip! That was the effect of using up 1 awakening energy and a very small amount of mana. Wang Tao didn¡¯t feel any burn, but rather, a sense of warmth that was quitefortable. It was a pity he didn¡¯t smoke; lighting a cigarette with the small me on his fingertip would have been really cool. "Woof~" @@novelbin@@ Lightning, lying by Wang Tao¡¯s feet, cocked its head and let out a bark, seemingly perplexed. When Wang Tao had been on fire before, his whole body was ignited, and those mes were fierce and extremely hot. Lightning didn¡¯t dare toe close to Wang Tao. But now, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t ame all over; only a small me appeared at his fingertip. This little me didn¡¯t scare Lightning; in fact, it even snuggled closer to Wang Tao. After all, it was December now, and it had be quite cold. "Haha!" Seeing Lightning¡¯s action, Wang Taoughed and petted its head. Not gonna lie, after learning this special ability, it could be used to keep warm in the winter! With a thought from Wang Tao, the me at his fingertip disappeared. The temperature in the room also gradually decreased. Wang Tao tried several more times, getting familiar with some of the operations of the fireball but it was hard to say how powerful it was without being able to test it inside the vehicle... Wang Tao continued to check the loot. The second loot pack contained hand grenades. [Obtained: Explosion Grenades x10] The fat zombie actually dropped 10 explosion grenades! Wang Tao had previously used 8, aware of their potency, and he had felt somewhat distressed as he only had two left. Now he had gained another 10! That meant he now had 12 explosion grenades! In the midst of a zombie horde, killing tens of thousands of zombies would be no problem. If hebined that with the previously acquired corrosive poison gas bomb... it was hard to say how great the power would be. Wang Tao looked at the third loot pack. [Obtained: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] Another awakening energy pearl! Wang Tao had been a bit disappointed before, but now he instantly felt at ease. Although the drop rate for awakening energy pearls was low, Wang Tao¡¯s extra loot for killing zombies effectively meant his drop rate was much higher than others. Thest loot pack contained two blueprints. [Obtained: ming Robe Blueprint x1] [Obtained: me Bracelet Blueprint x1] [ming Robe Blueprint: Can be used to craft a ming robe. Required materials: Fire Bone x1, Level 4 Crystal Core x1] [ming Robe: Attributes unknown] [me Bracelet Blueprint: Can be used to craft a me Bracelet. Required materials: Fire Bone x1, Fourth-tier Crystal Core x1] [me Bracelet: Attributes unknown] These two blueprints are quite interesting, one for a robe and one for a bracelet, which are pieces of equipment Wang Tao had never seen before. Moreover, the required materials are minimal, needing only one Fourth-tier Crystal Core and one Fire Bone. Without further ado, Wang Tao immediately started crafting. Having in many Level 4 Zombie Lords, he had some Fourth-tier Crystal Cores in his possession. Momentster, both pieces of equipment were crafted. [me Gauze Dress] [Fourth-tier (Excellence)] [Durability +50, Defensive Power +50, Fire Resistance, Ability: Not Iid (Activation of Awakening Energy Required)] Seeing the me Gauze Dress made Wang Tao raise an eyebrow. The attributes of this robe weren¡¯t strong and ranked quite low among the fourth-tier equipment. Several third-tier pieces had simr or even higher attributes. But this robe looked really cool¡ª The design of the me Gauze Dress was that of an ordinary long robe, much like a regr gown. However, its material seemed to be aze with red and yellow light slowly flowing through it! The me Gauze Dress was thin, wearing it felt like being wrapped in mes¡ªit came with its own special effects! Wang Tao tried it on himself and indeed, it looked very cool and attractive. However, the attributes of the me Gauze Dress couldn¡¯t stack with those of his Night Demon Set. So for Wang Tao, this piece of equipment was somewhat of a white elephant; he would definitely choose the Night Demon Set. Besides, it was a bit odd for a guy like him to wear such a robe¡­ Of course, apart from its appearance, the robe also had its merits¡ªfire resistance and an iy for special ability. Wang Tao actually had three other pieces of equipment capable of iying an ability. They were two ck Stone Armor Equipment pieces and the ck Iron Heavy Armor suit. But he had not iid any Crystal Cores yet, not because he didn¡¯t want to but because he hadn¡¯t found the appropriate ones. Fourth-tier equipment could only be iid with Fourth-tier Crystal Cores, and although he had some in his possession, there weren¡¯t many worth setting into equipment... This iying ability was quite good, equivalent to having an extra ability, and needed careful selection. Wang Tao had indeed thought before about whether to set the Explosion iy into his equipment or not. After some consideration, he decided not to. After all, equipment cannot be leveled up, and it always needs to be reced. An ability stays with him for much longer than equipment. Moreover, abilities can be evolved and might reach level 5 or level 6 in the future! Once set into equipment, they would remain at fourth-tier, probably just level 1... Of course, Wang Tao was still quite curious about what it would look like after iying. Should he... try it out? He wouldn¡¯t be using the me Gauze Dress for himself anymore and would definitely give it to someone else, so he might as well try it out first. Wang Tao flipped through his Space Backpack and took out some Fourth-tier Crystal Cores. He discovered that the Awakening Crystal Core could not be iid, nor could the Omnipotent Crystal Core, and the Ascension Crystal Core was certainly out of the question. Wang Tao shrugged; it seemed that exploiting a bug was not an option. He picked and chose carefully and finally decided to try iying a Slow Healing Crystal Core. Then, several prompts appeared. [Note 1: Sess rate of iying is rted to the Quality of the Crystal Core] Your journey continues at NovelBin.C?m [Note 2: After a sessful iy, Awakening Energy is required to activate it] [Note 3: Using the iid ability will consume the Energy inside the Crystal Core, which will be destroyed once the Energy is depleted] [Note 4: The iid Crystal Core cannot be detached but can be re-iid (the original Crystal Core will be overwritten and destroyed)] Chapter 742 - 294 Giant Slayer_2 Wang Tao nodded. He felt that Jiang Shixue was more suited to the Night Demon Set and decided to see if he could obtain another Night Demon Set for Jiang Shixue to wear. As for whom to give the gauze dress¡­ It was indeed not easy to decide, since there was only one dress, and he couldn¡¯t favor one over another¡­ Wang Tao shook his head, deciding not to think about it for now. He looked at the second piece of equipment he had just crafted. [me Bracelet] [Fourth-tier (Excellence)] [Attack includes fire damage] The me Bracelet was a cool piece of equipment just like the me Gauze Dress, primarily in orange-red, with what seemed like mes flowing over it. However, its attributes were simple, without any additional ones¡ªjust the ability for its attacks to include fire damage. Find your next read on NovelBin.C?m Just by these words alone, it was not yet clear how high the damage was. But Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening Fire zing the ins also dealt fire damage! To a certain extent, wouldn¡¯t this be like a "Starfire Prairie - Youth Edition"? Wang Tao put on the bracelet. Hmm¡­ It was as eye-catching as the gauze dress. However, the bracelet could be covered by clothes... As for the power of the fire damage, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t test it for the time being, as he obviously couldn¡¯t hit his own people, nor could he bring himself to do it. He would try it out after the train stopped. He had finished going through the loot from those several fourth-order Lord zombies. Next was the main event, the loot from the Giant Zombie! In total, the Giant Zombie dropped 5 items and 6 Loot Packs. This was probably the second most loot that Wang Tao had obtained from a single zombie. The record-holder was the Glutton Zombie, which would drop arge amount of food upon defeat, so it was iparable. [Obtained: Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Promotion x1] [Obtained: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] [Obtained: Blood Beads x1] [Obtained: Eye of the Giant x2] [Obtained: Giant¡¯s Heart x1] The Crystal Core extracted from the Giant Zombie¡¯s head was a Promotion type, and it was of orange quality. Wang Tao¡¯s luck was undeniable. Then there was the Awakening Energy Pearl. He had saved quite a number of them now and was nning to upgrade his Awakening Energy cap. The remaining three items were all new to Wang Tao. [Blood Beads: Randomly increases HP limit] This looked like a red meatball, but it was hard to the touch, almost like touching jade. The specific attribute of the Blood Beads made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes light up¡ªincreasing HP limit! Although the increase was random, it didn¡¯t stop it from being a good item, especially since the HP cap was currently at 100,000, and it was no longer possible to increase the HP limit by killing zombies. Wang Tao was just fretting over how to increase his additional HP, and this Blood Bead presented an opportunity! However, he didn¡¯t use it right away because after fusing with the Fireball ability, his HP limit had already dropped to 10,000. He wasn¡¯t sure if using the Blood Bead would increase his current HP limit or his additional HP limit¡­ If it wasn¡¯t additional HP, then using it now would be too much of a loss, as he could gain up to 110,000 HP by killing zombies. @@novelbin@@ So, to be safe, he decided to wait. He would use it once he had increased his HP limit back to 110,000. "Not sure whether this Blood Bead is guaranteed to drop from the Giant Zombie, or if I was just lucky¡­" Wang Tao muttered to himself, stroking his chin. In the future, if he had the opportunity to kill a Giant Zombie, he definitely couldn¡¯t miss it! [Eye of the Giant: Crafting Material] [Giant¡¯s Heart: Crafting Material] The Eye of the Giant was a pair of giant eyeballs, and the Giant¡¯s Heart was an enormous heart, both of which were quite chilling to look at. Wang Tao had thought that the Giant¡¯s Heart might be like the Night Demon Heart and could summon a Giant Zombie "Weapon", but unfortunately, it was not the case. Then he looked at the five Loot Packs. The first Crystal Core Gift Bag contained 6 Crystal Cores: a red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Omnipotent], an orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Awakening], an orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Exraction], a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Strength], a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Defense], and a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Mental Defense]. Apart from the Omnipotent and Awakening Special Crystal Cores, there was surprisingly an Exraction Crystal Core! This pleased Wang Tao immensely. After all, since his "Special Energy" had been upgraded to "Advanced Special Energy", he couldn¡¯t extract or synthesize his own abilities anymore. But this fourth-tier Exraction Crystal Core could allow him to change his ability! He had just been mentioning that when he could undergo a Second Awakening, he might be able to get an Exraction Crystal Core, and now he had gotten one! Then, Wang Tao looked at the second Loot Pack. [Obtained: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] Another Awakening Energy Pearl! Wang Tao checked and found that he now had a total of 15 Awakening Energy Pearls and 9 Awakening Crystal Cores. These amounted to 2400 Awakening Energy, which could perfectly raise his cap from 600 to 1000 if used to upgrade the Awakening Energy limit. However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t nning on upgrading right now. After all, his 600 energy hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, and if he upgraded, his current energy would drop to 0. If he encountered danger on the way, he would have to exchange Advanced Special Energy for Awakening Energy, which wouldn¡¯t be very cost-effective. It would be better to upgrade after reaching safety. Wang Tao looked at the third Loot Pack. [Obtained: Strength Potion (Medium) x30] [Obtained: Defense Potion (Medium) x30] [Obtained: Life Elixir (Small) x30] [Obtained: Energy Potion (Small) x30] Chapter 745 - 295 Blocking the Road_2 Chapter 745: Chapter 295 Blocking the Road_2 If it weren¡¯t for the timing, the women would have loved to give Wang Tao a good beating, feeling that he was only trying to watch thempete for it on purpose! Of course, Wang Tao didn¡¯t do it intentionally, nor did he have such a bad taste. It was mainly because he found it hard to choose, just wanting to take the easy way out. ¡°Then let¡¯s do this, draw lots. Whoever draws it gets it.¡± Wang Tao made some simple lots. Except for Jiang Shixue and Nie Siyan, the other women all got excited. Jiang Shixue had said earlier that she didn¡¯t need any, and Nie Siyan was, after all, at most considered a subordinate of Wang Tao¡¯s and naturally couldn¡¯tpare to Ding Yuqin and the others. ¡°Ah? Do I, do I get a share too¡­¡± Li Qiuyu looked at the slip of paper handed to her, feeling a little embarrassed as she spoke. She hadn¡¯t really had anything happen with Wang Tao, but in the current situation, she was already considered by everyone to be Wang Tao¡¯s woman, which left her with a bit of an exnation to do. ¡°Go ahead and draw.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t borate further. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Li Qiuyu picked up a small slip of paper with her head lowered. A momentter. Lan Yulian let out an exmation of surprise. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Congrattions, congrattions!¡± The other women expressed a bit of envious gratitude. @@novelbin@@ It wasn¡¯t just because the equipment looked nice, but more importantly, it was a gift from Wang Tao. ¡°Thank you all for letting me have it!¡± Lan Yulian didn¡¯t stand on ceremony any longer. After all, it had been agreed upon earlier, and any more politeness would seem fake, and she really did like it. Lan Yulian wasn¡¯t very tall, just over one meter sixty. After donning the me Gauze Dress, it seemed as if she were enveloped in mes. ¡°It looks great!¡± He Jijun, who was beside her, smiled andmented, even he felt the equipment looked fantastic. Wang Tao nodded to himself in agreement. Lan Yulian wearing this set of equipment was quite suitable actually, not because of the appearance, but because Lan Yulian was a healer, not someone who charged to the front lines. This dress had a lower defense than other fourth-tier armor, but that wasn¡¯t much of a problem for her. Moreover, the equipment was quite conspicuous, allowing the injured to easily spot her and receive treatment. As for the Awakening attributes, Lan Yulian couldn¡¯t use them for now, but after her Awakening, the ability to slowly recover HP could still provide her with help. After all, as long as the healer didn¡¯t die, she could save more people. Lan Yulian, wearing the me Gauze Dress, turned around for everyone to see and then came up to Wang Tao, giving him a hug with a slightly flushed face, quickly letting go. ¡°Thank you!¡± Wang Tao smiled, then took out the me Bracelet. ¡°Wow!¡± The sight of this equipment made everyone exim in awe. There was no helping it; the flowing me effect was simply too stunning. ¡°This bracelet deals fire damage during attacks, but I also don¡¯t know the exact effects of the fire damage yet. I¡¯ll test it outter and then see who would be most suitable for it.¡± If the me Bracelet greatly enhanced Wang Tao¡¯s abilities, he would keep it for himself. If the effect was negligible or only provided a minor boost, he would give it to someone else who was more suitable. The women all looked excited, yet they sincerely hoped it would provide Wang Tao with a greater boost. Wang Tao then brought out a brown leather armor top. ¡°This is the Wild Boar Leather Armor Top¡­¡± [Wild Boar Leather Armor Top] [Fourth-tier (Excellence)] [Durability+70, Defense+70, Mental Defense+30, Weak to Fire, Weak to Electricity] This was the blueprint that dropped from the Wild Boar Monster that could create illusions, along with the Boar Tusk Long Knife that Wang Tao had been using all this time. The long knife was quite handy, but the natural weakness to electricity and fire that came with the Wild Boar Leather Armor Top was rather annoying. Previously, when dealing with the corpse tide, Wang Tao used fire everywhere, which obviously made this piece of equipment impractical to wear. Thus, Wang Tao did not present it. But it was, after all, a fourth-tier item, giving a 70-point boost to defense and an additional 30 points to mental defense, both of which were pretty good attributes. Wang Tao gave a brief introduction to the equipment and asked if anyone was interested. But everyone shook their heads. The weakness to electricity was okay since, under normal circumstances, they weren¡¯t likely to be electrocuted. However, the weakness to fire made it unsuitable, especially since Wang Tao¡¯s strongest state was Starfire Prairie, where he would be spreading fire everywhere. Wearing this equipment simply wouldn¡¯t work with Wang Tao¡¯s strategy. ¡°All right. We can see if this armor top can be traded with someone elseter on.¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t pushy. Everyone indeed already had their equipment; they were outfitted with the Iron Tree Standard Armor, the White Bone Standard Crossbow, and the Bone-Chopping Uniform Hand Axe made by Wang Tao. However, these were all Level 3 standard equipment, and their attributes were a bit lowerpared to ordinary equipment¡­ Then Wang Tao took out various potions and such, distributing them to everyone. After a major battle, Wang Tao had acquired many things, more than he could use himself, so it was a good opportunity to help improve everyone¡¯s strength. After all, they hadn¡¯t reached Changhe City Base yet; increasing one¡¯s strength even a little bit added an extra level of security. Last of all, Wang Tao brought out four physical awakening keys. ¡°These are physical versions of the awakening keys¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly introduced them, and upon hearing his words, everyone¡¯s breathing became a bit hurried. Even He Jijun showed an expression of considerable interest. It was, after all, a chance for Awakening! ¡°The first Awakening has a 50% chance of sess. Theoretically, these four awakening keys should yield two Awakeners. But an Awakening requires one to sleep for 24 hours, and we are not yet out of danger, so now is not the best time to attempt it. Moreover, most of you are just one step away from raising your Ability to Level 4¡­ Once we get to the Changhe Base, I¡¯ll provide you with the Ascension Crystal Cores then.¡± Chapter 602 - 251 Sharp Dog Tooth_3 "Go!" Whoosh! Upon receiving themand, Lightning immediately charged over, unaware of what the word "fear" meant. The heavy rain significantly impaired the zombies¡¯ perceptions, and coupled with Lightning¡¯s speed, by the time the zombies noticed him, he had already pounced on them. Bang! The zombie was directly tackled to the ground. "Grrr..." It struggled to get up, but Lightning bit its face. [-3584] Seeing this damage figure, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. "Such high damage!" Even though they were both Level 1, Lightning only had 1000 HP. With just one bite, Lightning had torn off most of the zombie¡¯s face, leaving it with only a sliver of HP. It waved its ws, trying to grab Lightning, but Lightning quickly retreated, spitting out the ck blood from its mouth. Wang Tao carefully observed Lightning¡¯s body data to confirm that there were no signs of internal impurity or infection and heaved a sigh of relief. This zombie, no longer suppressed by Lightning, slowly got up, but then Lightning rushed forward again, leaping high into the air and biting the zombie¡¯s head. [-416] The zombie died on the spot. Wang Tao nced at Lightning¡¯s attributes again. Its HP had not increased. "Still not gaining HP, huh..." Wang Tao was somewhat disappointed. Lightning couldn¡¯t fuse with Crystal Cores. It didn¡¯t gain HP from killing zombies. Was there really no way to increase its strength? Suddenly, a few rotten Zombie Dogs emerged, all Level 2 Elites. "Lightning,e back!" Wang Tao shouted, and Lightning immediately ran back to his side, then bared its teeth at the Zombie Dogs. After all, they were Level 2 Elite Zombies, and Wang Tao wasn¡¯t willing to let Lightning take the risk. He took out his Bone Knife and shed at the Level 2 Zombies, leaving them nearly dead. Then he turned to Lightning and said: "Go, finish them off!" "Woof!" Lightning immediately ran over and dealt the finishing blow to the crippled, dying Zombie Dogs. "Huh?" Then Wang Tao noticed that Lightning¡¯s HP bar had increased! "Could it be that only by killing Level 2 Zombies, or Elite Zombies, it can increase its HP bar?" Wang Tao suddenly remembered that when humans reached 1000 HP, they no longer gained HP from killing zombies. They had to be Ability Users and kill at least Level 1 Elite Zombies to continue increasing their HP. Was it the same with Lightning? No, that¡¯s not right, Lightning didn¡¯t have an Ability... maybe it¡¯s different for animals than for humans? Another little issue was that Lightning had gained too little HP! After finishing off the four Level 2 Elite Zombie Dogs, they had only given Lightning 600 HP... It seemed Lightning didn¡¯t get an HP bonus for killing zombies above its level? However, being able to increase HP was a good thing; at least it proved Lightning still had room for improvement. Wang Tao called Lightning back and then checked its mouth. It had just bitten so many zombies to death, but there was no residual blood or flesh in its mouth. It seemed to be the effect of its Hidden Attribute. "That¡¯s great, keep it up!" Wang Tao continued to clear the surrounding zombies with Lightning. He hoped to encounter a few Level 3 Lord Zombies, but this military base seemed to be the territory of that Zombie Dog, with only one Level 3 Lord. However, there were still plenty of zombies here. By the time Wang Tao and his party cleared all the zombies inside the base, Yang Changhong and the others had greatly increased their HP. Including Lightning; its HP had risen to 4999, but this also troubled Wang Tao. Because Lightning¡¯s HP bar wasn¡¯t increasing anymore, just like the humans, it was stuck at the Level 1 bottleneck. Even if Wang Tao let it kill Level 2 Elite Zombies, it still wouldn¡¯t gain HP anymore. And Lightning couldn¡¯t fuse with Crystal Cores either... was there really no way to break through this bottleneck? Wang Tao felt there must be a way; he just hadn¡¯t found it yet... Feeling somewhat helpless, Wang Tao suddenly thought of Jiang Shixue who was in a simr situation ¨C unable to fuse with Crystal Cores or achieve Ascension, stuck with HP. However, Jiang Shixue had 100% Internal Impurity while Lightning had none. "Forget it, let¡¯s not worry about it for now..." Wang Tao, not having the time to investigate at the moment, made sure that all zombies outside the military base were cleared, then he and the others barricaded the gate to the base. Thus, both the interior and exterior of the military base were secure. But the military base was toorge, and Wang Tao and his people were unable to defend the outer area, so they still lived in the inner section. "We¡¯re all tired. Let¡¯s rest, and tomorrow we¡¯ll deal with the zombies on the outskirts!" @@novelbin@@ The zombies outside the base were more numerous and generally of a higher level than those inside. It would be a good opportunity for Yang Changhong and the others to increase their HP. "Okay!" Clearing so many zombies was exhausting, but the reward was worth it. Not to mention the Crystal Cores, their HP had increased a lot. After dinner, Wang Tao found that He Jijun, who had slept for 24 hours, was now awake. "How do you feel?" Wang Tao asked with a smile. "I feel... I can¡¯t really describe it, but it feels good..." He Jijun didn¡¯t know how to express himself. After all, his Ascension had been too fast. For these first Ability Users like Wang Tao, transforming from ordinary people into Ability Users, from Level 1 to Level Two Ascension, each step required a lot of effort. Whereas He Jijun had transformed from an ordinary person to a Level 2 Ability User within just a few days. He still wasn¡¯t used to being an Ability User... "Haha, no worries. Tomorrow we¡¯ll go out and hunt some zombies, and that¡¯ll get you more familiar with it!" Wang Tao said with augh. "Right!" He Jijun nodded, looking forward to it. "Once we¡¯ve cleared all the zombies around the military base, we¡¯ll have to check the city!", Wang Tao had yet to engage a Level 4 zombie head-on. The Illusion Beast he encountered in Zijing City didn¡¯t count since he hadn¡¯t directly fought it. Wang Tao felt that with his and his team¡¯s strength, they should be qualified to confront Level 4 zombies. Of course, that didn¡¯t include the Giant Zombie ¨C setting aside its strength, just considering its huge size, Wang Tao didn¡¯t even know where to start. Chapter 750 - 297 Parasite_1 Chapter 750: Chapter 297 Parasite_1 ¡°There¡¯s a Level 4, Lord Night Demon!¡± Wang Tao immediately alerted everyone. Upon hearing this, everyone became vignt. Lan Yulian quickly put on the me Gauze Dress that Wang Tao had given her, instantly illuminating their. Before, Wang Tao had told her that the equipment had durability, and once its durability was gone, the equipment would be damaged. Lan Yulian was reluctant to let the dress be damaged, so she normally didn¡¯t wear it. After all, the dress was very thin and could be packed away easily, only to be worn when necessary. The others quickly took out their ultraviolet illumination res; Wang Tao had given them plenty of res and told them not to be sparing with them. Under the glow of the me Gauze Dress and the ultraviolet illumination res, it was apparent that most of the Night Demons seemed to be outside; there wasn¡¯t a single ordinary Night Demon inside their. But Wang Tao could sense clearly the presence of three powerfully energetic figures deep within their! Three Level 4 Lords! If it had been before, Wang Tao might have hesitated to go down. But now his strength had increased significantly, so naturally he would not hesitate. After all, the Night Demons had a fatal weakness to ultraviolet light. As long as they ensured the ultraviolet light was functioning properly, they would basically be invincible. However, due to the side effects of having fused with the Fireball Ability earlier, Wang Tao now only had ten thousand HP. To be cautious, Wang Tao activated Entangling Roots. Whether those three figures had noticed Wang Tao¡¯s group was unknown, but in any case, they had note up. Since that was the case, Wang Tao was not in a hurry to go down either. He wanted to kill off the incubation flesh and the unformed Night Demons first. Because once Duan Xuchang and others finished clearing the Night Demons outside, they would surelye down. Upon seeing the incubation flesh and such, they definitely wouldn¡¯t go easy. But since they couldn¡¯t drop loot, to kill these things would just be a waste. Therefore, it was better to let Wang Tao deal with them first. In killing these defenseless creatures, Wang Tao was naturally very fast. Especially after he had learned the Fireball special ability, a wave of his hand would unleash a swath of mes, and soon all the incubation flesh and unformed Night Demons were burned to death. ¡°Level 3 Extraction Crystal Core, Level 3 Omnipotent Crystal Core¡­ not bad, not bad!¡± This Night Demon¡¯s Nest was stronger overall than any Wang Tao had encountered before, and the loot was better too. Previously, they only dropped Level 2 Crystal Cores, but this time they were all Level 3! With the death of these pieces of flesh, Wang Tao¡¯s group quickly progressed to the depths of their, where they encountered two ferocious figures. [HP: 120000/120000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Awakening: Robust] The attributes of these two ck Skin Night Demons were identical, both being Level 4 Lords with 120,000 HP. But these weren¡¯t the main focus; the focus was on the significantly obese ck Night Demon behind them! [HP: 150000/150000] [Mana: 150000/150000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Awakening: Robust] This Night Demon was so fat it seemed to be stuck in the cave, unable toe out. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡± When the two ck Skin Night Demons noticed Wang Tao and his group¡¯s arrival, they howled but did not approach. Instead, they firmly guarded the obese Night Demon¡¯s side.@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao¡¯s brow furrowed immediately. Given the obese Night Demon¡¯s size, and the way those two ck Skin Night Demons protected it¡­ it felt like they were guarding a Matrix Night Demon? But weren¡¯t Night Demons cultivated from incubation flesh? How could there be a Matrix? Wang Tao was puzzled, but that didn¡¯t stop him from taking action. ¡°Throw the res!¡± At Wang Tao¡¯smand, everyone immediately hurled their ultraviolet illumination res at the three Night Demons. Whoosh¡ª¡ª In an instant, the entire cave was enveloped in ultraviolet light! Normally, such a burst of ultraviolet light would have caused the Night Demons to retreat temporarily. Even if the ultraviolet light didn¡¯t fatally injure the Level 4, Lord Night Demons, they would still instinctively flee. But now¡­ it was clear to see, under the burning of ultraviolet light, the two Night Demons in front let out agonized roars, smoke rising from their bodies. Yet, they didn¡¯t flee or even take a step back! They were blocking the cave entrance, preventing everyone from throwing their ultraviolet illumination res inside. ¡°They really are protecting that obese Night Demon!¡± Wang Tao was almost certain in his heart that this was indeed a Matrix Night Demon! ¡°Attack!¡± With the order, everyone began their assault. Since the two ck Skin Night Demons weren¡¯t fleeing, they naturally started with ranged attacks. Ratatat¡ª¡ª Gunfire erupted in a flurry. Roar¡ª¡ª The two ck Skin Night Demons clearly wanted to charge over; if they managed to reach them, everyone except Wang Tao would surely not withstand it. So Wang Tao took out a Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb and fired it at the three Night Demons. Bang! Instantly, the whole cave was filled with dazzling purple light. Forget the Night Demons; even Ding Yuqin and the rest were blinded and could not keep their eyes open. Only Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, and Han Rui were unaffected. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue¡¯s eyes could adjust to the iing light, and Han Rui had the Perception Ability and could see without using her eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao saw that everyone was affected by the illumination bomb and thus unable to attack. He cursed under his breath. The Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb was too powerful, especially in such confined spaces; it was practically an indiscriminate attack. Still, fortunately, although their situation was somewhat dire, the Night Demons had it worse. The two ck Skin Night Demons developed major cracks on their bodies, their HP plummeting. They buzzed around the cave chaotically, like headless flies, even forgetting to protect the obese Night Demon behind them. Chapter 604 - 252 Method of Ascension_2 Xu Xiaojun had seventy thousand HP, Yang Changhong had seventy thousand HP, and Nie Siyan had sixty thousand HP. They were all quite close to reaching one hundred thousand HP now. Moreover, the Crystal Cores they needed were rtively easy to find, and they had already fused some. Wang Tao estimated that by the time they reached one hundred thousand HP, all of their Abilities should be able to reach +10. "All the zombies around have been dealt with. Everyone rest up well these next two days, and gather your strength." Wang Tao said to the three of them: "Okay!" The crowd nodded in agreement. Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, and Lightning went back to their room together. However, he didn¡¯t rush to sleep; after all, with everyone¡¯s strength increasing, he needed to upgrade as well! There were many zombies inside and outside the military base, and, along with the zombies killed on the road earlier and the Crystal Cores provided by He Jijun and Luo Guozhong, Wang Tao had now amassed arge batch of Crystal Cores. Among these Crystal Cores, many were usable by him. Of Wang Tao¡¯s four Abilities, only [Berserk Enhancement] was at +10, while the remaining three were all at +1. This was because Wang Tao was saving them for Ability Fusion instead of upgrading. But now, he could synthetize his Yin and Yang Bnce! Yin and Yang Bnce was a Spirit-rted Ability. Wang Tao had previously merged a Perception with it, and now he could merge two other Abilities. Wang Tao chose [Mental Shock] and [Mental Defense]. [Mental Shock: Consumes energy to transform one¡¯s spiritual energy into several colorless and intangible needles that are shot out. If there are obstacles in the way, the power will decrease.] [Mental Defense: Passive Ability, increases Mental Defense.] He had acquired these two Crystal Cores back in Zijing City, but had not been able to gather three for fusion until now. Wang Tao immediately synthesized them into two Epic Crystal Cores. Wang Tao first extracted [Integration], then merged it with a [Mental Shock], which had a 91% sess rate of fusing with Yin and Yang Bnce. Slightly low, but not a big issue. The fusion with Mental Shock Ability and Yin and Yang Bnce was sessful without a hitch. Then Wang Tao merged a [Mental Defense], which had a high sess rate of 98% with Yin and Yang Bnce. As expected, this Ability also sessfully fused. Thus, Wang Tao¡¯s Yin and Yang Bnce Ability had reached its fusion limit, and a new Ability emerged! [Level 3 Ability¡¤Yin Yang Harmony: Can sense the surroundings, can slightly influence the spirit of living beings, can destabilize the spirit of living beings, canunch Mental Shock, can increase Mental Defense, can open a barrier that blocks mental attacks, and during sexual intercourse with the opposite gender, both parties¡¯ Mana replenishes rapidly, and the user permanently increases a certain amount of Mana. There is a cooldown for the permanent Mana increase, with the cooldown being random. (Side effects: None)] The name remained the same, but the attributes had increased greatly! "Not bad!" Wang Tao nodded in satisfaction, now this Ability could also be upgraded to +10. But there was no rush; Wang Tao looked at his Iron Wall Ability next. @@novelbin@@ This was a sustained Ability, providing Wang Tao with various states. Comparing it to a game, it was akin to a buff Skill. Right now, Wang Tao had just the right kind of Crystal Core in his hand. [Physique Enhancement: During the duration, overall physical constitution is greatly improved.] The first Physique Enhancement Crystal Core Wang Tao obtained was from a Ghost w Zombie, the second one from a Zombie Dog, and the third one from the Crystal Cores left by Luo Guozhong. He had just enough to synthesize an Epic Crystal Core. After fusing this Crystal Core, it showed that it had a 94% probability of sessfully synthesizing with Iron Wall. With those odds, he went straight to fusion. Momentster, the fusion was sessful. The name of the Iron Wall Ability didn¡¯t change, but now there was an introduction to the Physique Enhancement on the description. The Iron Wall could be merged two more times, and Wang Tao already had a target in mind: the Crystal Core [Extreme Speed] dropped by the Zombie Dogs. However, he currently only had one of those Crystal Cores and would need to umte them for some time. As for thest Crystal Core to be fused... Wang Tao suddenly thought of Precision Shooting. He was very fond of the Precision Shooting Ability, but s, the sess rate of fusing Precision Shooting with other Abilities was not high. Therefore, Wang Tao had not fused it until now. But now that he had amassed a number of Precise shooting abilities, perhaps it was worth a gamble? After all, he could ce Precision Shooting in the Secondary Ability slot, and even if the fusion failed, at most, he¡¯d lose one Precision Shooting Ability, which he could afford to lose. With this thought, Wang Tao immediately merged the previously extracted Precise shooting crystal core again, but since it was Level Two, he used an Ascension Crystal Core to upgrade it to Level 3. Then Wang Tao checked the sess rate of Precision Shooting fusing with other Abilities. [Precision Shooting + Iron Wall = 35%] [Precision Shooting + Yin Yang Harmony = 7%] With Ability Mastery already extracted and Berserk Enhancement having reached its fusion limit, the choice was between Iron Wall and Yin Yang Harmony, and without even having to think, he could only synthesize with Iron Wall. Wang Tao ced Iron Wall in the primary slot and Precision Shooting in the secondary slot, and then merged! A rainbow light shed by... the fusion failed, and the Precision Shooting Ability disappeared. "..." Although Wang Tao was prepared for this possibility, as this was his first fusion failure, the loss of thirty thousand Special Energy and a Precision Shooting Ability still stung a little bit. But it was not a major issue; he continued with the fusion! The second attempt, failed... The third attempt, failed... ... The sixth attempt... if this one failed too, he wouldn¡¯t have enough Precision Shooting Crystal Cores left. Chapter 605 - 252 Method of Ascension_3 Fortunately, this time it finally worked! [Level 3 Ability ¡¤ Iron Wall] [Iron Wall: During its duration, it can enhance defense, speed, spirit, constitution, shooting, and slowly recover from certain injuries (Side-effect: None)] If I could get two more Extreme Speed Crystal Cores, then Iron Wall could be synthesized to the upper limit of Level 3! That is to say, Wang Tao now justcks the Ability Mastery. This ability is an active attack Ability, and there is no suitable option for now. I¡¯ll have to pay more attention in the future... In the end, Wang Tao extracted Iron Wall and merged it with the Omnipotent Crystal Core. Only Berserk Enhancement and Yin and Yang Bnce remained in his possession, with Berserk Enhancement already at +10; naturally, the Omnipotent Crystal Core was utilized on the Yin and Yang Bnce. Wang Tao didn¡¯t have many Level 3 Omnipotent Crystal Cores on hand. Once Yin and Yang Bnce reached +10, his Level 3 Omnipotent Crystal Cores werepletely depleted. He now had two Level 3 Abilities at +10, getting one step closer to Level 4! After confirming that there was no suitable ability for the moment, Wang Tao turned his gaze to Jiang Shixue. Jiang Shixue had been quietly sitting beside Wang Tao, petting the dog. Sensing Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, she turned her head to look at him. "Little Xue, how can you level up..." Wang Tao ruffled her hair. @@novelbin@@ "I don¡¯t know." Jiang Shixue shook her head. "I had a vague guess before, but after seeing the battle log of the military base, I feel that this guess... might actually be possible..." Wang Tao suddenly said. Jiang Shixue looked at him with some confusion. Wang Tao continued: "Your body is like a zombie¡¯s, Little Xue, and zombies usually evolve through one of two methods: time or cannibalism! For the time method, you¡¯ve been this way for so long and still show no signs of Ascension. So I think..." Listening to Wang Tao¡¯s exnation, Jiang Shixue understood and immediately shook her head. "Brother, I don¡¯t have the desire to eat people, and I don¡¯t want to..." If she ate people, then she would be no different from the zombies. She didn¡¯t want to be a zombie! "Silly girl, what are you thinking about! Of course, I wouldn¡¯t let you eat people!" Wang Tao tapped Jiang Shixue¡¯s head and then continued. "But I think, maybe you can drink some blood..." "Ah?" Jiang Shixue was somewhat startled. "Wanna try? I¡¯ll let some blood out for you!" Wang Tao seemed eager to try. He felt that his guess might be correct! If Jiang Shixue¡¯s body was simr to that of a zombie, it was highly likely that she would evolve just like zombies do! "Brother, that doesn¡¯t seem very good, you will be in pain..." Jiang Shixue¡¯s face wrinkled with concern. "Haha, don¡¯t worry, I have the Self-healing Ability, it¡¯s not a big deal! Wait up!" Wang Tao took action immediately. He first took out a bottle of nutrient solution, poured the nutrients out for Lightning, and kept the empty bottle. Then he took out a Surgical Knife. Everything he withdrew from the Space Backpack was sterile, so there was no need for disinfection. Then, with the Surgical Knife in hand, Wang Tao lightly shed his own wrist. Pfft~ A drop of blood fell into the nutrient solution bottle, followed by more blood flowing out. Wang Tao didn¡¯t really feel the pain; after all, the Surgical Knife was very sharp, and he wasn¡¯t afraid of pain. "Brother..." Jiang Shixue was somewhat at a loss seeing Wang Tao act so decisively. Lightning cocked its head, looking at its master, not understanding what he was doing. Soon, the small bottle was filled with Wang Tao¡¯s blood. He immediately used a medical kit to stop his bleeding and activated Iron Wall Ability to regenerate his blood. After confirming there were no issues with the wound, Wang Tao handed the small still-warm bottle of blood to Jiang Shixue. "Little Xue,e and give it a try!" Wang Tao significantly needed Jiang Shixue¡¯s Combat Power, but she was still at Level Two, and there was vast potential for improvement. If it really didn¡¯t work, then so be it. But given the opportunity, Wang Tao certainly wanted to try. "...I¡¯ll try." Jiang Shixue looked at Wang Tao with some heartache, not very sure whether it would work, but since it was Wang Tao¡¯s kindness, she certainly didn¡¯t want to waste it. She took the small bottle, feeling the warmth of the blood, and emptied it in one gulp. Gulp~ Jiang Shixue licked her lips. "Brother¡¯s blood is sweet..." "..." Hearing this, Wang Tao was at a loss for words. Isn¡¯t blood supposed to be salty? He didn¡¯t have diabetes! Or was it Jiang Shixue¡¯s psychological effect? While Wang Tao was thinking this, Jiang Shixue suddenly said: "Brother! I feel like... I can really Ascend now!" "Haha, really!" Wang Tao burst into happiness. This was a sudden inspiration after seeing the military base¡¯s log. He just thought there was a possibility, and didn¡¯t expect it to definitely work. After all, trying it would mean at most losing a bit of blood. But unexpectedly, it really worked! "Brother, I¡¯m going to sleep..." Jiang Shixue suddenly leaned onto Wang Tao and then closed her eyes. Wang Tao quickly held her, relieved when he confirmed that she had just fallen asleep. "She should be normally Ascending..." "But on second thought, if just my blood can let Little Xue Ascend, then the conditions are too simple! No Ascension Crystal Core is needed, not even any other Crystal Cores! Does that mean there¡¯s no limit to Little Xue¡¯s future Ascensions?" Wang Tao was a little excited but quickly shook his head. He knew the world wouldn¡¯t allow him to "exploit bugs." Jiang Shixue definitely couldn¡¯t simply Ascend by using a vial of blood. There must be some reason he didn¡¯t know about... For example, if all her conditions were met, and she only needed something like an Ascension Crystal Core "key", and human blood was that key? "Let¡¯s wait and see when Little Xue wakes up..." Wang Tao held Jiang Shixue, cing her on the bed. Then he looked down at Lightning at his feet. "Should I try giving it some of my blood too?" Wang Tao thought about it but decided against it. Lightning¡¯s body had no impurities and waspletely different from that of zombies; they likely wouldn¡¯t evolve the same way. Chapter 758 - 299: Zombie Evolution_3 ``` Lan Yulian didn¡¯t hesitate and healed Wang Tao right away. Then, her eyes widened in shock. She clearly saw Wang Tao¡¯s palm suddenly turn a bit red! Lan Yulian was immediately filled with surprise and doubt. "My healing..." Wang Tao saw a new status appear below his HP bar. [Fire attribute attack: countdown 59 seconds] He had gained a "one-minute fire attribute attack" status! A minute might not seem long, but in a battle with zombies, a minute could determine life or death. Therefore, a minute-long fire attribute attack was quite impressive! Wang Tao asked Lan Yulian to heal him once more. He found that, after the second healing, his fire attribute attack countdown reset to one minute. In other words, as long as Lan Yulian kept healing him, he could maintain the fire attribute attack indefinitely! This mechanic was quite good, especially for an endurance battle! Seeing Lan Yulian a little confused, Wang Tao exined it to her: "The purpose of these earrings is to enhance your healing ability, and while you heal others, you also transfer the me bracelet¡¯s fire attack to them..." "Ah? It can do that?" Lan Yulian was astonished. Enjoy new tales from NovelBin.C?m If that was the case, then wearing the me bracelet made sense for her, didn¡¯t it? Now somewhat enamored with it, Lan Yulian gently touched the bracelet and then took a mirror to look at the earrings. Both the bracelet and the earrings were beautiful, especially since they were a gift from Wang Tao! She adored them. After the fire attribute effect on him had disappeared, Wang Tao said: "Try releasing Healing Light." Healing Light was a healing ability that Wang Tao had previously merged for her. Although this ability didn¡¯t greatly increase HP for a single person in one go, as a group-area ability, it continually healed any humans within the range of Healing Light. The longer and the more people stayed within it, the more potential the ability had. "Okay!" Lan Yulian immediately used Healing Light. An aura emerged from Lan Yulian, swiftly enveloping Wang Tao, and they both noticed their hands appeared slightly red. Wang Tao then looked at his attributes again. [Fire attribute attack: countdown 3 seconds] Under the scope of Healing Light, Wang Tao had a fire attribute attack for 3 seconds. And since Healing Light healed every second, just as his fire attribute attack was about tost for two more seconds, he would gain another 3 seconds of fire attribute attack! Since the consumption of Lan Yulian¡¯s Healing Light was low and couldn¡¯t be interrupted, she usually had it activated throughout previous battles. That meant as long as someone was within Lan Yulian¡¯s range of Healing Light, they would continuously have fire attribute attack! On top of that, the healing effect of Healing Light had increased by 10%... Lan Yulian¡¯s support capabilities had been greatly enhanced in an instant! For Wang Tao, the fire attribute¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t high, unless he managed to ignite the target, but since he had learned the fireball special ability, the igniting effect was much better than the fire attribute attack. So, fire attribute attack wasn¡¯t very useful for him. But it might be different for others! After all, not everyone possessed fire-based abilities or had gone through an Awakening. Having a fire attribute attack for additional damage was quite nice. Furthermore, if they were lucky enough to trigger the ignition ability, the damage would be even higher. Even if everyone had the worst luck and couldn¡¯t trigger the ignition effect, just the added fire attribute damage alone would be significant ¨C a few percent increase per person could result in a huge cumtive boost with a group of fifteen or twenty people involved! Once Lan Yulian put on the [me Bracelet] and the [Ordinary Healing Earrings], in a way, her healing ability had transformed into an attacking ability! Wang Tao gave Lan Yulian a thorough exnation of these effects because if he didn¡¯t rify, Lan Yulian would surely waste a lot of time figuring it out on her own. "Am I really that powerful?" Lan Yulian looked at her hand, somewhat disbelieving. Wang Tao smiled and took her hand, saying: "You¡¯ll get used to it soon. In the future, you alone may be a match for an entire army!" "That¡¯s an exaggeration..." Lan Yulian immediately hugged Wang Tao¡¯s arm and then gave a kiss on his face. "I¡¯ll go talk to them!" @@novelbin@@ With her support ability greatly strengthened, she naturally needed to inform her teammates in advance. "Go ahead." ... The next day, at seven o¡¯clock in the morning. Before breakfast, Wang Tao went out to check on the train station clearing situation. "That was quick!" Wang Tao was surprised to find that the blockage on the path had been mostly cleared! "As long as there¡¯s no zombie disturbance, our efficiency is definitely not a problem!" Duan Xuchang, d in powered armor, came over and looked at the tracks before adding, "In about three more hours, we should be able to go through." "Impressive!" Wang Tao gave a thumbs-up without dy. Duan Xuchang¡¯s estimate was quite urate. With ten minutes to spare before the three-hour mark, all the obstructions on the tracks had been cleared! Wang Tao specifically used his Perception to check, ensuring there were no more zombies in the area. "Board the train!" At Duan Xuchang¡¯s shout, everyone began to board the train. Apanied by a deep rumbling, the train started moving slowly. "We can finally leave." On the train, Ding Yuqin and her group all breathed a sigh of relief. Remaining here always carried a certain unease. The train slowly left the small station, and the noise quickly attracted other zombies from different areas. But the train¡¯s speed picked up, leaving most zombies unable to keep up; those that could catch up or were blocking the tracks were mercilessly cut down or even smashed by the train! Watching these brutal images through the monitor, Wang Tao and the others felt an inexplicable sense of catharsis. Just then, Duan Xuchang, who was gazing out at the sky through the window, suddenly spoke. "The rain...is getting lighter." Everyone¡¯s expression became serious upon hearing this. The rain is stopping? That would mean the zombie evolution was imminent! ``` Chapter 607 - 253: Restoring Memory_2 But it was these clear memories that told her Wang Tao had always been good to her! What moved her the most was that after she lost her memory, Wang Tao never deceived her! For example, regarding her family situation, her mother, and some events that happened before, Wang Tao had told her everything. She had some confidence in her own appearance. If someone else had found her with amnesia, they would likely have deceived her in various ways¡ªthis was something she had encountered while fleeing for her life on Shuizhe Mountain, but fortunately, she had seen through it. But Wang Tao hadn¡¯t lied to her. So calling Wang Tao "brother" was something she did willingly. However, every time she remembered how much she liked holding Wang Tao¡¯s hand and sneaking into his bed to sleep together at night, Jiang Shixue would feel very shy. She didn¡¯t understand why she was so clingy... Wang Tao, on the other hand, got an important message from her words. "Do you mean to say you haven¡¯t fused with a Crystal Core?" "No..." Jiang Shixue shook her head. "Which means, that thing you identally swallowed before increased your strength a lot, letting your level rise¡ªyour Hidden Ability must have been obtained this way too. But the price was having 100% Internal Impurity, and you would soon turn into a zombie..." Wang Tao analyzed. It sounded somewhat magical, the fact that you could increase your strength without a Crystal Core! But in this apocalyptic world, many strange and bizarre things had surfaced, so there was no need for surprise. And this thing had too big of a side effect, much more than the Crystal Core! Of course, that was what he said, but Wang Tao was very curious about the thing Jiang Shixue had eaten. It felt a little like Night Vision Eyes, Magic Seeds, and other such items, but stronger than both eyes and seeds. He would have to pay more attention and see if there were simr things in the future. Also, was Lightning¡¯s Ascension rted to this thing, perhaps? Wang Tao also told Jiang Shixue about her mother, Li Qiuyu. Wang Tao had interacted with Li Qiuyu quite a bit previously, and he had a fairly good impression of this woman. Seeing Jiang Shixue still a bit worried, Wang Tao patted her shoulder and said: "Don¡¯t worry, your mother and everyone else will be fine." "Okay!" Jiang Shixue nodded firmly. "Right, try and see if you can fuse with a Crystal Core now!" Wang Tao took out several orange Level 3 Crystal Cores. Jiang Shixue tried, but still could not fuse. Wang Tao was somewhat helpless for a moment. Jiang Shixue was already so strong without having fused with a Crystal Core; if she could fuse, she would certainly be even stronger. Such a pity. "But it¡¯s alright, the fact that you can recover your memory is already great!" Wang Tao said, smiling. Jiang Shixue was not weak in strength, and now after ascending to Level 3, she would be even stronger, so not being able to fuse with a Crystal Core was not a problem. Moreover, Jiang Shixue also had two Hidden Abilities and very strong physical fitness. She could probably outmatch most Ability Users. "Shall we go outside and test how much your strength has improved?" Wang Tao asked, looking at Jiang Shixue. "Sure!" The two quickly washed up, then left with Lightning. Oning out, Jiang Shixue subconsciously ced her hand in Wang Tao¡¯s, but then she quickly pulled it back as if she had received an electric shock. Wang Tao, seeing this, took the initiative to grasp Jiang Shixue¡¯s small hand. After all, holding that soft and delicate little hand was veryfortable. "..." Jiang Shixue¡¯s face turned red as she followed beside Wang Tao. It was still raining outside, but the military base had an indoor training facility. After some tests, Wang Tao felt that Jiang Shixue¡¯s strength had improved a lot. As for her Combat Power, it was hard to say, as that required actualbat to know. But her physical fitness at least had tripled! And it wasn¡¯t just the increase in strength that mattered; what was more important was that Jiang Shixue had be smarter and more flexible after recovering her memory. After all, she was kind of dull before. "Next, you should hunt some more zombies to enhance your strength a bit. Then we¡¯ll have more confidence in hunting Four-level zombies!" Wang Tao said with a smile. "Okay!" @@novelbin@@ Jiang Shixue nodded. He Jijun hadn¡¯t woken up from his Level 3 Ascension, and Yang Changhong and the others were conserving their strength. Wang Tao nned to take Jiang Shixue alone to hunt these zombies. However, seeing that Lightning seemed eager to go as well, Wang Tao decided to bring Lightning along. The two humans and the dog left the military base. The zombies around the military base had been cleared out, so Wang Tao headed towards the urban area. They had not gone far from the military base when they encountered quite a few zombies, including several Level 3 Elite Zombies. Without Wang Tao having to lift a finger, Jiang Shixue easily dealt with all these zombies. Watching Jiang Shixue¡¯s HP bar quickly increase, Wang Tao nodded in satisfaction. Jiang Shixue was strong inbat, Level 3 Elite Zombies couldn¡¯t even touch her, and it seemed only a Level 3 Lord Zombie could pose some threat to her. Their group traveled from the military base all the way to the vicinity of the urban area. "The urban area is just ahead..." Wang Tao stopped and didn¡¯t continue forward. Even though he hadn¡¯t seen the Giant Zombie, he had no ns to enter the urban area now, as they had not yet gathered all their people. "There are so many zombies inside..." Jiang Shixue frowned. The streets and the buildings were visibly filled with zombies! Wang Tao took a rough look and didn¡¯t notice any Four-level zombies for the time being, but he did see a lot of Level 3 Elite Zombies. "The overall strength of the zombies in Wuyang City urban area is much higher than other ces. Even without Four-level zombies, just these Level 3 and below zombies are troublesome enough. I guess there really are no survivors inside..." Chapter 763: 301 Changhe Base_2 Chapter 763: Chapter 301 Changhe Base_2 ¡°My goodness! How thick is this wall?! Opening the door actually reveals a tunnel!¡± Xiang Hongbin muttered in disbelief. This gate must not be used often, as the vehicles following the train had all entered the base through another smaller door. Of course, even that ¡®small¡¯ door was quiterge and tall enough for trains to pass through without any problem. nk-nk¡ª As the train entered the tunnel behind the door, everyone could see just how thick those two doors were. It seems unlikely that even an ability user could push these doors open. What a sense of security!
A momentter, everyone felt a sh of light as the train finally emerged from the wall tunnel and officially entered Changhe Base. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, wee to Changhe Base!¡± By this time, Duan Xuchang had already taken off his powered armor and put on a crisp dark green military uniform. Wei Zhenguo and a few others only now realized that his uniform¡¯s insignia and epaulets were different from what they had on their own uniforms. Perhaps noticing their confusion, Duan Xuchang pointed at his shoulder insignia and the badge on his chest, smiling as he spoke: ¡°Changhe City Base underwent a reform a while back. There is no longer a Government or Government Army, and all previous identities have been nullified. We are now under the jurisdiction of the Third Legion.¡± Wei Zhenguo and the others suddenly came to an understanding. Hearing that there was no Government or Government Army, they felt somewhat wistful but not overly surprised. After all, with arge number of ability users now around, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to adhere to the old system anymore. Even if the base had been built by Government Army, seeing that civilian ability users were bing increasingly strong, they would eventually cede some authority¡­ ¡°Who now controls the Changhe Base inside?¡± He Jijun suddenly asked. They had assumed that the ce was governed by the Government or the Government Army, but now it seemed that was not the case. ¡°Changhe City Base is toorge to be ruled by a single force or person. If you¡¯re referring to the highest governing body of the base, that would be the Changhe Committee¡­¡± ¡°Committee¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo and hispanions exchanged nces. When they were at the Shuize Base, they had also formed amittee¡­ It indeed seemed like a suitable system. Amidst their conversation, the train gradually came to a stop. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we¡¯ve arrived.¡± This was a huge train station, now crowded with people. Besides the onlookers, there was a fully armed toon of soldiers. Hum¡ª The second carriage was the first to open its doors. Wang Tao, led by Duan Xuchang, started alighting from the train. As soon as he stepped off, Wang Tao saw a muscr middle-aged man surrounded by a group of soldiers, whoughed and said: ¡°Wee to Changhe Base! I am Chief Hou, the Legion Chief of the Third Legion.¡± Hou Zhiyuan was a Level 3 ability user with a hundred thousand blood but no hidden ability. Wang Tao felt that with thebat strength under hismand, Hou should have the power to awaken, but unfortunately, without a hidden ability, he didn¡¯t meet the conditions for awakening¡­ ¡°Hello! I am Lan Yulian, the former leader of Zijin Base. I greatly appreciate your rescue efforts!¡± Lan Yulian was walking at the front alongside Wang Tao. After introducing herself, Wang Tao followed: ¡°Chief Hou, hello. I¡¯m Wang Tao, the one who contacted you from the military base before. Thank you very much for your assistance!¡± ¡°Ha! No need for formalities, it¡¯s only right for us survivors to help each other! I¡¯ve arranged a ce for you to rest. Shall we get your twenty thousand survivors settled first?¡± Although they were in Hou Zhiyuan¡¯s territory, he did note across as overly assertive; in fact, his tone with Wang Tao and the others was quite consultative. ¡°We appreciate it, Legion Chief Hou!¡± Naturally, Lan Yulian wouldn¡¯t refuse. After she epted, Duan Xuchang began to sequentially open the other carriage doors. Hou Zhiyuan immediately waved his hand, and several military trucks drove over. The survivors who disembarked from the train were visibly excited and yet a bit restrained. They involuntarily nced at Lan Yulian and Wang Tao, and only after seeing both nod did they get on the trucks. Before boarding, they went through another check to ensure no one was carrying the zombie virus. The onlookers outside the train station, seeing so many survivors emerge from the train, all had their eyes light up. But as they saw these survivors being taken away by the Third Legion¡¯s people, most of them shook their heads in disappointment and left, with only a few not giving up hope. ¡°They all want to recruit you neers into their ranks. Pay them no mind!¡± Hou Zhiyuan waved his hand dismissively and then massaged his temples, saying: ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see you¡¯ve all returned safely. However, the zombies have evolved today and some changes have urred, so I have many things to take care of. I¡¯ll let Duan Xuchang take you around the base to get familiarized. I¡¯ll find time to have a meal with you guys in the next few days!¡± ¡°You¡¯re busy!¡± Lan Yulian promptly responded. Hou Zhiyuan left hastily. As for the arrangements for the neers, he did not borate on them. Nor did he mention the great achievement of rescuing twenty thousand people.@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao felt that Hou Zhiyuan¡¯s deployment of troops to rescue so many people certainly demonstrated a genuine desire to help Zijin Base, but he definitely had his own objectives as well. Now that they had arrived at Changhe Base and learned about the general situation, Wang Tao thought that Hou Zhiyuan might want these survivors to join his legion! Chapter 611 - 254: Sense of Security_3 These were all abilities that Wang Tao had seen before. Among them, this Extreme Speed Ability made for a total of two now, just one more, and he could synthesize it with Iron Wall! The second Loot Pack contained potions. [Acquired: Eyesight Potion (Small) x10] [Acquired: Attack Speed Potion (Small) x10] [Acquired: Mental Potion (Small) x10] The potions were also pretty good, it was just a shame there were none to increase Permanent Attributes. The third Loot Pack... also had clothes, but this time there were two sets. [Acquired: Combat Suit x1] [Acquired: Work Uniform (Army) x1] [Combat Suit: Durability +10, Anti-Tear +10] [Work Uniform (Army): Durability +10, Anti-Tear +10] One was a Combat Suit, the other was an everyday uniform. Honestly, the two sets were pretty stylish, especially the Work Uniform for everyday wear. However, he didn¡¯t need them for now, maybe he would wear them sometime in the future. Thest Loot Pack contained a Blueprint. [Acquired: Air Bullet Rifle Blueprint x1] [Air Bullet Rifle Blueprint: Can be used to craft a rifle that shoots Air Bullets, required materials: Level 3 Crystal Core x1, Random Rifle x1, de x10, Steel Wire x10, Screw x10, Nails x10, Rubber x10] Air Bullet Rifle? Does that mean that the rifle crafted from this would work like the Air Bullet Ability? Wang Tao had all these materials and after a trip to the bathroom, he managed to craft the gun. Seeing Wang Taoing over with a peculiar looking firearm aroused some curiosity in the others, but they didn¡¯t ask too much. After all, they were used to Wang Tao asionally producing some novel items. "This is a gun that can shoot Air Bullets, something that the Zombie Lord dropped," Wang Tao said casually before turning to look at the gray rifle. This rifle looked nothing like ordinary guns; it resembled the toy water guns he yed with as a child. Wang Tao stepped outside to test it and found that it indeed could shoot Air Bullets, simr to the sensation the zombies gave him, more powerful than ordinary firearms, and without much noise. But there was one problem: the reloading was too slow! To be precise, it didn¡¯t need bullets, but it required charging. The gun had a charging device inside; only after it was fully charged could it shoot. And each charge took a whopping thirty seconds! That meant it could only shoot twice a minute! If it was for a sneak attack or a long-distance snipe, it should be viable. But for directbat, definitely not. Wang Tao handed the gun to He Jijun and exined its functions. "Old He, before you can fuse the Air Bullet Ability, why don¡¯t you make do with this gun?" If the gun¡¯s charging speed was a bit faster, Wang Tao might use it, but the speed was just too slow! Just to put it in perspective, Wang Tao could shoot an arrow every second with his hand crossbow, whereas the Air Bullet gun took thirty seconds for a single shot. Moreover, Wang Tao¡¯s battles were generally very swift. Like the Zombie Lord he killed today, it took less than a minute. With the gun¡¯s charging speed, it was questionable whether he could use it twice in a battle... "For me? Alright!" He Jijun¡¯s eyes lit up. He was quite interested in the gun, although the charging was slow, he could use it as a sniper rifle. Silent and deadly, it would certainly be amazing for sniping! He Jijun couldn¡¯t wait to try it out on the shooting range. Wang Tao said to the others, "I¡¯m going to rest now." He had been running around outside all day, with his spirit highly focused and using his Perception Ability extensively, so he was somewhat exhausted. "Okay." Yang Changhong had wanted to discuss life with Wang Tao that evening. After all, she had been quite tensetely and needed some rxation. But seeing Wang Tao looking a bit weary, she held back and cursed herself silently for herck of shame before hastily retreating to her own room. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about Jiang Shixue regaining her memory to anyone else, since they were unaware of Jiang Shixue¡¯s condition and her amnesia, there was no need for Wang Tao to tell them. Therefore, when they saw Jiang Shixue following Wang Tao back to his room, they weren¡¯t surprised, assuming in their minds that Wang Tao must have some intimate rtionship with Jiang Shixue... And seeing Jiang Shixue, who was lowering her head and following him, Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly. He had arranged a room for Jiang Shixue and thought that after regaining her memory, she would go to her own room. Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s gaze, Jiang Shixue spoke with a blush on her face, "Ahem, I¡¯ve gotten used to this bed..." She indeed was used to it, not the bed per se, but being by Wang Tao¡¯s side. @@novelbin@@ Every time Jiang Shixue remembered her befuddled memories after regaining her memory, she felt terrified. It was hard to understand without experiencing it oneself. In simple terms, it was the feeling of "watching herself slowly turn into a zombie, yet being unable to do anything about it." That feeling was too frightening, and though she was now safe, she still shuddered at the thought. But being by Wang Tao¡¯s side gave her a sense of security. After all, Wang Tao had saved her from being turned into a zombie and the two had depended on each other for so long... "Okay," Wang Tao ruffled Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair. He could tell that Jiang Shixue seemed to be afraid. Certainly not afraid of the present, but perhaps she was recalling some upsetting memories. But Wang Tao didn¡¯t press further, knowing she would speak up when ready. Wang Tao took a shower, then vigorously petted Lightning. The dog¡¯s fur was sofortable to touch that it was hard to stop once he started. After Jiang Shixue finished washing up, Wang Tao finallyy down on the bed. Jiang Shixuey beside Wang Tao, holding one of his arms, breathing in his scent, and feeling extremely secure. Before long, she drifted off into a deep sleep. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t in a rush to fall asleep; instead, he extracted the Ability with Special Energy and fused the Air Bullet. "A 95% chance of sessful fusion with Mastery Fusion for the Air Bullet? Just as I expected!" Chapter 613 - 255 Entering the Downtown Area_2 Wang Tao looked around and, after not finding any Level 3 zombies, once again changed the route. Soon, the group arrived at the third street. This street wasparatively better: it was wider and there were rtively fewer zombies on it. Most importantly, there were a few Level 3 Elite Zombies here. "This will do!" Wang Tao decided to enter the urban area from here. After the group made an appearance, they quickly drew the attention of some zombies. Though the heavy rain affected the zombies¡¯ perception, among so many of them, there were always a few with particrly sharp senses. It was normal to be spotted. "Attack!" Each member drew their weapons and charged towards the zombies. Aside from Lightning, everyone was now Level 3, and handling these Level 2 zombies was like picking off low-hanging fruit. In a moment, none of the zombies were left standing, including those Level 3 Elite Zombies, which Wang Tao easily disposed of. After collecting the spoils of battle, Wang Tao used his Perception Ability and then pointed in a direction: "There are fewer zombies over there, let¡¯s go that way." "Okay!" Everyone followed Wang Tao, continuing to delve deeper into the urban area. The urban area of Wuyang City was vast; even in peacetime, it would have been impossible to explore the entire area quickly, let alone now. Thus, Wang Tao¡¯s goal was to search ording to the areas marked on the map, one by one, and he should eventually find a Four-level zombie. But unfortunately, even until nightfall, after killing who knows how many zombies, they had still not encountered a single Four-level zombie. "Damn it!" Wang Tao felt somewhat helpless. It was the embodiment of that saying: The more youck something, the less likely you are to encounter it. Initially, Wang Tao had been considering how to deal with a Four-level zombie if he encountered one. The irony... he couldn¡¯t even find one! "Let¡¯s find a ce to rest." There was no point in going back to the base now; otherwise, the effort it took to reach this point would be wasted if they had to start all over again. "Sure!" Nobody objected; they had been fighting frequently all day long without much rest. But if you really talked about danger, nothing much had really happened. After all, everyone was cautious and didn¡¯t make much noise. Wang Tao surveyed the area and then chose a high-rise building about a dozen stories tall. He thought this location was good, as it allowed for a view of the nearby area and if a Four-level zombie appeared, he would be able to spot it in time. There was a square under the building with quite a few zombies on it. Wang Tao spent some time clearing out these zombies before entering the building. Naturally, there were also quite a few zombies inside the building, but the group didn¡¯t rush and methodically cleared them floor by floor. However, as they reached a certain floor, Wang Tao suddenly eximed. "Huh?" "What¡¯s wrong?" @@novelbin@@ Everyone looked at Wang Tao. "We¡¯ve stumbled upon a Night Demon¡¯s Nest, just a few floors above..." Wang Tao pointed upwards. "..." Wang Tao¡¯s perception range was limited. When he was downstairs, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see the whole building¡¯s situation. As for his nt Affinity Ability, it didn¡¯t detect anything because there were no nts in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. Moreover, with many Ordinary Zombies inside the building, Wang Tao didn¡¯t consciously think about the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. "What do you say?" Yang Changhong and the others looked at Wang Tao, somewhat eager. "Of course we¡¯re going to check it out!" Night Demons were at least Level 3, and killing them could greatly increase their HP; it was an opportunity not to be missed. Furthermore, Wang Tao had many Ultraviolet illumination res, which were effective against Night Demons and indirectly weakened theirbat power. Wang Tao and his group carefully cleared the zombies on that floor, then continued upwards. The building had 18 floors in total, and the Night Demon¡¯s Nest was located above the 10th floor. There were no zombies from the 9th to the 7th floor, only below the 7th. After Wang Tao and the group had cleared all the zombies in these seven floors, the sky waspletely dark. Wang Tao could sense that during the day, even when the sky was very overcast, the Night Demons didn¡¯t do much, as if they were sleeping in theirir. But as soon as night fellpletely, the Night Demons woke up, as though, and began to stir. It was likely that a Night Demon would soon leave itsir. Many of the building¡¯s entrances were blocked, leaving only an essible stairway. Wang Tao and hispanions stood on this necessary path for the Night Demon. "Here ites!" Wang Tao whispered. Momentster, a blood-red figure emerged into view. [HP: 70000/70000] [Mana: 40000/40000] [Level: Level 3, Elite] A Level 3 Elite Night Demon with seventy thousand HP. Wang Tao had seen Night Demons before; a Level 3 Lord had fifty thousand HP, but this one had seventy thousand and was still only Elite. He estimated that the Lord of this nest must have a hundred thousand HP. "Roar¡ª" This Night Demon probably hadn¡¯t expected to find humans blocking the entrance to its home, and so it didn¡¯t immediately charge at Wang Tao and the others upon seeing them. Bang! Bang! He Jijun, carrying an Air Bulet Rifle, and Wang Tao, using his Air Bullet Ability, struck the Night Demon¡¯s head simultaneously. The Air Bullets, though seemingly unremarkable, had great impact power. The Night Demon was instantly knocked down. Yang Changhong and the others seized the opportunity to rush forward and quickly hacked the Night Demon to death. As Level 3 ability users with tens of thousands of HP each, a single Night Demon was definitely no match for theirbined assault. "Roar¡ª" Chapter 617 - 256: Level 4 Night Demon_3 Wang Tao had so many ultraviolet shlights and ultraviolet illumination res at his disposal, which were supposed to be effective in suppressing the Night Demons¡ªwait a minute! It wasn¡¯t afraid of the ultraviolet illumination res? Wang Tao had just thrown one of those res right at the feet of the ck Skin Night Demon, and although its body was emitting a sizzling burning sound, it seemed unafraid! It didn¡¯t even move an inch! And its HP... it was reduced by so little, 10 HP per second? When dealing with Level 3 Night Demons, the ultraviolet illumination res would cause triple-digit damage per second, yet it was only 10 HP on this Level 4 Night Demon! "Roar¡ª" The ck Skin Night Demon let out a low growl. One could see its facial muscles twitching and its skin cracking and burning. Clearly, the ultraviolet illumination re had some effect, but it simply ignored these and even walked straight past the re, then suddenly vanished! Bang! Without seeing anything, Wang Tao felt himself lifted into the air. It was then that he saw the ck Skin Night Demon had already appeared in front of him! Wang Tao felt a sharp pain in his chest; looking down, he saw the sharp ws of the ck Skin Night Demon had pierced right through the Entangling Roots! [-15734] [-1087] [108913/110000£¨84266/100000£©] "What the fuck!" Wang Tao was a bit stunned. This w strike from the ck Skin Night Demon not only tore away 15,000 HP from the Entangling Roots but also pierced through them and hit Wang Tao directly! Fortunately, Wang Tao was wearing the Night Demon Breastte, which blocked the strike. Even so, the massive impact still caused Wang Tao to lose one thousand HP! A single strike draining 15% of his Entangling Roots¡¯ HP? And it managed to pierce through and hit him? Is this the Attack power of a Level 4? Despite his profound shock, Wang Tao had no time to ponder. He immediately summoned all his strength, held his knife with both hands, and viciously shed at the ck Skin Night Demon in front of him. Bang! [-1024] This damage number left Wang Tao speechless. This was his strike with all his Abilities activated, employing high-frequency vibration along with his full strength, and it only dealt a thousand HP of damage? But this strike, at least, knocked the Blue-skinned Night Demon back and gave Wang Tao a chance to breathe. Then, Jiang Shixue was the first to react; she immediately rushed to the side of the Blue-skinned Night Demon and scratched it twice with her Dark sharp ws. [-423] [-418] Next to react was He Jijun. He directly took out a rifle loaded with nks and fired a shot at the ck Skin Night Demon! [-512] The third one to react was unexpectedly Lightning. Fear was visible in its eyes, but it still charged at the Blue-skinned Night Demon without hesitation, leaping high and biting at the Night Demon¡¯s face. [-5] "..." Last were Yang Changhong, Xu Xiaojun, and Nie Siyan. The three reacted almost simultaneously. After Wang Tao pushed back the ck Skin Night Demon, their attacks alsonded on it. [-426] [-237] [-188] "..." Suddenly, Wang Tao felt that his own damage wasn¡¯t that low, either? No, what the hell is this! Six of them and a dog attacked the ck Skin Night Demon together, and they only managed to deal over 3,000 damage? Which is just 3% of its total HP? Is this the defense of a Level 4 Night Demon?! "Roar¡ª" Having been attacked so many times in a row, although it didn¡¯t lose much HP, the ck Skin Night Demon was clearly infuriated. Its figure shed, and once again, it disappeared from their sight. Wang Tao felt a sense of danger in his heart and swung his de at the empty air in front of him! Bang! Wang Tao¡¯s preemptive strike was spot on! Itnded directly on the head of the ck Skin Night Demon! [-1283] [95557/100000] But the ws of the ck Skin Night Demon had once again prated Wang Tao¡¯s chest! [-16348] [-1084] [107829/110000 (67918/100000)] "Damn!" Seeing the outrageous damage numbers again, Wang Tao felt a mix of anger and panic. If it went on like this a few more times, he didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d die, but the Entangling Roots were definitely done for! "Get lost!" Wang Tao kicked the ck Skin Night Demon hard, sending it flying. However, it was a kick to the demon¡¯s chest, and it only lost a few drops of blood. Then, Wang Tao immediately took out a bunch of ultraviolet illumination res, lit them, and threw them all around. "Everyone throw res!" Wang Tao didn¡¯t have much of anything else, but he had plenty of res. Szzh¡ª After he threw those res, purple light instantly enveloped the ck Skin Night Demon. The ultraviolet light produced by so many res burning together directly caused smoke to rise from the ck Skin Night Demon¡¯s body! Seeing the numbers for HP loss above the ck Skin Night Demon¡¯s head start to increase, Wang Tao instantly felt overjoyed. "The effects of the res really do stack!" While the damage from the ultraviolet illumination res was secondary, the most important thing was that it could affect the ck Skin Night Demon¡¯s movements! The previous Red-skinned Night Demon and Blue-skinned Night Demon had barely been able to move after getting hit by the ultraviolet light¡ªnot that they literally couldn¡¯t move, but because they both desired to devour Wang Tao and his team while also fearing the damage the ultraviolet light brought, so they became stuck. Now, the ck Skin Night Demon was facing a simr situation. It very much wanted to devour Wang Tao and hispanions, but it had an innate fear of ultraviolet light. If there was only a little bit of ultraviolet light, it would be fine, and it could just charge through. But now, with ultraviolet light everywhere, it felt ufortable all over, and even its speed was affected. When it charged at Wang Tao again, Wang Tao finally saw its trajectory, and there was just one word to describe it¡ªfast! This was the ultimate speed that came with overpowering physical qualities! Wang Tao felt somewhat relieved, thankful that the Night Demon¡¯s hatred was focused on him. If it had charged at someone else, he doubted many could withstand its attack! Bang! Wang Tao¡¯s Bone Knife struck the ck Skin Night Demon once more. The ck Skin Night Demon still didn¡¯t dodge or evade. In terms of both attack and defense, it was far superior to Wang Tao, and in this head-on sh, it had the upper hand. But this time, it didn¡¯t get the upper hand, because Jiang Shixue rushed over like a cannonball from the side and mmed it away! @@novelbin@@ Thud! The ck Skin Night Demon was sent flying backward. At that moment, the others produced arge number of ultraviolet illumination res in their hands and threw them at the Night Demon. Whoosh! The ck Skin Night Demon was instantly submerged in purple light! Chapter 621 - 258 Awakening Key_1 "Giant Zombie!" Upon seeing that enormous shadow, everyone eximed in shock. Then, fear was written all over their faces. If dealing with the Level 4 Night Demon just now was so difficult, how strong must this Giant Zombie be?! After all, Wang Tao had mentioned earlier that this Giant Zombie was likely one of the most formidable beings among Level 4 creatures! "What do we do?" Everyone turned to look at Wang Tao. "We¡ª¡ªGet down!" Wang Tao suddenly yelled, pulling Jiang Shixue and Yang Changhong to his side as he instantly dropped to the ground. Upon hearing this, He Jijun nearly at the same time dropped to the ground with Wang Tao, and he also pulled down Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan who were beside him. Lightning also reflexively dropped straight down. Then¡ª¡ª Boom! There was an earth-shaking rumble as if something had nearly grazed past the top of their heads as it flew by. With the help of the res that hadn¡¯t yet burnt out nearby, they saw that the flying object seemed to be a massive b of stone! Looking up, they saw that the walls in the front and back of this level were gone, leaving a gaping hole! Through the opening, they could see that huge figure in the distance, still poised to throw something. Thump, thump, thump! "Heavens!" Everyone was somewhat dumbfounded. This creature could throw objects as an attack? From such a great distance, it could strike with such uracy? And the power it wielded, to directly smash through a reinforced concrete building! If Wang Tao hadn¡¯t told them to get down, it¡¯s likely they would have either been crushed into a pulp or thrown out from a dozen floors up and killed on the spot! "Damn!" Wang Tao cursed under his breath. This thing had ranged attacks too? They were already no match for it, and now even less so! "Run! Run fast!" Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Wang Tao got up and started running, pulling Yang Changhong along! Though the Giant Zombie appeared to move slowly, its immense size meant it could probably cover the distance in just a few strides! Now it wasn¡¯t a question of running or not but whether they could run fast enough! Nie Siyan and the others were slightly panicked, but being Level 3 ability users, they discarded all extraneous thoughts and followed Wang Tao. However, the fastest runner wasn¡¯t Wang Tao, but Lightning. Lightning led the way, familiar with the paths, ensuring they didn¡¯t end up in a dead-end. Jiang Shixue followed Lightning, and whenever they came to ces only Lightning could squeeze through, she used brute strength to push her way in. Then came Wang Tao, Yang Changhong, Xu Xiaojun, and He Jijun. Although He Jijun was the oldest, being a Level 3 ability user and possessing the hidden ability of ¡¯old but vigorous¡¯, he had strong physical fitness and didn¡¯t fall behind. The group frantically ran down the stairs, and just as they reached the fifth floor, Wang Tao suddenly stopped and yelled, "Lightning,e back!" Wang Tao¡¯s shout was with full force, numbing the ears of Yang Changhong, who was next to him. She hadn¡¯t yet figured out what was happening when suddenly there came a thunderous boom! The ground shook! A huge and decaying arm appeared on the fifth floor, grabbing and bursting everything within reach! The group hurriedly looked out the windows only to see a terrifying figure hunched over outside! The Giant Zombie had arrived! It seemed to have grabbed something with that move, then its massive hand left the fifth floor, bringing whatever it had caught to its mouth! "Lightning!" Wang Tao was furious. "Woof woof!" Discover stories at empire Suddenly, a ck shadow rushed from the debris to Wang Tao¡¯s feet. "Lightning?" Wang Tao had thought Lightning was caught but luckily the dog was smart and had escaped this disaster. Wang Tao immediately embraced Lightning in his arms, looked at the fifth floor now reduced to rubble, and decisively said, "Jump off the building! Follow me!" Holding Lightning in one arm and an ignited ultraviolet illumination re in the other, Wang Tao broke the window and leapt out! Seeing Wang Tao¡¯s actions, the others didn¡¯t hesitate and jumped down after him. Whoosh¡ª Feeling the wind past his ear, Wang Tao maximized both his Perception Ability and nt Affinity. @@novelbin@@ Thud! Wang Tao hit the ground hard, mud sttering, and the impact caused the ground to crack; Wang Tao felt his feet go numb. The othersnded one after another. For them, as level 3 ability users with a hundred thousand blood, a five-story height wasn¡¯t too dangerous¡ªespecially since Wang Tao was leading the way with the re, allowing them to see the path clearly. Wang Tao put down Lightning and casually threw the re into an area with many zombies. "Move, follow me!" In the pouring rain, Wang Tao ran ahead, with the others following behind, and the Giant Zombie at the rear. Thump, thump, thump¡ª The Giant Zombie seemed to have noticed Wang Tao and the others as it abandoned the building and moved towards them. Its movements looked sluggish, but with one step covering more than twenty meters, it quickly caught up to the group. "Rush!" Wang Tao yelled. His suit¡¯s Rush ability was still cooling down, but He Jijun, Nie Siyan, and Xu Xiaojun all had the Rush ability. The three of them, carrying Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, Yang Changhong, and Lightning, immediatelyunched into a Rush! Rumbling¡ª The group rushed forward more than thirty meters in an instant. At the spot they¡¯d just left, a giant foot stomped down. "Keep rushing, don¡¯t stop!" Wang Tao directed them, and everyone kept their heads down and charged forward. They didn¡¯t even know how many zombies they trampled to death along the way, not having time to pick up any Crystal Cores. Wang Tao was still unable to get any distance between them and the Giant Zombie, so he immediately pulled out a Stealth Potion. "Zhang Hong, use Stealth! Everyone else, use the Stealth Potion!" Chapter 623 - 258 Awakening Key_3 "Brother! We¡¯ve made it out of the city, I see our car!" Phew¡ª Upon hearing this, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief; he was very grateful that the route he had chosen earlier was the right one. It wasn¡¯t until everyone had gotten into the car without any danger that Wang Tao could no longer hold on, and he copsed into Jiang Shixue¡¯s arms. "I¡¯ll sleep for a while..." "Brother!" "Wang Tao!" ... "Water..." Wang Tao felt his mouth was very dry and called out subconsciously. Then he felt a cool sensation at the corner of his mouth, and as Wang Tao slowly opened his eyes, he saw a pair of pure, clear,rge eyes. "Brother!" Jiang Shixue put down the ss and tightly grabbed Wang Tao¡¯s hand. Wang Tao looked up to see the familiar ceiling of the military base room and also saw a group of people standing beside his bed. "Wang Tao! Sob¡­ I thought..." Yang Changhong was holding Wang Tao¡¯s hand, her eyes slightly swollen. "Brother Wang, you¡¯ve finally woken up!" Xu Xiaojun clenched his fists tightly, his eyes also somewhat red. "Brother Wang..." Nie Siyan seemed to have cried as well. "You finally woke up, kid!" He Jijun showed a smile on his face. "Woof woof!" Lightning, who had been quietly guarding by the bed, immediately jumped up and then excitedly ran around under the bed. Wang Tao got out of bed and vigorously rubbed Lightning¡¯s head, then smiled at everyone and said: "Don¡¯t worry, I was just very tired. I¡¯m all right now." He remembered what had happened before; he had said he was going to sleep for a while. At that time, he had been seriously injured and looked pitiful, so such a statement could easily be misunderstood. After all, others couldn¡¯t see the HP bar and didn¡¯t know that Wang Tao still had over thirty thousand blood. "You¡¯re really strong!" He Jijun gave a thumbs-up. "How long did I sleep?" Wang Tao asked. "About sixteen hours, it¡¯s eight o¡¯clock in the evening now. It¡¯s already dark." Yang Changhong hastily spoke up. "That¡¯s not too bad¡­ You all haven¡¯t rested, have you? Go get some rest!" Wang Tao saw that they all looked not in the best of spirits, evidently not having rested much. "I¡¯m off to rest; this old man can¡¯t keep up with you young people!" He Jijun left right away. Now that Wang Tao was all right, he felt relieved. Xu Xiaojun nodded at Wang Tao and then left as well. Nie Siyan wanted to stay, but seeing that Yang Changhong and Jiang Shixue were there to attend to Wang Tao, she tactfully left. Only Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, Yang Changhong, and Lightning remained in the room. Jiang Shixue was quite alert; her body was special, and she wasn¡¯t tired at all. Yang Changhong, on the other hand, lookedpletely exhausted. Wang Tao immediately picked up Yang Changhong, and amid her startled cries, tossed her onto the bed. "You sleep too, hurry up." "Oh~" Feeling Wang Tao¡¯s overbearing concern, Yang Changhong felt sweetness in her heart. Wang Tao sat on the edge of the bed, gently caressing Yang Changhong¡¯s face until she soon fell into a deep sleep. Then Wang Tao took Jiang Shixue to sit on the sofa and asked her about what had happened after he fell asleep. Stay updated via empire "Once we left the city area, there wasn¡¯t much danger. We encountered quite a few zombies on the way back to the base, but none were a match for us... As for those two giant zombies, they didn¡¯t appear again." "That¡¯s good. Those level 4 zombies are truly terrifying!" Wang Tao eximed with a sigh. After checking on Jiang Shixue and Lightning to ensure both the woman and dog were fine, he then turned his attention to his own attributes. [HP: 37353/110000] [Mana: 1394/45000] [Special Energy: 450000] [Awakening Key: 1 (Inactive)] [Level: Level 3] [Hidden Attributes: Improved Body Conditions, Night Vision, nt Affinity] A poor physical state could affect the speed of mana recovery. With not much mana, he couldn¡¯t use Self-healing, which is why Wang Tao¡¯s HP wasn¡¯t high. However, it wasn¡¯t a big problem. He could just find Yang Changhongter to restore some mana. But Wang Tao¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t on HP and mana ¨C it was on the Awakening Key he had acquired! This Awakening Key had appeared after he killed the Level 4 ck Skin Night Demon. When he set his sights on the "Awakening Key," an exnation appeared. [Awakening Key: The key needed for awakening (obtained by killing a creature of Lord level 4 or above, either of the same level or higher)] [Inactive: Currently unusable, requires 3 conditions for activation] [1. Max out HP (Completed)] [2. Max out Special Ability Level (Notpleted)] [3. Possess Hidden Attributes (Completed)] [Note: Automatically ascend to level 4 after awakening] Reading these introductions, many of Wang Tao¡¯s previous questions were resolved! @@novelbin@@ Only through awakening could one ascend to level 4! Without awakening, it would be impossible to reach level 4! But awakening required an Awakening Key, which could only be obtained by killing creatures of Lord level 4 and above! Wang Tao had felt it before, that ascending from level 3 to level 4 would probably have additional requirements and wouldn¡¯t be as simple as before... Now it seemed this was indeed the case! However, obtaining this Awakening Key wasn¡¯t just difficult ¨C it was as challenging as ascending to heaven! After all, one had to personally kill a creature of Lord level 4 or above! Only someone like Wang Tao, who had fought with a level 4 Zombie Lord himself, knew how strong they were! If it weren¡¯t for the Night Demon, they might have been utterly defeated by another level 4 zombie... And to kill it personally, not to mention that unlike Ascension Crystal Cores which could be traded, this greatly increased the difficulty! Of course, even with an Awakening Key, one couldn¡¯t awaken immediately; the Key needed to be activated, which required three conditions¡ª The first condition was to max out HP, presumably meaning to reach the upper limit of hundred thousand blood at level 3. Wang Tao and several teammates had already achieved this condition. The second condition, to max out Ability Level. The maximum for level 3 abilities wasn¡¯t 10, but rather to ascend to level 4, level 1 with an Ascension crystal core... This, of course, Wang Tao had not achieved. The third condition, to have Hidden Attributes! "So hidden attributes have this use too?" In that case, hidden attributes were even more important than the first two conditions! After all, HP could be gained by killing zombies, and special ability levels could be raised using crystal cores, but hidden attributes... Wang Tao felt they were rted to luck. If lucky, like Ding Yuqin, she activated a hidden attribute the very first time she killed a zombie. If unlucky, like team member Nie Siyan, even with hundred thousand blood, she had no hidden attributes. Of course, obtaining other items, such as Night Vision Eyes or Magic Seeds, could also grant hidden attributes, but that was also a matter of luck... So those with hidden attributes were the ones with the potential to ascend to level 4? [Improved Body Conditions, Night Vision, nt Affinity] Wang Tao looked at his three hidden attributes and fell into deep thought. Chapter 625 - 259 Night Demon Type 1_2 ``` [Awakening Energy Pearl: After use, one can obtain 100 Awakening Energy.] [Awakening Energy: The energy required to unleash an Awakening and to elevate its level.] "Awakening Energy?" Wang Tao looked at the exnation and seemed to roughly understand. "So Awakening has levels, simr to Special Ability Levels? To upgrade Special Ability Levels, one needs to integrate Crystal Cores, and to upgrade Awakening levels, one must integrate Awakening Energy Pearls? Moreover, activating an Awakening also consumes Awakening Energy..." Wang Tao tried it out, but he couldn¡¯t use the Awakening Energy Pearl at the moment, probably because he hadn¡¯t undergone an Awakening. It was unclear howmon Awakening Energy Pearls were. If every four-level zombie could drop one, then that would be quite nice. If it required good luck to obtain one, that would be frustrating. The fourth item was arge ck heart-shaped object¨Dwhich was actually the heart of a Night Demon. However, it wasn¡¯t named just a heart; it was called... a Weapon! [Fourth-Order Weapon?Night Demon Type I] [HP: 10000/10000 (limit 100000)] [Status: Can be awakened] [Enhancement: Independent Attack (Weakness: Afraid of Ultraviolet Light)] @@novelbin@@ [Compatibility: 0%] [Independent Attack: Can perform attacks independently as ordered by its master, but is vulnerable to ultraviolet light.] Seeing the attributes of this heart, Wang Tao was filled with question marks. "What¡¯s this? Could it actually summon a Night Demon to fight?" Driven by intense curiosity, Wang Tao immediately tried to awaken it. He soon felt a faint consciousness, but he couldn¡¯t awaken itpatibility wasn¡¯t high enough. "Almost forgot!" Wang Tao pped his forehead and hurriedly took out Crystal Cores to increase the Compatibility of the [Night Demon Type I]. Then Wang Tao discovered that this thing really consumed a lot of Crystal Cores! For a Level 3 Weapon like the Entangling Roots, one Level 3 Crystal Core could fully restore Compatibility. But for the Fourth-Order Weapon¡¯s [Night Demon Type I], one Level 3 Crystal Core could only restore 10% Compatibility, a Level 2 Crystal Core could restore 1%, and a Level 1 Crystal Core... couldn¡¯t be used at all. So does that mean that one Level 4 Crystal Core would be needed to restore 100% at once? Wang Tao didn¡¯t have many Level 4 Crystal Cores on hand, so naturally, he couldn¡¯t experiment with it here. Therefore, he used Level 2 and Level 3 Crystal Cores to fully max out the Compatibility of the [Night Demon Type I]. Although it was costly, he had to use them when necessary. Then Wang Tao tried to awaken it again. Whoosh! Wang Tao¡¯s heart suddenly surged like flowing water, then materialized in front of him into a more than two-meter-tall ck Night Demon! "Sss¨D" It really was a Night Demon! Jiang Shixue and Lightning, standing nearby, were startled and immediately became vignt of the Night Demon. This Night Demon was different from the ones Wang Tao had seen before. It was a pure ck Night Demon, while the ck Skin Night Demons he had killed before only had ck bone armor, with the rest of their bodies being red. So it was easy to tell the difference. But no matter how you distinguished it, this was a Night Demon! It still looked somewhat intimidating, especially to Lightning, whose fur stood on end. Wang Tao reached out to the faint consciousness and beckoned. Then he saw the Night Demon immediately crouch down, its limbs touching the ground, and just like a puppy, it ced its head in front of Wang Tao. The touch felt terrible. Lightning: ? Lightning tilted its head, its small eyes suddenly disying a hint of confusion. After noticing this, Wang Tao burst intoughter, immediately crouched down, hugged Lightning, and thoroughly ruffled its fur before letting it go. Lightning then vigorously wagged its tail, knowing its master hadn¡¯t reced it with something new. Jiang Shixue also realized that this was something Wang Tao had concocted, and she curiously touched it as well. "Brother, this is..." Watching the Night Demon squat motionlessly in front of Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue was puzzled. "This is a Fourth-Order Weapon, simr to my Entangling Roots and Iron Tree Vines..." As he exined, Wang Tao made the Night Demon perform various actions. After studying it for a while, Wang Tao also roughly figured out what this thing was all about. Unlike his Entangling Roots, the [Night Demon Type I] could only engage in independentbat, and it could not be worn on the body. It was a bit like the Iron Tree Vines. However, Iron Tree Vines needed Wang Tao as a carrier, usually resting on his wrist. The Night Demon, on the other hand, didn¡¯t need that; it could operate independently of Wang Tao. Wang Tao could use it by simply issuing amand in his mind, but it wasn¡¯t very flexible. That¡¯s because controlling it involved a ratherplicated process: Wang Tao had to think of what to do, then issue themand, then the Night Demon would receive themand, and finally execute it. It wasn¡¯t a case of Wang Tao thinking something and the Night Demon doing it immediately. There was a certain dy in this process. Working with it seemed less effective than coordinating with Jiang Shixue. Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue knew each other well, and with just a gesture or a nce, they both knew what to do. The Night Demon was a bit slow; although it had a very faint consciousness, this consciousness was not enough for it to possess self-judgment. Comparing it to Lightning, if Wang Tao let Lightning roam free, Lightning might y around and stick to Wang Tao. But if there was sudden danger, Lightning would unquestionably be vignt and join the fight. If it realized the enemy was too strong, Lightning might even hide. And if it saw Wang Tao in danger, Lightning just might risk its life to save him... Lightning had its own intelligence and judgment. ``` Chapter 627 - 260 Night Demon Set_1 The crystal cores within the Crystal Core Gift Bag were a red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Awakening], an orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Ascension], a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Omnipotent], a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Energy Boost], and a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - HP Enhancement]. To have an orange Ascension Crystal Core! Wang Tao was overjoyed, as this was directly usable! As for the other crystal cores,pared to the Level 3 Night Demon, they were missing one [Physical Enhancement] but had gained one [Awakening]! [Level 4 Crystal Core - Awakening] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 35% (Side Effects: None)] Explore more at empire [Awakening: After fusion, one can obtain 100 Awakening Energy] Seeing the attributes of this Awakening Crystal Core, Wang Tao raised his eyebrows. The awakening crystal core almost had the same effect as the "Awakening Energy Pearl" dropped by the ck Skin Night Demon! The reason for "almost" is that although this awakening crystal core had no side effects, it contained impurities, whereas the Awakening Energy Pearl did not. From this perspective, the Awakening Energy Pearl was obviously better. However, better things are certainly rarer; Wang Tao guessed he¡¯d been lucky to have looted the Awakening Energy Pearl beforehand¡ªsuch items must be umon. Of course, this is not to say that Awakening Crystal Cores are bad. On the contrary, Wang Tao felt that in the future, this type of crystal core would definitely be one of the most valuable ones! The premise is that humanity canst long enough for arge number of Awakeners to appear, allowing this kind of crystal core to be widespread... Shaking his head, Wang Tao presently had no ability to ponder these things. He continued to look through the loot. The second Loot Pack contained potions and Potion Recipes. [Received: Strength Potion (Medium) x10] [Received: Strength Potion (Medium) Recipe x1] [Strength Potion (Medium): After injection, one¡¯s overall strength increases by 50%-150% (the stronger the physique, therger the increase),sting 1 minute with a cooldown of 6 hours] [Strength Potion (Medium) Recipe: Once learned, each crafting session can produce 5 Medium Strength Potions. Required materials: Strength Mushroom x5, Zombie Crystal Core x1, Purified Water* 100ml, 10 kcal of food] Compared to the small potion, the medium potion reduced the cooldown time and raised both the upper and lower limits of the enhancement. However, it also requires more core materials. "Still no potion that permanently increases attributes, how stingy!" Wang Tao muttered aint before learning the potion recipe and turning to the third loot pack. [Received: High Power Ultraviolet shlight x1] [Received: Mini Ultraviolet Illumination Shell x100] [Received: Ultraviolet Illumination Light Strip x20] [Received: Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb x5] This pack contained only ultraviolet tools, andpared to the Level 3 Lord Night Demon, there were more Mini Illumination Shells and Light Strips, plus the addition of a Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb. [Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb: Once ignited andunched into the air, it emits a strong ultraviolet light in a certain area,sting for 3 minutes] This Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb looked like a mortar that could be directlyunched into the air. Wang Tao thought the ultraviolet strength of this device must be very strong; since it can be emitted into the air, it must be able to radiate over a vast area. For example, the Mini Ultraviolet Illumination Shell, with its limited range, only works well within about a ten meters radius. When he gets the chance, Wang Tao ns to test the power of thisrge illumination bomb. The fourth Loot Pack contained items Wang Tao had seen before. [Received: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] "Another one!" @@novelbin@@ Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. He had just said that the Awakening Energy Pearl was better than the Awakening Crystal Core but would certainly be rarer, yet it turned up in the Loot Pack! He now had two Awakening Energy Pearls and one Awakening Crystal Core. That meant he effectively had 300 Awakening Energy. He just didn¡¯t know how much that counted for; whether 300 was a lot or a little... Wang Tao looked at thest Loot Pack. [Received: Night Demon Belt Blueprint x1] [Received: Night Demon Gloves Blueprint x1] Just as Wang Tao expected, among the contents were Blueprints for Night Demon Equipment, and there were two blueprints at that! [Night Demon Belt Blueprint: One can craft a Night Demon Belt. Required materials: Level 4 Lord Night Demon¡¯s Bone x5kg, Level 4 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x20, Steel Wire x20, Rubber x20] [Night Demon Belt: Attributes unknown] This belt blueprint required bones from a Level 4 Lord Night Demon and a Level 4 Crystal Core! Fortunately, Wang Tao had previously extracted bones from the ck Skin Night Demon; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to craft it now. [Night Demon Gloves Blueprint: One can craft a pair of Night Demon Gloves. Required materials: Level 4 Night Demon¡¯s w x2, Level 4 Crystal Core x1, de x20, Steel Wire x20, Rubber x20, Screw x20, gauze x20] [Night Demon Gloves: Attributes unknown] The second blueprint was for Night Demon Gloves, and Wang Tao was currently unsure whether they¡¯d augment attack or defense. However, he had enough materials on hand to give it a try and find out! So, Wang Tao had Jiang Shixue bring over the Night Demon bones they had brought back earlier, and then he gathered all the required materials. Both of these equipment pieces needed a Level 4 Crystal Core, but thankfully, Wang Tao had looted a Crystal Core Gift Bag, so he did have some Level 4 Crystal Cores avable. After some thought, Wang Tao decided to use the [Strength] and [Energy Boost] Level 4 Crystal Cores. Not that those two crystal cores were trash, but the others were better. After all, the remaining ones were [HP Enhancement], [Ascension], [Omnipotent], and [Awakening]... so these two had to be sacrificed. Chapter 632 - 261 Stirring the Tide of Corpses_3 But it doesn¡¯t eliminate the possibility of zombies capable of reproduction, given the vast array of zombie types. If it¡¯s true, Wang Tao feels it would probably be like the incubation flesh in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. It¡¯s impossible to imagine zombies giving birth to children, after all, the organs in their bodies are all decayed, and they should no longer have the ability to reproduce¡­ The speed of flying a ne is much faster than driving, even a helicopter, not known for speed, can reach the city center in just a few minutes. Looking at the skyscrapers far away, Wang Tao immediately said to He Jijun, "Keep away from the buildings, otherwise if we encounter Giant Zombies, there may be visual blind spots." "I understand!" He Jijun nodded. He didn¡¯t n to enter the city from here. After all, the image of that Giant Zombie disguising itself as a building at night was still vivid in his mind. The helicopter circled around and entered the city from a ce where the buildings were rtively low. And in the time it took to circle around, a massive number of zombies had already gathered below! Especially those Mad Demon Zombies, they were running and roaring chaotically below, looking extremely terrifying. If someone fell down at this moment, even Nie Siyan with her jump ability, would probably be torn to shreds instantly. However, as terrifying as therge gathering of zombies was, it actually made Wang Tao¡¯s search easier¡­ "No Level 4 zombies, keep moving." Wang Tao¡¯s target this time was the Level 4 Lord Zombies. Other than Level 4 zombies, even Level 3 Lords wouldn¡¯t get a second nce from him unless they provoked him. After all, they had already made such amotion. If they wasted time with other zombies, it would be too time-consuming. Only Wang Tao could see HP bars and distinguish the levels of zombies. The otherscked this ability, so they were all observing their surroundings, wary of those two Giant Zombies. Today¡¯s luck was neither good nor bad, they had yet to encounter a Level 4 Lord Zombie, nor had they encountered any Giant Zombies. This made Wang Tao and hispanions breathe a sigh of relief. Even though they were fully armed today with fierce firepower, if they really encountered a Giant Zombie, they would still have to flee¡­ "Hmm?" Suddenly, Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned serious. "Did you find something?" Yang Changhong quickly asked. "Not a Level 4 zombie, but I think I¡¯ve found a Night Demon¡¯s Nest!" Wang Tao spoke. His nt Affinity Ability could sense that, in a building wrapped in nt roots ahead, there were many zombies lying motionless, much like Night Demons. Night Demons typically rest in their nests during the day. Everyone¡¯s expressions turned solemn upon hearing this. Their previous encounter in the Night Demon¡¯s Nest had left a deep impression. Afterward, they had analyzed the origin of that Level 4, Lord Night Demon. They all spected that the nest might have housed two Lord Night Demons, one Level 3 and one Level 4! This would exin why the Level 4, Lord Night Demon, found them so quickly¡ªit might have been returning home, only to stumble upon the intruders... Now that Wang Tao had discovered another Lord Zombie, it¡¯s possible that there was also a Level 4 Night Demon inside! Wang Tao instructed He Jijun to fly lower, nearly grazing the building as they passed. Then, Wang Tao¡¯s Perception Ability instantly sensed the situation inside the building. "Indeed, Night Demons!" Perception allowed him to "see" more clearly, observing the poses and sizes of the Night Demons inside! @@novelbin@@ When the helicopter flew by, those Night Demons were awakened. They were moving restlessly within the building, appearing somewhat agitated, but dared note out. Wang Tao carefully sensed it and found that it was a smaller Night Demon¡¯s Nestpared to before, harboring roughly dozens of Level 3 Elite Night Demons, with no Level 3 Lords or Level 4 zombies. Theoretically, there should be a Lord in a Night Demon¡¯s Nest. If there wasn¡¯t one, it might have either died or gone out. Wang Tao thought thetter was more likely. There could asionally be conflicts among zombies, but with the strength of Night Demons, they shouldn¡¯t be killed by other zombies. Wang Tao quietly took note of this location to check backter when possible. And just at that moment, a sense of rm suddenly arose in Wang Tao¡¯s mind. He immediately yelled at He Jijun, "Go now!" Without saying another word, He Jijun pulled the joystick, causing the helicopter to ascend sharply. About ten seconds after the helicopter left that building, a huge root-like object suddenly came around from behind the building, whipping at where the helicopter had just been. Fortunately, the helicopter had already left, and the tendril hit nothing. "What the hell!" All the onlookers shivered at this scene. Had the helicopter been struck, wouldn¡¯t it have crashed directly to the ground! "It¡¯s a Level 3 nt Monster Lord, it was hiding on the other side of this building!" Wang Tao exined, then gestured, "Let¡¯s go there!" Humming¡ª He Jijun circled around to the back of the building. Then they saw a giant tree, towering skyward from within the building! This tree was not the actual body of the nt Monster; it had no HP bar, indicating it was not aggressive. The real body of the nt Monster was one of the roots, hidden inside this giant tree. If it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao¡¯s Perception Ability, they would have never noticed! "Looking for death!" Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to waste time on zombies below Level 4, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t fight back when attacked. Wang Tao immediately activated his Iron Wall Ability and Precision Shooting appeared! Then he aimed at the root and pulled the trigger. "Ratatat¡ª" Two parallel Heavy Machine Guns fired at the same time, the furious firepower instantly covering the root. [-1478] [-1578] [-1034] [...] This nt Monster had quite high Defense, the Heavy Machine Gun only hit for a thousand HP. But it was toorge to avoid the shots and was soon sted to pieces. As they watched its corpse and the Loot Pack on it, Wang Tao asked He Jijun to get closer so he could pull the body over with Iron Tree Vines, gathering the loot. Then Wang Tao saw that a massive horde of Mad Demon Zombies was running over from afar, their numbers dark and dense like a tidal wave. "A zombie horde... Quick, leave!" Chapter 635 - 262 Explosion-proof Zombie_3 ``` However, fortunately, his willpower was not bad either, he forcibly blocked out these noises and concentrated on shooting headshots at the Explosion-proof Zombie. After one minute, the Explosion-proof Zombie had lost 20,000 HP and had 80,000 left! But by now, tens of thousands of zombies had gathered in the area! They all looked up at the helicopter with their murky eyes, howling and screaming. Yang Changhong and hispanions felt their scalps tingle as they watched more and more zombies umte. They feared that this situation would surely attract a Giant Zombie, it was just a matter of when it would show up... Another minuteter, the Explosion-proof Zombie had lost 10,000 more HP, leaving it with only 70,000! And it was at this moment that Wang Tao noticed the helmet, which could withstand heavy machine gun fire, on the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s head had cracked. The helmet had already grown onto the Explosion-proof Zombie, and with the helmet cracked, blood-red muscles were exposed directly underneath. Wang Tao subconsciously fired another shot. Bang! [-632] [+100] The damage had increased! It doubled! Wang Tao was immediately overjoyed! Previously, ounting for the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s Blood Regeneration, Wang Tao¡¯s shots could only take away 200 HP, but now one shot could deal 500 HP! Roar¡ª¡ª After realizing its helmet had shattered, the Explosion-proof Zombie became even angrier. It began attacking indiscriminately, and many nearby zombies were smashed to bits by it. Wang Tao was naturally pleased to witness this scene, and he continued to focus his attacks on the Explosion-proof Zombie. Yet another minute passed. The Explosion-proof Zombie had lost another 50,000 HP to Wang Tao¡¯s gunfire, leaving it with only 20,000 HP! It hadpletely entered a Frenzy, its muscles became even more developed, and its speed increased. It threw rocks frantically at the helicopter while ughtering the surrounding zombies. Wang Tao, from some distance away, was starting to have difficulty aiming. And at that moment. A series of muffled footsteps could be heard from afar. Thump, thump, thump¡ª¡ª Wang Tao immediately looked up. In the pouring rain, within the sea of zombies that was like a ck tide, a massive figure appeared! Each step it took crushed multiple zombies beneath its feet! The Giant Zombie had arrived! "Old He! Descend to within ten meters of the ground! Give me twenty seconds!" A fierce determination shed in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. If this Level 4 Explosion-proof Zombie still had a lot of HP left, Wang Tao would have decisively given up. But now it only had 20,000 HP left, and its helmet was gone, Wang Tao had to seize this opportunity! "Alright!" He Jijun didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary and immediately began to lower the helicopter. The closer the helicopter got to the ground, the more urate Wang Tao¡¯s heavy machine gun fire became. But the danger also increased greatly. This was a test of He Jijun¡¯s piloting skills. Wang Tao stared intently at the Explosion-proof Zombie and, at a certain moment, he threw a Weakness Potion at the zombie, then immediately pulled the trigger. Ratatatat¡ª¡ªRatatatat¡ª¡ª Wang Tao began firing in a rhythmic burst, and the HP bar of the Explosion-proof Zombie plummeted rapidly. Meanwhile, the Giant Zombie was getting closer and closer to the helicopter! Sweat broke out on the foreheads of Yang Changhong and the others; they felt as if they could smell the stench from the Giant Zombie¡¯s mouth. At this time, the helicopter was only ten meters away from the Explosion-proof Zombie. A vast number of zombies began building a wall of bodies, like a colony of ants, growing taller and taller! Jiang Shixue and the others fired their guns wildly to hold back the zombies, while Wang Tao remained incredibly calm, pinpointing hisst few bullets. Ratatatat¡ª¡ª [-845] [+100] [-743] [+100] [-223] ``` ``` @@novelbin@@ [0/100000] The Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s HP dropped to zero! Its murky eyes widened as it stared at the helicopter, and ultimately, it copsed to the ground with great reluctance. Whoosh¡ª A ck tendril suddenly fell from the helicopter, instantly wrapping around the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s waist. Wang Tao gave a fierce tug, pulling the massive body of the Explosion-proof Zombie to the helicopter¡¯s door. The reason Wang Tao had He Jijun descend to within ten meters was that his Iron Tree Vines only extended ten meters. Any further and he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach. "Old He, let¡¯s go!" Whirring¡ª Without needing Wang Tao¡¯s instructions, the moment He Jijun saw the Explosion-proof Zombie¡¯s body being hauled up, he immediately began the helicopter¡¯s ascent. But just three seconds after the helicopter began to rise, many zombies within the giant human wall jumped up at once, lunging towards the helicopter. Unfortunately, the helicopter had already taken off, and they couldn¡¯t reach it. The human wall copsed with a thunderous crash. "That was close!" Seeing the zombie human wall fail, Jiang Shixue patted her chest, feeling her heartbeat racing. Rumble¡ª At that moment, the helicopter suddenly made a sharp turn, catching everyone inside off-guard and sending them tumbling around. Had it not been for the seat belts, they would have all been thrown out. Everyone hastily looked out the window only to see a huge, rotting palm swipe past the side of the helicopter. The wind from the palm caused the helicopter to wobble. Stay tuned for updates on empire "Giant Zombie!" "Everyone, hold tight!" He Jijun skillfully maneuvered the helicopter, flying right through the Giant Zombie¡¯s arms! Wang Tao had already grabbed the spoils from the Explosion-proof Zombie. He secured the body in the storage area at the back of the helicopter. Then he picked up the heavy machine gun again, aiming at the Giant Zombie. "I want to see just how strong you are!" Ratatat¡ª [-12] [-21] [-10] [-9] [...] [299923/300000] "..." "Retreat! Retreat quickly!" At this moment, there was activity both from the north and the south. Thud, thud, thud¡ª After seeing the figures from these two directions, Wang Tao let out a curse. "Damn! Two more Giant Zombies!" One with 200,000 HP! And the other... 400,000 HP! "I just knew there would be more Giant Zombies in the city! The Giant Zombies seemed to move slowly, but with each step covering twenty to thirty meters, it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to get here, and one of the Giant Zombies even bent down to pick up a rock! However, as they were still at some distance from the helicopter, He Jijun remained calm, throwing a bunch of incendiary and smoke bombs to distract the Giant Zombies. Wang Tao also took the opportunity to throw out many Self-Destruct Bombs outside of the helicopter. Boom, boom, boom¡ª In a violent explosion with smoke, a camouged helicopter burst forth! A huge boulder nearly grazed the helicopter as it flew by; the helicopter shook slightly but quickly stabilized and sped away from the area, leaving only roars in the smoke. ``` Chapter 637 - 263 Anomalous Equipment_2 ``` However, exactly how that would work, he¡¯d have to wait until the awakening to find out... Wang Tao looked towards the other loot. The explosion-proof zombie itself had dropped three items, and there were also four loot packs. The three items were the crystal core from its head, the explosion-proof armor on its body, and a baton at its waist. [Level 4 Crystal Core - Defense] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] [Purity: 35% (Side effect: body oozing pus)] No wonder the explosion-proof zombie¡¯s defense was so high¡ªit turned out it had a passive crystal core for defense. [Received: Contaminated Explosion-proof Shirt x1] The explosion-proof armor that the zombie wore seemed somewhat surprising to Wang Tao since it bore a name, though equipment dropped directly from zombies had no attributes and hence Wang Tao didn¡¯t know if this explosion-proof shirt was strong or not, but its defensive power should be decent; he could experiment with itter. The design of this explosion-proof shirt was a bit much to handle¡ªit wasn¡¯t just clothing; there were bits of hardened flesh and blood on it. If he were to wear it, others might mistake him for a zombie... [Received: Contaminated Baton x1] The explosion-proof zombie did not utilize the baton duringbat; for its size, holding a baton was probably akin to holding a toothpick. This baton was different from a normal one, too; it had fused with its flesh and mutated. It was called a baton, but its shape was that of a stick made of flesh and blood, which looked quite diforting. Then there were the four loot packs. The first pack contained five crystal cores: a red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Omnipotent], an orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Ascension], a red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Awakening], a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Strength], and a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Return to Light]. As there was an ascension crystal core of epic quality, this was quite good for Wang Tao. With this one, he now had three ascension crystal cores! And another awakening crystal core, also red! Among these crystal cores, it was only [Return to Light] that Wang Tao had nevere across before. [Level 4 Crystal Core - Return to Light] [Quality: Excellent (60%)] Explore new worlds at empire [Purity: 35% (Side effect: irritability)] [Return to Light: Passive Ability, regenerates HP when HP is lost. The healing is fixed at 10 HP for level 1 up to 100 HP for level 10, with a cap at level 10.] That was the ability the explosion-proof zombie had to recover HP when hit! Wang Tao suddenly became a bit excited¡ªthis ability was, to some extent, miraculous! However, as he continued reading the description, he found himself at a loss for words, realizing he had celebrated too soon. This blood regenerating ability first required taking hits, and the recovery was fixed. At most, it could only restore up to 100 HP. For those with high defense, it would certainly be fitting¡ªthey take hundreds of damage and can heal a hundred. But for most people, it might not be so appropriate. If one¡¯s defense was low and they were hit for three thousand, only recovering a hundred would be kind of pointless... Still, overall, this ability was quite good¡ªbecause it has one huge advantage: it¡¯s a passive ability that doesn¡¯t require stamina. If he could gather three of themter on, Wang Tao might consider fusing them. The second loot pack from the explosion-proof zombie contained potions. [Received: Power Potion (Small) x20] [Received: Power Potion (Medium) x20] [Received: Berserk Potion x20] [Received: Hemostatic Drug x20] Though there was no potion to permanently increase attributes, the variety of four potions was still quite good. The third loot pack contained clothes. [Received: Explosion-Proof Suit x1] [Explosion-Proof Suit: Durability +10, Tear Resistance +10, Defensive Power +5, Movement Speed -5%] The explosion-proof zombie had exploded out of this set of clothes, which included a helmet, jacket, pants, shoes, gloves, and more¡ªa veryplete set. But this was a standard set, not one of those mutated garments. In addition to the standard durability and tear resistance, it provided a boost of 5 points to defensive power but also reduced movement speed by 5%. For Wang Tao, movement speed was clearly more valuable than this slight defensive boost, so it was quite useless to him. As for others, they might be able to wear it, but they all had iron tree armor given by Wang Tao which couldn¡¯t be worn over this set of clothes. So, it was of no use to anyone... Thest loot pack contained equipment blueprints, and there were two of them! [Received: Mutant Explosion-proof Baton Blueprint x1] [Received: Mutant Explosion-proof Electric Shield Blueprint x1] These were respectively a baton and a shield blueprint. [Mutant Explosion-proof Baton Blueprint: Can be used to craft a Mutant Explosion-proof Baton. Required materials: Baton x1, Level 4 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x10, Steel Wire x10, Screws x10, Nails x10, Rubber x10, Cable x10, Electronic Components x10, Batteries x10] [Mutant Explosion-proof Baton: Has electrocution properties] [Mutant Explosion-proof Electric Shield Blueprint: Can be used to craft a Mutant Explosion-proof Electric Shield. Required materials: Level Four Zombie Bones 10kg, Level 4 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x10, Steel Wire x10, Screws x10, Nails x10, Rubber x10, Cable x10, Electronic Components x10, Batteries x10] [Mutant Explosion-proof Electric Shield: Has electrocution properties] The descriptions of these two blueprints made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes shine. The baton and shield were actually electrified! Without a second thought, Wang Tao began crafting. After killing the explosion-proof zombie, when he was collecting the loot, he had specifically brought the zombie¡¯s body with him. @@novelbin@@ Based on Wang Tao¡¯s previous experience, some equipment blueprints required zombie bones. After all, this was a level four zombie, and if he indeed needed the bones and didn¡¯t have any, they would be hard toe by. ``` Chapter 638 - 263 Anomalous Equipment_3 Now, making this explosion-proof shield really came into use! The baton was easy to craft since the infected baton dropped by the explosion-proof zombie was useless, and it could be used directly for crafting. As for the level 4 crystal cores, Wang Tao thought it over and chose one with [Defensive Power] and [Strength]. Wang Tao had already fused with both these crystal cores, so they were of no use to him personally. After gathering all the materials, Wang Tao began to craft. Shortly after, two items appeared before Wang Tao. The "Mutant Explosion-proof Baton" differed in appearance from an ordinary baton, being ck and red with vein-like patterns that made it look less like a proper weapon. But appearances didn¡¯t matter, what was important were the attributes. [Mutant Explosion-proof Baton] [Level Four (Excellent)] @@novelbin@@ [Durability +80, Attack Power +60,es with Electric Shock Effect (Electric Shock Effect requires Awakening Energy)] The attributes were interesting. The durability was 10 points higher than his previous level 4 equipment, although the attack power was slightly weaker. However, that was understandable, since it was, after all, a baton, so it was normal for its lethality to be weaker. But the electric shock effect requiring Awakening Energy to be used? This left Wang Tao somewhat speechless, as he didn¡¯t have Awakening Energy and could only use it as an ordinary baton. But did this mean that the electric capability must be quite strong? After all, it consumed Awakening Energy, so it should be more than just a regr stun baton, right? Wang Tao turned his attention to the shield. This shield¡¯s appearance also greatly differed from that of ordinary shields, being a square shield primarily ck in color but decorated with many white bones, giving it a somewhat fierce aspect. Its attributes, however, were the highest Wang Tao had ever seen on equipment. [Mutant Explosion-proof Electric Shield] [Level Four (Excellent)] [Durability +100, Defensive Power +100,es with Electric Shock Effect (Electric Shock Effect requires Awakening Energy)] Both durability and defensive power were increased by 100, which Wang Tao had never seen before in equipment. However, since it was a shield, it made sense. As for the electric shock effect, it also required Awakening Energy to be used. This made Wang Tao quite frustrated, as a person with strong curiosity, having equipment but not being able to use it was quite annoying. "Level Four! Awakening!" Wang Tao clenched his fist. The Awakening was bing more and more attractive to him! Now, he was just one Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core and one attack type ability short. Of course, he could do without the attack type ability, but since he had the opportunity to fuse with other abilities, he couldn¡¯t let it go to waste. Wang Tao wondered whether he should first promote his other three abilities to Level Four... He could actually fuse a Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core now, promoting his three already +10 abilities to Level 4. Level 4 abilities would undoubtedly be much stronger than Level 3 abilities, greatly increasing his strength. But he hesitated because his Special Energy only allowed him to extract and synthesize Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 abilities. There was no option for Level 4 abilities. Wang Tao didn¡¯t know whether ascending to Level 4 would grant him the ability to extract and synthesize Level 4 abilities. As of now, he couldn¡¯t. This meant that if he promoted his abilities to Level 4, he wouldn¡¯t be able to extract and synthesize anymore. If he encountered special circumstances where he needed to fuse other crystal cores, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use them. Thus, he hesitated... "Forget it, no rush to fuse the Ascension Crystal Core. After all, our main reliance on hunting Level Four zombies is still on thermal weapons..." In the end, Wang Tao decided not to fuse just yet. After all, they were currently using thermal weapons, and a minor increase in strength wouldn¡¯t change the overall situation. Even if he promoted his abilities to Level Four, his overall strength would still be far inferior to that of Level Four zombies, because hecked an Awakening... The next day. Everyone assembled in the hall. Because of the helicopter¡¯s activity yesterday, more zombies had gathered around the base, and Wang Tao called everyone to clear them out. They were too few in number, and an excessive umtion of zombies around the base could lead to unforeseenplications. Hence, whenever zombies gathered, Wang Tao would lead a team to clear them out. Soon, two military vehicles took everyone away from the military base. With the number of zombies outside being significant, Wang Tao divided them into two teams to proceed separately. After spending the whole day, they finally cleared all the zombies surrounding the base. Wang Tao unexpectedly received two pieces of good news. The first piece of good news was that his special vine had split! [Level 3 Weapon: Iron Tree Vine] [HP: 10,000/10,000 (upper limit 100,000)] [Status: Awakened] [Enhancement: Splitting (2), Independent Attack] [Compatibility: 100%] His Iron Tree Vine had to split before it could be nurtured; previously there had only been one vine, so it always had 10,000 HP. Stay connected through empire Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure what would cause it to split, suspecting maybe it was rted to time. Today, the Iron Tree Vine seeded in splitting! It became two vines, each with 10,000 HP! Without a second thought, Wang Tao took out a crystal core to start nurturing. Momentster, the upper limit of the vine¡¯s HP increased to 20,000, creating two vines both with 20,000 HP. Although the HP was still not high, it wouldn¡¯t be as easy to cut as before, right? Furthermore, not only had the HP increased, but the length had also grown. Previously at 10,000 HP, the vine¡¯s length was ten meters. Now, with 20,000 HP, the length of both vines reached twenty meters! The increase in the length of the Iron Tree Vine was a significant boost for Wang Tao, who was relying on it to pull zombie corpses up to the helicopter! The length of twenty meters, now having two of them, greatly increased Wang Tao¡¯s margin for error! The second piece of good news was that Wang Tao finally obtained another active attack type crystal core! And while clearing the surrounding zombies, they also collected many Omnipotent Crystal Cores. That meant he could make all four abilities +10, and then integrate the Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core! Chapter 640 - 264 Flame Monster_2 Chapter 640: Chapter 264 me Monster_2 ¡°`@@novelbin@@ But considering the current situation, it seems that it¡¯s not impossible! ¡°Let¡¯s check other ces, if there really are many giant zombies in Wuyang City, and they are all on the outskirts¡­ then we can only head back.¡± Wang Tao shook his head helplessly. He Jijun piloted the helicopter, continuing to detour. Then, Wang Tao spotted the fifth, the sixth¡­ the tenth giant zombie! Everyone else also became utterly helpless. No matter whether these giant zombies were lying in wait or not, they couldn¡¯t get into the city. And everyone was worried that if these giant zombies discovered the location of the military base, they might be able to trample it t¡­
¡°What do you think, Wang Tao?¡± He Jijun looked at Wang Tao. Although they hadn¡¯t been discovered by the giant zombies and hadn¡¯t caused a zombie tide, because they had taken such a long detour, there wasn¡¯t much fuel left in the helicopter. At most, they could keep searching for another half-hour. Once half an hour was up, whether they made it into the city or not, they would have to leave. They needed to save enough fuel for the helicopter, to maintain a margin for error. ¡°Keep going! I just don¡¯t believe it! Anyway, Old He, you watch the time; when it¡¯s time, just leave!¡± Wang Tao said, clenching his fist. ¡°Alright!¡± The helicopter once again changed direction from afar, heading towards another area. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s going on over there?¡± After flying for a while, they finally encountered an area free of giant zombies. Before Wang Tao and hispanions could feel relieved, they noticed a cluster of houses on fire. It was raining, yet the fire didn¡¯t die down, instead, it grew even more intense! ¡°That seems to be a warehouse?¡± Yang Changhong said uncertainly, as the helicopter flew quite high and she couldn¡¯t see clearly even with binocrs. Wang Tao asked He Jijun to lower the altitude a bit. There were no giant zombies in this area, so it should be safe. Whirr¡ª As the helicopter descended, the loud noise gradually spread downwards, and many zombies on the ground began to look up into the sky. Wang Tao and hispanions finally got a clear view of the scene of the fire. It seemed to be a warehouse-like ce, with many standardized low-rise buildings burning fiercely. The mes surged, bellowing smoke billowed. Wang Tao felt it couldn¡¯t have caught fire without reason, especially since it was raining, and it wasn¡¯t extremely hot and dry weather that might cause spontaneousbustion. ¡°Could there be survivors?¡± Wang Tao wondered. If it wasn¡¯t spontaneousbustion, then it must be man-made. Zombies couldn¡¯t possibly start a fire, right? So most likely it was survivors! If there really were survivors in Wuyang City, then Wang Tao definitely wanted to meet them. Surviving in such an environment was something even he thought he couldn¡¯t achieve. At the mention of survivors, Yang Changhong suddenly grew excited. The reason she came to Wuyang City was to find her sister. But unfortunately, after they entered Wuyang City, they only found one living person, He Jijun, and no other survivors. Although she didn¡¯t want to believe it, Yang Changhong knew that her sister was most likely out of luck. Now suddenly discovering a possible Ability User, Yang Changhong grew excited! What if there was news of her sister! But soon, Yang Changhong became disappointed. As the helicopter descended, she clearly saw there were no zombies or human figures inside the burning warehouse. There were many zombies outside the warehouse, but they weren¡¯t surrounding it¡ªif there were people inside, the zombies wouldn¡¯t be so calm. And as the noise from their helicopter grew louder, wouldn¡¯t any survivorse out to look if there were any? After all, it was a military helicopter, a symbol of the military¡­ Wang Tao was also disappointed; he hadn¡¯t seen any human traces. Unless someone had intentionally hidden away, but the area was fairly t and open. With a fire raging, there were not many ces to hide. ¡°It seems there are no survivors left. Or maybe the survivors have already left¡ªhuh?¡± Wang Tao cut himself off abruptly. He quickly rubbed his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yang Changhong asked. ¡°There seems to be something in the sea of fire¡­ Holy shit! A Level 4, Lord!¡± Wang Tao pointed somewhat dazedly at a spot in the midst of the inferno. Yang Changhong and the others followed Wang Tao¡¯s gaze and indeed noticed something amiss. In the raging sea of fire, there was a shadow with mes burning all over its body! Judging by its figure, it was shaped like a tall human. However, its facial features were indistinct, perhaps it didn¡¯t have any at all! This me-like shadow was in a hazy state, causing all to doubt if they were seeing things or mistaking the mes for a person. But it truly was different from the surrounding mes and quite resembled a¡­ person! ¡°What is that thing?!¡± Everyone was amazed at the sight. When Wang Tao had been observing the scene, he subconsciously ignored the sea of fire. After all, humans couldn¡¯t be in the mes. Zombies, though not able to retain fire on their bodies for long due to the me-retardant effect of their blood, didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t afraid of fire. They were carbon-based life forms; how could they not fear fire? But this being was indeed in the middle of the sea of mes, and it seemed to be an energy bodyposed of mes! However, when Wang Tao saw its specific attributes, he suddenly understood. It was a monster! [HP: 120000/120000] [Mana: 120000/120000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Internal Impurity: 50%] [Awakening: zing me] [zing me: Body Burning me] ¡°` Chapter 642 - 265 - A Sea of Flames (End of Month Plea for Monthly Pass)_1 Chapter 642: Chapter 265 ¨C A Sea of mes (End of Month Plea for Monthly Pass)_1 ¡°` Time was running short, and Wang Tao couldn¡¯t bother to exin much. After saying a word to his teammates, he directly jumped out of the ne. ¡°Good!¡± He Jijun responded and then said to the others: ¡°Hold tight, I¡¯m going to give you guys a thrilling ride!¡± Buzzing¡ª He Jijun controlled the helicopter to turn on the spot, then headed straight for the Giant Zombie! On the ground, Wang Tao shifted his gaze. He looked toward the me Monster not far away. Having just emerged from the sea of fire, Wang Tao could now clearly see that it indeed had a humanoid shape, very tall, but obviously, it wasn¡¯t human.
Wang Tao felt that this me Monster seemed tock any offensive abilities, and coupled with his own fire resistance, he dared to face it alone. Of course, if he misjudged, Wang Tao would immediately call He Jijun to retreat. He was risking it all; after all, he was just one Ascension Crystal Core away, and now that there was a rare opportunity to kill a Level 4 Lord, he couldn¡¯t give up. It¡¯s just a pity that it was daytime and he couldn¡¯t use the Night Demon Type 1¡­ Wang Tao gripped his Bone Knife and unleashed a shockwave at the me Monster. [-1134] Suddenly, after being attacked, the me Monster began running toward Wang Tao. [-11] [-12] [-14] [¡­] As the me Monster approached, numbers appeared above Wang Tao¡¯s head indicating HP loss. The mes on the me Monster¡¯s body weren¡¯t fake; they had a burning effect! But Wang Tao was fully covered by Entangled Iron Tree Roots which provided fire resistance, so he didn¡¯t lose much HP. In fact, he didn¡¯t even feel that hot. Previously, Wang Tao didn¡¯t have much of an idea about the fire resistance ability of Entangling Roots, since he hadn¡¯t had the chance to use it. But now, he roughly understood. The me Monster was fast but not as swift as the Level 4 Night Demon from before. Wang Tao could clearly see its trajectory and, once again, swung his knife at it, using high-frequency vibration instinctively this time. Bang! [-1] Wang Tao felt as if he had struck a rock. ¡°It has a physical body?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. He¡¯d thought that this me Monster might be an entity of pure energy or something, hence impervious to ordinary physical attacks. But Wang Tao now realized, it wasn¡¯t as he thought; the me Monster did have a physical body! After being hit by Wang Tao¡¯s knife, the me Monster humanly turned its head to look at his knife, then suddenly lifted its hand and lightly pped towards Wang Tao¡¯s chest. Bang! [-3773] Wang Tao was sent flying backward in an instant! Crash¡ª He crashed through a wall and fell into a warehouse that was still aze. ¡°Damn it!¡± Indeed, the me Monster hadn¡¯t shown any offensive abilities, but with a mere p, it dealt over three thousand damage to the Entangled Iron Tree Roots! Its physical constitution might not be as formidable as the Night Demon¡¯s, but it was still not weak! The only constion now was that the physical constitution of the me Monster was seemingly weaker than that of the Level 4 Night Demon. If it were like that Night Demon, able to deal over ten thousand damage with a p to the Entangled Iron Tree Roots, it would truly be invincible. Swoosh! Wang Tao burst out of the warehouse and collided with the me Monster at the entrance. He held a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. Pulling the trigger as he swung the knife at the me Monster. [-1589] [-1224] Unflinchingly, the me Monster took both hits. Then, it pped Wang Tao again. Bang! [-3823] Wang Tao once more flew into the warehouse, this time breaking through another wall. The damage was absorbed by the Entangling Roots, leaving Wang Tao unaffected. So, he quickly got up and charged at the me Monster again. However, Wang Tao had no intention of shing head-on. Upon reaching the me Monster, he swiftly used Instant Strike, then made a quick getaway. [-1] The me Monster lost another drop of blood. ¡°Instant Strike is indeed ineffective¡­¡± The me Monster turned and ran toward Wang Tao. Wang Tao wasn¡¯t as fast as the me Monster, but he wasn¡¯t much slower either. As long as he didn¡¯t stop, the me Monster wouldn¡¯t be able to catch him anytime soon. But Wang Tao needed to figure out which of his abilities could harm the me Monster, which made fights inevitable, so they had several close encounters. [-1] [-1] ¡°Continuous sh doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± [-1] ¡°Energize One Hit is also ineffective¡­¡± [-1] ¡°Various mental attacks also don¡¯t work¡­¡± [-2138] ¡°Eh? Indirect Attack actually works?!¡± After sacrificing some of the Entangled Iron Tree Roots¡¯ HP, Wang Tao roughly figured it out. Among the abilities he knew, only Shockwave, Air Bullet, and Indirect Attack could damage the me Monster! Wang Tao was actually quite surprised; he didn¡¯t expect that Indirect Attack could damage the me Monster, and its damage was much higher than both Shockwave and Air Bullet! This was a pleasant surprise for Wang Tao. Originally, he thought he could kite the me Monster by exploiting the fire resistance of the Entangled Iron Tree Roots and using Shockwave and Air Bullet. But after engaging with it, he realized that both the speed and physical constitution of the me Monster were formidable! Even without offensive abilities, Wang Tao might not be able to withstand it. This made Wang Tao quite ufortable, as relying on the low-damage Shockwave and Air Bullet, he felt he had no chance of killing this me Monster.@@novelbin@@ Unwilling to give up, Wang Tao wanted to try again, after all, he had so many attack abilities, perhaps others might work too? And indeed, there turned out to be an effect¡ªI- Indirect Attack could actually cause two thousand damage to the me Monster! ¡°` Chapter 645 - 266: Ability Explosion (End of Month Request for Monthly Pass)_1 Chapter 645: Chapter 266: Ability Explosion (End of Month Request for Monthly Pass)_1 The me Monster turned into an ever-growing ball of fire.@@novelbin@@ Reaching a critical point, a loud boom rang out, and the area was instantly engulfed in mes, bing a sea of fire. A splendid, fiery red mushroom cloud slowly rose. Zombies, nts, buildings, and rainwater surrounding it were all devoured by the mes, including Wang Tao. ¡­ The sky suddenly turned a fiery red, and then a shockwave struck the helicopter. The helicopter shook violently, throwing the people inside from side to side. He Jijun quickly steadied the helicopter, and then everyone turned their gazes toward the direction from which the shockwave hade. There was a small mushroom cloud ¡ª that was where Wang Tao had been!
¡°Bro!¡± Jiang Shixue¡¯s face turned white, her beautiful, pure eyes filled with panic. ¡°Wang Tao! Wang Tao, are you alright?¡± Yang Changhong immediately tried to contact Wang Tao through the earpiece, but there was no response. Xu Xiaojun¡¯s face was a blur of confusion; he felt certain that Wang Tao couldn¡¯t be dead. He believed in Wang Tao! But¡­ the mushroom cloud had emerged! ¡°What the hell is this?!¡± Even the typicallyposed He Jijun was unsettled this time. Judging by the size of the mushroom cloud, it was as if they had been bombed by a missile! Wang Tao¡­ could he still be alive? ¡°Brother Wang¡­¡± Nie Siyan was somewhat in disbelief. ¡°Woof, woof!¡± Lightning, firmly strapped in by safety belts, thrashed wildly, trying to break free and find its owner. Even the Giant Zombie was attracted; it abandoned the incessantly buzzing mosquito before its eyes and strode towards the fiery wastnd. ¡­ On the ground, the fire explosion came quickly and also dissipated quickly. The gorgeous fire mushroom cloud gradually disappeared, revealing the fiery wastnd below. Suddenly, an area in the debris that had been slightly raised shook. Crash¡ª The rubble split apart, and a giant figure rose from the ruins, walking out of the sea of mes. He slowly straightened up, revealing his over four-meter-tall, burly figure and the tattered roots wrapped around his body. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ such tremendous power!¡± The man lifted his head, exposing the young face beneath the broken root mask. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± On the helicopter, everyone burst into tears of joy at the sight of this figure. At first, when they saw the giant figure rising from the fiery ruins, they thought it was the me Monster. It wasn¡¯t until the giant figure walked out of the mes and revealed Wang Tao¡¯s signature root armor that everyone realized Wang Tao had survived! At this moment, He Jijun said very calmly: ¡°Fire your guns, draw the Giant Zombie over here!¡± The Giant Zombie had just headed where Wang Tao was! Yang Changhong and the others quickly came to their senses and began pulling their triggers. Ratatat¡ª But to the Giant Zombie, these bullets were little more than mosquito bites. It paid them no mind now because it seemed to find something more interesting. Yang Changhong shouted frantically through the earpiece: ¡°Wang Tao, the Giant Zombie is heading your way! Run!¡± On the ground. The first thing Wang Tao did after getting up was to look around, and he immediately spotted the Giant Zombie striding towards him. He grinned and then made a dash towards another pile of ruins. Crash¡ª With his fan-sized hands, Wang Tao began digging into the debris. Secondster, he found an all-ck figure with no facial features¡ªthe me Monster! He pulled out his Bone Knife and swiftly brought it down on the creature¡¯s head. Indirect Attack! [-1200] [0/120000] Crash¡ª The me Monster burst into a pile of loot. ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Tao noticed that the ck armor-likeyer on the me Monster had a name. And from inside the body of the me Monster exploded a small me with a name! Wang Tao didn¡¯t have time to look closely; he quickly gathered all the loot and ran. He picked up all the Crystal Cores on the ground as he ran, pointing out a direction to the helicopter above him. ¡°Go!¡± He Jijun steered the helicopter towards the direction Wang Tao pointed. Whirring¡ª The helicopter flew in the direction Wang Tao indicated, and Wang Tao ran towards that ce too. The Giant Zombie seemed to notice Wang Tao and immediately quickened its pace. But before the Giant Zombie could catch up, Wang Tao had already met up with the helicopter and arrived underneath it. Wang Tao stretched out his hand towards the helicopter, and the Iron Tree Vines on his wrist flew out, quickly wrapping around the hook reserved on the helicopter. He Jijun immediately pulled up the helicopter. Wang Tao¡¯s feet slowly left the ground, and he was hoisted away in the opposite direction of the base by the helicopter. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Giant Zombie let out an angry roar and continued the chase, but it wasn¡¯t as fast as the helicopter, and soon fell behind. As a precaution, He Jijun deliberately took a detour, just like thest time they returned. An hourter, just as the helicopter was about to run out of fuel, they finally returned to the military base. By then, Wang Tao had reverted to his normal size. Once above the base, he let the Iron Tree Vines unwind from the helicopter andnded directly on the ground. Thud! Wang Taonded smoothly. Soon, the helicopternded sessfully. ¡°Bro!¡± ¡°Wang Tao!¡± Jiang Shixue and Yang Changhong jumped out of the helicopter and hugged Wang Tao, one on each side. Then they instinctively checked Wang Tao for serious injuries. Wang Tao had already retracted the Entangling Roots, but his clothes were torn to shreds, his ck hoodie destroyed, and his Night Demon Breastte and Leg Armor were also ruined. His exposed skin was covered in dried blood and scars¡­ He looked utterly wretched. Chapter 655: 269 Airplane Crash_2 Chapter 655: Chapter 269 Airne Crash_2 ¡°Next, let¡¯s head to Red Stone Base,¡± Wang Tao returned to the co-pilot¡¯s seat. ¡°Okay.¡± Wang Tao knew the location of Red Stone Base, and He Jijun had looked at the map before. He slightly altered the direction and headed towards Red Stone Base. Wang Tao had never seen what Red Stone Base looked like. He had only heard some news about Red Stone Base during the early days of the apocalypse when the inte was still functioning. His impression of Red Stone Base could be summed up in two words ¡ª safety. Back then, many people were heading to Red Stone Base, and Wang Tao had paid special attention to a few individuals, wanting to follow their updates. But unfortunately, the inte went down subsequently and he didn¡¯t know what had specifically happened to them¡­ When Wei Zhenguo and the others fled, they headed to Red Stone Base. Wang Tao felt they should have been able to reach it, and there was a high probability that they were indeed there. Red Stone Base was a bit far from Zijing City, requiring some time to reach.
On the way there, Wang Tao had already encountered numerous hordes of zombies, bothrge and small. It felt as though the zombies were especially active, and he didn¡¯t know what was going on.@@novelbin@@ However, aside from Zijin Base, Wang Tao had note across any other Survivor Base. Of course, there might be survivors who were well hidden and couldn¡¯t be seen even from the sky. Nevertheless, this weighed somewhat heavily on his mind. The only constion was that, for the time being, he hadn¡¯t encountered any Level 4 zombies. Wang Tao spected that perhaps only the area around Wuyang City had a significant number of Level 4 zombies? The base that had been in contact with them but was now obliterated was located at some distance from both Wuyang City and Zijing City, with the three forming a triangle. It was possible that zombies from Wuyang City had overrun it. But if that were the case, Zijing City might also face the arrival of Level 4 zombies, given its proximity to Wuyang City. Wang Tao furrowed his brow in thought. If Zijing City really did have a lot of Level 4 zombies approaching, he would need to think of a way to evacuate Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng, perhaps using a helicopter. But Zijin Base had over ten thousand people¡­ Shaking his head, Wang Tao stopped considering these matters. His capabilities were limited; he was not a savior, nor could he act as one. After a while, the ne finally reached the vicinity of Red Stone County. ¡°Huh?¡± Red Stone County was not veryrge; from a distance, he could already see the entirety of it. But¡­ where was the Survivor Base? Before the inte outage, Wang Tao had seen photos of Red Stone Base, and its tall walls had filled him with longing. But now, where were those walls? The tallest structure here seemed to be an abandoned hotel over ten stories high. Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned grim. Could the Red Stone Survivor Base have been a sham? But that seemed unlikely¡­ The Government wouldn¡¯t deceive people with something like this, would they? After all, ces like Zijin Base were real¡­ At that moment, He Jijun suddenly spoke up: ¡°There seem to be traces of tall walls amid that ruin¡­¡± Wang Tao looked in the direction he pointed and immediately frowned. Ruins were all toomon in the post-apocalyptic world, and Wang Tao hadn¡¯t paid much attention to them before. But now, looking closely, he could indeed see signs of copsed structures that resembled tall walls. The ne circled the area, and Wang Tao got a clearer view of the situation. However, his expression grew even more troubled. ¡°There seems to have been arge base here, but it¡¯s been destroyed! It was most likely blown up by explosives, with even the foundations obliterated¡­¡± An uneasy thought shed through Wang Tao¡¯s mind about Zijin Base, where arge amount of explosives were buried, intended to obliterate everything if the base were to fall to the zombies! So could it be that Red Stone Base activated its Self Detonation mechanism and was annihted along with the zombies? If that was indeed the case, there must have been a moment of desperate crisis; otherwise, there would be no need to destroy a base! Just like Zijin Base, which had not been fully constructed and was overrun beforepletion, it did not Self Detonate. Perhaps they still saw a chance to retake the base, and, in fact, survivors did manage to recover it from the zombies. But now, Red Stone Base might have faced utter despair, knowing there was no hope left, and so those inside chose to perish together with the zombies¡­ Now, only one question remained. When did the base explode, before Wei Zhenguo and his group arrived or after¡­ He Jijun quickly provided an answer. ¡°I believe that this base exploded quite some time ago,¡± he said. Then he exined: ¡°Compared to Zijin Base, it¡¯s clear that the area of this base¡¯s ruins is smaller, yet the space here is ample enough to have built a muchrger base.¡± ¡°Since these bases were built by the Government, the design would likely be simr underparable spaces, aiming forrge survivor bases. There¡¯d be no need to purposely create smaller bases.¡± ¡°So I think, this base might have faced problems right at the beginning of its construction. Didn¡¯t we say that Zijin Base encountered issues before it was finished? The problem here must have urred even earlier than that¡­¡± After hearing He Jijun¡¯s analysis, Wang Tao¡¯s tightly knitted brows rxed slightly. If that was indeed the case, then Wei Zhenguo and the others still had a chance at survival. After all, during the early days of the apocalypse, they were at Shuize University Base. Wang Tao instructed He Jijun to circle a few more times around Red Stone County and the neighboring towns, but they found nothing. Chapter 657: 270 I miss you_1 Chapter 657: Chapter 270 I miss you_1 At 8 o¡¯clock in the evening, Wang Tao saw the military base¡¯s surrounding wall. ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived! There are some zombies around, let¡¯s clean them up.¡± After spending some time clearing the zombies around the base, Wang Tao and hispanions entered the base and returned to themand center. Wang Tao noticed everyone was somewhat disheveled and said, ¡°Today was really unlucky¡­ Everyone should rest early tonight.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Everyone felt helpless, as none of them had expected their first flight on the ne to be theirst. The base had only two aircrafts, and with the biggest one gone, only the helicopter remained. Although the helicopter was more convenient most of the time, the transport aircraft could fly higher and further, something the helicopter couldn¡¯t match¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t rest but went with He Jijun to check the ck box instead.
The ck box is the flight data recorder of the aircraft, used for ident investigation, maintenance, and flight testing. Reading its records can usually determine the cause of an ident. The base was equipped with devices to read the ck box, and together they quickly figured out how to operate it. But¡ª ¡°Damn! It can¡¯t be read; all the electronicponents inside are damaged!¡± The usually calm He Jijun cursed out loud. ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao closely examined the ck box and noted that the damage didn¡¯t seem caused by impact or explosion. The outer shell of the ck box was very durable, with fire and explosion-resistant capabilities, yet the contents were still ruined. Wang Tao and He Jijun carefully recalled the situation; the ne had suddenly lost control after leaving the Giant Zombie. But this surely had nothing to do with the Giant Zombie, for they had flown helicopters in front of it before without any issues. Could it be rted to the weather, the region, or some mysterious force? Both felt a bit helpless. If they couldn¡¯t figure this out, they¡¯d be hesitant to fly helicopters in the future. Wang Tao had even promised Lan Yulian he would return¡­ The next day, at dawn. Wang Tao gathered everyone and informed them that the ck box was also damaged, asking if anyone had any ideas. People exchanged thoughts for a while, but no useful answers emerged. They weren¡¯t professionals, after all; even He Jijun, who knew how to fly and handle some simple malfunctions, was out of his depth with this issue. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not dwell on this for now. Let¡¯s treat that area as a no-fly zone¡­ Let¡¯s all try to see if we can make contact with anyone else.¡± They had previously made contact with a Survivor Base, and although it had been overrun, it proved that other survivor camps were nearby. Furthermore, Wang Tao asked Lan Yulian to try to establish contact from her end. So he felt it was still possible that they might make contact with other people or Lan Yulian. Unfortunately, after a whole day¡¯s work, they got no messages. Lan Yulian didn¡¯t make contact either. Wang Tao checked on his fused ¡®Little Huo¡¯, the countdown showed two days remaining. ¡°Although Zijin Base is overrun with arge number of zombies, it seems temporarily safe for now. I¡¯ll make another trip after my Awakening¡­¡± Wang Tao had initially nned to go tomorrow, but after the aircraft ident, he hadn¡¯t figured out what exactly happened. He would have to pass through that region to reach Zijing City. If he took a detour, he wasn¡¯t clear on the exact size of the ¡°no-fly zone¡±¡­ So it was better to be cautious. Busy until the evening, Yang Changhong and others left themunication room. Wang Tao was also preparing to go to sleep when themunication equipment suddenly rang. ¡°Zzzt¡­ zzzt¡­ Is anyone there¡­ zzzt¡­ I just thought I heard someone¡¯s voice¡­¡± Hearing the woman¡¯s voice from the device, Wang Tao, who hadn¡¯t left yet, and He Jijun were instantly alert. He Jijun immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m here. Where are you survivors from?¡± ¡°Wow, there really is someone!¡± The person on the other end was obviously excited. After calming her excited emotions, she spoke again, ¡°We are a small team, constantly on the move. We n to head to Wuyang City¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ Head to Wuyang City? Wang Tao and He Jijun looked at each other. ¡°Wuyang City is very dangerous; there are many Level 4 zombies here. We suggest noting to Wuyang City!¡± ¡°Ah? Four-level zombies!¡± A few exmations of shock came through, as they obviously had not encountered four-level zombies before. Then, whispers of quiet discussion could be heard on the other end. ¡°Wuyang City is that dangerous? Maybe we shouldn¡¯t go¡­¡± ¡°But we need to reach arge Survivor Base! If we don¡¯t go through Wuyang City, we¡¯ll have to take a much longer route¡­¡± ¡°What should we do then¡­¡± After hearing the phrase rge Survivor Base,¡± Wang Tao¡¯s eyebrows rose. He gave He Jijun a nce, and He Jijun nodded. ¡°Whichrge Survivor Base are you talking about? As far as I know, there isn¡¯t one in Wuyang City.¡± The other side immediately responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a base in Wuyang City, but there¡¯s arge Survivor Base west of Wuyang City! Although we don¡¯t know the exact location of this base, we have some important clues about it! To reach that base, taking some risks is worth it! But we are currently trapped by a tide of zombies. If you are willing to help us, we¡¯ll share the clues with you!¡± West of Wuyang City? Wang Tao furrowed his brows. The area west of Wuyang City was too broad; without specific coordinates, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Besides, going through Wuyang City was virtually impossible; they¡¯d have to make a detour. Chapter 660: 271: Meeting Again_1 Chapter 660: Chapter 271: Meeting Again_1 ¡°What shall we bet on?¡± Jiang Shixue looked at Wang Tao. ¡°You decide!¡± Wang Tao spoke very generously. Jiang Shixue tilted her head to think, and then suddenly revealed a sly smile. ¡°If you win¡­ I¡¯ll give you a kiss. It¡¯s my first kiss, you know~¡± ¡°What?¡± Although he and Jiang Shixue slept in the same bed, their rtionship was pure and innocent, without any intimate gestures beyond hugging. To say that Wang Tao didn¡¯t harbor any thoughts at all would be impossible. But what was that saying? It¡¯s hard to make a move when you¡¯re too familiar!
He basically treated Jiang Shixue like a little sister, since they were so close. Wang Tao felt that their interdependent rtionship was actually quite nice. Now that Jiang Shixue suddenly said this, it seemed like she was about to break the nature of their rtionship? While Wang Tao was still confused, Jiang Shixue suddenly hugged his neck and gently kissed him on the face, then snuggled into his arms. ¡°You won.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jiang Shixue didn¡¯t care about winning or losing; she knew these were justforting words from Wang Tao. Wang Tao opened his mouth, feeling that perhaps this was an excuse Jiang Shixue deliberately used to close the distance between them. Meeting someone who conceded before the bet could be a bit disappointing, but it was Jiang Shixue, after all. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s sleep.¡± Wang Tao helplessly ruffled Jiang Shixue¡¯s hair. He had originally nned to tell Jiang Shixue that Li Qiuyu was still alive, and that he was going to pick her up. But now, he changed his mind; he decided to give Jiang Shixue a surprise. ¡­ The next day, at dawn. Wang Tao told everyone that he and He Jijun were going out for a short trip and would be back soon. He didn¡¯t specify what for, and no one asked too much, just admonished him to be careful on the way. Before leaving, Wang Tao secretly found Yang Changhong. ¡°When I return, find an excuse to keep Jiang Shixue in the room, don¡¯t let here out.¡± ¡°Ah? Okay!¡± Yang Changhong nodded. She wouldn¡¯t ask too much, but Wang Tao still exined a bit. ¡°I found her mother, and I want to give her a surprise.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Yang Changhong was very surprised, then nodded repeatedly. ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it well!¡± ¡­ Whirr whirr¡ª The helicopter took off, leaving the military base. Inside the aircraft, Wang Tao was highly focused, afraid of any idents. He had even prepared to jump out at any moment. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, without any incidents. Wang Tao slowly eased his mind, thinking that the previous ne crash might have happened because of issues in that area. After some time, they finally arrived at the location Han Rui had mentioned. From afar, Wang Tao could already see the residential area. Surrounding theplex were many metal barrels, and despite the rain, mes still burned within them, likely containing gasoline or something simr. And around theplex, there was a dense wave of zombies! ¡°This is the ce, let¡¯s go.¡± Whirr whirr¡ª The helicopter advanced towards theplex. ¡­ Jinxiu Residential Area. Ding Yuqin¡¯s group got up early in the morning. Because Wang Tao said he woulde today, they didn¡¯t know when he might arrive, so they decided to prepare in advance. ¡°With so many zombies outside, how is he going to get here¡­¡± Ding Yuqin¡¯s face showed worry. Their original n was to create a diversion outside to attract some of the zombies if they could contact others willing to help. Then, while those zombies were distracted, they would make a run for it. The n was dangerous, but they had no other options. After all, they were trapped in the midst of the zombie wave, and it was unlikely that anyone would daree to their rescue under these circumstances. They never expected anyone to break through for them. But Wang Tao just told them to stay put and take care of themselves, and wait for his message.@@novelbin@@ Although Ding Yuqin trusted Wang Tao and believed that he could manage this task, she couldn¡¯t figure out how exactly he would do it and was worried about his safety. And it wasn¡¯t just her; the others were also concerned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s so strong, nothing will happen to him!¡± Han Rui patted her hand. ¡°Yes!¡± Ding Yuqin nodded, then turned to look at Li Qiuyu beside her, who looked distressed. ¡°Sister Qiu Yu, should I ask about Jiang Shixue for you?¡± They were too excitedst night and forgot to inquire about Jiang Shixue. Mainly because Li Qiuyu herself did not speak up¡­ After finishing the callst night, Ding Yuqin realized that Li Qiuyu was visibly disheartened. She quickly apologized to Li Qiuyu, then asked if they should try to contact Wang Tao again, as they could probably still reach him. But Li Qiuyu shook her head. She knew Wang Tao¡¯s character. If Jiang Shixue were safe, Wang Tao would have definitely informed her, but since he said nothing¡­ the oue was evident. Of course, she still held onto an unrealistic hope¡ªif she asked Wang Tao, then even that sliver of hope might be dashed! So, she was conflicted. She wanted to see Wang Tao, who was an old friend and had saved her several times, a true lifesaver. But she also feared seeing him because, after meeting him, she might hear her daughter¡¯s death with her own ears¡­ Facing Ding Yuqin¡¯s questioning, Li Qiuyu ultimately shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll¡­ wait until I see him.¡± Ding Yuqin probably understood Li Qiuyu¡¯s thoughts and tightly grasped her hand. Chapter 661 - 271: Meeting Again_2 Chapter 661: Chapter 271: Meeting Again_2 ¡°I think Little Xue will definitely be okay!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Li Qiuyu obviously didn¡¯t believe that. At this moment, Wei Zhenguo and a few others came over and said to the three women: ¡°Have you all packed your things?¡± Since Wang Tao said he would take them away today, they had to be ready, even though he really did not know how Wang Tao was going to get them out¡­ Could they possibly fly out? ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve packed up too.¡± Han Rui nodded. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll call everyone else over; hopefully everything goes smoothly for Wang Tao¡­¡±
Wei Zhenguo gathered everyone together. There were 22 people in total. Besides a few of their core members, the rest were survivors they had encountered on the road. If they felt someone was of good character, they kept them in the group. Since they had been on the move, the size of their team had essentially not expanded, with the number fluctuating around twenty. The rest of the team members knew that someone wasing to rescue them today, but they weren¡¯t too excited. After all, their previous n involved drawing the zombies¡¯ attention while they made a forced breakout. The n was very risky, and there would definitely be casualties! Thus, far from being excited, they were filled with a sense of grim determination¡­ Just then, someone standing at a high point with a pair of binocrs suddenly spoke up: ¡°Captain! A Level 3, Lord Zombie ising this way!¡± Upon hearing this, everyone tensed up. In this group, the strongest were Wei Zhenguo and a few others, but all were Level Two. They had already struggled against the horde, and if a Level 3 Lord Zombie attacked their temporary camp, then they would be in even more trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Wei Zhenguo ran to a higher ground, took out the binocrs, and saw a Level 3 Lord Zombie approaching their location. They had spotted about three to five Level 3 Lord Zombies in this horde, but not all of them woulde at once, only asionally one or two Level 3 Lords would attack the base. But whenever they came, everyone had to give their all. Unfortunately, their luck was not good today as a Level 3 Lord Zombie arrived early in the morning. Wei Zhenguo quickly checked and, confirming there was only this one zombie, immediately gave an order. ¡°Grab the gasoline and light up the fire barrels around us!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Everyone immediately grabbed the gasoline and poured it into the iron barrels around the base, then ignited the gasoline inside. Boom! In an instant, mes surrounded the entire camp. Even the rain wasn¡¯t enough to extinguish the fire. But Wei Zhenguo didn¡¯t feel much relief; after all, this was thest of their gasoline. They might be able to hold off the zombies until the gasoline burned out, but what would happen after that? Zombie Lords generally brought minions with them or could control other zombies. This was one way to tell if a zombie was a Lord. Like the zombie that was approaching now, although it didn¡¯t have minions, as soon as it arrived, ordinary zombies immediately gathered around it, bringing a group of other zombies to the outskirts of the camp. Facing the mes, the ordinary zombies were somewhat afraid and halted in their tracks. The Level 3 Lord Zombie, although also instinctively afraid, wasn¡¯t so scared that it wouldn¡¯t dare toe closer. It stood outside the mes and howled, staring at the people on the rooftop with its pale grey eyes, giving off a feeling it could leap in at any moment. Everyone was on edge. If the Level 3 Lord forcibly assaulted their camp, they definitely would not be able to hold it back. Fortunately, the Level 3 Lord Zombie just roared outside and didn¡¯t actually charge in. This allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief, but before they could speak, they saw another Lord Zombie approaching from another direction! ¡°Herees another one!¡± Everyone¡¯s faces looked grim.@@novelbin@@ They could deal with one Level 3 Lord Zombie if they worked together, but two would be a different story. ¡°It looks like¡­ there¡¯s another!¡± Someone noticed that yet another Level 3 Lord Zombie wasing from a different direction! Three Level 3 Lord Zombies had effectively surrounded their camp. Although the mes kept the Lord Zombies at bay for the moment, the gasoline was burning out fast! Once it did, they would have to face the assault of three Level 3 Lord Zombies¡­ They wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out! ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have to fight hard in a bit¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo sighed helplessly. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the situation; when they were surrounded by the horde, he had already prepared for the worst. The others were silent. So a battle was inevitable, after all? The so-called rescue probably wasn¡¯t going to arrive in time. Everyone felt downhearted. No one wanted to die, but in this situation, even if they could escape, there probably wouldn¡¯t be many who¡¯d make it out alive. Watching the mes in the surrounding barrels grow smaller, nobody spoke, but everyone was prepared for thest stand. Suddenly, someone¡¯s ears twitched, and they said with uncertainty: ¡°Do you hear a ¡®buzzing¡¯ sound?¡± ¡°Huh? Do we? I haven¡¯t heard anything, just the sound of rain¡­¡± Some shook their heads. ¡°I think I heard it too¡­¡± But there were those who said they heard it. Wei Zhenguo and the others exchanged nces, confusion in their eyes¡ªthey had heard it too. ¡°There definitely is a buzzing sound, but why does it sound so familiar¡­¡± Chapter 663 - 272 Mother and Daughter Reunited_1 Chapter 663: Chapter 272 Mother and Daughter Reunited_1 Wang Tao released the two women, then turned to He Jijun and said: ¡°Old He, let¡¯s head home.¡± ¡°Hold tight!¡± Whirring¡ª The helicopter dipped slightly and swiftly headed towards the military base. In the cabin. Wang Tao looked at these familiar faces and slowly grinned. ¡°Seeing you all again, it¡¯s really wonderful!¡± Not a single one was missing from those core members who had escaped alive from Shuize County before!
Ding Yuqin, Han Rui, Li Qiuyu, Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, Lu Gang, Chen Zhuang, Gao Hua. Although they all looked weathered, clearly having suffered a great deal, it was good that they were alive! Especially Xiang Hongbin, his situation had been truly tragic; he had lost half of his body. Though Wang Tao had saved his life, his limbs couldn¡¯t be regenerated, and now he was a disabled person with only one hand and one arm. Still, he managed to survive stubbornly! Wang Tao walked over and thumped Xiang Hongbin on the chest. ¡°Old Xiang! There aren¡¯t many people I admire in this life, but you¡¯re definitely one of them!¡± ¡°Haha! That¡¯s my honor!¡± Xiang Hongbinughed, showing his scarred face that looked fierce when he smiled, but to Wang Tao, it felt incredibly endearing. The two embraced each other firmly. Xiang Hongbinined somewhat: ¡°Damn! It¡¯s okay that you¡¯re so muscr, but why do you have to be so tall? You¡¯re what, two meters now? I have to look up to you!¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily and then moved over to Wei Zhenguo. ¡°Old Wei!¡± ¡°Brother Wang!¡± The two said little and hugged each other tightly.@@novelbin@@ The friendship between men doesn¡¯t require many words, a look or a gesture is often enough. Of course, Wang Tao did want to have a chat with Wei Zhenguo, but it wasn¡¯t urgent. They could talk slowly when they got back. He went over to Lu Gang and Chen Zhuang next, bumped fists with them and shared a hug. Back in Shuize Base, Wang Tao thought Lu Gang was quite young. Now, seeing him again, he appeared much more worn, yet he also seemed more manly. As for Chen Zhuang, he had been a doctor in Shuize Base, someone who didn¡¯t really engage inbat. But now, the various gear on him showed that though he was still a doctor, he carried not only a Surgical Knife but also arge machete. ¡°Brother Wang!¡± Gao Hua looked at Wang Tao, somewhat excited. In his life, he had made many right decisions, but after the apocalypse struck, there was only one decision he considered the most right one: clinging to Wang Tao¡¯s coattails! If not for Wang Tao, he likely would have died many times over. After experiencing the despair of the apocalypse¡¯s arrival, he couldn¡¯t imagine that he might somehow survive for more than half a year! ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re still alive!¡± Wang Tao had saved him on a whim, and Gao Hua himself had been tenacious; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have made it to this point. ¡°All thanks to Brother Wang¡¯s blessings!¡± Gao Hua defined himself as someone who had sold his life to Wang Tao. So he didn¡¯t need to say much; he would let his actions speak for themselves. Wang Tao patted him on the shoulder, then approached Li Qiuyu. He opened his arms, and Li Qiuyu also willingly embraced Wang Tao, though she didn¡¯t speak. Her expression was somewhat sorrowful. From the moment she boarded the helicopter and realized Jiang Shixue wasn¡¯t there, Li Qiuyu knew that her daughter was likely gone. Now all that was left was for Wang Tao to personally tell her the bad news, but a part of her deceptively didn¡¯t want to hear it. As long as she didn¡¯t know for sure, Jiang Shixue would always possibly be alive¡ªthat was the only way she could deceive herself. ¡°What is it? Are you still mad at me?¡± Wang Tao suddenly asked. Before they separated from Ding Yuqin and the others, Wang Tao had threatened Jiang Shixue with Li Qiuyu¡¯s well-being to get Jiang Shixue to join him in luring away the ck Mist Monster. ¡°Ah? Mad? Why would I be mad?¡± Li Qiuyu seemed rather baffled; she couldn¡¯t recall what Wang Tao was referring to. She had indeed spoken in anger before, saying things like if anything happened to Jiang Shixue, she would hate Wang Tao for her entire life. But that was all said in the heat of the moment. She was a sensible person and had not actually been truly angry with Wang Tao. Seeing Li Qiuyu¡¯s puzzled expression, Wang Tao suddenly found her somewhat adorable. ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I just¡­ never mind¡­ It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just too happy to see you¡­¡± Li Qiuyu sighed, suddenly feeling a bit relieved. Since she had already guessed the oue, she decided not to inquire further. She would let Jiang Shixue live on forever in her heart. Seeing Li Qiuyu¡¯s demeanor, Wang Tao was close to revealing that Jiang Shixue was still alive, but he restrained himself. After all, a surprise was best kept for Li Qiuyu and Jiang Shixue to reveal, and he couldn¡¯t spoil it in advance. At that moment, Li Qiuyu suddenly spoke softly, her head lowered: ¡°Wang Tao, can I follow you from now on?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Tao nodded at first, then suddenly realized that this ¡°follow¡± might not be so simple. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± During the time Li Qiuyu had spent with Ding Yuqin, Wei Zhenguo, and the others, she had learned a lot and gradually changed some of her prior views. Now she had only two goals. The first was to find Jiang Shixue, which now seemed hopeless. The second was to live well, to strive to survive with all her might! Because her life was not only her own, but also for those people who had sacrificed themselves along the way. If she died, wouldn¡¯t it mean that all the others died in vain? Chapter 666 - 273: Enhancing Strength_1 Chapter 666: Chapter 273: Enhancing Strength_1 ¡°¡­That¡¯s pretty much it,¡± Han Rui exined in detail to Wang Tao about the ¡°contact method¡± and its origins. In short, they had encountered a small squad of soldiers on the road previously, but only three members of the squad were left, all severely wounded and beyond saving. Before they died, they told Wei Zhenguo about a way to contact a base and urged them to go there. The reason this contact method was believed to be authentic is that the squad had established contact with the other party before, but unfortunately, they didn¡¯t make it to¡­ As for the specific operation of this contact method, it required the use of military base equipment and some underground cables formunication.
But having these things doesn¡¯t mean one could make contact right away; it also called for various equipment adjustments and the input of a secret key, which was veryplicated. Of course, the most important thing was that the equipment and lines were not damaged! So, if Wang Tao wanted to contact that base now, he had to check if the equipment and lines were working. The equipment here was basically fine, but there were issues with the lines. Many lines had been damaged before, and Wang Tao hadn¡¯t repaired them. Now, it might be necessary to attempt some restoration. If they couldn¡¯t be fixed, then they would have to look for alternatives, such as other military bases. He Jijun used the equipment here for a self-check. The ces where the underground cables were damaged were mostly not within the military base but elsewhere, making repairs quite troublesome. However, it was not impossible to fix them. There were also some undamaged lines, but it was very difficult to get in touch with anyone using these lines. The only two contacts made were with the previously annihted Survivor Base and Ding Yuqin. After understanding all this, Wang Tao prepared to try to contact that base. If they knew the specific location of the other party, he might be able to fly there in a ne! ¡°Next, we need to work on restoring these lines¡­ Old He, you do it, after all, I don¡¯t understand much about this area,¡±
Wang Tao said to everyone. ¡°Okay!¡± He Jijun nodded his head. He was naturally interested in the base to the west, and if he had the chance, he would certainly hope to live in arge Survivor Base. Han Rui wrote down the specific steps, secret key passwords, and everything, and handed them to He Jijun. As for Han Rui and the others, they also wanted to help, but before that, Wang Tao needed to enhance their strength. After all, they were all Level Two Ability Users, which was too weak. Around noon, Ding Yuqin and the others made severalrge pots of lunch. Although it didn¡¯t look very appetizing, there was plenty to fill everyone up. For these new survivors, they hadn¡¯t seen so much food in a long time, and they ate while shedding tears. Li Qiuyu and Jiang Shixue also came out, with their eyes both red, obviously having cried. Ding Yuqin and Han Rui quickly pulled Jiang Shixue over, and then they all bowed to her simultaneously. Wang Tao was their savior, and so was Jiang Shixue. Jiang Shixue, feeling somewhat embarrassed by this grand gesture, looked at Wang Tao as if seeking help. Wang Tao smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯re all one of us here, so there¡¯s no need to be so formal. Otherwise, it just feels unfamiliar. Since we¡¯re able to gather together, we should just help each other out from now on!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The crowd nodded andughed. Li Qiuyu approached Wang Tao and spoke very solemnly, ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Wang Tao nodded in response, then raised an eyebrow and said in a lower voice, ¡°You can make amends by working hard for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Li Qiuyu gave Wang Tao a re, but did not say more. After the meal, Wang Tao called Ding Yuqin, Wei Zhenguo, and the others together. ¡°I¡¯m nning to enhance your strength!¡± Upon hearing this, everyone was somewhat excited.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Won¡¯t it be too much trouble for you? We¡¯re not in a hurry!¡± Ding Yuqin quickly interjected. ¡°It is a bit troublesome, since we used a lot of crystal cores before, so I¡¯ll just upgrade you all to the early stages of Level Three for now,¡± Wang Tao said after some thought. Not to mention the environment in Wuyang City, not having Level Three strength was indeed very dangerous. Even Level Three was not safe, given the presence of Four-level zombies! If Wang Tao had enough crystal cores, he would definitely want to enhance them to full Level Three Ability Users, but with the limited number of crystal cores he had, he could only upgrade everyone to the early stages of Level Three and gradually add to their abilitiester. ¡°???¡± Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with question marks. They were a considerable number of people after all, to be upgraded to Level Three? How many crystal cores would that require? The group suddenly realized retrospectively that, in the morning when Wang Tao rescued them and dealt with the three Level 3, Zombie Lords, he had made quick work of the zombies¡ªso it was easy for Wang Tao to kill Level 3, Zombie Lords, and having arge number of Level 3 Ascension Crystal Cores in his possession¡­ perhaps it wasn¡¯t so surprising? ¡°Wang Tao, you couldn¡¯t possibly be Level Four already, could you?¡± Xiang Hongbin, leaning on a crutch, asked suspiciously. The others also looked at Wang Tao. Although Ability Users could sense each other¡¯s strength and roughly discern what level the other was, it wasn¡¯t always applicable. Some individuals were skilled in hiding their presence, or if they had been Ascended for a longer time and could better control their aura, or if the disparity between two individuals was quiterge¡­ all these scenarios prevented urate perception. They were unable to sense Wang Tao¡¯s actual strength, so having such a spection was normal. ¡°That hasn¡¯t happened, ascending to Level Four is too hard, and it¡¯s entirely different from the levels before. I¡¯ll exin it in detail to youter,¡± Chapter 668 - 273: Enhancing Strength_3 Chapter 668: Chapter 273: Enhancing Strength_3 Ding Yuqin and the others had never seen this kind of mechanical arm before, and they were all amazed, with Wei Zhenguo¡¯s eyes shining especially bright. If Xiang Hongbin had such equipment, wouldn¡¯t he be able to regain somebat strength? Xiang Hongbin gently touched these mechanical arms with his intact hand, his lips quivering slightly. ¡°Besides us, there are other survivors out there struggling to live. Among them are researchers, scientists and the like, and they made these things. If you could get a set of simr gear, you might be able to recover a lot of fighting power. Do you still think, do you want to go for Level 3 Ascension?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Xiang Hongbin said through gritted teeth.
He had been in despair before, but now he saw hope again. Wang Tao immediatelyughed. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you this mechanical arm; after all, it¡¯s actually controlled by hand, which isn¡¯t convenient for you. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely get you the right equipment! Moreover, our base has a military 3D printer, so we can try and see if we can print a prosthetic limb for you to use as a transition first.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Xiang Hongbin¡¯s eyes reddened slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, we¡¯re all our own people!¡± Wang Tao patted his shoulder, and then walked over to Li Qiuyu, knocking on her head directly. ¡°As for you¡­ no more nonsense, if I tell you to use it, just use it.¡± ¡°¡­¡±
Li Qiuyu felt a strong sense of unfair treatment. But she dared not defy Wang Tao, and could only humbly acknowledge. Ding Yuqin and Han Rui found this somewhat amusing on the side; they knew Wang Tao¡¯s personality. He was always generous with his own people; if he didn¡¯t have it, that was one thing, but if he did, he was never stingy. Even if you didn¡¯t want it, you¡¯d have to take it. After all, this was the end of the world, and there wasn¡¯t time for affectations. After some time, everyone except for Xiang Hongbin and Li Qiuyu had reached the pinnacle of Level Two. ¡°I feel like I can ascend to Level 3 now¡­¡± ¡°Me too, ready to level up any time!¡± Everyone was somewhat excited. This was Level 3! Honestly, if it hadn¡¯t been for this zombie tide, they had been nning to hunt down Level 3 Elite Zombies, pooling the team¡¯s resources to push Wei Zhenguo up to be a Level 3 ability user. As for the others, they hadn¡¯t even considered levelling up to Level 3 for themselves! Unexpectedly, after meeting Wang Tao, within less than a day, they were now ready for Level 3 Ascension! ¡°Since everyone¡¯s ready for ascension, let¡¯s start tonight, the process needs 24 hours. By this time tomorrow, you¡¯ll all be Level 3 ability users.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Several people nodded. Wang Tao then looked at Xiang Hongbin and Li Qiuyu. ¡°As for you two¡­ your strength iscking a bit; you need to kill zombies to ascend. Conveniently, the airne today attracted many zombies, all outside the base. I¡¯ll take you out now to kill zombies and boost your strength first.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Xiang Hongbin nodded. Now that he had hope, his fighting spirit was strong. ¡°Okay~¡± Li Qiuyu was a bit scared, but she knew Wang Tao would protect her. Wang Tao took Xiang Hongbin and Li Qiuyu out, with Jiang Shixue apanying them. Jiang Shixue would lure the zombies, Wang Tao would beat them half to death, and then let Li Qiuyu and Xiang Hongbin finish them off. There were quite a few Level 3 Elite Zombies here, which meant over-level kills for the two of them, and their HP quickly reached 29999. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡± Wang Tao waved. ¡°Tsk tsk, to be able to fight zombies with you is just incredible luck! We owe you more and more, it¡¯s impossible to repay you in the future!¡± Xiang Hongbin remarked with some emotion. Before, it had been difficult for them to kill a Level 3 Elite Zombie. He never thought that it would be so easy to blow the heads off Level 3 Elite Zombies with his own hands! ¡°Haha! Just improve your strength and kill more zombies as repayment to me, because I hate zombies.¡± Wang Taoughed heartily. On the side, Li Qiuyu was whispering to Jiang Shixue: ¡°Little Xue, you¡¯re so strong!¡± ¡°Mr. Wang Tao is the strong one, I¡¯m just average.¡± Jiang Shixue replied without hesitation. ¡°¡­¡± Watching Jiang Shixue¡¯s expression, Li Qiuyu couldn¡¯t help but wonder if something had happened between Jiang Shixue and Wang Tao¡­ If there really was something, then it would be awkward! Although nothing had happened between her and Wang Tao, given the current situation, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if something did happen¡­ No way, she had to dig for more information tonight! Li Qiuyu thought with some anxiety. ¡­ In the evening. He Jijun suddenly brought some good news. A military base had a damaged underground cable line not too far from the base. After he repaired it, he actually got in touch with someone! Wang Tao came over curiously. Amidst a crackling sound, there indeed came a voice from the other end. ¡°Crackle¡­ Mr. Wang Tao, can you receive my message¡­ crackle¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Tao was somewhat surprised; he did not recognize the voice from the speaker, but he could guess that it must be someone from Lan Yn¡¯s side. After all, he only knew so many people; Ding Yuqin and the others had already been taken in, leaving only Lan Yn and her group. ¡°This is Wang Tao.¡± Wang Tao responded. ¡°Ah! It got through, it got through!¡± The other side sounded surprised, and then quickly added: ¡°Please wait a moment, Mr. Wang, we¡¯re from Zijin Base, and I¡¯ll have our leader talk to you!¡± It really was them. Shortly after, Lan Yn¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Wang Tao, is that you?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Finally got in touch! There were indeed some lines left underneath this base, but most of them were damaged. I had people only fix one, but I didn¡¯t expect to actually make contact!¡±@@novelbin@@ Lan Yn sounded pleasantly surprised. ¡°How¡¯s the situation on your side?¡± ¡°No major problems for now, but there are a lot more zombies around the base, the zombie tide is getting bigger¡­¡± Wang Tao thought for a moment and said: ¡°I¡¯lle over in a couple of days, stay safe and keep in touch.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After talking with Lan Yn for a while, Wang Tao ended the call. He looked at his attribute panel, the countdown for the Little Fire Integration was about to end. Tonight, he could try Awakening! Chapter 671 - 274 Ascension to Level 4_3 ``` Shaking his head, Wang Tao stopped thinking about these things. Anyway, whether he was strong or not, a test would tell. ``` Wang Tao looked at hisst attribute. ``` [Awakening Energy: 100/100] ``` [Note 1: 100 Awakening Energy can release one Active Awakening] ``` [Note 2: When Awakening Energy is full, you can consume all the energy to increase the Awakening Energy cap by 100 points] ``` [Note 3: Killing a Lord of the same or higher level will replenish 100 Awakening Energy] ``` [Note 4: Natural Recovery Speed: 100 recovered in 24 hours] ``` Reading these notes, Wang Tao furrowed his brow. ``` The release of Awakening didn¡¯t need Mana, but rather required specific Awakening Energy, and only when it reached 100 energy could it be released once. ``` He currently had only 100 energy, and the natural recovery rate was 24 hours for 100, so that was roughly 1 point every 15 minutes or about 4 points per hour. ``` That meant, under normal circumstances, he could only unleash his Awakening once a day? ``` Good grief, that was way too stingy! ``` It seemed that Awakening couldn¡¯t be used as a regr ability but had to be treated as an ultimate move. Usually, he would have to rely on his Ability as the main source of power. ``` However, the Awakening Energy didn¡¯t only rely on time for recovery but could also be obtained by killing Lords of the same level. If he could kill a Level 4 Zombie Lord, then he would gain 100 energy and be able to use Awakening again! ``` Of course, the Awakening Crystal Core and Awakening Energy Pearl he had obtained before could also be used. Those two items each added 100 energy, which was the equivalent of releasing one Awakening. ``` Last of all, there was the matter of increasing the cap on his Awakening Energy. ``` Wang Tao could now increase the cap¡ªby consuming all of this 100 energy and then adding an extra 100 to his limit. ``` Though he felt somewhat reluctant to do so, the initial cap of 100 for Awakening Energy was indeed too low, allowing its use only once, which made Wang Tao feel very insecure. ``` So, Wang Tao immediately went ahead and increased the cap. ``` Instantly, his current Awakening Energy dropped to zero, and the cap for Awakening Energy became 200. ``` [Awakening Energy: 0/200] ``` When the Awakening Energy was reduced to zero, there wasn¡¯t that feeling of fatigue like when Mana was too low, which was not too bad. ``` Wang Tao still had 2 Awakening Crystal Cores and 2 Awakening Energy Pearls in his hand, which amounted to 400 Awakening Energy. But using the Fusion Awakening Crystal Core umted Internal Impurity, and since he currently had only two cores, he couldn¡¯t synthesize any without impurities for now. ``` He currently had 2% Internal Impurity, which in reality was 1.3%. ``` Because he had fused 4 Level 4 Ascension Crystal Cores before, each with 65% impurity, which made 0.65% once inside the body. Four cores added up to 2.6%. Havingpleted his Level 4 Ascension, the Internal Impurity in his body was halved, leaving only 1.3%. ``` After some thought, Wang Tao directly fused a Level 4 Awakening Crystal Core. ``` Once the crystal core fusion wasplete, his Mana increased by 800, and his Awakening Energy rose by 100. Meanwhile, his Internal Impurity also increased by 0.65%, bringing it to 1.95%. ``` Wang Tao quickly used two Cleansing Potions from the three he had in hand. ``` Shortly after, all the impurities in Wang Tao¡¯s body were cleared. @@novelbin@@ ``` He immediately felt his whole body loosen up; the sensation of being free from internal impurities was veryfortable! ``` Then Wang Tao looked at his Advanced Special Energy. ``` Each point of Advanced Special Energy could be exchanged for 100 Awakening Energy. ``` Without any hesitation, Wang Tao immediately started to exchange. ``` First, he used 1 point of Advanced Special Energy to add 100 Awakening Energy, bringing his Awakening Energy to [200/200], and then he once more increased his Awakening Energy cap to [0/300]! ``` Keep going! ``` 3 points of Advanced Special Energy, add 300 Awakening Energy to make it [300/300], then use that 300 Awakening Energy to increase the limit to [0/400]! ``` After that came 4 points of Advanced Special Energy, 5 points of Advanced Special Energy... ``` In the end, Wang Tao spent 13 points of Advanced Special Energy, bringing his Awakening Energy to [0/500]. When his Awakening Energy was fully recovered, he would be able to unleash Awakening 5 times! ``` Actually, Wang Tao originally wanted to increase his Awakening Energy cap to 1000, but after some calction, he realized doing so would exactly deplete all his Advanced Special Energy! ``` So Wang Tao restrained himself. It wasn¡¯t easy to save up Special Energy, and he couldn¡¯t squander it like that! A 500 energy cap was enough. ``` ... ``` Originally, Wang Tao nned to first check what his Awakening was and then go to the indoor training field to test his strength. ``` But now that he saw using Awakening would consume 100 energy, he didn¡¯t want to experiment with it. It wasn¡¯t easy to save 100 energy, so it had to be used on zombies to avoid waste. ``` However, not testing Awakening didn¡¯t mean not testing his strength; after all, he had not only gained an Awakening, but he had also ascended to Level 4! ``` Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue went to the indoor training field together. ``` To Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, there were many people in the training field, aside from Yang Changhong and the rest. Ding Yuqin, Wei Zhenguo, and several others were also there. ``` Wang Tao then remembered that his time of Awakening and the others¡¯ Ascension were around the same, just about half an hour apart. ``` So they were also there to test their new strengths, as they had just advanced to Level 3 and were very excited. Yang Changhong and the others were probably there to instruct these new Ascenders, as they had ascended earlier and were now Level 3 ability users with Hundred Thousand HP, which made them somewhat like seniors. ``` Seeing Wang Taoe over, everyone hurriedly crowded around. ``` "Wang Tao, did you seed?" ``` Yang Changhong asked eagerly. They did not know how long Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening would take, so they hadn¡¯t specifically stayed beside him, leaving only Jiang Shixue to watch over him. ``` "Mhmm. I seeded," Wang Tao nodded with a smile. ``` "Wow!" ``` "That¡¯s amazing!" ``` Everyone eximed with delight, especially Yang Changhong and Xu Xiaojun¡ªthey were beyond thrilled because they knew very well the effort Wang Tao put into achieving his Awakening. ``` "Then can we see your Awakening?" ``` Ding Yuqin asked, somewhat curiously. ``` "Not for now. My Awakening Energy has been depleted..." ``` Wang Tao briefly exined to everyone about Awakening Energy and how to raise its limit. ``` Hearing that Wang Tao said he could only use Awakening energy once a day under normal circumstances, they were all somewhat bbergasted. But this should mean that Awakening is very powerful, right? ``` Wang Tao said to Yang Changhong and the others: ``` "Come on, test with me!" ``` Chapter 673 - 275 Starfire Prairie_2 Chapter 673: Chapter 275 Starfire Prairie_2 The rooftop was t, perfect fornding a helicopter. There were no Giant Zombies here to threaten the aircraft, and with the engines now shut off, the noise had ceased, causing the zombies below to quickly disperse. The Night Demon¡¯s Nest was in the neighboring building. They could havended the helicopter directly on that building, but to avoid any idents, it was better to be cautious. There were quite a few zombies inside this building as well, but none of them were strong. Not even a single Level 3 Zombie was found, and Wang Tao and hispanions easily cleared them out down to the first floor. However, ughtering these zombies did not increase Wang Tao¡¯s HP by even a drop. By then, most of the zombies attracted by the helicopter downstairs had already dispersed. After killing some more zombies, Wang Tao finally proceeded to the building with the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. There were quite a few nts inside the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, and using nt Affinity Perception, Wang Tao roughly estimated that there were over fifty Night Demons present.
That wasn¡¯t a small number, and Wang Tao even considered leaving these Night Demons so he could returnter with Ding Yuqin and others to farm HP. But after some thought, he decided against it. Wuyang City was too dangerous, now even more than before. If they were to rm the Giant Zombies and get nked from the outside, it would be difficult to escape. It was better to eradicate thempletely. Once inside the building, the quietness was almost palpable, and it was pitch-dark. Neither Yang Changhong nor He Jijun could see clearly. This building was inhabited only by Night Demon Zombies, and since they were located on the upper floors, it was quiet and rtively safe below. After distributing arge number of ultraviolet illumination res to everyone, they had just ascended the stairs when Wang Tao sensed the approach of a Night Demon. ¡°Here ites.¡± Wang Tao gave a warning. He wasn¡¯t wearing the Entangling Roots, just a suit, holding a Bone Knife as he went to meet it. His previous hoodie outfit was damaged, and the only clothes he had on hand that he could wear was this Combat Suit. But he was also equipped with the ck Stone Armor Set inside the suit, so there was no need to worry about his defensive power.
Whoosh! A Night Demon suddenly appeared at the stairwell, its pallid eyes fixated dead on Wang Tao and his group. [HP: 30000/30000] [Mana: 30000/30000] [Level: Level 3 Elite] An Ordinary Level 3 Elite Night Demon. Upon seeing Wang Tao, it didn¡¯t think twice; with a guttural roar, it immediately lunged toward them.@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao lifted his Bone Knife and struck the oing Night Demon square on the head. Squish! [-30000] In mid-air, the Night Demon was cleaved in half by Wang Tao¡¯s strike¡ªkilled instantly! ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± He Jijun and Yang Changhong, who were in the process of throwing ultraviolet illumination res, gasped in shock. They couldn¡¯t see the damage numbers, but they did see Wang Tao chop off the Night Demon¡¯s head with a single blow! Was this the might of a Level 4? Wang Tao was not surprised; as a general rule, HP was linked to strength. Thirty thousand HP represented the weakest Level 3, so it was normal for him to kill it in one hit. Wang Tao nced at his own HP bar. [10250/10250] Killing a Level 3 Elite Night Demon increased his HP by 250¡­ Although that was far too little, it was better than nothing. After all, he was already Level 4, so gaining any HP from defeating a zombie lower than his own level was already fortunate. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± After the death of this Night Demon, many more burst forth, ranging from 30,000 to 80,000 HP. Wang Tao battled, wielding his Bone Knife. Facing Level 3 Elite Zombies, he naturally didn¡¯t need to use Awakening. His robust physical condition alone was a flurry of one-sided ughter. After ying this wave of Night Demons, something urred to Wang Tao, and an object resembling a heart appeared in his hand. With a mere thought, a tall Night Demon Type 1 manifested! Wang Tao immediately issued amand for it to kill all the Night Demons present. Whoosh! The Night Demon Type 1 dashed and vanished into the iing second wave of the Night Demon Group. The other Night Demons seemed confused by the sight of this ck Night Demon, mistaking it for one of their own, only to be brutally beaten and ughtered upon its charge! ¡°This Night Demon Type 1 is pretty strong!¡± Wang Tao assessed. While not as strong as a Level 4, Lord Night Demon, the Night Demon Type 1 was much more powerful than a Level 3, Lord! Its physical condition might be almostparable to Wang Tao¡¯s own. Thus, these Level 3 Elite Night Demons didn¡¯t stand a chance. The problem with both Wang Tao and the Night Demon Type 1, however, was their meager HP of just 10,000. Wang Tao was still fine, knowing how to dodge attacks and prioritize his safety. But the Night Demon Type 1 fought recklessly. Even though the Ordinary Night Demons couldn¡¯t inflict much damage on it, with enough strikes, its HP still began to whittle down¡­ Such was the downside ofcking intelligence. After roughly testing its strength, Wang Tao had it retreat to stand by Yang Changhong and He Jijun for protection, while he once more plunged into the midst of the Night Demon Group. Having in a few more Night Demon Zombies, Wang Tao suddenly felt like he was being targeted. He immediately looked up to see, at the top of the stairs, a Night Demon d in ck Bone Armor! ¡°There it is, a Level 4 Night Demon!¡± [HP: 120000/120000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Awakening: Robust] Whoosh! Wang Tao¡¯s figure shed, and he appeared beside the ck Skin Night Demon,nding a de to its head. Bang! [-5234] The ck Skin Night Demon had high defense, and Wang Tao¡¯s knife only caused 5,000 damage to its HP. After being struck, the ck Skin Night Demon wed at Wang Tao¡¯s chest in an instant. [-1083] Chapter 675 - 276: Level 4 Suit_1 Chapter 675: Chapter 276: Level 4 Suit_1 Wang Tao¡¯s mes had already disappeared, but the entire floor of the building was aze with light¡ªhe had set everything on fire during his recent fight.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Quick, grab the loot and run!¡± There were still some Night Demons around that hadn¡¯t been fully cleared out, many of whose bodies were ignited, causing their HP to plummet rapidly. Armed with his Bone Knife, Wang Tao effortlessly dealt with these Night Demons. After picking up the loot, he took off. By the time Wang Tao and hispanions burst out of the building, they saw thick smoke billowing out of the floor he had just been on.
If this had happened in peacetime, Wang Tao figured he¡¯d be sitting in jail for a long time. Seeing the odd looks on Jiang Shixue and Yang Changhong¡¯s faces, Wang Tao shrugged his shoulders. ¡°If I say the fire wasn¡¯t set on purpose, would you believe me?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah!¡± Yang Changhong nodded perfunctorily. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Having achieved his goal, Wang Tao and the others broke through the horde of zombies and boarded the helicopter. Buzzing¡ª After the helicopter took off, they could clearly see the fire scene in the building they had just escaped from.
However, given the heavy rain today, the fire in the building was unlikely to spread further. In the helicopter. He Jijun was concentrating on flying the aircraft. Yang Changhong hugged Wang Tao¡¯s arm, inspecting it curiously. With an amazed expression, she eximed, ¡°Your skin and clothes, even your body hair, show no signs of burns, yet the mes on your body almost set the entire building on fire¡­ How did you manage that!¡± ¡°Bro, you¡¯re so awesome!¡± Jiang Shixue also gazed at Wang Tao with sparkling eyes. ¡°Haha, basic skills!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily. To tell the truth, he himself was somewhat bewildered. The Starfire Prairie Awakening didn¡¯t quite work as he had imagined. Wang Tao had thought it would be a simr awakening to state-based abilities, at most causing changes like skin coloration, simr to how the Toughness Ability made his skin turn dark. But to his surprise, the awakening had actually set him on fire, turning him into a man of mes! After igniting himself, he didn¡¯t even need to fight; merely standing in one ce could cause massive damage! The mes on his body seemed to be no ordinary fire. Those Level 3 Night Demons couldn¡¯t withstand his mes¡¯ burning at all. Even the Level 4, Lord Night Demon was tormented by the heat from Wang Tao¡¯s fire. And it wasn¡¯t just him bing a me man; all his attacks carried fire as well! Especially wide-range attacks like the Shockwave, which turned into a sea of mes with just a single strike! After using the awakening, he had fought the ck Skin Night Demon for only a few seconds, but that was enough to set an entire floor aze! Wang Tao could only say that the Starfire Prairie Awakening was truly powerful! But its energy consumption was truly huge as well! To use the awakening, you need at least 100 Awakening Energy. However, Starfire Prairie doesn¡¯t deduct the energy all at once but deducts 10 points per second, so 100 Awakening Energy onlysts ten seconds! Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening Energy had exceeded 100 at the time, and he could choose whether to continue using the awakening. That is to say, the Starfire Prairie Awakening¡¯s minimum duration is ten seconds, with the maximum depending on his amount of Awakening Energy. Wang Tao had recovered some Awakening Energy before, and he had exchanged 1 unit of Advanced Special Energy for 100 Awakening Energy, so he had 150 Awakening Energy. Thus, he only used 15 seconds of awakening¡­ That¡¯s a huge consumption! However, if it was just to kill the Level 4, Lord Night Demon, those 15 seconds were more than enough. Wang Tao ended up using the full 15 seconds because he wasted some time observing his own state and getting used to the strength within his body. The actual fight with the Level 4, Lord Night Demon didn¡¯tst long, probably just over ten seconds. Anyway, no matter how you slice it, the Starfire Prairie Awakening is potent. In its awakened state, Wang Tao could quickly kill the Level 4, Lord Night Demon. But the awakening¡¯s energy consumption was also high; in the blink of an eye, his energy could be drained. He would have to choose the right moment to use the awakening in the future. After conversing with the two women for a while, Wang Tao turned his attention to the loot from this battle. The loot from Ordinary Night Demons and Incubation Flesh wasn¡¯t worth mentioning, as it was simr to before. He had also obtained quite a few Exraction Crystal Cores and Omnipotent Crystal Cores, although it was a pity they were all Level Two. It would have been better if they were Level 3 or above. The main thing was the loot from the Level 4, Lord Night Demon. Wang Tao¡¯s killing of the Level 4, Lord counted as a level-crossing kill, granting him more than 20,000 increase in HP. The fifty-odd Night Demons had mostly been killed by Wang Tao, adding a lot of HP. Plus, Wang Tao had killed quite a few other zombies, so his HP had once again reached 110,000. But Wang Tao wasn¡¯t too pleased because his HP stopped increasing after reaching 110,000. It was the same as the upper limit of Level 3 HP! The issue was, Wang Tao had already reached Level 4. Wang Tao recalled when he had 100,000 HP, he was confused about something. The Level 1 HP cap was 4999, surpassing it took you to Level Two. Level Two was 29999, surpassing it took you to Level 3. But Level 3 was exactly 100,000 HP, applicable to both Level 3 and Level 4. Wang Tao was initially puzzled by this, but now, it seemed he understood¡ªif one kills zombies after surpassing Level 3, even if it¡¯s a Level 4, Lord zombie, one wouldn¡¯t gain an increase in HP, the boost would max out at 100,000 HP. The reason Wang Tao had 110,000 HP was because 10,000 of it was extra HP¡­ So it seems that in the future, he would need to find ways to gain extra HP from other sources! Chapter 679 - 277: Newborn Population_2 Chapter 679: Chapter 277: Newborn Poption_2 Upon hearing Wang Tao¡¯s praise, Lan Yulian was very pleased. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, then released Wang Tao and suddenly hugged Jiang Shixue by her side. ¡°Little Xue! I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± Jiang Shixue was somewhat embarrassed but also hugged Lan Yulian back, knowing that both she and Lu Yingfeng were especially fond of her. Wang Tao, on the other hand, hugged Lu Yingfeng. Lu Yingfeng was slightly embarrassed, her face turning a rosy red. Wang Tao pinched her cheek and then smiled,
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Mm~¡± The group returned to the central area of the base, and Wang Tao introduced Lan Yulian, Lu Yingfeng, and He Jijun to each other. It was then that Lan Yulian noticed that Wang Tao also had a dog with him. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s its name?¡± Lan Yulian asked curiously. ¡°Lightning. Everyone in the military base is gone, only it¡¯s left¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly exined. The reason he kept Lightning with him was that he wasn¡¯t clear on how exactly Lightning should ascend, so he thought that bringing it along might help find a way.
¡°Poor little thing¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s maternal instincts kicked in, and she snuggled Lightning intensely. She then recounted the incident concerning the suspected Level 4 zombie in detail. ¡°In the recent period, there have been a total of four Level 3 Zombie Lords around our base. But now all four Zombie Lords are dead; it must have happenedst night, given that I saw those zombies during the day yesterday. Those Zombie Lords were all torn apart, lying dead among the horde of zombies¡­¡± Lan Yulian took out a cell phone, which had photos taken on it. Although not very clear, one could roughly see that the deaths of these zombies were indeed gruesome. Just by looking at the bodies, it was impossible to determine the situation. Wang Tao also thought it was the handiwork of a Level 4 zombie. The strength of Level 3 Zombie Lords wasn¡¯t that disparate; it was unlikely they would end up in such a state. ¡°Did you hear any noises?¡± Wang Tao asked. ¡°It seemed like there was no noise¡­ I¡¯ve investigated, and no one in the base heard anything, including the guards.¡± ¡°Not a single noise?¡± ¡°None¡­¡± Lan Yulian shook her head, then as if remembering something, she hastily said, ¡°Oh right, these four lords all died in the same ce, which is why I said they were killed at the same time.¡± ¡°Were these four zombies together before?¡± ¡°No, they were in different directions before¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange then¡­¡± Wang Tao frowned. The four Level 3 Zombie Lords weren¡¯t together before, butst night all of a sudden they came together and were ughtered without making any noise. It wasn¡¯t that a Level 4 zombie couldn¡¯t do this, but it raised the question of whether the zombies now knew how to carry out their deeds in a covert manner? Or was it that this Level 4 zombie had a peculiar method that prevented these zombies from making noise before dying? ¡°I¡¯m worried that this might be a Level 4 zombie that is good at stealth or ambush. That would be very dangerous!¡± Lu Yingfeng suddenly spoke up. Wang Tao nodded. That was a concern for him as well. A Level 4 zombie might not be frightening, but one that excelled at stealth and ambush was indeed terrifying! ¡°By the way, did you pick up the Crystal Cores of these Level 3 lords? What kind of Cores were they?¡± The Cores could give an indication of the zombies¡¯ strengths. ¡°No, after discovering the deaths of these zombies, we sent someone with the Stealth Potion to sneak a look, but found nothing; their Crystal Cores were gone. With so many zombies around, they could have been kicked anywhere¡­¡± Lan Yulian said regretfully. After all, the Crystal Cores of Level 3 Lords were quite valuable. ¡°How about this, tonight I¡¯ll go out and see what exactly is going on,¡± Wang Tao suggested after some thought. There was no use analyzing the situation here; he had to go out and see for himself. ¡°I¡¯lle with you!¡± Lan Yulian immediately raised her hand, only to be pushed down by Wang Tao. ¡°Are youing to be my burden?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian pretended to be very angry, but Wang Tao was clearly not buying it. He pinched her cheek and said, ¡°Tonight, none of you shoulde out, it¡¯ll just be me and Little Xue.¡± The others couldn¡¯t see in the dark and would indeed be a burden at night. ¡°Alright then.¡± Lan Yulian had already arranged for people to keep watch over the surroundings, and so far, no abnormalities had been detected. Wang Tao walked around the base with Lan Yulian and the others, getting to know the situation in the base. There was no doubt about it, Lan Yulian truly had a talent for management. After bringing together the survivors of Zijing City to the base, she managed everything in an orderly fashion, with hardly any trouble arising, and before the tide of zombies arrived, it was a flourishing sight to see. It was only then that Wang Tao learned the group of survivors from Duzhu Town had indeede to Zijing City, and Lan Yulian had taken them all in. The original Zijin Base had nearly ten thousand people. After the change in leadership and Lan Yulian brought over other people from Zijing City, the numbers swelled to over ten thousand. Afterward, other outsiders and survivors from Duzhu Town joined, and now the poption of the entire Zijin Base had reached twenty thousand. ¡°To be precise, there are 21,944 people ¡ª oh no, that¡¯s wrong, a new baby was born in the base yesterday, so now there are 21,945 people!¡± Lan Yulian said proudly to Wang Tao.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Oh? There¡¯s a new baby?¡± Wang Tao was surprised. In a post-apocalyptic world, surviving on one¡¯s own was already difficult enough. Most people would not choose to have children, as no one wanted their child to suffer in such a world. Chapter 680 - 277: Newborn Population_3 Chapter 680: Chapter 277: Newborn Poption_3@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao himself had the same idea; he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of having children. But then again, he had been with quite a few women, sometimes without taking any safety measures, and yet he had never ¡°hit the target¡±¡­ ¡°Could there be something wrong with me?¡± Wang Tao suddenly began to doubt himself. After all, if a man and a woman can¡¯t have children, there could be a problem with either party, but if one man with many women still can¡¯t, that¡¯s a hundred percent a problem with the man¡­ Shaking his head, Wang Tao hurriedly dismissed the thought. Children were too far removed from him, not something he could consider right now.
Lan Yulian, of course, had no idea Wang Tao had thought so much in that instant. When she heard Wang Tao¡¯s surprise about the birth rate at the base, she said with some pride: ¡°Ahem, before I took over this base, the birth rate of newborns here was almost zero¡ªno one wanted to, and no one dared to have children. But in the two months since I took charge, there have already been more than twenty newborns! Unfortunately, we¡¯ve lost a few shortly after birth¡­¡± Lan Yulian sighed. Medical conditions are poor now, and newborns are very fragile; a slight misstep can lead to their demise. The first time Lan Yulian saw a deceased infant, she was upset for a good half-month¡­ However, Lan Yulian quickly raised her head again and said with a smile: ¡°The new generation represents hope! If a base has no newborns, then it is doomed to destruction, but our Zijin Base already has nearly thirty newborns, so I believe our base will be able to exist forever!¡± Seeing Lan Yulian, whose face seemed to radiate light, Wang Tao suddenly felt a little reluctant to burst her bubble. But Wang Tao had a responsibility to inform Lan Yulian of the current situation. ¡°Jade Lotus, I think you¡¯re amazing, and I am inferior to you. But I have to tell you, the situation right now¡­ is tough.¡±
Wang Tao looked at her seriously. Lan Yulian felt a bit flustered under Wang Tao¡¯s gaze and said subconsciously: ¡°It¡¯s just a horde of zombies! Our base can hold up for now! Plus, we¡¯ve got you! You¡¯re a Level 4 now, and you¡¯re so strong¡­ You¡¯ll protect us, won¡¯t you?¡± Towards the end, Lan Yulian¡¯s tone suddenly grew weaker. Asking Wang Tao to protect Zijin Base meant asking him to take on a great risk. She wanted to protect the people of the base, but she also didn¡¯t want Wang Tao to get hurt¡­ Seeing Lan Yulian like this, Wang Tao stroked her face. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll protect you, protect all of you. But, you haven¡¯t seen those formidable Level 4 zombies, those Giant Zombies tens of meters high, like skyscrapers. If theye, they can step right into Zijin Base with a single step¡­¡± Wang Tao talked to Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng about the situation in Wuyang City. Hearing about the Giant Zombie that could take down an airne, their eyes filled with horror, and then they fell silent. ¡°And let me tell you some bad news. Before we got in touch with you, we had contacted another base. They were trapped by the horde too. As we were preparing to go support them, their base fell, easily breached by the Giant Zombie¡­¡± ¡°How could this be¡­¡± If the Giant Zombie hadn¡¯t attacked a human survivor base, Lan Yulian might still have been a little hopeful, but now with an example right there, she lost thatst shred of hope. But Wang Tao wasn¡¯t finished with her yet and continued: ¡°When I was piloting the military transport ne, I encountered a Giant Zombie. It wasn¡¯t in the city center; it was moving with the horde, heading east.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The east of Wuyang City¡­ is Zijing City! Lan Yulian suddenly felt ice-cold all over as if she had lost all her strength at once. Wang Tao wrapped his arms around her. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to discourage you, I just think you should know the reality of our current situation.¡± ¡°¡­So, if a lot of level 4 zombies or giant zombies really dide, what would you do?¡± Lan Yulian looked up, biting her lip as she gazed at Wang Tao. ¡°I¡¯d take you both with me. That¡¯s all I could do. After all, I only have one helicopter.¡± Wang Tao spoke very calmly. In truth, if that situation really urred, even if he left, he wouldn¡¯t know where to go¡ªhe himself was still lost¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s eyes suddenly reddened a bit. She was the leader of the Zijin Base; she didn¡¯t want to abandon these survivors. If she just left, what would make her different from a murderer? But¡­ she was truly powerless! If even Wang Tao couldn¡¯t manage it, what could she possibly do? ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t think too much! This is all Wang Tao¡¯s spection. What if the zombie tide passes quickly and no serious danger arises? You know, no matter the tide, it¡¯s bound to recede eventually! And even if there really is danger, that¡¯s a problem forter. By then, we might already have a solution!¡± He Jijun suddenly spoke up. He felt that the morale of the group was somewhat low and needed a boost. ¡°Ha ha, that¡¯s true. I¡¯m talking about the worst-case scenario, but ever since the apocalypse, I¡¯ve been quite lucky and have never encountered any dead end situations. Even if I did, I always managed to turn danger into safety¡­ I believe that we will ultimately be alright!¡± Wang Taoughed heartily, then nted a firm kiss on Lan Yulian¡¯s face. Lan Yulian red at Wang Tao, but she didn¡¯t say anything more. He Jijun was right. Even if real danger came, it would beter. They were at least safe for now, and there was no need to flee yet¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go see the newborns.¡± Lan Yulian suddenly suggested. Wang Tao hesitated for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Lan Yulian led Wang Tao to the base¡¯s hospital. The conditions in the hospital were simple, but the space wasrge, with many different areas sectioned off. The maternity ward was one such area, where the mothers were concentrated, with special care and diets provided. Lan Yulian gave them excellent treatment. Wang Tao saw the more than twenty newborns. The just-born babies were all wrinkly and looked quite ugly, and they also had a bit of a smell. But Lan Yulian didn¡¯t mind it at all. Suddenly, she handed one of the babies to Wang Tao. Wang Tao looked at the wrinkled little face of the child, and then at Lan Yulian¡¯s expectant gaze, he shook his head and didn¡¯t take it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve seen enough. I¡¯m going back to get ready; I¡¯ll head out tonight.¡± After speaking, Wang Tao turned and walked away, without a hint of reluctance. Lan Yulian stiffened, herplexion a touch pale. Chapter 682: 278 True Illusion_2 Chapter 682: Chapter 278 True Illusion_2 Wang Tao¡¯s ability was the exact opposite of Jiang Shixue¡¯s. The simpler the mind, the easier it was for Wang Tao to interfere, and those brainless zombies were very easy to manipte. However, it was ineffective against humans, unless they were literally brain dead¡­ So, Wang Tao¡¯s ability wasn¡¯t very effective on humans but worked well on zombies. Of course, this was only true for zombies whose levels and spiritual power were inferior to his own. Therefore, they generally didn¡¯t use this kind of control ability. Wang Tao didn¡¯t think of it at first. But looking at the situation now, it was clear that control was at y! ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out!¡± Now that he remembered he had this ability, Wang Tao immediately activated Mental Disturbance, rounding up a few ordinary zombies to surround himself. He prepared to have these zombies clear the way as he and Jiang Shixue snuck over to see what was actually happening. Soon, the two Level 3, Lord zombies were down to a sliver of HP, and Wang Tao, along with Jiang Shixue, gradually made their way to the vicinity. Suddenly, Wang Tao felt the scene before his eyes change, transforming into a gray and lifeless world with many humans around him with vacant stares. These people were all standing around, hardly moving, but among them, two of the humans were hitting each other with punches and ps! Both of them were trying to bite each other, but they were blocked, so they could only fight with punches and kicks. Wang Tao turned his head, just as Jiang Shixue also turned hers; both of their eyes¡ªone red, one green¡ªshowed a hint of surprise. Watching one of the ¡°humans¡± in the fight fall, Wang Tao said, ¡°This feeling¡­ is almost the same as the Illusion Beast we encountered in Zijing City!¡± Wang Tao and hispanions had also been trapped in an illusion just like this before! However, the previous illusion had been much more realistic; Wang Tao knew it was an illusion but could not spot a single w! Yet, this current illusion was fraught with ws¡ªjust as Wang Tao was about to criticize the multitude of ws in the illusion, the scene before his eyes changed again!
Suddenly, it became an empty basketball court with several tall people ying, surrounded by a crowd of spectators. Wang Tao himself hadn¡¯t changed at all, still in hisbat suit. Jiang Shixue was the same as well, wearing the JK uniform Wang Tao had given her. ¡°It¡¯s definitely that kind of Illusion! Perhaps it¡¯s that Level 4 monster!¡± Wang Tao grinned. The people ying basketball approached and invited Wang Tao to join them. Wang Tao responded with a Shockwave. Bang! In an instant, flesh flew, and the basketball court was filled with blood, eliciting a continuous series of Screams from the spectator stands¡­ everything felt incredibly real. It would have been even better if they didn¡¯t have red HP bars above their heads. Wang Taounched indiscriminate attacks around him, and in an instant, there were a great number of casualties, turning the basketball court into a ughterhouse. Looking at these gory scenes, Wang Tao remainedpletely unfazed, cranking his Perception Ability to the max as he searched meticulously. Suddenly, Wang Tao swung his sword towards a certain spot. ¡°Found you!¡± Bang! There seemed to be nothing in front of him, but Wang Tao¡¯s de was blocked! Wang Tao saw a slight tear in the scene before him, but it quickly stabilized again. ¡°Got away?¡± In Wang Tao¡¯s perception, the thing with immense energy he had ¡°seen¡± escaped quickly after taking a hit from him. Sizzle¡ª Right after, Wang Tao saw the scene before him fracture, the basketball court disappearing, transforming into the wilderness. The people ughtered by Wang Tao in the basketball court also disappeared, turning into a pile of zombie limbs and remains on the ground. Wang Tao didn¡¯t care about the scene before him; he immediately surveyed his surroundings and pushed his nt Affinity and Perception to their limits. In the distance, Wang Tao caught a glimpse of a ck shadow that shed by! Although he did not see the entire figure, Wang Tao caught sight of its HP bar. [HP: 116746/120000] [Mana: 90000/100000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Internal Impurity: 80%] [Awakening: Real Illusion] [Real Illusion: Increases defensive power, can create a Real Illusion area, and affect the consciousness of all living beings within it] Wang Tao felt that this had to be the Level 4, Monster Lord he had encountered three months earlier! Compared to before, this monster¡¯s HP had only increased by 20,000. This showed that increasing HP beyond 100,000 must be very difficult. And this time, Wang Tao had finally seen its Awakening. ¡°Real Illusion!¡± The monster¡¯s Awakening was to create an illusion, which was close to what Wang Tao had anticipated. When he had first encountered this monster, Wang Tao was very afraid, as it was Level 4. But now, Wang Tao felt he could put up a fight! Even if Wang Tao couldn¡¯t detect the w in the illusion, which was too much like the real world, he could see HP bars! A group of normal humans with red HP bars over their heads¡­ anyone with a brain would know what to do! So, no matter how realistic his illusion was, it was not much use to Wang Tao! Apart from the illusion itself, Wang Tao didn¡¯t feel it had any other attacking ability. This illusion relied on affecting the consciousness of living beings to attack. For example, making the zombies attack Wang Tao, or causing Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue to kill each other. But zombies below Level 4 were not a significant threat to Wang Tao, unless there were a lot of them.@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue wouldn¡¯t be subjected to mental control¡ªnot to mention them, even Xu Xiaojun and Nie Siyan from before were not much affected. Wang Tao estimated that the control ability of this illusion was simr to his Psychic Disturbance Ability; the lower the intelligence and the weaker the mental strength, the easier it was to be controlled. Chapter 683 - 278 True Illusion_3 Chapter 683: Chapter 278 True Illusion_3 ¡°` As long as Wang Tao is not deceived by the illusion, then it poses no threat to him! It was only now that Wang Tao realized that the four Level 3 Zombie Lords that Lan Yulian mentioned were brutally murdered were not actually killed by fourth-level zombies, but were made to kill each other by this Illusion Beast! As to why the Illusion Beast would make the Level 3 Lord Zombies kill each other¡­ Wang Tao nced at the nearby corpses of the two recently deceased Level 3 Zombie Lords and saw that their Crystal Cores were gone ¡ª it was for the Crystal Cores that the Illusion Beast had killed these Zombie Lords! Upon discovering the identity of this fourth-order monster, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t too surprised by the oue. The information provided by the military base had indicated that these monsters and zombies were not of the same kind. Wang Tao could also observe that these monsters had internal impurities and needed Crystal Cores as well. This fourth-order monster¡¯s illusion affected all the zombies within its range; within the illusion, whether the zombies attacked or not was controlled by the monster. Now that the illusion was gone, the zombies were no longer under control and immediately attacked Wang Tao upon seeing him. After Jiang Shixue cleared away the besieging zombies, she asked Wang Tao: ¡°Brother, shall we chase it?¡± ¡°Chase!¡± Wang Tao nodded. He felt that this fourth-order Illusion Beast was less of a threat than the me Monster. During his battle with the me Monster, although Wang Tao could somewhat resist fire, the mes still caused some damage to him, and the me Monster, having a strong physique, could make him lose a lot of HP when it hit him. But this illusion created by the Illusion Beast waspletely ineffective against Wang Tao. He was not affected at all! This was as if the Illusion Beast had one less awakening! Previously when he faced this Illusion Beast, hecked the strength and didn¡¯t fully understand its method of attack, so he would run as far as possible. But now¡­ the monster had actually run away first! This could only mean that the Illusion Beast was afraid! Aside from its illusion attack, it likely had no other formidable methods of attack. Therefore, Wang Tao certainly wouldn¡¯t let it go!@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao collected the spoils from the zombies he had just killed before setting off in pursuit of the Illusion Beast. Although the monster was fast, Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity had arge range. With plenty of nts around, he easily perceived arge creature moving quickly. The Illusion Beast moved much faster than Level 3 zombies and didn¡¯t move in a straight line, making quite a few feints. But Wang Tao was a bit faster than it! Coupled with his ¡°radar¡± and ¡°x-ray vision¡±, the Illusion Beast¡¯s movements werepletely visible to Wang Tao, and there was nowhere to hide. ¡°Over here!¡± Chasing the beast through a dpidated residential area, Wang Tao suddenly shed at a small house. Whoosh¡ª A Shockwave directly shattered a wall, causing the already damaged house to copse with a boom. Amidst a cloud of dust, a bulky figure appeared. Wang Tao finally saw the true face of the Illusion Beast. ¡°What is that? A pig?¡± The Illusion Beast was entirely ck and very fat, with rough bristles all over its body. Its chubby ck face sported arge nose, big ears, and white canines¡­ It resembled a wild boar! But it wasn¡¯t quite the same as a real wild boar since wild boars aren¡¯t that fat, and even domestic pigs are not as plump as it was. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Wild Boar Monster¡¯s eyes emitted a faint red glow as it roared at Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue. Wang Tao¡¯s vision blurred momentarily as he re-entered the illusion it had created. This time, it was arge gym, but there were no bulky muscle men around, only hot-bodied beauties. Wang Tao had to admit, it was quite a pleasant sight. But the thought that these beauties were actually disgusting zombies instantly killed any interest he had. He vanished in a sh, then fiercely struck at one of the curvaceous beauties. Bang! [-3284] ¡°The defense of this Wild Boar Monster is really high!¡± Could his attacks only take away just over three thousand HP with a single strike? This defense was even higher than the Night Demon¡¯s! But that one strike dispelled the illusion. The illusion seemed rted to the state of the Wild Boar Monster; when it got injured, it affected the use of its illusion. Roar¡ª The Wild Boar Monster roared angrily and charged at Wang Tao. Its speed was clearly not a match for Wang Tao¡¯s, who easily dodged its attack. Jiang Shixue suddenly appeared from the other side and blocked the Wild Boar Monster¡¯s path, scratching it twice. [-726] [-673] Jiang Shixue¡¯s attacks were like tickles to the Wild Boar Monster. Wang Tao felt that the Wild Boar Monster was different from the Night Demon; the Night Demon had strong all-around physical qualities¡ªattack, defense, speed, and so on. The Wild Boar Monster seemed to be just thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, after all, its speed wasn¡¯t very fast, even slower than Wang Tao¡¯s. Seeing that arge number of zombies had already been attracted, Wang Tao prepared to use his Awakening to end the battle quickly. But as if he had thought of something, a baton suddenly appeared in his hand. After activating the Mutant Explosion-proof Baton, he hadn¡¯t used this equipment to fight against strong enemies. Wang Tao wanted to know if the electric shock effect would work on fourth-order monsters. Wang Tao approached the Wild Boar Monster and swung the baton at it, generating a spark of electricity. [-2133] [-10283] The Wild Boar Monster instantly stiffened as two damage numbers popped up. One was the physical damage from the baton, the other the damage from the electric current! The physical damage from the baton was less than with the great cleaver since he couldn¡¯t use high-frequency vibration. But the electric damage from the baton was five times the physical damage! Seeing this, Wang Tao was somewhat surprised. ¡°It looks like I won¡¯t need to use my Awakening to deal with you!¡± Although Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure why this was the case, he suddenly had a shield in his hand, crackling with electric arcs. ¡°` Chapter 684 - 279: The Tusk Long Knife_1 Chapter 684: Chapter 279: The Tusk Long Knife_1 ¡°` Wang Tao held an electric shield in one hand and a stun baton in the other. With a sh, he appeared by the side of the Wild Boar Monster. Bang! [-2011] [-10203] The Wild Boar Monster¡¯s HP dropped by over ten thousand again. The electric current on the stun baton had a certain paralyzing effect. The Wild Boar Monster had intended to counterattack, but upon being struck by the current, its body stiffened instantly, and its attack was interrupted. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± However, the paralysis didn¡¯tst long, and the Wild Boar Monster quickly recovered. It used True Illusion again, and Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were once again plunged into the illusion. In Wang Tao¡¯s vision, the Wild Boar Monster disappeared! The premise for Wang Tao to see the HP bar was that his eyes could see the object. Now that he could no longer see the Wild Boar Monster, naturally, he couldn¡¯t see its HP bar either. But it didn¡¯t matter, Wang Tao still had his Perception Ability. His Perception Ability allowed him to ¡°see¡± clearly that a massive energy was rushing towards him from the side! Wang Tao immediately raised his shield. Bang! Sizzle¡ª A muffled sound as the Wild Boar Monster mmed hard against the shield. [-11293] The shield itself couldn¡¯t cause damage, but the electrical current on the shield struck the Wild Boar Monster, dealing over ten thousand damage in an instant! Wang Tao felt a numbness in his left hand and saw a few dozen HP drop from his health. The Wild Boar Monster was very strong; the shield blocked most of the damage, but he still lost some HP. He swung his stun baton through the air with his right hand. [-2291] [-11285] The illusion shattered once again. The Wild Boar Monster, now somewhat scorched from the electricity, didn¡¯t continue to fight blindly and turned to run. Fight lost, escape! Jiang Shixue, who had been ready at the side, immediately blocked its path. While she didn¡¯t cause any damage, she sessfully stopped its escape. Wang Tao charged over once more. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Being continuously shocked, the Wild Boar Monster was clearly enraged. It nted its limbs on the ground, kicked with its hind hooves, and charged at Jiang Shixue! This time it was smart not to attack Wang Tao but chose to go after Jiang Shixue. Jiang Shixue quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the Wild Boar Monster¡¯s charge. The Wild Boar Monster crashed into a civilian house, causing the small building to copse. If it had hit Jiang Shixue, she would have been bruised all over. ¡°Looking to die!¡± Wang Tao immediately rushed into the rubble. Even though the dust affected Wang Tao¡¯s vision, his Perception Ability firmly locked onto the position of the Wild Boar Monster. After using Mental Shock several times and realizing it wasn¡¯t very effective, Wang Tao released two [Night Demon Type I]. It was night, so summoning [Night Demon Type I] was naturally not a problem. [Night Demon Type I]¡¯sbat effectiveness in actualbat was quite good. Even though they didn¡¯t have much HP and were not at their peak state, they could suppress and beat the Wild Boar Monster when co-operating with Wang Tao! After all, the Wild Boar Monster¡¯s strongest ability was Illusion, but Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue were not greatly affected by the illusion. Since the two [Night Demon Type I] were controlled by Wang Tao, they were also unaffected by the illusion. Essentially, Wang Tao had nullified the Wild Boar Monster¡¯s Awakening. In a moment, the charred Wild Boar Monster had its skull smashed by Wang Tao¡¯s baton. [-1823] [0/120000] tter¡ª A pile of items burst out. Wang Tao picked up the Loot Pack and then checked the items dropped by the Wild Boar Monster itself. A pair of tusks, a piece of pigskin, and a spherical object all had names. Not having time to look further, Wang Tao had the [Night Demon Type I] carry the corpse of the Wild Boar Monster and left the area with Jiang Shixue. Their battle hadn¡¯tsted long, but it had made quite amotion and arge number of zombies had alreadye over. Wang Tao had no reason to get entangled with these zombies. Before returning to Zijin Base, Wang Tao circled around the bases nearby to ensure he didn¡¯t see any other Level 4 zombies or monsters. Then he contacted Lan Yulian to open the gate. ¡°Wang Tao, are you okay¡ªwhat is this thing?!¡± Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng had been waiting up for Wang Tao, as were He Jijun and Lightning. Both women were startled when they saw a tall Night Demon carrying an evenrger Wild Boar Monster and immediately became alert. ¡°This is a weapon [Night Demon Type I], formed from the heart of a Level 4, Lord Night Demon¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly exined about the Night Demon Type I. ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?¡± The two women were extremely shocked, but since Wang Tao had Entangling Roots on him and Iron Tree Vines in his hands, which were both weapons, the appearance of a weapon capable of assisting Wang Tao seemed¡­ somewhat reasonable. Lan Yulian came over curiously and cautiously poked at the Night Demon Type I, which didn¡¯t react. ¡°And this?¡± Lan Yulian then pointed at the corpse of the Wild Boar Monster being carried by the Night Demon Type I. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t a zombie but looked like a¡­ wild boar? Did Wang Tao happen to hunt a wild boar while he was out? Wang Tao exined with a smile: ¡°This was the culprit behind the deaths of those Level 3, Lord zombies earlier, although it¡¯s not a Four-level zombie, but a Level 4, Monster Lord.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± The two women were shocked again. It wasn¡¯t a Level 4 zombie that hunted its kind, but this Level 4 monster that did the killing? And Wang Tao had killed this Level 4 monster so quickly? This was a Level 4, Monster Lord! And it was already dead? They hadn¡¯t heard anymotion! Eager to see more, the two women crowded around, but they couldn¡¯t tell from its appearance that it was a Level 4 monster. ¡°Woof woof!¡±@@novelbin@@ Lightning barked twice at the Wild Boar Monster¡¯s corpse, as if celebrating Wang Tao¡¯s sessful hunt. ¡°` Chapter 686 - 279: The Tusk Long Knife_3 Chapter 686: Chapter 279: The Tusk Long Knife_3 ¡°¡­¡± Okay, Wang Tao was thinking that if he were to fuse with it, he¡¯d be taking a big risk. But now, it seems he wasn¡¯t even in a position to consider fusion. He had a total of four hidden abilities: Body Strengthening, Night Vision, nt Affinity, and Fire Element. Among these abilities, Wang Tao initially thought Fire Element was the weakest. However, the reality proved to Wang Tao that Fire Element, once awakened, was incredibly powerful! As for the other three hidden abilities, they were all very useful to Wang Tao. If it meant taking a risk for one hidden ability, he might be willing to take that risk. But if it also meant losing an existing hidden ability, then it was not worth it. Wang Tao quickly made a decision, he would not use this Reality Illusion Pearl. It would be better suited for someone else. And the only other people withparably high spiritual power¡­ seem to be only Jiang Shixue and He Jijun. But still, Wang Tao didn¡¯t know whether their spiritual power was higher or lower than what the Reality Illusion Pearl required. To let them fuse with it would be far too risky! In the end, Wang Tao decided to wait and see. He wasn¡¯t able to judge the strength of spiritual power at the moment. Then Wang Tao looked at the other five Loot Packs. The first Crystal Core Gift Bag contained four Crystal Cores: a red [Level 4 Crystal Core ¨C Ascension], a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core ¨C Omnipotent], a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core ¨C Strength] and another blue [Level 4 Crystal Core ¨C Athlete]. ¡°No Awakening Crystal Core¡­ Such a corpulent body, and yet there¡¯s an Athlete?¡± The absence of an Awakening Crystal Core disappointed Wang Tao. But he was surprised to find the Athlete among them. However, the Wild Boar Monster was indeed agile¡­ Could this mean that exercising can¡¯t help with weight loss? Is obesity rted to gics? Wang Tao inwardlyined, then turned his attention to the second Loot Pack. [Received: Illusion Explosion Fruit x10] [Illusion Explosion Fruit: When thrown, it explodes silently upon hitting an obstacle, creating a 5-meter radius illusion thatsts for 10 minutes.] This item seemed interesting, though how effective it was would be the deciding factor. If it could replicate even a part of the effects of the real illusion, that would be quite nice. After all, apart from Wang Tao, Jiang Shixue, and He Jijun, there were many people with weaker spiritual power. Inside the third Loot Pack were potions, and atst, there were potions that could permanently enhance attributes. [Received: Mental Potion (Small) x20] [Received: Defense Potion (small) x20] [Received: Mental Boosting Potion x20] [Received: Defense Growth Potion x20] Wang Tao used both types of growth potions. Then he thought that, in the future, if he obtained more potions like these, he could share them with others. The strength added by these potions wasn¡¯t calcted by percentage, but by a fixed value. His values were already very high, so the proportional increase for him was not great. The more he used, the less effective they became¡ªthis was a marginal effect. At this point, it would be better to give them to others for a better oue. The fourth Loot Pack contained Awakening Energy Pearls. [Received: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] Satisfied with the pearl, Wang Tao nodded his head in contentment. The drop rate of both Awakening Crystal Cores and Awakening Energy Beads was low. The Wild Boar Monster didn¡¯t drop any Awakening Crystal Cores or Energy Beads itself and the Loot Packs didn¡¯t contain any Awakening Crystal Cores either¡­ It was lucky that there was an Energy Bead in the pack, otherwise Wang Tao¡¯s luck would have been too dismal. Thest Loot Pack contained Blueprints. [Received: Wild Boar Leather Top Armor Blueprint x1] [Received: Boar Tusk Long Knife Blueprint x1] [Wild Boar Leather Top Armor Blueprint: Can be used to craft a piece of leather armor. Required materials: Level 4 Wild Boar Skin x1, Level 4 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x30, Steel Wire x30, Screw x30, Rope x30, Nail x30, Rubber x30, stic x30] [Wild Boar Leather Top Armor: Attributes unknown] [Boar Tusk Long Knife Blueprint: Can be used to craft a long knife. Required materials: Level 4 Wild Boar Fang x1, Level 4 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x30, Steel Wire x30, Screw x30, Rope x30, Nail x30] [Boar Tusk Long Knife: Attributes unknown] There were two blueprints, one for Wild Boar Leather Top Armor and one for a long knife. The core material for the leather top was Wild Boar Skin, and unfortunately, the piece Wang Tao had contained two weaknesses, which was a bit frustrating. But since it was the only piece of Level 4 Wild Boar Skin he had, he had no choice but to use it for the crafting. The bones he had prepared earlier would not be needed for now. As for the tusk long knife, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure of its quality yet, but it only needed a single Wild Boar Fang, which deserved a thumbs-up. He had four fangs on hand and could save three of them. Wang Tao took out the necessary materials, and two streams of rainbow light shed by, resulting in two pieces of equipment appearing at the same time. [Wild Boar Leather Armor Top] [Fourth-tier (Excellence)] [Durability +70, Defense +70, Mental Defense +30, Weakness to Fire (increased damage from fire), Weakness to Lightning (increased damage from lightning)] The Wild Boar Leather Top was a brown piece of armor and had a wild beauty to it. However, it was regrettable that it couldn¡¯t iy Crystal Cores and its Suit Attributes were not immediately apparent. Moreover, with two fatal weaknesses¡­ the value of this equipment was greatly discounted, and Wang Tao even felt it was not suitable for hisrades¡­ [Boar Tusk Long Knife] [Fourth-tier (Excellence)] [Durability +70, Attack Power +70, Comes with a Bleeding effect (requires Awakening Energy)] The Boar Tusk Long Knife was a metallic long knife with a certain degree of curvature, contrasting sharply with the broad Bone Knife Wang Tao was currently using. This knife had better attributes and even carried a Bleeding effect. Though itcked the 5% increase in attack speed, its overall attributes were stronger.@@novelbin@@ Without any hesitation, this was Wang Tao¡¯s new equipment. Chapter 687 - 280: Frenzy of the Dead Tide_1 Chapter 687: Chapter 280: Frenzy of the Dead Tide_1 Wang Tao yed with the Boar Tusk Long Knife a bit, noticing a significant difference in touchpared to the Sharp Bone de. But he quickly adapted to it. ¡°Not bad!¡± Lan Yulian had been watching silently by his side, already used to Wang Tao¡¯s various miraculous actions. After Wang Tao finished reviewing all of hisbat power, Lan Yulian then leaned on his arm again. ¡°It¡¯ste, time to rest¡­¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Wang Tao directly scooped up Lan Yulian, and they both tumbled into the covers. The next day. When Wang Tao woke up, he found that both Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng had already gotten up before him. As for why Lu Yingfeng was there, naturally, she had been called over by Lan Yulian the night before. ¡°Brother, you were too noisyst night!¡± After Wang Tao got up and emerged from his room, he happened to meet Jiang Shixue walking out with Lightning. Jiang Shixue¡¯s face was flushed as sheined to Wang Tao. ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s all Lan Yulian¡¯s fault!¡± Wang Tao quickly med her, but Jiang Shixue did not dwell on the matter. After a simple breakfast, Lan Yulian told Wang Tao that they had tested the body of the wild boar monster on smaller animals, and nothing had happened. On the contrary, it seemed like the small animals had evolved to some extent¡ªthey had be stronger! ¡°Hm?¡± Upon hearing Lan Yulian¡¯s words, Wang Tao¡¯s first reaction was to look at Lightning. He had not yet found a way to enable Lightning¡¯s ascension and wondered¡­ could this be the correct method? Wang Tao had tried many methods before, but none could induce Lightning¡¯s ascension. Additionally, he had hardly encountered any monsters before, and Lightning certainly couldn¡¯t be expected to eat zombies¡­ Suddenly, Wang Tao rememberedst night when he made the Night Demon carry back the wild boar monster, Lightning had barked at him twice. Wang Tao thought it was Lightning weing him back¡­ A wee was certainly part of it, but perhaps Lightning had also wanted to eat the wild boar monster! However, Lightning was too well-behaved, and after seeing no reaction from Wang Tao, it had stopped barking. The more Wang Tao thought about it, the more likely it seemed. So he squatted down and hugged Lightning¡¯s head. ¡°Do you want to eat that wild boar fromst night?¡± Lightning was very intelligent and could understand some human speech. Even if it didn¡¯t understand, it would guess what was going on from Wang Tao¡¯s expression and gestures. When Wang Tao asked this and even gestured with his hands, Lightning immediately barked twice and wagged its tail frantically. Wang Tao took this as Lightning¡¯s affirmation and immediately said to Lan Yulian: ¡°Jade Lotus, bring over some meat of the wild boar monster!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Shortly after, Lan Yulian came over with arge bowl of raw meat. Since the wild boar monster was not a zombie, there was no need to worry about infection with the virus; as long as its meat was confirmed to be non-toxic, they could eat it. Wang Tao ced the meat in front of Lightning, and it immediately began to drool. ¡°Woof!¡± It was very eager, but since Wang Tao hadn¡¯t given themand, it naturally didn¡¯t start eating. ¡°Eat it!¡± Wang Tao rubbed its head. Upon Wang Tao¡¯s permission, Lightning immediately dove into its meal. Wang Tao watched Lightning closely to see if any negative status indicators would appear above its head. By the time Lightning finished eating the bowl of meat, it waspletely safe. Then, somewhat excitedly, Lightning went up to Wang Tao, burrowed into his arms, and then fell asleep. ¡°Ascended?¡± Seeing Lightning¡¯s state, Wang Tao burst into happyughter. The people around him had all ascended to Level 3, only leaving Lightning, the military dog, still at Level 1. Now, atst, he had found the method for ascension! Wang Tao then told Lan Yulian: ¡°Keep most of that wild boar meat for me; I¡¯m not sure how much Lightning will need to eat. We might need more in the future.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lan Yulian immediately nodded her head. ¡°Lightning is going to ascend! That¡¯s great!¡± Jiang Shixue stroked Lightning¡¯s fur somewhat relievedly. ¡°It¡¯s truly a good thing we came out this time.¡± Monsters were much lessmon than zombies. It was very difficult for Wang Tao to encounter them normally. If not for killing the wild boar monster this time, it was uncertain when the next opportunity would arise. Even if Lightning had a chance to ascendter, it was definitely better for it to ascend sooner rather thanter. Wang Tao had originally nned to return to the military base today. Although there were many zombies at Zijin Base, they were not a great threat without the presence of four-level zombies. In contrast, it would be a big trouble at the military base if, without Wang Tao present, the four-level zombies in Wuyang City¡¯s urban area moved there. However, since Lightning had ascended, he decided to wait another day, which didn¡¯t bother him. Wang Tao made contact with the military base. Yang Changhong told him that everything was fine there; they had taken Ding Yuqin and a few others to hunt zombies in the surrounding area and had made quite a bounty. The zombies within the urban area of Wuyang City were mostly inactive, staying put within the city. Regarding the matter of contacting the base that Ding Yuqin and the others had mentioned, they were still busy with it, with no progress made for the time being. But this was also because many underground lines were damaged and had not been repaired yet. If they could fix these lines, there was a chance they might establish contact.@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao was not disappointed; it would be best to establish contact, but if it couldn¡¯t be done, there was no helping it. He set his expectations very low. After ending themunication with Yang Changhong, Wang Tao had nothing else to do, so he prepared to take Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng out to kill zombies. Last night, Wang Tao had used the Crystal Core to level up their Abilities to Level 3 +10, but their HP had not yet reached one hundred thousand. So, he took them out to boost their HP. There were many zombies outside the base. They haven¡¯t seen any Level 3 Lords yet, but there were Level 3 Elites, which were enough for them to increase their HP. Chapter 688 - 280: Frenzy of the Dead Tide_2 Chapter 688: Chapter 280: Frenzy of the Dead Tide_2 Wang Tao also carefully observed to see if there were any Night Demon¡¯s Nests, as he had seen many Night Demonsst night. There must be a nest here, but sadly he found none. However, starting from noon, Wang Tao felt that the Level 3 Zombies seemed to be increasing in number, and by the afternoon, he had already encountered several Level 3, Zombie Lords. With the help of these Level 3, Zombie Lords, Lan Yulian and Lu Yingfeng both reached the 100,000 HP limit. The pace was definitely fast, but Wang Tao¡¯s expression was very serious. ¡°These zombies are not quite right¡­¡± Wang Tao felt that there were more zombies than before, and Level 3 and above were appearing more frequently. Moreover, their aggressiveness had strengthened¡ªWang Tao, to save trouble, had administered the Stealth Potion to both women. Normally, after taking a Stealth Potion, as long as you don¡¯t get too close to zombies, they can¡¯t detect you. But now, these zombies wereing from afar. It wasn¡¯t that they had discovered the three individuals who had used the Stealth Potion, rather they seemed to want toe over and pick a fight! Wang Tao had just seen zombies fighting each other! Normally, zombies should be more or less harmonious¡­ Could there be a Wild Boar Monster? That shouldn¡¯t be the case, as Wang Tao had not sensed the presence of a Level 4. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lan Yulian¡¯s Perception was not that sharp. But Lu Yingfeng was also frowning a little. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s something off about the zombies¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s head back first!¡± Carrying the two women, Wang Tao quickly ran towards Zijin Base. They had just run quite a distance while hunting a Level 3, Zombie Lord, and could no longer see the base. The closer they got to the base, the more Lan Yulian began to frown. She often observed the zombies around the base. Although she wasn¡¯t clear on exactly how many zombies besieged it, she could still feel a rough density of zombies around. Now, even before they reached the base, she felt it was getting crowded with zombies! This density was at least two or three times more than before, which meant that the number of zombies had increased! Zijing City was already filled with zombies, and their numbers were increasing? By the time Wang Tao and the two women returned to Zijin Base, all three of their faces looked grim. Because the number of zombies surrounding the base outside had indeed increased a lot! And everywhere, there were Level 3 Elite Zombies, with more than a dozen Level 3, Zombie Lords! ¡°Why are there so many more zombies¡­¡± ¡°Either they came from other ces, or the zombies of Zijing City have all found out about this ce and are rushing over!¡± Wang Tao felt the second possibility was more likely. After all, Zijing City was huge, and it was impossible for all the zombies to spot the location of Zijin Base. Most of the zombies were scattered elsewhere. Now it seems that somehow they¡¯ve discovered the base and are heading this way. ¡°What should we do¡­¡± Seeing so many zombies, Lan Yulian was slightly panicked. If these zombies really coordinated an attack on the high walls of the base, the walls might not hold up¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go take care of those Level 3, Zombie Lords first,¡± Wang Tao said. Because there were too many zombies here, Wang Tao didn¡¯t let someone watch the gate from inside but directly used special Tendrils to grab the protrusions on the wall and, like a spider spitting silk, sent the two women inside. His Tendrils were now twenty meters long, enough to get over the wall without any issue. After sending the women in, Wang Tao directly jumped into the crowd of zombies and activated Entangling Roots. At this point, the Entangling Roots weapon was not really suitable for Wang Tao to fight with Level 4 or higher zombies or monsters. That¡¯s because the Entangling Roots was Level 3. The disadvantage of fighting with Level 4 was not a minor one¡ªperhaps after a few hits, Wang Tao would be fine, but the Entangling Roots would be done for. Just like in the previous battle with a Level 4 Night Demon, the Night Demon swiped away more than 10,000 HP from the Entangling Roots in one w strike. But with Wang Tao¡¯s current defensive power, the Night Demon could only take about 1,000 HP from him. The Attributes added by the Entangling Roots were not significant in front of a Level 4. Not to mention, when Wang Tao used Starfire Prairie, the Entangling Roots couldn¡¯t be utilized either. So, the Entangling Roots might be a burden to Wang Tao in fights with Level 4. However, that doesn¡¯t mean the Entangling Roots werepletely useless. In confronting arge number of Level 4 and below zombies, the Entangling Roots were still very useful¡ªit could wrap Wang Tao all around, preventing him from being attacked by zombies, to avoid infection. Wang Tao then could confidently dish out attacks! Thump! Wang Taonded squarely in the midst of the zombies. A curved long knife appeared in his hand instantly, shing through the void in front of him. [-30000] [-42000] [-35000] [-38000] [-50000] [¡­] A vast number of Level 3 Ordinary Zombies were instantly killed by the Shockwave! None of the Level 3 Ordinary Zombies could withstand a blow from Wang Tao, and even the Level 3 Elite Zombies could at most withstand two hits from him.@@novelbin@@ But Wang Tao¡¯s target wasn¡¯t them; it was the more than a dozen Level 3, Zombie Lords. Wang Tao quickly picked up the loot that dropped around him and appeared in front of one of the Level 3, Zombie Lords, unleashing a Continuous sh. [-20606] [-19394] This Level 3, Zombie Lord only had 40,000 HP and was instantly killed by Wang Tao! He quickly picked up the loot and then rushed toward another Level 3 zombie, executing another Continuous sh. Continuous sh proved to be effective against zombies that were not as strong as him but still had a significant amount of HP. Chapter 692 - 281 Disaster Class_3 Chapter 692: Chapter 281 Disaster ss_3 After the ne entered the urban area of Wuyang City, Wang Tao could clearly feel that the zombies here were more active. Under normal circumstances, if it was raining, during the daytime, and no one was disturbing them, these zombies would stand in the rain in a daze. Because the rain was beneficial to them, it was like they were absorbing nutrients. But now, the zombies in the rain appeared to be very excited and lively, resembling their nocturnal counterparts, as if they had been buffed with frenzy. But it was daytime¡­ Wang Tao had no idea what chaos nighttime would bring here. Wang Tao maximized his nt Affinity and Perception abilities, carefully searching every corner of this ce. He currently had two Level 4 Ascension Crystal Cores on hand, and if he could get two more, he would have the capital to train another Awakener! With one more Fourth-order Superpower, theirbat power would increase. Moreover, killing Level 4 Zombie Lords would grant him Advanced Special Energy, which could boost his chances of sess for a Second Awakening, giving him the opportunity to undergo it! Not to mention that killing Level 4 zombies would yield various items and equipment. This could also enhance everyone¡¯s strength. Anyway, no matter what, he was determined to y the Level 4 zombies in Wuyang City! But¡­ the more he wanted to find something, the harder it seemed to find. Wang Tao thought there should be quite a few Level 4 Zombie Lords in the urban area of Wuyang City, considering the number of Giant Zombies, it would be normal to have Level 4 Zombie Lords as well. However, after searching all afternoon, flying to the city center, he found nothing. He didn¡¯t even locate the Night Demon¡¯s Nest. He did find a Mad Demon Lair, but upon perceiving it, Wang Tao found that the Mad Demon Lair only had Mad demons of simr strength and no Level 4 Lord Mad demons. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go back.¡± As it was getting dark, Wang Tao had no choice but to head back home. ¡°Hm?¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao felt his nt Affinity detected a huge figure. This figure was veryrge, but it was definitely not a Giant Zombie! But just after Wang Tao perceived this figure, it disappeared from his Perception. Wang Tao thought the figure had evaded his Perception, but after testing it again, he realized it wasn¡¯t that the giant figure had hidden; instead, the medium of his Perception¡ªthe nts¡ªhad died! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± This was Wang Tao¡¯s first encounter with such a situation. When he used nt Affinity to perceive zombies, he had encountered zombies suddenly dying or fleeing, but he had never encountered the death of nts! After all, Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity wasn¡¯t limited to using just one kind of nt for Perception; he could use most nts. He had been using arge area of moss, and there was a lot of it scattered over a wide range. But in that moment just now, all of that moss died! ¡°Could it be that the figure sensed my Perception and eradicated all these nts?¡± Wang Tao quickly shared his discovery with everyone. ¡°Could it be there¡¯s a zombie with a Perception ability especially strong, or maybe there¡¯s a zombie with a Hidden Ability simr to yours?¡± Han Rui analyzed with a frown. ¡°Not sure¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head, then said to He Jijun, ¡°Old He, don¡¯t go yet, I want to see what¡¯s really going on.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The helicopter didn¡¯t leave but started circling nearby. Wang Tao meticulously used his [nt Affinity] and [Perception] Superpower to ¡°look¡± at the surrounding situation. Soon, Wang Tao made a discovery. ¡°Found it again! But¡­ the nts are dying!¡± The very moment Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity Ability perceived the huge figure, the nts around the figure died! Moreover, more and more nts were dying! It seemed like wherever this huge figure went, the nts there would die! Wang Tao could only judge the position of that huge figure from the brief information of the nts before their death. Wang Tao ¡°saw¡± more and more nts dying, and the direction of these deaths¡­ was toward their helicopter! ¡°It seems to being! Be alert!¡± Wang Tao immediately called out a warning. The others couldn¡¯t see anything but were ready for battle. ¡°Click, ck, click, ck¡­¡± Suddenly, a clicking sound came from inside the helicopter. Although the propeller noise was loud, it could not cover up this clicking because the sound came through the headset.@@novelbin@@ And the sound was getting faster and more urgent. ¡°Clickety-ck, clickety-ck, clickety-ck¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Wang Tao was puzzled, and the others were also confused. But upon hearing the rapid clicking, He Jijun, without a word, yanked the control stick, causing the ne to ascend rapidly! After Wang Tao¡¯s inquiry, he shouted loudly, ¡°The Geiger counter on the ne is going off! Radiation! Arge amount of radiation has appeared!¡± ¡°Ah? Radiation?¡± Everyone was somewhat puzzled, wondering how radiation could be involved at this time. Could there be some kind of nuclear leak? Boom¡ª Just then, a building below the helicopter suddenly copsed. The Geiger counter¡¯s noise grew even more frantic. Wang Tao and the others quickly looked down and saw a huge figure slowly emerging from a cloud of dust! ¡°God! What the hell is that!¡± Seeing the figure, everyone felt a tingling on their scalps. It was a giant monstrosity in the shape of a meatball, made up of countless zombies, animals, and even mechanical parts! The spot it emerged from seemed to be a subway entrance, with nearby buildingspletely destroyed. The zombies around it were copsing in waves, and the green nts nearby were withering at a visible rate! This meatball had many pairs of eyes, all staring dead at the helicopter, watching everyone get goosebumps and stiffening their bodies. A terrorizing aura directly intimidated everyone! When Wang Tao saw the meatball¡¯s HP bar, he broke out in a cold sweat. [HP: 1000000/1000000] [Mana: 0/0] [Level: Level 5 ¨C Disaster] [Cataclysmic Awakening: Radiation] [Radiation: Carrying arge amount of radiation] Chapter 694 - 282: Radiation Zombies_2 Chapter 694: Chapter 282: Radiation Zombies_2 Han Rui was helping Wang Tao get dressed as she spoke. ¡°These zombies are truly terrifying!¡± If it weren¡¯t for their flight in the sky, if it weren¡¯t for He Jijun¡¯s quick reactions, if it weren¡¯t for Wang Tao¡¯s decisive evacuation¡­ If they had been any closer, or a bit slower, the trouble would have been great! The two of them left the room together, and then Wang Tao called everyone over to tell them about the radiation zombies. ¡°Level 5? Disaster ss¡­¡± ¡°Zombies carrying a significant amount of radiation¡­¡± ¡°Just approaching them can lead to death¡­¡± Upon hearing this news, everyone looked shocked and their faces turned grim. They had yet to understand the Four-level zombies, and now a Level 5 disaster zombie had appeared? How were they supposed to survive this!@@novelbin@@ ¡°This Level 5 zombie, I feel it might be rted to the small-yield nuclear bomb mentioned in the military base log¡­¡± Wei Zhenguo suddenly said at this moment. There were many important pieces of information in the military base¡¯s logs, which Wang Tao had shared with Wei Zhenguo and the others. ¡°It¡¯s possible!¡± Wang Tao nodded thoughtfully. The log mentioned that the previous small nuclear bomb had melted arge number of zombies within its range, with only one zombie surviving the ordeal. This zombie had mutated andter caused a lot of trouble for the military base, fortunately being killed in the end. But now, reviewing the log, Wang Tao felt that they had missed something. Could that zombie have hidden in the sewers or the subway? It first underwent radiation mutation, and was then exposed to numerous episodes of corrosive acid rain¡­ and now it had evolved into an even more terrifying disaster-level zombie! ¡°The military base¡­ we can¡¯t stay here for long!¡± Wang Tao suddenly said. This ce was already coveted by Giant Zombies, which could attack the base at any moment, and now they faced swarm attacks, zombie frenzy, and even Level 5 disaster zombies! All of these were telling Wang Tao that the military base was no longer safe to stay in! He couldn¡¯t afford to take his chances; otherwise, when danger really struck, it might be toote to run. Especially if all these threats arrived at once¡ªthe zombie swarm, Giant Zombies, plus a radiation zombie¡ªthey could tten the military base in an instant! After all, the base¡¯s defences weren¡¯t bolstered by high walls or anything of the like, relying on modern weapons. But those weapons had been exhausted previously, leaving nearly nothing in stock. As for hunting the Four-level Lord zombies, Wang Tao didn¡¯t even want to think about that now. Under these circumstances, there was no way to go after them. Considering it was a Level 5 disaster zombie, if Wang Tao ran into it, he felt certain he would be dead¡­ Upon hearing Wang Tao say they couldn¡¯t stay any longer, Ding Yuqin immediately asked in a low voice: ¡°So, are we heading to Zijin Base or Changhe City Base?¡± She knew Wang Tao was in a dilemma, but a decision had to be made regardless. Before Wang Tao could speak, Nie Siyan suddenly came running over. ¡°Brother Wang! The lines have been fixed! We¡¯ve reestablished contact with Changhe City Base!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Wang Tao immediately got up and went to themunication room, picking up the microphone. ¡°Hello, this is Wuyang Military Base, I¡¯m survivor Wang Tao.¡± ¡°Shzz¡­ Hello, I¡¯m operator Li Ping. We¡¯ve finally gotten back in touch with you! We thought you might have already¡­¡± A very excited female voice came from the other end, which rxed after hearing Wang Tao¡¯s voice, then she quickly added. ¡°Can you leave Wuyang City now? We¡¯ve observed that the zombies are bing increasingly frenzied recently, and if you don¡¯t escape soon, it might really be toote!¡± Hearing her words, Wang Tao asked: ¡°I want to know, on the route from Wuyang City to your base city, are there anyrge zombies, like the Giant Zombies? If so, could you suggest a safe path for us? Our ne is quite vulnerable to Giant Zombies¡­¡± Wang Tao was informed about the situation with the Giant Zombies through a previous conversation with Han Rui. These were not unique to Wuyang City; people in Changhe City Base had also encountered them, but not near the base city. ¡°Ah? You still have a functional ne?¡± Han Rui hadn¡¯t mentioned this before, and Li Ping seemed surprised, but then as though realizing something, she quickly spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll provide you with an aerial route, it should be rtively safe, but please, don¡¯t fly too high!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Wang Tao frowned. Li Ping immediately exined: ¡°Not long after the apocalypse began, the satellites stopped working; they had been destroyed by a strange energy! Afterward, this energy began to descend, and any electronic devices hit by this energy would malfunction, including nes flying high above! ording to our tests, currently, if you fly above three thousand meters, nes will develop problems and lose control! So please, don¡¯t fly too high. We rmend staying below two thousand meters, ideally around one thousand meters!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao opened his mouth but found himself speechless. Flying high could cause a loss of control? It was no wonder that the transport ne had suddenly gone out of control¡ªthat time, He Jijun had instinctively flown higher when they encountered the Giant Zombie. And indeed, that transport ne was capable of reaching great heights. As for helicopters, He Jijun usually didn¡¯t fly very high, about one thousand meters up, since Wang Tao needed to observe the zombies on the ground; flying higher would prevent him from seeing them. Sometimes they would fly as low as a hundred meters, like when they were searching for Level 4 zombies in urban areas¡­ Wang Tao had thought that the area where the transport ne crashed was a No-fly Zone. Now he had finally figured it out¡ªall of high altitude was a No-fly Zone! Chapter 698 - 283 Waiting for Rescue_3 Chapter 698: Chapter 283 Waiting for Rescue_3 The image continued to move, settling on the woman¡¯s embrace. A delicate little face was revealed. ¡°A baby!¡± In themunication hall, Li Ping eximed softly. The others also shone with excitement in their eyes, even the usually calm Hou Zhiyuan¡¯s expression flickered with emotion. In the video, the baby was staring with clear, curious eyes at the camera. Then the videographer gently teased the baby, who quickly broke into a smile. Seeing the baby¡¯s innocent smile, everyone in themunication hall subconsciously smiled along, including Hou Zhiyuan. The scene moved again, showing there were surprisingly more than twenty babies! Some babies were crying, being softlyforted by their mothers; some were deep in sleep, looking utterly content; others were looking at the camera,ughing out loud when teased by the cameraperson¡­ As they looked at these heartwarming scenes, everyone in themunication hall unconsciously curled the corners of their lips into smiles. The birth rate in the post-apocalyptic world was very low, and the infant mortality rate was terrifyingly high! Even in their Changhe City Base, not many babies were born sessfully, almost as if they had been cursed! This had nothing to do with medical conditions, as the medical facilities in their base city were not bad¡­ The sight of these newborns seemed like a glimpse of hope for the future. The video ended with the smile of thest baby. The screen was now dark, and no one spoke. Hou Zhiyuan took a deep breath and then said to Li Ping, ¡°Look at the photos again.¡± The photos were much clearer than the video, but this only made the fear on the survivors¡¯ faces more visible. Besides the photos, there was detailed data. There were now a total of 21,945 people in Zijin Base, mostly ranging from 15 to 40 years of age. Aside from the babies, there were no children or old people, just young and middle-aged adults. After all, those with poor constitutions had been weeded out. Aside from the detailed poption within the base, there was also information about the distribution of zombies. ¡°Level 5 Zombie!¡± ¡°Disaster ss?¡± ¡°A source of wide-scale radiation that kills both nts and zombies? No wonder they called it Disaster ss!¡± Seeing the information about the Level 5 Zombie, everyone¡¯s expressions turned grim. Hou Zhiyuan¡¯s face was very serious, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the exact location of the Level 5 Zombie. Thankfully, the Level 5 Zombie was in the urban area of Wuyang City, which veered off from the nned rescue route. Otherwise, based on the description given above about the Level 5 Zombie, it would be uncertain whether they could even go ahead with the rescue¡­ ¡­ Wang Tao didn¡¯t return to the military base immediately. He stayed to wait for news and took the time to clear out the zombies surrounding Zijin Base. ¡°These zombies are really insane¡­¡± Facing the relentless Mad Demon Zombies charging at the city walls, Wang Tao casually unleashed a Shockwave that shattered dozens of Mad Demon Zombies. But they didn¡¯t know fear and still crazily charged at the wall. ¡°Leave these Mad Demon Zombies to you. I¡¯m going to take care of those Level 3 Lords!¡± Wang Tao felt that these zombies were likely being directed by a Zombie Lord and that eliminating them should help ease some pressure. ¡°Be careful!¡± Lu Yingfeng advised from the side. ¡°Mhm.¡± Wang Tao leaped down from the high wall. As he fell, his body was instantly wrapped tightly by Entangling Roots. Thump! Afternding, Wang Tao charged straight for the Zombie Lord hidden within the horde. The strength of the Level 3 Lord was formidable, but for the current Wang Tao, it wasn¡¯t much of a challenge. It took only a few moves to deal with one Level 3 Lord, and then Wang Tao went on to kill the second, the third¡­ Until he could no longer find any more Level 3 Lords in his field of view, he then returned to the top of the wall, catching his breath. ¡°Huff¡ª¡± Even though the zombies were no match for him, killing so many was still an exhausting task. Seeing the zombies below the wall suddenly be somewhat disorganized, Wang Tao immediately smirked. Just as he thought, they were followingmands! Without the direction of a Level 3 Lord, their efficiency greatly diminished. Then, Wang Tao¡¯s walkie-talkie crackled with Lan Yulian¡¯s voice. ¡°Wang Tao, someone from the military base is looking for you.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ming!¡± Wang Tao went to Zijin Base¡¯smunication room to pick up the receiver. ¡°Ssshh¡­¡± The military base ryed the signal, and after a moment, a solemn male voice came from the other side. ¡°Mr. Wang Tao, we have confirmed the video you sent. We will dispatch a rescue team, but the journey is long¡ªwe need you to hold out for three days!¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Three days? Okay! We¡¯ll hold out! But ourmunication lines here are not very good and may cut out at any time¡­¡± Wang Tao meant that if they lost contact, it wasn¡¯t necessarily because the base had fallen¡ªit could just be that the equipment had malfunctioned. He was concerned that ifmunications were cut, the other side might assume they were all dead and abandon the rescue. Hou Zhiyuan apparently caught Wang Tao¡¯s concern and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once our men are dispatched, they won¡¯t give up halfway. You only need to hold on and wait for rescue; leave the rest to us!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After ending the call with Hou Zhiyuan, Wang Tao immediately went to find Lan Yulian. ¡°I need to make a trip back to the military base.¡± ¡°Now? It¡¯s about to get dark¡­¡± Lan Yulian sounded concerned. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I need to go back and bring all the resources and equipment from the military base here.¡± ¡°Ah? Aren¡¯t you going to defend your military base then?¡± ¡°I have decided to give up the military base and make a stand here at Zijin Base,¡± Wang Tao said with a smile. Lan Yulian was at once surprised and worried upon hearing this. ¡°You¡¯ve really decided¡­¡± ¡°What I just contacted was the Changhe Base City. They said they would send someone to rescue us!¡± Lan Yulian was instantly stunned. ¡°They¡­ are sending someone to rescue us? A two thousand kilometers round trip?¡± ¡°Yes. So¡­ hold on, and wait for rescue!¡± Chapter 700 - 284 Abandoning the Base_2 Wang Tao nodded. "Shall we announce this news together? After all, you¡¯re the one who fought for it..." Lan Yulian¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Tao. If it wasn¡¯t for Wang Tao, they would never have had this opportunity. Although having an opportunity didn¡¯t guarantee sess, without one there was no chance at all. What Wang Tao had done should be known to everyone. "Of course." Lan Yulian once again gathered all the survivors at the base to the assembly hall. The survivors were all somewhat uneasy, not knowing what their leader was up to this time. Once everyone had arrived, Lan Yulian looked at the group of survivors with their sallowplexions, picked up a megaphone, and began to speak: "Folks, by now you all must be aware of our base¡¯s situation. We are like an isted ind within Zijing City at the moment, at constant risk of being overwhelmed by a tide of zombies..." Lan Yulian outlined the current situation. Although everyone was already aware, hearing it from the leader herself still caused a wave of panic in their hearts. Could it be that the base still couldn¡¯t hold off the tide of zombies, and they were going to die in this onught...? "But we must not give up. If we give up, then we truly lose everything. As long as we keep persisting, there will always be hope to survive! And now, I have some good news to share with you all¡ª" Good news? The survivors were all stunned for a moment. What good news could there be in times like these? Could it be that their leader, Lan Yulian, had attained Level 4? But even at Level 4, she wouldn¡¯t be able to resolve the zombie tide outside, right? "Before I get to the good news, let me introduce someone to you. This is..." Lan Yulian gestured towards Wang Tao who was standing beside her. Before she could finish, someone from the crowd shouted: "That¡¯s Mr. Wang Tao, we know him!" After that person spoke, others joined in. "Yes, we know him!" Even though Wang Tao hadn¡¯t stayed long at Zijin Base, he knew a lot of people there, and he had a very good reputation. The reason was simple. When he was in Zijing City, he had rescued many from the city sports center. Those people spread the word about him after returning, and soon enough, everyone knew and recognized Wang Tao. Furthermore, those who came from Duzhu Townter had also followed Wang Tao¡¯s advice, which led them to Zijin Base. Although they had suffered hardships and lost some people along the way, many had sessfully made it to Zijin Base, all of whom owed Wang Tao their thanks. Of course, there was also the rumor within the base that Wang Tao was the leader¡¯s man! Although the leader hadn¡¯t admitted it directly, she hadn¡¯t bother to rify either. So Wang Tao was not an unknown figure here; his reputation preceded him. Seeing that the survivors recognized Wang Tao, Lan Yulian felt happy inside. Then she continued: "Good, since everyone knows him, I won¡¯t waste any more words. Mr. Wang Tao previously made contact with arge survivor base in another province..." Whoosh¡ª As soon as Lan Yulian spoke these words, the survivors below immediately started whispering to one another. Some were curious, others excited. In the midst of such a terrifying zombie tide, there were other survivor bases! Could they possibly help each other? Or was there a chance of them reaching other bases? After all, their base was surrounded by thousands of zombies. Under these circumstances, the base was bound to fall sooner orter... @@novelbin@@ Lan Yulian allowed them to discuss for a while before continuing: "It¡¯s arge survivor base organized by the Government, known as Changhe City Base, located in West Province. There are hundreds of thousands of survivors there and a massive amount of armed strength! Most importantly, they have fewer zombies there and no zombie tides!" These simple sentences sparked a look of longing in everyone¡¯s eyes. Experience tales with NovelBin.C?m But upon hearing that the base was in West Province, their hopes seemed to shatter instantly. West Province was a thousand kilometers away from Wuyang Province! In this world overrun with zombie tides, even a hundred kilometers, let alone a thousand, seemed impassable! A thousand kilometers might as well be a suicide mission. Although there was a helicopter currently at the base, which likely belonged to Mr. Wang Tao, a single helicopter could only carry a handful of people. And they had over twenty thousand people at the base... As the faces of the survivors began to fill with despair once more, Lan Yulian promptly added: "After extensive discussions between Mr. Wang Tao and the other party, Changhe City Base has decided to send people over to rescue us!" "Ah?" The survivors were stunned, finding it hard to believe their own ears. "Rescue us?" "From a ce thousands of miles away?" "That¡¯s over two thousand kilometers back and forth. How could they possibly..." The survivors could hardly believe that anyone woulde to rescue them, having seen too much darkness in this apocalyptic world. Suddenly glimpsing light, they found it somewhat difficult to get used to. "You heard it right, they areing to rescue us! I assure you!" After Lan Yulian¡¯s confirmation, the survivors slowly began to buzz with conversation. "Oh my!" "They really intend to rescue us from such a long distance?" "Am I dreaming?" "Does this mean we¡¯re saved?" "If they dare toe to rescue us, that must mean they¡¯re very powerful. We might really be saved!" "..." Seeing everyone whispering to each other, Lan Yulian coughed once, drawing all eyes to her. Chapter 702: 285: Chainsaw Zombies_1 Chapter 702: Chapter 285: Chainsaw Zombies_1 Wang Tao reached the top of the high wall. He could clearly feel that the zombies¡¯ attacks at night were more ferocious than during the day. Fortunately, even the Mad Demon Zombies couldn¡¯t climb the high wall under the suppression of modern firepower. However, Wang Tao¡¯s primary focus was not on these Ordinary Zombies. He looked into the distance. On the rooftop of a civilian house outside Zijin Base, stood a slender figure. It wore a whiteb coat and a mask, appearing to be a female doctor, but in its hand was a blood-drenched chainsaw! [HP: 120000/120000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Level: Level 4, Lord] [Awakening: Cutting] [Cutting: Attack carries Cutting Attribute] This was a Level 4, Lord Zombie with 120,000 HP. Merely from the description of the awakening, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t clear about what the Cutting Attribute was. But obviously, it must be a passive ability that added to the attack, and the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s attack must be very strong! At this moment, the Chainsaw Zombie looked up, as if it had let out a silent roar. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hear anything, but he could clearly feel that the zombies below were suddenly bing more frenzied, and then they started to assault the high walls of the base! At this time, many Night Demons appeared. Night Demons were much more formidable than Ordinary Zombies, with the lowest being Level 3 Elites. Moreover, like the Mad Demon Zombies, they were also very agile. If not suppressed in time, they might indeed be capable, with the help of other zombies, of climbing the high walls! Wang Tao casually dealt with a few Night Demons that were about to climb up, then took out his ultraviolet shlight, ultraviolet illumination res, and strip ultraviolet lights. ¡°Use these to block the Night Demons!¡± Since Night Demons had a fatal weakness of being vulnerable to ultraviolet light, there was no need to confront them head-on. As long as they were blocked by the ultraviolet light, they would retreat on their own before daylight. ¡°Alright!¡± The people immediately installed the strip lights on the high wall. Suddenly, a purple glow was cast out. The bodies of the Night Demons climbing the wall instantly emitted green smoke. With a shriek, the Night Demons fell off. This height naturally couldn¡¯t kill them, but it could stop their advance. The others also kept ultraviolet shlights and res close by, ready to respond at any moment. Seeing that these Night Demon Zombies couldn¡¯t charge up, Wang Tao then said to everyone: ¡°You block the other zombies. I¡¯ll take care of that Level 4 Zombie!¡± ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Jiang Shixue immediately spoke up. ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t refuse. He didn¡¯t dare to be careless when dealing with a Level 4, Lord Zombie. The Chainsaw Zombie was some distance from the base, it had shown itself once before but then retreated back into the darkness. Besides Jiang Shixue and Wang Tao, no one else could see it, and only the two of them could take it on. ¡°Wang Tao, be extra careful!¡± After being admonished by everyone, Wang Tao activated the Entangling Roots and jumped down directly. Bang! When Wang Taonded, a shockwave erupted, clearing the surrounding zombies, and then he and Jiang Shixue rushed towards the Chainsaw Zombie together. The Chainsaw Zombie seemed to have seen Wang Tao, and as soon as it noticed him charging over, it immediately raised its chainsaw and wobbled off the building, walking towards Wang Tao. As soon as the Chainsaw Zombie entered his attack range, Wang Tao unleashed a semi-transparent shockwave. He then saw the Chainsaw Zombie raise its chainsaw as if it was going to chop through the shockwave. ¡°You think you can block this¡ª¡± Just when Wang Tao was about to say that the Chainsaw Zombie couldn¡¯t possibly block an energy-based attack, he saw the blood-drenched chainsawe into contact with his shockwave, emitting a ¡°pchit¡± sound. [-0] [120000/120000] ¡°It actually blocked it?¡± Wang Tao was seeing a deduction of 0 HP for the first time. When he previously fired at the Giant Zombie with a heavy machine gun, he at least took off a few points of HP¡­ Wang Tao was surprised but not panicked. He unleashed two sessive shockwaves, apanied by a Mental Shock. [-0] [-0] [-0] ¡°The Mental Shock didn¡¯t work either?¡± Although these three attacks were blocked, Wang Tao had already reached the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s side. He held a knife in one hand and took out a pistol with the other. Swinging the knife, firing the gun. Bang! The Chainsaw Zombie used the chainsaw to block Wang Tao¡¯s knife, but the Air Bullet hit the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s head. [-3108] The damage of three thousand was not high. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Chainsaw Zombie roared in anger, and the mask on its face was torn apart. Then, just as Wang Tao¡¯s vision blurred, the chainsaw was already in front of him, chopping at his body. Buzzing¡ª Pchit! [-32384] [110000/110000 (67616/100000)] Wang Tao himself wasn¡¯t injured, but the Entangling Roots lost over thirty thousand HP! ¡°Damn!¡± Wang Tao quickly retreated. The damage was a bit terrifying. Three hits would kill the Entangling Roots! Previously, the Level 4, Lord Night Demon could inflict fifteen thousand damage to the Entangling Roots. This Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s attack damage was twice that of the Lord Night Demon! However, the Night Demon¡¯s attacks had some pration attribute, which could pass through the Entangling Roots and harm Wang Tao, but the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s attack could only damage the Entangling Roots.@@novelbin@@ Of course, whether or not it could prate, Wang Tao didn¡¯t want to find out what it felt like to be hit by this chainsaw¡¯s attack. As he retreated, he immediately used the Iron Tree Vines to pull over several Ordinary Zombies and threw them towards the Chainsaw Zombie. Pchit! With the chainsaw in hand, the Chainsaw Zombie easily bisected these Ordinary Zombies. And to Wang Tao¡¯s surprise, after being bisected, the zombies¡¯ HP bars were actually zeroed! Logically, unless a zombie¡¯s head was blown off, attacking other parts of its body might result in HP loss but definitely not death! After all, zombies could even live with just their heads remaining. Chapter 704: 285: Chainsaw Zombies_3 Chapter 704: Chapter 285: Chainsaw Zombies_3 And now, had he just blocked six attacks from the Chainsaw Zombie? Six hits had cost him 30 Durability points, that is, 5 Durability points per hit! Wang Tao retracted what he had just said; he should not have underestimated the Chainsaw Zombie¡ªthat thing was too fierce! This was a Level 4 Shield with +100 defensive power! ¡°Little Xue, the attack power of this Chainsaw Zombie is too high, don¡¯t go over there at any cost.¡± Wang Tao reminded Jiang Shixue, who was not far away, once again. ¡°Okay~¡± Jiang Shixue nodded. She was well aware of her own limits, knowing that she was no match for the Chainsaw Zombie, so she wouldn¡¯t rashly rush over; helping Wang Tao to clear the ordinary zombies around was enough. The Chainsaw Zombie, spinning like a top gone wild, would shred anything it touched¡ªincluding buildings and other zombies! For a moment, it seemed as though the Chainsaw Zombie had even started a small tornado! However, when the Chainsaw Zombie was spinning, its speed was not fast, at least not as fast as before, and Wang Tao could easily dodge its attacks. But watching the path the Chainsaw Zombie was taking, Wang Tao internally voiced his concern. Whether intentional or not, it was heading straight for the base! Though the high walls of the base looked sturdy, thinking of the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s Awakening description ¡°Cutting: Attackse with a Cutting Attribute,¡± and recalling the 30 Durability lost from his own Level 4 Shield, Wang Tao felt that the high walls might not hold it off! If it couldn¡¯t be held off and the high wall was breached with arge cut¡­ it had to be stopped! Wang Tao originally nned to wait until it stopped spinning to make his move. After all, the Chainsaw Zombie wasn¡¯t as fast while spinning, and it couldn¡¯t hit him. But ns seldom match changes. Better safe than sorry¡ª if it really did break through the high wall, there would be no repairing it. Wang Tao hurled a Shockwave at the Chainsaw Zombie and fired an Air Bullet. [-0] [-0] But to no effect. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Wang Tao had wanted to save an Awakening, but facing the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s Spinning Top State, his Ranged Attacks were ineffective. Melee attacks were a bit risky, so for safety, he had to go all out! ¡°Starfire Prairie!¡± Whoosh¡ª mes zed up around Wang Tao. In a sh of light, Wang Tao stood in front of the Chainsaw Zombie. He lifted his me Long Sword high with both hands and struck the still spinning Chainsaw Zombie. Bang! [-0] Although the strike caused no damage, the Chainsaw Zombie was sent flying, and its Spinning Top State was broken by Wang Tao! Crash¡ª The Chainsaw Zombie smashed through several houses! Wang Tao shimmered and followed into the building. The dust in the air did not affect his Perception. He located the Chainsaw Zombie. Seizing the moment before it could get up, he struck it with another blow. [-18938] [-1893] [-1029] [¡­] [28937/120000] His sword hit solidly on the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s head, and with the Bleeding and Burn Damage, it nearly caused thirty thousand damage in one hit! ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Chainsaw Zombie, now aze, let out an angry roar and then turned tail and fled, with an incredible speed! Zombies above the level of a Lord have some rudimentary intelligence, at least they know when to run if they¡¯re outmatched. But with Wang Tao having awakened his power, naturally he wouldn¡¯t let it get away. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao directly threw his me Long Sword in his hand. Thud! The me Long Sword struck right into the Chainsaw Zombie¡¯s head! [-24248] [-2484] [-2205]@@novelbin@@ [0/120000] The HP bar of the Chainsaw Zombie dropped to zero! If it hadn¡¯t run away, Wang Tao might still have had to put in some effort to kill it. After all, the chainsaw it wielded was quite peculiar and could block Wang Tao¡¯s attacks. But it fled and even showed its back to Wang Tao. That was simply begging for death. When using Starfire Prairie, it consumes 10 points of Awakening Energy per second, but it starts at 100 points of energy, meaning Wang Tao had to use it for at least ten seconds. The speed at which he just killed the Chainsaw Zombie was very fast, and there were still three seconds left before the ten seconds were up. Wang Tao didn¡¯t start collecting the spoils immediately; instead, he rushed into the horde of zombies and released shockwaves like crazy. Swipe¡ª The area beneath the high wall instantly turned into a sea of fire! Countless zombies were shattered and burnt to death. By the time the mes on Wang Tao died down, there were no zombies left standing around him. ¡°Pretty exhrating¡­¡± Awakening abilities are captivating. But they consume too much energy, and Wang Tao didn¡¯t dare use it recklessly. It could only be a trump card. Wang Tao walked out of the sea of fire and approached the Chainsaw Zombie. The chainsaw from the Chainsaw Zombie was named, which made Wang Tao grin as he picked up all the dropped loot and then returned to the top of the high wall with Jiang Shixue. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± Seeing Wang Tao climb up using the Iron Tree Vines, Lan Yulian, Ding Yuqin, Wei Zhenguo, and the others came to Wang Tao¡¯s side, visibly shocked. ¡°Was that me just now your Awakening?¡± ¡°Badass!¡± ¡°That¡¯s too powerful! We haven¡¯t killed as many zombies as you did, and you even killed a Level 4 Zombie Lord!¡± Everyone was full of admiration. Wang Tao had told them about the need for Awakening to ascend to Level 4, and that his Awakening involved fire. But aside from the few who had previously joined him to hunt Four-level Zombies, the others had never seen what Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening looked like. After all, Awakening Energy is precious and can¡¯t be wasted recklessly. Now having seen with their own eyes how Wang Tao descended like a fire god and burned all the zombies beneath this wall to ashes, the scene was breathtakingly badass! Wang Tao said with a smile: ¡°You guys will be able to awaken too sooner orter, and you could even be stronger than me.¡± The others shook their heads. They weren¡¯t even pondering an Awakening more powerful than Wang Tao¡¯s; they would be willing to take even a lousy Awakening, as long as they could ascend to Level 4¡­ After the death of this Chainsaw Zombie, the zombies¡¯ attacks instantly became disorganized. The pressure everyone felt greatly decreased. Wang Tao didn¡¯t leave the high wall, just in case other Four-level Zombies appeared, and he took the opportunity to check the spoils of battle. Chapter 706: 286 Bloody Chainsaw_2 Chapter 706: Chapter 286 Bloody Chainsaw_2 ¡°` For Wang Tao, the greatest benefit of this potion was that it allowed him to synthesize Crystal Cores that contained impurities! Some Crystal Cores were too rare, potentially impossible to find a second one of, or simply unattainable at the moment. In such cases, to fuse the Crystal Cores, one would have to endure the internal impurities. For instance, when Wang Tao previously fused a Level 4 Ascension Crystal Core, it was already difficult for him to obtain 4 Ascension Crystal Cores, let alone gather 12 to ascend. Therefore, he had to tolerate the internal impurities and use a Cleansing Potion afterwards. Now, having acquired 20 Cleansing Potions all at once, which equated to being able to clear 20% of the internal impurities, this shouldst Wang Tao for quite a while! As for the ¡°Purification Agent (Experimental)¡± and ¡°Deactivating Potion (Experimental),¡± both were also great finds. The Purification Potion was the one that saved Jiang Shixue; without it, there would be no Jiang Shixue. Of course, the use of the Purification Potion was very strict, with significant side effects, and luck yed arge part¡­ The Deactivating Potion had a simr effect to the Inhibitor but took effect faster and without any side effects. Once used, one would definitely not turn into a zombie within three days. However, its duration wasn¡¯t as long as the Inhibitor¡¯s, at most ten days. Compared to the Inhibitor, each had its advantages. But in urgent situations, the Deactivating Potion was more suitable. It was a life-saving item indeed. Contentedly storing away these three potions, Wang Tao turned his attention to the third Loot Pack. Inside was a set of clothes. [Gained: Female doctor¡¯s suit x1] [Female doctor¡¯s suit: Durability+10, Tear resistance+10] It was a somewhat fitted whiteb coat, which Wang Tao thought Lan Yulian should wear. She was a doctor by profession and now also acted as a healer; the coat suited her perfectly. If it could be paired with ck stockings, it would be even more fitting. The fourth Loot Pack contained an Awakening Energy Pearl. [Gained: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] The Chainsaw Zombies had already dropped an Awakening Energy Pearl, and now one more erupted from this Loot Pack. It also contained an Awakening Crystal Core, plus the 100 Awakening Energy gained from killing the Chainsaw Zombies¡­ This meant that Wang Tao effectively traded 100 Awakening Energy for 400, profiting three hundred! Finally, thest Loot Pack, not surprisingly, contained Blueprints. [Gained: Far-sighted sses Blueprint x1] [Gained: Sharp scalpel Blueprint x1] [Gained: High-power cardiac pacemaker Blueprint x1] There were three Blueprints in total this time, though they didn¡¯t seem to be for conventional Weapon Equipment. [Far-sighted sses Blueprint: Can be used to craft a pair of sses with a binocr feature. Required materials: Any sses x1, A Crystal Core x1] [Far-sighted sses: Attributes unknown] The making of these Far-sighted sses was very simple; any pair of sses plus a Crystal Core would do. Wang Tao went to Lan Yulian for a pair of sunsses and then casually took out a Level 1 Crystal Core. In the blink of an eye, the sses were crafted. [Far-sighted sses: Vision+5] These were a pair of sophisticated looking gold-rimmed sses. Wang Tao tried them on and found that he could freely adjust the focus of the lenses, indeed making them usable as binocrs. However, they were not fitting for Wang Tao to wear. Not only were they impractical forbat, but his Night Vision Ability had already enhanced his vision; his eyesight was already excellent, and he also had regr binocrs¡­ So these sses weren¡¯t very useful for him. Therefore, Wang Tao gave the Far-sighted sses to Lan Yulian, and while he was at it, he also handed over the Female doctor¡¯s suit. Lan Yulian was clearly happy to receive gifts from Wang Tao. However, upon seeing the whiteb coat, she gave Wang Tao a reproachful look. While the clothes were proper, whether Wang Tao¡¯s thoughts were proper or not was another matter. Wang Tao didn¡¯t try to exin, as a straight tree does not fear a crooked shadow. He exined to Lan Yulian how the sses worked. She was quite interested in them, being usable as binocrs. Wang Tao told her to have fun with them, and he then started crafting the other two pieces of equipment. [Sharp scalpel Blueprint: Can be used to craft an extremely sharp scalpel that can be reused. Required materials: Surgical Knife x1, A Crystal Core x1] [Sharp scalpel: Attributes unknown] The materials needed for the Sharp scalpel were also simple; Wang Tao¡¯s Space Backpack was stocked with many Surgical Knives, all previously dropped by zombies at the hospital. He used these as disposable throwing weapons. Wang Tao casually took out a Surgical Knife and began crafting. A rainbow of light shed, and the Sharp scalpel wasplete. [Sharp scalpel: Sharpness+5, Automatically sterilized upon use] This scalpel was clearly not suitable as a throwing weapon¡ªit was too wasteful. It would be perfect for a doctor¡¯s use. Both Lan Yulian and Chen Zhuang could use it. Since Lan Yulian was nearby, Wang Tao gave it to her. After all, Lan Yulian was now a pure healer. Chen Zhuang, on the other hand, was abat medic; his priority was fighting, secondary was healing. [High-power cardiac pacemaker Blueprint: Can be used to craft a high-power cardiac pacemaker. Required materials: Level 4 Crystal Core x1, Iron Block x20, Battery x20, Electronic Components x20, Rubber x20, stic x20, Cable x20] [High-power cardiac pacemaker: Attributes unknown] Huh? Wang Tao was somewhat surprised as he saw the attributes for thisst Blueprint. The equipment crafted from the first two Blueprints were just average, auxiliary items that wouldn¡¯t enhancebat abilities. Even without those two pieces of equipment, there wouldn¡¯t be much impact on Wang Tao.@@novelbin@@ ¡°` Chapter 708: 287: Four Level 4 Creatures_1 Chapter 708: Chapter 287: Four Level 4 Creatures_1 Dawn was approaching. The night demons beneath the high walls receded like the tide. The attacks of the mad demon zombies also began to slow, and the other zombies were no longer as frenzied as before. Wang Tao looked around and, after confirming there were no zombie lords, he then returned to the base. ¡°Phew¡ª¡± Atop the high walls, everyone was somewhat exhausted. Although there was no danger tonight, no one dared to rx in the slightest, their spirits highly concentrated, which was absolutely exhausting. Now, although the zombies were still assaulting the high walls, the frequency had reduced significantly, and the people could finally take a brief rest. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Wang Tao asked the crowd. ¡°We¡¯re all good!¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Okay, then I¡¯m going to rest. Call me if there¡¯s anything.¡± Wang Tao nodded. He hadn¡¯t rested at all tonight and was the busiest among them. Although he still had plenty of energy, he needed to maintain a good state. After all, he was the only one in the entire base who could handle four-level zombies. When Wang Tao went to rest, he also nced at the Bloody Chainsaw. Its HP had risen to 50,000; one more time and it would probably reach a hundred thousand blood! After using the Bloody Chainsaw to kill so many zombies, Wang Tao had pretty much figured out the proper use of this weapon. The damage of the Bloody Chainsaw did indeed have some rtion to its own HP, but the increase wasn¡¯t significant. The main purpose of this HP was to improve endurance! When using it, it consumes 100 blood per second. A Bloody Chainsaw with 10,000 blood could only be used for 100 seconds under normal circumstances, which is less than two minutes. One with 50,000 blood couldst for 500 seconds, more than eight minutes. That was a significant increase in endurance. Of course, the Bloody Chainsaw could regain health by killing zombies. Killing any zombie with it would regenerate health for the Chainsaw. The only question was how much. And only by killing level 3 or higher zombies could the Chainsaw¡¯s maximum health limit be increased. Overall, the Bloody Chainsaw was still quite good to use. After all, it was very simple to operate: just start the chainsaw and press it against the zombies. Wherever you hit a zombie, it would lose health. When dealing withrge-scale zombie attacks, using the chainsaw might not be as efficient as using a shockwave, but it was much less effort-consuming. After all, it didn¡¯t require Wang Tao to do much. Killing zombies even gave Wang Tao a feeling of cking off¡­ The only drawback might be that the damage wasn¡¯t very high. Back in the central area, Wang Tao had something simple to eat and then rested. He had barely sleptst night, so now was the time to catch up on sleep. In the afternoon, Wang Tao suddenly felt something damp on his face. Opening his eyes, he found Lightning licking him with a big tongue. ¡°Go away! Don¡¯t be a bootlicker!¡± Wang Tao pushed Lightning¡¯s head away. After Lightning¡¯s sessful ascension to level 3, its body had grown significantlyrger, now resembling a small calf, looking majestic and powerful! Jiang Shixue could probably use it as a mount. Wang Tao yed with Lightning for a bit, then rubbed its head and said: ¡°Later, I¡¯ll take you out to boost your health bar, aiming to get you to a hundred thousand blood quickly!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± After washing his face, Wang Tao walked out with Lightning. Lan Yulian and others were already outside. Lightning had also just woken up not long ago, and everyone marveled at its size. Having such a big dog around felt very secure. After that, Lan Yulian told Wang Tao that the onught of the zombie horde had slowed down, and they should be safe for the time being. ¡°Seems like zombies can get tired too, huh!¡± Wang Taoughed. Everyoneughed along. After holding off such a fierce attackst night, they were feeling somewhat confident now. Wang Tao and the others had a simple lunch together, and he inquired about their equipment and ammunition. There wasn¡¯t much ammunition left from the military base, and though it would have been enough for them, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be if used against the zombie horde. ¡°Judging by the intensity of yesterday¡¯s attack, our ammunition shouldst about three more days.¡± Ding Yuqin said, holding a list. ¡°Three days, that¡¯s not too bad.¡± Wang Tao nodded. ording to the agreement with Changhe City Base, reinforcements should arrive by this time tomorrow. Even if there were any problems, dying it by one or two days would be sufficient. As for whether the other side would be able toe over, Wang Tao felt that they must be aware of the difficulties on the road, and since they dared to agree, they definitely had the means to do so. After lunch, Wang Tao went out of the base with Jiang Shixue and Lightning. Jiang Shixue had also reached the pinnacle of level 3, but both Wang Tao and she were unclear on how to awaken. After all, Jiang Shixue was different from the others. Wang Tao had also tried feeding her blood once before, but it didn¡¯t work this time. However, it was understandable. After all, ascension to level 4 required awakening, and if awakening was so easy to achieve, it wouldn¡¯t be called awakening. So, Wang Tao thought that if conditions allowed, it would be best to take Jiang Shixue out to kill more zombies, perhaps that might present the opportunity for awakening. Outside Zijin Base. The zombie horde¡¯s attacks had weakened, but they had not retreated. And even though so many zombies were killedst night, today it seemed like there were even more than yesterday. ¡°These zombies¡­ really are endless!¡± Wang Tao eximed, then took out the chainsaw and began hunting zombies. There were no zombie lords in sight for the time being, but there were quite a few level two and level three elite zombies. Especially a lot of mad demon zombies; those were groupings of level two and three zombies. Chapter 712: 288 Before the Dawn_2 Chapter 712: Chapter 288 Before the Dawn_2 ¡°` Roar¡ª The bald zombie let out a furious roar and then swung a metal pir, smashing it towards Wang Tao. But at this moment, in front of Wang Tao, he dodged immediately, and the bald zombie¡¯s club hit itself on the head! Bang! [-3193] Seeing the number of 3,000 HP popping up above the bald zombie¡¯s head, Wang Tao eximed in admiration. This bald zombie is a bit dumb! Roar¡ª Staggering, the bald zombie roared again, the hefty metal rod spinning in its hand. Wang Tao had already dodged, but the surrounding zombies were not so lucky; they were directly smashed by the bald one. Seeing the bald zombie acting as if it had gone crazy, Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush in this time, but suddenly used Mental Shock on the bald zombie! Swipe¡ª The bald zombie¡¯s body froze for a moment, and a damage number of [-2834] also appeared above its head! ¡°It¡¯s effective!¡± Wang Tao was overjoyed. Ever since he had learned the ability Mental Shock, he hadn¡¯t used it often. Under normal circumstances, it wasn¡¯t necessary; after all, a knife was simpler. And when it was necessary, the opponent¡¯s spiritual power would often be quite strong, rendering it ineffective. He had tried it before on a few four-level zombies and monsters, but to little avail. Moreover, abilities of the Psychic System consumed spiritual power, and using them too much would exhaust him. That¡¯s why Wang Tao didn¡¯t use them often. Now, seeing the bald zombie looking not so bright, Wang Tao guessed its spiritual power might not be very high. So he tried it, and sure enough, it was! Taking advantage of the moment when the bald zombie was slightly dizzy from the Mental Shock, Wang Tao charged again, his long knife now reced by an electric baton. Bang! [-932] [-173] Seeing these damage numbers, Wang Tao decisively switched his weapon back. It was clear that the bald zombie was not afraid of electricity; the damage from the electric baton was minimal. Roar¡ª@@novelbin@@ After recovering, the bald zombie began to swing its metal pir wildly at anything nearby. This time, it seemed to have learned its lesson and didn¡¯t smash its own head again. But Wang Tao used Mental Shock once more, causing the bald zombie¡¯s movements to stutter. By the time it reacted, Wang Tao had already shed it twice more. Wang Tao¡¯s Mental Shock could cause the bald zombie to experience a brief dizziness of about half a second to a second, enough time for Wang Tao to strike and retreat. However, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t keep using Mental Shock indefinitely; too much would also be unbearable for him. After several exchanges like this, the bald zombie hadn¡¯t even touched the hem of Wang Tao¡¯s clothes, yet its HP was already reduced to half. Wang Tao did not rx at all but became even more vignt. Because the other three four-level zombie lords had yet to appear! Getting too rxed and suffering a sneak attack would be a huge loss. Whirring¡ª At this moment, the helicopter had already flown out of the base. Both side doors of the cabin were open, exposing the barrels of four heavy machine guns. Seeing air support had arrived, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. While the heavy machine guns on the aircraft might not be able to kill the four-level zombies, they should be able to inflict some damage. As long as they could cause damage, they would attract the zombies¡¯ attention. If Wang Tao had to face four four-level zombies alone, it would be suicide, but with support from the aircraft overhead, he would be much safer. Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao directly charged at the bald zombie, using Mental Shock on it while also shing with his knife. [-2384] [-2192] [-219] [¡­] But it wasn¡¯t clear if the bald zombie was getting used to the Mental Shock; the damage from the Mental Shock was gradually decreasing, and the duration of dizziness was getting shorter. Roar¡ª The bald zombie roared and lifted the metal pir to smash it towards Wang Tao. But this time, the pir slipped from the bald zombie¡¯s grasp. Wang Tao was quick, fully capable of dodging the strike, but the pir was thrown towards the hovering helicopter! With no choice, Wang Tao had to intercept the blow meant for the helicopter! Entangling Roots immediately covered his entire body, and then the metal pir harshly struck Wang Tao¡¯s back. [-53533] [-736] [109264/110000£¨46467/100000£©] Wang Tao felt as if he had been hit by a train, smashing into the horde of zombies with the pir, incidentally crushing a dozen of them. ¡°Shit!¡± Wang Tao stood up clutching his back. The blow from the bald zombie had directly taken more than 50,000 HP from the Entangling Roots, and over 700 from him¡ªabsolutely terrifying! Entangling Roots was a Level 3 weapon after all, and its defensive power wasn¡¯t as high as Wang Tao¡¯s own. In this Level 4bat, it was evidently struggling. Wang Tao prepared to charge again, but paused when he saw the metal pir lying on the ground. Then he waved his hand at the pir¡­ and it disappeared! The bald zombie¡¯s weapon, the metal pir, was collected into Wang Tao¡¯s Space Backpack! ¡°¡­¡± Wang Tao just discovered that the metal pir lying next to him had a name, so he tried, and indeed it was collected into the Space Backpack! ¡°Haha!¡± Wang Taoughed loud. The charging bald zombie, looking at the spot where its metal piry, seemed a bit dumbfounded. Without its weapon, the bald zombie¡¯s attack power was significantly reduced, yet its p attacks were somewhat quicker. But this slight increase in attack speed was clearly no match for Wang Tao. Shortly after, the bald zombie had just a sliver of HP left. Wang Tao didn¡¯t hesitate and drove his de straight into its skull. [-1823] [0/100000] The four-level zombie lord¡¯s HP depleted to zero, and this time Wang Tao didn¡¯t even need to Awaken. ¡°` Chapter 715 - 289: Correct Usage (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_2 Chapter 715: Chapter 289: Correct Usage (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_2 [HP: 100000/100000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Grade: Level 4 ¨C Lord] [Awakening: Corrosive Poison Gas] [Corrosive Poison Gas: Generates an extremely corrosive poison gas both inside and outside the body] This awakening ability seems rted to poison, akin to the skill of the Poisonous Fog Zombie that Wang Tao had encountered before. However, it must be different as awakenings are far more powerful than ordinary abilities. Once released, the gas could probably kill or injure arge number¡­ Wang Tao felt that the awakening abilities of these four Level 4, Lord zombies were all troublesome, and he couldn¡¯t possibly handle them all at once. If he had to choose an opponent, he would definitely pick the fat zombie. After all, it was a fire awakening, which he could also perform. Wang Tao felt that the most difficult one to deal with would be the deformed zombie with the lowest HP. After all, poison isn¡¯t easy to defend against¡­ Wang Tao picked up the sniper rifle, aimed at the fat zombie, and then pulled the trigger. Bang! A .50 caliber bullet instantly reached the front of the fat zombie, which suddenly opened its mouth. Woosh¡ª A small fireball shot out from its mouth, hitting the bullet head-on. Then¡­ the bullet dropped to the ground. Seeing this, Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned somewhat ugly. It could actually block a bullet! And it did so proactively; its reflexes were impressively strong! As for whether that fireball was its awakening ability, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t sure¡­ It didn¡¯t seem likely. After all, an awakening ability shouldn¡¯t be this weak. Wang Tao took another shot at the deformed zombie. Bang! The bullet instantly reached the deformed zombie, entering theyer of poisonous gas surrounding it. The semi-transparent gas had a wide range, and it was clear to see the bullet slowing down upon entering the gas before rapidly corroding. In the blink of an eye, the bullet turned to dust. The bullet was ineffective against the deformed zombie. Not willing to believe it, Wang Tao aimed at the short and shriveled zombie. Bang! [-5223] The bullet instantly struck the shriveled zombie¡¯s head, dealing five thousand damage! Wang Tao immediately felt ted. Could the breakthrough in dealing with these three Level 4, Lord zombies be through the shriveled one? But he quickly discovered that, after being attacked, the shriveled zombie¡¯s body immediately shed with what looked like a full body armor made of rocks, covering it entirely, including its eyes. The once shriveled zombie turned into a muscr man in an instant. ¡°Is this the ¡®Rock Armor¡¯ awakening?¡± Wang Tao fired at it again. Bang! [-24] The bullet hit its yellowish-brown armor, and arge 24 appeared above its head. Disbelieving, Wang Tao fired several shots. [-21] [-15] [¡­] Wang Tao waited a while, but the stone armor on the Stone Armor Zombie didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Crap!¡± Wang Tao put away his rifle, his expression very ugly. All three of the Level 4, Lord zombies had the ability to resist bullets! Considering their awakenings, Wang Tao suddenly felt a bit ufortable. When he was covered in mes, he could also block bullets. But Starfire Prairiested only 10 seconds, which was too short. Unlike these zombies, who could block continuously! Suddenly, Wang Tao felt that the bald zombie he had killed before, whose awakening boosted its defensive power,pared to these three zombies, had the weakest defense, right? After all, its awakening was rted to physique, simply having strong physical qualities and high bodily defense. On the other hand, though these three zombies might not have as strong a physique, they had ways to block bullets. The bullets had no effect on them at all! At least the bullets inflicted over two hundred damage to the bald zombie¡­ This was going to be tough! ¡°Gasoline! Pour the gasoline quickly!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve run out for now, we¡¯re getting it!¡± Someone was shouting from atop the high wall. Wang Tao nced up and saw that many zombies were climbing the walls using the bodies of theirpanions; they were almost over the top. Wang Tao immediately ran over, pulled out his long knife, and swung several shockwaves at the zombies below. St¡ª More than a dozen zombies were instantly shattered. The wall of zombie corpses copsed thunderously.Update by n0vgo .c0 ¡°Th-thank you!¡± The one who had been shouting quickly expressed his gratitude to Wang Tao. Wang Tao nodded slightly, not saying much else. These few people were Level 2 Ability Users from within the base, clearly struggling to fend off the siege of so many zombies. Even if some of them had the ability to produce shockwaves, which could harm an area, the damage they could deal was limited due to their lower strength, only managing to slightly dy the zombies¡¯ assault. If the zombies¡¯ numbers grew or they made any slight mistake, their lives would be at risk. Wang Tao looked down at the wall, where numerous zombies were climbing up over their own kind¡¯s bodies. He had to use several shockwaves in a row before finally clearing that area momentarily, greatly relieving the pressure on the others. Then, a wide green halo suddenly appeared, covering many people on the wall, and some people¡¯s HP bars began to rise¡ªLan Yulian had activated Healing Light. Healing Light was a sustained ability, which she could use continuously as long as she didn¡¯t run out of mana. Meanwhile, she was holding a [High-power cardiac pacemaker] against someone covered in blood. Sizzle¡ª @@novelbin@@ Hum¡ª The person¡¯s chest suddenly convulsed, and then he opened his eyes in bewilderment. ¡°Am I dead¡­¡± Lan Yulian threw a healing spell at him and then patted his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not dead, take a good rest,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you, boss!¡± The man, although unsure of what had happened, was definitely grateful to have his life back. He quickly gave his thanks and then went to the side to start treating himself with a medical kit. Chapter 717 - 289: Correct Usage (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_4 [Starfire Outbreak] is not an ordinary me; rain cannot extinguish it, nor can the blood on the zombies stop it from burning. Wang Tao repeatedly swung his sword, sending several me shockwaves crashing into the horde of zombies. In an instant, the gap in the western wall turned into a sea of fire. Countless zombies howled and struggled in the mes, but could not step out of the inferno! "Phew¡ª" Seeing that he had sessfully stopped the zombies, Wang Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief. If he didn¡¯t quickly block the zombies, it would be impossible to stop them once they overrun the base. For this reason, Wang Tao did not hesitate to use his Awakening, and the effect was immediate. By now the others had finally reached the western wall, since they were much slower than Wang Tao. "Oh my god!" "I never imagined there would be such a big gap here! Thank goodness Wang Tao stopped the zombies, or the consequences would be unthinkable!" Seeing the scene at the western wall, everyone eximed subconsciously. Amid the raging fire, Wang Tao turned back, his tone solemn: "There¡¯s also a Level 4 Lord Night Demon, I¡¯ll go kill it first." The strength of the Level 4 Lord Night Demon might not be the strongest among these zombies, but its ability to find the weak points in the high wall and cause destruction was absolutely lethal for the base! If it were to damage other areas a few times, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up. @@novelbin@@ So he had to kill this Level 4 Lord Night Demon first! Whoosh¡ª Wang Tao charged straight toward the gap at the base of the high wall. That Level 4 Lord Night Demon was right behind the gap, along with three other Level 4 Lord Zombies. With a casual flick of his hand, Wang Tao sent out two more me shockwaves, igniting and shattering dozens of zombies. Then he saw the Night Demon wearing ck bone armor. [HP: 120000/120000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Awakening: Robust] "Die!" Ignoring the three Lord Zombies not far from the ck Skin Night Demon, Wang Tao instantly sprinted in front of the ck Skin Night Demon and swung his sword down. Bang! [-22193] [-2219] [...] The high-frequency vibration along with bleeding and fire damage, one sh cost the ck Skin Night Demon thirty thousand HP! The ck Skin Night Demon let out an enraged roar, scratching Wang Tao¡¯s chest twice. [-2528] [-2483] [+1000] The Night Demon only inflicted five thousand HP damage on Wang Tao, after all, Wang Tao was in the Starfire Outbreak state, with boosted defense attributes, and his own equipment¡¯s defensive power, so the damage inflicted by the Night Demon wasn¡¯t high. If it had been someone else here, they might have been instantly killed! Moreover, Wang Tao¡¯s Starfire Outbreak could regenerate HP, and he gained another thousand. The other three Lord Zombies charged at him in an instant. The Stone Armor Zombie roared as it pounced toward Wang Tao, but Wang Tao suddenly had a shield in his hand, blocking its attack. The Deformed Zombie waved its twisted arms, and green poison gas began to spread. [-1028] [-1023] [...] The poison gas inflicted a thousand damage on Wang Tao every second, fortunately, Wang Tao could regenerate HP to temporarily offset it. However, Wang Tao still kicked the Deformed Zombie hard, sending it flying away. Meanwhile, a nearby obese zombie opened its gaping mouth, and a fireball appeared. The fireball grewrger andrger until it turned into a water-tank-sized fireball that smashed down on Wang Tao. Boom! Wang Tao and the surrounding zombies were instantly engulfed in mes! "Wang Tao!" The people inside the wall were startled by this scene. The mes quickly dissipated, and Wang Tao stood there unscathed. But the zombies around him had melted away. "This Awakening is pretty amazing!" [-4093] Wang Tao, still in his Starfire Outbreak state, took four thousand damage from this huge fireball! The amount of fire damage from the obese zombie¡¯s me Explosion Awakening was much higher than that of Wang Tao¡¯s Starfire Outbreak mes! However, it was understandable since Starfire Outbreak is a persistent increase in status with the fire being secondary, whereas the me Explosion is an active attack type of Awakening, with mes being the primary damage. So, the disparity was normal. After taking so many hits, Wang Tao did not deal with the Four-level zombies but instead grasped the ck Skin Night Demon¡¯s neck and quickly left the area. Roar¡ª The Night Demon roared, unleashing a barrage of attacks on Wang Tao. [-2653] [-2439] Wang Tao didn¡¯t defend and just swung his sword at its head. [-20737] [-2073] [...] The Stone Armor Zombiecked long-range attack ability and couldn¡¯t reach Wang Tao for the time being. The Deformed Zombie twisted its body wildly, spraying out a jet of poison gas that instantly enveloped Wang Tao and the Night Demon. [-2092] [-2124] [...] Wang Tao began to lose two thousand HP every second; the poison gas had increased in damage! Thankfully, Wang Tao was fast enough to get out of the poison gas area quickly. In the blink of an eye, Wang Tao had retreated to the gap. And the Night Demon in his grip... had be a corpse. Seeing that the three Lord Zombies did not chase after him, Wang Tao immediately stopped using Starfire Outbreak. He had used Starfire Outbreak for thirty seconds, using up 300 Awakening Energy, and killing the Night Demon Zombie replenished 100. With a total of 600 energy, he now had 400 left. "Jade Lotus, heal!" As Wang Tao quickly gathered the spoils of war, he shouted back to hisrade. Lan Yulian had been waiting for Wang Tao, and even before he spoke, Lan Yulian¡¯s Healing Glow had already descended upon Wang Tao¡¯s head. While the amount of HP her healing ability restored wasn¡¯t high, she was quick, which meant she could still add quite a bit of HP for Wang Tao. Additionally, Wang Tao had another HP regeneration ability, Nutrient Absorption Ability that he had previously merged. This was a passive ability; just standing on the ground allowed him to regenerate HP. Although the regeneration rate was very slow, just a few dozen points per second, and the higher his current HP, the slower it healed, having it was still better than nothing. Find more chapters on NovelBin.C?m Chapter 720 - 290: Flame Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_1 Chapter 720: Chapter 290: me Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_1 Boom! Wang Tao swung his de, and amidst the sky full of firelight, the Four-level Zombie was repelled once again. Wang Tao couldn¡¯t remember how many times he had driven the creature back, but each time these three Level 4 Zombie Lords charged, he would do his utmost to repel them. So long as they could be kept outside the base, there was still a fight to be had. This time, after being pushed back, these three Four-level Zombies didn¡¯t charge again. Instead, countless ordinary Zombies took their ce. Huff¡ª Seeing this surging horde of Zombies, Wang Tao actually let out a sigh of relief. Battling Four-level Zombies required him to give 120% of his energy, whereas fighting these ordinary Zombies, he could rely on the high defense of his armor to withstand the damage, which wasn¡¯t as exhausting as dealing with Four-level Zombies. Moreover, he could now cancel the Starfire Prairie status. The mes on Wang Tao¡¯s body gradually extinguished. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to cancel it, but the consumption was too great; it was better to save energy whenever possible. After Wang Tao canceled his Awakening, Lan Yulian and others hurried over to help block the Zombies and heal him. The mes during Starfire Prairie status attacked indiscriminately, so Lan Yulian and the others didn¡¯t dare get too close, lest they be burned. ¡°Wang Tao, are you alright?¡± While everyone else was holding back the Zombies, they asked with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Wang Tao shook his head. He might have dropped to Half Blood, but those few Four-level Zombies weren¡¯t having an easy time either. It had to be said that this set of ck Iron Heavy Armor was perfect for this kind of defensive battle. It almost ignored the damage from Zombies below Level 4, and the damage from Four-level Zombies was also greatly reduced. Of course, there was a problem; that was, once Wang Tao¡¯s speed was greatly reduced, he could no longer pursue. In the past, after repelling the Four-level Zombies, he would likely have chased after them. But now, he couldn¡¯t catch up¡­ Wang Tao was now more worried about those three Four-level Zombies splitting up and attacking other parts of the base. But fortunately, these Four-level Zombies weren¡¯t that smart. They seemed to be fixated on the breach in the high wall and refused to give up. Moreover, like him, the Four-level Zombies couldn¡¯t use their Awakening abilities without restriction. Otherwise, if they kept emitting poison gas and spitting fireballs, it would be unbearable for him. With Ding Yuqin and the others joining in, the pressure on Wang Tao was greatly reduced. Together, they held off the Zombie onught, preventing a single one from entering the base. However, the number of Zombies outside the base didn¡¯t decrease; in fact, it seemed to be increasing. Everyone¡¯s faces were serious. Zijing City had a million-level poption of Zombies; if all were attracted here, even without the Four-level Zombies, they wouldn¡¯t be able to hold them off¡­ After seeing the situation, Wang Tao immediately called to He Jijun, ¡°Old He,e give me a ride!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Buzz buzz¡ª He Jijun piloted the helicopter to hover above Wang Tao¡¯s head. Wang Tao said to the others, ¡°Hold them off for a bit, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wang Tao pointed at the sky, two Iron Tree Tendrils shot out from his wrist, instantly grabbing onto the hook beneath the helicopter. Then, Wang Tao was hoisted up by the helicopter, flying into the throng of Zombies outside. Wang Tao produced a Red Hand Grenade in his hand. [Explosion Grenade: Contains a certain amount of Awakening Energy. Once detonated, it creates an explosion within a 50-meter radius.] It was a spoils of war he had obtained after killing a me Monster, totaling ten of them, and he had not used them yet. It¡¯s not that he was reluctant, but the radius of these things was quiterge and could easily harm his own people.Upd@te by novg0.co Now that there were more and more Zombies outside, and everyone was having a harder time holding them off, Wang Tao felt it was time to use them. The helicopter quickly flew over the swarm of Zombies, many of which were attracted and looked up with howls. Wang Tao gave careful attention to those three Four-level Zombies; they had naturally seen the helicopter but didn¡¯te over. Only the obese Zombie¡¯s belly swelled, its mouth wide open, slowly forming a Little Huo Fireball. Among these three Zombies, the one with the highest instant damage was naturally the obese Zombie. Its Awakening ¡°me Explosion¡± was like a bomb, capable of blowing up and burning arge number of Zombies, and it was a Ranged Attack. However, if there was a downside, it was that its Awakening wasn¡¯t instant; or rather, the damage of an instant attack was low. It needed to umte power to make the Fireballrger. Therger the Fireball, the farther the attack distance, and the higher the damage. So as long as Wang Tao wasn¡¯t ambushed and saw it charging up the Fireball, he had a way to deal with it. Just like now, when he saw the fireball appearing in the obese Zombie¡¯s mouth, Wang Tao immediately put away the Explosion Grenade and took out a pistol, aiming at it and pulling the trigger. Bang! A transparent Air Bullet shot out from the barrel, and after a brief flight, hit the obese Zombie in the forehead. [-3128] The damage wasn¡¯t high, but the Air Bullet sessfully caused the obese Zombie¡¯s head to jerk upward. Pffft¡ª The Fireball that was still in the making in its mouth sprayed out instantly. Boom! The Fireball exploded right above the obese Zombie. It was fine, but the Zombies around it were blown to death, melted on the spot. Seeing that the obese Zombie couldn¡¯t threaten the helicopter anymore, Wang Tao took out the Explosion Grenade again, found a ce dense with Zombies, and gently tossed it. Whoosh¡ª A small Red Hand Grenade fell amongst the Zombies. Then, boom¡ª A zing fireball erupted from the grenade, expanding rapidly. In the blink of an eye, about a fifty-meter radius turned into a sea of fire! This wasn¡¯t ordinary me, it was simr to the Starfire Prairie mes used by Wang Tao, which the Zombies couldn¡¯t withstand. Their HP quickly reached zero, and they were even burned to cinders!@@novelbin@@ Chapter 721 - 290: Flame Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_2 Chapter 721: Chapter 290: me Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_2 Wang Tao roughly estimated that with the density of these zombies, that single hand grenade must have incinerated at least a thousand zombies! Moreover, the mes wouldn¡¯t die out quickly but would continue to burn for a long time. During its duration, it was a one-way trip for any zombies that came near! ¡°Not bad!¡± This was the first time Wang Tao had witnessed the power of these hand grenades, and while they weren¡¯t as powerful as the abilities of the me Monster he¡¯d seen before, they were more than enough against these ordinary zombies. ¡°Continue!¡± Wang Tao directed He Jijun to fly towards other areas dense with zombies and threw several more hand grenades. Boom! Boom! Boom! The night sky turned red, and nearly all survivors inside the base could see the roaring mes. The western wall outside waspletely cleared, even the three level 4 zombies had retreated quite a distance. ¡°Old He, take a round to the other three directions!¡± As the sea of fire at the western wall would burn for a while, preventing zombies from entering, Wang Tao took the opportunity to head to other ces to help ease the pressure on everyone else. Humming¡ª The helicopter flew northward. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, we couldn¡¯t burn the level 4 zombies to death¡­¡± Wang Tao sighed. When he threw the hand grenades, he specifically targeted the area near those three level 4 zombies, but the mes that could kill level 3 zombies couldn¡¯t kill them. Plus, they were fast and had run out of the inferno. Of course, the oue was still very good. With a few grenades, at least ten thousand zombies had been incinerated! And those three level 4 Zombie Lords were also severely wounded! If it weren¡¯t for the base behind him that needed defending, Wang Tao might have switched his equipment and chased after them. The helicopter quickly reached the northern wall of the base. There were many zombies here too, but they were nothingpared to the Western wall. Wang Tao dropped an Explosion Grenade, killing countless zombies in moments, significantly relieving the pressure on the survivors atop the high wall. Then the helicopter went to both the eastern and southern walls, dropping a grenade at each location before Wang Tao returned to the breach at the western wall. Thud! Wang Tao released the helicopter,nding heavily. The fire outside was still burning, but it had greatly weakened. Beyond the mes, some shadowy figures could be seen. It seemed like they were waiting for the fire to die down¡­ ¡°These zombies are really insane!¡± Seeing this, theplexion of those watching turned grim. ¡°They¡¯re all under the control of those three level 4 Zombie Lords¡­¡± Zombie Lords could influence or even control other zombies. With these three level 4 Zombie Lords together, they could affect a lot of zombies. If they weren¡¯t dealt with, the zombies assaulting the base would never retreat. ¡°Wang Tao, should we charge out and fight those three Lords to the death!¡± Hong Bin spoke to Wang Tao. He had previously wanted to fight to the death against the zombies but was stopped by Wang Tao. Before, it was because he saw no hope and wanted to exert hisst bit of strength. This time, it was because he saw hope¡ªWang Tao¡¯s strength exceeded his imagination, and he felt that if they charged out and fought those three zombies together, they might have a chance to win. However, Wang Tao still shook his head. ¡°No rush. They wille to us!¡± Going out to fight the level 4 Zombie Lords was too risky, and if they were surrounded by arge horde of zombies, they would be in great danger even without those three level 4 zombies taking action. And as long as these three zombies weren¡¯t willing to give up this ce, they would inevitablye again. Wang Tao, d in ck Iron Heavy Armor, was meant for defense. As long as his Awakening Energy wasn¡¯t depleted, he could hold his ground, and even turn the tables! As expected, as the fire started to wane, zombies began charging through the mes toward his location, and right behind these zombies were those three level 4 Zombie Lords. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± Wang Tao, holding his long sword, stepped towards the approaching zombies. @@novelbin@@ Once the zombies entered his attack range, Wang Tao unleashed a Shockwave, instantly ying arge swath of them. But at that moment, a figure d in Stone Armor suddenly appeared beside Wang Tao! Instantly, a shield appeared in Wang Tao¡¯s hand. Bang! The sneak attack from the Stone Armor Zombie was sessfully blocked by Wang Tao. Then, with his sword in one hand, he swung fiercely. Bang! [-323] [-32] [¡­] Without using Starfire Prairie, the damage Wang Tao dealt to it was frighteningly low. But Wang Tao was already ustomed to the high Defense of its Stone Armor and was hardly surprised. Suddenly, though, Wang Tao¡¯s gaze sharpened. Because he noticed that the Stone Armor on the zombie¡­ seemed to have a small crack in it! He hadn¡¯t seen wrong; there was indeed a crack! Wang Tao was instantly overjoyed. He had been wondering why this zombie¡¯s Awakening Ability was so enduring! Clearly an active Awakening, once used, the Stone Armor seemed to be a part of its body and hadn¡¯t faded. This was much more enduring than Wang Tao¡¯s Starfire Prairie! But now, Wang Tao understood. This Stone Armor created by its Awakening Ability probably had no time limit but perhaps a Durability limit! Now, after so many hits from Wang Tao, its Durability was likely almost depleted! This was an opportunity! Wang Tao immediately yelled to the others: ¡°Hold off the other zombies! I¡¯ll take care of this one!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The others responded. mes instantly erupted around Wang Tao, and he pushed the Stone Armor Zombie into the horde of zombies. Then, abandoning defense, he gripped the sword in both hands and ruthlessly hacked at the Stone Armor Zombie. [-1283] Chapter 723 - 290: Flame Giant (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_4 The obese zombie was zapped by its own fireball, its head buzzing as if it were in a daze. Wang Tao produced a me long sword in his hand once more and thrust it straight into the obese zombie¡¯s mouth! [-12893] [-1289] [...] Wang Tao felt like he was stabbing into a block of steel, unable to prate, but still, the obese zombie lost over ten thousand blood! So, force is indeed its weakness! The obese zombie had a total of 120,000 HP, and now only a little over 60,000 remained. Suddenly, mes erupted all over its body¡ªnot from Wang Tao, but from inside out. Wang Tao was suddenly ovee with a sense of familiarity. He exerted all his might and viciously kicked the obese zombie. Thud~ The obese zombie was kicked right into the midst of the horde. And then¡ª Boom! A small mushroom cloud rose among the mes that filled the sky, and Wang Tao was enveloped in it as well. However, Wang Tao was at the edge and did not suffer much damage. "Explosion! I knew it..." Wang Tao immediately rushed into the firestorm and soon found the obese zombie¡¯s location, which was left with merely a sliver of blood! Without hesitation, Wang Tao shed with his sword. Squish! [-1000] [0/120000] The obese zombie is dead! And just then, Wang Tao felt he could no longer make contact with his two Night Demon Type I. He quickly gathered up the spoils of war and immediately rushed towards the Deformed Zombie¡¯s location. Momentster, Wang Tao reached the Deformed Zombie and without pausing, plunged into the poison gas. The Night Demon Type I were no longer in sight. Their mission was to hold off the Deformed Zombie, and now it had beenpleted. Wang Tao hefted the me long sword andunched an attack at the Deformed Zombie. The Deformed Zombie¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t high, and after being entangled by Wang Tao, it quickly ran out of HP after a few shes. Squish! [-18273] [0/100000] The HP bar of the Deformed Zombie cleared to zero! All three Level 4 zombies, annihted! But Wang Tao wasn¡¯t feeling joyous because he too was poisoned down to a thread of health. After collecting all the loot, Wang Tao hurriedly ran back to the base. The damage from the poison gas umted increasingly, and his HP dropped rapidly while fighting the Deformed Zombie. He needed to get back quickly to Jade Lotus for healing, or else he¡¯d be poisoned to death soon! And just at that moment, Wang Tao suddenly felt the ground tremble. He immediately turned his head and saw a tall figure emerge amid the horde. "Giant Zombie¡ªwait, why is it so short?" [HP: 100000/100000] [Mana: 100000/100000] [Grade: Level 4, Lord] [Awakening: Giant] From a distance came a Giant Zombie, but... it was a hundred thousand blood Giant Zombie! It stood roughly over twenty meters tall, minusculepared to the typical sixty or even eighty-meter giants. It looked almost like a juvenile! Of course, even at just over twenty meters tall, it was still very noticeable against the night sky illuminated by the mes. Not only did Wang Tao see it, but Jade Lotus and all the survivors in the base did as well. "Oh my¡ª" "Giant Zombie..." "We¡¯re done for!" The sight of this figure sent waves of despair, not only among the other survivors in the base but even on the faces of Jade Lotus and her group. Wang Tao¡¯s battle just now had been too swift, all within the horde. Plus, Jade Lotus and the others had spent some time in the poisonous gas... so they were unclear about the specific state ofbat between Wang Tao and the Level 4 zombies. All they knew was that Wang Tao had rushed over amidst his busy schedule to save their lives. Now, seeing the Giant Zombie, even if they had all the confidence in the world, they felt despair. Three Level 4, Lord zombies, plus one Giant Zombie. There was no chance at all! @@novelbin@@ The other survivors in the base began to pray, praying for Wang Tao and the others. They knew that their only hope for salvationy with Wang Tao and his group. "Wang Tao..." Ding Yuqin and the others also instinctively shouted out Wang Tao¡¯s name. At such a time, they felt that if there was any hope left, it could only be Wang Tao. But outside was a sea of fire and zombies, and they couldn¡¯t see where Wang Tao was, nor did they know whether he was alive or dead. But just then, they saw a huge, bright, and scorching me emerge not far away. Even among the sea of fire, these zing mes were extraordinarily conspicuous. And then, they saw a giant that stood over five meters tall slowly rise within those mes, a me Giant! "Heavens! What is that?" The sight of another giant nearly caused the survivors to copse. One Giant Zombie was hard enough for them to survive; with two giants appearing, their fate was sealed without any hope for survival! Although this giant didn¡¯t seem as tall as the one in the distance, its body was enwrapped in mes, which made it seem even more powerful! But... why did that me Giant¡¯s armor look somewhat familiar? "Is that... Wang Tao?!" Unlike the other survivors, when Ding Yuqin and the others saw the me Giant, they experienced a mix of surprise and disbelief. "It is Wang Tao!" Zhang Hong and the others quickly came out to exin. Wang Tao had used his Berserk Ability only once before, something Ding Yuqin and the others had not witnessed. Even though Wang Tao had grown muchrger after his berserking, with mes covering his body, there was no doubt that it was him. "It really is him!" Ding Yuqin and the others exchanged nces, feeling somewhat excited. Explore new worlds at NovelBin.C?m Though they didn¡¯t understand why Wang Tao had transformed in such a way, this "me Giant" Wang Tao was obviously much stronger! Chapter 726: 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_1 Chapter 726: Chapter 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_1 mes soared into the sky outside Zijin Base, and the survivors inside could only hear the Giant Zombie¡¯s roaring and the sounds of battle. After all, Wang Tao had lured the Giant Zombie away, and no one could see what exactly was happening. At that moment, everyone faintly heard a ¡°boom,¡± and it seemed like the ground itself had trembled. The Giant Zombie¡¯s roaring suddenly seemed to disappear. Everyone¡¯s heart tensed up in an instant. Had Wang Tao won? Or¡­ lost? Those survivors who hadn¡¯t participated in the fight didn¡¯t even dare to breathe, as if they feared that any additional breath might affect the oue of the battle. Some even closed their eyes, praying for Wang Tao. Ding Yuqin and herpanions clenched their fists tightly as well; had the fire outside not been too intense, they really would have wanted to rush out. Thump, thump¡ª At this time, a series of deep footsteps sounded from afar. A catch in their hearts¡ªcould it be that the Giant Zombie wasn¡¯t dead?! But quickly, joy spread across their faces. Because in the midst of the roaring mes, a huge figure emerged, burning like the sun. ¡°Wang Tao!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Wang Tao!¡± ¡­ Wang Tao had sessfully killed the Giant Zombie. However, his Frenzy state had not yet subsided; Frenzy couldst an hour, and he nned to take advantage of this state to kill more zombies. After all, although the Giant Zombie was dead, the onught outside had not yet ended. Wang Tao didn¡¯t return to the base but charged directly into the horde of zombies outside the breach in the west wall.@@novelbin@@ He wielded the Bloody Chainsaw in one hand and The Tusk Long Knife in the other, ughtering zombies in a frenzy. The Bloody Chainsaw was instrumental in killing the Giant Zombie. If it weren¡¯t for the Bloody Chainsaw¡¯s ability to directly attack the Life Energy of foes, with the height difference between him and the Giant Zombie, he would have had no way to inflict substantial damage. Moreover, using the Bloody Chainsaw cost HP, and it lost HP at a faster rate than the Giant Zombie. Given the situation at that time, the Bloody Chainsaw might have bled to death before killing the Giant Zombie. But luckily, there were plenty of zombies around. While fighting the Giant Zombie, Wang Tao had also taken time to kill off the Level 3 zombies around him. This allowed the Bloody Chainsaw to maintain its HP at a Half Blood status and eventually wear down the Giant Zombie! The Bloody Chainsaw, like Wang Tao, was at low HP and needed to be healed quickly. Now in an Enhancement state after Frenzy and decked out in ck Iron Heavy Armor with absurdly high Defense, Wang Tao plunged into the horde of zombies like a tiger among sheep. No zombiested more than three seconds before him, nor could any zombie harm him. But the sheer number of zombies was overwhelming, and no matter how strong Wang Tao was, he was only one man with limited Physical Strength and Spirit. He could momentarily hold off the zombies¡¯ attack, but it was impossible for him to kill them all. Although there was no longer a Level 4, Lord Zombie to lead the horde, their attack was still chaotic. But Zijin Base¡¯s western wall had a gaping hole, and the zombies didn¡¯t need any tactics¡ªjust a relentless surge into the breach. Once Wang Tao saw that the Bloody Chainsaw¡¯s HP had been fully restored, he put away the long knife and the chainsaw, and arge metal stick appeared in his hands. With each swing of the stick, he broke countless zombies and then retreated back to the breach in the high wall. Wang Tao stood at the breach, wielding the colossal ck Iron Stick. With a swing, he could kill swathes of zombies, even without using a Shockwave. With him standing there, no zombie could make it through! The survivors inside the base all saw this towering figure and were both stirred and teary-eyed. ¡°Mr. Wang Tao isn¡¯t dead! He¡¯s still protecting us!¡± ¡°Mr. Wang Tao¡­ *sob*¡­¡± ¡°I hate feeling so helpless, unable to fight alongside Mr. Wang Tao!¡± ¡°Could this be the work of our prayers to the gods?¡± ¡°What bullcrap gods! Mr. Wang Tao is our base¡¯s guardian deity, our one true god!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re right!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ding Yuqin and the others quickly came to Wang Tao¡¯s side, with Lan Yulian fearlessly administering healing to Wang Tao. Wang Tao¡¯s HP began to slowly rise. ¡°Woof! Whine~¡± Lightning also cried out anxiously to Wang Tao. ¡°Are you all alright?¡± While ughtering a massive number of zombies, Wang Tao took the chance to vigorously rub Lightning¡¯s head and didn¡¯t forget to express his concern for everyone else. ¡°We¡¯re all fine! Thanks to Jade Lotus, with her healing, not a single person died!¡± Ding Yuqin quickly responded. Actually, they too had suffered badly. While Wang Tao went to attack the Stone Armor Zombie, the Deformed Zombie hade to attack them. The poison gas released by the Deformed Zombie almost wiped them out, but thanks to Lan Yulian¡¯s healing ability and Wang Tao¡¯s timely reinforcements, their crisis was averted. Later when Wang Tao went to battle the Zombie Lord, countless zombies began to assault the base, and they defended desperately in their weakened state¡­ However, these things were nothingpared to what Wang Tao had been through; if not for him, the base would have been destroyed countless times. So, no one mentioned how tough they had it because it paled inparison to Wang Tao¡¯s hardships! Even when the Giant Zombie appeared, Lan Yulian told everyone that maybe they should let Wang Taoe back and abandon the base¡ªto leave together instead¡ªsince she was the one who most wanted to save the base, but now she was the one who most wanted to leave, not willing to let Wang Tao sacrifice himself. Chapter 728: 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_3 Chapter 728: Chapter 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_3 In the midst of the horde of zombies, a ruined base stood tall. And outside this broken base, there was a sea of zing red mes. Countless zombies were roaring in the sea of fire, burning and vanishing. ¡°It¡¯s not the base that¡¯s on fire, but outside the base?¡± The captain was a little surprised, then very delighted.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Could there be many survivors?!¡± ¡°Warning! Unknown creature detected ahead!¡± Suddenly, a warning sounded in the captain¡¯s ears. A real-time image popped up in front of him. It was a bird¡¯s-eye view, showing a sea of mes. In this sea of fire, there was a giant over five meters tall, d in full body armor, its mes dazzling like the zing sun. As he saw this me Giant, the giant also happened to look up. Those Eyes of me seemed to be making eye contact with him! The captain was startled. ¡°What Level is this monster! Such a strong aura of pressure!¡± Even through the screen, he felt a bit short of breath and his heart rate quickened! ¡°The energy emanating from the me Giant has reached Level 4! But¡­¡± The tone of the Wu Zhi pilot suddenly turned a bit strange. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Asked the captain. ¡°But¡­ he seems to be human?¡± ¡°What?¡± The captain was stunned for a moment, but thinking of the strange abilities of the Ability Users, he quickly said: ¡°Don¡¯t attack him! Clear the zombies around the base first and try to make contact with the radio! We¡¯ll be there soon!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± The Wu Zhi pilot immediately targeted the zombies outside the sea of fire, flipping the safety switch in his hand and pressing a red button. Whizz whizz whizz¡ª Rockets mounted on the side of the aircraft were activated, pouring down on the ground zombies one after another! ¡­ On the ground. The color inside Wang Tao¡¯s helmet wasn¡¯t looking too good. He had just sensed some disturbance to the west, as if anotherrge creature was approaching the base. The distance was a bit far, beyond the range of his Perception Ability. Moreover, with the nts all around nearly burnt to death, he couldn¡¯t use his nt Affinity. But his gut feeling was definitely not wrong; certainly there was somerge creatureing! ording to Wang Tao¡¯s experience with zombies, it shouldn¡¯t be a Giant Zombie¡ªthat was the only good news. He immediately headed towards the base and quickly notified the others. ¡°An unknown creature ising; be ready to fight at any time!¡± Suddenly, Wang Tao felt as if he was being watched. He instantly turned his head, looking up into the sky. ¡°What is that?¡± He saw something ck hovering in the distance up high. Then he heard a buzzing sound. This buzzing sound¡­ Wang Tao was all too familiar with it! Whizz whizz whizz¡ª But before Wang Tao could speak, streaks of light appeared in the sky, then continuouslynded amidst the zombies outside the sea of fire. Boom boom boom! A series of violent explosions erupted, tearing countless zombies to shreds, melting them! The survivors inside the base were startled by the noise, but seeing Wang Tao¡¯s silhouette still there, they quickly calmed down. Ding Yuqin and others quickly asked. ¡°Wang Tao, what¡¯s the situation outside!¡± Their view was blocked by the sea of fire, they couldn¡¯t see outside, only hearing a series of explosions. Before Wang Tao could speak, He Jijun¡¯s voice rang in everyone¡¯s earpiece. ¡°Haha! Fire Snake-200-A!¡± This statement made most people puzzled, not knowing what it meant. But Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, and Lu Gang first looked incredulous, then said excitedly: ¡°Fire Snake-200-A rockets? Wu Zhi-400? Could it be¡­¡± Being inside the base, their hearing and sight were obstructed, and outside there were the roaring zombies, which were nothingpared to He Jijun flying in the sky. ¡°That¡¯s right! Our reinforcements¡­ have arrived!¡± He Jijun said loudly. ¡°Reinforcements?¡± Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. As if to prove He Jijun¡¯s words, everyone suddenly felt the ground tremor slightly. Then¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! Dada dada¡ª Pupupu¡ª Seeding explosions followed by the ceaseless sound of gunfire. This time, everyone could clearly hear gunfire and artillery! The reinforcements had really arrived! In the midst of the fire, Wang Tao¡¯s body began to slowly shrink, and the mes on his body gradually extinguished. He quickly walked out of the sea of fire and joined Ding Yuqin and the others. ¡°Wang Tao! It¡¯s the reinforcements!¡± Everyone excitedly looked at Wang Tao. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the reinforcements!¡± Wang Tao looked towards the horde of zombies not far away. Suddenly, a red light flickered, apanied by a ¡°pupupu¡± sound, and a gap was violently torn in the dense crowd of zombies. Limbs and flesh flew everywhere! And among this scattered flesh, a burly figure appeared, his whole body shining with a metallic luster, holding a six-barrel Gatling gun. ¡°What is that?!¡± Then came a second, a third¡­ a total of six! Pupupu¡ª Wherever the Powered Armor went, nothing was spared. ¡°¡­¡± Observing those wielding Gatling guns, looking like they had stepped out of a movie, andparing them to the axes, long knives, whips, and daggers in their own hands, Wang Tao suddenly fell silent. The style¡­ seemed a little different, didn¡¯t it? Why did it seem like they were primitives? And had technology advanced so much? Even these sci-fi Powered Armors were now a reality? Wang Tao silently retracted his ck Iron Heavy Armor and revealed his true appearance. Not just him, seeing these Powered Armors, including the retired and active military personnel like He Jijun and Wei Zhenguo, were also bewildered. Chapter 730: 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_5 Chapter 730: Chapter 291: Iron Torrent (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_5 ¡°` Xiang Hong Bin muttered to himself. Duan Xuchang looked at the middle-aged man dressed in military uniform, whose body was extensively disabled, and he felt a certain solemn respect for him. ¡°Comrade, all of this was developed after the apocalypse. There was none of this before the apocalypse¡ªno, I can¡¯t say there was none, but rather there were rted designs before the apocalypse, but there were many difficulties that couldn¡¯t be solved. So not to mention mass production, even custom-made ones couldn¡¯t be manufactured.¡± ¡°I see. Then what¡¯s the power source for this powered armor? Gasoline? But I didn¡¯t smell any oil¡­ Could it be electricity? But are there batteries with such arge capacity nowadays? Could it possibly be the legendary nuclear power battery? How¡¯s its endurance? Is it powerful in actualbat? Is it expensive? Once we get to the city base, can we also get a set?¡± Lu Gang immediately asked a barrage of questions. Wei Zhenguo and the others were still calm, with age on their side, they were rtively moreposed. But young people like Lu Gang had almost zero resistance to such war machines. ¡°The energy source¡­ is something you¡¯ve all seen!¡± Duan Xuchang deliberately teased them. ¡°Crystal Core?¡± The always silent Wang Tao suddenly spoke up. Duan Xuchang looked at Wang Tao with a bit of surprise. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s the Crystal Core! Hope Research Institute has developed other applications for Crystal Cores, which include providing energy for powered armor.¡± Wang Tao nodded silently. The Hope Research Institute had already researched many things before, like the Crystal Core Synthesizer, Energy Detector, and the like. Now they were focusing on researching the Crystal Core, so it was reasonable if they really could develop other uses for it. ¡°Impressive!¡± Xiang Hong Bin gave a thumbs up. ¡°They really are impressive!¡± Duan Xuchang nodded, then turned to Xiang Hong Bin and the others. ¡°But you are impressive too! To be honest, when we saw the scale of the zombie horde, we were already prepared to return without achieving anything. But unexpectedly, over twenty thousand of you survivors actually held out!¡± Duan Xuchang¡¯s words were not mere politeness, they were sincere admiration. Only those who had experienced the terror of the horde could understand how difficult it was for Zijin Base to survive. Wei Zhenguo and the others turned to look at Wang Tao upon hearing this. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Wang Tao, our base would have fallen long ago!¡± Wang Tao immediately shook his head with a smile. ¡°These are all the results of our collective efforts; we couldn¡¯t have done it without anyone.¡± Duan Xuchang looked at Wang Tao with curiosity. ¡°Is Comrade Wang Tao an Awakener and a fourth-order ability user?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wang Tao did not conceal it and nodded directly. ¡°Impressive!¡± Duan Xuchang¡¯s expression showed both admiration and respect. Anyone who could be a fourth-order ability user was a rare talent! Especially for someone like Wang Tao to be a fourth-order ability user in such an environment, his efforts must have been much greater than others! However, Wang Tao keenly sensed that, after confirming he was a fourth-order ability user, Duan Xuchang did not show any shock. That probably meant one thing¡ªhe had seen other fourth-order ability users! Wang Tao was not surprised. The saying goes, a glimpse into a leopard from a tube¡ªafter seeing the strength of this military force, he knew Changhe City Base must be very powerful! Without a doubt, they could kill four-level zombies. So it was normal for a fourth-order ability user to emerge. Not to mention that Duan Xuchang himself was also a top third-order ability user. [HP: 100000/100000] [Mana: 18500/28000] [Grade: Level 3] [Internal Impurity: 30%] What Wang Tao was more curious about now was just how powerful this powered armor was. Whether ability usersbined with powered armor could achieve an effect of 1+1>2¡­ However, considering it was someone else¡¯s privacy, Wang Tao did not inquire further. ¡­ Lan Yu Lian was quite efficient, or rather, the survivors at the base were well-prepared. As soon as she exined the situation, the survivors immediately began to line up in an orderly fashion for departure. Pregnant women and children were at the front, those physically weaker in the middle, with those who were stronger trailing behind. Duan Xuchang and his men had ten trucks, but clearly, these trucks couldn¡¯t carry over twenty thousand people. Apart from women, children, and supplies that were ced on the vehicles, the other survivors walked on foot. Those who were still alive by now couldn¡¯t be physically weak; protected by the troops, following the convoy, would not be a problem at all. Looking at the excited faces of these twenty thousand people, Duan Xuchang including the other soldiers were also feeling a bit excited. The survivors were excited because reinforcements hade to rescue them, and they had a new home. The excitement of Duan Xuchang and the rest came from the fact that they hadpleted half their mission¡ªsaving a life was a very fulfilling thing, let alone saving over twenty thousand lives! The Zijin Base survivors were of high quality, following the queue orderly and undergoing the military¡¯s inspection. It was a thousand-mile journey back and forth; the military could not afford any idents. If there were any infected individuals, it would be very troublesome. So a quick check was necessary. Of course, even if there were infected individuals, they wouldn¡¯t abandon them; at most, they would inject them with inhibitors. Soon, the survivors¡¯ check wasplete, and they were ready to set off. ¡°Attention everyone, advance slowly!¡± Duan Xuchang closed his face shield and issued the order to retreat to the convoy. Rumble rumble¡ª Main battle tanks led the way at the front, wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and soldiers formed the outermost protection, two Wu Zhi helicopters had already left to scout ahead, and another two followed above the convoy.@@novelbin@@ As for the powered armors, they acted as emergency fire fighters, moving to wherever danger emerged. Everyone took onest look at Zijin Base. Lan Yu Lian and a few others were somewhat reluctant to leave, as it had been their home for quite a long time. But there was no choice, these more than twenty thousand people could not withstand the horde of zombies. They could only go to a safer ce. ¡°` Chapter 732 - 292: Obstacle-Clearing Train (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_1 Chapter 732: Chapter 292: Obstacle-Clearing Train (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_1 ¡°` This was a gigantic ck train d in steel armor, equipped with sharp tools, and even had cannons on the top. It was clearly visible that the body of the train was adorned with fragments of zombie remains. Its front was fitted with a huge steel plow, which seemed like it could easily push aside any obstacle in its path. ¡°This is the train they rode on! No wonder they could make it here!¡± Upon seeing the train, Wang Tao and the others were all extremely astonished. If this thing charged into a horde of zombies, it could probably instantly crush countless numbers of them! Beside the train was a fully armed team, some of whom were outfitted with Powered Armor. They had cleared all the zombies around the train and used barriers to block the advancing horde, temporarily preventing zombies from getting through. As the group arrived, the massive steel doors of the carriages immediately opened. Duan Xuchang approached Wang Tao and the others to exin: ¡°This is our obstacle-clearing train, as its name implies, it can clear obstacles from the tracks as it moves. However, not all obstacles can be cleared. We sent a Wu Zhi ahead to scout our route before we came. That is why our speed was slower; we spent most of the time nning our route and clearing obstacles. Our return will be much easier because we¡¯ll follow the path we¡¯ve already taken. Of course, airnes will continue to scout ahead to ensure our safe return!¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s really impressive!¡±@@novelbin@@ Wang Tao praised sincerely. His anticipation for Changhe City Base grew even more. ¡°Board the train!¡± Duan Xuchang called out, and the soldiers began leading the survivors aboard. The obstacle-clearing train was muchrger and longer than an Ordinary train. With the inclusion of two lotives, this train totalled thirty carriages. Tanks, armored fighting vehicles, military trucks, and all kinds of Weapons and ammunition only upied five carriages. The remaining twenty-three carriages were all designed for carrying people! The passenger carriages had three levels, each capable of fitting in over three hundred people, allowing for a full load of one thousand people per carriage! This capacity was terrifying, given that an Ordinary train has a seating capacity of about a hundred people, with standing tickets reaching at most two or three hundred people. Theparison was iparable to these carriages that can seat a thousand. Thus, even with twenty thousand survivors, this obstacle-clearing train could pull them all. Of course, with so many survivors packed together, the riding experience would certainly not befortable. Yet nobodyined about this, as just being alive was fortunate enough, and they were very content. The passenger carriages had three doors each, two small ones at the front and back, and a particrlyrge one in the middle. This door was for the convenience of survivors in special situations. Even so, boarding the train with over twenty thousand people still took a considerable amount of time. The zombies outside had alreadyunched several assaults, but fortunately, they were all repelled by the military¡¯s heavy firepower. Only after all the survivors were aboard did the tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and other vehicles drive into the train. He Jijun¡¯s helicopter alsonded on the train, as there was a designated ce for it. The top of the train was also equipped with many grenadeunchers, which provided cover while the tanks entered the train, blocking arge number of zombies. After the personnel and vehicles had sessfully boarded, the remaining soldiers and Powered Armor began to board the train. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me to carriage number two,¡± Duan Xuchang invited. ¡°Can ite too?¡± Wang Tao asked, referring to Lightning who had been following him around. ¡°Of course,¡± Duan Xuchang nodded. In fact, he was quite intrigued by Lightning, the military dog that resembled a calf, and was nning to ask Wang Taoter about the training methods. Duan Xuchang led Wang Tao and the others into the first carriage behind the lotive, carriage number two. Rumble rumble¡ª The train started moving, then gradually picked up speed. As the firepower weakened, the zombie tide finally broke through the temporary barriers and reached the sides of the train. But the train was tightly covered in steel tes all around, and the few pieces of ss were all bulletproof, leaving the zombies without any means of intrusion. Moreover, there were many sharp des on the body of the train, so when the train picked up some speed, countless zombies were seen being dismembered and beheaded! Inside carriage number two. Watching the deste, dpidated scenery slowly recede, and one zombie after another being shredded by the cutters on the outside of the train, the mood of Wang Tao and hispanions was somewhatplex. ¡°Comrades, do you need food? The specialty cuisine from Changhe Base.¡± Duan Xuchang, who had removed his Powered Armor, asked with a smile. After returning to the train, Duan Xuchang was noticeably more rxed. As soon as Wang Tao nodded, Lan Yulian immediately raised her hand. ¡°Needed!¡± ¡°Alright, please wait a moment.¡± Carriage number two was where most of the soldiers from the military team were located, along with simr setups in carriages three, twenty-eight, and twenty-nine¡ªthat is, the two carriages closest to each lotive. Of course, there were also soldiers stationed in the other carriages, reporting their respective carriage¡¯s status at regr intervals to prevent any problems. Carriage number two was naturally not as crowded as the other carriages housing the survivors, as it had restrooms and a hall, which was furnished with an array of weapons, food, and a few sets of Powered Armor. The specialty cuisine Duan Xuchang was referring to was a ckish chunky food, somewhat reminiscent of guilinggao. ¡°What is this? Jelly?¡± Ding Yuqin asked with some curiosity, looking at the food inside the stainless steel lunchbox. ¡°It¡¯s a protein block, it actually tastes not bad. Though I think you may not really want to know how it¡¯s made.¡± ¡°` Chapter 734 - 292: Obstacle-Clearing Train (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_3 Chapter 734: Chapter 292: Obstacle-Clearing Train (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_3 Wang Tao immediately took out a few more Magical Stomach Pouches. Since these people had risked their lives toe and rescue them from far away, it seemed quite appropriate to offer them a small gift. ¡°Then I¡¯ll dly ept!¡± Seeing these Magical Stomach Pouches, Duan Xuchang¡¯s eyes lit up. He didn¡¯t bother with formalities and took them straight away. In the post-apocalyptic environment, for these soldiers, there wasn¡¯t any particr etiquette about epting gifts. After all, it was the end of the world, and survival was of the utmost importance! If something given to you could increase your chances of surviving, then you absolutely had to ept it! Otherwise, if the superior officers knew he had refused, he would most probably get a scolding! Wang Tao showed Duan Xuchang and the others how to use the Magical Stomach Pouches, and once they¡¯d learned, they immediately began to put Cockroach Paste in and take it out, doing it over and over, clearly having a great time. Watching these guys, Wang Tao thought to himself that perhaps the technological level of Changhe Base was very advanced, but when it came to knowledge about zombies, those people might not be as informed as he was¡­ ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to try? I think it tastes alright, no weird vors or anything.¡± Wei Zhenguo held up some Cockroach Paste and raised an eyebrow at Wang Tao. For these soldiers, they really didn¡¯t have as many concerns and could just stuff the Cockroach Paste into their mouths as if nothing was the matter. And in all fairness, this was way more ptable than the insects and such they had to eat while on missions in the wilderness before. ¡°No way!¡± Wang Tao shook his head decisively. If the cockroaches were processed into a nutritional liquid, he might not feel toofortable about it, but he wouldn¡¯t have much concern about the liquid itself since anything produced by a Food Compressor should be very safe. But who knew how Duan Xuchang¡¯s Cockroach Paste was made, and what if there were still cockroach eggs remaining in it¡­ No, the more he thought about it, the more disgusted he felt. Wang Tao hurriedly shook his head to dispel the thought. ¡°Young man, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good!¡± Wei Zhenguo shrugged his shoulders and then he, along with Xiang Hongbin and Lu Gang, began munching on the Cockroach Paste relishing every bite. At this moment, a soldier came over with a few people.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Old He!¡± Wang Tao waved at He Jijun. He Jijun had been piloting the helicopter and after securing it in the middle of the train, made his way towards where Wang Tao was. However, the train was quite long, and there were a lot of survivors in the middle carriages, so he was a little dyed. Duan Xuchang immediately put down the Magical Stomach Pouch and went over to introduce himself to He Jijun. He had already learned about the general identities of Wang Tao and his group from Wang Tao himself. Naturally, he knew about He Jijun, the seasoned Soldier King. After officially meeting He Jijun, Duan Xuchang suddenly felt like he might not be able to beat him! As an Ability User, these feelings were usually quite urate, which meant¡­ he really might not be able to win? What a bunch of people! Duan Xuchang felt somewhat amazed inside. He could clearly sense that most of the people around Wang Tao were very strong. As for Wang Tao himself, there was no need to mention it ¨C a Fourth-order Superpower, he certainly would be thrashed without external assistance! Even if he were to operate Powered Armor, whether he could win was still questionable¡­ Perhaps because they were all soldiers and hadmon topics to discuss, Duan Xuchang, Wei Zhenguo, He Jijun and the rest quickly struck up a conversation. Wang Tao didn¡¯t interrupt and continued to eat while listening to Duan Xuchang talk about Changhe Base. In fact, Duan Xuchang didn¡¯t say much, only that Changhe Base might be the biggest Survivor Base in Qian Country, a home for all survivors. Changhe Base was great, but it wasn¡¯t a paradise untouched by the outside world¡­ The details wereplicated, and saying too much would ruin the surprise, so Duan Xuchang suggested that they would find out when they got there. Especially Wang Tao himself, as a Fourth-order Ability User, he would be well-regarded even in Changhe Base, and the treatment would certainly not disappoint him¡­ Everyone was even more excited by hisments. After a quick meal, Duan Xuchang left. He was the captain of this rescue operation, with two deputy captains. They formed the highest leadership of this team and had to ensure that at least one person was monitoring the entire train at all times. He was off to inspect the inside of the train to relieve someone from their shift. Wang Tao wanted to study their Powered Armor, and now that they were familiar with each other, with He Jijun and the others having a mutual military connection, Duan Xuchang probably would not refuse. Indeed, Duan Xuchang did not refuse, but the issue was that the Powered Armor was DNA-bound! Only they could use it, others could not; this was an anti-theft measure developed by the Hope Research Institute. In that case, there was nothing to be done, and Wang Tao and his team could only look on enviously. After Duan Xuchang left, Lan Yulian also took some people to check on the survivors in the carriages, especially the babies, to see if there were any issues or if they needed help. Wang Tao didn¡¯t go, instead he looked out the window. The windows of the train were notrge, but he could still observe the outside situation. The train wasn¡¯t traveling very fast, but it was very stable, and the obstacles and zombies outside were crushed directly by the train. The bulletproof ss of the windows was coated with ayer of ck blood. After ensuring there was no danger, Wang Tao found a rest room and prepared to take a rest. From resisting the tide of zombies until now, he had not had a moment¡¯s rest, and even though he was a Fourth-order Ability User, after fighting so many intense battles, he was starting to feel quite worn out. Chapter 737 - 292: Obstacle-Clearing Train (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)_6 After a few more trials, Wang Tao touched his ring contentedly and then turned his attention to the loot from other zombies. Your journey continues at Freewebnovel The loot from the Stone Armor Zombie included a [Level 4 Crystal Core - Ascension], an [Awakening Energy Pearl x1], and four loot packs. Although it only dropped two items, the presence of the Awakening Energy Pearl was still quite good. Then came the loot packs, the first of which contained a Crystal Core Gift Bag featuring a red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Omnipotent], a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Strength], and purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Mental Defense] and [Level 4 Crystal Core - HP Increase]. There were no Awakening Crystal Cores this time, which left Wang Tao slightly disappointed, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal, since he had an Awakening Energy Pearl anyway. The second loot pack contained potions. [Received: Strength Potion (Medium) x20] [Received: Defense Potion (Medium) x20] Forty bottles of potions were also quite nice. The third loot pack surprisingly contained another Awakening Key. [Received: Awakening Key x1] With this key, Wang Tao now had three physical Awakening Keys! He was already considering whom to try awakening first... Thest loot pack contained a set of clothes. [Received: Security Guard Uniform x1] [Security Guard Uniform: Durability +10, Tear Resistance +10] So that Stone Armor Zombie, looking like an old man, was actually a security guard in his past life? Wang Tao was slightly surprised. He had owned a Security Guard Uniform before, but that one only had attributes of +1; this one was +10, which was clearly much better. Overall, the loot from the Stone Armor Zombie was rather average. Of course, "average" is only inparison to that Level 4 Night Demon Lord, and it was actually quite good... Wang Tao continued to check over the items, and next up was the Deformed Zombie that could emit poison. It had dropped four items and five loot packs. The four items were a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Mental Defense], an [Awakening Energy Pearl x1], [Corrosive Poison Tooth x2], and [Strange Poison Sac x1]. [Corrosive Poison Tooth: Crafting material, can add Poison Attribute to equipment] This material was quite good with its additional attribute. And there was another Awakening Energy Pearl, Wang Tao was really lucky. However, what interested him most was the Strange Poison Sac. [Strange Poison Sac: After consumption, there¡¯s a one-third chance of poisoning, a one-third chance nothing happens, and a one-third chance of gaining a Hidden Ability] "This thing is quite interesting..." The Strange Poison Sac was yet another item that could grant a Hidden Ability, but the odds were only one in three. Clearly, this was quite low. One-third chance of nothing happening wasn¡¯t bad, but the chance of poisoning was troubling. It didn¡¯t specify what kind of poison or how strong it was... If it¡¯s like the poison gas from the Deformed Zombie, then the risk was too great; it could be fatal. So this item needed to be used with caution, and Wang Tao wasn¡¯t keen on letting his people use it, considering the risk. When he got back to Changhe Base, he would see if he could trade it with others. After all, Wang Tao wouldn¡¯t scam anyone; he would make the effect of this item clear, and it was up to others if they wanted to trade... no pressure. Wang Tao looked at the five Loot Packs. The first Crystal Core Gift Bag contained six Crystal Cores: a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Omnipotent], an orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Ascension], a red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Awakening], a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Athlete], a white [Level 4 Crystal Core - Rejuvenation], and a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Stealth]. With Ascension, Omnipotent, and Awakening, it was quite nice. However, the fact that it had a Stealth Ability... with its body emanating green poison gas wherever it went, it was easily detectable from afar, making Stealth pretty useless. The second Loot Pack contained a pile of Potions and Blueprints! [Acquired: Stealth Potion (Small) x20] [Acquired: Stealth Potion (Medium) x20] [Acquired: Weakness Potion (small) x20] [Acquired: Weakness Potion (Medium) x20] [Acquired: Blueprint for Stealth Potion (Small) x1] @@novelbin@@ [Acquired: Blueprint for Stealth Potion (Medium) x1] [Acquired: Blueprint for Weakness Potion (small) x1] [Acquired: Blueprint for Weakness Potion (Medium) x1] Totaling 80 bottles of potions! And also came with crafting blueprints! Wang Tao still had quite a few Stealth Potions, but not many Weakness Potions left, as they were used up in previous battles. Moreover, Wang Tao had only seen and possessed the small Weakness Potion before and hadn¡¯t encountered the medium-sized ones. [Weakness Potion (small): Creatures contaminated with the Weakness Potion will have their overall attributes reduced by 1%-20% (depending on the dosage),sting for 10 minutes, with a cooldown of 12 minutes for the target.] [Weakness Potion (Medium): Creatures contaminated with the Weakness Potion will have their overall attributes reduced by 1%-40% (depending on the dosage),sting for 10 minutes, with a cooldown of 12 minutes for the target.] The small Weakness Potion could weaken up to 20%, while the medium one went up to 40%! If he had had these potions during his fight with the Level 4 Zombie Lord, he feared the battle might have been much simpler. As for the four Blueprints, naturally, he would be able to craft them permanently once learned. However, aside from Crystal Cores, core materials were also needed to create these four types of potions. [Blueprint for Stealth Potion (Medium): Once learned, you can craft five Stealth Potions (Medium) at a time. Required materials: Stealth Mushroom x1, Level 2 Zombie Crystal Core x1, Purified Water 100ml, 10 kcal of food] [Blueprint for Weakness Potion (Medium): Once learned, you can craft five Weakness Potions (Medium) at a time. Required materials: Weakness Mushroom x1, Level 2 Zombie Crystal Core x1, Purified Water 100ml, 10 kcal of food] Currently, Wang Tao only had Strength Mushrooms and Defense Mushrooms, he had never seen the other kinds of mushrooms, so he could only learn the recipes for now and check if they were avable at Changhe Baseter on. After all, Changhe Base was populous and powerful, they might have what Wang Tao needed. He turned his attention to the third Loot Pack. [Acquired: Corrosive Poison Gas Bomb x10] [Corrosive Poison Gas Bomb: Releases arge area of corrosive poison gas, and creatures that stay in the gas will continue to lose HP, with the rate of HP loss increasing over time.] This Corrosive Poison Gas Bomb seemed to have the effect of an Awakened Deformed Zombie? He guessed it was probably about as strong as the Explosion Grenades. Wang Tao had used quite a few Explosion Grenades before, and now he only had two left. These Corrosive Poison Gas Bombs could be an excellent addition to his arsenal! Chapter 739 - 293: Fireball Special Ability_2 ``` [Level 4 Crystal Core¡¤Slow Healing] [Quality: Excellent (80%)] [Purity: 35% (Side effect: Obesity)] [Slow Healing: Passive Ability, when HP is below 50%, regen 10 HP per second until it reaches 50% and then stops] Wang Tao had never seen this Crystal Core before, and he didn¡¯t expect the obese zombie to have a blood regeneration ability. However, this healing ability was very slow, and it only worked when HP was less than half. Wang Tao killed it so quickly that it was normal for him not to notice. [Level 4 Crystal Core¡¤Explosion] [Quality: Excellent (40%)] [Purity: 35% (Side effect: HP drops to 1% after use)] [Explosion: Compress all awakening energy, then burst out instantaneously (Power depends on the amount of awakening energy, only Fire Awakened can fuse it)] When Wang Tao killed that me Monster before, he obtained an Epic Explosive Crystal Core. This ability had a high limit. When that me Monster used it, it was like a small nuclear bomb. Of Wang Tao¡¯s four abilities, one of them, [Iron Wall] had fused with his hidden ability to be the awakened [Starfire Outbreak], so he now had a slot open and could fuse with another Crystal Core. Wang Tao had his eye on the Explosion, as he was a Fire Awakened now and could use this ability. But the side effect was ridiculous, his 100,000 HP would instantly drop to 1,000 HP after use! Wang Tao definitely couldn¡¯t tolerate this, he had to get rid of this side effect. He now had two Explosion Crystal Cores. If he was lucky enough to get another one in the future, then he could confidently learn this ability! [Level 4 Crystal Core¡¤Fireball] [Quality: Epic (100%)] Find more chapters on NovelBin.C?m [Purity: 35% (Side effect: First fusion reduces HP limit by 100,000, subsequent fusions reduce it by 10,000)] [Fireball: Consume energy and awakening energy tounch a fireball (only Fire Awakened can fuse it)] The obese Awakened [me Explosion] was about gathering awakening energy to form a huge fireball and detonating it. But when Wang Tao attacked the obese zombie with a sniper rifle, it spat out a fireball that melted the bullet. @@novelbin@@ Wang Tao felt at the time that this little fireball might not be its awakening, but just one of its abilities! However, during theter fight with the obese zombie, whenever Wang Tao saw mes in its mouth, he would interrupt it. So he couldn¡¯t confirm if his guess was right. Now it seemed, it was indeed the case! Seeing the detailed attributes of this fireball crystal core, Wang Tao also began to consider fusing with it. The side effect of fusing the fireball was a deduction of 100,000 from the HP limit, which was substantial, but Wang Tao could afford it; he had 110,000 HP, enough to spare. And even if he lost 100,000 HP, he could quickly regain it! Wang Tao most wanted to fuse with the Explosion, but he was short of a crystal core, there was no helping it. Maybe he could first fuse with this fireball crystal core to try out? But Wang Tao¡¯s Advanced Special Energy did not have the Extraction abilities anymore, if he fused with the fireball, unless he found a Level 4 Extraction Crystal Core, he would not be able to change his superpower... Of course, these were not big problems. Wang Tao had Level 1, 2, and 3 Extraction Crystal Cores in his hands, getting a Level 4 would just be a matter of time. The only problem now was, if he wanted to undergo a Second Awakening, he would need to randomly fuse one of his abilities into the awakening. Wang Tao spected that the stronger the fused ability, the stronger the awakening would be. So he was saving his other three abilities for the awakening. If he fused with the fireball now, it might randomly select the fireball during the awakening... Nevertheless, Wang Tao eventually decided to fuse. Because the second Awakening was too far off, and without improving the odds, he would not recklessly awaken. He had no idea when the Second Awakening would be, surely he couldn¡¯t go without enhancing his strength until then. By the time he could undergo a Second Awakening, he believed he would probably already have a Level 4 Extraction Crystal Core. Wang Tao could ept the side effect of the fireball. As for the internal impurities, it did not matter, he still had more than twenty bottles of Cleansing Potion left unused. After cing the fireball crystal core in his mouth, it immediately melted into his body. A momentter, the fusion wasplete! Wang Tao¡¯s HP limit decreased by 100,000, now reduced to 10,000. And he gained a new superpower¡ª [Level 4 Superpower¡¤Fireball (+1)] Wang Tao closed his eyes to carefully feel it, and then he roughly understood how to use this fireball. Using this fireball consumed both Mana and Awakening Energy. However, each use only consumed 1 point of Awakening Energy and some Mana. The reason why it¡¯s "some Mana" is that the more Mana consumed, the bigger the fireball. Conversely, if only a tiny bit of Mana is used, only a very small fireball can be created. But this fixed consumption of 1 Awakening Energy is constant, every use of the fireball will consume 1 Awakening Energy. Compared to [Starfire Outbreak], the fireball is extremely economical; [Starfire Outbreak] consumes a minimum of 100 Energy and can only be used for 10 seconds... The fireball¡¯s consumption is so much more frugal! Of course, less consumption means less power. There¡¯s noparison between the power of the fireball and [Starfire Outbreak]. Including the obese zombie¡¯s awakening [me Explosion], the me Monster¡¯s ability [Explosion], and the like, all of these have much greater power than the fireball! Especially [me Explosion]. Although both involve creating fireballs, [me Explosion] not only has me damage but explosion damage too. Therger the fireball, the more powerful the explosion, and the higher the damage. ``` Chapter 742 - 294 Giant Slayer_2 Wang Tao nodded. He felt that Jiang Shixue was more suited to the Night Demon Set and decided to see if he could obtain another Night Demon Set for Jiang Shixue to wear. As for whom to give the gauze dress¡­ It was indeed not easy to decide, since there was only one dress, and he couldn¡¯t favor one over another¡­ Wang Tao shook his head, deciding not to think about it for now. He looked at the second piece of equipment he had just crafted. [me Bracelet] [Fourth-tier (Excellence)] [Attack includes fire damage] The me Bracelet was a cool piece of equipment just like the me Gauze Dress, primarily in orange-red, with what seemed like mes flowing over it. However, its attributes were simple, without any additional ones¡ªjust the ability for its attacks to include fire damage. @@novelbin@@ Find your next read on NovelBin.C?m Just by these words alone, it was not yet clear how high the damage was. But Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening Fire zing the ins also dealt fire damage! To a certain extent, wouldn¡¯t this be like a "Starfire Prairie - Youth Edition"? Wang Tao put on the bracelet. Hmm¡­ It was as eye-catching as the gauze dress. However, the bracelet could be covered by clothes... As for the power of the fire damage, Wang Tao couldn¡¯t test it for the time being, as he obviously couldn¡¯t hit his own people, nor could he bring himself to do it. He would try it out after the train stopped. He had finished going through the loot from those several fourth-order Lord zombies. Next was the main event, the loot from the Giant Zombie! In total, the Giant Zombie dropped 5 items and 6 Loot Packs. This was probably the second most loot that Wang Tao had obtained from a single zombie. The record-holder was the Glutton Zombie, which would drop arge amount of food upon defeat, so it was iparable. [Obtained: Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Promotion x1] [Obtained: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] [Obtained: Blood Beads x1] [Obtained: Eye of the Giant x2] [Obtained: Giant¡¯s Heart x1] The Crystal Core extracted from the Giant Zombie¡¯s head was a Promotion type, and it was of orange quality. Wang Tao¡¯s luck was undeniable. Then there was the Awakening Energy Pearl. He had saved quite a number of them now and was nning to upgrade his Awakening Energy cap. The remaining three items were all new to Wang Tao. [Blood Beads: Randomly increases HP limit] This looked like a red meatball, but it was hard to the touch, almost like touching jade. The specific attribute of the Blood Beads made Wang Tao¡¯s eyes light up¡ªincreasing HP limit! Although the increase was random, it didn¡¯t stop it from being a good item, especially since the HP cap was currently at 100,000, and it was no longer possible to increase the HP limit by killing zombies. Wang Tao was just fretting over how to increase his additional HP, and this Blood Bead presented an opportunity! However, he didn¡¯t use it right away because after fusing with the Fireball ability, his HP limit had already dropped to 10,000. He wasn¡¯t sure if using the Blood Bead would increase his current HP limit or his additional HP limit¡­ If it wasn¡¯t additional HP, then using it now would be too much of a loss, as he could gain up to 110,000 HP by killing zombies. So, to be safe, he decided to wait. He would use it once he had increased his HP limit back to 110,000. "Not sure whether this Blood Bead is guaranteed to drop from the Giant Zombie, or if I was just lucky¡­" Wang Tao muttered to himself, stroking his chin. In the future, if he had the opportunity to kill a Giant Zombie, he definitely couldn¡¯t miss it! [Eye of the Giant: Crafting Material] [Giant¡¯s Heart: Crafting Material] The Eye of the Giant was a pair of giant eyeballs, and the Giant¡¯s Heart was an enormous heart, both of which were quite chilling to look at. Wang Tao had thought that the Giant¡¯s Heart might be like the Night Demon Heart and could summon a Giant Zombie "Weapon", but unfortunately, it was not the case. Then he looked at the five Loot Packs. The first Crystal Core Gift Bag contained 6 Crystal Cores: a red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Omnipotent], an orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Awakening], an orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Exraction], a purple [Level 4 Crystal Core - Strength], a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Defense], and a blue [Level 4 Crystal Core - Mental Defense]. Apart from the Omnipotent and Awakening Special Crystal Cores, there was surprisingly an Exraction Crystal Core! This pleased Wang Tao immensely. After all, since his "Special Energy" had been upgraded to "Advanced Special Energy", he couldn¡¯t extract or synthesize his own abilities anymore. But this fourth-tier Exraction Crystal Core could allow him to change his ability! He had just been mentioning that when he could undergo a Second Awakening, he might be able to get an Exraction Crystal Core, and now he had gotten one! Then, Wang Tao looked at the second Loot Pack. [Obtained: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] Another Awakening Energy Pearl! Wang Tao checked and found that he now had a total of 15 Awakening Energy Pearls and 9 Awakening Crystal Cores. These amounted to 2400 Awakening Energy, which could perfectly raise his cap from 600 to 1000 if used to upgrade the Awakening Energy limit. However, Wang Tao wasn¡¯t nning on upgrading right now. After all, his 600 energy hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, and if he upgraded, his current energy would drop to 0. If he encountered danger on the way, he would have to exchange Advanced Special Energy for Awakening Energy, which wouldn¡¯t be very cost-effective. It would be better to upgrade after reaching safety. Wang Tao looked at the third Loot Pack. [Obtained: Strength Potion (Medium) x30] [Obtained: Defense Potion (Medium) x30] [Obtained: Life Elixir (Small) x30] [Obtained: Energy Potion (Small) x30] Chapter 745 - 295 Blocking the Road_2 Chapter 745: Chapter 295 Blocking the Road_2 If it weren¡¯t for the timing, the women would have loved to give Wang Tao a good beating, feeling that he was only trying to watch thempete for it on purpose! Of course, Wang Tao didn¡¯t do it intentionally, nor did he have such a bad taste. It was mainly because he found it hard to choose, just wanting to take the easy way out. ¡°Then let¡¯s do this, draw lots. Whoever draws it gets it.¡± Wang Tao made some simple lots. Except for Jiang Shixue and Nie Siyan, the other women all got excited. Jiang Shixue had said earlier that she didn¡¯t need any, and Nie Siyan was, after all, at most considered a subordinate of Wang Tao¡¯s and naturally couldn¡¯tpare to Ding Yuqin and the others. ¡°Ah? Do I, do I get a share too¡­¡± Li Qiuyu looked at the slip of paper handed to her, feeling a little embarrassed as she spoke. She hadn¡¯t really had anything happen with Wang Tao, but in the current situation, she was already considered by everyone to be Wang Tao¡¯s woman, which left her with a bit of an exnation to do. ¡°Go ahead and draw.¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t borate further. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Li Qiuyu picked up a small slip of paper with her head lowered. A momentter. Lan Yulian let out an exmation of surprise. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Congrattions, congrattions!¡± The other women expressed a bit of envious gratitude. It wasn¡¯t just because the equipment looked nice, but more importantly, it was a gift from Wang Tao. ¡°Thank you all for letting me have it!¡± Lan Yulian didn¡¯t stand on ceremony any longer. After all, it had been agreed upon earlier, and any more politeness would seem fake, and she really did like it. @@novelbin@@ Lan Yulian wasn¡¯t very tall, just over one meter sixty. After donning the me Gauze Dress, it seemed as if she were enveloped in mes. ¡°It looks great!¡± He Jijun, who was beside her, smiled andmented, even he felt the equipment looked fantastic. Wang Tao nodded to himself in agreement. Lan Yulian wearing this set of equipment was quite suitable actually, not because of the appearance, but because Lan Yulian was a healer, not someone who charged to the front lines. This dress had a lower defense than other fourth-tier armor, but that wasn¡¯t much of a problem for her. Moreover, the equipment was quite conspicuous, allowing the injured to easily spot her and receive treatment. As for the Awakening attributes, Lan Yulian couldn¡¯t use them for now, but after her Awakening, the ability to slowly recover HP could still provide her with help. After all, as long as the healer didn¡¯t die, she could save more people. Lan Yulian, wearing the me Gauze Dress, turned around for everyone to see and then came up to Wang Tao, giving him a hug with a slightly flushed face, quickly letting go. ¡°Thank you!¡± Wang Tao smiled, then took out the me Bracelet. ¡°Wow!¡± The sight of this equipment made everyone exim in awe. There was no helping it; the flowing me effect was simply too stunning. ¡°This bracelet deals fire damage during attacks, but I also don¡¯t know the exact effects of the fire damage yet. I¡¯ll test it outter and then see who would be most suitable for it.¡± If the me Bracelet greatly enhanced Wang Tao¡¯s abilities, he would keep it for himself. If the effect was negligible or only provided a minor boost, he would give it to someone else who was more suitable. The women all looked excited, yet they sincerely hoped it would provide Wang Tao with a greater boost. Wang Tao then brought out a brown leather armor top. ¡°This is the Wild Boar Leather Armor Top¡­¡± [Wild Boar Leather Armor Top] [Fourth-tier (Excellence)] [Durability+70, Defense+70, Mental Defense+30, Weak to Fire, Weak to Electricity] This was the blueprint that dropped from the Wild Boar Monster that could create illusions, along with the Boar Tusk Long Knife that Wang Tao had been using all this time. The long knife was quite handy, but the natural weakness to electricity and fire that came with the Wild Boar Leather Armor Top was rather annoying. Previously, when dealing with the corpse tide, Wang Tao used fire everywhere, which obviously made this piece of equipment impractical to wear. Thus, Wang Tao did not present it. But it was, after all, a fourth-tier item, giving a 70-point boost to defense and an additional 30 points to mental defense, both of which were pretty good attributes. Wang Tao gave a brief introduction to the equipment and asked if anyone was interested. But everyone shook their heads. The weakness to electricity was okay since, under normal circumstances, they weren¡¯t likely to be electrocuted. However, the weakness to fire made it unsuitable, especially since Wang Tao¡¯s strongest state was Starfire Prairie, where he would be spreading fire everywhere. Wearing this equipment simply wouldn¡¯t work with Wang Tao¡¯s strategy. ¡°All right. We can see if this armor top can be traded with someone elseter on.¡± Wang Tao wasn¡¯t pushy. Everyone indeed already had their equipment; they were outfitted with the Iron Tree Standard Armor, the White Bone Standard Crossbow, and the Bone-Chopping Uniform Hand Axe made by Wang Tao. However, these were all Level 3 standard equipment, and their attributes were a bit lowerpared to ordinary equipment¡­ Then Wang Tao took out various potions and such, distributing them to everyone. After a major battle, Wang Tao had acquired many things, more than he could use himself, so it was a good opportunity to help improve everyone¡¯s strength. After all, they hadn¡¯t reached Changhe City Base yet; increasing one¡¯s strength even a little bit added an extra level of security. Last of all, Wang Tao brought out four physical awakening keys. ¡°These are physical versions of the awakening keys¡­¡± Wang Tao briefly introduced them, and upon hearing his words, everyone¡¯s breathing became a bit hurried. Even He Jijun showed an expression of considerable interest. It was, after all, a chance for Awakening! ¡°The first Awakening has a 50% chance of sess. Theoretically, these four awakening keys should yield two Awakeners. But an Awakening requires one to sleep for 24 hours, and we are not yet out of danger, so now is not the best time to attempt it. Moreover, most of you are just one step away from raising your Ability to Level 4¡­ Once we get to the Changhe Base, I¡¯ll provide you with the Ascension Crystal Cores then.¡± Chapter 747 - 296 Half Step to Perfection_1 Looking at the ignited vige, Wang Tao felt a bit embarrassed as he touched his nose. It was his first time fighting with the fireball special ability, and he had failed to control his strength, setting the small vige aze. At that moment, Wang Tao¡¯s walkie-talkie crackled to life. "Sss... Wang Tao. There are mes outside; it looks like quite a few buildings have been set on fire. Did you do that?" It was Ding Yuqin¡¯s voice, sounding somewhat anxious. "Ahem, a little ident, nothing serious," Wang Tao exined. "Phew¡ªthat¡¯s good; I thought you encountered some danger..." Ding Yuqin breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Tao hadn¡¯t shown off his newly-learned fireball ability in front of everyone; Ding Yuqin and the others thought Wang Tao was using an Awakening... Firelight was very noticeable at night, and although zombies naturally feared fire, they were also attracted to the light. In a short moment, the vige had attracted arge horde of zombies. Wang Tao didn¡¯t leave; these zombies were perfect for him to practice on. @@novelbin@@ After he had killed all the zombies that were attracted here, Wang Tao had essentially mastered the fireball ability. There would be no more situations like just now¡ªsetting an abandoned vige on fire just to kill a few ordinary zombies. "Let¡¯s go back." As the mes were gradually extinguished by the rain, Wang Tao walked towards the location of the train with Jiang Shixue and Lightning. Just as they were halfway there, the walkie-talkie crackled again, but this time it was Duan Xuchang. "Attention all units, a Night Demon has been spotted inside the train station!" "Night Demon!" Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly ran back. When Wang Tao returned to the vicinity of the train, all the machines that had been clearing obstacles were gone, reced by ten powered armors, several infantry fighting vehicles, main battle tanks, and soldiers in mechanical exoskeletons. Above, there were two Wu Zhi helicopters hovering. "Where¡¯s the Night Demon?" Wang Tao immediately asked. One of the powered armors turned to face Wang Tao. "Inside the ruins of the train station, our people killed a Night Demon. It seems like there¡¯s a Night Demon¡¯s Nest in there, but we¡¯re still not clear on the precise location of the entrance; we¡¯re searching for it." For most people, killing a Night Demon didn¡¯t carry many benefits. After all, Night Demons are difficult to deal with and don¡¯t have Crystal Cores. Usually, if they encounter a Night Demon, they would flee if they could, and fight only if they absolutely must. However, for Duan Xuchang¡¯s military force, fleeing was obviously not an option, and they had the capability to deal with Night Demons. So, upon discovering a Night Demon, Duan Xuchang immediately stopped the obstacle clearance operation, mobilized his force, and prepared to find and eliminate the Night Demon¡¯s Nest! This train station was in a rather remote location with fewer zombies around. Even if there was a Night Demon¡¯s Nest, the number of Night Demons wouldn¡¯t berge, so it should not be too difficult for them to clear it out. With theirbat power, even a Level 4 Night Demon could be easily handled. "Let¡¯s go together." Wang Tao offered. "Okay, I¡¯ll share the visuals with you." Ding Yuqin and the others also came out, with Wei Zhenguo holding a smartphone that disyed an overhead infrared thermal imaging view. Although zombies¡¯ bodies don¡¯t have much temperature, any object with a temperature above absolute zero radiates infrared light. As long as there¡¯s a temperature difference between the zombies and their environment, the thermal imager can detect them. Of course, the thermal imaging view isn¡¯t like the X-ray vision you¡¯d see in some of Wang Tao¡¯s games where walls and ruins wouldn¡¯t block the view. Still, zombies weren¡¯t likely to deliberately hide from this, so they could be found as soon as they appeared. Wang Tao found this quite interesting and studied it carefully. In terms of detection, this was far inferior to Wang Tao¡¯s Perception Ability. After all, Wang Tao¡¯s Perception Ability was equivalent to X-ray vision. Infrared thermal imaging was a bit like nt Affinity, easy to be limited. But... infrared thermal imaging could see very far! In theory, as long as the object was big enough, infrared thermal imaging could see infinitely far, like being able to see the sun, the moon, etc. But most zombies were notrge, and various other factors could interfere, so the range was definitely not that extensive. ording to Duan Xuchang, the thermal imager on the Wu Zhi helicopter could detect zombies from over ten kilometers away. The thermal imagers within their powered armors could see up to five kilometers, and the ones carried by exoskeleton soldiers could see two to three kilometers. In terms of distance, this was far superior to Wang Tao¡¯s Perception and nt Affinity! Despite various limitations, in this situation, it was still very useful. It didn¡¯t take long for Wang Tao to spot a yellow figure in the visuals, with movements characteristic of a Night Demon! "Found it! Right over there... Let¡¯s go!" At the same time, Duan Xuchang gave the coordinates. He took 3 powered armors and 8 infantry fighting vehicles there. The other personnel, including the tanks, stayed around the train. After all, the train was long and big, containing many survivors who needed arge military force for protection. Whirr¡ª Under Duan Xuchang¡¯s lead, blue mes shot out from the back of their four powered armors as they swiftly glided across the ground. Any obstacles they encountered were smashed apart by therge feet of the powered armors, leaving shallow grooves in the ground. Wang Tao watched with envy; as soon as he got to Changhe Base, he was determined to find a way to get a powered armor to y with! Explore hidden tales at NovelBin.C?m Probably the sound of the helicopter attracted the Night Demon; as Wang Tao ran towards the coordinates, he saw more and more Night Demons appearing on the screen. Chapter 749 - 296 Half Step to Perfection_3 "There was still one hiding!" Enclosed within his powered armor, Duan Xuchang muttered to himself, before looking at the shlight in Wang Tao¡¯s hands with a hint of surprise in his voice. "This thing is pretty useful!" They hadn¡¯t seen Wang Tao¡¯s ultraviolet equipment when they came to rescue Zijin Base previously, as the Night Demons had already been dealt with. "You guys don¡¯t have something simr?" Wang Tao asked, somewhat puzzled. "I¡¯m not sure about the others, but I definitely don¡¯t have such a shlight. I remember there were people researching portable ultraviolet lighting equipment before, but the low-power devices were useless against Night Demons, and the high-power devices were too big or required an external power source, making them difficult to carry. I do have some ultraviolet lighting devices, but they are all in the vehicle... I wonder how far the research has gotten now," Duan Xuchang exined to Wang Tao while checking the infrared thermal imaging. "I see..." Wang Tao suddenly realized. He used batteries dropped by Ordinary zombies to power his high-power ultraviolet shlight, and even though it used a lot of energy, it was, after all, still quite portable. "Then I¡¯ll give you some." @@novelbin@@ Lu Gang and the others all carried packs, and Wang Tao pretended to take out a bunch of high-power ultraviolet shlights from his pack. He might not have many other things, but he definitely had plenty of ultraviolet equipment. Every time he killed a Night Demon, it would drop an ultraviolet shlight and several ultraviolet illumination res. Duan Xuchang¡¯s mouth opened slightly inside the powered armor. He had thought that the ultraviolet shlight Wang Tao had was some kind of custom-made product; he hadn¡¯t expected Wang Tao to produce so many at once! "Thanks!" Duan Xuchang did not stand on ceremony and didn¡¯t ask where Wang Tao got all these from. He immediately took them and distributed them to several powered armors and soldiers. He had already seen the effect; these things were very good at dealing with Night Demons. They didn¡¯t expect to harm the Night Demons with them, as long as they could drive them back. "Report, another group of Night Demons has been found! They¡¯re one kilometer to the south!" At this moment, the Wu Zhi in the sky spotted some movement. "Let¡¯s go!" Duan Xuchang immediately called his team to head over. If they didn¡¯t deal with these Night Demons, they would have trouble clearing obstacles at night, which would waste a lot of time. The longer they stayed in the wilderness, the greater the likelihood of variables. So they had to eliminate these Night Demons. Wang Tao and his party naturally followed the team. Shortly after, everyone saw arge number of Night Demons through their thermal imagers¡ªthere were over a hundred of them! How could there be so many Night Demons in this remote little ce? "Everyone be alert, the Night Demon¡¯sir might be here!" Duan Xuchang immediately began issuing orderlymands; this clearly wasn¡¯t his first time undertaking a mission to clear out a Night Demon¡¯s Nest. And after Wang Tao arrived, he quickly found the location of the Night Demon¡¯s Nest! Night Demon nests are usually in dark and damp ces. Inside the nest, there are either lots of nts, which Wang Tao could quickly discover through his nt Affinity, or the nest is entirely covered with Incubation Flesh with no nts. But everywhere outside the nest, there are nts¡ªif there are no nts at all in your area, then clearly something is wrong, so Wang Tao would find it in time. For example, right now, Wang Tao¡¯s nt Affinity vision showed a nk area, but there were nts all around it, so it was clearly problematic¡ªinsidey the Night Demon¡¯s Nest! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know how many Night Demons were in the nest, but it obviously wasn¡¯t small! With the arrival of the army, these Night Demons roared and charged toward the military. They were quickly driven back but then, like the previous Night Demons, started to attack from the nks. Wang Tao sensed there might be Level 4 Night Demons in this nest and didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. Instantly, something resembling a mortar appeared in his hand. He aimed the "mortar" at the sky andunched it. Find more chapters on NovelBin.C?m Bang! A purple light point soared into the sky and then exploded violently. The intense purple light turned the area into daylight! "Roar¡ª" Sizzle¡ª Numerous Night Demons were exposed to ultraviolet light, their bodies uttering sizzling burning sounds as they let out pained roars, and their HP began to continuously decrease! The Night Demons couldn¡¯t focus on attacking anymore and began to run frantically, but wherever they looked there was ultraviolet light! They didn¡¯t know where to run, iling like headless flies! Duan Xuchang and others were somewhat dumbstruck, what on earth was this? A re that emitted a strong ultraviolet light? Using this against Night Demons was like cheating! "Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bombs! Theyst for 3 minutes!" exined Wang Tao immediately, then added, "Right, help me bomb this coordinate!" Duan Xuchang didn¡¯t understand what Wang Tao wanted to bomb at first, but he still had the Wu Zhi above fire a few rockets at the coordinates Wang Tao mentioned. Whizz¡ª Boom boom boom! The ground trembled as it was blown open, revealing arge hole! "We¡¯ll go into the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, you guys handle the outside!" Wang Tao immediately led a group of people into the nest. He hadn¡¯t located the actual entrance to the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, but that wasn¡¯t important¡ªhe had sted an opening. "..." Only then did Duan Xuchang on the other side realize that the ce Wang Tao had them bomb was actually the Night Demon¡¯s Nest! However, he didn¡¯t say much else. He ordered his men to quickly clean up the Night Demons outside and then go down to support Wang Tao. Underground. Upon entering, Wang Tao immediately gasped in shock. "Hiss¡ªsuch arge nest!" In his view, there was Incubation Flesh and numerous undeveloped Night Demons everywhere! And he sensed several powerful energy bodies¡ªthere were Level 4, Lord Night Demons, and seemingly not just one! Chapter 752 - 297 Parasite_3 But at that moment, the obese Night Demon suddenly threw a ck object at the crowd! The speed it was thrown was extremely fast, and everyone including Wang Tao and Jiang Shixue had no time to react. By the time they did react, the ck object had already reached Lan Yulian. And Lan Yulian, who was still restoring HP for Jiang Shixue, hadn¡¯t even noticed it. "Look out¡ª" As Wang Tao threw a Fireball at the obese Night Demon, he was already rushing towards Lan Yulian, but it was obviously a bit toote. Just as the object was about tond on Lan Yulian¡¯s face, a dark shadow suddenly appeared and bit the thing in its mouth! It was Lightning! Whish¡ª Wang Tao finally reached Lan Yulian¡¯s side, he immediately shielded her behind him, and then looked at the object Lightning had bitten. It was a worm the size of a baby¡¯s arm, rotten all over... a worm? Lightning¡¯s teeth had the Hidden Ability "Iron Teeth," and with its Level 3 status and 100,000 HP, it was not weak. But it seemed that even Lightning was struggling to control this worm! Its muscles were taut, clenching its bite on the creature. The worm twisted its body crazily in its mouth, causing Lightning to be jerked about. Could this worm¡¯s strength beparable to that of Lightning? Then Wang Tao saw the attributes of the worm; it only had HP and Level as its Attributes, but... [HP: 83747/100000] [Level: Level 5 Elite] A Level 5 Zombie with 100,000 HP?! Boom! At that moment, the Fireball Wang Tao had thrown hit the obese zombie. [-14283] [0/150000] The obese zombie¡¯s HP bar dropped to zero. Wang Tao didn¡¯t even nce at the Loot Pack of the obese zombie, he immediately reached out and grabbed the worm from Lightning¡¯s mouth. Squeak¡ª Once in Wang Tao¡¯s hand, the worm let out an unpleasant cry, trying to escape. Wang Tao felt the great strength of the worm, but with his Entangling Roots hand, he held it tightly, and it couldn¡¯t break free. Wang Tao was ready to activate his Awakening at any moment, but the worm only struggled furiously in his hand and showed no aggressive behavior. "It doesn¡¯t seem to have any attack power?" Wang Tao frowned. While the Zombie bug was in Wang Tao¡¯s hand, it kept losing HP. It wasn¡¯t from Wang Tao attacking it, but from the exposure to ultraviolet light. This worm feared ultraviolet light, so it clearly had a connection with Night Demons. Unable to understand what exactly the Zombie bug was, Wang Tao showed no mercy. He took up his long knife and began to hack at the worm relentlessly. In the blink of an eye, the worm stopped moving. At the same time, several Loot Packs emerged. Besides the packs, an orb-like object from inside it fell into Wang Tao¡¯s hand. [Obtained: Level 5 - Night Demon Parasite (Pupa) x1] [Level 5 - Night Demon Parasite (Pupa): After the adult emerges, it can parasitize some life forms. If life is parasitized, there is a certain probability of turning into a Level 5 Night Demon within seven days. In conjunction with incubation flesh, the probability of sess increases.] "Night Demon Parasite?!" Wang Tao¡¯s expression turned ugly as he realized that the insect was actually a parasite! Now, besides the virus infection, could there also be this parasitic capability of transmission? He just didn¡¯t know what the "certain probability" was... If it was high, that would be terrifying! Moreover, Wang Tao suddenly thought of a very serious issue ¡ª in case of a zombie virus infection, one could be detected through observation and instruments, but what if it was a parasitic infection? If it couldn¡¯t be detected, then it would be like a ticking time bomb! Of course, even if humans weren¡¯t parasitized, it would still be troublesome if the zombies were, because that would lead to arge number of Night Demons... After collecting several Loot Packs from the Night Demon Parasites, Wang Tao approached the corpse of the fat Night Demon. "Hiss¡ª" Only then did Wang Tao discover that many Parasitic Insect Eggs were underneath this obese zombie! No wonder it never left! It indeed was a Matrix Night Demon! But this Matrix Zombie was very different from other Matrix Zombies... [Acquired: Level 5 - Night Demon Parasite (Pupa) x13] [Acquired: Level 4 - Night Demon Parasite (Pupa) x56] There were both Level 4 and Level 5 eggs! However, he didn¡¯t see any corpse of the parasite. Wang Tao guessed that this obese Night Demon might have only this one mature parasite, and it was fortunate that Lightning intercepted it. Otherwise, if Lan Yulian was parasitized, he wouldn¡¯t know how to save her... Wang Tao packed away all the Loot and then turned to the others and said, "Let¡¯s get out of here!" While exiting, Wang Tao exined to everyone what the insect was. "The Night Demon Parasite!" Everyone gasped in shock. Now, if one were infected by the zombie virus, it could be dealt with an Inhibitor. So although they respected the zombie virus, they were no longer as fearful as before. But what if one were parasitized? Bing a Night Demon would be no different from being dead... Continue reading on NovelBin.C?m "From now on, everyone be more cautious. We must kill this type of parasitic creature if we encounter one!" These parasites were indeed terrifying, but fortunately, this one wasrge in size, so they could take precautions. If it had been one of those parasites invisible to the naked eye, then it would truly be a hopeless situation... By the time Wang Tao and his group reached the surface, Duan Xuchang was still fighting the Night Demon. "Hm? It¡¯s not over yet?" Wang Tao frowned and then realized that the carcasses of Night Demons had already piled up in a circle around them! "New Night Demons have arrived?" @@novelbin@@ Wang Tao immediately opened his walkie-talkie and asked. "Yes, quite a few Night Demons havee, and there are two Level 4 Night Demons! Otherwise, we would have finished the battle by now!" Duan Xuchang¡¯s breathless voice came through. "We¡¯lle help you!" After locating Duan Xuchang¡¯s position, Wang Tao didn¡¯t rush over, but instead took out a Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb. The re from before had already gone out. Bang! Purple light soared into the sky! In an instant, the entire nocturnal battlefield was lit up as if it were daytime. Many Night Demons howled as they once again became headless flies. Chapter 754 - 298: Full Set of Equipment_2 Her healing ability was primarily for individual targets, and with such arge battlefield, where she couldn¡¯t see HP bars, trying to find and heal each injured person was quite troublesome. It would be much simpler if the injured coulde to her, allowing her to just mechanically release healing... Out of curiosity, Wang Tao simply exined that the equipment was made from materials taken from a me Monster. Duan Xuchang clearly believed this exnation, since after all, if ws from a Night Demon could be made into weapons, it made sense that other materials could be crafted into armor. He was only particrly interested in what these me Monsters looked like, so he wouldn¡¯t miss out on them if they encountered any in the future. "Are you very interested in this kind of cool equipment?" Enjoy more content from NovelBin.C?m Wang Tao raised an eyebrow and asked. "Not really. I prefer practical equipment myself. But this kind of cool gear is obviously going to be popr and would sell for a lot of money in Changhe Base, maybe even enough to trade for a set of Powered Armor!" Duan Xuchang exined with a smile. Hearing this, Wang Tao¡¯s eyes lit up. Indeed, Powered Armor could be bought! He happened to have a bunch of things he couldn¡¯t use, so once he got to Changhe Base, he would sell them! The group smoothly returned to the train, and Duan Xuchang immediately ordered the continuation of the clearing operations, but this time, some soldiers and Powered Armors stood guard on the perimeter. Wu Zhi also flew up from time to time to observe the situation, ensuring their safety. Wang Tao and hispanions obviously couldn¡¯t sleep; they exchangedbat experiences and summarized the fight. Wang Tao also did a self-review, deciding that he must be careful the next time he used the Large Ultraviolet Illumination Bomb so as not to blind his allies. He also praised the big hero of the operation¡ªLightning. It possibly saved Lan Yulian¡¯s life! Wang Tao took out a pile of food and let Lightning eat its fill, then he began to examine his spoils of war. Not to mention anything else, just in terms of HP, Wang Tao had recovered to 110,000 HP once again! Aside from the Level 3 Night Demons, he had killed a Level 5 Zombie Parasite and four Level 4 Lord Zombies today¡ªthe reason it was four Level 4s was because after they emerged from the Night Demon¡¯s Nest, they helped Duan Xuchang ease the pressure by killing a Level 4, Lord Night Demon. Anything above Level 4, Lord was a level-skipping kill for Wang Tao, and a single Night Demon could add more than 20,000 to his HP limit! If he included the ordinary Night Demons, Wang Tao received at least 150,000 HP! The 100,000 HP he had lost from fusing with the fireball crystal core were fully restored after this one battle! Seeing his HP fully restored, Wang Tao immediately took out two items¡ª @@novelbin@@ [Life Elixir (Small): Increases HP limit by +1000 (up to 10 bottles can be consumed)] [Blood Beads: Randomly increases HP limit] These were spoils from the Giant Zombie, valuable items that could increase the HP limit. He hadn¡¯t used them when his HP was low, for safety, but now that his HP was full, he had no concerns! Wang Tao first used the Life Elixirs. A person could use up to 10 bottles, and he had 30, which was more than enough. A momentter, Wang Tao smacked his lips, feeling a bit of sweetness. Then he looked at his HP bar. [120000/120000] One hundred twenty thousand HP! Keep going! Wang Tao then put the [Blood Beads] in his mouth. Simr to fusing crystal cores, the Blood Beads instantly vaporized and merged into his limbs and bones. Then, Wang Tao felt an improvement in his physical fitness; he checked his HP. [150000/150000] "Hiss¡ªBlood Beads added thirty thousand HP!" Wang Tao was pleasantly surprised. He was directly at one hundred fifty thousand now! Wang Tao didn¡¯t know where his strength would rank in Changhe Base, but he felt his HP was probably the highest, right? The increase in HP also brought some improvement to his physical fitness! Although awakening was more important than physical fitness after Level 4, the sensation of upgrading was still exhrating. Next, Wang Tao looked at the Advanced Special Energy. By killing four Level 4, Lord Night Demons, he had obtained four Advanced Special Energies. Killing the Level 5 Night Demon Parasite had gotten him two Advanced Special Energies. So he now had a total of 26 Advanced Special Energies. Then there were the Awakening Keys. Wang Tao had obtained four. He didn¡¯t receive any from killing the Level 5 parasite since only same-level or higher-level kills of Level 4 and above lords would yield them. The Level 5 parasite was only at the Elite rank, and so naturally, he didn¡¯t get any. Next was Awakening Energy. Since the opponents in this fight were all Night Demons and he had plenty of Ultraviolet equipment,bined with a substantial increase in his strength and having learned Fireball and such, he didn¡¯t use Awakening and saved quite a lot of Awakening Energy. Awakening Energy is only obtained from killing Lords, so he had gained 400 Awakening Energy this time. He had over 200 before, and now he had reached the 600 maximum, so he could increase his Awakening Energy limit. Without hesitation, Wang Tao immediately upgraded. After all, Awakening Energy recovered 100 every day, and it felt somewhat wasteful if he didn¡¯t raise the limit while at maximum. A momentter, all 600 Awakening Energy had been used up, and Wang Tao¡¯s Awakening Energy limit had reached 700! Wang Tao decided not to upgrade further for the time being. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to continue upgrading after reaching Changhe Base. With the Awakening Crystal Cores and Energy Beads he had, reaching 1000 wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Then came various spoils of war. The loot from those three Level 4, Lord Night Demons and the broodmother they exploded from were mostly identical. Cores included [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Promotion] *4, [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Versatility] *4, [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Energy Boost] *4, [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: HP Boost] *4, [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Awakening] *2, [Fourth-Order Crystal Core: Bloodline Inheritance] Chapter 756 - 299: Zombie Evolution_1 ``` Upon killing the Level 5 Zombie Parasite, in addition to the Loot Pack, it only dropped one item, which was its insect egg. [Level 5¡¤Night Demon Parasite (Insect Egg): After reaching adulthood, it can parasitize a portion of life. There¡¯s a chance within seven days that the life parasitized will turn into a Level 5 Night Demon, and with the use of Incubation Flesh, the sess rate will increase] This insect egg is a thumb-sized, earthy yellow sphere, bigger in sizepared to that of a Level 4. If it weren¡¯t mentioned, one might never guess it was an insect egg! After killing this Night Demon Parasite, that it would drop an insect egg was unexpected, but it¡¯s unknown if this egg, once hatched and killed, would continue to yield more eggs. If it did, wouldn¡¯t that amount to being invincible? Wang Tao thought that was probably not the case and there might be some other conditions... Moreover, how is this insect egg supposed to be incubated? Wang Tao held the egg, lost in thought. To ordinary people, such an egg would be extremely dangerous. However, for Wang Tao, that wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. If he was able to incubate the parasite egg and then kill it, wouldn¡¯t that be the same as killing a Level 5 Elite Zombie? If he was bolder, and after incubating the parasite egg, allowed it to parasitize a zombie, turning the zombie into a Level 5 Night Demon which Wang Tao then killed, he would be able to obtain the loot of a Level 5 Zombie! Currently, in Wang Tao¡¯s possession were 14 Level 5 and 56 Level 4 Night Demon Parasite eggs, totaling 70 eggs. If even a third or a fifth of them turned into Night Demons and Wang Tao killed them, wouldn¡¯t he be able to gain a lot of loot! Hiss¡ª Wang Tao quickly shook his head. The idea was too dangerous, and it was better not to think about it for now! After all, he hadn¡¯t fought a Level 5 Zombie yet and didn¡¯t know whether he could win... Even if he were to do so in the future, he would have to ensure safety measures were in ce. Otherwise, it would be suicidal. As for how exactly to incubate these eggs, Wang Tao figured there are likely two possibilities. One is time, where hatching would ur when a certain period has passed. The other is by providing nutrients, possibly requiring some meats, blood, and the like... Later, when it was safe, Wang Tao nned to test with two Level 4 insect eggs. Even if they both hatched into Level 4 Night Demons, he would be able to cope. As for the current batch of eggs, they were of course to be stored in the Space Backpack; he didn¡¯t trust anywhere else. Then Wang Tao looked towards the Loot Packs that burst from the parasite, a total of five, a decent number. @@novelbin@@ The first pack contained a heart. [Obtained: Fourth-Order Weapon¡¤Night Demon Type 1 x1] It was a Night Demon Type 1, and the four Night Demon Zombies he had previously killed had also each dropped a heart. Including those and the one Wang Tao already had, he now had six Night Demon Type 1s! Stay updated through NovelBin.C?m If he released all six Night Demon Type 1s at the same time, their damaging power would certainly be stronger than that of a Level 4, Lord Night Demon! In Wang Tao¡¯s view, these Night Demon Type 1s arguably had three disadvantages. The first is that they cannot think independently and needmands. Of course, this isn¡¯t necessarily a disadvantage. The second is that they are vulnerable to ultraviolet light, so they can only be used at night. Moreover, they are not viable inbat against Night Demons because Wang Tao would need to use ultraviolet tools. The third is that they only have ten thousand HP, so their HP is quite low, and they could easily be quickly killed. If Wang Tao could increase their HP to a hundred thousand blood volume, six Night Demon Type 1s, with a total HP of six hundred thousand, should be able to handle ordinary Level 4 Lord Zombies. However, Wang Tao was short on Crystal Cores, so for the moment, there was nothing he could do. Actually, Wang Tao was also waiting for the zombie evolution after this rain stopped. As per the precedent, after every corrosive acid rain, zombies would undergo an evolution. While Wang Tao definitely didn¡¯t want to see the zombies evolve, this kind of event was beyond human control. So, he had to ept the fact that zombies would be increasingly stronger. Currently, Wang Tao had encountered Level 4, Lord Zombies, and even witnessed a Level 5 disaster zombie, but he had yet toe across an Ordinary Level 4 or an Elite Level 4 zombie. Elite or higher beings all possess Crystal Cores, and Elites are much more numerous than Lords! For now, if Wang Tao wanted to obtain a Level 4 Crystal Core, he would have to kill Level 4, Lord Zombies. Level 4 Lords are not only more dangerous but also rarer in number, which is why Wang Tao didn¡¯t have many Level 4 Crystal Cores in hand. Wang Tao felt that after this heavy rain, there should appear Level 4 Elite Zombies... If he encountered arge number of Level 4 Elite Zombies, the speed at which Wang Tao acquired Crystal Cores would naturally increase greatly! Then whether he wanted to facilitate faster Awakenings for everyone or upgrade the Night Demon Type 1s to a hundred thousand HP, it would be rtively simpler. Of course, after the widespread evolution of zombies, the post-apocalyptic environment would be even more dangerous. So he had to hurry to improve his strength! Wang Tao turned to the second Loot Pack. [Obtained: Awakening Energy Pearl x1] Another Awakening Energy Pearl! Counting the previous ones, Wang Tao now had 19 beads and 11 Awakening Crystal Cores, which amounted to 3000 Awakening Energy. Enough to raise the Awakening Energy limit to 1100! The third Loot Pack contained Crystal Cores, but there were only two. One red [Level 4 Crystal Core - Exraction] and one orange [Level 4 Crystal Core - Healing] ``` Chapter 759: 300 Rainbow After Rain_1 Chapter 759: Chapter 300 Rainbow After Rain_1 Seeing the train depart smoothly had initially brought joy to everyone. However, their expressions instantly turned serious when they saw that the rain seemed about to stop. The stopping of the rain meant that the zombies would evolve! ording to past experience, the longer the rainsted, the stronger the zombies would evolve once it stopped. This rain had been falling for more than two months! Nobody knew how strong the zombies would be this time! Duan Xuchang sensed the atmosphere bing somewhat oppressive and tried to lighten the mood with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much, everyone. We¡¯re not far from Changhe City Base now. At our current speed, we should arrive by this afternoon! Once we¡¯re inside the base, any danger will be kept at bay!¡±
¡°Mhm!¡± Seeing Duan Xuchang¡¯s confident expression, everyone rxed slightly. However, their vignce did not wane, knowing that caution was paramount, especially on the eve of victory! Duan Xuchang also began to arrange for arge number of people to be on duty. There was no need to rest now; they could rest well once they safely returned to the base. Following the actions of these soldiers on the train, the survivors from Zijin Base weren¡¯t fools either, and quickly some guessed that they might be nearing their destination. From the monitors, one could see that they were a mix of excited and anxious. ¡°I¡¯ll go and soothe them.¡± Lan Yulian spoke up. About to enter a new environment, nobody knew what it would be like or whether it could amodate ordinary people like them. Although the promises made before had sounded good, those were others¡¯ words. Without witnessing it themselves, they certainly wouldn¡¯t feel assured. Lan Yulian understood their feelings; as the former leader of these survivors, it was natural for her to go and calm and reassure them. As for why she was referred to as the ¡°former leader,¡± that was because after arriving at Changhe Base, Lan Yulian probably wouldn¡¯t lead them anymore. She had be the leader at the clubhouse out of necessity for survival. Later, she became the leader of Zijin Base because she felt she could lead them to live well. If these survivors were now safe, there was naturally no need for her to continue as leader. Compared to being a leader, she preferred to stay by Wang Tao¡¯s side and help him. ¡°We¡¯ll go with you.¡± Wei Zhenguo, Xiang Hongbin, and a few others also spoke up. They also had experience in calming and reassuring people. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lan Yulian then led them over. Wang Tao did not join; he was not good at these sorts of things. Yang Changhong looked at the fast-moving scenery outside the window. She rested her head on Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder, her face tinted with a touch of mncholy. Yang Changhong initially aimed to find her sister. Just when she thought all hope was lost, she suddenly stumbled upon some clues. Just as she believed she might find her sister, the leads vanished, and she experienced a super zombie tide¡­ Although she hade to ept the reality that her sister could not have survived, she still felt a sense of reluctance¡­ but what could she do about it? On her own, she couldn¡¯t change anything. Even if she managed to arrive at Changhe Base safely, her sister¡­ Wang Tao kissed Yang Changhong on the forehead and then hugged her shoulders tightly. Apart from Yang Changhong, who was searching for someone, He Jijun was also initially looking for his granddaughter. But He Jijun had long since epted reality, after all, he had seen his granddaughter turn into a zombie with his own eyes¡­ But He Jijun had not given up hope. He was already old, with no elders above or young ones below. To him, this world held little to look forward to. If it weren¡¯t for the task of finding his granddaughter, perhaps he would have given up on resistance long ago¡­ That was probably what drove him to keep living. The others, more or less, also had their own reflections. After all, they would arrive at Changhe Base in a few hours and start a new life. No one knew whether this new life would be good or bad, or even how long they would be able to live¡­ Compared to them, Ding Yuqin and the others who were Wang Tao¡¯s initialpanions, were moreposed. They had always been wandering, and had long been eager to find a ce where they could live in peace. Even if Changhe Base wasn¡¯t great, it was bound to be better than wandering, not to mention that Changhe Base sounded quite promising. Li Qiuyu, not far away, stole a nce at Wang Tao. She subconsciously tightened her grip on Jiang Shixue¡¯s hand, her little face troubled. She was unsure how Wang Tao would arrange things for her afterward¡­ As for Wang Tao himself, he didn¡¯t have any particr feelings for the moment. After all, in the more than half a year since the apocalypse began, he had changed locations too many times and had grown ustomed to it. His first impression of Changhe Base was quite good. Moreover, he was really looking forward to getting his hands on some Powered Armor to y with! ¡­ Some timeter, Jiang Shixue suddenly spoke up. ¡°The rain is really about to stop.¡± Wang Tao got up and came to the window. It was pouring rain when they set out in the morning, but now it had turned to a lingering drizzle. The distant dark clouds seemed about to disperse, and one could barely make out the sun behind them.@@novelbin@@ asional rain could brighten one¡¯s mood, but ongoing rain could be irritating. Now, seeing the sun about to break through the clouds, everyone¡¯s spirits were uplifted. At that moment, Duan Xuchang¡¯s voice came through everyone¡¯s earpieces. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, although I would have liked for everyone to arrive safely at Changhe Base, I must now interrupt, for we might have a little trouble that needs resolving.¡± At his words, everyone¡¯s expression turned solemn. ¡°What trouble?¡± Wang Tao immediately asked. Chapter 762: 301 Changhe Base_1 Chapter 762: Chapter 301 Changhe Base_1 This was an expansive in with no skyscrapers or zombies in sight, just a straight railway. And at the end of the railway, there appeared to be a Survivor Base so vast that it seemed to have no end! ¡°Is that Changhe Base¡­¡± The people on the train all widened their eyes. Changhe Base was some distance from the train, but one could still feel its enormity even from afar. What would it be like to get any closer? And most importantly, there were really no hordes of zombies here! ¡°This is Changhe Base!¡±
Dressed in powered armor, Duan Xuchang walked over. The threat hadn¡¯t beenpletely neutralized, so naturally, he hadn¡¯t let his guard down. He then said to Wang Tao: ¡°Wang Tao, you must have noticed that the zombies were a bit different just now, right?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the Crystal Core?¡± Wang Tao produced a Blue Crystal Core in his hand. ¡°Right! Most Crystal Cores no longer have that shadowy figure inside them! ording to our recent research, it seems that these Crystal Cores no longer contain any abilities. I just had someone test it out, and these Crystal Cores can no longer be fused¡­¡± Duan Xuchang¡¯s expression was somewhat grave. He didn¡¯t know whether this change was good or bad, but it would undoubtedly be a thorny issue for many people. ¡°I also killed quite a few Elite Zombies, but only a few of them had Crystal Cores with abilities. The rest had none¡­¡± Wang Tao shook his head. He could see the attributes of Crystal Cores, so he was sure that most of them trulycked abilities. But as for what was happening specifically, he had no idea. Thankfully, only the Crystal Cores inside the zombies had changed. The ones he carried on him were still fine. The two exchanged information for a while but still had no clue. ¡°It seems we can only count on the Hope Research Institute now¡­¡± Duan Xuchang sighed. If it was just this one change, that would be fine. He feared what kind of chain reaction might follow¡­ The two didn¡¯t speak anymore. As the train drew nearer to Changhe Base, other vehicles began to appear around the train. ¡°There are survivors!¡± Seeing the modified vehicles racing alongside the train, Nie Siyan extended her hand to greet them. However, the windows on their side were one-way, so those outside couldn¡¯t see in. The survivors were curious about the train and asionally stuck out their heads to whoop and holler. Wang Tao raised an eyebrow as he watched these survivors. Most of them were Level 2 and Level 3 ability users, quite strong. Gradually, more and more vehicles surrounded the train. Some obviously hade from inside the base, but upon seeing the train, they turned around and followed next to it¡­ It seemed they were quite interested in the survivors inside the train. Seeing this, Duan Xuchang exined: ¡°Apart from being curious, these people might want to recruit you to their groups. There are many organizations and forces within the base city¡­ To put it nicely, it¡¯s quite free; to put it less kindly, it¡¯s a mixed bag. So I suggest you not join any forces casually. With so many of you, just wait for the upper echelons of the base to make arrangements¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ I understand,¡± Wang Tao nodded and then asked, ¡°Is the situation inside the base city quite chaotic?¡± Duan Xuchang exined: ¡°Some areas are indeed quite chaotic. After all, as you know, many people be restless once they have power. Many have now be powerful ability users, so¡­ But you don¡¯t need to worry too much. Generally speaking, our base city has many rules and regtions, and everyone tends to abide by them.¡± This was also within Wang Tao¡¯s expectations. If there truly was a Utopia-likerge base now, he would actually find it questionable¡­ The train kept moving closer to Changhe Base, and the excitement of the twenty thousand survivors on board grew. ¡°Such a huge base!¡± Ding Yuqin and her group were also increasingly astonished. They could no longer make out the entireyout of the base. Their entire view was dominated by the towering wall that seemed to have no end! When the train finally arrived at the base¡¯s main gate, Wang Tao, along with everyone else, was astounded.@@novelbin@@ From this position, when they looked up out the windows, they couldn¡¯t see how high the outer wall of the base was! ¡°This wall¡­ seems like it could stop a Giant Zombie!¡± Wang Tao murmured to himself. ¡°That¡¯s right, the tallest Giant Zombie we¡¯ve seen so far was over eighty meters. Meanwhile, our outer city wall is more than one hundred meters tall!¡± Duan Xuchang nodded with some pride. ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± Everyone gasped in awe. No wonder they couldn¡¯t see the top from here, one hundred meters tall! That was equivalent to at least thirty or forty floors of a high-rise building! The outer wall of Zijin Base was only about ten meters tall, and it was enough to hold back a massive tide of zombies. If it weren¡¯t for the Level 4 Night Demon Zombie that caused destruction to the wall, it would have held for a long time! Hence one could imagine how strong the defenses of a wall over one hundred meters tall would be! After all, to build a wall so high, it couldn¡¯t possibly be tall without also being thick; its thickness must be incredibly significant as well! Wang Tao was full of amazement. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, he would never believe that it was possible to build such a huge wall during the apocalypse! Rumble rumble¡ª The train slowly approached, and the massive gate of the city wall gradually opened. Even this gate was taller than the outer wall of the previous Zijin Base! And when the gate opened, the inside was pitch-ck as if there was no end to it. Hum! Dull yellow lights began to illuminate within the tunnel of the gate. Chapter 764 - 301 Changhe Base_3 Stay connected via NovelBin.C?m ``` If Wang Tao really had such an idea, he wasn¡¯t opposed to it. On the contrary, he was somewhat pleased. After all, this was equivalent to not only having saved these survivors but also having secured jobs for them! Naturally, this was a good thing! "Please follow me, everyone," Duan Xuchang led Wang Tao and the others onto a minibus. On the bus, there was a device for detecting internal impurities, presumably prepared especially for Wang Tao and his group. Everyone was checked in turn, and once it was confirmed that there were no problems, the vehicle finally left the train station slowly. Seeing that Wang Tao and his group didn¡¯t even exit the station but left directly by bus, the people remaining outside the train station sighed. "s, there¡¯s no hope now! We can¡¯t rope them into our organization now, and it¡¯s going to be even harderter!" "This Third Legion is really meddlesome. Can¡¯t they let the survivors move freely!" "Are you an idiot? These survivors were obviously saved by the Third Legion! Do you think they would leave the survivors they painstakingly rescued just for your organization?" "..." "Could it be... that the Third Legion wants to absorb all these ten to twenty thousand people? Can they really handle that?" "It¡¯s unlikely that they would absorb them all, since joining these legions also has assessments, and they don¡¯t just take anyone. But they definitely want to absorb some... thest operation cost the Third Legion some manpower, and this time they can probably replenish a good wave of fresh blood..." "Damn, why don¡¯t we have such good luck! We¡¯ve been outside for so many days and hardly encountered any survivors. We also lost quite a few peoplest time, and without replenishing our manpower soon, our organization is going to exist in name only..." "Hey! There are so many people in our base. You don¡¯t need to keep eyeing neers!" "Cough, but aren¡¯t neers both cheap and easy to manipte..." ... ... "Freshly made cockroach paste! A must-have essential for home and travel! Don¡¯t miss out as you pass by..." "Daggers made from Level 3 Night Demon ws, sharp enough to cut hair and slice through iron like mud! Only one avable in the entire Changhe City Base! Being sold at a tearful discount of seventy percent off!" "Finely decorated apartments near the Special Ability University, only three units left, avable for rent or purchase! Firste, first served!" "Giant creature barbecue grand opening special! Match the amount you top up!" "Mutant Rats trained for battle ready for sale,e and make an offer!" "..." On the minibus, Lan Yulian looked out at the broad streets bustling with survivors, listening to all sorts of bizarre hawking voices, and eximed, "This is what a real base looks like!" Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling the same. Compared to other survivor bases, the biggest difference with Changhe Base was its "liveliness." The bases they had stayed at before were merely "gatherings of survivors struggling to live." Now in Changhe City Base, it was not just a ce for survivors but a human society! At other bases, no matter how safe it seemed, deep down they never felt truly secure. All that upied their minds were thoughts of killing zombies, enhancing their strength, surviving... But upon arriving here, to speak of a sense of safety was one thing; now, their first thought wasn¡¯t about how to kill zombies and increase their strength, but how to live well in the base! Previously, they thought about surviving, but now... they were thinking about living! Seeing everyone¡¯s amazement, Duan Xuchang said loudly, "There are many more nice ces within the base city. You should explore moreter on, and I believe you will definitely fall in love with this ce!" "Thank you! But we¡¯ve already fallen for it..." Lan Yulian said, somewhat emotionally. Duan Xuchang intentionally took Wang Tao and the group around the streets to experience the local vor of the base city, then finally had the driver take them to an area protected by soldiers. "This is one of the territories belonging to our Third Legion. Some high-ranking officers¡¯ families live here. We¡¯ve arranged for you to stay here temporarily, and you¡¯re free to move out anytime. But I personally suggest that you might as well wait until you¡¯re familiar with the base and figure out your future direction before moving out..." Listening to Duan Xuchang¡¯s words, Wang Tao raised an eyebrow. "Future direction? What do you think would be suitable for us?" "Haha, of course, I hope that you can join our Third Legion! But I also know that¡¯s unlikely... As for my advice, that¡¯s, for now, no advice. Because you exceptional Ability Usersing to the base, the higher-ups will definitely give you some preferential treatment, so wait and see what the specifics are, and then consider what to do..." Duan Xuchang exined with a smile. He knew that powerful Ability Users generally didn¡¯t want to join the military because the military was the ce with the strictest rules, even in these apocalyptic times. After all, soldiers fight in coordinated teams, they don¡¯t just represent themselves, but rather a group. If one person makes a mistake, it could even jeopardize the entire Legion! So, strictness is a must. And for many Ability Users, having finally gained such strong powers, to abide by such strict rules was out of the question! So, most Ability Users were reluctant to join the military. Of course, those who were originally military personnel, like Wei Zhenguo and his team... Duan Xuchang was very keen to recruit them into the Legion. However, as Duan Xuchang had just mentioned, they would first have to see how the upper levels would allocate Wang Tao and his group and what kind of treatment they would receive. Then he could consider if he could recruit them into the Third Legion... @@novelbin@@ "Sure!" Wang Tao smiled and nodded. He had to admit, Duan Xuchang was quite sincere, and Wang Tao had a very favorable impression of him and the whole Third Legion. After showing Wang Tao and the others around the rooms prepared for them, Duan Xuchang said, "Next, I¡¯ll give you a primer on somemon issues within the base city..." ``` The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!