Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
After Li Xuanyuan demonstrated his level 4 ability, the team was as excited as being injected with chicken blood<sup>1</sup>. When facing the zombies in captivity, itâs as if theyâre their first loves, and couldnât wait for them to ripen.\n
The distance between level 3 and level 4 is like a natural moat. After seeing the level 4 fire-type zombie and then looking at the level 4 wood-type ability user, they have a bold guess: level 4 ability is a watershed from the previous three levels. The reason theyâre convinced of this isnât only because of the blue high-temperature flames on the outer layer of the level 4 fire-type zombie and Li Xuanyuanâs wood-type ability that had a hundred times more lethality, but more importantly⊠Liu Zhan analyzed, âLevel 4 zombies can command and control the lower level zombies with the same attributes. This has been confirmed by us. I believe this wonât be accidental.â\n
Hou Ying also agreed with him.\n
That night, Li Xuanyuan thought and found Hou Yingâhe wanted to return to the hills of the tribal base<sup>2</sup>.\n
It turned out that the last time Li Xuanyuan and Qiao Daye went out for a trip wasnât without wood crystals. Li Xuanyuan had already felt its existence, but he intuitively felt that he wasnât an opponent and would risk his life if he wanted to take it off. After several life crises at the end of the world, Li Xuanyuan, who used to regard himself as the first, second, and third child<sup>3</sup>, was a little less proud and a little more cautious.\n</ins>\n\nNow that he has successfully reached level 4, he wants to go back and have a try.\n
Hou Ying stared at him, âXuanyuan, tell me honestly, how sure are you?â\n
Li Xuanyuan paused and said, âFifty-fifty.â\n
Hou Ying frowned immediately and almost blurted out his refusal, but seeing Li Xuanyuanâs calm expression, he held back again. He understood that Li Xuanyuan had to go on this trip. Maybe he would listen if he stopped him, but the wood crystal on the mountain would become a heart disease<sup>4</sup> for Li Xuanyuan. That may be the opportunity for Li Xuanyuanâs ability to go to a higher level. He knows too well that the current method of cultivating zombie nuclei is just opportunism, not the right way, and such a chance may be more important than zombie nuclei.\n
At the end of the world, those who arenât fighting for their lives and donât have the courage to take risks will only stand still<sup>5</sup>.\n
âOkay.â Hou Ying lit a cigarette for himself, took a hard puff, and pinched it out. He said, âXuanyuan, I agree, but you wonât go alone. This matter isnât only your business, but also the business of the whole teamâdonât talk first. I know you donât want us to take risks, but have you ever thought that if youâre alone and had an accident outside, would we sit idly by? At that time, we will blindly look for you then weâll die too. We might as well make a good plan now and have a better chance of winning.â \n
After Hou Ying finished speaking, he summoned everyone before Li Xuanyuan could comment.\n
After explaining the reason, Hou Ying said, âLetâs vote first. Raise your hand if you donât agree to go.â \n
When his voice just fell, Dongfang Bai raised his hand. But when he suddenly realized that heâs the only one raising his hand, he immediately retracted it. He scratched his head and said with a dry laugh, âItâs an old problem, haha, the place where my wings are itchy.â\n
Wang Hehe and Meng Hanghai snickered.\n</ins>\n\nThe others looked very serious. Hou Ying smiled at Dongfang Bai and said, âNo need to ask why Dongfang doesnât support it⊠Lao Su, tell me, why do you agree?â\n
Su Fenghe didnât expect to be called so heâs stunned. After a while, he said, âWhen I escaped from Kangcheng, I knew that in this current world, no strength means a dead end. Later⊠If you hadnât saved me from the Yecheng laboratory, my head wouldâve been dug up like a zombie now. Iâm not as strong as others and I canât protect myself, thatâs why in the eyes of those so-called managers, thereâs no difference between me and a zombie. My life is worthless, but I donât want to admit it! None of us can accept our fate! We must become stronger. Xuanyuan has always been the guarantee of the teamâs combat strength. If he can rise to a higher level when we go out in the future⊠To be honest, Brother Hou, you should also know that weâre upgrading too fast and have been derailed from the human base. If we leave now, everybody says that they will welcome us, but wonât they do everything possible to take our abilities as their own?â\n
In these three months, Li Xuanyuanâs microsatellite receiving station was finally completed and began to receive external information in one direction. Itâs for this reason that they can stay here at ease.\n
In the four major bases, every upgrade of an ability user will be announced, so they have a certain understanding of the strength of the abilities outside. At present, the strongest of the four bases is Duan Yin of the Yellow River Base. Heâs a rare gravity ability userâhe can change gravity to achieve the purpose of attackingâheâs at level 3. Even if the major bases conceal their hole cards from their strongest players, there can be no more than level 4.\n
Everyone didnât expect that Su Fenghe would say something like this. This honest man has been quiet since he joined the team, and his strength ability isnât an eye-catching ability. Most of their understanding of Su Fengheâs image comes from cultivating vegetables and live poultry for the team to improve their quality of food. But Hou Ying and Li Xuanyuan always knew that heâs a smart person, otherwise they wouldnât have decisively concealed their abilities in Yecheng with subtle anomalies.\n
Hou Ying looked at Dongfang Bai and asked, âDongfang, tell me your reason.â\n
The smile on Dongfang Baiâs face disappeared, revealing his serious and solemn expression. He said, âI didnât think so much, nor did I experience the experiment on ability users⊠Maybe my thoughts are a bit naive, but I just want everyone to live well, no matter how good it will be this time, but without life, abilities are nothing.â He sincerely said, âMaybe we can wait for two more level 4 ability users in our team? That way, there will always be some confidence.â\n
Li Xuanyuan shook his head, âWe upgrade, it can also be upgraded.â\n
This is why Li Xuanyuan wanted to do it immediately after heâs promoted to level 4.\n
Hearing that, Dongfang Bai swallowed his remaining words of persuasion, and sighed, âAnyway, I donât care so much. You canât leave me. I finally found a company. Even if I die, I have to be with you.â\n</ins>\n\nHeâs afraid of the feeling of loneliness.\n
Gongsun Jing slapped him on the back angrily, âWhat dying? Shut up if you canât talk.â\n
Dongfang Bai laughed and said, âBrother Hou, we all listen to you. Anyway, Iâll follow the big army.â\n
Hou Ying said, âIn fact, Iâve been thinking about our next plan recently. Sencheng is still too small. We can only cultivate another level 4 five-element zombie with our corresponding ability<sup>6</sup>. After a while, we have to leave and go north to find the next target. But now I want to discuss the next plan when we get the wood crystal.â\n
He looked at Liu Zhan, âBefore departing, we needed to collect more crystal nuclei for backup. Weâll separate into two teams, keeping three people here. Ah Zhan, you have a good mind and can keep your cool. You, Xiaohe, and Lao Su will stay here to prevent the zombies we worked so hard from flying away, and the rest will go hunting for crystal nuclei. Iâll stay here to absorb energy. Letâs set off for the mountain early the day after tomorrow.â\n
Su Fenghe opened his mouth. He wanted to follow the team up the mountain, but he closed his mouth in frustration at the thought of his limited power and lethality.\n
Hou Ying saw it with sharp eyes. He encouraged, âOld Su, donât think too much about it. There will definitely be qualitative changes when your ability reaches level 4! No ability is useless, only the captain who canât know peopleâs abilities.â\n
Su Fenghe laughed and said, âBrother Hou, I understand.â\n
Having set the goal of entering the mountain in this way, Hou Ying briefly made a preliminary plan with everyone according to the road map drawn by Li Xuanyuan and began to perform their respective duties and take action.\n
In the early morning of the third day, except for Liu Zhan, Su Fenghe, and Wang Hehe, they packed up and set out. Because the road on the mountain isnât open to traffic and must be walked, they didnât bother to disassemble the armored vehicle, but chose a crispy commercial vehicle from the driving school where their temporary residence is located and set off. When they stopped at the foot of the mountain, Qiao Daye went to release water. After returning, he mentioned the âspecial beltâ, âFortunately, you donât need to take off your pants.â He glanced at Gongsun Jing, the only person who needed to take off her pants, and was beaten unceremoniously by the latter.\n
This special belt is an iron belt made by Dongfang Bai. There are ten positions in the interlayer filled with level 3 crystal nuclei with corresponding attributes for emergency replenishment during battle.\n
This time they have paid a lot, and their eyes on the mountain are unprecedentedly firm. They are bound to win.\n
Trekking through mountains and rivers, crossing mountains and ridges, and going deeper into the mountains. Even if theyâre not a wood-type ability user, they can feel the difference in the aura of vegetation.\n
Jiang Tao said, âI often hear people say that the greatness of a man lends glory to a place. Now I can see what is called a glorious place<sup>7</sup>.â\n
Dongfang Bai also sighed with emotion, âIf Director He discovers this place, heâll definitely be excited.â This director has worked with him to make fantasy films. The scenery here is like a fairyland. That is, not later, thereâs no doubt that immortals or goblins should exist in such a place.\n</ins>\n\nLi Xuanyuan, who led the way, stopped. He pointed to the location of the peak ahead and said, âThatâs the one. Our combat strategy can only be hard work. Everyone must be careful.â \n
Several people looked at it from a distance and couldnât help praising it, âThatâs⊠a banyan tree? Shit, such a big tree must have been five hundred years old, it shouldâve been refined!<sup>8</sup>â\n
âItâs more than 500 years old. I think itâs a thousand-year-old monster.â\n
Listening to their nonsense, Hou Ying couldnât help reminding them, âThese mutant plants have many characteristics. Youâre not allowed to take off your gas masks later, maybe they emit a special smell.â Hou Ying, who was once stunned in the flower and bird market, warned solemnly.\n
Everyone obediently responded.\n
The top of the mountain looked close like this, but itâs actually far away. It took them a full hour and a half to finally approach the destination.\n
Itâs three oâclock in the afternoon, Li Xuanyuan solemnly reiterated the precautions for the last time, and the group headed for the âMillennium Old Monsterâ.\n\n