Chapter 18: Regaining the Power of Vitality

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Under such pressure, an ordinary person would likely have panicked long ago. However, everyone inside the vehicle—except Lin Xinghai—were seasoned mercenaries, battle-hardened and experienced. They remained calm, steadily aiming and firing.

As the zombies drew closer, the mercenaries’ shooting accuracy rapidly improved. By the second trigger pull, two zombies were already shot clean through the head.

On the third volley, the number of zombies felled by headshots surged to four.

As for a fourth shot, sorry, there was none.

The zombies covered the distance from a hundred meters to the armored vehicle in an alarmingly short span of time. The mercenaries had only managed to aim and fire three times.

By then, nearly half of the zombies had fallen—no longer posing any significant threat in terms of numbers, let alone strength.

Five genetically enhanced brutes leapt from the vehicle, brandishing greatswords and massive axes, charging to meet the onrushing zombies.

Meanwhile, the mercenaries remaining inside the vehicle used the precious moment bought by their comrades to aim and fire at close range.

The remaining seven zombies were soon dispatched—either hacked to death or shot through the head—falling swiftly one after another.

Of course, the battle was not without its twists. Two of the mid-level zombies displayed remarkable resilience.

When locked in close combat with the mercenaries, they showed no sign of being outmatched. One even forcefully knocked aside a mercenary’s giant axe with its claw and lunged toward his chest.

Fortunately, the mercenary’s combat suit was not mere decoration. Although it was slashed open, its inner lining remained intact.

Enduring the blow, the mercenary swiftly spun his massive axe, the blade arcing through the air and cleaving the mid-level zombie’s head clean off.

According to Lin Xinghai’s estimation, the strength of such mid-level zombies was comparable to that of a person with about 30% gene optimization.

Fortunately, their numbers were few. If all the zombies had been like this, the battle would have been far from easy.

With the fight concluded, it was time to clean up the battlefield.

“I’m coming too!” Lin Xinghai said immediately upon hearing Roger assigning the cleanup task.

The reason he had followed the mercenary team out on this mission was precisely for this moment—he absolutely could not miss it.

“Uh!” Roger was momentarily at a loss for words.

Collecting genetic crystals was more akin to menial labor. Sometimes, if one wasn’t careful, blood could splash all over. Such dirty, exhausting work was nobody’s favorite.

Though new mercenaries were required to do such chores, a prodigy like Lin Xinghai was naturally exempt.

Yet Roger had not expected Lin Xinghai to volunteer enthusiastically.

This brought to mind the young man’s behavior during “Lesson One” yesterday, making Roger’s expression grow somewhat strange.

Could he really have such a peculiar hobby?

Though the thought crossed his mind, it was none of his business. Without hesitation, Roger said, “Alright! I’ll have Deputy Captain Xu Hao guide you on some dissection techniques.”

Xu Hao, resting nearby, instantly wore a grim expression.

“No, no need. That would trouble Brother Xu too much. I’ll learn on my own with the others,” Lin Xinghai hurriedly declined.

What a joke! If someone kept watching him closely, how could he gather the blood energy so freely?

“Alright, self-study it is! Little Hai, if you have any questions later, be sure to come find me—I’ll share everything I know,” Xu Hao replied, clearly pleased with Lin Xinghai’s attitude.

Seeing Lin Xinghai so resolute, Roger had no objections.

Soon, Lin Xinghai followed the five members Roger had singled out and stepped down from the vehicle.

However, rather than immediately harvesting the genetic crystals, he feigned a humble and earnest demeanor, looking around attentively.

Of course, no one noticed that each time someone extracted a crystal, he secretly touched the zombie’s wound.

The group’s speed was swift; in less than a minute, all thirteen zombies’ crystals had been collected.

At that point, Lin Xinghai had gained thirteen points of blood energy. Opening his system panel, he confirmed that his blood energy had risen from fourteen to twenty-seven points.

He still had two bottles of gene-enhancing serum Roger had given him to absorb. Including those, his usable blood energy now reached thirty-seven points.

“If all goes well, I’ll awaken during this mission!” Lin Xinghai thought happily as he returned to the vehicle with the other mercenaries.

…

“Feeling alright?” Roger asked as soon as Lin Xinghai sat down beside him.

“Huh?” Lin Xinghai was a bit puzzled.

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“I mean, the strength of those zombies,” Roger clarified.

“Very strong!” After a brief pause, Lin Xinghai answered honestly.

Don’t be fooled by how easily the Skybreaker Mercenary Group had dealt with the zombies. Consider their real strength—all but him were gene-enhanced soldiers.

Their weapons were top-notch, fully allowing the mercenaries to perform at 200% efficiency. Yet even so, one mercenary had nearly been injured.

Now ask yourself: if ordinary people faced these zombies instead of the Skybreaker Mercenary Group, what would happen?

Even with firearms, the casualties would likely be severe.

After all, zombies possess strong vitality, swift movement, and a beast-like instinct for danger.

When guns are aimed at them, they instinctively dodge.

If it were ordinary people—or even an ordinary army—encountering a horde in the wild, their fate would be grim.

This was why, even a full year after the catastrophe, humanity still lived only in underground shelters.

Roger glanced at Lin Xinghai with some surprise. Seeing no hint of pretense on his face, he nodded approvingly. “It’s good you understand this.”

“Zombies are indeed very strong. What you saw were just the most common types. Inside the city, not only are zombies far more numerous, but mid-level zombies are widespread as well.”

“Even stronger, high-level zombies are not rare. Those have strength equivalent to a person with 60% gene optimization. Even I find it difficult to win a one-on-one fight against them.”

“Moreover, among these zombies, there is a chance of ‘mutated zombies’ evolving — the truly terrifying existence.”

“So, no matter how fast your strength improves and how good your gear is, never let your guard down. Outside, extreme caution is never too much,” Roger said earnestly.

He said so mainly because he worried about Lin Xinghai’s youthful impetuosity.

It was one thing here, but if they entered the city and he didn’t follow orders, it could lead to serious trouble.

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