Volume One, Chapter Six: The Merit War System
Only in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the Cloud Villa did Lin Ye’s figure stand like a massive rock. His face showed no trace of surprise—only a frozen calmness, and deep within his eyes, a coldness that had finally settled like dust after a storm.
Outside the window lay a hellscape; inside was a temporary island of solitude.
At that moment, a cold, mechanical synthetic voice, devoid of any emotion, echoed clearly deep within his mind, drowning out all the noise outside:
[Ding! Doomsday countdown complete! The ‘Merit War System’ has been successfully activated! Bound to the sole host: Lin Ye!]
[Esteemed Marshal, this system is wholeheartedly at your service!]
“It’s here!” Lin Ye’s spirit surged sharply. Forcing down the shock of witnessing the apocalypse firsthand, his consciousness instantly dove into his mind.
A concise yet militarily high-tech translucent interface materialized in his awareness.
The interface was mainly divided into three major sections: [Weapons], [Army], and [Supplies].
At the top of the interface was a clear label: [Current Merit Points: 0].
Beside it, a tiny dynamic number blinked steadily: [+1], [+1], [+1]... ticking up once per second in a stable rhythm!
“One Merit Point per second?” Lin Ye’s heart leapt with joy.
This was practically an effortless troop production system!
He immediately opened the [Weapons] section with his mind.
Under [Weapons], there were several categories: [Individual Soldier], [Tank Armor], [Air Force], [Naval Force], and [Strategic Weapons].
However, only the [Individual Soldier] category was illuminated; all others were dimmed gray and marked [Insufficient Permissions, Locked].
“Not enough permissions?” Lin Ye furrowed his brow slightly but was not surprised.
He opened the [Individual Soldier] tab.
In an instant, a dazzling array of weapon icons and data streams flooded into his mind!
From the basics like [MICH Ballistic Helmet (50 Merit Points)], [NIJ Level IV Ballistic Plates (100 Merit Points)], and [Individual Combat Kit (including tactical vest, gloves, knee pads, etc., 250 Merit Points)]...
To lethal weaponry such as [Fragmentation Grenade (box of 20, 150 Merit Points)], [M67 Delay Grenade (box of 12, 180 Merit Points)]...
Including AK-series rifles: [AK-47 Assault Rifle (with three 30-round magazines, 100 Merit Points)], [AKM Assault Rifle (150 Merit Points)], and so on.
Also [M4A1 Carbine (with three 30-round magazines, 200 Merit Points)], [HK416 Assault Rifle (with three 30-round magazines, 300 Merit Points)], [Type 95 Automatic Rifle (with three 30-round magazines, 200 Merit Points)]...
Even [RPG-7 Rocket Launcher (with one PG-7V armor-piercing round, 800 Merit Points)].
[M72 LAW Disposable Rocket Launcher (600 Merit Points)]!
Classic individual weapons from around the world, almost everything imaginable!
However, the currently lit icons were mostly concentrated on AK-series rifles, basic armor, grenades, and a few types of rocket launchers.
More advanced precision rifles, sniper rifles, and squad machine guns remained grayed out and locked.
---
“AK-47 only 100 Merit Points? Type 95 automatic rifle 200?” Lin Ye quickly did the math in his head.
“One point per second means in just a few minutes I can exchange for an AK and several magazines! Ten minutes and I’ll be armed to the teeth!”
An indescribable surge of pride instantly dispersed his previous fatigue and tension!
The hard work of yesterday—stockpiling supplies and fortifying the house—now seemed somewhat... pointless compared to the readily available hot weapons.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his overly optimistic thoughts.
Next, he opened the [Army] section.
Despite his mental preparation, he couldn’t help but gasp sharply!
The army section was grander in scale: [Infantry Squad], [Infantry Platoon], [Infantry Company], [Armored Battalion], [Composite Brigade], [Heavy Division], [Army Group]... a clear hierarchy with imposing momentum!
But the steep Merit Point requirements made his scalp tingle:
[Standard Infantry Squad (10-man, including basic individual equipment): 50,000 Merit Points]
[Mechanized Infantry Company (including armored personnel carriers): 500,000 Merit Points]
[Heavy Composite Brigade (including main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery, air defense systems, etc.): 5,000,000 Merit Points]
[Heavy Army Group]: A long string of zeros followed, making Lin Ye’s head spin just by glancing at it!
Moreover, only the lowest tier [Infantry Squad] icon was lit; all others were grayed out with [Insufficient Permissions]!
“A squad costs fifty thousand Merit Points... there are 86,400 seconds in a day, meaning if I do nothing else, I can exchange for a fully armed infantry squad in less than a day?” Lin Ye calculated rapidly.
Hissing...
As he calculated, he involuntarily took a deep breath.
Good heavens, if Li Yunlong had this system back in the day, he would have utterly destroyed the Heavenly Locust base!
Coming back to reality, he analyzed carefully.
Though the million and ten-million level demands for brigade and army units were still far away, this start was already beyond expectations!
At least it was tens of thousands of times better than his last life’s beginning!
Finally, he opened the [Supplies] section.
This was relatively simple, divided into three categories:
[Life Essentials]: [24-pack bottled purified water (1 case): 1 Merit Point], [Bucket instant noodles (12 per box): 1 Merit Point], [Military compressed rations (one-day supply per soldier): 1 Merit Point]... prices shockingly low!
[Support Items]: [Winter training uniform set]: 10 Merit Points, [Type 07 combat boots]: 8 Merit Points, [Field tent]: 50 Merit Points... and so on.
[Medicines]: [Amoxicillin capsules (box): 10 Merit Points], [Ibuprofen sustained-release capsules (box): 8 Merit Points], [Hemostatic bandages (roll): 2 Merit Points], [Basic battlefield first aid kit]: 50 Merit Points...
Comprehensive variety, all extremely affordable.
“One Merit Point for a case of water? One Merit Point for a box of instant noodles?” Lin Ye looked at the mountain of supplies he had stockpiled and suddenly felt a little regretful about the real money he spent yesterday.
---
But then he reconsidered: while system exchanges were cheap, they constantly consumed Merit Points, and items like generator fuel and special building materials were not yet available in the system, so his stockpiles still held value.
“In summary, the system’s potential is immense; its functions are downright godlike! The only problem is... the permissions are too low,” Lin Ye understood clearly.
There were many great things, but most were locked.
Yet he felt no disappointment—only motivation.
If everything unlocked at once, what would be the point of this doomsday game? It’d be an effortless unstoppable rampage.
“System,” Lin Ye queried with his mind, “how do I increase permissions and unlock higher-level exchange items?”
The cold mechanical voice responded immediately:
[Permission upgrade method: kill zombies.]
[Killing regular zombies grants 1 Merit Point (accumulative with time-based points).]
[Killing zombies has a very low chance to ‘drop’ a ‘Blueprint Core’ corresponding to weapons/vehicles/units.]
[Obtaining a ‘Blueprint Core’ unlocks the exchange permission for that item in the system.]
[Note: The higher the Merit Point cost for an item, the lower the drop rate for its corresponding ‘Blueprint Core’.]
[For example: The Blueprint Core for a Heavy Composite Brigade has a drop rate of about 0.001%.]
“Killing zombies also grants Merit Points? And there’s a drop rate for unlocking?” Lin Ye’s eyes flashed with intense light!
This meant his Merit Point gain would no longer be limited to one per second!
Going out to hunt zombies would not only accelerate Merit accumulation but also offer chances to unlock powerful new equipment and troops directly!
Though the 0.001% drop rate was outrageously low, at least... it gave him hope!
He clenched the alloy crossbow tightly in his hand, the cold touch transmitting strength.
His gaze returned to the blood-soaked hellscape outside the window. It was no longer simply a place of death but a hunting ground where he would gain strength and unlock new permissions!
“Zombies...” Lin Ye licked his slightly dry lips, a fierce flame ignited in his chest—a mixture of vengeance and the hunter’s desire.
“I accept your ‘Merit’!”
[Ding! System detected the Marshal’s first activation. Issuing the ‘Rising Commander’ novice gift pack! Accept?]
The cold system prompt sounded like a celestial melody, instantly pulling Lin Ye back from his awe of the system’s functions...