Chapter 25: The Metal Manipulator

"Stop talking nonsense and just listen to the boss." Liu Yu and the others had absolute trust in Lin Yu.

"Break their legs!"

At Wang Hao’s bellow, his lackeys rushed forward, brandishing their weapons. Lin Yu charged into the crowd. With a single kick, a man flew off like a cannonball, crashing through seven or eight others before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

*Bang!*

A steel pipe slammed heavily onto Lin Yu’s shoulder, but he acted as if he hadn't felt a thing, driving a fist into the man's chest. Blood sprayed, and the man fell straight back, his chest visibly caved in. Lin Yu was like a tiger descending the mountain or a wolf entering a flock of sheep. Every move claimed the life of another small fry.

"Hiss!"

Everyone present gasped in horror. What kind of monster was this?

"Could he already be Level 10?" Wang Hao thought, his heart filled with dread as he watched Lin Yu fighting with the ferocity of a beast. "Or perhaps he has consumed a large number of Strength Fruits."

"Then let's stick to the usual plan. Once I drop the 'Magic Seal,' you use your talent to ambush him immediately."

"Understood." Hu Bin replied, silently gathering his strength. They hadn't expected that even with the "Magic Seal" in effect, their sixty or seventy men wouldn't be able to defeat this one person. At this rate, all their subordinates would be dead in seven or eight minutes.

"Now!"

Wang Hao’s eyes narrowed, and he instantly deactivated the "Magic Seal." Hu Bin struck at the exact same moment. Countless steel bars flew like lightning, reaching Lin Yu in the blink of an eye. The two had coordinated this move countless times; it was seamless and perfectly timed. Yet, Lin Yu had anticipated it.

"Flame Roar!"

The moment the "Magic Seal" vanished, he unleashed his own innate ability. Flames erupted from his mouth with unparalleled force, blasting the incoming steel pipes and everyone around him back the way they came. As the flames burned, those who hit the ground didn't struggle long before meeting their end.

"This is impossible!" Wang Hao’s eyes widened.

Lin Yu moved, lunging toward the two men. His speed was immense; he was upon them in an instant, his fist wreathed in flames as he hammered it toward them.

"Magic Seal!"

The cheap trick was activated once more. The flames on Lin Yu’s fist vanished into thin air, but his fist continued its forward trajectory.

"Go to hell!"

A dagger appeared in Wang Hao’s hand, which he thrust toward Lin Yu. When he had awakened his S-rank talent, all his attributes had increased by 20 points, and he had since consumed several attribute fruits; he refused to believe Lin Yu was stronger than him.

Lin Yu sneered. His current four-dimensional attributes had long surpassed everyone else's. Competing with him in strength? That was like a fat pig running into a butcher’s house—pure suicide.

Sure enough, upon impact, the dagger was shattered by the punch, which then slammed into Wang Hao’s chest.

"This is impossible!"

Wang Hao’s eyes bulged with terror as the immense force of the collision sent him flying backward. The "Magic Seal" was immediately broken.

"Flame Roar!"

Another massive burst of flame erupted. The entire process was fluid, not a single second wasted. When the fire subsided, the surroundings were left in ruins. Hu Bin knelt on one knee, his clothes in tatters, covered in wounds and dripping with blood. In front of him, a shield made of solidified metal was cracked into pieces.

"Cough... how could you possibly be this strong?" Hu Bin wheezed. The man before him was absurdly powerful, far beyond his imagination. He collapsed before he could finish the sentence, no longer breathing. Beside him, Wang Hao had already been dead for some time.

"Even if they had a stronger 'Absolute Magic Seal,' my base attributes are powerful enough that I have nothing to fear," Lin Yu muttered to himself.

With the pressure of the "Magic Seal" gone, Liu Yu and the others began their own slaughter. Before long, not a single one of Wang Hao’s men remained. Xiao Wen looked at Lin Yu’s back, her heart filled with shock. So many powerful fighters had been effortlessly wiped out by this one man.

As the group walked out of the Olma Supermarket, Lin Yu’s expression tightened. He looked into the distance, sensing that he was being watched. Indeed, on a giant billboard eight or nine hundred meters away, a figure stood, observing them. Lin Yu focused his gaze, only to see the figure drop from the billboard and vanish. He frowned.

...

In the evening, the group gathered in the hotel lobby. By candlelight, they ate their meal in a leisurely manner. Over the past two days, Lin Yu and his team had cleared out most of the zombies on West Street, and the original occupants of the hotel had long since fled. For now, it had become their gathering place.

"The zombies have gotten much stronger today. I feel like most of them are at Level 3, and quite a few have even reached Level 5."

"Yeah, they were much easier to kill just a few days ago."

Everyone felt the pressure. It wasn't just them growing stronger; the zombies were evolving rapidly as time passed.

"But fortunately, the drop rate for crystals is much higher than before," Lin Yu said, wiping his mouth as he looked at the group.

"Since you’ve all joined this team, Chen Jing'er will be your leader from now on."

Everyone was startled.

"Are you leaving?" Chen Jing'er asked, her expression dimming.

"After tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Tianhai City. It’s too risky for you all to come with me." Lin Yu looked at Liu Yu and Yang Shanshan.

The two quickly spoke up: "Don't worry, Boss. We’ll listen to you and make sure to protect the Boss's wife."

Lin Yu looked at Xiao Wen: "And you?"

"I think you’re all great companions. I’ll stay here," Xiao Wen said.

"We’ll follow the big sister too," the remaining thirteen women in the lobby chimed in.

Lin Yu had been quite satisfied with how these women performed at the Olma Supermarket, so he hadn't stopped Chen Jing'er from taking them in.

"Alright, now that we’re a team, I hope you can all become people who can trust each other with your backs and survive in this apocalypse."

Lin Yu had already reached Level 10, and the Tier 0 crystals were no longer useful to him. They were a small foundation, and there was no better use for them than to strengthen his team. Hearing his words, the group felt something stir within them.

"We gathered 1,751 crystals today. Jing'er, here are 400 for you—you can reach Level 10 with these." Lin Yu had Liu Shiyun pour all the crystals onto the table.

"Liu Yu, 220! Shanshan, 220 for you as well! Xiao Wen, 180 for you!"

These three were all A-rank talent awakeners, the strongest power in the group, so they took priority.

"Thank you, Boss!" Liu Yu and Shanshan said in unison, beaming. They were currently Level 3; leveling up to 4 required 40 crystals, and to 5 required 50. 220 would be just enough to bring them both to Level 7.

"Thank... thank you, Boss!" Xiao Wen wasn't used to calling anyone that, so the first time felt a bit awkward. She was Level 4, and these 180 crystals would bring her to Level 7 as well.

"As for the thirteen of you, 40 each—just enough to reach Level 2."

"We get some too?" The thirteen girls were shocked. They hadn't expected to receive any crystals. They had only just been saved and joined the team, and as "weak women," they never thought they would be given resources. 40 crystals each was something they never dared to dream of.

"I said it before: I want this team to be a group of warm-hearted people, partners who can trust each other, not people who just use one another. Of course, not everyone can get the same resources. The three of them are talented awakeners; the stronger they are, the better the chances of the whole team surviving."

"Boss, we understand. Thank you!" The thirteen women were truly grateful from the bottom of their hearts.