Chapter 36: Chen Jing'er's Crisis

"I've hit the jackpot!"

Opportunities like this—where a cluster of first-order zombies gather and wait to be slaughtered—are rare. In just half an hour, he had secured sixteen first-order crystals. At this moment, he ignored everything else, focusing solely on the frenzy of hunting the first-order zombies.

"Roar!"

Over an hour later, just as Lin Yu was in the thick of the carnage, a massive roar erupted, and every single zombie suddenly stopped in its tracks.

"Is the battle over?" Lin Yu felt a tightening in his chest.

Taking advantage of the momentary lull, he darted forward quickly, snatching two more crystals before coming to a halt. These two first-order zombies had been the minions brought along by the "Big Brother."

"Brother, that's enough. You're about to wipe out all the first-order zombies on the field," the voice of the Big Brother drifted over.

"I'm just helping you out, aren't I?" Lin Yu laughed.

The Big Brother looked grim, but he didn't say anything further. If Lin Yu hadn't cleared out so many of the first-order zombies, he would likely have been swarmed, making it much harder to take down the Zombie King.

"You subdued it?" Lin Yu asked, astonished. He hadn't expected the Big Brother to spare the Zombie King, let alone bring it to heel. How did he manage that?

He could clearly sense now that this Zombie King was no longer first-order; it had evolved to the second order. A high-order zombie submitting to a lower-order one? It was utterly bizarre. Lin Yu felt a surge of temptation, wondering if he should strike now and take out all these high-order zombies. However, he instantly pushed the thought aside.

"I'm off!" Lin Yu called out, leaping away into the distance.

This trip had netted him thirty-seven first-order crystals; the harvest was already substantial.

"Next stop, Tianhai City," Lin Yu muttered to himself.

Today was the thirteenth day of the apocalypse. Under the butterfly effect caused by Lin Yu, the evolutionary speed of the entire Great Xia nation had increased significantly compared to his previous life. On the national ranking board, there were already twenty-six first-order evolvers. He was only ranked ninth, while Liu Shiyun was seventh. This was perfectly normal; after all, some people awakened talents that boosted their early-stage advancement speed.

For instance, the Big Brother, who had countless minions willing to provide him with crystals. Or the Spirit Mediums, who could use the keen sense of smell of their spirit beasts to find first-order zombies and mutated beasts more easily than others, naturally advancing faster. Now, many powerful individuals had the strength to easily solo first-order zombies; the difficulty lay in actually finding them.

Lin Yu scanned the rankings briefly. Even "Dawn," the strongest in the first sequence of his previous life, had not yet reached the first order. Fast advancement did not necessarily mean superior strength. Lin Yu knew that none of those currently on the list would be a match for Dawn—except for himself.

"I wonder if Jing'er has awakened her talent yet?"

...

On the highway from Kundu City to Tianhai City, there were few cars, not enough to completely block the road. Liu Shiyun was driving the G-Wagon, occasionally pulling sharp S-turns to weave through various vehicle obstacles.

"The road ahead is blocked," Liu Shiyun said.

Lin Yu leaned forward to look. Seven or eight sedans were scattered across the highway, blocking the path.

"Watch this." Lin Yu leaped out of the car and, with a few kicks, sent the obstructing vehicles flying.

Just like that, nothing could stop them, and the car sped away down the highway. What the trio didn't know was that a thousand meters above them, a massive eagle was flying in the same direction. The eagle's wingspan reached a terrifying ten meters; it was clearly no ordinary bird, but a mutated creature. Standing on its back was a solitary figure.

...

Elsewhere, in a hotel lobby, Chen Jing'er was organizing the day's tasks. Three days had passed since Lin Yu left, and their small squad still consisted of seventeen people. Aside from the four leaders who had reached level ten long ago, the remaining thirteen women had all hit level nine. Among the evolver factions in this ancient town, they were easily ranked in the top ten.

"Today, we'll head toward the West Back Street. If we can kill three more first-order zombies, we'll have enough for ten crystals," Chen Jing'er said. The others echoed her, all filled with determination.

After lunch, the seventeen of them walked out of the hotel. However, they were blocked the moment they stepped outside.

"So you're the only squad on West Street?" The man scanned the group, clearly unimpressed.

"Something you need?" Chen Jing'er frowned.

"Not bad strength. You're qualified to be my subordinates." The man sized them up, satisfied to see that the lowest level among them was nine. He felt a flicker of anticipation, wondering how many among them were awakeners.

If Lin Yu were here, he would surely recognize this man. In his previous life, this man was Lu Qi, the first powerhouse in Kundu City to reach the third order and the recipient of the Fire Dragon's Essence. Unfortunately, in this life, Lin Yu had beaten him to it; he had obtained neither the Fire Dragon's Essence nor any other treasures.

However, some people are born with extraordinary luck. After the apocalypse descended, the animals in the Xiyun Mountain Zoo had all mutated; some began slaughtering each other, while others fled into the mountains. A tiger and a leopard had fought to a mutual standstill, a scene Lu Qi had stumbled upon, turning it into his own opportunity. His S-rank awakening talent, "Ability Absorption," allowed him to directly take the tiger's raw power and the leopard's extreme speed.

"Subordinates?" Chen Jing'er tossed her hair and smirked. "I think it's about time you became *my* subordinate."

"Then let me see if you have the strength to back that up!" Lu Qi wasn't angered, saying coolly, "I'll show you what a true powerhouse is."

With that, he vanished in a flash, charging straight at them.

"Sister Jing, look out!"

Before the others could react, the figure was already in front of Chen Jing'er.

"Ice Shield!" Xiao Wen's reflexes were fast; she raised her hand to channel her ice ability, conjuring a massive shield of ice in front of Chen Jing'er.

*CRACK!*

In the next instant, Lu Qi's fist, imbued with immense force, slammed into the shield, shattering it into pieces. Everyone's heart sank. Xiao Wen was their strongest member; the fact that her ice shield had been broken in a single blow showed that this man's strength was terrifying.

*BANG!*

Another massive collision echoed as Lu Qi threw another punch after shattering the shield. Chen Jing'er moved to dodge, only to find the man's speed was faster, his movements shadowing hers like a phantom. Faced with the incoming fist, she gritted her teeth; there was no avoiding it, so she had to take the blow head-on. But the man's strength was beyond anything she could match. At the point of impact, her body was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the ground.

"Sister Jing!"

"Sister Jing!"

The group gasped in horror and launched their own attacks.

"Sandification!" Yang Shan'shan activated her talent, instantly turning the ground beneath Lu Qi into sand. Under the pull of gravity, Lu Qi began to sink rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was buried in sand up to his thighs. In ten seconds at most, he would be completely submerged.

"Hmph!" Lu Qi's expression turned grave. He channeled all his strength, forcing himself to stop the downward pull.

"Get down there!" Following Xiao Wen's sharp shout, massive ice spikes materialized above the man's head and crashed down upon him. Simultaneously, countless wind blades sliced through the air, closing in on him.

Lu Qi felt a moment of panic. He hadn't expected to face three awakeners, all with powerful talents and seamless coordination. One misstep, and he had fallen into a crisis. If he couldn't break free from the sand trap, he was going to be in real trouble.