Chapter 29: The Entire Team Injected with Tier-2 Serum

After clearing security, the group parked their vehicles in front of the Zombie Hunter Bureau branch, located next to the Sector C plaza.

Li Xingyue walked into the lobby and happened to run into Huang Qian. "Boss Huang, we've brought in a few vehicles. Come take a look and verify them."

Huang Qian, who had been admiring herself in a mirror, paused at the sound of Li Xingyue's voice. She followed him outside and was visibly surprised to see the five vehicles lined up. After walking around them and inspecting their condition, she remarked, "You guys are really something! Your team is the smallest, yet you always bring back the most valuable supplies."

She quickly summoned a few staff members to inspect the vehicles and their cargo. Within half an hour, the tally was complete. Huang Qian calculated the total: the five vehicles and their contents were worth exactly 3,152 points. The group was stunned by the figure. Everyone was thrilled; unlike their previous hauls, this felt almost like a windfall.

After the points were transferred, they said their goodbyes to Huang Qian. Li Xingyue checked his wristband—his total balance was 5,652 points. This included his original savings, the points transferred from the five doomed squads he had encountered earlier, and the three thousand he had just earned.

*Damn, what a massive haul!*

Li Xingyue decided to split the points equally among the team. The other four initially refused, knowing they hadn't contributed much, but Li Xingyue insisted that as a team, they should share in the fortune. Looking at his remaining balance of just over a thousand points, he hesitated over whether to buy a Tier 2 evolution serum and inject it immediately. He shared his thoughts with the four of them.

Liu Yi pondered for a moment. "I think we should buy them. With increased strength, our chances of successfully completing missions will be much higher." The other three agreed wholeheartedly.

Seeing the consensus, Li Xingyue returned to the bureau and found Huang Qian. "Oh, you want a Tier 2 serum? We happen to have one left in stock today. I'll go get it for you."

Soon, Huang Qian returned with a small box. After paying 1,000 points, Li Xingyue took the serum and left. Back at their living quarters, Li Xingyue sat on his bed and opened the box. He noticed the Tier 2 serum was white, completely different from the gray Tier 1 version.

Following the instructions, Li Xingyue inserted the needle into his arm and injected the entire white liquid into his body.

Liu San watched him curiously. "Captain, how do you feel?"

Li Xingyue checked his internal state and found nothing at first. "I don't feel a thing... Ah! Damn! It hurts!"

Before he could finish, a wave of agony swept through his body. His muscles began to twitch uncontrollably, accompanied by an unbearable, maddening itch. The pain felt far more intense than the Tier 1 serum! Two minutes later, unable to endure the torment, Li Xingyue passed out.

Huang Ya’s eyes widened. "Damn, this Tier 2 stuff is that painful?"

Liu San shook his head. "I heard that the greater your physical potential, the less pain you feel. If the pain is severe, it’s usually the opposite, though that’s not an absolute rule."

About half an hour later, Li Xingyue woke up. The pain had vanished. He sensed the changes in his body—he had undoubtedly reached Tier 2. He could clearly feel his strength had increased, and his body felt significantly lighter.

He looked over to see the other four playing cards. Seeing that Li Xingyue was awake, Liu Yi pointed to the side. "We’ve already eaten. We saved a portion for you."

Li Xingyue looked where he pointed and saw a takeout bag. Inside were five steamed buns, three boxes of dishes, and a bottle of Sprite. *Nice,* he thought. Two meat dishes and one vegetable—twice-cooked pork, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and stir-fried cauliflower. This must have cost a fair amount of points.

He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of the fatty, succulent pork, and chewed. *Delicious!* He began to feast.

Liu Er watched him eat. "Captain, how do you feel now? Can you punch the Earth to pieces yet?"

Li Xingyue nearly choked. "Punch the Earth to pieces? You'd be lucky if I could punch a hole through a steamed bun. I just feel stronger, and... well, my appetite has definitely grown."

After finishing his meal and downing the Sprite in one go, Li Xingyue lay back on his bed, feeling satisfied and humming a little tune. Liu San looked at him. "Captain, what are our plans? Are we going to keep taking regular missions? Should we look for new members?"

As the main topic came up, the others put down their cards, and Li Xingyue sat up.

"I do have some ideas, but let’s hear what you think first," Li Xingyue said with a dignified air, despite actually having no plans at all.

Liu Er said, "I think we should recruit one or two girls. Men and women working together makes for double the efficiency!"

Liu Yi countered, "We can't just pick anyone. Our numbers are low, but the current missions are simple enough that we can manage for a while longer."

Liu San added, "Big Brother is right. We can take our time finding teammates. Our priority should be raising everyone’s individual strength."

After the three brothers spoke, they looked at Huang Ya. Huang Ya paused, then feigned deep thought. "Hmm... in that case, yes, I agree. That’s exactly how we should do it. Sounds good."

Li Xingyue knew he didn't have any ideas either. Synthesizing the discussion, he agreed with Liu San. Improving everyone's strength was essential to taking on higher-level missions and earning more points. In this apocalypse, strength was the absolute priority.

Organizing his thoughts, Li Xingyue spoke, "Let's do this: we all have a little over a thousand points now. Tomorrow, everyone go to the bureau and buy a Tier 2 serum. Once everyone has broken through, we’ll take on a D-rank mission to test our skills."

No one had any objections to his plan. They chatted for a while longer before turning in for the night.

The next morning, the five of them went to the canteen for breakfast and then headed straight to the bureau to purchase four more serums before returning to their quarters.

Li Xingyue sat on his bed. "Go ahead and inject yourselves. I'll keep watch."

The four nodded and began the process. Soon, they were all reacting to the serum, shouting in pain before losing consciousness.

*So, that’s what I looked like yesterday,* Li Xingyue thought.

He sat quietly for about an hour until they started waking up one by one. Liu Er flexed his fists, noticing his strength had indeed increased. Liu Yi and Liu Er tested their agility with a few jumps, finding their bodies much lighter.

Huang Ya, meanwhile, turned his back to the others, opened his pants to take a peek, and then curled his lip. "Nothing changed here. Does the evolution serum have no effect on this area?"