Over thirty soldiers opened fire simultaneously, creating a dense barrage of bullets that enveloped the mutated creature. Although the bullets couldn't inflict significant damage on the creature, the sheer volume of firepower managed to suppress it, preventing it from advancing.
Realizing they couldn't kill the creature in front of them, Jake shouted, "Hold on, I'll go get a tank!" With that, she ran towards the rear.
Meanwhile, at the temporary command post, a young man stood amidst the ruins with a furrowed brow. Several soldiers had come to report being attacked by an unidentified creature, resulting in heavy casualties. "What on earth is this? Could it be another type of zombie?"
"Sigh, with Chu City in such a state, I wonder how my sister is doing in Linxian city," he thought, pushing aside his desire to find his sister and immediately picking up a satellite phone. He needed to report this situation to the military headquarters.
Soon, the call connected. "This is Central Command. What's the matter?" "I am Corporal Josh, from the 353rd Regiment of the 120th Division. I am located at Times Square in Nanshan District. According to reports from my soldiers, we have encountered a large number of monsters, and these creatures are unfazed by submachine gun bullets. My unit has already suffered over a dozen casualties. I request immediate reinforcement from Central Command."
"Corporal Josh, headquarters has received your report. Hold on for another half an hour, and we will immediately send reinforcements!" The call ended. Josh anxiously stood his ground.
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from a nearby street, and a large plume of black smoke billowed towards their location. Josh steadied himself and moved forward to investigate. The next moment, a beastly roar reverberated through the air.
Josh's pupils constricted as he witnessed a creature resembling a mantis burst out from the smoke. The creature stood about three meters tall, with arms resembling giant scythes, a gray body, eight serrated teeth visible in its wide open mouth, and a human-like torso and lower body.
"What on earth is this thing?" Josh murmured. The surrounding soldiers immediately opened fire.
However, it seemed as if the creature was impervious to bullets. Its scythe-like arms blocked the onslaught and relentlessly approached the soldiers. When it closed in within two or three meters, it suddenly leaped, swiftly swinging its scythes.
In an instant, one soldier was cut in half and fell to the ground, unwilling to accept his fate. Witnessing the horrific scene, the remaining soldiers became frantic, firing their weapons furiously. But the bullets seemed to merely tickle the creature, barely penetrating its flesh after impact.
Observing the situation, Josh took out a grenade from his waist and shouted, "Clear the way!" Following the command, the soldiers immediately retreated.
The creature, curious, looked towards the black object arcing through the air. But the next moment, a large fireball erupted, and the scorching shockwave forced the creature to retreat repeatedly. The steel balls within the grenade pierced through the creature's flesh under the force of the explosion, causing it to howl in pain.
Injured and enraged, the creature no longer dodged the soldiers' gunfire but swung its scythes directly at them. One minute later, only Josh remained on the battlefield. He stared in disbelief at the bloodied creature before him, along with the corpses of his comrades, a deep sense of fear welling up within him. "What... what on earth is this?"
Just then, a shockwave hit the monster from behind, causing it to retreat repeatedly from the explosive damage. Help had arrived. ...
"We're here," Anthony pointed to a path ahead and advised, "Find a concealed spot and wait for me to clear the zombies here. Then you can extract the contents from their heads."
"You mean the gray crystals?" Cheryl had been wanting to ask since this morning when she and Anthony killed over thirty zombies and saw him retrieve something from their heads.
"Yes, those things are important to me," Anthony nodded solemnly. Cheryl noticed Anthony's seriousness and timidly asked, "Can I ask what the crystals are used for?"
"..." Anthony fell silent for a moment.
Thinking that Anthony didn't want to say, Cheryl quickly waved her hand and said, "It's okay if you don't want to answer, I was just curious."
Anthony shook his head. It wasn't much of a secret. It wouldn't hurt to tell Cheryl. After all, she currently harbored no hostility towards him, as indicated by the high friendliness score of 75 when they entered the room data last night.
The probability of awakening after ingesting a zombie crystal was very low, and even if someone knew about it, they wouldn't dare to take the risk of death. So he said, "These crystals are called zombie crystals. They are formed by the condensation of the zombie virus inside zombies. When consumed by ordinary people, they can unlock the human body's hidden potential and awaken extraordinary genes."
"For example?" Cheryl asked curiously.
"If we're talking about examples, it's like those superheroes in movies. Some can breathe fire, some can turn invisible, some have immense strength, and some can fly," Anthony explained.
Hearing this, Cheryl recalled those gray transparent crystals and couldn't help but swallow nervously. Seeing Cheryl's reaction, Anthony ruthlessly shattered her illusions, saying, "I advise you to dismiss the idea of swallowing a zombie crystal. Although it can awaken extraordinary powers, it's actually more like a poison. When consumed by ordinary people, the probability of awakening only one in five hundred."
"What about the other four hundred and ninety-nine?" Cheryl asked.
"They die," Anthony replied indifferently. Cheryl instantly felt disheartened. If what Anthony said was true, then indeed, these things were more like poisons!
"Is there no way to reduce the death rate?" Cheryl still had some unwillingness.
"There is!" Anthony nodded. There was a way to reduce the death rate caused by the zombie crystal.
"What is it?" Cheryl asked excitedly.
"Training, constantly becoming stronger. When you reach the limits of your body and then swallow a zombie crystal, your awakening probability will increase. Of course, it doesn't guarantee that you will awaken," Anthony explained, completely dispelling Cheryl's thoughts of swallowing a zombie crystal.
"Well, then forget it!" Although she wanted to become an awakened, she wasn't willing to gamble with her life. Cheryl's response surprised Anthony. Few people could resist the temptation of awakening and take the risk of swallowing a zombie crystal. Cheryl's resolute decision made Anthony regard her in a different light.
"Okay, besides becoming an awakened, you can choose to train. As long as you train tirelessly over the years, one day you will also become strong," Anthony said, not intending to console her.
In this post-apocalyptic world, there were indeed people who became strong without swallowing crystals. Perhaps as compensation from the Blue Star after the cataclysm, there was a substance similar to spiritual energy in the atmosphere. Ordinary people could strengthen themselves by absorbing this spiritual energy through cultivation, which was not inferior to being an awakened.
Anthony had once met a skilled individual at the survivor base in the city of Linxian. He had a close relationship with that old man, considering him a close friend, and the old man even planned to pass on all his knowledge to Anthony. Unfortunately, the old man was too old, and his life force had diminished significantly. Although absorbing spiritual energy could enhance his own strength, it couldn't extend his lifespan by much. He passed away in the second month after Anthony entered the survivor base in Linxian.
Recalling these memories, Anthony felt a sense of regret. Now that he had been reborn and knew the old man's whereabouts, as the old man had mentioned to him, if he could find him earlier, not to mention acquiring all his knowledge, it would be for the sake of friendship. If he had found him two months earlier, drinking from his spiritual pool every day, perhaps the old man could have lived a little longer.