"Mmm..." Anthony let out a muffled groan as he half-knelt on the ground, supporting himself with one hand on the Tang Sword. He wore a bitter smile on his face.
"I didn't expect this move to consume so much." The dual burden of Bursting Spirit and Meditation on his body was undoubtedly enormous. For a First Level Awakener, forcibly unleashing the strength of a Second Level Awakener was nearly enough to cause his body to collapse. After executing the move, his internal energy was depleted, and he could no longer perform any skills.
Unlike Anthony, who was struggling on the ground, the Second Level Death Harvester stood dumbfounded in place. It seemed as if it hadn't suffered much damage. It muttered to itself, "An... An..."
The next moment, splat! Its head tilted to the side, and a fountain of blue blood sprayed into the air. Its three-meter-tall body crashed to the ground. The Second Level Death Harvester, deceased! Feeling the commotion behind him, Anthony propped himself up with one hand on the Tang Sword and turned his head. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the fallen Second Level Death Harvester. The threat from YangHe School was finally eliminated.
However, at that moment, a roar echoed. Anthony's heart tightened as he turned to look. He noticed that countless zombies were pouring out from the teaching building and dormitories, converging towards his location. In a short period, around three to four thousand zombies swarmed around him, completely blocking his surroundings.
"I almost forgot about you guys." Anthony murmured, gripping the sword with one hand as he gazed at the ordinary and mutated zombies surrounding him. Suddenly, his figure vanished. Within the zombie horde, zombie heads were sent flying, continuing for nearly half an hour.
With a flourish of his sword, Anthony shook off the black-red blood that had adhered to it, then began the cleanup.
"1, 2, 3..." For a full two hours, Anthony meticulously counted the battlefield. In total, he collected 2,100 crystals from ordinary zombies, 1,000 from mutated zombies, three crystals from First Level Harvesters, and one crystal from a Second Level Death Harvester.
However, when he removed the crystal from the Second Level Death Harvester, he noticed a silver pendant around its neck. Inside the pendant was a picture of a young girl. Likely due to albinism, the girl had white hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows, with a hint of sadness in her big, watery eyes. Most importantly, the picture of the white-haired girl bore a striking resemblance to the First Level Harvester he had slain earlier.
"Could it be..." Anthony thought back to the name "An An" that the Second Level Death Harvester had often mentioned. A touch of sorrow appeared on his face. Perhaps the silver-haired girl had been met with disdain from her surroundings before turning into a zombie, and that was why she clung to her original appearance. The Second Level Death Harvester was probably her father.
"This damn apocalypse!" He muttered under his breath, giving a wave of his hand towards the Second Level Death Harvester's body. Instantly, the corpse disappeared from its original location. Likewise, he gestured towards the three fallen First Level Harvesters, and their bodies also vanished.
Having completed these tasks, Anthony hobbled towards the base. Meanwhile, at the ChuDu City Opera House, a bizarre-looking female zombie suddenly let out a roar, her high-pitched, dolphin-like soundwaves rippling outward and shattering the glass walls that adorned the massive theater. The zombies that had been wandering around the opera house quivered and lay prone on the ground, seemingly enduring the anger of their queen. The sound spread far and wide, and survivors hiding in various rooms cowered in fear in the corners.
One young boy huddled in his mother's arms, timidly asking, "Mom, is that monster angry?"
"Perhaps," the woman said, ruffling the boy's hair and sighing deeply as she gazed out at the window, which now lacked the glass panes. The opera house resounded with screams for quite some time.
"Go, find all the humans hiding in the gutters for me!" With that command, tens of thousands of zombies near the opera house surged towards the surrounding human neighborhoods.
Back at the base, Anthony headed straight for the conversion room. He dumped all the zombie crystals from the spatial ring inside.
Energy Points +27300!
Energy Points +65000!
Energy Points +5850!
Energy Points +52000!
In addition to these crystals, Anthony also placed the bodies of three First Level Harvesters and the Second Level Death Harvester into the conversion process.
Energy Points +390!
Energy Points +1300!
"I didn't expect intact bodies to be so valuable." Anthony was astonished by the number of energy points the body of the Second Level Death Harvester could yield. The value of 1000 energy points was equivalent to the price of an ordinary First Level mutant. Looking at the remaining energy points: 146682.3.
This wave today was worth it! Exiting the interface, Anthony glanced at the base's store. It hadn't refreshed yet, and there was nothing worthwhile to exchange for.
"That'll be it for today!" Anthony left the energy conversion room and took out the last ancient virus vaccine from his spatial ring.
This vaccine was meant for Annabelle, but due to the base's affairs, he had forgotten to give it to her. Today he had the time. Walking to the kitchen door, Annabelle was busy cooking food for distribution, with Lynn assisting.
Watching them, a faint smile played on Anthony's lips. There was a time when such a life could only exist in dreams. The days at the LinXian City survivor base had become an indelible memory. Fortunately, fate smiled upon him, giving him a chance to be reborn and awakening the Dawn Base. This allowed him to protect his companions and ensure they had a life free from worry.
Shaking his head, Anthony returned to the present and called out to the bustling Annabelle in the kitchen, "Annabelle, could you come out for a moment? I have something to discuss."
"Oh, sure." Annabelle realized and glanced apologetically at Lynn, saying, "Lynn, I'll step out for a bit. I'll be back to help you in a while."
"Go ahead, it's probably something important," Lynn nodded.
"Alright." Annabelle wiped her hands and came out, and Anthony gestured for her to follow him upstairs.
Once on the second floor, he handed her the ancient virus vaccine and explained, "This is a Level 1 zombie virus vaccine. After injection, it provides immunity to scratches from First Level mutants and lower-level zombies."
"Do the others have it too?" Annabelle hesitated. She had only recently joined the base and felt a bit embarrassed to be given something so valuable. As for why Anthony had it, she had learned some information from other team members and was clever enough not to mention it.
"Some of them," Anthony pondered.
Upon hearing that, Annabelle decisively declined, "Then, I can't accept it."
"Why?" Anthony chuckled.
Annabelle explained seriously, "Currently, I can contribute very little to the base. Cheryl, Verna, and the others can help in combat. Dash is a pillar of the base's defense, and Lynn is capable of managing the survivors. I can only lend a hand, so it's better for them to have and use such important resources."
Anthony was taken aback by her words but still pushed the vaccine toward her, saying, "Don't worry. Take what's given to you. As for resource allocation, I have my plans."
"Alright then," Annabelle hesitated for a moment before accepting it. She picked it up and curiously examined the transparent green luminescent liquid inside the syringe. She then jabbed it into her arm. In the next moment, a cool sensation spread from her shoulder.
Meanwhile, Anthony stood by, quietly accessing Annabelle's data.
"[Virus Resistance]: 1 (Provides immunity to ordinary zombie viruses from First Level mutants and below)"