Yan Yun, a youthful 20-year-old student, is easily recognizable with her ponytail, short-sleeved T-shirt, and pleated skirt.
However, the previous night's events involving Lu Yu and the ensuing cosmic storm have left her feeling physically depleted.
Despite her fatigue, she is compelled to approach the window at Lu Yu's request, where she witnesses a scene of utter chaos.
The sound of crashing vehicles fills the air as wreckage is strewn about. People, initially confused upon exiting their vehicles, quickly descend into a state of panic as they come to terms with the severity of the situation.
Roooar!
A chilling roar reverberates through the air, followed by a zombie charging towards an unsuspecting woman. The subsequent screams and the sight of blood splattering are truly horrifying.
If the sight of zombies isn't shocking enough for Yan Yun, the occasional appearance of giant flying insects in the sky and the multitude of green-scaled, long-tailed lizardmen on the ground are enough to completely shatter her perception of reality.
A security guard stationed at the hotel entrance is frozen in fear at the sight of these bizarre creatures. He leads a simple life, content with his modest salary and the absence of major disruptions.
However, he never anticipated encountering such a monstrous creature, a cyan mantis, standing half a person's height and nearly two meters long, its body marked with distinctive black lines and its meter-long forelimbs lined with sharp serrations.
Screech!
The mantis' screech sends shivers down his spine, and he yearns to escape but finds himself paralyzed by fear. A sharp pain radiates through his shoulder as the mantis' scythe pierces it, causing him to collapse.
The mantis then bites into his neck, severing his head from his body in a gruesome spectacle.
The sight of this brutality leaves Yan Yun and the other survivors pale and nauseated. The monsters, appearing out of nowhere and increasing in numbers within moments, wreak havoc not only at the hotel but also on the streets, attacking pedestrians, passing couples, and people heading to the supermarket.
Yan Yun, overwhelmed by the bloody and violent scene unfolding before her, struggles to comprehend the situation.
She has seen such scenes only in apocalyptic movies, and witnessing them firsthand is a shocking reality check.
Lu Yu, observing the mantis, questions the creature's formidable strength.
He is taken aback by the power of these early-apocalypse monsters and wonders how humans, already at a disadvantage, can survive in the later stages of this apocalypse.
[Race: Zerg]
[Name: Sickle Mantis. ]
[Level: Black Iron Intermediate. ]
[Explanation: An alien insect that relies heavily on its forelimbs, as long as it does not fight them head-on, it is easy to defeat them! ]
[Note 1: Except for humans, all creatures that have evolved to the high level of black iron are likely to condense crystal nuclei. ]
[Note 2: The crystal nucleus can make all living things, including humans, evolve again, collect them, maybe you can become stronger. ]
Suddenly, he is able to see the monster's information, including its race, name, and level. This newfound ability, granted by the system, allows him to view basic information about monsters, humans, and items, and even the betrayal rate of humans around him.
This revelation fills him with excitement, as he realizes that this ability could significantly accelerate his rise.
Name: Yan Yun
Age: 20
Height: 165
Weight: 92
Betrayal rate: 90%
He instinctively glances at Yan Yun, noting her basic information and a high betrayal rate of 90%.
This information, coupled with the unfolding chaos, paints a grim picture of the challenges they are about to face.
The concept of a "betrayal rate" is used to quantify the likelihood of individuals in your vicinity betraying you. The higher this rate, the greater the probability of betrayal.
According to the system, the initial betrayal rate for all strangers is set at 50%.
A rate below 50% suggests that the individual may have a positive relationship with you.
However, a rate exceeding 50% indicates that the individual is likely to harbor ill intentions towards you, ranging from animosity to potentially lethal actions.
In this context, Lu Yu, who had unscrupulously taken Yan Yun's blood the previous night, naturally incited Yan Yun's desire for his demise. This explains her high betrayal rate of 90%.
Unfazed by this value, Lu Yu retreated to his room and retrieved a metal crossbow hidden under a hollowed-out sofa cushion.
Based on the data observed through the villain's eye, Lu Yu deduced that a monster like the sickle mantis heavily relies on its forelimbs, making it vulnerable to attacks not directly confronted.
This implies that a sneak attack from behind could be more effective.
Eager to test this theory, Lu Yu prepared the crossbow in advance, anticipating the arrival of the apocalypse.
Despite being a legitimate businessman, Lu Yu, as a wealthy second-generation individual, managed to acquire a crossbow in a country where firearms are prohibited.
His room is also equipped with a long sword and a hand ax purchased from Xu Hao, as a precautionary measure.
Lu Yu positioned the crossbow at the hotel window, inserted the crossbow arrow into the arrow slot of the crossbow arm, and began scouting for prey. Yan Yun, witnessing Lu Yu's swift action in taking out a crossbow, was taken aback.
"What's the deal with him?"
He not only had his weapons at the ready but also maintained a composed demeanor.
How is it possible for someone to remain so unperturbed upon witnessing the sudden emergence of numerous horrifying creatures?
It defies logic!
"Was he aware of the monsters' impending arrival?"
She found it hard to believe how composed he remained despite the sudden appearance of numerous terrifying monsters.
She questioned whether Lu Yu had prior knowledge of the monsters' arrival.
Unaware of Yan Yun's thoughts, Lu Yu quietly observed the monsters outside the window, searching for hunting opportunities. Despite knowing about the impending apocalypse and making some preparations, Lu Yu, unlike Chu Feng who was reborn from the apocalypse, had never experienced the harshness of the apocalypse.
The sight of so many monsters appearing simultaneously induced panic within him. His calm demeanor was attributed to another skill he possessed, the "villain's heart".
This skill, akin to the hero's heart in an anime, significantly enhances Lu Yu's resilience and courage, transforming him from an ordinary person to a warrior with excellent psychological quality.
While Yan Yun was lost in thought, a sickle mantis holding a broken human arm flew up to a telephone pole next to the hotel. It used its large serrated sickles to slice the arm, aiding its quick consumption.
The poles were taller than ordinary poles, and Lu Yu, standing on the 8th floor, was less than ten meters away. The effective lethality of his crossbow was 20 meters. So, Lu Yu aimed at the back of the mantis' head and pulled the crossbow's trigger.
Whoosh!
Pfft!
The arrow from the crossbow easily penetrated the mantis' head from the back to the front. The mantis, in pain, let out a horrific scream. It shook its head, discarding the unfinished arm from the air, and its violent, bloodthirsty eyes quickly turned towards Lu Yu.
It found us!
Yan Yun, in her state of confusion, stated the obvious that the mantis had found them. She wanted to question why Lu Yu provoked the monster at this time, but her current mental state had evidently lost the ability to think rationally.
Lu Yu ignored her and frowned at the mantis' movements. Although the power of his crossbow was not much inferior to that of bullets, it was not a repeating crossbow and could not be fired continuously.
If the mantis endured the pain and flew directly over, he wouldn't have time to mount a second arrow.
But just as Lu Yu was about to use his newly awakened power to repel the sickle mantis, the fierceness in the mantis' eyes that flew into the air began to fade. Its eyelids grew heavier, and its wings flapped slower and slower until it eventually fell directly from the air.
Thud!
Relieved, Lu Yu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The villain's eyes had not deceived him. While he was contemplating, countless lizardmen on the ground discovered the sickle mantis that had fallen from the sky.
They rushed towards the mantis, and with their strong bite force, the mantis was quickly divided. Blood and guts flowed all over the place.
In less than a minute, the mantis was gnawed down to a pair of hard serrated sickles. Half of it was inserted into the head of Lu Yu's arrow and rolled to the side.
The lizardmen who ate the sickle mantis had their green scales obviously two points brighter than before.
Lu Yu thought of the word "evolution".
These monsters not only hunt humans but also devour their kind. Devouring their kind, even without a crystal nucleus, they will evolve. Realizing this, Lu Yu quickly closed the window.
After putting the crossbow back, he took out the long sword he had bought from Xu Hao from under the sofa.
After taking a careful look at the long sword, a line of words suddenly appeared in Lu Yu's line of sight.
Emerging Inscription:
Status: A blade in the midst of awakening…
Progress: Awakening completion rate at 91%…92%…93%… and steadily climbing.
The numbers continued to ascend, suggesting that the sword was on the cusp of reaching its full potential. This revelation prompted Lu Yu to ponder, Xu Hao had been truthful.
Could this ordinary-looking sword actually be an enchanted weapon?
System Notification:
Alert: [Ding, the awakening is complete!]
The system's prompt abruptly interrupted Lu Yu's thoughts, snapping him back to the present moment. He took another look at the sword, now fully awakened.
Sword Analysis:
Type: Sword
Name: Qingshou Sword
Grade: Black iron (energy value 0/10)
This was no ordinary sword; it was the legendary Qingshou Sword, once wielded by Cao Cao during the epoch of the Three Kingdoms. Cao Cao possessed two renowned swords, 'Yi Tian' and 'Qing Su', hailed as the unparalleled twin blades.
The Yitian sword was his personal armament, while the Qingshou Sword was bestowed upon Xiahou En, only to be later seized by Zhao Yun at Changbanpo…
Cosmic Phenomenon Note:
A cosmic storm has traversed the entirety of the earth, infusing unknown energies into the planet, bestowing new life. Certain extraordinary items have been graced with mystical powers. Those who master these items may find themselves leading a life far superior to others.
Lu Yu, still processing the information, could only utter in disbelief,
"What's going on?
The Qing… Qingshou Sword?"
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