Lin An was overjoyed, feeling a rush of blood to his head.
The difference between a Level 1 and Level 2 Energy Plant was vast despite only a one-word difference in their names.
In his previous life, it took three whole years before he even saw a single piece of information about a possible Level 2 Energy Plant in the chat channel!
That single message triggered a mad scramble among dozens of second-tier awakened ones in the East China War Zone.
In the end, a top-tier second-tier awakened one managed to acquire it at the cost of over a thousand deaths in his team.
Without pausing to consider why a Level 2 Energy Plant would appear here, Lin An swallowed it without hesitation.
"Buzz~"
A powerful warmth surged through his body the moment it entered his mouth.
"Hah—"
The violet flower melted instantly, turning into a fiery line that shot through his body.
Lin An grunted, feeling pain in his limbs.
This was the sign of his body being transformed by the energy.
As a torrent of energy coursed through him, a surge of power rose from his lower abdomen.
"Ding, you have consumed a Level 2 Energy Plant. You have gained Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Willpower +1."
"Ding, you have obtained the exclusive enhancement of a Level 2 Energy Plant: Burst Power +10%."
"Ding, you have obtained the exclusive enhancement of a Level 2 Energy Plant: Movement Speed +10%."
After the enhancement process ended, Lin An was drenched in sweat, his eyes blazing.
Staring at the continuous stream of notifications, he was overjoyed.
This is... so powerful!
As expected of a Level 2 Energy Plant.
In addition to the high attribute boosts, it also came with rare additional effects.
A 10% increase in burst power meant he could deliver attacks beyond his strength limit.
And increased movement speed was equally important.
In the apocalypse game, speed determined whether you could escape danger in life-or-death situations!
With these two powerful additional effects, Lin An felt as though he had boundless strength within him.
Of course, he knew this was merely an illusion caused by the sudden increase in power.
"Character Panel!"
Lin An muttered, eager to check his current attributes.
"Character Information: Lin An (Tier 0 Awakened, Player Level: 0)"
"Strength: 16.4"
"Agility: 15.4"
"Constitution: 15.4"
"Willpower: 16.8"
"Equipment: Ring of the Apocalypse (Special)"
Awakened Talent: Burst of Strength S-Class.
(In a short time, physical attributes are greatly enhanced, but prolonged use leads to a weakened state.)
"Tier 0: All Attributes +2 (Normal human limits for each attribute are 10.)"
Savior Template: Eye of Judgment (When activated, continuously consumes mental power to obtain target information, can be upgraded.)
"Savior Template Task Information: Kill the Tier 2 mutant [Stitched Zombie]"
"Task Level: Dangerous!"
"Task Time Limit: 120 hours"
"Task Reward: Anti-Toxin Serum *3 (Eliminates zombie virus in the body.)"
"Savior Template Task Information: Recruit 5 team members (30-day limit), current progress (2/5)."
"Task Reward: Apocalypse Base Vehicle (Initial)."
Lin An was very satisfied with his current attributes.
His stats were now luxurious, with strength approaching mid-tier Level 1!
For a typical Level 1 Awakened, most attributes were just over ten points.
It was no exaggeration to say that if he encountered a normal awakened one now, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand even one of his strikes.
Let's give it a try!
Lin An raised his right fist and swung it through the air.
"Boom!"
A crisp explosion rang out as his fist broke the air, causing a brief vacuum explosion.
In the small flower shop, debris was blown into the air by the shockwave.
Lin An aimed at the thick wall; with one punch, the steel-reinforced concrete wall was instantly pierced, revealing the street outside.
"Gulp."
The flower shop owner's eyes were wide open, her mouth agape, large enough to fit an egg.
She had hidden by the window and watched carefully as Lin An fought the zombies, witnessing the final blow.
Seeing Lin An punch through a concrete wall, she was utterly shocked.
Is this still human?!
Too terrifying.
She shrank back, hoping Lin An wouldn't notice her.
Wen Ya was also surprised.
She knew how powerful Lin An was, but now he seemed even stronger than before.
Amazed, Wen Ya remained quiet and obedient.
Lin An retracted his right fist, his fair hand unscathed except for a slight redness.
With his enhanced constitution, his resistance to damage had also increased.
Even if Wen Ya tried to chop him with an axe now, she might not be able to kill him.
As his strength increased, Lin An felt he was gradually becoming more than human.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, there was a cacophony of footsteps outside the shop, accompanied by the growls of zombies.
Lin An looked up, peering through the hole he had just punched in the wall.
Outside, a sea of zombies with blood-red, ferocious eyes stretched out as far as he could see.
"Ah!"
"Mon... monsters!"
The flower shop owner screamed in terror, causing the zombies to become even more frenzied, crashing into the shelves stacked at the entrance.
Terrified out of her wits, the flower shop owner moved with a speed that belied her size, sprinting up the stairs in a single bound.
"Click."
The sound of the door locking was followed by the noise of heavy objects being moved to barricade it. It seemed she was trying to block the door.
Wen Ya was momentarily stunned, speechless.
Instinctively, she grasped Lin An's arm with her right hand.
She sighed softly, her eyes filled with pity as she glanced at the tightly closed door on the second floor.
In her mind, the flower shop owner had made the worst possible choice upon seeing the zombies.
Running away alone and locking herself in?
Did she think that would keep her alive?
No.
The real chance for survival was to follow Lin An.
"Let's go!"
Lin An paid no attention to the flower shop owner's actions; he had seen this kind of thing many times in his previous life.
He estimated that there were at least four hundred zombies on the street outside.
Without hesitation, Lin An picked up Wen Ya.
Weighing less than a hundred pounds, Wen Ya was light as a feather with his current strength.
Lin An took a deep breath, his gaze sharp.
"Strength Burst!"
A faint golden light flashed and then disappeared into his body.
His muscles, already well-defined, swelled explosively.
Activating his talent for the first time after being enhanced, Lin An felt as if time had slowed down.
The zombies rushing to topple the shelves outside the door appeared to move in slow motion to him.
"Boom!"
Like a small cannonball, Lin An kicked out violently, the terrifying force sending the half-ton shelf and dozens of zombies flying.
The metal shelves deformed, crashing ten meters away.
In an instant, the zombies blocking the shop door were cleared.
"Ha!"
Lin An let out a low shout, bending down to hold Wen Ya in his arms, and shot out like an arrow from a bow.
Ten meters in a single step!
He broke through the encirclement in the blink of an eye, the other zombies unable to react, only able to howl as he sped away.
However, the sounds in the area attracted more zombies from the outskirts of the city.
The small clearing Lin An had created was quickly filled with more zombies.
Under the small flower shop, a thousand zombies soon gathered.
The flower shop owner peered out of a second-floor window, her eyes vacant as she saw the street filled with zombies.
...
The motorcycle sped along, Wen Ya holding tightly to Lin An's waist.
"Lin An, where are we going now?"
She didn't know why, but even though they had only known each other for a few hours, Wen Ya felt like she had known him for a long time.
There was something about Lin An that made her inexplicably want to stay close to him.
"To the city center."
Lin An's gaze was calm, though a flicker of anticipation shone in his eyes.
He calculated silently.
"The strength of a Tier 2 mutant is 30 points, while my current strength can only reach 18.4 after activating my skill."
"I must reduce the strength gap to within 10 points to deal damage to the [Stitched Zombie]."
According to the rules of the apocalypse game, a gap of more than 10 points in attributes resulted in a crushing effect.
With a crushing effect, he wouldn't even be able to break through the [Stitched Zombie]'s defenses!
The 12-point gap didn't discourage him.
Whether it was player level or awakened tier, he was just one mutant away from the next level.
Once he leveled up, he would gain three strength points.
A difference of 9 points, still about 5 points short.
"About a 5-point strength difference..."
Lin An smiled faintly.
He knew of an item that could boost his strength by 5 points!
It was in the city center, now teeming with millions of zombies and numerous Tier 1 mutants.
Originally, he had planned to enter the city on the fifth day.
But he decided to change his plans now.
His strength had surpassed his best expectations, and he had even gained the unexpected anti-toxin.
With both advantages, he felt more confident about obtaining the equipment he hadn't planned to get so early.
"The Hand of the Skull Crusher."
"The only fine (blue) equipment in Linjiang City during the apocalypse!"