However, Xu Chao had no such ambitions.
After listening to the broadcast messages, he had some understanding of Dongdu.
It was a colossal entity!
A city-sized sanctuary with hundreds of thousands of troops and thousands of evolved individuals.
While Xu Chao might be an omnipotent figure in front of Zhou Lan and a significant figure in Donghua City, in Dongdu, among so many evolvers, who would he be?
Xu Chao had had enough of living a life of servitude.
If he went to Dongdu, he would merely become another dog for the Qin family.
A dog with a higher status, but still a dog.
He had no interest in that!
Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix...
---
Dongdu, Qin Residence.
In Qin Jun's room, he slowly opened his eyes. In front of him were two empty gene serums.
These gene serums were not developed by the Evolution Research Institute.
Instead, Qin Jun had exchanged them for 30 Villain Points in the System Shop.
[A-Rank Gene Serum: Increases Evolution Level by 200 experience points. Costs 15 Villain Points each.]
Qin Jun's gaze deepened. This System Shop was indeed defying the heavens.
The gene serum he exchanged could directly enhance his evolution level, and its effect was far superior to ordinary energy crystal cores.
Qin Jun now faced a problem: his cultivation speed was too fast.
Although the Qin family had collected many energy crystal cores, Qin Jun realized that to break through to a Level 3 Evolver, he would need higher-quality energy crystal cores...
----
Apart from Dongdu, other places also began to see the emergence of sanctuaries.
These sanctuaries varied in size, with the larger ones housing thousands or tens of thousands of people, and the smaller ones hosting only a few hundred, or even just a few dozen.
The Qin family's approach to these sanctuaries was one of both subjugation and recruitment.
The sanctuaries near Dongdu were forcibly annexed by the Qin family and turned into vassals.
Most of these sanctuaries chose to submit, becoming satellite outposts surrounding Dongdu.
After all, under the shade of a big tree, it's easier to find shelter. In the face of a giant like Dongdu, they had no ability to resist.
Moreover, after submitting to Dongdu, they could receive material supplies and some weaponry from Dongdu, greatly enhancing their ability to protect themselves.
However, the price they paid was that these satellite sanctuaries had to serve the Qin family, providing intelligence, manpower, and resources.
Many of the evolvers in these sanctuaries saw this as an opportunity to rise in status. They had to earn performance points to enter Dongdu and become direct members of the Qin family.
In the hearts of these evolvers, entering Dongdu was a deeply desired goal.
While they might be lords within their sanctuaries, ruling with absolute authority... the sanctuaries themselves were too impoverished.
They had nothing!
Even a few cans of meat were considered a supreme delicacy.
As for entertainment, it was scarce, and the few women with some beauty in the sanctuary had long lost their appeal.
But Dongdu was one of the last remaining large cities in the post-apocalyptic world, rich in resources, offering anything one could desire.
Even though they wouldn't be the top dogs anymore upon entering Dongdu, they would still be part of the elite, a privileged class.
For some, it was better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.
But for most, living as the tail of a phoenix was far better than being the head of a chicken...
Unfortunately, the Qin family was very selective about outsiders and did not engage in limitless expansion, accepting everyone indiscriminately.
Indeed, in the post-apocalyptic world, evolvers were a crucial force that needed to be recruited.
But the Qin family wasn't some nouveau riche trying to rapidly accumulate power by absorbing everything and building a grand structure.
The decision-makers in the Qin family had a clear understanding that if they directly brought these evolvers into their fold, it might appear that the Qin family's strength was swelling.
But in reality, it would lead to internal conflicts, factionalism, and endless infighting.
The actual power that could be exerted would, in fact, be weakened.
The Qin family had both the confidence and the resources to be highly selective about these outside evolvers...
One had to admit that in the apocalypse, not only was individual strength important, but so was the ability to govern and manage.
In some large sanctuaries, the internal environment was chaotic and disorganized.
A significant reason for this was that the leaders of these sanctuaries were too inexperienced; they were ordinary people before the apocalypse.
Suddenly becoming rulers, governing thousands of people, they had no clue how to manage them.
But the Qin family had been a top-tier bureaucratic aristocracy in the old era, adept at governance.
Moreover, Dongdu's governmental structure was largely intact.
So, after the cataclysm, order was quickly restored, and the millions in Dongdu were managed with great efficiency...
---
After the apocalypse, people discovered that not only had zombies emerged, but the entire surface of the Earth had undergone drastic changes.
First, it seemed as though the Earth had expanded. Areas that were originally 100 kilometers apart were now separated by 200 or even 300 kilometers.
Moreover, forests had sprung up, with trees growing at an alarming rate overnight, resembling tropical rainforests.
Not only had zombies mutated, but it seemed that the T-Virus had also affected flora and fauna, causing them to mutate as well, becoming extremely ferocious.
Some animals had even mutated to the size of dinosaurs, with incredible destructive power, exhibiting extreme violence.
Some small sanctuaries were completely obliterated by these mutated creatures...
The Earth had become a perilous place, filled with danger everywhere.
---
On the highway, a modified off-road vehicle was speeding along.
The vehicle was covered in spikes, exuding an air of post-apocalyptic wasteland, and the bloodstains on the car showed that the journey so far had been anything but peaceful.
"Uncle, we're almost at Dongdu's territory."
The young girl sitting in the passenger seat looked at the map and spoke to the middle-aged man driving.
The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, stunningly beautiful, with sharp, chiseled features that naturally exuded a vibrant heroism.
The middle-aged man said, "The map is no longer accurate. The surface has expanded a lot, but we should still be about two or three hours away."
After saying this, the middle-aged man grumbled, "That Blood Bear is really treacherous. We've taken a hit this time.
But if he thinks he can make us his lackeys, he's dreaming.
If we're going to be dogs, we might as well be dogs for the Qin family. Who does that Blood Bear think he is!"
The middle-aged man was named Wang Hai, originally a project manager at a construction company. After the apocalypse, he awakened a D-Rank talent, Flame Control.
The girl's name was Wang Zhi, his niece, who also awakened a B-Rank talent, Shadow Camouflage.
It was incredibly fortunate for both uncle and niece to have awakened talents.
After the apocalypse, they gathered around three hundred survivors and established a small sanctuary.
The Blood Bear they mentioned was the most powerful evolver near Donghua City, possessing an A-Rank transformation talent.
He could transform into a giant bear, with terrifying defensive and destructive capabilities; even bullets couldn't penetrate his skin.
This earned him the nickname "Blood Bear."
Blood Bear ruled a large sanctuary with tens of thousands of survivors, and he had over twenty evolvers under his command, making him the dominant force in Donghua City.
Previously, Blood Bear had maintained peace with the other sanctuaries, but a few days ago, he suddenly decided to unify all of Donghua City.
He issued an ultimatum to the other sanctuaries: submit or be destroyed.
Many sanctuaries caved in, but some evolvers scoffed at the idea.
Blood Bear then led his men on a campaign to forcibly annex the other sanctuaries.
Wang Hai's sanctuary was also attacked and was overrun in less than half an hour.
In the ensuing chaos, they seized a car and fled, heading straight for Dongdu.
Wang Zhi was worried, "Uncle, I've heard that the Qin family doesn't accept just anyone."
Wang Hai replied confidently, "Don't worry, we're not going empty-handed.
That Zombie King is about to fully evolve. It's a precious asset, and the Qin family will be interested..."
-----
Humanity's adaptation to the apocalypse surpassed even their own expectations.
They had also gained a deep understanding of the dangers posed by the apocalypse.
Those Zombie Kings, or high-level mutated creatures, while extremely dangerous, also offered immense rewards.
However, the birth of a Zombie King was exceedingly rare, and it just so happened that one had appeared in Donghua City.
Once, a Level 1 evolver, thinking himself invincible due to his awakened talent, tried to challenge the Zombie King alone.
He was torn to pieces in an instant.
But the stronger the Zombie King, the more pure its energy crystal core would be...
_______
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