Xia Leng was stunned as he looked at the new "clothes" that had appeared on his body. He had merely thought about having clothes, and these worm-like tendrils had woven an identical set for him?
Even the patches on the original animal skin were perfectly replicated!
Seeing this, he recalled how his body, previously riddled with wounds from the deformed scavengers gnawing on him, had been healed by these wriggling tendrils. Now, not even a scar remained, and his skin was even smoother and more tender than before!
Could this be the power of the Blacklight Virus?
Xia Leng didn't know the detailed origins of the Blacklight Virus, but from the fragmented memories that had just surfaced, it seemed this thing had been residing in his brain for a long time.
He touched the animal skin clothing on his body. The surface was similarly smooth and soft, completely different from ordinary fur, yet it was far more comfortable, almost as if it were a second skin, lightweight and form-fitting.
If these tendrils could follow his thoughts and weave any clothes he desired...
With this thought, Xia Leng's animal skin clothing once again transformed mysteriously!
It melted back into thousands of thin tendrils, weaving into a pure black hooded sweatshirt that he had imagined!
The black of this hoodie was even darker than the night sky. If the hood were pulled over the head, and one were to hide in the darkness, it would be impossible for anyone to detect your presence. Its concealment was even more effective than that of a ghost-faced spider!
At the same time, Xia Leng noticed an unusual feeling in his legs.
The muscles were more resilient than ever, and they had become more defined, looking incredibly powerful!
After absorbing the crystal from the agile hunter's skull, he had gained a corresponding enhancement in leg strength...
Xia Leng began to understand some characteristics of the Blacklight Virus. Could it be that by devouring enemies, one could gain their power?
Hmm... that's quite a game-breaking ability.
Moreover, after being infected with this virus, Xia Leng felt an increasing hatred for the Baptizers, as if he wouldn't be satisfied until every last one of them was wiped off the face of the earth.
It was as if they were all foreign invaders, and he, the rightful ruler of Earth.
Xia Leng didn't know why such an exaggerated idea suddenly popped into his head—to exterminate all Baptizers?
He figured he'd be struck down by lightning from the sky long before he ever encountered some of the Controllers...
Deciding not to think too much, Xia Leng casually stepped over the headless corpse of the leader, his heart unmoved.
After years of life-and-death experiences, his psychological resilience had far surpassed that of ordinary people. He quickly accepted the fact of his newfound powers, though he didn't plan to reveal them easily.
Because every time a Baptizer with a new ability branch appeared, they would quickly disappear.
It was said that they were captured by high-level mercenary companies and sent to laboratories to be dissected for research...
He walked into the only steel-panel house in the camp of ragged tents, which was clearly the "luxurious" residence of the leader.
Inside, the bed frame, tables, chairs, and other furniture were all intact. Compared to those scavengers who camped out in the wild, this was like a five-star suite. Upon entering, he noticed a nearly worn-out magazine on the table.
He rolled up the magazine and put it into the backpack he had just picked up. Xia Leng wasn't particularly interested in this kind of thing, but these magazines were quite valuable in the wasteland market.
After all, in the harsh post-apocalyptic environment, people's skin had become rough and darkened due to the extreme weather, even the women.
So, these images of delicate women from the old days had become objects of wild fantasy for the men of today, and their prices had naturally soared.
Next, Xia Leng searched other spots in the room and found an old, non-functional safe hidden under the bed.
Dragging it out and opening it, he was surprised to find a nearly pristine handgun inside! It appeared to be a Glock police pistol.
What was more surprising was that the various parameters and performance data of this gun were instantly uploaded into his mind, as if they had been in his memory all along!
Xia Leng, astonished, picked it up and weighed it in his hand. It had been meticulously maintained with gun oil.
An empty Glock 17 with a magazine should weigh about 675 grams, but this one weighed 735 grams, so the magazine probably still had five 9mm Luger rounds in it.
He removed the magazine to check, and sure enough, it was filled with five well-maintained bullets!
He was stunned, not because the leader had somehow acquired this rare gun, but because he could so quickly calculate such precise data!
It was as if the parameters of firearms, like the Blacklight Virus, had been forcibly ingrained in his brain since infancy...
Judging by the wear on the barrel, this gun had likely never been fired, making it a "peaceful weapon" that the leader had kept in pristine condition.
Xia Leng casually placed the gun into his backpack. For a lone wolf like him, this weapon was essentially a death sentence.
The loud gunfire in the post-apocalyptic wilderness could attract all the dangerous creatures within several kilometers, tearing the shooter to pieces. Only a fully-armed army could keep the mutated monsters at bay.
So, for Xia Leng, the gun was more of a valuable trade item, far less useful than the serrated dagger in the safe.
In the lower compartment of the safe, there was also a military dagger with a golden metallic sheen, its blade similarly covered in gun oil, carefully stored by the leader as a prized possession.
Xia Leng gripped the handle, finding it perfectly balanced and very handy.
"From now on, you'll be seeing some blood," Xia Leng, ever the loner, said with a bitter smile to the dagger before stowing it away.
After looting all the valuable items from this "five-star suite," Xia Leng left the large, cumbersome items behind.
Taking them along would only wear him down on the journey and make him an easier target for other scavengers.
His backpack now contained the gun, the magazine, metal bottle caps, and other portable trade items, including a bottle of Grade 2 drinking water!
Five years ago, the Black Rain had also contaminated various water sources. The blackened water might have been drinkable, but getting near it was impossible, as terrifyingly huge mutated fish would leap out and devour you whole...
The mutation had turned these fish into ferocious amphibious monsters.
And the few remaining drinkable water sources had naturally become highly contested resources for the fortresses.
With his backpack full of spoils, Xia Leng opened the door.
Only to find that the deformed, foul-smelling scavengers had crowded the entrance...