As Zhang Yang swallowed the final bite of flesh,
His energy finally accumulated the last point.
It reached 100 points!
In the next moment,
A surge of energy began to seep out from within him, flowing swiftly through his limbs and bones, subtly strengthening his body while also nourishing his mind.
The cool, icy rush of energy brought Zhang Yang a wave of refreshing comfort.
Even though he could not speak yet, a satisfied moan escaped his lips:
"Ah—~"
The process of ascension gradually neared its conclusion.
When the last trace of coldness dissipated, the brief yet profound transformation came to an end.
Zhang Yang had officially advanced to the first tier.
"Is this how it feels after leveling up?"
Stretching his somewhat clumsy zombie body, Zhang Yang savored the strange sensation, silently pondering.
He wondered if this sensation was universal among all zombies.
After advancing to the first tier, he found that controlling his body had become far easier. While not yet as agile as a human, he was now almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
His perception and strength had surpassed that of a normal human.
His special ability, Psychic Power, had also improved slightly—not drastically noticeable, but undeniably stronger.
Zhang Yang rose and walked into the villa's garden.
Because the garden was also surrounded by a fence,
It had remained largely untouched during the chaos of the blood moon the night before.
The area still appeared relatively neat.
However,
As his gaze slowly drifted outward,
Zhang Yang noticed a gradual shift in the scene before him.
What was once peaceful and undisturbed had now transformed into a horrific sight—something profoundly shocking.
On the small community road outside the villa, chaos reigned. There were several overturned or wrecked cars, their remains scattered about, and sprawled across the road were numerous corpses. These were the unfortunate escapees who had attempted to flee but were ultimately overwhelmed and devoured by zombies.
The bodies were unrecognizable, their flesh mangled and torn, some even reduced to nothing but stark white bones.
Were a human to witness such a hellish scene,
They might have already fallen to their knees, overwhelmed by nausea and fear, their stomachs churning violently, their legs shaking uncontrollably.
Yet,
Zhang Yang was no longer human.
He was a zombie!
Thus, such sights no longer stirred him.
"Grumble~"
At that moment,
A low growl echoed from his stomach.
Hunger once again surged within him.
It seemed the ascension had consumed all the energy stored within his body, which had now triggered the sensation of hunger.
"Let's go, back home for another feast!"
With that,
Zhang Yang returned to the living room.
As before, he expertly retrieved half a cow from his storage space and placed it on the coffee table.
With his sharp claws, he tore off a chunk of flesh and popped it into his mouth.
The energy required for ascension increased with each level. From zero tier to first tier, it took 100 energy points, and from first tier to second tier, it would require 200 energy points.
Based on Zhang Yang's experiences over the past few hours,
He estimated that he needed to consume about 10 kilograms of flesh to gain 1 energy point.
That meant, to reach 200 points and advance to the second tier, he would need to devour 2 tons of meat.
For the zombies wandering outside, acquiring 2 tons of flesh would not be easy.
However,
Zhang Yang, having prepared in advance,
Was not at all worried.
After all,
He had stockpiled no less than 50,000 tons of meat in his storage space—equivalent to a staggering 500,000 energy points.
A mere 2 tons of flesh was nothing, just a drop in the ocean!
In fact, even if he reached the ninth tier of the ordinary level, it would still be more than enough.
According to the panel's information, the level and potential of mutated creatures correspond closely.
From low to high,
They are categorized as:
Ordinary, Elite, Lord, Overlord, King, Hell, and Cataclysm!
Among them,
Ordinary and Elite are further divided into nine tiers.
The vast stockpile of meat Zhang Yang had accumulated before the apocalypse would ensure his stable development for a long time, allowing him to grow rapidly and outpace both humans and other mutated creatures from the very start.
While leisurely enjoying the fresh beef,
Zhang Yang used his psychic power to summon the remote control and turned on the television.
At the beginning of the apocalypse, the existing order would not collapse overnight. Networks and TV broadcasts still continued for a while.
As the saying goes, "Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
It would be useful to understand how severe the outside situation had become,
For it would aid in the planning of his next course of action.
The TV flickered to life.
Almost all of the channels were nothing but static,
But the central broadcast station remained operational.
On the screen, a host with a pale face and deep-set eyes, looking frail yet still managing to maintain composure, was delivering news for the survivors:
"…According to satellite images sent from space, the zombie outbreak triggered by the blood moon at midnight has thrown all nations into chaos. Most small countries have been wiped out, and only a few large nations remain, though they are severely affected, with vast territories falling into enemy hands…"
"…Currently, experts have classified the threat levels of mutated creatures, such as zombies, feral beasts, and mutated plants, ranging from low to high. Fortunately, we have not yet encountered mutated creatures above the Overlord level, and humans have also gained the ability to fight back through Evolvers!" "Evolvers possess unique abilities and can combat mutated creatures of equal level. They are humanity's hope for a counterattack!"
"…Furthermore, the classification of Evolvers' abilities is divided from low to high into: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and so on…"
"Fellow citizens, humanity has not yet been fully defeated. Official shelters have been established by the government and Evolvers to protect the homeless and engage in combat with the zombies that have invaded our land. One day, Blue Star will return to human hands!"
"…"
Watching the broadcast on the screen,
Zhang Yang realized that the original order had not entirely collapsed; there were still remnants of it, allowing humanity to cling to life.
However,
He also noticed something interesting.
The official classification of mutated creatures almost perfectly aligned with the information on his own panel, as if they had already conducted extensive research on the impending apocalypse.