Hearing the system's announcement, Zhu Jiu's heart sank.
He hadn't expected the second wave of the catastrophe to begin so soon.
And the worst part? He had no idea what it would entail.
Would it be another dark energy outbreak? New, terrifying monsters? Or something entirely different?
Infected were manageable; it was the unknown that truly unnerved him.
"Fatty, eat up. We're heading out," Zhu Jiu said, lighting a candle. The warm glow filled the room, casting flickering shadows that brought a hint of life back to the martial arts gym.
"Heading out? Now?!" Fatty exclaimed, digging at his ears in disbelief.
"Now. Eat quickly," Zhu Jiu replied, his face expressionless as he began eating.
The sudden news of the second wave left him reeling, his mind spinning with urgency. He had hoped for more time to develop his strength. But the situation clearly didn't allow for that. Every moment counted now.
"Ugh, fine. Fat Grandpa's just unlucky today," Fatty grumbled as he grabbed a packet of pre-cooked food and began eating ravenously.
Both of them had voracious appetites. What was meant to last two days was devoured in a single meal.
"Not enough food, not enough points, not enough weapons," Zhu Jiu muttered under his breath. "I'm too broke. Need to kill more infected, fast."
He unsheathed his twin blades and handed them to Fatty. "Fix these up for me. Think you can handle it?"
"What do you mean, 'can I handle it'?" Fatty bristled, his thick eyebrows twitching. "You underestimate Fat Grandpa? Fixing them up is nothing—I'll even improve them! These weigh, what, ten kilograms combined? Too light for someone like you now. I'll upgrade them to thirty kilograms—fifteen per blade."
"Thirty kilograms? Fine, do it."
Zhu Jiu nodded. His current blades did feel too light, given his enhanced strength. With Wing Chun at Level 9, Bagua Blade at Level 7, and Iron Shirt at Level 6, his physical power had increased several times over.
To maximize his potential, heavier weapons were ideal. Sometimes, brute strength was the simplest and most effective solution.
"Watch and learn," Fatty said, grabbing a few nearby barbell plates. The metal warped under his hands as he fused it with the blades, the process resembling someone kneading clay.
With rhythmic slaps and precise molding, Fatty worked quickly and efficiently. The clanging of metal sounded like a melody, each strike adding to the transformation.
Moments later, two gleaming new blades lay before Zhu Jiu.
Each was a meter long, with a broad blade about 15 centimeters wide and a spine roughly 2 centimeters thick. Their design resembled the legendary "Dragon Slayer Saber" from old TV dramas.
The blades shimmered in the dim light, exuding an imposing aura. Zhu Jiu swung them experimentally and immediately felt their balance and weight were perfect.
"They're just right for me," Zhu Jiu said, his eyes lighting up.
"You've got real skill with forging weapons," Zhu Jiu remarked, surprised. "Were you a smith before all this?"
"Something like that," Fatty replied, rubbing his nose with an odd look on his face. He seemed reluctant to elaborate.
Zhu Jiu didn't press him, polishing off the last of his meal and wiping his hands. "Let's go, Fatty. Time to get to work."
Fatty hoisted his custom metal staff onto his shoulder, dragging his feet as he followed. "For the last time, stop calling me Fatty. My name's Jin Fugui."
"Jin Fugui?" Zhu Jiu paused, frowning. "When did you ever tell me that?"
"Didn't I?" Fatty scratched his head, genuinely puzzled. "Guess I forgot. Call me whatever you want. Let's just get this over with."
With that, he jogged ahead, muttering under his breath about "pulling aggro."
"Strange guy," Zhu Jiu mused, watching Fatty's retreating figure. Though they'd only just met, Zhu Jiu felt an inexplicable camaraderie with him.
"Guess some bonds are forged in battle," he thought, smiling faintly.
Fatty had already drawn an infected toward them. Zhu Jiu snapped out of his thoughts and charged forward, slicing the creature cleanly in half with one swing of his upgraded blade.
"One point in the bank."
Meanwhile, not far from the gym, two figures sprinted through the moonlit streets.
Their appearances were obscured, but the moonlight revealed faint outlines.
One was a towering, muscular figure, over two meters tall, with a physique resembling a gorilla.
The other had thick limbs and an elongated, wolf-like face, like something out of a werewolf movie.
Both were running for their lives, glancing nervously over their shoulders.
"Big bro, didn't you say this thing would be easy to handle?" the burly man shouted, his voice frantic. "Why is it so strong? Our entire crew's probably dead by now, and that thing is still chasing us! What do we do now?!"
The wolf-like figure turned his head, speaking in a raspy voice that grated like metal scraping metal. "Shut up! What good does complaining do? That last one was weak; who knew this one would be so tough?"
"Don't forget, you agreed to go after it, too. And when we kill it, don't think you're not getting a share of that orb!"
"I didn't think it'd be this damn strong!" the burly man spat. "Damn it, just my luck. But I've got powers, too—it's not taking me down that easily."
These two were once aimless thugs, content to drift through life without purpose.
But when the apocalypse struck, both became evolvers, gaining extraordinary powers. With their newfound abilities, they gathered followers and enjoyed the adoration of those who had once looked down on them.
Two hours earlier, they had encountered a unique infected—massive, with four arms and far stronger than the average infected.
Together, they managed to kill it and extracted a black orb from its forehead.
When the wolf-like man absorbed the orb's energy, his strength increased significantly.
Realizing the value of these orbs, they began hunting similar infected.
But fifteen minutes ago, they bit off more than they could chew.
This time, their prey was far stronger. Even working together, they were no match for it. They barely escaped with their lives, abandoning their followers to buy time.
Now, the monstrous infected was still chasing them, relentless in its pursuit.
"Big bro, look! Over there!" the burly man shouted, spotting Zhu Jiu and Fatty in the distance.
"There are two people fighting infected, and one of them is like us—an evolver!"
The wolf-like figure grinned wickedly. "Perfect timing. Looks like heaven hasn't abandoned us after all."
"Let's lead it to them. They can deal with it while we make our escape!"
With that, the two changed course, sprinting toward the gym, the monstrous infected roaring as it closed in behind them.