Chapter 6: Level Up! Rank 2!
Longcheng Imperial View Residential Complex.
At the location of Building One.
The remaining two lifeforms from the Bacatan civilization looked down at the devices on their wrists. They displayed the life signs of their three companions—all had vanished.
One of the Bacatan beings turned to its captain. "This… no signal, no warning, and it silently killed three of our comrades. There must be a human expert in this complex!"
The captain, however, remained calm, stepping on the corpse of a human woman. With a brutal yank, it tore apart the woman's body, revealing a young girl she had been desperately shielding. Grabbing the child in its palm, a sickening crunch followed…
Blood mixed with bone fragments seeped through its hand.
Gazing coldly at the scene, the captain spoke in the unique language of the Bacatan: "It seems we're in luck. A human capable of silently killing three of us may still be too much for just the two of us. We should avoid any rash moves and immediately report to command. Before these foolish natives can develop, we must eliminate every promising individual among them…"
"What should we do now?" asked the other.
"Avoid that direction and continue the slaughter. These humans are all contribution points. We need to recoup the million points we spent on early deployment!"
Its pupils gleamed with a terrifying bloodlust.
A night of madness unfolded.
The young man in black became a revered figure, albeit by sheer coincidence.
Just moments ago, he had peeked outside and seen the two Bacatan lifeforms collapse, seemingly dead. If it wasn't him who had acted, then who else could it be?
An elderly woman even knelt before him in gratitude.
Others spoke excitedly, their voices full of relief and admiration.
"That was incredible! The person Director Fan brought in is amazing! I thought I was done for!"
"So, this is a B-rank ability? How did he do it? Just one glance, and their heads exploded!"
"I hope my family is okay…"
"Quick, hide! Hide!"
Someone rushed out recklessly to retrieve the Bacatan weapons. But as soon as they touched the weapons—massive firearms almost half the height of a person—an urgent beeping sounded. A loud explosion followed, blasting their upper bodies apart.
After this incident, no one dared approach the so-called "spoils of war."
Fan Wenchuan, who had initially wanted to try, instinctively stepped back. He turned and saw Lin Qun in the crowd.
Fan Wenchuan still remembered Lin Qun's refusal to join him. Now, reality had proven him right. If not for finding this B-rank awakened expert, they might all have perished.
Reaching out, Fan Wenchuan stopped Lin Qun. "I know you have supplies. Why not share them with us? Join us—surely you've seen how strong the B-rank expert I brought is!"
In truth, Fan Wenchuan wasn't merely trying to recruit Lin Qun. He was also eyeing Lin Qun's resources.
But Lin Qun, in the middle of his "ten-shot cooldown" state, barely had the clarity to respond. Glancing at Fan Wenchuan, he pushed through the crowd surrounding the man in black and headed upstairs with unsteady steps.
He was worried the remaining two Bacatan lifeforms might come for him next. Using his skill two more times would push him to his limit. Resting upstairs was his only option.
Recovery took time.
As for currying favor with Fan Wenchuan? There was no need.
What puzzled Lin Qun was why everyone seemed so focused on the man in black. Unbeknownst to him, the credit for killing the three Bacatan lifeforms had been attributed to someone else.
But he didn't care. He quickened his pace.
His mind was foggy, his steps weak, and his heart raced. As he ascended, Fan Wenchuan frowned at his retreating figure.
A scrawny man next to Fan Wenchuan muttered, "That guy looks so out of it. He's probably scared out of his mind. Fan, let's go upstairs."
Fan Wenchuan nodded and addressed the man in black, still dazed. "Li Xinghe, come on, let's head upstairs."
Li Xinghe, the man in black, had unwittingly become the group's leader. Surrounded by awe-struck survivors, he was filled with doubt.
Who was the real killer?
Inside the complex, blood flowed like rivers. The dead lay scattered outside the buildings, while the living cowered in fear.
Distant gunfire and screams echoed. Giant flying ships loomed overhead, marking the beginning of the apocalypse.
A global war had begun.
Fan Wenchuan and his group crowded into the lower floors, huddled around Li Xinghe. Meanwhile, Lin Qun returned home, gulped down water, and ate a bowl of instant noodles to recover. His energy gradually climbed from six to eight points.
"Efficient rest and eating seem to speed up energy recovery. But if I stay tense or keep moving, it probably won't increase. I wonder if there are items like energy potions…"
Finally, Lin Qun had a chance to review his spoils.
Opening his personal interface, he noticed a change.
His level had increased:
[Level: 1 (150/100)]
An upgrade option appeared. Each Bacatan lifeform granted 50 experience points, and with 150 points, he met the threshold to level up.
Without hesitation, Lin Qun activated it.
A wave of electric-like energy surged through him. His body tingled, then felt noticeably lighter.
Checking his stats, he found significant changes:
[Name: Lin Qun]
[Level: 2 (50/200)]
[Strength: 8]
[Agility: 7]
[Constitution: 9]
[Energy: 8/14]
(Note: Average human values are 10.)
[Talent: Card Draw Augmentation]
[Remaining Draws: 0]
[Skills:]
"Bang" (Skill Level: 1) – Within a 10-meter radius, targets can be precisely destroyed.
Current destruction limit: Constitution 18 (Effectiveness diminishes for higher Constitution targets).
All his stats had increased by one point. Though the changes weren't yet dramatic, the most notable improvements were in energy and constitution.
His energy now far exceeded that of an average person, allowing him to use his skill up to six times in a row—a significant boost from before.
As his level and Constitution rose, this skill might even take down gods.
This was just his first skill. Who knew what future card draws might bring? Leveling up and gaining new skills would be his focus.
Determined, Lin Qun prepared to explore the battle zone rankings and contribution point systems, the key to upgrading his abilities and gaining more card draws.