[Energy Recovery Potion (Basic)]
[Description: Instantly restores 3 energy points upon use.]
[Cost: 1 civilization contribution point.]
Lin Qun immediately redeemed one bottle to keep on hand.
In the blink of an eye, a small brown vial resembling herbal medicine appeared in his palm.
It looked unremarkable, and Lin Qun carefully stored it away.
By now, the internet, water, and electricity had all been cut off.
The city was in chaos, but the Longcheng Imperial View Residential Complex was unnervingly silent.
After a brief rest, Lin Qun's energy had recovered to its full 14 points.
He stood up, preparing to head out.
Yes, out.
While everyone else in the complex cowered behind locked doors, trembling in fear, Lin Qun was the exception.
He planned to leave.
Rather than waiting for the enemy to come knocking, he resolved to strike first.
He needed to accumulate more contribution points as quickly as possible.
Just moments ago, his ranking had dropped from ninth to over thirtieth place. Meanwhile, the top spot was still held by someone named Xia Qing, who now had 25 contribution points.
What kind of lunatic is this? Lin Qun thought. They've gone on an absolute killing spree!
He didn't aspire to first place, but he was determined to stay in the top ten—ideally fifth or sixth.
It wasn't out of reach. Although Xia Qing had killed 25 enemies, the current fifth place had only ten points.
Lin Qun made up his mind. Ever since the Bacatan began landing en masse, it was like a downpour of enemies. Waiting any longer would make it harder to move outside.
The Bakatans were clearly a civilization of warriors.
On the first and second floors of his building, survivors had gathered.
All the residents had crowded together, rallying around Li Xinghe, the supposed B-rank powerhouse.
It was then that Lin Qun realized his own achievement of killing three Bakatans had been mistakenly attributed to Li Xinghe.
Lin Qun glanced at the man.
Li Xinghe had claimed a living room all to himself, basking in the adulation of the crowd. Yet his expression betrayed no excitement or pride—just discomfort, as if sitting on pins and needles.
To others, his tense demeanor might appear as cold, stoic authority. But Lin Qun could see through him—being mistaken for a hero was a double-edged sword.
In contrast, Lin Qun remained unnoticed in the crowd.
Fan Wenchuan was busy collecting resources from the survivors. Though he leaned on Li Xinghe for support, he carried himself like a leader, commanding respect.
After a quick glance, Lin Qun slipped out unnoticed.
One person did notice his departure: a sharp-eyed DJ with a clairvoyance ability. Startled, she muttered, "Is he insane? Who would go out at a time like this?"
Lin Qun, of course, wasn't insane.
Moving stealthily, he followed the trail of blood, relying on years of gaming experience from MOBA and battle royale titles. He advanced cautiously, looking for the Bakatans.
His low constitution, far below average, meant certain death if they spotted him first.
He needed to ambush them.
Finding the Bakatans proved easier than expected.
They were gathered at the residential complex's entrance.
And there weren't just the two Lin Qun had anticipated.
The pair of Bakatans were welcoming reinforcements—a squad of twelve!
The squad leader, a towering figure clad in black armor, was speaking with the two others.
Fourteen Bakatans in total.
Cold sweat broke out on Lin Qun's forehead.
Facing them head-on was suicide.
Now it made sense why the initial group of three Bakatans had gone quiet after being killed—they had been waiting for reinforcements.
And now reinforcements had arrived.
At that moment, the black-armored leader turned its head and looked directly in Lin Qun's direction. Then it pointed toward him.
Several Bakatans sprang into action.
He'd been spotted!
Lin Qun's heart sank, but his fear was short-lived.
Having already killed three Bakatans, he had overcome his initial terror.
You see me? I see you too.
Activating his "Bang" skill, he aimed for the leader.
A burst of blood splattered.
But this time, it didn't result in a headshot. The armor around the leader's neck exploded, and blood sprayed as it staggered backward, its expression shocked.
The surrounding Bakatans panicked, quickly rallying around their injured leader, bewildered by the unseen attack.
What kind of ability is this? They hadn't even seen their enemy!
The previous squad leader growled in their alien tongue, "It's the human who killed our comrades! It must be him!"
While they were shocked, so was Lin Qun.
The black-armored leader's constitution exceeded 18 points—almost double the human average!
What kind of physique is that? Lin Qun thought. Regular Bacatan warriors, with less than 16 points, could already tear through humans barehanded.
Still, his counterattack had sown confusion among the Bakatans. Using the opportunity, Lin Qun retreated to put more distance between himself and the group.
He had 12 energy points left, enough for five more skill uses.
But there were 14 Bakatans, including one he couldn't even harm with his skill.
Cold sweat dripped from Lin Qun's forehead.
What should I do?
Behind him, angry roars echoed.
The black-armored leader, only slightly injured, bellowed orders. The 13 remaining Bakatans began advancing in a line, sweeping the complex.
The terrifying crack of gunfire shattered the eerie silence.
Panic gripped the survivors in the complex, including those in Lin Qun's building.
Everyone began fleeing to higher floors.
The clairvoyant DJ shouted urgently, "I see them—fourteen Bakatans, including a leader! It's injured, but they're all heading this way! And there's someone else… Who is he? Wait, he looks familiar!"
Her words triggered a wave of terror.
Fan Wenchuan grabbed Li Xinghe. "Brother, I'm taking everyone upstairs. You handle this!"
Li Xinghe froze. Handle 14 Bakatans? No way!
"N-no, I can't! Fan, you need to help me! Organize people to fight with me… I can't do this alone!"
Fan Wenchuan gritted his teeth and shoved a scrawny man forward. "You… You find some people to back up Mr. Li! I'm too old for this—I need to hide upstairs!"
The scrawny man paled but knew the odds were slim. As he turned to find reinforcements, he realized Li Xinghe had vanished.
"He… ran?"
Li Xinghe had indeed fled.
Fight 14 Bakatans? That's suicide!
But as he ran, he came face-to-face with a five-man Bacatan squad. Gunfire erupted.
"I'm dead! I'm dead!" he thought.
At that moment, a hand shot out from the shadows, pulling him into cover.
A voice behind him spoke rapidly, cold and commanding:
"Do you want to live?
"I have a plan to kill all the Bakatans outside.
"But I need your cooperation."
Li Xinghe couldn't see the speaker but felt a surge of confidence.
This must be the real expert!
He's about to make his move!