"Detected low-level Carlos Thousand Sound Bug gene, evolution points +3."
"Detected mid-level Carlos Red-Faced Yaksha gene, evolution points +20."
"Detected low-level Carlos Green-Faced Ghost gene, evolution points +8."
...
"Holy crap, I earned 654 evolution points in just one night! And my work efficiency has improved a lot!" Ye Yun stared at his character panel in shock.
"System, how do I use these evolution points?"
"Answering the host, evolution points can be used to unlock bloodline skills or fuse with other Carlos genes."
After the system's response, a purchase interface appeared before Ye Yun.
The screen displayed eight elemental categories: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Wood, Light, Darkness, and Space. Only the Fire element was lit up, while the other seven remained dim. Ye Yun guessed that this was because he had only fused with the Fire-attributed Red Gold Lion King. If he fused with genes of the other elements in the future, those categories should light up as well.
He directly clicked on the fire symbol representing fire-based skills:
Level 1 Fire Magic Skill: Flame Bullet (Unlock requires 100 evolution points)
Level 2 Fire Magic Skill: Explosive Fireball (Unlock requires 400 evolution points, insufficient bloodline fusion degree)
Level 3 Fire Magic Skill: Rain of Flame Spears (Unlock requires 800 evolution points, insufficient bloodline fusion degree)
Level 4 Fire Magic Skill: Raging Flame Cascade (Unlock requires 1,200 evolution points, insufficient bloodline fusion degree)
…
Fire Element Forbidden Spell: Crimson Inferno (Unlock requires 100,000 evolution points and 100% bloodline fusion degree, currently unavailable)
A huge list of skills dazzled Ye Yun's eyes, but unfortunately, most of them were locked. He could only stare at them helplessly.
"System, what does bloodline fusion degree mean?" Ye Yun asked while looking at the requirement for the forbidden spell. Did this mean unlocking these skills required not only evolution points but also a sufficient bloodline fusion degree?
"Bloodline fusion degree represents the host's compatibility with Carlos genes. The higher the compatibility, the higher the level of skills the host can unlock. (So, weakling host, stop dreaming about getting rich safely in the city. Only through continuous battle can you increase your fusion degree.)"
System: "(--), The night isn't over yet, host, please continue your dream."
"Sigh..."
Ye Yun let out a helpless sigh. Sure enough, there was no such thing as a free lunch. However, this was a wake-up call—no matter how much the system assisted him, if he didn't push himself forward, he would never reach the pinnacle.
Glancing at the time, it was already 11 p.m. It was time to head home. Ye Yun packed up his tools and rang the mechanical bell on the table.
"Ye Yun, kid, if you're injured, don't push yourself. Look at—"
Supervisor Zhang Feng walked in, ready to tease him, but as soon as he saw the mountain of processed materials on the table, the rest of his sentence got stuck in his throat.
"You did all of this?" Zhang Feng's eyes widened. There were at least 80 pieces of processed material on the table. Even the veteran workers in the shop would have to stay until 1 or 2 a.m. to get this much done.
"Is there anyone else in this room?" Ye Yun asked innocently.
"Uh..." Zhang Feng was momentarily speechless. He absentmindedly performed a routine check to ensure Ye Yun wasn't hiding any materials before letting him go.
Even long after Ye Yun had left, Zhang Feng was still thinking about what had happened. Something didn't add up. Ye Yun was experienced, sure, but hadn't the boss said he was injured? Since when could an injured person work even faster than before?
Wait... could it be that Ye Yun had awakened?
But becoming an awakened was incredibly difficult. Every single one of them was one in ten thousand. How could Ye Yun be that lucky? Besides, wasn't the entrance exam for Chongwu High School's awakening test tomorrow?
Zhang Feng thought about it for a long time but still couldn't make sense of it. In the end, he decided not to dwell on it. After all, it had nothing to do with him.
What Zhang Feng didn't realize was that the truth was already right in front of him. It was just his unwillingness to acknowledge someone else's excellence that caused him to brush past it."Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The resolute soldiers gripped their rifles tightly, unleashing a continuous barrage of gunfire. The overwhelming firepower wove a dense web of bullets, pressing toward the agile, leaping figures. Under the moonlight, their ghastly blue faces, glimmering blue-gray scales, and blade-like forelimbs were faintly visible.
Blue-Faced Ghosts—Servant-Class Karlos—Creatures Above Humanity.
"Increase firepower! Hold the line until the Awakeners from the Security Corps arrive!" The veteran officer at the center of the squad shouted. Even though they had the advantage in numbers, he couldn't shake off the deep-seated panic gnawing at his heart. It was as if the armed soldiers surrounding him were nothing more than helpless lambs awaiting slaughter.
"D*mn it, I can't believe we ran into Karlos sneaking into the city under cover of night."
With their exceptional agility and razor-sharp forelimbs to deflect bullets, the Blue-Faced Ghosts darted and weaved through the storm of gunfire, miraculously unscathed.
"No way… No way! How can they be faster than bullets?!" Cold sweat streamed down a soldier's forehead. As the terrifying figure closed in, he exhausted his entire magazine, then, in a panic, threw down his rifle and turned to flee.
"Stop! Are you deserting?!" The old officer's voice trembled with disbelief.
Behind the soldiers lay the defenseless city. If they failed to hold the line, the ordinary citizens would fall victim to a merciless slaughter. How could he run?
"If I stay, I'll just die! How the hell can humans beat Karlos?!" The fleeing soldier shrieked in hysteria.
"Thud!"
A chilling sound echoed—the sickening squelch of a blade slicing through flesh.
In the final moments of his life, the soldier saw a headless body still in mid-sprint. Just before his consciousness faded, a strange thought crossed his mind—Why does that body look so familiar?
What he didn't know was that as he ran in terror, a Blue-Faced Ghost had leaped behind him and, with a single, effortless slash, beheaded him on the spot.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The cold moonlight reflected off the blood-dripping blade of the Karlos. The soldiers, paralyzed in horror, could only watch as the monster raised its deadly limb once more.
Like wolves among sheep, the Blue-Faced Ghosts tore through the formation, turning the battlefield into a gruesome slaughterhouse. In mere moments, the ground was littered with severed limbs and mangled corpses, the crimson blood painting the earth like a scene straight from hell.
The two sides weren't even remotely on the same level. No—humans weren't even qualified to be compared. Even with the best weapons at their disposal, ordinary soldiers were nothing more than fragile paper dolls before even the weakest Karlos.
Just as the old officer was about to succumb to despair, a massive blue fireball suddenly streaked through the air, exploding upon impact and obliterating the arms of a Blue-Faced Ghost.
"Apologies! I ran into a Red-Faced Yaksha on the way—took a bit of effort to take it down."
A rough, booming voice echoed through the battlefield, exuding an aura of confidence and dominance. Though his figure was still distant, his presence alone was enough to shift the tides of war.
The newcomer was a towering man with a strikingly bold presence. His sharp, star-like eyes burned with intensity, his thick brows arched like ink-strokes, and his massive palm gripped the severed head of a red-faced monster.
"It's 'The Melee Fire Mage'—Tie Lan! He actually killed a Warlord-Class Karlos, a Red-Faced Yaksha!" The old officer exclaimed in disbelief, as if Tie Lan's arrival alone had already secured their victory.
"Attribute Armament—Flaming Fists!"
Suddenly, blue flames erupted from Tie Lan's massive fists, wrapping them in a fiery blaze like a pair of infernal gauntlets.
"Time to die, you bastards!"
Like an untamed warhorse, Tie Lan charged toward a Blue-Faced Ghost, his blazing fist raised high, aiming directly for the monster's grotesque face.
A human dared to engage a Karlos in close combat?! The Blue-Faced Ghost's lips twisted into a sinister smirk as it raised its blade-like limb to strike.
But the expected clash never came.
Instead, Tie Lan's flame-cloaked fist pierced straight through the Karlos' forelimb and, in one explosive motion, shattered its skull.
"not enough! Come at me!" Tie Lan roared, withdrawing his arm from the lifeless corpse. His blood had yet to cool—his battle had only just begun!