Unrivaled Saber-Riding

Xia Chu caught sight of Lin Qi's getup and couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

He looked just like one of those ghost-fire punks.

The electric vehicle wasn't as tall as a motorcycle, so Xia Chu easily settled onto the back seat.

"Hold tight."

Lin Qi gave the order, and the Collecting Robot moved, placing a large bag of Crimson Crystals on the footboard before climbing up to Xia Chu's waist.

Xia Chu's body stiffened slightly. Just as she was about to ask, the Collecting Robot's spider legs began to merge, clamping around her waist like calipers.

Binding Xia Chu and Lin Qi firmly together.

"This thing's fast. Consider it a seatbelt." Lin Qi explained briefly.

He'd had too little time to modify the electric vehicle. He could only guarantee its speed and structural integrity—no safety checks whatsoever.

But as an L-level researcher, Lin Qi judged the modified vehicle's handling to be decent enough. It shouldn't cause too many problems.

The only risk was the tires.

He hadn't found a good way to modify the rubber tires in such a short time.

He'd just have to be careful during use and avoid putting too much pressure on them.

Lin Qi's expectations weren't high. Just ten kilometers—a few minutes.

Xia Chu's face flushed slightly. Her voice was barely a whisper: "Mm."

The tone was a bit odd, but Lin Qi didn't pay it any mind.

He gently twisted the handlebars to keep the tires from spinning too fast at the start.

But the acceleration was still fierce. This "No. 10 Electric Vehicle" was already illegally fast by design, with a top speed over 60 km/h and solid tire grip.

With a lurch, it shot off into the distance.

Xia Chu's eyes went wide. She was startled for a moment, then quickly tucked her head behind Lin Qi's back to keep the wind from stinging her eyes.

There was no driving skill chip in the Exoskeleton, but Lin Qi was confident he could handle an electric vehicle without any brain-computer assistance.

By the time Xia Chu snapped back to reality, they were already at the intersection.

Cars were scattered haphazardly on the road, clogging the main lanes, but the non-motorized lane still had room to move.

Inside the cars and along the streets on both sides, there were plenty of Zombies.

"The Zombies' threat level has gone up, but they're still not M-level. That giant Zombie was probably an exception."

Under his Psychic Vision, Lin Qi assessed the Zombies' strength.

Luckily, it wasn't a widespread phenomenon. Otherwise, even Lin Qi would be under serious pressure.

The electric vehicle didn't make much noise, so it wouldn't draw the attention of large groups of Zombies.

But the ones wandering on the sidewalk would still be attracted.

Zombies seemed obsessed with the blood of living things. Once they sensed a living creature, they'd chase it down like mad.

"They're faster too. Endurance is average, but their burst speed already far exceeds an ordinary human. The average survivor's situation is probably grim."

"But if they listened to the broadcast and stockpiled a few Crimson Crystals in advance—absorbing four or five at most—their physical fitness would be enough to protect themselves."

How many people actually listened?

Clearly, a minority.

Only a handful would even use a radio to receive information in the apocalypse.

Otherwise, given the initial ratio of humans to Zombies, the apocalypse wouldn't have been that big a problem.

What really caused the crisis for humanity was that high-hanging Crimson Moon.

"Hold tight. It's going to get a bit bumpy up ahead."

Lin Qi gripped the handlebars with one hand.

With the other, he grabbed the Short Tang Dao.

They were close to Modu University now, and the Zombies on the streets were getting denser.

Given the population inside Modu University, there would only be more Zombies—and denser clusters—once they entered the campus.

Considering the population base...

Something like that giant Zombie might even appear among them.

As he thought this, the "Advanced Sword and Blade Combat" chip activated.

The Short Tang Dao spun in Lin Qi's hand like a flower.

"As a Wizard, close-quarters combat is my main attack method. That makes sense." Lin Qi mused silently.

He didn't have many ranged attack options on the supernatural side.

He'd only just mastered the second ability of a first-rank Wizard, and it wasn't yet an effective combat tool.

"This is a good chance for real combat. Time to get familiar with the ability."

Within the range of Psychic Vision, the blood from the zombies Lin Qi had hacked to pulp quietly coalesced.

The Blood Manipulation ability activated, its control range nearly identical to Psychic Vision.

The blood silently condensed into blade shapes, like flying knives, reaping zombies in tandem with the Short Tang Dao.

He carved through several hundred meters like this.

Lin Qi realized something was off.

He was a Wizard—why were all his tactics those of a cybernetic body implant user?

Why did Blood Manipulation have to condense into blades?

He shifted his thinking.

While using the Short Tang Dao to cut down zombies, zombie heads suddenly burst open for no reason on a more distant path.

Heads, naturally, contained blood.

"In Psychic Vision state, I can control all blood within range, even inside zombies."

"But if I turn off Psychic Vision, I can only control blood on the surface—there can't be any barrier between the blood and me."

A sudden realization dawned.

There was actually a synergy between Psychic Vision and Blood Manipulation.

"My combat power... seems a bit off?"

"In this Doomsday World, fine, but in the Cyber World, if I control the blood inside others, even A-level Cybernetic Body or S-level cybernetic body implants couldn't withstand it, right?"

"No, anyone over 95% cybernetic has no blood in their body—I'm not invincible yet."

Still, the Cyber World had plenty of lunatics; some people's total organic tissue couldn't even fill a single dumpling wrapper.

But now wasn't the time to think about the Cyber World—the number of zombies ahead surged sharply.

Lin Qi was covered in filth, and even Xia Chu, hiding behind him, couldn't escape a disheveled fate.

Fortunately, the No. 10 Electric Vehicle was fast enough. Under Lin Qi's "ride-and-slash rampage," the Club Activity Building was right in sight!

A bloody path was carved out by Lin Qi, but hundreds of zombies chased madly behind the electric vehicle.

They were about to reach the Club Activity Building.

The Collecting Robot's spider legs suddenly released. Lin Qi shifted slightly, wrapping one arm around Xia Chu.

Then, the electric vehicle slid sideways. Lin Qi, holding Xia Chu, leaped off and sprinted at high speed, relying on the L-level Exoskeleton's strength.

There were still over ten meters to the lab building.

The leg Exoskeleton began to store energy.

It wasn't just mechanical force—High-Energy Pulse was also in play.

Lin Qi's expression remained calm, but Xia Chu, in his arms, felt the fierce gravitational acceleration.

"So high..."

Xia Chu murmured instinctively.

The next second, Lin Qi landed steadily—right on the fourth floor of the Club Activity Building.

Downstairs, the mindless zombies didn't charge into the building; instead, they lost their target and fell into confusion.

As for the No. 10 Electric Vehicle, the pre-released Collecting Robot was already cleaning up the mess.

The Crimson Crystals wrapped in a bedsheet were scattered everywhere, the sheet itself tattered and torn.

The Collecting Robot immediately moved to the bedsheet.

Its camera swiveled left and right, as if a bit bewildered.

Then, one spider leg raised, a long needle extended, and at the needle's tail, a fine thread of Liquid Spider Silk condensed.