Iron Physique's boost was far beyond anything he could have imagined.
A look of shock flashed across Cheng Ye's face as he carefully felt the changes in his body.
Without experiencing it firsthand, he could never have understood the difference. It was like night and day.
No wonder the S-3 virus described in books had been enough to overturn civilization. This was only a talent brought on by Gene Ancestral Reversion, yet it had already left ordinary people far behind.
What about Transcendent abilities?
They must have been so terrifying that they had completely divided people into two distinct forms!
"Wait, wasn't Dai Zun's Iron Physique not as strong as mine?"
It had taken away his sense of pain while enhancing his three-dimensional awareness of his body. The change was just too outrageous.
Cheng Ye simply unequipped Iron Physique, then equipped it again to test it.
After comparing the results four or five times, he really did discover an unexpected change.
"This talent's effects weaken over time?"
"And it has an internal cooldown?"
The boost was strongest right after he equipped Iron Physique. His liberated nerves had sent his control over his body soaring by 50%, bringing about a complete qualitative change.
But this boost could last for only a minute at most, after which it steadily faded.
After five minutes at most, the boost would disappear completely. He had to unequip the talent before he could activate it again.
And equipping it again immediately after unequipping it didn't reactivate the boost.
Cheng Ye's tests showed that he had to wait five minutes for it to recover to its strongest state.
Pain signals are suppressed, and the nerves are freed up to gather information. Could the freed-up neurons be unable to handle high-pressure information processing for long?
Cheng Ye quietly speculated. His major had been Civil Engineering, but they had actually covered this topic in high school biology.
The transmission of pain signals relied on specific neurons. When pain perception weakened, the firing frequency of those neurons decreased, which could theoretically reduce the neural resources used by the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and the brain's pain centers in the thalamus.
Neurons transmitted information through the opening and closing of ion channels, a process that consumed a great deal of energy supplied by the mitochondria.
When the information-processing load increased, mitochondria could quickly exceed their energy supply and metabolic capacity under high-intensity conditions. The outward sign of that would be the gradual disappearance of the boost.
"Theory is just theory. If I could figure it out with what I learned in high school, Gene Ancestral Reversion wouldn't be so mysterious. Maybe I can look for some Research Skills later and study it properly."
Cheng Ye shook his head, deciding to stop puzzling over all this neuroscience.
Without the boost to his control, this talent really was a double-edged sword.
Still, getting an even stronger result than Dai Zun himself was an incredible, unexpected surprise.
Besides, he hadn't planned to keep the talent equipped long-term and dull his sense of pain. At most, he'd use it during everyday training when he pushed himself to his limits, letting him grit his teeth and wring every last bit of potential from his body.
As for real combat, close-quarters fighting would be decided within half a minute. Who would drag it out until the boost disappeared after five minutes?
It was more than enough!
Grr, grr.
Right then, the familiar hunger surged over him like a tide.
Cheng Ye's expression changed. Without a second thought, he grabbed the Nutrient Paste and gulped it down.
Sure enough, whether it was a skill or a talent, once it reached a certain level, it would adaptively alter the body at its most fundamental level.
The last time, Basic Strength had caused his body to grow new muscle mass to adapt.
What about Iron Physique this time?
One bag, five bags, ten bags. In the blink of an eye, he had emptied twenty bags of Nutrient Paste, with the packaging scattered all over the floor.
Based on his previous experience, that much Nutrient Paste should have eased his hunger by now.
But the black-hole hunger in his stomach hadn't gone away. If anything, it felt as if it were about to hollow out his internal organs.
"Good, good. This feels just right!"
"Bring me more. I can handle it!"
The conflict between factions had only just gotten off to a good start, and now the threat of Infected had followed close behind.
The last trace of wishful thinking inside him vanished completely.
This was the Wasteland. Death never gave anyone a chance to catch their breath.
The Station Chief had fallen today. Tomorrow, it might be the inspector's turn.
Cheng Ye had never been so desperate for strength, and bag after bag of empty Nutrient Paste was his answer!
He tore open the packages and entered Berserk Mode, downing almost one bag of Nutrient Paste every five seconds.
The thick paste was meant to stave off hunger, but as soon as it entered his mouth, it was as if a black hole had swallowed it. It left not the slightest feeling of fullness.
Before long, he had finished all the Nutrient Paste he'd bought from Uncle Dong that day.
Cheng Ye was secretly pleased. He hurriedly dragged over a box, ripped it open, and kept gulping down the paste.
Ten bags. Thirty bags. Fifty bags.
Only when the packaging had piled up on the ground into a small hill did the Nutrient Paste finally stop vanishing the moment it went down his throat. This time, it settled solidly in his stomach.
Remembering his previous experience, he downed another ten bags, and sure enough, a feeling of fullness followed.
"I drank twenty-eight bags before and after learning Basic Strength, but this time Iron Physique took a full 107 bags."
His gaze swept over the packaging scattered across the floor. Cheng Ye stood up and immediately felt the changes in his body.
"Is this... increased Body Toughness?"
His skin seemed to have undergone some kind of peculiar change.
Cheng Ye raised his right hand and ran his fingertips over the upper arm of his left. His skin no longer felt soft and tender like ordinary flesh. It was tough and resilient, like taut Old Cowhide.
And whenever he slightly turned his neck or bent and straightened a joint, he could feel the fascia beneath his skin stretching like a bowstring, making a faint sizzling sound. It was as if every inch of his skin had become elastic armor wrapped around his muscles.
"That's outrageous!"
Cheng Ye's eyelid twitched. Having already experienced the effects of Basic Strength, he knew that this boost wouldn't appear only while the skill was equipped. It was a lasting enhancement, etched into his body.
No matter what other skills he equipped in the future, this enhancement wouldn't disappear.
"Iron Physique dulls pain and greatly improves control over the body. If I still had my old body, making big movements would probably have been enough to strain my fascia."
"But now that it's been enhanced..."
Cheng Ye squeezed his arm. The muscle beneath his skin swelled like an inflated tire.
He couldn't say exactly how much stronger he'd become, but he vaguely felt that if the unenhanced version of himself from before faced him now, he could probably take on five of him.
Of course, one at a time, in a Chariot Battle.
"The Inner City has ways to measure vitality, but they're only open to the Three Great Legions and are used to rank Warriors. Inspectors handle administrative work, after all. The higher-ups never put Combat Power first in our evaluations, so there's no way I can borrow the equipment with my clearance."
"But I can go to the Training Hall when I have time. Brother B isn't there, but they have paid sparring partners. I'll give it a try and see how much stronger I've gotten."
He placed the short knife beside the bed and lay down without changing his clothes.
That night,
he slept fitfully.
Just as Uncle Dong had predicted, gunshots like firecrackers rang out from time to time during the night.
It seemed that quite a few Infected had really made their way inside. Fortunately, inspectors weren't responsible for internal searches.
That kind of work was usually handled by the strongest of the Three Great Legions, the Xingfu Legion.
Even if inspectors had to take part in patrols and searches, they were only responsible for the final cleanup. The risk wasn't that high.
[Collector: Cheng Ye] [Current Rank: Lv. 1 Intern (3.2/100)] [Life Level: 0] [Skills: Basic Strength, Beast Intuition, Iron Physique (Talent)] [Not yet unlocked.] [Evaluation: Your strength has improved rapidly in a short period of time. You are only one step away from the Minimum Standard for a Civilization Collector. Focusing on the development of life at its most fundamental level will bring you additional gains.]
"The panel changed again!"
After barely making it through until morning light spilled through the window, Cheng Ye got out of bed.
As he brushed his teeth and washed up, he habitually opened the panel and immediately noticed the change.
Iron Physique had given him a whopping 2.5 Information Degree, more than eight times the 0.3 he had calculated earlier.
If the Collection Efficiency stayed this high, he would need only forty searches to meet the Information Degree requirement for a Collector Rank increase.
"Looks like latching onto strong people and leeching off them really is the best choice."
He spat out the foam and continued to take stock.
Almost five days had passed since he had mastered Basic Strength.
As his Muscle Memory grew more Deep-rooted, his body barely registered anything unusual when he unequipped the skill now.
His Force Line might still be somewhat unsteady when he performed certain special attacking movements.
But he could tell that this unsteadiness would disappear in two or three days at most.
That meant he could free up one of his precious three Skill Slots before he found his next skill.
"Unfortunately, Beast Intuition should be a talent too. It just isn't showing because it's only Lv. 1."
"These talent skills are fundamental. If I unequip one, its effects disappear immediately."
Cheng Ye made a mental note of that, then went back to his room, grabbed his bag, and headed out early.
He didn't have to work today. He only needed to attend the Study Session that afternoon, so there was no need to get up so early.
But that flimsy door in the Apartment Blocks was genuinely unnerving. It trembled whenever the wind blew, leaving him on edge all night.
"Big Iron Plate, yes, that's exactly what I want! Give me three to start!"
"Anti-theft locks salvaged from the ruins? Will they even work? All right, install one for me."
"Nails for reinforcing doors... You've got the whole set here? Oh, lots of people buy them? Then give me two packs."
"Ground Spikes? What do I need those for? They can stop Infected from sneaking in if I put them in front of the door? Then, then give me a set!"
"Anyone want fresh Mutated Beast dung? Smear it on your door, and I guarantee the Infected will stay away!"
"..."
The Flea Market on Pedestrian Street was usually quiet, only getting busy from afternoon to evening.
Today, however, it was packed first thing in the morning.
Listening to all the haggling around him, Cheng Ye clicked his tongue. It seemed he wasn't the only one who'd been scared last night.
Judging by the way people were snatching up goods, this was even more intense than yesterday's rush for Nutrient Paste.
"In the end, a famine won't starve you to death overnight, but the threat from the Infected... is fatal."
Cheng Ye made a circuit of the street.
Before coming, he'd been worried about what materials to buy. It turned out the vendors had already prepared complete solutions.
Whether it was residential buildings, Apartment Blocks, roadside tents, or dilapidated homes, Wastelanders had long since worked out a complete way to reinforce defenses. They had everything anyone could need.
And if you bought enough, they even offered free home delivery.
"That'll be 580 coins. I'll get someone to deliver it for you right away."
Taking the Happiness Coins Cheng Ye handed over, the vendor grinned from ear to ear and immediately turned to find someone to do the job.
Before long, two skinny young men came out pushing a cart. They piled all the materials Cheng Ye had bought onto it.
"Go on ahead, sir. We'll be right behind you."
"All right."
In the Buffer Zone, Cheng Ye wasn't worried that anyone would dare pocket an inspector's money.
He went back to the Apartment Blocks first, grabbed a wrench, and went at the flimsy sheet-metal door.
Though he was supposedly taking it apart, two hits on the joints were enough to make the whole thing fall apart on its own.
The rusty hinges shattered into pieces, and the frame shook with a loud rattle.
"Damn, forget the Infected. A normal person could just barge in."
Cheng Ye nervously glanced at the rust around the broken joints. He couldn't help thinking how lucky he'd been. If an Infected had wandered in right after he'd crossed over, this door wouldn't have protected him at all. He might not even have known what killed him.
Soon, the materials were carried into the hallway one by one.
Just carrying the heavy security door up to the fifth floor left the two young men gasping for breath.
"Sorry for the trouble. You've earned this."
He fished two five-denomination Happiness Coins from his pocket and handed them over. The two men immediately broke into broad smiles, showering him with thanks and pulling out every nice thing they could think to say.
After they left, Cheng Ye looked at the materials piled into a small hill across the floor, and the worry that had hung over him all night finally lifted.
"With all this, it won't be easy for the Infected to force their way in again, right?!"
P.S. A reader said the pace feels slow and worried the story might lose control later. Don't worry. You all know how fast the pace was in my last book, Global Flow, but I still brought it to a satisfying close after more than six million words. Trust me on this one. I guarantee it!
P.S. 2: Thank you so much for all the monthly tickets and comments. Every ticket and every comment encourages me. I'm bowing to you all!
P.S. 3: Here are 3.5k words. Please give me monthly tickets and follow the story!
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