Second Level Spirit Energy Plant

Lin An was overjoyed, feeling a surge of hot blood rush to his head.

Though First Level and Second Level Spirit Energy Plants differed by only one word, their effects were worlds apart.

Over the course of three full years in his previous life,

he had only seen information about a suspected Second Level Spirit Energy Plant once in the Chat Channel!

That single message had sparked a frenzied scramble among dozens of Second-Order Awakeners in the East China War Zone.

In the end, a Top Second-Order Awakener obtained it only after more than a thousand members of his team had died.

Without sparing a thought for why a Second Level Spirit Energy Plant had appeared here,

Lin An swallowed it without hesitation.

"Buzz—"

A powerful warm current surged through his entire body from the moment it entered his mouth.

"Hngh—"

The melting Violet turned into a streak of fire and shot into his body.

Lin An let out a muffled groan as pain spread through his limbs.

That was the effect of spirit energy reshaping his body.

As massive amounts of spirit energy coursed through him, a powerful force rose from his lower abdomen.

"Ding. Devoured a Second Level Spirit Energy Plant. Strength +2, Agility +1, physique +1, Willpower +1."

"Ding. Obtained Second Level Spirit Plant Exclusive Boost: Explosive Power increased by 10%."

"Ding. Obtained Second Level Spirit Plant Exclusive Enhancement: Movement speed increased by 10%."

After the enhancement ended,

Lin An was drenched in sweat, his gaze burning.

Watching the scrolling screen, he was filled with delight.

This was... too powerful!

As expected of a Second Level Spirit Energy Plant.

Aside from its massive attribute boosts, it also possessed rare additional effects.

A 10% increase in Explosive Power meant he could unleash attacks beyond the limits of his Strength Attribute.

And movement speed was equally important.

In the Doomsday Game, speed determined whether you could escape danger in the face of life and death!

With two incredibly powerful additional effects, he felt as though endless strength filled his body.

Of course, Lin An knew that was merely an illusion caused by his sudden increase in strength.

"Character Panel!"

Lin An gave a low shout, eager to inspect his current attributes.

"Character Info: Lin An (Tier 0 Awakener, Player Level: 0)"

"Strength: 16.4"

"Agility: 15.4"

"Physique: 15.4"

"Willpower: 16.8"

"Equipment: Doomsday Ring (Special)"

Awakener Talent: Strength Burst, S Grade.

(Temporarily increases physical abilities by a large margin. Repeated use causes a weakened state.)

"Tier 0: All attributes +2. (The maximum value of each attribute for ordinary humans is 10.)"

Savior Template: Eye of Judgment. (Continuously consumes Mental Strength after activation. Can obtain target information. Can be upgraded.)

"Savior Template Mission Info: Kill the Second Order Mutant Stitcher Zombie."

"Mission Level: Dangerous!"

"Mission Time Limit: 120 hours"

"Mission Reward: Antidote Serum ×3. (Removes Zombie Virus from the body.)"

"Savior Template Mission Info: Recruit 5 team members (time limit: 30 days). Current progress: 2/5."

"Mission Reward: Doomsday Base Vehicle (Initial)."

After examining his current attributes, Lin An was very satisfied.

His attributes were practically luxurious, and his strength was close to that of an Intermediate First Order Awakener!

For ordinary First-Order Awakeners, most of their attributes were only a little above ten.

It was no exaggeration to say that if he encountered an ordinary Awakener now, they probably would not even be able to withstand a single slash from him.

Time to test it!

Lin An raised his right fist and swung it through the air.

Boom!

A crisp explosion rang out as the force of his fist compressed the air, creating a brief vacuum blast.

Inside the small flower shop, loose objects were swept up by the airflow.

His target was the thick wall. With one punch, the reinforced concrete wall was instantly blasted through, exposing the street outside.

"Gulp."

A swallow of saliva.

The flower shop owner's eyes widened into ovals, and her open mouth could have fit an egg.

When Lin An had been killing the Zombies, she had crouched beneath the window and watched carefully as he fought.

She had also witnessed the moment he killed the last Zombie.

Now, seeing Lin An punch straight through a concrete wall, she was utterly stunned.

Was he even human?!

Too terrifying.

She cautiously shrank her neck, terrified that Lin An would notice her.

Wen Ya was also somewhat astonished.

She knew how powerful Lin An was, but he seemed even stronger now than before.

Clicking her tongue in amazement, Wen Ya obediently remained silent.

Lin An lowered his right fist. His fair knuckles were uninjured, bearing only a faint red mark.

His newly enhanced physique had also improved his Impact Resistance.

Even if he stood still and let Wen Ya chop at him, she might not be able to kill him.

As his strength grew, Lin An gradually felt himself moving closer to something no longer human.

Roar!

A mass of footsteps suddenly sounded outside, accompanied by the roars of Zombies.

Lin An raised his head and looked through the hole he had punched through the wall.

Outside, there was a sea of black, filled with pairs of savage scarlet eyes.

"Ah!"

"M-Monsters!"

The flower shop owner screamed, driving the Zombies into an even more frenzied state as they slammed into the shelves piled against the entrance.

As though scared out of her wits,

the flower shop owner burst out with speed that did not match her obese body and sprinted up the stairs.

Click.

The room door locked from inside.

The sound of heavy objects being moved came from within. Apparently, she intended to barricade the door.

Wen Ya froze for a moment, somewhat speechless.

Her right hand merely tightened around Lin An's arm on instinct.

She let out a soft sigh and looked pityingly at the tightly shut door on the second floor.

In her view,

the flower shop owner had undoubtedly made the worst possible choice upon seeing the Zombies.

She had fled alone and locked the door behind her.

Did she think that would let her survive?

No.

The real path to survival was following Lin An.

"Let's go!"

Lin An paid no attention to the flower shop owner's actions. He had seen this sort of thing countless times in his previous life.

After a quick glance, he estimated that at least four hundred Zombies had appeared on the street outside.

Without hesitation, Lin An scooped Wen Ya into his arms and left.

Wen Ya, who weighed less than a hundred pounds, felt practically weightless with his current strength.

Lin An drew a deep breath, his gaze turning sharp.

"Strength Burst!"

A pale golden flash flickered and vanished into his body.

His already taut muscles bulged as though exploding.

Activating his talent for the first time after the enhancement, Lin An felt as though time itself had slowed.

The Zombies swarming outside rammed into the shelves at high speed, yet in his eyes, they moved as though in slow motion.

Boom!

Like a small cannonball,

Lin An violently kicked out. The terrifying force sent the half-ton shelves, along with dozens of tightly packed Zombies, flying.

Metal twisted as they were blasted more than ten meters away.

In an instant, the Zombies clogging the shop entrance were briefly cleared away.

"Hah!"

Lin An shouted low, bent over with Wen Ya in his arms, and shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow.

Ten meters in a single step!

He burst out of the encirclement in an instant. The other Zombies did not even have time to react and could only roar repeatedly at the departing Lin An.

However, as the sounds in the area continued one after another,

the Zombies at the edge of the city heard the commotion and gathered in ever greater numbers.

The small clearing Lin An had created was soon filled again by Zombies drawn over by the noise.

Before long, more than a thousand Zombies had gathered beneath the tiny flower shop.

At the second-floor window, the flower shop owner poked her head out and saw the Zombies nearly filling the entire street. Her eyes went blank.

The motorcycle sped onward as Wen Ya tightly wrapped her arms around Lin An's waist.

"Lin An, where are we going now?"

For some reason, although they had known each other for less than a few hours,

Wen Ya felt as if they had known each other for a very long time.

There was something about Lin An that made her inexplicably want to get close to him.

"The City Center."

Lin An's gaze was calm, though a trace of anticipation flashed in his eyes.

He thought to himself,

"A Second Order Mutant has 30 points of Strength, while I can only reach 18.4 after activating my skill."

"I need to reduce the Strength gap to within 10 points before I can harm the Stitcher."

According to the rules of the Doomsday Game, attributes exceeding the opponent's by more than 10 points produced a crushing effect.

If that crushing effect appeared, he would not even be able to break through the Stitcher's defenses!

The gap of 12 points did not discourage him.

Whether it was his Player Level or Awakener rank, he was only one Mutant away from reaching the next level.

Once he leveled up, he would gain three points in Strength.

That would make it 9 points, leaving a gap of around 5 more points.

"A Strength gap of around 5 points..."

Lin An smiled faintly.

He happened to know of a piece of equipment that could increase Strength by 5 points!

It was in the City Center, where at least a million Zombies and a large number of First Order Mutants had gathered by now.

Originally, he had planned to enter the city only on the fifth day.

But now, he had decided to change his plan.

His increase in strength had exceeded even his best expectations, and he had even gained the unexpected bonus of Antitoxin.

With both advantages combined, he had gained a few more chances at obtaining equipment he had not intended to acquire this early.

"Skull Crusher's Hand."

"The only Fine Rank equipment in Lin Jiang City during the Doomsday—blue grade!"