Monster Upgrade

Twelve monsters appeared in the mist, and they didn't look simple.

Before Lu Chengchuan and the others could act, a roar echoed from behind the monsters, and the twelve monsters instantly charged forward. The soldiers raised their guns and fired, bullets striking the monsters and creating sparks.

Accompanied by the sound of metal clashing, the soldiers' faces turned grim.

The monsters could withstand bullets, which was bad news for them, very bad news. Compared to the monsters, the soldiers only had guns as an advantage. If guns couldn't kill the monsters either, they wouldn't know what to do.

"Retreat!"

The monsters' strength far exceeded expectations. Zhou Yaning didn't hesitate and ordered a retreat.

After giving the order, she walked to Lu Chengchuan's side. "I need you to cover them."

The monsters weren't slow, much faster than the previous ones, and also faster than ordinary people. The soldiers needed time to retreat, and someone had to cover their safe withdrawal.

Lu Chengchuan was powerful, and having him hold the rear made people feel at ease.

The range was short, and the monsters were already upon them. Lu Chengchuan put down his rifle and glanced at the fine steel sword. He decided to intercept the monsters with his bare hands.

Bullets striking the monsters could create sparks. Even if this fine steel sword was used until it was chipped, it wouldn't kill a single monster. It was better to just use his hands; his hands were harder than the fine steel sword.

He didn't want to dirty his hands by using the sword. If the sword couldn't kill them, he would just use his hands directly.

As the monsters charged, Lu Chengchuan stepped forward, his fist heavily striking a monster's chest.

A muffled sound rang out, and the monster flew backward. Lu Chengchuan retracted his fist. As expected of a monster that could withstand bullets, the punch made his palm ache.

One monster flew away, and the other eleven monsters surrounded him, waving their arms to grab Lu Chengchuan.

Lu Chengchuan easily dodged. Zhou Yaning and the others helped from the side, using their respective abilities to block the dozen or so monsters chasing after them as much as possible.

Flames and transparent air blades flew out from both sides, hitting the monsters, but these attacks only made the monsters pause for a moment before they charged forward as if nothing had happened.

They fought and retreated, running towards the light circle at the edge of the village.

Lu Chengchuan slapped away the surrounding monsters with his palms. He used all his strength with each palm strike, but the monsters' bodies were as strong as iron. After being slapped away and falling to the ground, they could stand up perfectly fine.

The soldiers lined up to enter the light circle, and twenty-some people left one after another.

The monsters caught up, and Lu Chengchuan stopped. He circulated his Inner Energy throughout his body. As the Inner Energy flowed, his strength and explosiveness were enhanced.

He grabbed a monster, allowing the other monsters to attack him. Lu Chengchuan forcefully tore at the monster's neck.

Sharp claws pierced his body, and pain came from all over. The monsters grabbed his body and shoulders, also tearing at his body with force.

Inner Energy surged wildly, flowing into his arms and fingers. His arms swelled up, looking terrifying.

With the boost of Inner Energy, he gritted his teeth and exerted force, suddenly tearing open the monster's neck.

Discarding the hard, black flesh, a stream of Tainted Qi quickly flowed out from the monster's neck wound, much like a Zombie. Could these monsters also be Zombies?

The monster's body was stiff, its skin was iron-blue, and there was no vitality in its eyes. It certainly didn't look like a living thing.

Pushing away the deflated monster with one hand, Lu Chengchuan waved his arms, pushing away the monsters surrounding him.

"Go!"

Zhou Yaning stood in front of the light circle and shouted at Lu Chengchuan. She was covered in a transparent shield, which was her ability, allowing her to protect herself from all angles without blind spots.

Once Lu Chengchuan fought his way out, she immediately stepped into the light circle.

[Killed Zombie, gained 100 days of life.]

As he ran, the monster whose throat he had torn open died, and the System's voice sounded. This thing really was a Zombie. Not the low-level kind; the difference in strength between the two was enormous, and the lifespan he could gain also greatly increased.

One Zombie could give him a hundred days of life. If he could kill the remaining Zombies, he could gain more than three years of life, but he couldn't do it for the time being.

The Zombies couldn't hurt him for the time being, but once his Inner Energy was exhausted, without the Inner Energy amplification, the defense of the Eagle Claw Iron Body Skill alone wouldn't last long.

It took him a lot of effort to kill one Zombie. With eleven Zombies surrounding him, he couldn't fight them all.

Lu Chengchuan jumped into the light circle, and his entire being instantly disappeared from the Black Mist.

Everyone escaped from the Black Mist. The Zombies that had chased after them lost their target and stood there stunned until a low roar came from behind them. The remaining Zombies turned around and returned to the center of the 'village'.

Outside the Black Mist, after confirming that the monsters hadn't chased after them, everyone relaxed.

The soldiers guarding outside surrounded them. Upon discovering that it was them, they put down their rifles and continued to stand guard.

"What kind of monsters are these? How can bullets not kill them?"

The soldiers were still shaken, and the members of the Investigation Bureau were also full of doubts.

These monsters were more than just unkillable; bullets hitting them created sparks. Were these monsters' bodies made of iron?

"Do you know what they are?"

Zhou Yaning habitually asked Lu Chengchuan. This man was too mysterious in her mind. Zhou Yaning felt that Lu Chengchuan knew many things, but he just didn't say them.

"You're treating me like an encyclopedia, asking me everything." Lu Chengchuan was a little helpless. Zhou Yaning felt that he knew everything and understood everything.

But he really did know what those things were, and he didn't beat around the bush.

"They are Zombies. I tore open a Zombie's neck just now, and Tainted Qi leaked out from inside, much like the low-level Zombies I killed before."

"Zombies, can monsters even become stronger..." Zhou Yaning asked again.

Lu Chengchuan knew the difference between the two. The previous ones were just low-level Zombies. Those guys inside didn't have the word "low-level"; they were real Zombies.

Although it's just a difference in name, the strength is worlds apart.

"Humans can awaken abilities, so why can't monsters become stronger? Their strength is far greater than low-level Zombies. Ordinary bullets can't hurt them. Do you have any more powerful weapons?"

"If we want to go in and find the Energy Source, we have to deal with these Zombies."

Knowing what they are, we need to find a way to deal with them.

"We brought some armor-piercing rounds. We can try those bullets."

They had made a lot of preparations before setting off, and they brought a lot of armor-piercing rounds, so they could try them. If that didn't work, they also brought several heavy machine guns. If rifle armor-piercing rounds couldn't solve the problem, they would use heavy machine gun armor-piercing rounds.

Zhou Yaning picked up the phone she had left outside and found that only half an hour had passed from when they went in to when they came out. It was still early, so they could rest for a while before going back in.

"Hopefully, we can take care of them..."

Lu Chengchuan suddenly felt that things weren't that simple, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Zhou Yaning didn't catch the meaning in his words. She found Li Wang and asked them to prepare the armor-piercing rounds. After resting for a while, they would go back in to investigate.

Li Wang was afraid of those monsters that the bullets didn't even move, but he had orders. As a qualified soldier, he still obeyed the order without hesitation.