[Human Eyes, Cat Pupils] [Sacrificial Item ranking: 5721] [Ability 1: Grants catlike pupils. Under the Blood Moon, they can see through the fog and provide increased resistance to mental attacks.] [Ability 2: Anyone who makes direct eye contact with Human Eyes, Cat Pupils for more than three seconds will suffer a mental hammer blow.] [Ability 3: Can see Anomalies within a one-kilometer radius.] [Sacrificial Items: Supernatural objects. Every use comes at a price!] [Price of using Human Eyes, Cat Pupils: Replace your eyeballs.] [But if you are Chu Sheng, there is no price!]
"Two supernatural materials can fuse together?"
Seeing the white light fade from Chu Sheng's hands, An Xi forgot her anger and asked in confusion.
"Does fusing them turn them into a Sacrificial Item? Or a more powerful supernatural material?"
Zhu Qing was equally puzzled. Looking at the pair of crimson eyes, he ventured, "They probably turned into another supernatural material, right?"
He really couldn't understand what the conditions for using these crimson eyeballs would be if they were a Sacrificial Item.
Or rather, he had a guess, but he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it.
Chu Sheng glanced at them without answering, then slowly brought Human Eyes, Cat Pupils toward his eyes.
Others would have to gouge out their eyeballs and replace them with Human Eyes, Cat Pupils, but he didn't.
As their creator, the Sacrificial Items he made would never harm him.
As Human Eyes, Cat Pupils drew closer, An Xi and Zhu Qing watched the originally crimson eyeballs begin to dim.
When they touched Chu Sheng's eyes, Human Eyes, Cat Pupils turned into a streak of crimson light that covered his original eyes.
Chu Sheng felt a cool sensation seep into his eyes and instinctively closed them.
When he opened them again, the contours of the world unfolded before him.
The once-normal world had turned crimson in his sight, like the world beneath the Blood Moon at night, only much brighter.
Beyond that, he could see a column of black light soaring into the sky nearby.
Though he had never seen anything like it, Chu Sheng instinctively knew it was an Anomalies.
That black light was moving toward them.
[Ability 3: Can see Anomalies within a one-kilometer radius.]
This was the fundamental reason this Sacrificial Item ranked 5721st.
One kilometer wasn't a large range. If he could see an Anomalies, that meant it could certainly catch up with him. It wasn't much use for navigating, but it could give him advance warning.
Just as Chu Sheng spotted the approaching Anomalies, Captain Hui's voice reached their ears.
"An Anomalies! Stay alert!"
An Xi and Zhu Qing's expressions changed. They stopped watching Chu Sheng and scanned their surroundings warily.
Chu Sheng also stood, drawing the Butcher Knife from his waist. "That Anomalies is a few hundred meters behind us."
"Just watch that direction."
His crimson eyes and white hair formed an eerily harmonious combination.
"Is that your new ability?!"
An Xi slowly turned and couldn't help giving his crimson eyes a curious look.
"I suggest you don't look directly into my eyes!"
Rather than answer, Chu Sheng gave her a warning, his gaze fixed on the approaching black aura.
"Tch, like I want to look at you!" An Xi curled her lips, hefted her White Jade Spear, and leaped onto a nearby tree.
Zhu Qing simply transformed into a giant over five meters tall.
Unlike those supermarkets, there was no height restriction here. Naturally, he would take his strongest form.
As he transformed, his loose clothing instantly pulled taut, stretching with his growing body.
When Zhu Qing stopped growing, his baggy clothes had become skin-tight.
He was quite satisfied with that. Wearing tight clothes was embarrassing, but at least he wasn't running around naked.
Once the three were ready, the Anomalies appeared before them.
Even from a distance, they could see it hopping toward them.
Chu Sheng narrowed his eyes, peering through the crimson tint in his vision. "Is that a zombie?" he asked uncertainly.
Zhu Qing wasn't entirely sure either. He frowned. "Looks like one?"
An Xi, however, was certain. "It's a zombie. Judging by the black hair on its body, it looks like a Black Zombie!"
"A Black Zombie?"
"How do you know so much about Anomalies?" Chu Sheng asked, puzzled.
"The more you see, the more you know." An Xi glanced at him and gave a cryptic answer, apparently getting back at him for tricking her earlier.
Chu Sheng turned to Zhu Qing, who didn't hide anything. "It's the captain."
"The captain keeps a journal of our convoy's routes, locations, and the Anomalies we've encountered."
"When we meet another convoy, if they have a journal like that too, they exchange them to read."
"If you want to know, just ask the captain to let you read it later."
Zhu Qing smiled as he continued, "That thing is pretty important."
"If we weren't in an apocalypse, I'd almost think I was reading an encyclopedia. It has pictures and clearly written descriptions of lots of Anomalies, and even lists many of their abilities."
"I saw this Black Zombie in that journal before."
Chu Sheng nodded thoughtfully.
Before he could speak, the Black Zombie had drawn close. Instead of charging forward, Chu Sheng waited for An Xi and Zhu Qing to make the first move.
After all, this was a zombie. Who knew what abilities it had? What if one scratch turned him into a zombie too?
Survival Points mattered, but Chu Sheng valued his own life more.
He could sneak in a few cuts later and earn a few Survival Points.
With that thought, Chu Sheng unconsciously took a few steps, positioning Zhu Qing in front of him as a shield.
"Keep this in mind, you two: once you've restrained that zombie, let me dissect it!"
His words made Zhu Qing and An Xi pause, then quietly adjust their approach.
True, if they restrained the zombie and let Chu Sheng dissect it, they could get more supernatural materials.
That was far more worthwhile than simply hacking it to death.
Having said his piece, Chu Sheng ran toward the rear.
He didn't stop until he reached Captain Hui and Old Man Li.
Captain Hui gave him a speechless look. "You looked so imposing at first, I thought you were going to fight."
"He's young. It's understandable." Old Man Li watched Chu Sheng with a chuckle.
Chu Sheng merely glanced at them with his crimson eyes. "What do you know? This is called a clear division of labor!"
"Besides, I don't know that zombie's abilities. What if it ambushes me, or scratches me when I'm not paying attention? Wouldn't I become a zombie too?"
"Not worth it. Not worth it!"
"Who told you being scratched by a zombie turns you into one?" Captain Hui asked, puzzled.
"Isn't that how it works in the movies?"
Chu Sheng sounded perfectly justified.
"Those are movies. This is reality."
"I don't know about other zombies, but being scratched by a Black Zombie won't turn you into one. You'll just get hurt, and your wounds will heal a little slower. Overall, though, you'll be fine."
"If you want to become a zombie, a Black Zombie has to drink your blood."
"Is that so?" Understanding dawned on Chu Sheng, but he still didn't budge.
He had already told An Xi and Zhu Qing to leave the zombie for him to dissect once they restrained it. Going over now would only earn him a few extra Survival Points.
There was no need. Better to play it safe for now.
Meanwhile, An Xi was attacking the Black Zombie with her spear.
The Black Zombie was no Ironclad Zombie. Every strike An Xi landed left a wound on its body.
The Geng Metal Power imbued in her spear even slowed its regeneration considerably.
Zhu Qing watched from the side. Seeing An Xi completely occupy the Black Zombie, he seized an opening and rushed forward, pinning it to the ground with his enormous body.
Watching from nearby, Chu Sheng immediately ran over once the Black Zombie was pinned, eager to put his Butcher Knife to work.
"Good, good! Hold it down for me. Leave the rest to me!"
Chu Sheng approached the Black Zombie with his Butcher Knife.
Hearing him, Zhu Qing nodded and planted a foot on the Black Zombie's back, keeping it pressed to the ground. "Go ahead!"
An Xi flicked her spear, driving it through one of the Black Zombie's hands and pinning it to the ground.
"Cut it apart first." Having watched Chu Sheng dissect Anomalies before, An Xi knew something of his methods.
Chu Sheng gave her an approving look.
A promising student.
She knew to remove the Anomalies's limbs first to stop it from hurting him.
"I see you have the makings of a butcher. Want to learn dissection from me?"
An Xi: "..."
Absolutely not!
Just watching Chu Sheng dissect Anomalies made her feel as though she were facing an evil scientist. If she had to do the dissecting herself, she would definitely suffer a mental attack.
In this apocalypse, An Xi felt no psychological burden whether she was killing people or Anomalies.
But dissecting them afterward was genuinely more than she could stomach.
Others might not know, but she knew perfectly well that this guy was a beast.
Earlier, to hold off the Anomalies, he had attacked people fleeing along the road, forcing them to buy him time.
She also understood Chu Sheng's personality somewhat. He made it sound nice, but if she actually agreed, he would absolutely demand tuition.
Hearing her refusal, Chu Sheng looked a little disappointed. "Fine. If you ever want to learn dissection, come find me. Five supernatural materials will cover the apprenticeship fee."
"An apprenticeship fee?! How cultured of you!" An Xi looked at him as if to say, I knew it.
"Traditional culture." Chu Sheng didn't mind. His Butcher Knife came down, cutting halfway through the Black Zombie's arm.
He raised an eyebrow and brought the knife down again, finally severing the arm completely.
Holding the Black Zombie's arm, Chu Sheng precisely removed the nails from all five fingers.
Only now did Chu Sheng realize that the Human Eyes, Cat Pupils he had fused had another effect.
They let him see where the black aura was densest on an Anomalies's body.
Naturally, the places where that black aura gathered were supernatural materials.
After fusing with Human Eyes, Cat Pupils, his world had turned red, but it hadn't hindered him at all. On the contrary, it had improved his abilities considerably.
As Chu Sheng cut off the Black Zombie's limbs, he removed all its fingernails.
Its legs, however, contained no supernatural materials.
Looking at the zombie, now reduced to a head and torso, Chu Sheng paused. As if struck by inspiration, he brought his Butcher Knife toward its fangs.
The previously ordinary zombie fangs now became supernatural materials.
After placing the two fangs with the fingernails, Chu Sheng signaled for Zhu Qing to release the zombie.
With neither limbs nor fangs left, the zombie no longer posed any threat.
Only roars continued to emerge from its mouth.
The survivors watching from a distance felt a chill run through them.
"Sis, isn't that guy a total sicko?" a somewhat scrawny boy watching from afar complained to his older sister beside him.
"Little Jie, don't say things like that!"
"We don't know what they're doing or why, but they must have a reason. Sequence superhumans have already appeared. Do you really think they're just dissecting an Anomalies?"
Wu Meng looked sternly at her younger brother. "This is the apocalypse. Before you speak, think carefully about the worst possible consequences!"
"That way, even if something happens to me someday, you'll still be able to survive!"
"Sis!" Wu Jie looked at her in displeasure. "What do you mean, something happens to you? We're both going to survive!"
Wu Meng sighed helplessly, feeling both comforted and upset.
When the apocalypse struck, she had been out shopping with her younger brother.
After all, younger brothers were their older sisters' pack mules.
But then the apocalypse had arrived without warning. They couldn't even get home, and Anomalies were everywhere.
They had only survived because they realized things were going badly and drove out of the city. Otherwise, they would have died long ago.
She was also grateful that she had been with her little brother, who had just started high school. That was a blessing amid their misfortune.
But her brother was still rather immature. Wu Meng felt that if she died, he would probably struggle to survive.
Completely unaware of these concerns, Wu Jie patted his chest. "Don't worry, Sis. I'll protect you!"
Nearby, Zhou Dun and his two companions were also watching Chu Sheng's group carry out the dissection.
After a moment's thought, Zhou Dun told the other two, "Wait here. I'll be right back."
Without waiting for Li Ling or Li Qian to respond, he walked alone toward Captain Hui and Old Man Li.
"Captain."
Captain Hui turned toward him. "Need something?"
Zhou Dun glanced at Chu Sheng, who was cutting open the zombie's abdomen, and swallowed. "Captain, can I ask what he's doing?"
He pointed at Chu Sheng.
Captain Hui gave him a knowing look, then exchanged a glance with Old Man Li, a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Supernatural materials. Every Anomalies has some body parts that are ready-made supernatural materials. They're essential for making Sacrificial Items."
"They're looking for supernatural materials right now."
At that, Captain Hui glanced at him with a slight smile. "If you have supernatural materials yourselves, you can ask Chu Sheng to make Sacrificial Items for you."
"Ordinary people can use Sacrificial Items too. They just have to pay a price."
"But Chu Sheng charges one supernatural material as payment. In other words, you need two supernatural materials to get one Sacrificial Item, and that item's ability might be very weak or very strong."
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