Regional announcement!

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the bulletproof glass and fell across the teak floor inside the RV.

There were no Zombie howls, nor any whistling of bitter winds.

What woke Lin Hui was the rich aroma of milk and the sizzle of eggs in a frying pan.

He opened his eyes and sat up in the soft bed, momentarily feeling as though he had returned to civilized society.

The air held steady at twenty-four degrees, the humidity was comfortable, and he had slept until he woke naturally.

"Boss, you're awake?"

A bright, pleasant voice came from the RV's kitchen area.

Lin Hui turned to look, and his gaze briefly lingered.

Su Qingqian was busy at the induction stove.

Perhaps because the heating inside was so strong, she wasn't wearing much. She had changed into a white shirt.

The oversized shirt's hem barely covered the tops of her thighs, with a pair of short denim shorts underneath. As she moved, her long, straight, fair legs dazzled in the morning light.

She had loosely tied up her previously messy long hair with a ribbon, leaving a few wisps hanging beside her ears. She looked innocent, with a faint touch of cozy allure.

"Morning."

Lin Hui threw back the covers, got out of bed, and stepped onto the carpet.

"Breakfast will be ready soon! There's hot milk, fried eggs, and toast I just made." Su Qingqian deftly flipped an egg, then looked back at Lin Hui with a sweet smile. "I saw some ham in the fridge, so I cut two slices."

"Mm." Lin Hui nodded. He had left plenty of food in the fridge last night.

Ten minutes later.

The two sat at the folding dining table.

Fine porcelain plates stood on the table. The fried eggs had browned edges and runny yolks, and the toast was golden and crisp. A couple of lettuce leaves and a few cherry tomatoes accompanied them, and she had even set out knives and forks to give the meal a sense of occasion.

Lin Hui cut off a piece of bacon and put it in his mouth. Its rich, fatty flavor burst across his tongue.

"You're a pretty good cook."

Su Qingqian smiled faintly. "Thanks for the compliment."

With that, she spread a spoonful of chili oil over her slice of ham, then popped it into her mouth and ate with relish.

Lin Hui smiled, enjoying the food Su Qingqian had prepared as he opened the [Regional Channel].

The mood in the channel was oppressively bleak.

[Current regional survivors: 989452 / 10000000]

The red numbers were shocking.

"There used to be ten million people. Now there aren't even a million left." Lin Hui drew a quiet breath.

"I saw it too..." Su Qingqian held her cup of warm milk, the smile on her small face fading a little as complicated emotions filled her eyes. "Another cold wave hit last night. Lots of people ran out of fuel, and their heaters stopped... They never woke up again."

At that moment.

Countless people were still crying out in the channel.

"Does anyone have food? Please, even expired bread will do! I'll be your dog!"

"My tire blew out, and the Gray Fog is only fifty kilometers behind me... Please help..."

"Water... Just one sip of water..."

She looked at those desperate words, then at the warm milk in her hands, the beautifully prepared fried eggs on her plate, and the clean, fresh clothes she wore.

Su Qingqian instinctively glanced at the man across from her, who was elegantly eating his fried eggs.

If she hadn't met Lin Hui.

She would probably have become one of those million cold corpses, or been curled up in a corner of her tank, gnawing on rock-hard compressed biscuits and trembling in cold and fear.

But now...

Here in the apocalypse, she was actually enjoying a vacation more luxurious than life had been in peacetime.

That stark contrast instantly brought her dependence on Lin Hui to its peak.

"Stop looking."

Lin Hui set down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin, his tone calm.

"This is the selection process. It's also the rule of this game."

He pointed at the milk in front of Su Qingqian. "Finish it. It'll taste off once it gets cold. We've got important things to do today."

"Oh! Okay!" Su Qingqian quickly nodded obediently and lifted the cup in both hands, gulping it down like a little hamster. A ring of milk remained around her mouth.

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Hui didn't rush to set out.

He returned to the driver's seat, slid it back, and took out three small vials.

One pale blue [Basic Gene Potion].

One deep blue [Intermediate Gene Serum].

And one vial of [Potent Antibiotics].

He had obtained these by killing that tier-three "White Thorn."

"Basic Gene Potion... I used one before, and it raised my Constitution from 5 to 15."

Lin Hui studied the vial of pale blue liquid, a keen gleam flashing in his eyes.

"According to the instructions, the basic potion's effects can stack until the body develops resistance."

Without any hesitation, he picked up the Basic Gene Potion, twisted off the needle cap, lined it up with his vein, and drove it in.

Hiss...

The cool liquid entered his bloodstream.

Almost instantly, a familiar burning sensation swept through his entire body again.

This time, however, Lin Hui wasn't in so much pain that his veins bulged like before. After the first enhancement, his body was clearly far more receptive to this energy.

But that didn't mean he felt nothing.

"Ugh..."

Su Qingqian, who was sorting out a supply list in the passenger seat, suddenly heard a low groan beside her.

She turned in surprise and saw Lin Hui leaning against the seat back with his eyes closed, his muscles trembling at a visibly rapid rate.

Every bundle of muscle fibers resembled tightly twisted steel cables, displaying an extremely dense, streamlined beauty.

Su Qingqian blinked her clear eyes, filled with curiosity. After all, Basic Gene Potions were incredibly valuable, and she had only heard about them in the Regional Channel.

Five minutes later.

Lin Hui's eyes snapped open.

"Are you okay?" Su Qingqian asked with concern.

"I'm fine!" Lin Hui replied, then slowly raised his right hand, clenched his fingers, and threw a punch.

Crack!

The air compressed and burst apart in an instant, producing a sharp snap!

His strength and speed had both improved considerably.

He opened his personal panel.

[Name: Lin Hui]

[Race: Human]

[Status: Healthy]

[Sanity (San): 100/100] (Note: Sanity below 30 causes suicidal thoughts; below 20, you will hear whispers; below 10, you will descend into madness.)

[Spirit: 5] (Note: Average for a normal adult. Higher Spirit grants greater resistance to sanity loss and faster sanity recovery.)

[Constitution: 25] (15 → 25)

[Evaluation: Your physical capabilities have reached Captain America's level.]

Lin Hui flexed his fist, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

He picked up the deep blue vial of [Intermediate Gene Serum].

[Name: Intermediate Gene Serum]

[Type: Consumable]

[Quality: Rare] (Common, rare, perfect, epic, legendary, mythical...)

[Special effect: Comprehensively enhances physical capabilities and increases Constitution. Constitution +100.]

[Side effect: The injection process causes severe pain.]

[Requirement: Constitution must reach 50 (the human limit). Using it before meeting this requirement will cause DNA damage and genetic chain collapse, potentially resulting in immediate death.]

"Still a long way to go."

Lin Hui shook his head regretfully and put the Intermediate Gene Serum back into his spatial dimension.

It seemed that if he wanted to surpass human limits, he would have to keep collecting Basic Gene Potions.

"Qingqian."

Lin Hui suddenly spoke, his voice deeper and more resonant than before.

"Huh? Yes!" Su Qingqian, who had been staring absently at Lin Hui's muscles, startled and blushed.

"Post a buy listing for [Basic Gene Potion] in the public channel. Price... isn't an issue. If someone has one, do your best to trade for it."

Su Qingqian froze briefly, then nodded earnestly. "Got it!"

Suddenly.

An icy system notification boomed without warning inside the minds of every surviving player!

[Regional announcement: Attention, players in the C-996 Region.]

[Congratulations on surviving the initial five-day selection period.]

[The first-stage mission is now available-"Journey to Cauldron City"!]

[Mission objective: All players in the C-996 Region must reach "Cauldron City" (coordinates: 324.5, 998.1) within 120 hours (5 days) and survive within the city for at least 24 hours.]

[Mission rewards:]

[1. Admission ticket to the next-stage map, "Land of Mist."]

[2. Vehicle Upgrade Blueprint x 1.]

[3. Universal Fuel x 10 units.]

[4. Basic Gene Potion x 1.]

[Friendly reminder: After 120 hours, all areas outside Cauldron City will instantly be engulfed in extremely concentrated Gray Fog!]