"Come sit here." Lin Hui patted the seat beside him. "The movie just started."
A classic romance was playing on the large projection screen.
Liu Xi walked over naturally and sat on Lin Hui's right. The rose fragrance she wore instantly drifted into his nostrils. She crossed her legs, her luminous white skin almost dazzling under the lights.
Su Qingqian glanced at Liu Xi, and an inexplicable sense of danger immediately rose in her heart.
Liu Xi... she's so beautiful.
And she has such a great figure. She's smart, knows how to use a sniper rifle, and worked so well with the boss during that fight...
Would the boss prefer someone like her?
At that thought, Su Qingqian bit her lip, hurried over, and plopped down on Lin Hui's left. She sat a little closer than usual, her thigh almost touching his trouser leg.
"Boss, have some fruit."
Su Qingqian eagerly speared a cherry and held it to Lin Hui's lips, her large eyes blinking.
"Mmm, nice and sweet." Lin Hui smiled and ate it.
Liu Xi glanced at Su Qingqian's little display, a trace of amusement flashing in her eyes. She said nothing, merely raising her head to gaze dreamily at the screen.
For that moment, the RV was quiet and cozy.
Only the movie's dialogue and the three of them breathing softly broke the silence.
Lin Hui enjoyed this rare peace, but he did not lose himself in it.
He knew this tranquility depended on strength. Once they reached Cauldron City and faced stronger monsters and the elites of the major guilds, his current strength would not be enough.
After the movie ended.
"All right, it's getting late."
Liu Xi stretched, putting her lovely curves on full display.
"I'll take watch tonight and familiarize myself with the equipment upstairs."
She pointed at the operations room in the upper loft.
A camp bed had been set up there, making it her own domain.
As a former female CEO, she enjoyed their current comfort but had an even stronger sense of boundaries. She knew when to move forward and when to step back.
Besides, she needed to prove her value as more than just a pretty face.
"Good night, boss. Good night, Qingqian."
Liu Xi climbed the stairs on her long legs, leaving the two of them with a rear view that stirred the imagination.
"G-good night," Su Qingqian replied softly.
Only Lin Hui and Su Qingqian remained in the living room.
"You should get some sleep too. I've already made up the sofa." Lin Hui stroked Su Qingqian's head and pointed at the leather sofa, broad enough to serve as a bed. "There's plenty of scrap metal to dismantle tomorrow. Don't wear yourself out."
"Okay... good night, boss."
Su Qingqian nodded obediently and curled up beneath the soft down comforter on the sofa, leaving only her eyes exposed as she watched Lin Hui enter the master bedroom.
Lin Hui switched off the main lights, leaving only a dim yellow night-light.
He rose and headed toward the master bedroom.
It was the safest, most comfortable place in the entire RV, and an entirely private space belonging to him alone.
He shut the door.
The relaxed look on Lin Hui's face instantly vanished, replaced by a cold seriousness.
He walked over to the bed, sat down, and turned his hand over.
Several items appeared in his hand.
One was the eyeball-sized, completely transparent crystal sphere seized from Tang Chuan. Two four-segmented worms were sealed inside-the [Eye of Scapegoating].
[Name: Eye of Scapegoating] [Type: Extraordinary Item (Spirit Art)] [Quality: Rare] [Special effect: Transfers the hostility of creatures toward the user to any designated target within a 500-meter radius; limited to 1 use per day. Current remaining uses: 2.] [Side effect: One hour after using this Extraordinary Item, the user temporarily loses the ability to speak for 24 hours.]
So that's its effect. That's why the Tier 3 White Thorn suddenly stopped attacking Tang Chuan and came after me instead!
If my vehicle had been any weaker, Tang Chuan's dirty trick might have killed me.
The abilities of Extraordinary Items are so bizarre. They're practically impossible to guard against!
Lin Hui felt a lingering chill at the thought, and a sense of danger quietly rose in his heart again. None of the joy from upgrading his RV to level 4 earlier that day remained.
"Only four days until the Cauldron City mission!"
Lin Hui put away the Eye of Scapegoating and took out five potions.
Three pale blue [Basic Gene Potions].
One deep blue [Intermediate Gene Serum].
And one pale gold [Basic Mental Strength Potion].
He had accumulated these potions through trading and killing monsters over the past two days.
Lin Hui's eyes burned as he looked at them.
His Constitution was currently 25.
If I inject three more Basic Gene Potions, I can reach 50 and meet the requirement for using the Intermediate Gene Serum...
What level will my Constitution reach then?
He looked forward to finding out.
Lin Hui took a deep breath, picked up the Basic Gene Potion injector, and aimed it at his arm.
Hiss-!
The cold liquid entered his body.
Immediately afterward, a fiery sensation of power spread through him!
Twenty minutes later.
Lin Hui sat cross-legged on the bed. Three empty [Basic Gene Potion] vials stood on the bedside table.
"Whew..."
He slowly exhaled a stale breath. It shot out like an arrow, leaving a visible white trail in the air and even making the curtains two meters away sway slightly.
[Constitution: 50 (human limit)] [Warning: Your body has reached the enhancement threshold for Basic Gene Potions. Further injections will provide no benefits.]
"Finally."
Lin Hui clenched his fists, feeling the power inside him like a reservoir filled to overflowing.
50 Constitution.
In his original world, he could have been considered superhuman.
His muscle density, bone strength, and neural reaction speed had all reached the ceiling of the human species.
But that still wasn't enough.
In this apocalypse filled with Mutants, 50 Constitution made him, at most, a slightly stronger human.
Lin Hui's gaze settled on the Intermediate Gene Serum lying on the bed, glowing deep blue.
[Intermediate Gene Serum] [Effect: Constitution +100.] [Usage requirement: Constitution must reach 50.]
"This was my reward for the first Tier 3 kill. It's more than a hundred times rarer than a Basic Gene Potion..."
Lin Hui took a deep breath, his gaze resolute.
Without any hesitation, he picked up the Intermediate Gene Serum, drove the needle into his arm, and pressed down hard with his thumb.
Hiss-
The deep blue liquid instantly flooded his veins.
There was none of the coolness he had imagined.
Instead, a terrifying burning sensation hit him, as though molten lava had been poured into his body!
"Ngh!!"
Lin Hui grunted. Every muscle in his body instantly tightened, and his bulging veins writhed wildly beneath his skin like earthworms.
Pain!
Agonizing pain that sank into his marrow and tore his cells apart!
It felt as though a pair of invisible hands were smashing and rebuilding every bone, tearing apart and reweaving every bundle of muscle fibers.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A rapid series of cracks from his bones echoed through the room like beans popping in a hot pan.
Large quantities of dark red, filthy blood seeped from Lin Hui's skin. His body temperature soared, even distorting the air around him with waves of heat.
This inhuman torment lasted a full ten minutes.
At last.
The burning gradually receded, replaced by an unprecedented sense of lightness and strength, as though he had been reborn.
Lin Hui's eyes snapped open.
An unsettling glimmer flashed deep within his formerly pitch-black pupils.
He stood up. The crusted blood on his body flaked away, revealing skin as smooth and lustrous as jade, yet brimming with explosive power.
Lin Hui's build had not become exaggerated like a bodybuilding champion's. Instead, it was more streamlined, every muscle perfectly proportioned, as though he were nature's most flawless masterpiece.
[Ding! Constitution enhancement complete!] [Constitution: 150] (50→150)
"150..."
Muttering to himself, Lin Hui casually picked up a stainless steel insulated cup from the table.
He gave it a gentle squeeze.
Creeeak-
The military-grade stainless steel cup, renowned for its durability, crumpled like paper into a ball of scrap metal!
He had not even felt the slightest resistance!
"This strength..."
Lin Hui looked at his palm, a trace of astonishment flashing in his eyes.
It was more than an increase in strength.
He tilted his head and listened.
Through the thick, soundproof door, he clearly heard Su Qingqian's steady breathing in the living room and the rustle of Liu Xi's clothing as she turned over upstairs.
He even... heard the buzzing wings of a mutated beetle fifty meters outside the RV!
He shifted his gaze.
The once-dark wilderness became clear to his eyes, like a hazy winter dawn. Low-light night vision-a feline ability-was now his as well.
The corners of Lin Hui's mouth curled upward.
If he encountered another Tier 2 White Thorn now, he was confident he could kill it with nothing but his body and a dagger, without running it over with the RV or using the autocannon!
After calming his excitement, Lin Hui picked up the pale gold [Basic Mental Strength Potion].
"Now that my body has broken past human limits, my mental strength can't fall behind."
He tipped his head back and drank it!
This time, the sensation was gentle, like a clear spring flowing through his brain. His nerves, left somewhat exhausted by the agonizing pain, instantly became alert.
[Ding! Mental strength enhancement complete!] [Mind: 15] (5→15)
It did not bring any obvious changes like the massive leap in his Constitution.
But Lin Hui could faintly sense that his thinking was clearer and his awareness of his surroundings sharper.
"Looks like I need to keep collecting Mental Strength Potions."
Lin Hui stood up and entered the bathroom to wash the grime off his body.
Looking at his tall, straight figure and deep gaze in the mirror, he knew that from this moment onward, he had left the realm of ordinary humans behind for good.
Before you continue