A Massive Boost to Defense

Seven or eight corpses lay in the dim corridor. Thick blood slowly flowed down the stairs, with some dripping through the gap in the middle of the stairwell. The white powder on the floor had turned into filthy sludge wherever the blood passed, and a rusty smell filled the air.

Lin Hao gave the ruler in his hand a quick flick, splattering a spreading spray of blood across the wall beside him.

"I still haven't trained enough, but this went a lot better than those first two."

After fighting continuously, especially taking on the Madmen immediately after dealing with the three men blocking his way, Lin Hao finally let his tightly wound nerves relax. The fatigue from the short-term depletion of his phosphocreatine surfaced as well.

It was like getting into fights back in school. He felt nothing while fighting, but afterward, his body would easily become weak, sore, and painful. Aside from the effects of adrenaline, this was mainly because the ATP-CP system had been depleted and anaerobic glycolysis had begun.

People without professional training weren't very good at pacing themselves. Still, the weakness brought on by this rapid burst of exertion would usually ease considerably after a few minutes of rest, and the body would synthesize phosphocreatine again to replenish its reserves.

"It's not just my body. Keeping my nerves stretched taut the whole time is exhausting too."

After wiping the remaining blood off the ruler on a Madman's clothes, Lin Hao approached the burly, helmeted man he had killed first.

He focused his attention as he drew closer. Sure enough, both the man's helmet and the Mink Coat on his body gave off a faint white glow.

[Ghostfire Helmet (white)]

[Value: 49 Wish Power]

[Weight: 1.8 kg]

[Additional attribute: protective cushioning (white)]

[Extra additional attribute: odor concealment (white)]

[A helmet a rebellious youth had used regularly since puberty. It carries his dream of becoming a professional racer and offers fairly good protection.]

Lin Hao removed the helmet from the corpse. However, the blows he had landed earlier had made the burly man cough plenty of blood into it, forcing Lin Hao to open a bottle of mineral water and give it a quick rinse.

Enduring the bloody smell, he put it on his head and quickly equipped it in his equipment slot.

As the helmet disappeared, Lin Hao reached up and felt his head.

Under normal circumstances, everything felt ordinary. His cheeks still gave under pressure, and his hair seemed normal too. But an attack exceeding the threshold would immediately trigger the helmet's cushioning protection!

"Even my headbutts pack a punch now."

Lin Hao made a rough estimate, then carefully controlled his strength as he knocked his forehead against the stair railing, producing a dull impact.

The helmet itself already offered decent protection and cushioning. A helmet of this quality could keep someone's head intact even if an unloaded Dayun truck rolled over it.

The listed attribute added even more protection on top of that baseline!

His strikes against the railing went bang, bang, but Lin Hao felt nothing at all. Even the vibrations were negligible.

This cushioning was relatively far more useful than that of ancient metal helmets!

The [odor concealment (white)] attribute was effective too. By concentrating and vaguely sensing its effects, he learned that it could protect against a certain dose of poison gas and even provide five minutes of oxygen underwater.

"Pretty good. That's a huge improvement in protection for a vital area."

A faint smile appeared on Lin Hao's face. Before, he had definitely been a glass cannon. His attacks were powerful, but a single surprise blow to the head would still have left him rolling his eyes back!

Now, he was undoubtedly much safer. His head could take even more punishment than the rest of his body!

After roughly checking its coverage, he found that the head protection extended evenly down to his neck and collarbones, protecting his neck as well.

Lin Hao then turned his attention to the Mink Coat and began pulling it off. Although the flesh beneath it was a bloody mess, he had deliberately switched to striking with the flat of the ruler, so the clothing hadn't suffered much damage. At least its attributes hadn't been affected.

[Genuine Mink Coat (white)]

[Value: 89 Wish Power]

[Weight: 3 kg]

[Additional attribute: genuine leather protection (white)]

[Extra additional attribute: cold protection and warmth (white)]

[One of the few genuine fur coats not made from synthetic leather. It offers excellent insulation, though its origins are somewhat questionable.]

Lin Hao examined its effects. This piece of equipment covered both his upper and lower body and required two slots, but its protection also covered his entire body.

"In terms of attributes, it's actually no better than Zhao Xiaowen's yoga top and pants, but it has a different focus."

Without a doubt, this thick Mink Coat, combined with the [genuine leather protection (white)] attribute, would be better than the Yoga Outfit in actual combat outside.

His main weakness right now was being fragile. Although this coat wasn't armor, it undoubtedly offered considerable resistance against bites and tearing. It could even reduce some of the damage from chopping attacks with a kitchen knife.

"I'll use the Yoga Outfit when training and this when going out. I need to step up my physical training and improve my fitness soon. More spare slots for swapping equipment would make things much easier..."

Lin Hao quickly reached a decision.

He then equipped the Mink Coat, replacing the Yoga Outfit.

The thin, stretchy Yoga Outfit reappeared in Lin Hao's hands, carrying a faint trace of sweat that diluted the bloody smell a little.

It should have smelled sour and stale, but perhaps because of the [Natural-Scent Yoga Outfit]'s properties, that slightly tangy, hormone-laced scent was strangely intoxicating. Lin Hao unconsciously brought it to his nose and sniffed.

~Sniff.

By the time he realized what he was doing, he had already inhaled it deep into his lungs. He hurriedly stuffed it into the backpack behind him, even feeling his heartbeat quicken.

Was he a pervert? Why had he suddenly done that?

"Damn it. It must be some weird effect from this Yoga Outfit's attribute."

Lin Hao shook his head and stood up again. However, a tugging sensation in his jeans made him pause and look down. He stayed where he was for a moment to compose himself.

While washing his hands with the half-bottle of mineral water he had opened earlier, he shifted his attention to the [Mink Coat (white)].

"No wonder that guy could stand wearing it. This [cold protection and warmth] attribute doesn't just protect against the cold. It's more like it insulates against outside temperatures. It even feels a little cool when worn. Maybe it offers some protection against fire and heat too."

Since it was a full-body set, it protected him from his torso down through his legs. Now, the only empty equipment slot he had left was for shoes!

"With this many rooms, I'll find something sooner or later. Ideally sneakers or something that can improve my speed and reflexes."

Once he had calmed down, Lin Hao began searching the corpses scattered across the floor.

Two white-grade mechanical watches worth a little over a hundred each, two gold wedding rings, and a thick gold chain.

"People really do tend to carry quite a few good things."

After gathering up the loot, Lin Hao felt much better.

The burly man might have looted those two pieces of equipment from several different places, saving Lin Hao the trouble.

With the problem dealt with, Lin Hao headed into the twenty-fourth floor first, even though his backpack was already full.

His protection had improved considerably, giving him more room for error, and his stamina had recovered. It would be better to eliminate any potential risks on this floor first.

He pushed open the fire door. The corridor on the twenty-fourth floor was also rather dim, and Lin Hao faintly heard movement inside.

Was someone else here? Or a Madman locked in a room?

Room 2410 had been remodeled somewhat, with a glass door added to create an open layout. Following the sound, Lin Hao cautiously made his way toward it.

Whoever was moving inside seemed to notice Lin Hao's shadow through the frosted glass and abruptly stopped. Then Lin Hao slowly pushed open the glass door.

But when he saw the scene inside, the wary Lin Hao suddenly paused and fell silent.

A young man and woman lay bound on the floor where the reception desk had originally been.

The man's head was covered in blood. Dressed in bloodstained motorcycle gear, he lay motionless, his condition unknown.

The woman's clothing was disheveled. Her tight jeans had been pulled halfway down, exposing lace underneath. The fitted white top on her upper body had been torn completely open, and even her bra had been undone and lay loose to one side, leaving an unmentionable sight exposed.

The woman seemed frightened by Lin Hao's appearance too. Her bound body began inching backward, her eyes filled with terror.

She was petite and shapely. Her bust wasn't large, but it was fairly perky, and a few strands of her short hair had been dyed white.

Although she fell well short of Zhao Xiaowen in every respect, she was still youthful and pretty, around a six or seven out of ten. She might not even have been twenty, with a little baby fat on her face and a height of perhaps only a meter and a half.

"Animals."

Lin Hao sighed. Sure enough, those three men had already committed atrocities, swiftly shattering the shackles in their hearts. That was why they had been so decisive about coming out to block him!

Lin Hao looked around, picked up a blanket from the sofa, and tossed it over the woman. Then he went over and crouched down to check the man first.

The helmet might originally have belonged to this man, but his body had already gone cold. He was dead beyond any doubt.

"You're the receptionist here, right? What happened?"

Lin Hao turned back and took out his knife to cut through the network cable binding the woman. He had seen this little punk girl a few times while taking the elevator.

After Nie Yi was rescued, she realized Lin Hao meant her no harm and burst into tears. She even tried to hug him as she cried.

But Lin Hao pushed her back down onto the floor through the blanket and reached out to cover her mouth.

"Don't cry. Do you want to draw those things here?"

Although Lin Hao had given his hands a quick rinse, they still carried a strong smell of blood.

Hearing Lin Hao's words, Nie Yi immediately quieted down, her crying turning into intermittent sobs. Everything she had endured in succession had dealt this girl an enormous psychological blow, overturning her understanding of the world. Only after being rescued did she truly understand how precious life was...