Flesh and Blood Furnace

Lu Chen crouched beside the wreckage of the armored vehicle, carefully examining Tie Dun's wounds in the dark.

The air was thick with the smell of blood and burning, the distinctive, slightly acrid smell of steel scorched by intense heat.

"Tsk... These guys really didn't hold back." Lu Chen clicked his tongue, frowning slightly.

He found that Tie Dun's wounds were more than physical injuries. They looked as though they had been corroded by some kind of power, leaving the flesh mangled and difficult to heal.

Lu Chen lightly touched the edge of one of Tie Dun's wounds with his fingertip. It felt somewhat sticky and strangely warm.

He narrowed his eyes, carefully sensing the source of the power.

"An enhancer?" Lu Chen murmured. He soon detected faint energy fluctuations hidden deep within the flesh.

It was an artificially produced, highly stimulating biological agent that could greatly enhance the human body's functions for a short time. Its side effects, however, were equally horrifying, causing irreversible damage to the body.

Looks like this unit has done plenty of experiments on its own people.

Lu Chen sneered inwardly. The things these so-called "forces of justice" did behind the scenes were more disgusting than zombies.

Still, it had given him an unexpected windfall.

Infinite Replication, activate! Lu Chen silently commanded, locking directly onto the faint [Self-Healing Factor] inside Tie Dun.

The talent wasn't high-grade, probably only around F-rank, but even a mosquito was meat. Besides, he had the power to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

"Ding! Replication successful! [Self-Healing Factor] has been elevated to SSS-rank [Immortal Body]!"

In an instant, an indescribably powerful force surged into Lu Chen's body.

Every cell seemed infused with new vitality, greedily absorbing the power as they divided and recombined at a frantic pace.

Lu Chen could clearly feel his body undergoing a complete transformation.

"Ugh..." Lu Chen couldn't help letting out a grunt. The sensation was like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon, or being reborn in fire. Pain and pleasure intertwined, almost making him moan aloud.

Standing nearby, Xiaoyu stared at Lu Chen in stunned silence.

She had originally thought Lu Chen merely possessed some special healing ability, but now it seemed there was far more to it.

She saw with her own eyes as Lu Chen's wounds healed at a visible rate, without leaving even a trace of a scar.

"You... how can you recover so quickly?" Xiaoyu's voice trembled slightly, tinged with disbelief.

She had seen many awakened ones with healing talents, but none were like Lu Chen. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Lu Chen didn't answer Xiaoyu's question. Instead, he slowly stood up and moved his arms and legs, feeling the power surging through his body.

He looked down at his arm,

"This isn't self-healing," Lu Chen murmured, a hint of fervor in his voice. "This is rebirth!"

To test the limits of [Immortal Body], Lu Chen decided to conduct some even crazier experiments.

He walked into an open space and took a deep breath, letting the icy night wind blow over him.

Nights in the apocalypse were bitterly cold, especially now, in late autumn.

If ordinary people didn't keep warm, they could easily suffer frostbite or even freeze to death.

But Lu Chen seemed unable to feel the cold. Instead, he deliberately bared his chest, letting the night wind assail his body without restraint.

Soon, his skin began to turn pale, his muscles stiffened, and his body temperature dropped rapidly.

"Not enough, still not enough!" Lu Chen growled. He wanted to push himself to the limit. Only then could he truly understand how powerful [Immortal Body] was.

He bit his finger, smeared the blood on his face, and continued to stimulate his body in an almost self-torturous manner.

"Ah-!" Lu Chen threw back his head and howled. His voice echoed through the empty street, carrying a hint of madness and resolve.

Xiaoyu was terrified by what Lu Chen was doing. She wanted to stop him, but didn't dare approach.

She didn't know what Lu Chen was trying to do, but she could tell he was doing something extremely dangerous.

While Xiaoyu hesitated, Lu Chen suddenly picked up a burning piece of wood from the ground and pressed it against his arm without hesitation.

"Hiss-!"

The smell of burning instantly filled the air. Flames engulfed Lu Chen's arm, and his skin quickly charred black.

Xiaoyu covered her mouth and cried out, unable to believe her eyes.

Was Lu Chen really burning himself?

Had he gone mad?

Yet what happened next left Xiaoyu utterly dumbfounded.

The charred skin on Lu Chen's arm began to peel away like scales, revealing bright red new tissue beneath.

The flesh destroyed by the flames was regenerating and rebuilding itself at an incredible speed, returning to its previous state as if time were flowing backward.

In just a few seconds, Lu Chen's arm was as good as new, without a trace of scarring.

"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!" Lu Chen shouted excitedly. He felt as though he had gained some kind of supreme power, one that could let him disregard all harm and live forever.

He finally understood that [Immortal Body] was more than simple self-healing. It was an ability to be reborn.

As long as he kept replicating different types of defensive talents, he could transform his body into a perfect fortress, become immune to all harm, and achieve true immortality.

"Hahaha... I understand, I finally understand!" Lu Chen threw back his head and laughed wildly, his voice deafening, as though it would tear the sky apart.

Just then, a weak voice came from beside him.

"You... you're not human... you're a monster!"

Lu Chen turned and saw Tie Dun staring at him in horror,

Looks like that experiment really scared this guy.

Lu Chen chuckled inwardly, but he didn't care.

In this apocalypse where the strong preyed on the weak, only absolute power could give a person control over their own fate.

"I'm not a monster," Lu Chen said coldly, a hint of arrogance in his voice. "I'm the embodiment of the rules."

With that, he walked over to Tie Dun, slowly crouched down, and placed a hand on his chest.

"Are you willing to become my test subject?" Lu Chen looked into Tie Dun's eyes and spoke each word distinctly. "I'll let you witness the birth of 'immortality' with your own eyes."

The night wind howled, stirring Lu Chen's hair and stirring Tie Dun's wavering heart.

Lu Chen's palm was like a burning furnace, radiating scorching energy.

He could feel Tie Dun's body trembling slightly. It was fear, but also longing.

Lu Chen's

"As long as you agree, you'll gain the power to live forever. You'll become the ruler of this world!" Lu Chen's voice was deep and magnetic, as if it held some mysterious, irresistible magic.

Tie Dun fell silent.

He looked at Lu Chen's confident face, torn inside.

He didn't know whether he should trust Lu Chen, nor whether he should accept the temptation.

He was a soldier who believed in loyalty and honor.

But now, he faced a choice unlike any he had faced before.

Should he continue to uphold his principles and remain an ordinary nobody?

Or should he accept Lu Chen's invitation and become a "monster" with tremendous power?

It was a difficult choice, one that could change his entire life.

The seconds ticked by. The air seemed to have congealed, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

At last, Tie Dun slowly raised his head, looked into Lu Chen's eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "If you can really do it... then let's try." Tie Dun's words landed like a stone thrown into stagnant water, stirring ripples.

Hearing that, Lu Chen grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth that looked especially sinister in the dark.

He patted Tie Dun on the shoulder so hard that he nearly knocked the tough man flat.

"That's more like it. A wise man knows when to yield. Don't worry, stick with me and I guarantee you'll live the high life and slaughter everything in your path!"

With that, Lu Chen ignored Tie Dun's constipated expression and walked off to a small hill in the distance.

He looked up at the horizon, where the sky was slowly turning pale. A ray of dawn broke free of the night and shone determinedly down upon the earth.

The cool sunlight fell on Lu Chen, casting his upright figure into a long shadow.

He took a deep breath, taking in the damp smell in the air. It was a scent unique to the apocalypse, one of decay and hope coexisting.

"Just wait. Soon, this world will tremble beneath my feet." Lu Chen's eyes glinted with excitement, and he licked his lips like a bloodthirsty beast, unable to wait to begin his hunt.

He turned around and beckoned to Tie Dun and Xiaoyu, issuing an unquestionable command. "Let's go. Next, it's time to find some real 'geniuses.'"

"Where are we going?" Tie Dun paused, asking instinctively.

Lu Chen didn't answer. He merely smiled mysteriously and pointed to a weed-covered entrance in the distance, where an abandoned underground shooting range had once been.

"A place where people can grow stronger quickly."

With that, he led the way toward the entrance, his figure disappearing into the darkness.

Tie Dun and Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, both with a hint of doubt and unease in their eyes.

But in the end, they chose to trust Lu Chen, following close behind as they plunged into the unknown abyss.

For they knew that in this apocalypse, survival meant seizing every opportunity, even if it meant dancing with the devil.

In the darkness, only Lu Chen's meaningful whisper remained, like the flick of a viper's tongue, sending chills down their spines.

"The show is about to begin..."