SANA ALL, SALAMAT!

- 😮‍💨

Blood Warlock: Succubus Partner in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1 - Soul Records

In a room belonging to the male dormitory of Beijing University.

"This weather is really killing me..." Bai Zemin complained lightly as he looked at the world
through the window.

The rain was falling as if a deluge had beaten down on the world. The sound of the water drops
hitting the window pane was soothing, but he could not appreciate the benefit.

For the past year, the world's weather had become absurd from one day to the next. Deserts
were suddenly flooded with all kinds of storms and the earth's poles began to defrost due to
high temperatures. However, this was not all.

Even when icy places like Antarctica began to thaw overnight, the next day temperatures
plummeted again, freezing everything over.

Scientists simply had no way of explaining the phenomenon. However, as a consequence of

this, the major nations of the world practically forced the rest of the smaller countries to be
careful with pollution, attributing everything that happened to malfunctions in the planet's
protective layer.

Now even if the sun shone brightly people always carried umbrellas in their hands, fearing a
sudden storm.

"As if this wasn't enough, I have to go to work in this damn storm..." Bai Zemin sighed to himself
and turned around to look for warmer clothes from the closet.

Bai Zemin was just a normal 20-year-old student. His father was a small civil employee with no
power and his mother taught English at an elementary school.

On the other hand, when he was still 12, his mother brought home a pretty girl who was three
years younger than him; her name was Meng Qi. Her parents had passed away, leaving her
alone since no other family member wanted to take care of her.

His mother, being the best friend of Meng Qi's mother, decided to take care of the girl. Since
then, the four of them had been living together and currently, Meng Qi was a student at a
prestigious high school in the capital; she would be attending the same university of Bai Zemin
next year.

As Bai Zemin was rummaging through his clothes, the whole world seemed to shudder fiercely
as many things began to move from their places. Quickly he held on to the closet tightly,
preventing it from collapsing on top of his body and crushing him.
Bai Zemin felt something strange inside him as if he had been punched hard in the stomach,
knocking the wind out of him. His face turned pale and he had the urge to vomit, barely
restraining himself.

After about ten seconds, everything seemed to return to normal.

Things stopped moving, the few paintings that had been saved from falling to the ground no
longer threatened to fall. and the sound of the rain falling fiercely could be heard again.

The choking and suffocating sensation that Bai Zemin had felt a moment ago disappeared and
the cold coming through the broken windows embraced his body. However, he could no longer
worry about the cold, the rain, or the previous earth-shaking.

[The Soul Records has arrived on Planet Earth. You can now view your status window
whenever you wish. The first time, the window will open as a test].

"...What is this...?" He muttered to himself as he read the strange green message that had
appeared on his retina.

[Bai Zemin -

Level: 0

Race: Human

Job: None

Title: None

Strength: 12 (10) / Agility: 11 (10) / Health: 10 (10) / Stamina: 10 (10) / Mana: 109 (0) / Magic:
109 (10)]

Bai Zemin's body was slim, but under his clothes were hidden very nice muscles due to his
constant work as well as training. Considering that the number in parentheses shown in his
status window was the base for a normal human being, the condition of his body was quite
decent.

"Magic...?" He looked at the word magic with wide eyes.

Magic! A classic element of fantasy movies and light novels! Now, not only had a strange
window appeared that seemed to display his physical talents, but the attribute magic had also
appeared on him!

"Interesting... To think that I would meet a human with a high aptitude for magic as soon as I
arrived in this lower world."

A seductive, playful, and even a bit innocent voice sounded from behind him, blocking him from
thinking any further about the events that had occurred.

Bai Zemin turned around only to be stunned.

A beautiful woman capable of provoking wars between nations was there when clearly no one
was there before. Her skin was pale white with no imperfections and seemed to glow in the light,
contrasting with her black hair that fell like a waterfall to the bottom of her back. Her eyes were a
striking red that shone like two beautiful rubies. A black one-piece dress hugged her seductive
curves, clinging to her body tightly, exposing only her two slender arms and two long, slender
legs that could make even a saint drool.

Bai Zemin had never seen such a beautiful woman in his entire life. The woman before him not
only had a seductive and charming aura but also had an innocent expression that did not seem
to match with her body.

However, before he could even ask for anything, several sounds and cries coming from outside
made his body instinctively move to the window to see what was happening.

Outside, the whole world he knew had changed and what his eyes saw now was no longer the
same thing he had seen just a minute ago.

People were running everywhere, screaming and begging for help as they tried with all their
might to get away from other people. However, the scariest thing was that there were many
people eating other people as if they were beasts.

"Help!"

A pretty girl was running for her life as she looked behind her, getting as far away from one of
those strange people as possible. In an oversight, she tripped against a stone and fell to the
ground.

"Watch out!" Bai Zemin unconsciously shouted.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

One of those strange people, with its bloody mouth, caught the girl who had fallen and fiercely
bit one of the young girl's arms, making her cry out in pain.

"Save me!" The young girl screamed painfully as she tried to free herself. Her expression was
truly pitiful, unfortunately for her, none of the people running could be bothered with her as they
were too preoccupied trying to save their own lives. Soon, her body stopped moving.

However, a few moments later, the girl stood up and began to stagger slowly as she chased
after the noise.

Seeing this, Bai Zemin's complexion turned pale as he suddenly realized that these strange
creatures were practically identical to the zombies from the Resident Evil movies.

"Ah! What's that!?" Bai Zemin was shocked when he saw a bee the size of a human fist
suddenly buzzing toward a zombie.

The zombie didn't even react to the attack when the bee's huge stinger pierced its head, directly
crushing its brain and killing it on the spot.
The bee opened the zombie's head and began to eat something. After a few moments, its body
seemed to grow a few more inches before it stopped.

As if sensing something, the bee left the zombie's corpse and shot straight towards the male
dormitory.

Bai Zemin's face changed when he saw that strange bee charging towards him. The bee's
speed was really fast and in just a few blinks it had crossed the broken window, aiming its sharp
blood-stained stinger at his face.

Bai Zemin reacted on instinct. His right hand reached out and grabbed a wooden chair next to
him. Without even taking a second to think, he struck forward with all his strength.

The wooden chair impacted hard against the bee, sending it flying against the adjoining wall.

Seeing that the bee had fallen to the ground but was still moving, Bai Zemin raised the chair
above his head and struck the bee's body fiercely three times before the creature stopped
moving.

A white energy orb shot out of the giant bee's body and entered his body.

[You gain level 5 Big Bee's soul power. Agility +2, Strength +2]

[You have reached level 1. You acquire two status points to distribute freely].

Two messages flashed before Bai Zemin's retina. He was surprised to discover how that
strange energy seemed to nourish his muscles and bones, making his body more powerful
quickly.

"What is this?" Bai Zemin quickly stepped forward to pick up what was next to the bee's corpse.

[Blood Manipulation (First Order Skill) Level 5: You can control the blood flow of your body or
the blood of your enemies to some extent. The effect of the skill depends on the user's magical
power, mana, and imagination]

A strange blood-red scroll was in his hands. The scroll emanated a sinister aura and although it
was clean and smooth, it gave off a faint smell of blood from its interior.

"That's a really powerful skill!" A somewhat surprised exclamation brought him out of his
thoughts.

Because of everything that happened and because he had almost lost his life a few moments
ago, Bai Zemin had forgotten the woman who had suddenly appeared in his room.

He turned around and looked at the beautiful woman cautiously. Even if she was beautiful, with
all the strange things going on he didn't care.

"Who are you?" Bai Zemin asked in a deep voice as he gripped the chair in his hands.
Temporarily it was his only weapon, there was no choice.

"Hehe~" The beauty giggled softly, her face changed from innocent to charming like a
seductress. "My name is Lilith, a Sixth Order succubus belonging to the Demon Faction."
Chapter 2 - Blood Manipulation (Part 1)
Bai Zemin was confused when he heard the beautiful woman's unusual introduction to
him. However, although confused, he came to accept it rather easily.

"I see." Bai Zemin nodded. His expression was indifferent and his guard was still up. Even
if he couldn't win, at least he didn't want to be slaughtered without fighting for his life.
"So, what are you doing here?"

Lilith blinked her beautiful ruby eyes and her long eyelashes fluttered for a split second.
She looked at the human in front of her with growing interest and said a little surprised,
"You're not surprised by what I just told you? You believe me so easily?"

"Believe you?" Bai Zemin smiled bitterly and pointed towards the window before looking
at the fist-sized bee he had just killed as he said, "The world outside is already a mess. A
bee that should normally be the same size as two or three human fingernails is now the
size of a grown man's fist... As if that wasn't enough, these strange messages keep
flashing before me in a strange way. Why wouldn't I believe you?"

"Even though you are just a lower existence, I like you... A person who knows how to
accept reality as it is, the sooner the better. You can probably live a long time, human."
Lilith's lips curved into a charming smile. She looked at Bai Zemin as if she was a maiden
in love and said with an innocent expression but in a seductive tone, "How about you
become mine? I promise to take good care of you~"

"I'm sorry, but I don't want you to suck my life essence to death." Bai Zemin said
indifferently. But only he knew that saying those words had cost all his willpower. The
woman before him was simply too beautiful; every gesture, every word, every frown,
and smile was fatal to any man.

However, his life was the most important thing at the moment.

Lilith wanted to say something but soon realized that Bai Zemin was ignoring her, his
gaze fixed on the red scroll in his hands.

"You only have to wish to learn it and you will naturally learn it." Lilith pointed out as if she
knew about his doubts.
Bai Zemin nodded slowly before closing his eyes. He wished to learn the scroll in his
hands and as if by magic, his brain seemed to receive a flood of information as a
strange deep red rune appeared in his conscience.

Bai Zemin felt the blood inside his body circulating rapidly as a result of his agitated
emotions. He could even hear the blood inside Lilith's body rushing normally, showing
how calm she was. At the same time, he indistinctly felt that if he wanted to, he could
affect the movement of his own blood; as for Lilith's blood, he didn't feel that he could
do anything to it at the moment.

[You have learned an external active skill. You can learn 4 more external active skills].

As he opened his eyes again, green letters flickered on his retina and the blood-red
scroll that was in his hands just a moment ago disappeared as if it had never been
there.

Bai Zemin frowned trying to understand the meaning of the message, but it was
impossible for him to comprehend it unless he sat there to study everything carefully.
Unfortunately, he didn't have that time.

Bang!

The wooden door of his room received a resounding bang from the outside and Bai
Zemin was forced to prepare himself for the worst.

The banging continued uninterrupted and the grunts coming from the other side of the
door made it obvious that at least one zombie was trying to break through and, seeing
how hard the door was being hit and how the hinges seemed about to give way at any
moment, he knew he didn't have too much time to stand around without doing
anything.

His brain worked quickly and without hesitation he rushed to the TV, ripping off the wire
forcefully. He then tied one end of the long black wire to the bed and the other end to
one of the desk legs.

After that, he walked over to the bee and started poking at something.

Lilith watched his movements curiously with no intention of commenting on it and

silently so as not to disturb him.

Bang!
The wooden door finally could not withstand the constant assault and burst open with a
small explosion. Immediately after the door was kicked down, two students who had
turned into zombies staggered in.

Their blood-stained faces looked grotesque. Bai Zemin could even see several bite
marks where the flesh had horribly sloughed off.

If it were him a few minutes ago, it would probably be hard for him to bear the urge to
vomit from the sickening odor given off by the two moving corpses. However, after
learning the skill Blood Manipulation, everything was different for him.

It was well known that emotions affect the cardiovascular system of the human body to
a certain extent. The greater the stress, the greater the amount of blood pumped by
the heart, thus increasing circulation as a consequence. Then, Bai Zemin came up with
a slightly crazy idea... Was it possible that in some sense the blood circulation inside the
body could affect the emotions a bit?

Since there had never been anyone capable of controlling the blood to affect
emotions, such a thing could never be proven. But after acquiring Blood Manipulation,
Bai Zemin discovered to his delight that while he was still a bit nervous, he was no longer
as scared as before.

The two zombies advanced rather slowly in Bai Zemin's direction. Although the
creatures' eyes were completely white as if they were blind, they seemed to be able to
smell life emanating from his body since their movements had a fairly clear direction.

Just as they advanced, the two mindless zombies suddenly tripped over the wire that
Bai Zemin planted a few centimeters above the ground. The bed creaked and moved
slightly due to the strong pull, but it was enough for the two zombies to fall flat on their
faces.

Bai Zemin's eyes flashed as he shot forward at full speed unwilling to pass up the
opportunity. Reaching in front of the first zombie, he mercilessly stabbed the head of
the now helpless creature with the sting of the bee he had killed not long ago.

The mutated bee's stinger had a length of two human fingers and a width of at least
three fingers; so it easily pierced the zombie's head, crushing the brain and killing the
creature.

Before the second zombie could react, Bai Zemin quickly stabbed its head ruthlessly,
killing it in a second as well.

[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 4. You get +4 Stamina].
[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 3. You get +1 Stamina].

[You have leveled up to level 2. You get 2 status points to distribute freely].

Before Bai Zemin could sigh in relief and relax his nerves, two more zombies staggered
into the room while growling in his direction.

Due to the strong pull of the other two zombies, the wire was currently practically
dragging on the ground, making the small trap completely useless.

However, Bai Zemin did not panic and quickly concentrated. With a thought, he
mobilized the mana within his body according to the instructions of the skill Blood
Manipulation.

After spending twenty mana points, Bai Zemin used the blood of the two zombies killed
by him earlier and, just as the two new zombies passed by the corpses of their kind, two
arrows of red bloodshot out at full speed towards the back of the creatures' heads.

The congealed blood arrows were extremely sharp after being controlled by Bai Zemin
and easily pierced through the head of the two zombies, crushing part of the brain and
killing the two creatures easily.

[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 3. You get +1 Stamina]

[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 3]

"Strong!" Bai Zemin's eyes flashed as he looked at his hands. However, he soon noticed
that from the corpse of the second zombie, he did not gain any stamina boost or other
attribute.

Seeing his frown, Lilith, who had been silent, patiently explained: "The more creatures of
the same type and level you kill, the less benefit you will get as your soul power acquires
some resistance against them. Only by killing other creatures will you be able to acquire
more benefits... Of course, you can still level up by killing those low-level zombies, but
you will only get two status points when you level up, no extra benefits."

Bai Zemin looked at her gratefully which his doubts were cleared. However, he soon
asked again, "Why are you here?"

Only now that his nerves had calmed down a bit did he finally dare to ask more
questions. If he had done so earlier, he might have died in a zombie's mouth or been
killed by the giant bee from before.
Lilith puckered her lips and giggled playfully as she pointed to the door and said, "I'll
explain everything later. For now, don't you think it's better for you to look for a safe
place?"

Bai Zemin looked at the broken-down door and finally nodded. In fact, this was not the
best place to ask questions so he quickly said, "You're right. Let me pick up a few things
and then we'll leave this place."

He quickly grabbed a mountain backpack and stowed the cable he had used earlier,
two large bottles of pure water, and some snacks he had bought earlier. He had
nothing else of use there.

Then, Bai Zemin looked out the window and couldn't help but complain, "Really me and
my bad luck..."

Bai Zemin's room was on the fifth floor. It was impossible for him to climb down through
the window. With no other option, he had no choice but to walk to the door to get out
of the building.

Lilith's beautiful ruby eyes had a strange glint in them as she looked at the head wound
of the two zombies that Bai Zemin had killed with his Blood Manipulation skill. Her full red
lips curved into a charming smile before slowly following him out.

Chapter 3 - Blood Manipulation (Part 2)

As he walked down the hallway of the guys' dormitory complex, Bai Zemin had the
nerves in his body tense and his muscles bulged slightly due to the tension.

Because today was Saturday, most of the guys in the dormitory had gone out to enjoy
the good life. Most of them could have fun during the times when studying was not
necessary as their families supported them from behind. Unfortunately, Bai Zemin's life
was not so good.

The salary of his father and mother together could only afford to pay for the college
expenses of one of them; Bai Zemin or Meng Qi. Because of this, Bai Zemin strongly
refused to accept his parents' money and started working in a repair shop near the
university. That way, he could study and his younger foster sister could study as well.
Although she felt guilty, there were not many options for a poor family.

Lilith, who was following him step by step, suddenly said in a casual voice, "How about
using the four free status points you have?"
Bai Zemin did not look back and replied while he shook his head, "No. If I use them
casually now, I might regret it later. Right now I don't know which attribute could save
my life in times of need and a sudden impulse might be my only hope."

Lilith was silent for a few seconds before nodding in understanding. She licked her lips as
she looked at his back with glittering eyes and purred, "I like you more and more~"

Bai Zemin's breathing became slightly heavy as he heard that charming tone of voice
and it took all his willpower not to turn around to rip the clothes of the beauty behind
him. Something told him that if he tried to do something like that, he would probably
regret it for the rest of his life.

Besides, even though she seemed to be helping him, Bai Zemin was a careful person by
nature. Therefore, he was still with his guard slightly up against Lilith.

Suddenly three male zombies appeared at the end of the corridor, crawling towards
him with trembling steps. Although these creatures gave the feeling that they might fall
at any moment, their steps never missed and they held steady as they walked slowly
but surely.

Bai Zemin could feel himself becoming somewhat anxious at the appearance of the
three threats and quickly used his skill to forcibly calm himself. He knew that losing
control over his emotions at such a crucial moment could be the cause of his death.

Lilith looked at his back with a smile. She was really curious to see how he would come
out of this situation.

Currently, there was no trap set up nor was there any blood in the vicinity to use. While
Bai Zemin could turn around and go back to his room to make use of the corpse of the
zombies he had killed earlier, that would leave him exposed to more zombies coming
out of the locked rooms as the sound of banging could be heard uninterrupted.
Obviously, at this rate, many zombies would soon come out and seal the way out.

Bai Zemin took a deep breath and slowly walked forward while watching the
movement of the zombies. They moved really slowly, but that didn't stop them from
being terrifying in their own right and, as far as Bai Zemin had seen so far, a scratch
meant death.

He tried to make use of his Blood Manipulation skill only to discover to his consternation
that it seemed to have no use against these zombies.

Lilith felt the flow of mana and knew what he wanted to do so she quickly explained:
"Although your skill is really strong, dead creatures are practically your nemesis during
the initial stages as these zombies feel no pain. Try to warm their blood and then guide
it to the eyes!"

Bai Zemin's eyes flashed and he quickly understood what the succubus behind him
meant. With a thought, he spent fifteen points of mana fiercely reheat the blood inside
the zombies' bodies and guided it to the eyes.

The results showed immediately.

The eyes of the three zombies exploded due to the internal heat and blood began to
gush out like a fountain. Bai Zemin did not pass up the opportunity and spent another
thirty points of mana to create three frozen blood arrows from the blood the creatures
spilled, killing the three zombies at the same time.

[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 3].

[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 3].

[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 3].

[You have leveled up to level 3. You get 2 status points to distribute freely].

Bai Zemin had killed 2 other zombies after reaching level 2 in his room, one of them was
level 4. With the accumulation of three other level 3 zombies, he leveled up again.

The only regrettable thing was that he could not acquire benefits from these level 3
zombies other than experience.

Every time Bai Zemin leveled up, his stats would recover to the maximum point
immediately. In short, even though he had spent 20 mana points in his room and
another 45 just now to defeat the zombies, his mana recovered because he had
leveled up.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zemin took out a bottle of water and emptied its
contents on the ground. Enduring the urge to vomit from the foul smell and bad
appearance of the dead zombies, he walked over to the corpses and filled the bottle
with blood.

Previously he was forced to spend fifteen points of mana to force the zombies' blood
out. This kind of consumption was one he could not afford. After all, he was now
leveling up fast but he knew that things would not always be so easy.

***
Bai Zemin's hunting became much more efficient as he went down floor by floor.

Making use of the blood he had saved, he created small strings by spending only two
points of mana, binding the movement of the zombies for a moment. Bai Zemin would
take advantage of that brief moment to approach and stab the zombies' brains with
the mutated bee stinger.

So far, Bai Zemin had killed a total of 33 zombies from the moment he left his room.

A thin strand of blood slid silently across the floor, catching one of the legs of a zombie,
causing its body to almost fall and stopping it in place.

Taking advantage of his 13 points of agility, which made him almost 50% faster than a
normal person before the apocalypse, Bai Zemin quickly circled around and stabbed
hard at the back of the zombie's head, raising the sum to 34.

[You have acquired soul power of Normal Zombie level 4].

[You have leveled up to level 5. You get 2 status points to distribute freely].

Reading the green message flashing on his retina, Bai Zemin let out a sigh of relief. To
climb from level 4 to level 5 he was forced to kill about 16 zombies, which had drained
his stamina quite a bit and several mana points.

Upon reaching the 1st floor, Bai Zemin's footsteps stopped and he looked at the zombie
blocking his path in shock.

This zombie had two grotesque and powerful arms the size of a grown man's thighs. It
was also taller, at least 2 meters tall.

Obviously, this zombie was a more dangerous species.

The hulking zombie also sensed Bai Zemin's life source less than five meters away and
moved toward him.

Although this particular zombie was slower than Bai Zemin, it was at least twice as fast
as normal zombies. Taken by surprise, Bai Zemin panicked and quickly moved his head
to the side, dodging the zombie's fist by a notch.

Bang!

The zombie's fist caused a hole in the wall behind Bai Zemin and his face turned white
as he realized that if that attack had hit him his head would have exploded like a
watermelon falling from a tenth floor.
In the moment of crisis, Bai Zemin kicked with his 14 strength points forward, forcing the
burly zombie back a few steps.

Before the zombie could attack again, Bai Zemin threw a wave of blood into the air
and directly spent 40 mana points to create four blood chains.

Unlike the small strings of frozen blood, these blood chains looked much more robust
and sturdy. After all, Bai Zemin only needed two or three mana points to create a blood
string, but for these chains, he had used ten points each.

Under his control, the blood chains tightly wrapped around the corpulent zombie's
body, throwing it to the ground.

Seeing his opponent incapacitated, Bai Zemin advanced and stabbed with the
mutated bee stinger. However, to his surprise, the stinger that was even sharper than a
knife had only managed to pierce a few centimeters before being stopped by the
zombie's flesh.

The strange zombie began to struggle in an attempt to break free, but the chains of
blood clung tightly and would not allow it to break free.

Still, Bai Zemin dared not relax and stabbed nonstop at the same spot over and over
again. It was only after nearly twenty stabs with all his strength that he finally managed
to crush the zombie's brain into a bloody mess.

[You have acquired soul power of Strength Zombie level 15. Strength +6, Health +5].

[You have leveled up to level 6...].

[You have leveled up to level 7...].

[You have leveled up to level 8. You get 2 status points to distribute freely].

Bai Zemin felt his body become much more powerful than before in a matter of
seconds and the tiredness he felt after stabbing with all his might twenty times
disappeared completely.

"Ah! What is this?" Bai Zemin advanced and picked up a strange orb that had fallen
from the corpse of the Strength Zombie.

[Rare Treasure Orb: Contains a rare category treasure inside].

Chapter 4 - Xuanyuan Sword
The orb was about the size of a baby's fist and orange in color. Just by grasping it, Bai
Zemin immediately knew how to use the orb naturally as if it had been something he
had known all his life.

Squeezing his palm tightly, the orb flashed slightly, and when the brightness dimmed a
new object appeared in Bai Zemin's hand.

[Xuanyuan Sword: Its power is enough to pierce through the defenses of almost any
creature below level 40 and its edge capable of piercing through the defenses of an
armored car. When equipped, Strength +20].

The sword was dark golden in color with countless engravings along the blade and hilt,
giving it a truly mysterious appearance. It measured just over a meter in length and its
width was approximately four fingers of an adult's hand.

Bai Zemin slashed a couple of times and nodded in satisfaction. Although he was not at
all skilled with a sword since he had never wielded one, with this Xuanyuan Sword he
could finally kill enemies without having to get too close, risking his life in the process.

Moreover, just by wielding the sword, his strength had directly increased by twenty
points. He could feel terrifying strength circulating in his body and felt that he could
crush a stone with a single fist.

Curious about his current attributes, he called up his status window and soon several
green letters flashed in his retina.

[Bai Zemin -

[Status Points: 16]

[Level: 8]

[Race: Human]

[Job: None]

[Title: None]

[Strength: 20 (+20) / Agility: 13 / Health: 15 / Stamina: 16 / Mana: 109 / Magic: 109]

With his current forty-strength points, Bai Zemin was basically as strong as four people
combined before the apocalypse. The feeling of growing step by step and seeing his
progress before him was so intoxicating that even in such a setting he couldn't help but
smile.

Thanks to the fact that there were no more zombies on this floor, Bai Zemin allowed
himself to rest for five minutes. Although he was not physically exhausted, his mental
fatigue was there. Five minutes might not be much, but it was better than nothing.

Because he had used more than half of the blood he had stored against the Strength
Zombie earlier, Bai Zemin refilled the bottle with blood and walked to the exit.

At this moment, the campus was as if hell had descended on earth.

Students were rushing about in a disorderly manner while being chased by zombies,
oversized insects, and animals of terrifying size.

These strange creatures were also killing each other. The defeated were being
devoured by the victors, becoming nothing more than sources of power for others to
become stronger.

Many students were also bleeding while screaming and crying, constantly asking for
help.

Seeing this, Bai Zemin could not help but tighten his grip on the Xuanyuan Sword. Even if
he was normally indifferent, even if he wasn't a social person with too many friends,
seeing his own kind being devoured wasn't exactly pleasing to the eye.

"Humans kill pigs, sheep, cows, goats, and many other species to consume them and
live." Lilith's voice, who had been silent all this time, echoed next to him. "Now that the
world has changed, humans are no longer the only ones who will hunt to survive. The
sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be for you."

Bai Zemin just continued to be silent. Even if he knew that Lilith's words were the truth, it
was not so simple to change his mind in a matter of minutes. However, he also knew
that his number one priority was to survive.

Even if he had to crawl out of the hell he would definitely survive and search for his
family.

A rather pretty girl was running while a brown dog that was almost five feet tall was
chasing her at an outrageous speed. In a matter of seconds, the giant dog pounced
on the girl and threw her to the ground.
The girl's eyes flashed with terror as she saw the terrifying monster open its jaws wide.
Just when her throat was about to be ripped in half, there was a sharp flash that
flickered for a second.

The giant dog's movements stopped completely and a second later its head detached
from its body. Warmblood fell on the girl's body, but after living through so many things,
she did not scream and looked at the person who had just saved her life.

This person was, naturally, Bai Zemin.

[You have acquired Mutated Dog level 9 soul power. Agility +4, Stamina +4].

"Stand up and follow me if you want to live! Quickly!" he urged. Without waiting for an
answer, he quickly moved towards another student who was being attacked by a big
bee and cut it in two with his sword.

The girl quickly stood up, scared. She didn't dare to linger as she began to follow him
knowing that he was her only hope of living.

The other male student also followed in Bai Zemin's footsteps without delay as he
thanked him.

Bai Zemin moved across the campus in the direction of the gymnasium. That was
probably the only place that could currently be safe since there were no glass windows
for the mutated monsters to get into.

Although he urgently wanted to go find his family, he first needed to understand the
situation he was in. Bai Zemin knew perfectly well that rushing things in such a crisis
situation would only hasten his steps towards death.

Along the way, Bai Zemin helped and saved the lives of more than fifteen students;
these students were all chased by animals or insects. As for those who were caught by
the zombies, there was no hope for them.

The zombies were not as fast as the mutated animals nor did they have unpredictable
attacks like the giant insects; on the contrary, they were extremely slow and their
movements were clumsy. However, a small scratch meant death.

A group of five students ran while a group of ten zombies chased behind. They didn't
even dare to look back and just concentrated on running with all their might.
Unfortunately for them, just as they turned the corner, another group of five zombies
suddenly appeared and started staggering towards them.
One of the students panicked and his movements froze, being scratched hard by one
of the zombies. The pain seemed to wake him up as he quickly turned to flee as did his
companions only to see that they were surrounded.

Five zombies ahead and ten blocking the retreat.

Just as they were wailing and crying, there were several sword flashes and in just over
ten seconds all ten zombies were decapitated.

"Strong!" Zhang Ming, a tall student couldn't help but exclaim as he saw Bai Zemin
charging towards the front five zombies and killing them as if he was slaughtering
chickens.

"There was a student this strong in our university? Look at all the people he saved!"
another student muttered in stupefaction as he watched the fifteen people Bai Zemin
brought in.

Although Bai Zemin knew nothing about the way of the sword and simply cut using pure
strength, his current agility was 17 points, almost double that of a normal person before
the apocalypse. In addition, his Xuanyuan Sword was incredibly sharp which allowed
him to decapitate zombies as if it were nothing.

After making quick work of beheading the fifteen zombies, Bai Zemin felt a little tired.
He had killed about sixty zombies since the moment he left the male dormitory and
added to that he had also killed about ten giant insects and three mutated dogs.

All those kills had only allowed him to level up once, currently being level 9. But even if
he was much stronger than before, his stamina was slowly depleting and if he wasn't
careful he might die if he was surrounded.

Bai Zemin walked towards the group of students and even before they could say thank
you he pointed at the student who had been scratched earlier and said in a firm voice,
"You can't stay. You must leave."

Upon hearing his words, the group of five friends had a drastic change in their
expressions. However, the fifteen people who were saved by Bai Zemin said nothing
and simply stood behind him, looking at the surroundings in fear.

"What!? Why do I have to leave!?" The pointed student shouted indignantly.

"You were scratched by that zombie, I saw it before." Bai Zemin said coldly. "You must
know what will happen too, don't you?"
The student's face turned pale. However, he was not willing to die so he denied the
reality by saying, "What do you know!? What do you know if those damn creatures are
zombies or not!?"

The students looked at him with sympathy.

Bai Zemin looked at him coldly and said nothing more, but turned around and started
walking towards the gymnasium with firm steps.

The students quickly followed him; including the student who had been scratched
earlier.

Bai Zemin, who had been paying attention, turned around and in a matter of seconds
appeared before the student. With a heavy punch in his stomach, the student was
forced to kneel on the ground as he struggled to breathe.

"I told you that you can't follow me." After saying those words, he turned around and
walked away.

The students did not dare to say a word; not even that student's four classmates.

Currently, Bai Zemin's mood was terrible and after killing over a hundred zombies, the
smell of blood surrounding him was thick, giving him a savage aura that no one wanted
to provoke.

"I like this human more and more every minute hehe..."

Lilith looked at his back with flashing eyes and her lips curved into a beautiful seductive
smile capable of enchanting any man's heart. However, no one seemed to be paying
attention to her.

Chapter 5 - A Closed Battle

Beijing University, being one of the most prestigious universities in all of China as well as
one of the most important universities in the world that even foreign students attended,
was extremely large.

The campus was several acres in size and the university was like a small city by itself;
supermarkets, karaokes, there were even some restaurants inviting students to stay on
the premises without going out too much.
The distance between the male dormitory and the gymnasium was only about four
hundred meters, but because all the roads were plagued with dangers in the form of
zombies, evolved insects, and animals that seemed to have turned into beasts, crossing
that distance had become a challenging feat.

Bai Zemin dashed relentlessly and slashed with his sword again and again

Along the way he had saved the lives of five others, increasing the number of survivors
at his side to nearly twenty-four.

A man with gold-rimmed glasses and a rather handsome appearance was chatting
with a female student who was looking at him with an obvious crush. This man's name
was Lian Xuan and he was the vice president of the university's student association.

Before the apocalypse, Lian Xuan was a model student with excellent grades and in
addition to his good looks he had many female suitors; even now that the world had
changed there were some surviving girls who looked at him with strange glints in their
eyes.

Lian Xuan had also dared to fight since at that time he had no other options if he
wanted to survive. He was currently level 3 and could handle two or three zombies by
himself. When he encountered Bai Zemin's group he was about to be surrounded by six
zombies, which meant death for him.

After he killed two zombies and Bai Zemin killed the other four, Lian Xuan joined the
group and helped kill straggling zombies; after all, even for someone like Bai Zemin, who
had been fighting and killing creatures of a higher level than him constantly, it was not
100% safe to protect such a large group of people without one or two zombies slipping
in.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a green shadow appeared in the distance charging towards the group of
over twenty people at astonishing speeds.

Bai Zemin had just killed a mosquito that was almost twenty centimeters long and
before he could react, that green shadow had already passed beyond his defense
perimeter, appearing in front of Lian Xuan.

Kapagod.. Sobra.. Sakit sa likod

Lian Xuan's face turned pale and he took a step back.

If he faced a few zombies he was still fine, but if a big bee or a mutated dog with
above average speeds appeared, then there was no way he could even react!

Because Lian Xuan had only killed zombies so far, he only obtained extra attributes
during the first four or five zombies and only gained stamina. Lian Xuan had also used
the six status points he had gained from leveling up in strength, so his speed was merely
average.

Lian Xuan grabbed the girl who was chatting with him and didn't even hesitate when
he threw her in front of that strange shadow, taking cover in the process.

The green shadow suddenly flashed and in the next instant, the girl's body was split in
two. Her blood splattered everywhere and a look of shock and incredulity shone in her
eyes before she died. Even in her wildest dreams, she would never have expected that
the normally cultured, polite, and gentlemanly Lian Xuan would actually not hesitate to
make such a cruel move.

The survivors panicked and a few began to flee in all directions in a disorderly manner.
Others did not move due to fear, and some smarter ones just walked away while trying
to get closer to Bai Zemin as he was the only hope they had of survival.

As for Lian Xuan's selfish act, no one noticed... No one except the beautiful and
seductive but at the same time innocent Lilith. Though such a move was impossible to
be missed by someone like her, there was no disdain or disgust in her gaze; she had
seen people do worse things than what she had just seen just to survive one more day.

The green shadow was so fast that no one could react to its speed. This strange
creature suddenly seemed to realize something as it shot off at terrifying speeds toward
Bai Zemin.

Clearly, the creature had realized that he was the best tonic for it to evolve.

Bai Zemin felt his scalp go numb and unconsciously raised his sword horizontally.

Clang!!!

The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed loudly. The green shadow was
forced to stop its movements as its strength and Bai Zemin's were quite similar.

Only now could Bai Zemin distinguish the appearance of the monster that was
attacking him.
The green shadow was actually a huge mantis that was almost two meters tall. Its
terrifying eyes stared at him with killing intent flickering inside. Its two large scythe-like
forelegs were pressing hard on the Xuanyuan Sword, trying to force Bai Zemin back.

If it was Bai Zemin before obtaining the Xuanyuan Sword, he could have been seen to
retreat. However, thanks to the twenty strength points the sword granted him, he could
barely stand on equal footing.

"Be careful! That mantis doesn't specialize in strength at all! Its current speed must be
almost twice as fast as yours!" Lilith's voice rang in his ear, giving him vital information.

In fact, even without her telling him, Bai Zemin knew that his current speed was far
below this mantis. Before, if not for his reflexes and luck, his head would have already
separated from his body without even knowing how he had died.

Bai Zemin grunted as he pushed forward with all his might, pushing the mantis back.
Then, without even a second's hesitation, he added all his saved status points into
agility.

In just a split second, he felt his muscles become stronger but at the same time softer.
Bai Zemin felt as if lightning flashed in his body, giving him a slight itch that soon
disappeared.

Swoosh!

The nearly two-meter mantis disappeared and in the next instant appeared before Bai
Zemin again, slashing downward with its scythe-like legs.

However, the current Bai Zemin could finally see its movements clearly.

Clang!

Bai Zemin and the mantis engaged in close combat with the intention of slaying the
other. To survive, to evolve, to become stronger.

From the other people's point of view, they could only see two silhouettes flickering
constantly and hear the constant sound of metal clashing against metal. For them, it
was hard to think that a human being could actually fight in such a way against such a
terrifying creature without losing ground. It was only then that they realized Bai Zemin's
strength.

Although Bai Zemin's combat experience was average and his sword skill deficient, the
Xuanyuan Sword was a rare grade treasure capable of piercing through the defenses
of almost any creature below level 40. The mantis obviously had not yet reached that
level as its scythes had small cracks that slowly spread with each collision.

However, the mantis was a natural hunter who made use of its scythes from birth, so it
was naturally more skilled than he was in combat.

Each had their own advantages and for an instant, the battle was deadlocked in what
appeared to be a stalemate.

Several zombies, apparently attracted by the sound of battle as well as the strong smell
of life, began to stagger over.

Bai Zemin quickly spotted them and knew that at this rate not only would all the
survivors die, but even he would also fall when they surrounded him. After all, the mantis
might not be afraid of infection, but he was.

Strengthening his determination, Bai Zemin surveyed the battlefield and slowly backed
away, luring the mantis to a specific spot. Upon reaching that spot, Bai Zemin spent sixty
points of mana and created six bloody chains using the blood of the dead zombies.

The mantis was clearly taken by surprise and the chains wrapped tightly around its
body. Its movements were stalled and its two scythes were stopped in mid-air by two
bloody chains. The beast struggled fiercely trying to free itself and the chains restraining
its scythes began to stretch taut as if they would break at any moment.

Bai Zemin's face changed slightly when he saw this and he quickly rushed forward and
slashed towards the creature's head with all his strength.

After a flash of sharp light, the mantis' movements stopped for a moment before its
head fell to the ground followed by a fountain of blood shooting out of its neck.

[You have obtained the soul power of Great Fast Mantis level 25. Agility +14, Strength
+10, Magic +10, Mana +10].

[You have leveled up and reached level 10. You get 2 attribute points to distribute
freely].

[You have leveled up and reached level 11...].

[You have leveled up and reached level 12...].

[You have leveled up and reached level 13. You get 2 attribute points to distribute
freely].
A huge orb of soul power came out of the Great Fast Mantis' body and entered Bai
Zemin's body, nourishing him and taking his power to higher levels. In addition, he also
directly gained four levels as a result.

Besides, the mantis had dropped other things after its death. Next to its corpse was 1
red orb, 1 orange orb, and 1 scroll.

Chapter 6 - Elites
Fighting against high-level creatures was really risky. A single mistake was enough to
send anyone on their way into the underworld and pay a greeting to the legendary
God of Death.

In fact, even fighting a level 3 zombie during the first few minutes of the apocalypse
was extremely difficult; one touch, the slightest scratch, and it would all be over right
then and there. It didn't take a bite or too much contact for a life to end.

In truth, if it weren't for Bai Zemin's luck, he would probably be dead by now.

At that time, because the window of his room was small, the level 5 Big Bee had no
choice but to fly directly that way, which made it much simpler for Bai Zemin to attack it
since he knew where the assault would come from. Otherwise, it was impossible for him
to defeat such a fast and unpredictable monster.

It was also thanks to that single kill that he obtained his skill Blood Manipulation. If it
wasn't for this skill, Bai Zemin wouldn't even have been able to leave his room
successfully and would have become zombie food by now.

However, although fighting high-level monsters was risky, the rewards of being victorious
were far superior to the rewards one would get from defeating monsters at the same
level; just the extra stat points alone were equivalent to two or more levels considering
the fact that each person only got two stat points per level.

Not to mention the drops.

Bai Zemin took a step forward and quickly put both orbs and the scroll into his
backpack before standing up again. Immediately and without even a moment's rest,
he stomped hard on the ground beneath his feet and charged towards the zombies
staggering in his direction.

A minute later, the remaining zombies had been purged by Bai Zemin.
"Teacher Jia. What happened to everyone else?" Bai Zemin asked with a frown as he
looked at a female teacher in her thirties that he had rescued earlier.

"Student Bai... The rest... I'm afraid they ran away when they saw things were getting
ugly. As for the direction... I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know." The teacher replied with a
bitter smile.

This teacher's name was Jia Jiao and she was a teacher of the third year students so
she knew Bai Zemin. Her personality was quite kind by nature and in the past, she had
treated Bai Zemin quite well even though he came from an ordinary family.

"I see." Bai Zemin simply nodded as he looked at the twelve people who remained.

About half of them had fled upon seeing the zombies approaching from all directions.
These people would most likely die unless they dared to fight for their lives; but even
then, the chances of dying were much higher than living.

As for this, Bai Zemin could do nothing about it. Currently, it was already difficult for him
to survive and a single Great Fast Mantis had forced him to use all the status points he
had been saving for times of crisis. If he were to encounter two of those monsters, then
Bai Zemin would most likely die unless the battlefield conditions favored him greatly.

Since those people fled, then they no longer had anything to do with him. He simply
saved them earlier because he was just in passing and didn't want to see his kind
become food for other species.

"Let's go. We need to move towards the gymnasium. Only then can we get some rest."
He said and turned to leave.

The twelve survivors followed him not daring to stay behind. Their eyes filled with fear for
the future looked intently in all directions for dread that a strange mutated creature
would take away the life they had been protecting for so many years.

***

On the opposite side of the male dormitory was the female dormitory. The distance
between the place where the girls rested and the gymnasium was exactly the same as
the distance between the gymnasium and the male dormitory.

A group of about twenty people moved in the direction of the gymnasium. This group
of people was mainly composed of women, but there were also seven men among
them.
However, no matter whether it was the women or the men, they all looked at the back
of the woman who was leading them with respect, admiration, or love.

A group of five zombies stumbled toward the crowd of survivors. Seeing their distorted
expressions and their blank eyes, many of them could not help but shudder along with
the small sound of choked sobs.

The woman leading the group and carrying the lives of nearly twenty people on her
shoulders had beautiful silver-colored hair and bright blue eyes. Her skin was as white as
milk and as smooth as the purest silk, giving her an appearance similar to that of a real
fairy. However, her expression was as cold as eternal ice with no apparent emotional
flow. Yet, although her expression was as cold as ice, her body was as hot as fire, filled
with curves in the right places and extremely charming.

Upon seeing the five zombies, this young woman of only 22 did not panic, her gaze did
not change in the slightest. She waved her hand and five ice pikes appeared floating
above her head. With another wave of her hand, the five ice pikes shot towards the
incoming zombies.

With great precision, the five ice pikes struck the heads of the five zombies that were
moving at embarrassingly slow speeds, creating a hole the size of a small fist in the
head of each target. However, no blood came out of the wounds as a small layer of
ice sealed them.

When the rest of the survivors saw this, their expressions changed for the better and their
idolatry towards this woman increased several folds immediately.

On the other hand, the woman's expression was still as cold and indifferent as ever.

***

From a different direction, another group of survivors was advancing at a rapid pace
under the leadership of two men.

This group had about thirty people, so the strong vital smell attracted many zombies as
well as other grotesque creatures that intended to devour them in order to evolve.

Two zombies suddenly appeared from inside a building and staggered towards the
survivors. However, before the survivors could even scream in terror, two arrows flew
and struck the brains of the two infected, cutting them lifeless immediately.

The survivors looked at the young man holding a bow, wearing sports clothes, and
carrying a quiver behind his back, with admiration and envy. This young man ignored
them and picked up the two arrows he had used before, wiping the blood on them
with a rag of torn clothing.

Swoosh!

Suddenly a mutated dog appeared charging at a speed three times faster than a
normal person. The big brown dog opened its jaws wide with the intention of biting the
young man's head off. With the jaw strength of this level 9 mutated dog, the young
man's head would be shattered in a single bite.

However, what greeted the dog was a huge hammer.

Bang!

The dog's head popped off in pieces. The dog's brain matter, blood, and flesh flew
everywhere, making a bloody mess. The animal collapsed on the ground completely
lifeless.

"Even if you are fast, if you don't attack me first you are too weak, stupid dog!" A burly
man with a beard on his face spat on the dog's corpse.

This man looked to be about 35 years old and the expression on his face was savage.
He held a metal-colored hammer that was almost as big as a door with his two hands,
wielding it with apparent ease although it was clearly a heavy weapon.

The group continued to advance towards the gymnasium.

***

Of course, Bai Zemin did not know that apart from him, there were other people who
had the same idea and the same temporary goal.

However, even if he did know, he probably wouldn't be too surprised. After all, the
gymnasium was located right in the center of the university campus so it was accessible
from all directions. Moreover, the gymnasium was also one of the few facilities that
could be considered comparatively safe.

Apart from Bai Zemin, there were other people who also dared to fight or simply had no
choice but to fight if they wanted to survive. As a consequence, there were several
people who had their own fortuitous experiences, gaining powerful skills and treasures
that did not belong to this world.
Twenty minutes later, and after making several detours to the area in order to find the
easiest and least difficult path for the survivors he had saved, Bai Zemin was finally only
fifty meters away from the gym and reached his first goal.

However, things seemed to be a bit complicated.

"Student Bai, now what do we do...?" Jia Jiao asked with a pale face as she watched
the scene in front of her.

Bai Zemin frowned slightly as he crouched in a corner and saw the dense group of
zombies wandering near the gymnasium. There were over fifty zombies, all of them too
close together for him to pass. Even for someone like Bai Zemin it was no easy feat to
fight against fifty creatures that could defeat him with just a scratch.

If it was in a place where he could move, then Bai Zemin was confident that he could
take out a few hundred zombies given enough time. However, fighting fifty of these
creatures in such a constricted place was challenging even for him who had been
steadily leveling up.

What stupefied him most was that these zombies didn't seem to have any intention of
leaving.

Chapter 7 - Clearing The Path

As Bai Zemin watched the movement of the group of zombies several meters ahead,
he quickly noticed that some of them were banging on the doors in an attempt to
break them down. However, these doors were completely metal so it was absolutely
impossible for these zombies to break through no matter how hard they tried.

The sound of bangs from the metal door had attracted other zombies, causing that the
group of a few more than fifty soon reached eighty. This coupled with the sinister
atmosphere of the surroundings caused that the disordered emotions of the students
and teachers that Bai Zemin had saved to become even worse.

Could it be that there are people in there? Such a thought flashed in Bai Zemin's mind
and the more he thought about it the firmer that idea became.

In order to survive another day, Bai Zemin had not only been casually swinging his
sword back and forth decapitating enemies; he had also been paying attention to the
behavior of the creatures as much as possible. Since zombies were the largest quantity
temporarily, they were the type of enemy he knew the most about.
From what he had observed so far of the zombies, these slow but fatal creatures could
sense the presence of any kind of life as well as notice the smell of blood from about
twenty meters or so of distance and even if that wasn't exactly the limit, it was certainly
accurate enough.

"There are definitely people in there." Bai Zemin finally concluded. If not for that reason,
then he couldn't think of anything else why the zombies would be so intent on not
moving anywhere else.

He looked back and saw the people he saved looking at him, which gave him a
headache... If it wasn't for these people being here, Bai Zemin would have already
taken out the treasures he obtained after defeating the Great Fast Mantis and, among
those treasures, maybe there was something that could help him get out of the difficult
situation he was in.

However, he did not trust these people enough to bring out such treasures in front of
them. It was precisely because he did not want to reveal his strength completely that
he merely used his Blood Manipulation for a moment in order to defeat the mantis
before stopping as quickly as possible.

As if she knew his thoughts, Lilith, who was standing next to him, smiled and said
casually, "How about you just abandon them? Everything will be much easier for you if
you leave behind these burdens that could stab you in the back at any moment."

Bai Zemin looked at her with a frown without saying anything.

"Don't look at me like that~ Just saying." Lilith shrugged her shoulders and didn't say
anything else.

She knew it was impossible for Bai Zemin to do something like that. After all, it had only
been about an hour since he had been forced to fight for his life wielding a sword.
There was no way he could change that much without experiencing the cruelty of the
world.

However, Lilith was sure that he would adapt soon. Otherwise, then he would just die
unless he had the strength to back up such a mentality.

Just when Bai Zemin did not know what to do, the group of now more than eighty
zombies suddenly became hectic.

One arrow flew from a distance, accurately striking a zombie's forehead. Before the
zombies could react, another arrow shot out from the same direction and another
zombie collapsed.
"Strong!" Bai Zemin was a little surprised. He didn't know who the attacker was since
there were several buildings blocking his view, however, that person's archery skill was
really top-notch.

Unfortunately, after five arrows, the assault was temporarily stopped. Apparently, the
attacker was quite close and the zombies were surrounding that person.

"All of you wait here!" leaving those words behind, Bai Zemin jumped out from his hiding
place like a tiger and charged towards the zombies.

In a matter of seconds, the distance of fifty meters separating him and the zombies had
been crossed. Bai Zemin slashed with his sword twice at lightning speed and the heads
of two zombies flew into the air.

[You have acquired level 4 Normal Zombie soul power].

[You have acquired level 4 Normal Zombie soul power].

...

Within five seconds, seven zombies had been decapitated by Bai Zemin.

Liang Peng, who carried a huge two-meter hammer, swung it at a zombie, sending it
flying ten meters. The zombie fell to the ground with the upper half of its body deformed
and its head completely crushed. However, he soon noticed a man several years
younger than him slaughtering zombies like ants and his eyes widened.

"F*ck, d*mn it! What's wrong with that insane speed!" Liang Peng cursed.

Bai Zemin's current agility had already reached 54 points. This meant that he was more
than five times faster than the average person before the apocalypse. His movements
were extremely fast so when Bai Zemin had killed five or six zombies, Liang Peng had
only killed one that was close to him.

On the other hand, Bai Zemin also noticed Liang Peng with his huge hammer and was
surprised. Wasn't that the university security guard? At what point had he become so
strong as to carry that hammer? However, just as his mind was beginning to wonder,
another change swept the battlefield.

"Ice Bullets."

A cold but pleasant-sounding voice echoed. Immediately afterward, ten tiny spheres of
ice floated into the air and shot out towards ten different zombies, hitting them in the
head with accuracy and taking their lives.
"Oh? That woman's control over mana is greater than yours... As if that wasn't enough,
her current magic power is only slightly less than what you had when the Soul Records
reached this lower world... How strange..." Lilith's surprised and somewhat confused
voice sounded next to Bai Zemin.

Since the time he had saved other people and these people didn't even look at Lilith,
Bai Zemin had come to the silent conclusion that she was invisible to others and only he
could see her; therefore, he wasn't too surprised to see her casually strutting around the
place.

Bai Zemin looked at the woman who had joined at the fray and his eyes could not help
but light up. What a beautiful woman! Her silver hair and blue eyes had made her look
like a snow lotus but at the same time, she was like an ice fairy... However, although he
appreciated her beauty, that was all. After all, Bai Zemin had already seen the
incredibly beautiful, seductive, and innocent Lilith.

Bai Zemin's movements did not flinch in the slightest as he continued to decapitate
zombies and for every second that passed one or two fell at his feet.

As if the arrival of the silver-haired woman marked a new beginning, the arrows
resumed their slaughter. However, for some reason, the shooter's speed increased
without losing accuracy in the slightest.

The group of more than eighty zombies was terrifying; anyone would be overwhelmed
by them and even an evolver would die if surrounded. The danger from these creatures
was further heightened as the gymnasium was enclosed by buildings, making it a bad
place to launch an attack but a good place to defend. In this case, since the humans
were the attackers, they had no choice but to suffer.

However, no matter whether it was Bai Zemin, the silver-haired woman, Liang Peng, or
the archer hidden among the buildings; they all had their own qualities of which they
could be proud and could be considered the cream of the crop among the students
and professors of the university... Thus, less than two minutes later, all the zombies,
including the most separated of the group, had been annihilated.

Blood had formed several puddles and flesh was scattered randomly all over the place.
The smell was extremely repulsive and the sight could scare anyone. However, the
people who fought this time had to fight against death and crawl from dozens or even
hundreds of corpses to make their way here; therefore, none of them had too much of
an overreaction.
The three fighters in sight looked at each other with a hint of caution in their eyes. Now
that the world had changed, it was hard to tell if people's hearts had not. In
consequence, none of the three trusted each other too much.

The silver-haired woman with the ability to control ice looked at them coldly. In her
gaze, there was even a hint of disgust that was hard to notice.

The atmosphere had become somewhat strange, neither of them seemed willing to
speak.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the distance caused Bai
Zemin's gaze to turn in that direction.

Chapter 8 - Stronger And Stronger

A handsome young man of 22 or 23 in blue sportswear, with a bow in his left hand and
a half-empty quiver on his back, hurried over.

'So that guy is the archer from before.' Bai Zemin thought silently.

When the young archer saw the silver-haired woman, his eyes lit up and as if a weight
had been lifted from his shoulders, he smiled, "Bing Xue, I'm glad you're okay..."

Bing Xue? Bai Zemin blinked before he finally realized the reason why this woman
looked familiar.

Shangguan Bing Xue, a fourth-year student, and current student association president.
She was not only the most beautiful woman on campus, but also the number one
person in grades.

Bai Zemin knew a little about her because he had met her a couple of times when she,
as student president, organized student assemblies to report important information and
events. However, since she was not important to him, he had simply forgotten about
her existence.

"I'm glad you're okay too, Chen He."

Shangguan Bing Xue's cold and indifferent gaze did not change very much when she
saw the young man. However, Bai Zemin noticed that the strange glint of hatred or
repulsion had dimmed greatly when she looked at him.
Anyway, since the zombie problem was fixed, Bai Zemin did not stay to listen to this
group's conversation and turned around, walking away quietly.

"Wait a moment, little brother!" Liang Peng quickly shouted when he saw him walking
away. His words had attracted the attention of the other pair.

Bai Zemin stopped and turned around to look at him silently, waiting for his next words.

"How about you stay here with us?" Liang Peng offered. "With the strength of the four of
us together, we can easily wipe out those creatures and live a better life."

Bai Zemin had a strange glint in his eyes. He simply turned around and as he walked
away said casually, "I am simply going to look for a dozen students and teachers whom
I saved earlier. I didn't go out of my way to clean up this place to casually leave."

"Eh?" Liang Peng was puzzled.

On the other hand, Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him coldly before turning around
and walking away as well. The young archer, Chen He, quickly followed her as they
chatted with each other.

Ten minutes later, the group of survivors rescued by Bai Zemin, Liang Peng, Shangguan
Bing Xue, and Chen He, joined together to form a large group of about seventy
people.

Because the storm was still raging with no apparent intention of stopping soon, the
blood and metallic smell it gave off were washed away by the rain in a few minutes.
This could prevent other creatures from approaching this place in search of food.

However, it also had its disadvantages. One of these disadvantages was that
everyone's clothes were completely wet. Unfortunately, they could only hold on like this
for now.

After arguing for five minutes, the people hiding inside the gymnasium were forced to
open the doors regardless of their fear. Although none of them were willing to open the
doors and risk letting danger in, after Liang Peng threatened that if they did not open
the doors he would break it down by force, they had no choice but to give in.

Bai Zemin was surprised to discover a total of approximately thirty people hiding inside
the gymnasium. Among these thirty people, there were men, women, and some
teachers. They all looked at them with apprehension and suspicion.

As for this, Bai Zemin ignored it. He separated from everyone and walked around the
premises, making sure that there was no hidden danger of any kind.
The Beijing University gymnasium was really huge and although it was called a
gymnasium, it was a huge building with all kinds of functions.

There was a large indoor basketball court, a sports equipment room, and a cafeteria.
The cafeteria was Bai Zemin's target on this occasion.

Bang! Bang!

The metal door was closed tightly. Bai Zemin, who had moved away from the group,
could hear the sound of banging coming from inside.

He could not help but frown slightly as he thought. Since the cafeteria had glass
windows, some insects probably managed to get in; as for bigger creatures, that was
impossible since there were metal bars on the windows. Unless a monster with a lot of
strength or sharp weapons like the Great Fast Mantis appeared, there was no way they
could get in.

Therefore, that sound could only be from zombies.

Bai Zemin looked to the left and right to make sure no one else was there. After making
sure, he opened his backpack and took out the two orbs he had obtained earlier as
well as the scroll.

"How does this color thing work?" Bai Zemin thought aloud, forgetting that there was
another existence there who could hear him.

"It's the colors of the rainbow." Lilith pointed out with a beautiful smile. Seeing Bai Zemin's
questioning look, she explained, "From lower rank to higher rank, treasures are divided
as follows; Red orb is equivalent to a normal grade treasure. An orange orb equals a
rare-grade treasure. A yellow orb is equivalent to a magic-grade treasure. Green orbs
are equivalent to epic-grade treasures. Cyan color means legend-grade treasure.
Indigo-colored orbs are equivalent to semi-god grade treasures. Finally, violet-colored
orbs mean god-grade treasures."

The corner of Bai Zemin's mouth constricted several times and he couldn't help but
complain, "You should have stopped your explanation on magic-grade or epic-grade
treasures... Now that I look at this red orb suddenly I don't think it's worth much."

"Mmm... I think you're misunderstanding something." Lilith smiled and reminded him of
something important, "Even a red grade treasure is more valuable than a high-tech
machine gun... Let me explain something to you."
"When you defeat a creature, you absorb its soul power. When that creature's soul
power is much higher than yours, the Soul Record concentrates all the power you were
unable to absorb in the form of treasures. The higher the level of your enemy, the higher
the chances of getting a higher quality treasure, and the higher the remaining soul
power, the higher the probabilities go up even more... Therefore, even the red colored
orb in your hands is more valuable than you think at the current stages." Lilith
concluded.

Hearing her words, Bai Zemin couldn't help but feel better. Although he felt like asking
more questions, he first wanted to finish what he was about to do; the questions could
be asked later.

After squeezing the red orb hard, it broke and a new treasure appeared in front of Bai
Zemin.

[Velocity Boots (Normal grade treasure): Extremely light, easy to wear, and
automatically adapts to the body. When equipped, Agility +10].

Bai Zemin's eyes lit up and his heart filled with joy. It was just a normal treasure but these
boots increased his agility by +10 points. This was equivalent to 1/5 of Bai Zemin's total
agility!

He quickly equipped the boots and immediately felt his body become much lighter
than before. Now, with his 64 agility points, Bai Zemin was more than six times faster than
a normal person before the arrival of the Soul Record on planet Earth!

Repressing his latent excitement, he did the same with the orange orb.

[Full Coat (Rare Treasure): A jacket that covers from the upper body to the knees. It can
stop anything from light shotgun shells to 9mm caliber bullets. When equipped, all
attributes +5].

Bai Zemin held the jacket in his hands and almost wanted to roar at the sky to say thank
you. With this treasure, he was now impervious to several types of firearms! Even if
medium caliber bullets were too strong, with this treasure his survivability had
skyrocketed another level.

He didn't even have to fear being scratched by zombies! As long as he protected his
head and from the knees down, there should be no problem with his safety.

Without delay, Bai Zemin took off the wet jacket he was wearing and put on the Full
Coat. He immediately felt his attributes improving once again, much to his delight.
"That treasure is good. Among the best quality within the rare grade just like your
Xuanyuan Sword. Congratulations!" Lilith smiled cheerfully at him.

Bai Zemin was surprised when he realized that she actually looked genuinely happy for
him, puzzling him.

"Lilith, why are you nice to me?" He asked feeling a little suspicious.

Lilith bit her lips and blinked her long eyelashes as she said in a soft voice, "I already told
you... I want you to be mine~"

Bai Zemin rolled his eyes and wisely decided to stop asking. Although his appearance
wasn't bad, he wasn't a handsome guy either. Much less so handsome that the biggest
beauty he had ever seen in his entire life would fall in love with him at first sight.

Without delay and fearing that someone else was coming to this place, Bai Zemin
turned his attention to the remaining scroll.

[Special Forces Soldier (Unranked Passive Skill) Level 5: By learning this passive skill you
will automatically become a person with the same level of combat experience as
Special Forces troops. At the same time, your control and knowledge of your world's
firearms grow exponentially].

Chapter 9 - Fast And Scary

"Special Forces Soldier?" Bai Zemin's eyes lit up when he saw the name of the skill. After
seeing the vague but concise information available on the skill scroll, his gaze became
even brighter.

Currently, Bai Zemin was countless times more powerful than any human being before
the world changed. His strength had reached 55 points thanks to the Xuanyuan Sword
and the Full Coat that he had just obtained, his agility had reached 69 points and the
rest of his stats were also at least twice that of an ordinary person.

However, although he could currently dominate his enemies by overwhelming them

due to his stats, treasures acquired, and his Blood Manipulation skill, Bai Zemin was very
clear that if he faced an enemy on equal terms with him but with real combat
experience, the one who would be unlucky and meet a fatal fate would probably be
him.

What Bai Zemin lacked the most at this moment was combat experience, control of
different martial arts, etc. But with the skill scroll in his hands, this problem could be
solved immediately. He only needed to wish for it and he would immediately become
an experienced person as an elite soldier with years of training and battle experience.

However, Bai Zemin hesitated.

"Unclassified skill...?" he muttered under his breath.

Although he didn't know how the level of skills and their rankings worked, Bai Zemin,
who obtained a skill ranked as 'first order skill', couldn't help but feel that this skill Special
Forces Soldier wasn't that good in the long run.

Before he could think any further, the beautiful and charming Lilith interrupted him with
a sweet smile, "You don't need to worry. Although in fact, in the long run that skill might
not be so good, it's a passive skill."

Listening to her, Bai Zemin's eyes shone brightly as he realized that the word 'passive'
was the key in this matter.

Even after facing so many dangers, Bai Zemin had not forgotten about the warning he
received when he decided to learn his Blood Manipulation skill. That warning was
reminding him that he could only learn four more external skills.

"External active skills are those skills that need mana movement to function and that
you didn't learn on your own throughout your life." Lilith explained patiently. "Before, you
were just a normal human with no training and yet, nevertheless, you were able to learn
a terrifying skill in just a few seconds."

Bai Zemin did not dare to miss any words and focused all his attention on her.

Lilith continued, "Although it might be fine now, if you learn too many external active
skills, in the long run your brain will be overloaded by all the accumulated information
and your body cannot support such a stress... That's precisely why you can only learn
five active ones at first. I'll explain more about this when we have time, as I prefer not to
rush things. However, you don't need to worry at all. The passive skills you can learn
through skill scrolls are endless!"

That was all he needed to hear.

Bai Zemin looked at Lilith with a rare smile and slowly said, "You really are my lucky
demon, Lilith."

Without waiting for a reply and without seeing her reaction, he closed his eyes and
wished to learn the contents of the scroll in his hands.
The scroll in his hands turned into countless particles of light that flowed into his body. In
the depths of his soul, a bronze-colored rune appeared with countless engravings on it.

Bai Zemin immediately felt a slight prickling in his mind that instead of being painful, was
uncomfortable.

Martial arts of self-defense, fighting skills to kill the opponent in the shortest amount of
time possible depending on the circumstances, control over bladed weapons,
knowledge about firearms as well as the correct way such weapons worked and the
optimal way to use them.

So much information flooded Bai Zemin's brain, it was so much information that for
several seconds his mind went blank not knowing how to react.

He looked at his hands in disbelief and couldn't help but mutter, "That's how strong the
elite soldiers were before the world changed...?"

At this moment, only he himself knew how horrible his strength had become. His stats
had not changed at all, but Bai Zemin was confident that if he met the Great Fast
Mantis again, he could finish it off in less than three seconds even without using his
Blood Manipulation skill.

In fact, Bai Zemin did not know that even his gaze had changed. His eyes had become
sharper and more piercing, like a sheathed blade waiting for the moment to show its
lethality to the world.

"Well, you gained the combat experience of the best elite soldiers in the history of your
world, so it's understandable that your strength took a big step forward." Lilith smiled. Her
voice was extremely pleasant to listen to, "Although you were strong by human
standards before, your combat experience was simply too lacking. Now, you can
barely consider yourself a novice."

Bai Zemin looked at her doubtfully. A novice? He didn't think so.

Lilith looked at him with a smile that didn't seem very friendly and said slowly, "In your
world, you could consider yourself an elite among humans... But that is limited to your
world. There are countless other worlds with countless other fighters and different
cultures. In my eyes, you are similar to a baby just learning to walk."

In the end, Bai Zemin raised both hands in surrender and his emotion cooled. Although
being proud and arrogant was good, Lilith was right; currently, he had merely just
begun to take his first steps. Too much arrogance or confidence could end up killing
him, and he definitely had no intention of dying.
Lilith also noticed that Bai Zemin had put his feet back on the earth and could not help
but smile. If he became too proud just because of something so small it would be too
disappointing for her; fortunately, it didn't turn out to be like that.

Bai Zemin looked at the metal door in front of him. He could still hear the frenzied
banging of the creatures inside, trying to forcefully break down the door.

"If the floor gets too stained it will be a headache to clean it up later." Bai Zemin said
casually and opened the door without even hesitation.

Immediately, like wild beasts released from their confinement, zombies staggered out
from inside the cafeteria. Their hands trying to capture their target as quickly as possible
and their blood-stained faces gave them an extremely horrible appearance.

Bai Zemin did not even unsheathe his sword. He took a big step forward and raised his
right foot, directly striking the first zombie in the throat.

The sound of bones breaking into countless pieces was extremely scary and anyone
who heard it would undoubtedly be shocked beyond what any words could describe.

The struck zombie flew several meters away, hitting the zombies behind it in the process.
When it hit the floor, it was no longer moving.

The zombie was still alive since the brain was intact. However, Bai Zemin's kick had
destroyed the jaw and crushed the upper bones of the spine. Therefore, although its
brain still functioned, it could no longer use its mouth to bite nor could it move its hands
or feet; the zombie was no different from any other zombie killed by Bai Zemin before.

No. If there was a difference; there was no blood flowing like water from a fountain.

In total, there were more than fifteen zombies inside the cafeteria.

With almost 70 agility points, Bai Zemin's body was constantly flashing, appearing and
disappearing amidst the group of zombies.

The sound of bones breaking into pieces along with the sound of the zombies' bodies
falling to the ground after being hit was extremely clear in the place.

Sometimes he used his fists, sometimes he used his palm or the side of his hands, his feet,
his knees, and sometimes he used his elbows. Bai Zemin's entire body had become an
extremely robust, sharp, and formidable weapon capable of claiming the life of any
enemy.
Less than ten seconds later, all fifteen zombies lay on the ground; alive, but no different
from those who were actually dead.

Some had all four limbs broken, others had their jaws snapped and their spines
separated into countless pieces, and the heads of others had been turned at an
impossible angle, disconnecting the brain from the rest of the body.

Bai Zemin's expression stayed impassive at the horrifying sight. With his Blood
Manipulation skill coupled with the experience of humanity's strongest elites, his heart
could no longer be shaken by such a thing.

However, the sound of bones breaking, the sound of bodies hitting the walls and tables,
naturally attracted the attention of other people.

Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Liang Peng appeared outside the cafeteria. They
had obviously come to see what was going on after hearing the commotion.

Chen He, who was holding his bow and an arrow ready to be shot at any moment,
could not help but suck in a breath of fresh air when he saw the miserable condition of
the corpses on the ground.

Even the usually wild and strong Liang Peng had a distinct change of expression. He
looked at Bai Zemin standing amidst the corpses and could not help but mutter, "Is he
still human or not?"

On the other hand, Shangguan Bing Xue's beautiful but cold face had slight frown. Her
cold gaze switched back and forth between Bai Zemin and the zombies on the ground.
She had noticed that, apart from the miserable condition their bodies were in, there
were no bleeding wounds there; even the creatures' heads were practically intact.

Chapter 10 - Calling Home

The basketball court was quite large and the stands had enough seats to fit a few
thousand people without any problem. Currently, sitting in different seats, students and
teachers looked in the direction of the cafeteria with fearful eyes.

"Big sister Shi, do you think something bad happened...?" A small-built female student
asked in a low voice as she hugged her knees and cuddled tightly in an effort to give
herself warmth.
"Xiulan, don't worry. You also saw how strong big sister Bing Xue is. Even if some zombies
appear they won't be a problem against her." Wu Shi said in a firm tone, trying to sound
as confident as possible not only to convince her friend, but also to convince herself.

Zi Xiulan bit her lips tightly as her body trembled constantly. In the end, she could not
hold back her tears and began to sob, "Big Sister Shi... I... I am so scared... Song Qing
turned into a zombie suddenly and Zeng Na was bitten to death... Many people died
and I won't be able to talk with them anymore..."

Wu Shi, who was barely containing her own emotions, finally couldn't help but start to
cry. She had just tried to communicate with her family, unfortunately, she got no
response; she already feared the worst.

"I'm cold... I want to wear dry clothes... I want to feel warm... I want to hear my mother's
sermons again..." Wu Shi whispered in tears.

This kind of conversation could be heard everywhere inside the gymnasium. The
students were terrified waiting for a dark and unknown future.

A few hours ago, they were all laughing and chatting happily; worrying about what
kind of clothes they should buy to look their best. However, now all they wished for was
dry clothes to relieve the bone-chilling cold.

Even the teachers, who were the responsible adults, were in no position to relieve others
when they themselves did not know if the next moment a strange creature would walk
through the doors and claim their lives.

***

"What happened here?" Shangguan Bing Xue's cold voice was the first sound to break
the silence of the place.

Bai Zemin did not answer immediately, instead, he gathered several tablecloths on the
floor and tied it end to end, thus forming a huge square of cloth. Then, he began to
carefully move the body of the immobile zombies on top of the cloth square while
slowly explaining:

"There is enough food in this cafeteria to sustain about a hundred people for
approximately a week. Besides, I don't feel comfortable in crowds either, so I'm
planning to make this place my temporary resting area... So, I'll take care of these
zombies."
"You took care of these zombies, you say...?" Shangguan Bing Xue muttered in a
strange voice as she watched Bai Zemin work.

Except for the initial glance, he had not looked back at them again and simply
continued to work tirelessly. Many thoughts were constantly flashing in Shangguan Bing
Xue's mind, making it extremely difficult to comprehend her.

Chen He was not thinking as many things as she was, he simply looked at Bai Zemin's
back and asked, "May I ask how... Right, we still don't know your name. You are...?"

"Bai Zemin." He casually replied. Bai Zemin wasn't trying to act cool, this was his real
personality. Even before the world became chaotic he was not good at dealing with
many people due to certain past incidents.

"I see, Bai Zemin. It's a pleasure to meet you." Chen He said politely with a smile.

Chen He was extremely handsome, his archery skill allowed him to become the best in
his club and his grades were in the top ten every semester. All these excellent qualities
together with his unknown but powerful family made him the prince charming of
countless beautiful girls; even among the boys, he was popular because of his kindness.

"Same here." Bai Zemin replied without much interest.

His top priority now was to fully ensure his safety, then make a call home to check on his
family's safety, and finally understand the rules of the new world better. Therefore, he
was not interested in making friends with anyone just as he had not been in the past.

Chen He's expression became a little uncomfortable at Bai Zemin's clear coldness and
a bitter smile appeared on his handsome face.

"How did you deal with them?" Shangguan Bing Xue asked.

She could see some blood stains on the ground. However, that blood was obviously
from the four large mosquitoes that were dead and torn to pieces on the ground. Then,
Shangguan Bing Xue was curious to know how it was possible that the young man in
front of her killed the zombies without injuring them.

"They are not dead. They are still alive." Bai Zemin replied, finally finishing dragging the
fifteen bodies.

"What?" Shangguan Bing Xue's cold and indifferent expression broke for a moment
when she heard his words.
Bai Zemin began to drag the large square of cloth towards the exit with a bit of difficulty
but with steady steps. Although his strength was 55 points in total, he had not yet
reached a level where he could drag fifteen adult people casually.

As he walked, he replied, "These zombies are still alive. It's just that I destroyed all the
connecting bones of the body, so even if the brain is intact, they are no different from
dead zombies since they can't do anything... I didn't want to stain the ground where I
will sleep with blood."

Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes lit up and she finally understood the reason why the
zombies' bodies were in such a terrible condition... Previously, she had assumed that Bai
Zemin was simply a barbaric and violent person, but after listening to his explanation
she understood that she had been wrong.

Although she somewhat admired his strength, that was all. From her point of view, there
was no trustworthy person in this place. To Shangguan Bing Xue, the only person she
could trust a bit was her childhood friend Chen He; as for the rest, they were all useless.

Especially the men.

***

Currently, Shangguan Bing Xue was surrounded by both men and women. Lian Xuan,
the vice president of the student association, and Chen He, the skilled archer, were
constantly trying to engage her in conversation.

Liang Peng, the strong man with a terrifying hammer, looked at the bodies of some
female students and teachers casually without caring too much about the world
outside.

After carrying the fifteen zombies out of the place and dragging them to a nearby
building, Bai Zemin returned to the gymnasium. He simply ignored the stares he was
receiving and walked away quietly with no intention of chatting with anyone.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Bai Zemin used his Blood Manipulation skill to remove the
blood that stained the floor, sending it through the broken window to the outside.

Because the glass was broken, rainwater was constantly pouring in and the areas near
the windows were soaked. In addition, the cold was really unbearable.

After a few minutes of consideration, Bai Zemin ripped the legs off several tables and
used the tops to cover the windows one by one. To prevent the wood from falling off,
he used several cabinets and refrigerators inside the room, thus sealing out rain, wind,
and decreasing the chances of an insect getting in.

Then, Bai Zemin closed the door and locked himself inside the cafeteria.

He turned on a dim light and sat on a chair away from the window and door to rest.
Five minutes later, he took his cell phone out of his backpack and, with trembling
hands, called his mother.

...

"The number you wish to reach is out of service or out of battery. Please try again later."

Bai Zemin took a deep breath to calm himself, not wanting to think about the worst-
case scenario. With lingering fear, he dialed Meng Qi's number.

...

"The number you wish to reach is out of service or out of battery. Please try again later."

Receiving the same message again, Bai Zemin couldn't help but put down the cell
phone and leave it on the table. He slumped gently onto the chair and, as he listened
to the steady sound of lightning, his eyes flooded slightly with tears.

Although he did not want to think about it, it was clear to Bai Zemin that the probability
that his family had died was very high indeed. After all, many people had turned into
zombies without warning, zombies had started attacking ruthlessly, insects had evolved
and even domestic animals had turned wild.

However, he really wasn't willing. The only real thing he had was his family after all.

Barely resisting the urge to cry, Bai Zemin picked up his cell phone again and dialed his
father's number.

...

Sitting in a nearby chair, Lilith felt a bit sad for him as she watched him act like a small
child about to cry.

Even when he was forced to fight for his life, even when he had no choice but to raise
a sword and bathe in blood, even when his entire life was collapsing in front of him, Bai
Zemin was always decisive and did not hesitate. He fought when it was necessary to
fight and used his brain to perfection to survive.
However, in the face of his family's possible death, his calm had flown out the window.

Chapter 11 - Mana Consequences And

Hope
The reason why Lilith felt a little sad about Bai Zemin's situation was because she had
decided to trust and believe in him since she currently had her own problems.

However, it could not be said that Lilith felt pain for seeing him like this. They had only
known each other for about two or three hours and the amount of interaction they had
with each other was not much either... Besides, Lilith had seen many things worse than
the loss of a family during her lifetime; to her, even the fall of an entire race where tears
of blood were shed was not such a strange sight either.

Now, she could only hope that his family was safe and had not experienced any
accidents. Otherwise, if he fell and did not get up again, his death was a matter of
time; this was something Lilith hoped would not happen.

Unfortunately, people's fate sometimes turned out to be extremely cruel.

"The number you wish to reach is out of service or out of battery. Please try again-"

Bang!

Bai Zemin didn't even wait for the message to end when he smashed the cell phone
against the wall in front of him, completely destroying it with no way of salvation.

Without even waiting for all the parts of his phone to fall to the ground, Bai Zemin
grabbed the chair he was sitting on and slammed it with all his might against the floor.
The wood broke into countless pieces and splinters flew everywhere.

As if he had gone mad, Bai Zemin grabbed everything near him and destroyed it
without caring about the quantity of noise he was making or if his attitude could scare
the people outside the cafeteria.

Now that he could not contact any of his three family members, he had assumed the
worst. How could he care about other people's fear at this point?

After destroying more than twenty chairs and several tables, Bai Zemin's stamina began
to drop rapidly due to the misuse of his strength, exhausting him faster than usual. He
slumped on the floor, leaning his back against the wall, and covered his face with one
hand.

Lilith looked at him silently and waited for him to vent all the frustration, sadness, anger,
and pain he felt.

The cafeteria fell silent and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of
thunder coming from outside. The faint distant light that acted as illumination, could
barely provide a scarce source of heat practically nonexistent in the midst of such a
gloomy environment.

Bai Zemin did not cry. After venting in an illogical but realistic manner, he simply
became silent and motionless.

He had once been betrayed by people he trusted from the bottom of his heart in the
past. At that time, he had felt as if his world had collapsed before his eyes and he no
longer felt like doing anything; even leaving his room was a challenge every day... In
the midst of all that sadness, pain, and desolation, his family was there for him; just as
they had always been but he hadn't noticed.

From that moment on, Bai Zemin had changed drastically. He stopped going out with
friends, didn't spend time worrying about having a relationship with a woman, and
devoted all his time to studying and working hard to give his family a better life.

However, in about three hours, everything he had been fighting for many years was
gone. His family, the only source of warmth that made him feel comfortable, had
probably died.

Every time he imagined his father, his mother, or his adopted younger sister crying and
asking for help before they died, his blood boiled furiously as if a volcano was about to
burst.

Twenty minutes later, Lilith finally spoke, "Bai Zemin, your family is probably still alive."

His body shuddered softly, but he did not respond. He stayed silent, longing to hear her
next words. Although Bai Zemin did not know how strong Lilith was, even after
becoming much more powerful than he was in the past, he felt that a snap of her
fingers was more than enough to erase his existence if she really wanted it. Therefore,
her words at this moment were very important to him.

"When the Soul Record arrives in a new world, the mana that was always in that world
but was inactive finally begins to move... Now, imagine you spend twenty years in bed
and suddenly you abruptly get up and start running at full speed, what do you think will
happen?"

Bai Zemin raised his head softly and looked at her. In a slightly hoarse voice, he replied,
"Everything would collapse... The muscles can't support the weight of the body, the
ligaments can't withstand the pressure, and the heart can't pump enough blood after
beating so smoothly for so long."

"Right. It would all come crashing down." Lilith nodded softly and continued, "That is
precisely what is happening now. After countless years of silence and tranquility, the
mana of this world finally began to move everywhere, causing the world order to fall
into a mess."

As Lilith explained, Bai Zemin struggled to stand up and looked for a healthy chair to sit
on. He kept his senses focused on her, not daring to miss a single word.

"Humans have a weak body by nature, so most of them failed to withstand the shock of
the mana wave, turning into those mutated creatures; stronger and with unlimited
stamina fueled by the world's mana, but without any intelligence. On the other hand,
animals possessing a more resilient body and plants with superior life expectancy are
much more likely to adapt to the mana, evolving and growing to become terrifying
creatures."

Bai Zemin finally understood many things after listening to Lilith's explanation. From the
initial function of this strange entity called Soul Record to the reason why so many
humans turned into zombies and why previously harmless insects and animals had
suddenly changed so much.

At this moment, however, he couldn't care less about all of that.

"So, what about my family?" he asked in an apathetic voice.

Although Bai Zemin's voice was practically impassive, Lilith, who had seen countless lives
throughout her wandering, could notice the waver in his gaze when he asked that
question. Obviously, although he was trying to act calm, his heart was in chaos as he
tried to cling to any hope.

"In addition to living beings, there is also the possibility that electronic objects will suffer
from the mana wave... Then, it's not impossible that the communication devices would
be damaged or the distance reached by the signal would have been infinitely
shortened." Lilith pointed out.
Bai Zemin's eyes glinted as he listened to her explanation. Indeed, Lilith's words made
quite a bit of sense if one carefully observed the illogical world outside the window.

Seeing the change in his expression and his eyes regaining their color, Lilith quickly
added, "Besides, don't forget that during the chaos your family might have also lost their
cell phones or simply didn't have time to pick it up."

Bai Zemin finally couldn't help but stand up. His previously dull gaze had flared up once
again, burning with hope.

Previously, he had been too overwhelmed with emotions, unable to think of even
something as small as what Lilith had just mentioned. In fact, it was very plausible that
his family simply hadn't had time to pick up their cell phones or they simply broke during
their escape.

Even if it was all a fleeting hope, Bai Zemin was not willing to let it slip away.

He advanced with a big step to the chair where Lilith was sitting and hugged her gently
as he said softly, "Thank you..."

Unconsciously, he couldn't help but be amazed at the exquisite scent of roses that
Lilith's body exuded. Her soft dark hair lightly caressed his face as if it were his lover's
caress.

After experiencing hell and then being ascended back to the heavens, even his First
Order Blood Manipulation could do nothing to calm his heart. With unstable emotions,
he simply wasn't thinking with complete rationality.

Lilith knew this perfectly well, so she didn't bother to push him away. To her, Bai Zemin
was a little boy. On the contrary, she joked, "If you really want to thank me, how about
taking me right here~?"

As if he had received an electro-shock, Bai Zemin quickly backed away from her and
looked at her suspiciously as he said, "You can forget about it."

In fact, if it wasn't for the heat of the moment and the emotions clouding his judgment,
Bai Zemin would definitely not dare to approach Lilith; her whole being was too
charming and every action of hers was brimming with seductiveness. Even he, who was
usually quite calm, didn't have the slightest confidence in resisting if she really wanted
to.
"Oh come oooon~ Don't be a spoilsport!" Lilith pouted extremely cute, which was a
great counter to her seductive body. "With this cold weather, I'm sure if we hug each
other affectionately our bodies will be happy!"

Bai Zemin rolled his eyes and was about to respond when the metal door was knocked
softly.

Chapter 12 - Meeting And Plans

Hearing the sound coming from outside, Bai Zemin and Lilith stood in silence for a
moment before he walked to the door and opened it without saying a word.

Standing on the other side was a female student who, though not a great beauty, was
considered quite pretty. However, her expression at the moment was rather haggard
and the fear in her eyes made her look quite miserable.

The student seemed surprised at the sudden appearance of Bai Zemin, who had
opened the door with a bang. She unconsciously looked inside the room and when she
saw the mess inside was shocked; the place was a mess with splinters of wood
everywhere as if a hurricane had hit there.

"Do you need anything?" Bai Zemin asked as he looked at the girl one or two years
younger than him.

"Ah! Sorry!" The girl apologized for something that Bai Zemin didn't understand and
continued quickly, "Big Brother Bai, some of the teachers, Big Sister Shangguan, Big
Brother Chen, and the rest are about to have a meeting to decide what to do next
therefore they would like you to participate as well."

This student's name was Cai Jingyi and before the world changed she was a student of
international relations. She was very smart about human relationships and emotions.
Now that everything changed, Cai Jingyi was also clear that she would be more likely
to survive by following someone powerful; at the same time, it was essential to be
careful not to offend anyone, because the rules would not necessarily remain the same
as before.

Hearing her words, Bai Zemin was silent for a moment before nodding: "Alright. Thank
you for informing me... I'll be there in a moment."

He was not surprised that the girl in front of him knew his name. After all, he had worked,
it was only natural that someone would start spreading his name around; especially
those people whose lives he had saved.
Cai Jingyi quickly excused herself and left. She could sense that the young man's mood
before her was not particularly good so she was worried about saying the wrong word.

Before Bai Zemin could say anything, Lilith advised: "Bai Zemin, remember that the world
you live in has changed and will no longer be what it once was. Although it might not
be so obvious now since it is only the beginning of a new era, gradually people will
change... Be careful of the people around you or your death might not be caused by a
monster or mutated plant."

Bai Zemin looked at her silently, pondering her words. After several seconds, he nodded
slowly and thanked, "Thank you for your advice. I will remember it."

Lilith threw him a flying kiss and gave him a charming smile in response.

Bai Zemin didn't dare look at her for too long and quickly closed the door behind him as
he walked away in the direction of the basketball court.

At his reaction, Lilith giggled softly, causing her ample breasts to sway invitingly...
Fortunately or unfortunately, there was no man to witness such a wonderful but at the
same time dangerous spectacle.

***

After Bai Zemin's nerves calmed down and the tension he felt on his body due to the
constant dangers and seemingly endless battles, he finally paid more attention to the
people around him and easily noticed many things on his way to the basketball court.

Most of the people, regardless of whether they were male or female, teachers or
students, had eyes filled with apprehension and looked at their surroundings with
constant vigilance. Some of them even had signs of insanity; clutching their hair tightly
and muttering incoherent things before they started laughing out loud as if something
funny had happened.

Seeing all this, Bai Zemin couldn't help but agree with the advice Lilith had given him
before. Unconsciously he lifted his guard a notch higher, not wanting one of these
people to stab him in the back.

Bai Zemin had no intention of dying, let alone dying by the hands of another human.

As he approached a corner far away from the rest, Bai Zemin saw Shangguan Bing Xue,
Chen He, Peng Liang, as well as four teachers; three men and one woman.

The woman was Jia Jiao, whom Bai Zemin had rescued earlier.
Seeing him approaching, the group of seven people stopped their conversation and
looked at him with different emotions; gratitude, curiosity, indifference, kindness,
mistrust, and many other emotions coming from different people.

When he finally joined the group, Liang Peng smiled carelessly and greeted him
casually, "Yo! Little brother Bai Zemin."

"Hey." Bai Zemin greeted him back with a brief nod. Although Liang Peng possessed
terrifying strength, his thoughts seemed to be too simple.

"Now that teachers with the ability to think without being affected by the fear as well as
people capable of fighting are here let's start this meeting." Shangguan Bing Xue did
not dawdle and immediately went to the point. She also did not give another glance to
Bai Zemin nor did she say anything about him keeping a room for himself.

Currently there were many people sleeping in the same place and although they were
not crowded together, it was definitely not as comfortable as having a private place to
themselves. Even Shangguan Bing Xue and the rest had no such benefit.

Many people were naturally dissatisfied with him taking such a large place for himself; it
was just that no one dared to express it after witnessing his strength or hearing about it.

As for Shangguan Bing Xue, she simply didn't care.

"Wait a moment." Bai Zemin stopped her before she continued.

Shangguan Bing Xue frowned slightly but said nothing and simply looked at him silently,
waiting for his next words.

"If you want to gather people with the courage to fight and some ability, Vice President
Lian Xun should be here too." Bai Zemin pointed out.

"Oh?" Shangguan Bing Xue's beautiful blue eyes had a strange glint in them when she
heard his words. She looked in the direction of where Lian Xun stood and seeing him
smile charmingly at her filled her heart with disgust.

"I don't think that's necessary." Shangguan Bing Xue said coldly. Her tone contained a
hint of mockery and disdain as she said, "He even hid from me that he could fight those
creatures, which means he is a coward. Such a person, instead of helping will only
become a burden in times of need."

Bai Zemin simply shrugged his shoulders and did not comment any further.
"Then, let's continue." Shangguan Bing Xue frowned and explained her concerns,
"Currently, the storm is quite fierce. As each of us headed in this direction, saving other
people in the process, it was inevitable that we and the others would get wet."

Indeed. Currently everyone was shivering with cold and many people were sneezing
with signs of possible colds. With their clothes completely wet and the cold weather, the
body temperature had plummeted all at once and the arrival of illnesses was only a
matter of time.

Even Shangguan Bing Xue's white dress was soaked and clung tightly to her seductive
body. This had attracted the attention of the local men regardless of whether he was a
teacher or a student; even the handsome and kind Chen He could not help but sneak
several glances at her secretly.

Shangguan Bing Xue continued, "At this rate, the arrival of illnesses like influenza and
fever is only a matter of time. At this moment we don't even know exactly the situation
of the world outside the university, I tried to communicate with my family but apparently
there is some kind of problem with the signal."

Chen He nodded, "I also tried to communicate with my family but got no results."

Hearing their words, Bai Zemin's eyes lit up imperceptibly. Since they had the same
problem, Lilith's words were probably real and, although he didn't know if his family was
alive, hope burned fervently.

"Then, I would like to form different teams to perform different tasks." Shangguan Bing
Xue finally pointed out her real purpose: "One team will be in charge of searching for
clothes from the male dormitory and the female dormitory, saving the people who are
still alive in the process. Another team will be in charge of going to the university
pharmacy in search of cold medicine, fever medicine, and whatever else is possible."

Chen He added, "In the cafeteria, Bai Zemin found enough food to feed more than a
hundred people for a week. Even if we add more people, the rations should be able to
last about three days... That's more than enough time for the army and police to make
their move."

Hearing his words, almost everyone let out a small sigh of relief. Even if the zombies were
many, or even if those strange mutated creatures were powerful, in the face of the
power of modern firearms they were nothing to fear.

Only Bai Zemin and Shangguan Bing Xue had indifferent expressions and kept their own
thoughts to themselves.
Seeing that no one had anything against her words, Shangguan Bing Xue nodded and
continued, "Now we should form teams and divide tasks. The teams should be formed
in the best possible way to avoid unnecessary losses."

"Wait a moment. I'd like to move alone."

Chapter 13 - New Skill: Stone Heart

So far, Shangguan Bing Xue's speech and explanations were extremely logical. It was
precisely for this reason that no one had interrupted her until now and even the
teachers only watched from the sidelines without saying anything about it.

She was truly worthy of being the student association president of one of the most
prestigious universities in the whole country.

What no one expected, however, was that a voice would abruptly interrupt.

"Wait a moment. I'd like to move alone."

Everyone's eyes automatically turned to the person who had just spoken with different
expressions.

Chen He had an expression that looked unsure whether to cry or laugh, Liang Peng
looked too stupefied to react, and the teachers had different kinds of thoughts that
their expressions gave away.

On the other hand, Shangguan Bing Xue gave Bai Zemin a slightly weary look and said
coldly, "You want to go alone? Are you crazy?"

Bai Zemin remained unperturbed and did not care about the expression of the
beautiful woman in front of him. Calmly, he slowly said, "Whether I am crazy or not, you
need not worry about my mental health, Miss Shangguan."

Jia Jiao, Bai Zemin's teacher, could not help but try to persuade him: "Student Bai, why
don't you consider it a little more? With the strength of the four of you together you
should be fine against anything and the chances of survival would certainly be higher."

Bai Zemin shook his head and said nothing more. Obviously he had already made up
his mind. It was a pity that none of these people knew him, otherwise they would know
that once Bai Zemin took a decision it was practically impossible to make him change
his mind.
"You... You're just acting selfishly and risking your life pointlessly. Do as you please."
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him coldly. In fact, her gaze was so cold that it seemed
to have the capacity to pierce into people's souls and freeze them completely.

"Then that's what I'll do." Bai Zemin nodded calmly and turned to leave as he said,
"Considering the current time, I guess this task will be left for another time. Tomorrow you
can tell me what my task is. Good night everyone."

Without another backward glance, Bai Zemin left and disappeared to the end of the
corridor.

"He seems to be a pretty cold guy, doesn't he?" Chen He scratched his head and said
with a forced smile. However, although he looked casual on the outside, inside he was
incredibly surprised.

Bai Zemin was the first man Chen He had met who was able to remain completely
indifferent to Shangguan Bing Xue. Even Chen He himself, who was considered an
outstanding man by countless people regardless of whether they were men or women,
had fallen for her charms even though she never had that intention in the first place.

Shangguan Bing Xue's heavenly beauty, her icy personality and otherworldly aura
coupled with her mysterious family background undoubtedly made her the greatest
beauty not only in the university; even in all of Beijing it was hard to find another woman
who could compare to her.

"Forget it. Let's continue then." Shangguan Bing Xue looked at Bai Zemin's slowly
disappearing back and said coldly before withdrawing her gaze.

She simply had good intentions and did not want anyone to die in vain. However, if that
man wanted to act alone, she could do nothing about it and could only let him go to
die alone.

***

"Why do you seem so distant with those people?" Lilith questioned when Bai Zemin
returned. Even without being present, the group's conversation had been heard clearly
by her.

Bai Zemin picked up a chair and sat down across from her. As he looked at her, he
smiled slightly and remarked, "Who was it that told me to be more careful of the people
around me?"
Lilith had a strange glint in her eyes. She narrowed her gaze at him and said slowly, "No
no. Although in fact, I did tell you to be careful around other humans from now on....
Your attitude towards that group and the rest of the people has been strange to begin
with."

An idea flashed in her mind and Lilith couldn't help but point out, "Especially towards
that woman named Shangguan Bing Xue. Your attitude towards her is cold and
distant... Suspicious."

Bai Zemin sighed lightly and closed his eyes as a bunch of memories flashed in his
memory at lightning speed. Although those memories no longer hurt, the pain of the
past could never completely disappear.

A person's past was the foundation upon which the present rested and where the
future was built.

Slowly, he opened his eyes again. At that moment, several green letters flashed across
his retina.

[Pain from the past, caution in the present, defiant towards the future. You have
acquired passive skill: Stone Heart].

Bai Zemin was taken aback when he read the message that had appeared out of
nowhere. How had he suddenly acquired a skill?

Seeing him dumbfounded, Lilith frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Is something
wrong?"

Bai Zemin immediately snapped out of his daze and quickly shook his head as he said,
"Forget it, Lilith. Why don't you tell me more about the skills and about the Soul Record?"

Lilith looked at him deeply before finally sighing lightly, "Alright, since you don't want to
talk about it... Let me explain a bit about the Soul Record then."

Bai Zemin immediately sat up straight and focused entirely on her, pushing the matter
about what had just happened to later.

"The Soul Record is an unknown entity that no one has ever come to fully understand.
This seemingly formless entity reaches out to different worlds, setting in flux the mana
that exists in these worlds, and pushing the different races and species towards the path
of evolution." Lilith explained slowly, choosing her words carefully, "As you have already
seen for yourself, when defeating enemies an orb of light comes out of their bodies and
yours absorbs it."
Bai Zemin nodded. In fact, even when he killed zombies those orbs still reached him
even if they didn't give him benefits.

"Those orbs contain Soul Power within them. The Soul Record concentrates a small part
of the defeated enemy's Soul Power and grants it to the winner; the defeated one
becomes a source of evolutionary power for the victor, pushing the winner beyond.

In addition to this, as long as the enemy's Soul Power is strong enough, the winner will
not only get part of their power in the form of stats, there is also the possibility of getting
treasure orbs or skill scrolls... That would basically be a fairly general and simple
summary of the function of the Soul Record. As for what its true motive or purpose is, no
one knows." Lilith paused and looked at Bai Zemin in silence.

If she continued to talk about it, even one or two years would not be enough to explain
everything.

Bai Zemin took a few moments to assimilate the information before slowly asking, "Is
there another method of acquiring skills other than skill scrolls obtained from different
enemies?"

"There is." Lilith nodded and explained, "Aside from defeating enemies, you can also
acquire different active or passive skills depending on your lived experiences or
qualities."

Seeing him look at her with clear confusion, Lilith deepened her explanation, "For
example, a person who practiced martial arts from a young age would awaken a
passive melee skill and its level will depend on that person's technique... Hehe~.. On the
other hand, if a man had problems with his sexual orientation, he would awaken a
passive skill that makes him immune to female charms." She smiled playfully at him and
pointed out, "I know someone like that, so if that happens to you don't worry. I won't
discriminate against you~"

Bai Zemin had finally understood many things that were unclear before. Although there
were still many questions in his mind, there was no way he could ask them all together
and process all that information at once. Therefore, it was better to go step by step in
order not to make mistakes or get confused later on.

However, when he heard Lilith's final words he almost fell to the ground.

"My sexuality has no problems. You don't need to worry!" He said with a grim face.

"Are you sure about that~?" Lilith stood up and approached him. She bowed slightly,
barely showing a small part of her neckline and almost unnoticeable to the eye.
Her rose scent entered Bai Zemin's nostrils and his eyes couldn't help but be drawn to
that small patch of white skin. He swallowed audibly and his breathing became slightly
agitated as he began to lose control over himself.

"Mm! It looks like there's really no problem with your sexuality." Lilith stopped toying with
him and returned to her seat before looking at him with a smile that was hard to
comprehend.

Bai Zemin bristled with embarrassment and stood up. He moved away from her and lay
down against the wall in the corner.

Seeing him act like that, as if he was a child who was wronged by his parents, Lilith
couldn't help but chuckle as she said, "Oh~ Don't be angry! I was just making sure you
weren't lying!"

But Bai Zemin didn't answer her. He focused his attention on the green letters flashing in
his retina.

[Stone Heart (Third Order Passive Skill) Level 5: It becomes extremely difficult for people
not close to you to move your heart and shake your emotions. This effect is especially
strong against the opposite sex. As a side effect, your love and affection for those close
to you grow exponentially].

Chapter 14 - Evolution Requirements

Looking at the description of the skill, it would be a lie to say that Bai Zemin was not
surprised. However, the surprise was not so much after hearing Lilith's explanation earlier.

The Soul Record clearly creates skills depending on the qualities of each person, further
adapting that person to evolve and paving his or her path.

Any strength or any personality characteristic of a person was categorized as a skill as

long as the trait interfered in any way with the possessor, regardless of whether it was a
positive or negative trait.

Due to certain past events, Bai Zemin's personality had become very indifferent towards
people and to some extent, he only cared for those close to him. However, he had not
reached the point of possessing a stone heart where even a drop of water would find it
difficult to enter.
Obviously, this strange entity called Soul Record could also enhance a person's traits
and take them to a higher level than normal.

Bai Zemin estimated that this could also be one of the side effects of mana.

However, from his current point of view, it did not seem to be a very useful skill. It did not
contribute strength in any way nor was it an active skill that would allow him to make
use of supernatural powers such as his Blood Manipulation.

After hesitating for several minutes, Bai Zemin asked, "Lilith, between an unclassified skill
and a First Order skill which one is better?"

"Eh?" Lilith, who was silent, was surprised to hear his voice again and even more
surprised to hear his question. However, she soon seemed to understand something
when she softly exclaimed, "Ah! You ask this because of your skill Blood Manipulation
and your passive skill Special Forces Soldier, right?"

Bai Zemin opened his mouth, wanting to say something, however, the next instant he
regretted it and simply said, "That's right."

Although Lilith had helped him a lot so far, Bai Zemin could not trust her completely.
Even if he didn't know how strong Lilith was, at least hiding one or two things from her,
especially skills that appeared without warning, temporarily might be better from his
point of view.

When the trust between them grew, he might tell her about his private issues if she didn't
do anything to betray him. For now, it was better to be safe early than sorry later.

"Skills are separated into five levels, from level one to level five," Lilith thought for a
moment before slowly explaining: "When an unclassified skill reaches the highest level,
in other words, level five, that skill acquires the right and the possibility to evolve into
something more powerful. Bai Zemin, focus on your Blood Manipulation skill for a
moment."

Bai Zemin quickly did as she told him and the results showed immediately. A window
with many green letters flashed in his retina, displaying a message.

[Blood Manipulation (First Order Skill) Level 5: This skill can evolve to the next level if the
following requirements are met].

[Collect one hundred liters of blood from fifty enemies level 5 or higher: 0/100].

[Collect ten liters of blood from five First Order enemies: 0/10].
[Collect one liter of blood from one Second Order enemy: 0/1].

"This... This is what it says here..." Bai Zemin was surprised before he began to describe in
detail everything the status window described.

"...Although I was already expecting it, really how horrible." Lilith whispered with a bitter
smile after hearing the requirements needed to evolve the skill Blood Manipulation.

Hearing her words filled with bitterness, Bai Zemin's heart couldn't help but sink when he
asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Bai Zemin, your Blood Manipulation skill is much, much more powerful than you
imagine." Lilith took a deep breath before speaking in a serious voice, "After defeating
an enemy for the first time after the arrival of the Soul Record, depending on the level,
the qualities of the defeated enemy, as well as luck, a skill roll will definitely drop no
matter what."

From the corner where he was sitting, Bai Zemin stared at her. His eyes from the darkness
looked exceptionally bright, a proof of how focused he was currently.

"The qualities of a normal human, at their maximum, definitely did not exceed ten stat
points before the advent of the Soul Record... However, due to your high magical
power, your body and physical conditions were slightly higher than normal." Lilith
revealed and after thinking for a moment continued, "A normal level 2 monster is
generally twice as powerful to a normal person, so unless that person is very lucky or
knows and possesses some means to defend themselves, that person will definitely die."

"Now do you realize how lucky you were to be able to kill that level 5 bee?" She finished
with a serious question.

Bai Zemin couldn't help but nod unconsciously. If it wasn't because all the
circumstances were in his favor, as well as a stroke of luck back then, he definitely
couldn't have killed that level 5 Big Bee.

"Due to the characteristics of the normal bee, when evolving the bee needed blood to
evolve and you, by defeating such a monster with a significantly lower level, naturally
acquired a very strong skill." Lilith said.

"Although I know that my Blood Manipulation is strong, I don't think it's as terrifying as
you describe it, no?" Bai Zemin couldn't help but point out. If his skill was as strong as
Lilith made it sound, then shouldn't he be invincible? After all, Lilith's tone was truly
surprised even now, several hours after seeing the Blood Manipulation skill scroll.
"You say that because right now you can only use that skill to do small things without
great effect. When your skill starts to evolve..." Lilith's eyes lit up with a hint of joy
indiscernible to Bai Zemin before continuing, "In my entire life, you are the first person
that I know managed to acquire a First Order skill at its peak level. Even the leaders of
the various higher existent factions were unable to do such a thing before they got to
where they are now."

When he heard this, Bai Zemin felt excited and couldn't help but ask while complaining,
"Lilith, what is this lower existences and higher existences you've been talking about all
this time? To be honest, it's a bit annoying to hear you refer to me as a lower existence
all the time."

Lilith blinked her two beautiful eyes slightly in surprise before shaking her head and
saying, "I apologize for that. No offense, it's just habit. I had no bad intentions, nor was it
my intention to make fun of you... As for what the higher existences are, you don't need
to know it temporarily. For now, just worry about reaching level 25 as quickly as
possible."

Hearing her sincere apology, Bai Zemin felt much better. At the same time, he couldn't
help but think once again that this Stone Heart skill really didn't seem so useful.

Since Lilith didn't say anything else, Bai Zemin also had no intention of asking any more
questions temporarily. Instead, he closed his eyes wanting to sleep.

However, his mind was filled with thoughts that impeded him from sleeping
comfortably.

To be completely honest, Bai Zemin longed to rush off to find his family. However, such a
thing was too unrealistic given that his family was currently on the other side of the city.

Beijing was a very big city, even bigger than some countries in the world. Even in normal
times, it took many hours by car to get from the university to his home, not to mention
now that the outside world was filled with chaos.

God only knew how many roads had been blocked with all kinds of transports, zombies,
and other wandering creatures. In the midst of such conditions, even a month of travel
was not necessarily enough considering that he would have to fight countless battles to
make his way through.

Therefore, Bai Zemin had no choice but to restrain the growing urgency to venture out
in search of his family. After all, if he died, nothing would make sense.
At the thought of his family, his eyes filled with tears again and he could only barely
restrain himself from crying a second time. Bai Zemin looked at his Stone Heart skill and
couldn't help but inwardly groan: 'Damn thing, you're no good with this seductive
woman but you affect my heart now?'

As the rain poured down like a torrent and the sound of thunder made the walls of the
building tremble softly, exhaustion slowly overcame him and before he knew it he fell
asleep.

...

...

"I will wait until you trust me, boy." Lilith whispered with a complicated smile as she
watched him sleep on the floor.

Although she did not know what kind of skill he had acquired, it was impossible for Bai
Zemin, inexperienced and only twenty years old, to easily mislead Lilith, who had
experienced countless hardships and met all kinds of people throughout her life.

Chapter 15 - Going Out Alone

Lilith's explanation of the skills was very helpful to Bai Zemin. This was because although
she had not explicitly told him that a Third Order skill was better and more powerful than
a First Order skill, he could easily draw conclusions based on what he currently knew
and could observe.

Apparently, his recently acquired passive skill was a more powerful skill than it
appeared at first glance.

Although it was temporarily impossible for Bai Zemin to be sure how powerful the
passive Stone Heart was, considering that it was a Third Order skill and at its maximum
level, it should not be a useless skill.

The problem with passives was that, unless the exact circumstances were present that
were necessary for a passive skill to shine and show its brilliance, it was extremely
difficult to know whether it was useful or not unless the description of the skill was
extremely clear and simple about its function.

Because Stone Heart did not seem to have any use against Lilith, Bai Zemin had gone
to sleep thinking that it was a skill without much value in battle or other aspects.
***

After several hours of comforting sleep, Bai Zemin opened his eyes once again and
slowly stood up. Although his Stamina was almost full before he went to sleep, the
mental fatigue he had accumulated throughout the day was nothing to scoff at. After
all, he had experienced a constant up and down of emotions while fighting practically
without rest.

"Sleeping on the floor really isn't the best option." He complained with a bitter smile as
he felt his bones creaking one after another.

"Good morning~"

A lovely voice sounded next to him, startling him momentarily.

Looking to his right, Bai Zemin saw the beautiful seductress Lilith sitting on a chair two or
three meters away, looking at him with a smile apparently natural.

"Good morning to you too..." He replied a little dazed and couldn't help but think that
sleeping on the floor wasn't so bad if such a beautiful woman greeted him as soon as
he opened his eyes.

He was about to ask if the higher existences, as she referred to herself, needed to sleep
or not when a soft knock on the metal door interrupted his words.

Followed by the knock, a gentle and caring voice continued, "Big Brother Bai, Big Sister
Shangguan and the rest would like to distribute breakfast..."

Bai Zemin recognized the source of the voice easily; it was the same girl who had talked
to him yesterday.

Apparently, she feared that he was sleeping and that her call had disturbed him since
her voice was so low that if it were not for the fact that Bai Zemin had been constantly
evolving he could not have heard at all.

Without saying anything, Bai Zemin opened the door and said slowly, "I understand. You
can go and tell Miss Shangguan that she can bring the students now."

Cai Jinyi nodded hurriedly and went to retransmit his words.

***

The cafeteria was big enough for a hundred people to eat inside if they squeezed in a
little.
Because there were not enough tables and chairs as a result of the destruction caused
by the zombies and Bai Zemin yesterday, many students had no choice but to sit on the
floor while eating their breakfast with fervor.

Most of them had not eaten anything since yesterday afternoon and really felt as if
they were going to starve to death at any moment.

The atmosphere inside the room was extremely gloomy and if it weren't for the electric
light still being on, many people probably couldn't help but cower in fear. Add this to
the rain lashing the woods that covered the windows and the terrifying creatures
roaming outside, no one dared to speak too loudly for fear of attracting unwanted
attention.

Since Bai Zemin didn't like being around people too much, when everyone went to the
cafeteria, he moved to the basketball court and sat quietly while eating a piece of
cake.

The current situation was bad, to say the least.

Not only were they cut off from the outside, but they were also right in the middle of the
university campus.

Beijing University had approximately 1 to 2 million students in the past and, although
they did not all attend classes at the same time as there were two rotations, such a
large number of students was proof enough to show just how big the campus was.

If a person wanted to travel from the center of the campus to the exit, a thirty to forty
minute walk was not unusual. It was for this reason that 90% of the students traveled via
bicycle or other transport.

However, riding a bicycle in this new world was no different from courting death. Even a
normal vehicle was not a good choice.

As he ate his meal with a frown, thinking of countless matters, a series of footsteps in his
direction momentarily distracted him.

Looking towards the source of the sound, Bai Zemin saw the handsome and skillful Chen
He, the beautiful and powerful Shangguan Bing Xue, as well as the strong and
seemingly simple-minded Liang Peng, walking towards him with varying expressions.

"Good morning." Chen He was the first to greet him.

Bai Zemin had to admit that with how handsome Chen He was, as well as his dexterity,
good demeanor, and kindness, being a magnet for women was only natural.
"Good morning to you all as well." Bai Zemin returned the greeting. After taking a last
bite of the cake and finishing it in one mouthful, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

From Shangguan Bing Xue's slightly frowning expression, Bai Zemin felt that something
must have happened for this cold and indifferent woman to show a worried face.

Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him for a moment before nodding and explaining,
"Actually, there is a problem... Currently, fifteen students have a fever and there are
another twenty who are in the process of catching a cold. If we don't get medicine
soon, things could get more troublesome."

Bai Zemin frowned as well when he heard her speak.

After spending a whole night with their clothes and body completely wet from the
freezing rain water, getting sick was just natural. It was just that he didn't expect that
only one night later, more than thirty people would present problems.

If it continued like this, it would be hard for when everyone wanted to leave to take
even weaker students than they already were by nature.

Although Bai Zemin was indifferent, he was not a bad guy, much less a cruel person.
There was no way he would casually let other humans die in the mouth of a mutated
dog or a huge mosquito. If he was that kind of person he wouldn't have rescued more
than a dozen people on his way to the gym.

After thinking for a moment, he stood up and picked up the sword lying next to him.

"What are you going to do?" Chen He asked dumbfounded.

"I said yesterday that I would move by myself." Bai Zemin replied as he arranged his
meager belongings. "Going to the male dormitory and then traveling to the female
dormitory to save people is a task that a large group like the three of you together can
do better than me. In that case, I'll go to the pharmacy to get medicines now."

Although the sooner the medicines were obtained the better it would be for everyone,
Shangguan Bing Xue couldn't help but remark, "Are you really going alone now? The
storm is still raging and dangers lurk everywhere. I still think it's better if we form teams or
if we all move together."

Although Shangguan Bing Xue didn't particularly like Bai Zemin, she still didn't want him
to die just like that. Not only was he a human just like all of them, but he was also brave
enough to fight and his strength was something that could not be ignored either.
Precisely for these reasons, she insisted that he should not move alone.
From a logical point of view, Shangguan Bing Xue was right. After all, moving alone with
such horrible weather, the chaotic world, and countless unknown dangers as well as
misinformation, was no different from dancing with the grim reaper hand to hand.

Bai Zemin naturally knew this as well. He looked at her for a moment before shaking his
head and slowly saying, "Miss Shangguan, I know you don't like me... To be honest, I
don't like you very much either. Still, I know you mean well, so I thank you for that.
However, you don't need to worry about my safety..."

Bai Zemin walked towards the exit and finished his sentence in a low voice: "At least
until I find my family I have no intentions of dying in the mouth of some dog or any cat."

As to whether Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Peng Lian heard him or not, he
neither knew nor cared.

The wind hit him fiercely as he opened the metal door leading to the exit and the rain
fell on him like a wild torrent. Only a few seconds were enough for his head and the
front of his body to be completely covered in it.

Bang!

With a loud bang, Bai Zemin closed the door behind him and disappeared into the
thick fog.

However, with the loud sound of thunder, the sound he had just caused did not attract
the attention of any particular creature.

Chapter 16 - First Life Or Death Battle (Part

1)
"How cold..." Bai Zemin shivered fiercely when he felt the cold temperatures of the
outside world.

Although the interior of the sports center wasn't particularly warm, the building insulated
the strong gusts of near-freezing wind and protected the body from the constant fall of
water coming from the clouds.

While it was true that Bai Zemin's body had gone through many improvements since the
day before, the day the world had become a mess, his Stamina and Health were his
two lowest stats so far in regards to the cold, he wasn't much different from a normal
person just slightly above comparatively.
"While your strength increased exponentially, hardening and boosting the power of
your body's muscles, if you want to become more resistant to different environments as
well as to prevent possible diseases among other issues, your Stamina and Health stats
are the most important." Lilith explained as she walked beside him.

Unlike Bai Zemin, who was already completely soaked beyond salvation, there was a
small barrier covering Lilith's body completely so she was as beautiful and sensual as
ever; not even a single drop of rain had touched her body.

"Lilith, can't you cover me too?" He asked with a bit of envy. The water and wind really
were too strong! His body temperature had plummeted only after several minutes and
his Stamina was drying up much faster than normal as a result of the strong winds.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Lilith shook her head with a bitter smile and explained, "To
be honest with you, except for giving you some information it will be better for you if you
assume as if I'm not here... Unless someone attacks me directly, I cannot use my power
in any way to help anyone or harm anyone in this world or the Soul Record will revoke
most of my soul power immediately as punishment."

The corner of Bai Zemin's mouth twitched several times when he heard it. Although from
the beginning he had not expected to receive Lilith's help, hearing her directly say that
she could do nothing but act as a source of information still surprised him.

"You're basically useless, aren't you?" After so long of being teased and tempted by her,
Bai Zemin couldn't help but counterattack taking advantage of the moment.

However, who was Lilith? An existence with countless experiences!

She nodded and made a sorrowful face as she said in a regretful voice: "That's right...
I'm just a pitiful useless woman who has nothing else to do but provide information that
would sooner or later be discovered by you... Got it! How about I use my body to
redeem myself?"

Bai Zemin's face turned pitch black when he heard Lilith's words.

With no intention of replying to her, knowing that it would only end in his loss, he
advanced and casually decapitated two zombies wandering under the storm. The two
zombies were decapitated with such ease and in two extremely fluid movements; it
was as if Bai Zemin was venting his powerlessness on them.

Seeing the dark expression on his face and seeing how he was clenching his teeth while
killing the zombies, Lilith couldn't help but point out, "Oh? Could it be that you have
opened your eyes to violence?"
With agile movements and as if he had done this for countless years throughout his life,
Bai Zemin claimed the lives of five other zombies that had come out of a nearby
building as he replied, "That's right! Violence is fun!... One day I'll kick your ass too."

"Kya!" Lilith let out a delighted yell and her face flushed as if she was a woman who
knew nothing about life. She looked at Bai Zemin through her long eyelashes and
whispered, "Instead of kicking me, I would rather you spank me with your big hands~"

Bai Zemin: "..."

He, who was killing zombies like that as if it was nothing, lost his balance and almost fell
to the ground when he heard the words of the seductive woman beside him. In his
mind, an extremely depraved scene flashed and he had to shake his head fiercely to
bring himself back to reality.

Wisely, he decided to stop teasing her and continued moving forward.

Seeing him silently admit defeat, Lilith giggled out loud, causing her big assets to show
off their beauty and charm to the world.

***

The university pharmacy was located in a westerly direction from where the gymnasium
was located.

Normally, a ten-minute walk was enough to get there. After all, the pharmacy that
contained most of the medicines and healing measures was most needed by people
who played sports and were susceptible to injuries during training.

But, if a normal person wanted to reach the pharmacy under such environmental
conditions and with so many dangers, he or she would definitely die miserably without
even knowing what had happened to him or her.

Even Bai Zemin did not dare to act rampantly.

The fog was so dense that it was difficult for him to see more than five meters in front of
his eyes and this was already amazing on its own. A normal person without as many
upgrades as Bai Zemin probably couldn't even see their own nose at this moment.

While advancing with careful but constant and solid steps, Bai Zemin suddenly felt a
strange movement from his left side. Not caring about anything but his own safety, he
directly kicked with all his might in that direction.
His left leg had turned into a whip-like weapon; his 69 Agility points cut the surrounding
mist in two and his 55 Strength points completely blasted out as he felt his leg hit
something hard.

Roar!

The enemy roared in pain and was sent flying several meters away.

Although it was only for a split second that the surrounding mist was forced back by his
strong and swift movement, Bai Zemin managed to see the silhouette of his enemy
before sending it flying, causing it to disappear into the mist again.

The enemy turned out to be a cat the size of a leopard.

"That cry of pain sounded more like a tiger's roar than a cat's meow." Bai Zemin was
stupefied. His movements stopped completely and he concentrated on the movement
of the surrounding mist as his eyes were not too useful under such conditions.

If it was before he learned the passive skill Special Forces Soldier, Bai Zemin would have
already been killed by the earlier attack of the leopard-sized cat. After all, his combat
experience was deficient, and losing most of his vision would make it incredibly difficult
for him to sense and dodge such a surprise attack.

However, now not only could he sense the attack, but instead of dodging, he
managed to make a last second counterattack.

The strange huge cat was even faster and more agile than the mantis that Bai Zemin
had killed yesterday. Adding to the surrounding mist, he had no way to use his Blood
Manipulation skill since he didn't even know where the enemy was.

Unlike animals, humans did not have a particularly strong sense of smell in comparison
and, now that animals had become powerful beasts after evolving, their senses had
been amplified countless times more than in the past.

Swoosh!

Almost five minutes after standing in the same place without moving, a practically
imperceptible swooshing sound was covered by the sound of the storm, however, Bai
Zemin's battle instinct had taken a quantum leap after learning the Special Forces
Soldier skill so such a sound did not manage to escape him.

In a split second, two blood-red eyes appeared in front of Bai Zemin and a pair of
coldly glowing claws pointed towards his head with the intention of slashing his neck.
Swoosh!

Boom!

A sharp flash shone, followed by a mighty thunderclap that illuminated the surroundings
and shook the ground slightly before everything returned to normal.

[You have acquired the Soul Power of Great Mutated Cat level 23. Agility +17, Stamina
+12, Magic +10, Mana +10].

[You have leveled up and reached level 14. You get +2 status points to distribute freely].

[You have leveled up and reached level 15. You get +2 status points to distribute freely].

Bai Zemin coldly looked at the body of the level 23 Great Mutated Cat that was cut
into two parts with a swing of his Xuanyuan Sword and marveled at the feeling of
power.

From a certain point of view, this leopard-sized Great Mutated Cat was even more
fearsome than the Great Fast Mantis as its agility was superior and the environment
played in its favor. However, Bai Zemin needed only one swing of his sword to end with
its life.

Chapter 17 - First Life Or Death Battle (Part

2)
While it was true that the Great Mutated Cat was faster, and the mist, the sound of thunder, as
well as the constant rain, blocked Bai Zemin's senses, except for its speed and sharp claws the
terror of this mutated beast could not compare to the Great Fast Mantis level 25.

The Great Fast Mantis possessed two forelegs that were like two huge scythes capable of
holding Bai Zemin's Xuanyuan Sword, which was a Rare grade Treasure, for a certain period of
time. In addition, the battle instincts of the Great Fast Mantis were much greater than those of
the Great Mutated Cat.

Furthermore, the Bai Zemin at that time was much weaker than the one who fought against the
Great Mutated Cat. As if all of the above were not enough, the Great Mutated Cat had been
seriously injured by Bai Zemin's earlier kick. After all, the cat was a creature that specialized in
agility but whose defense was lacking so when Bai Zemin's 50+ strength points came into
contact with the beast's weak body, several internal organs probably suffered the
consequences, lowering the creature's threat by a considerable margin.

After making sure there was no danger nearby, Bai Zemin crouched down and picked up a red
orb that had fallen from the monster's body before quickly putting it away in his backpack.
Bai Zemin did not delay and continued moving towards his destination.

After another five minutes in which more than twenty zombies perished by decapitation at Bai
Zemin's hands, he finally saw the small building where medicines and other medical-related
items were kept.

Bai Zemin kicked open the door and a shadow shot out towards him.

The shadow's speed was slightly above a normal person before the world changed and would
probably be the doom of any other human being. Even an evolved person could fall as the
attack was too sudden.

However, Bai Zemin was currently eight times faster than a normal person before the arrival of
the apocalypse. His reaction speed had become simply dreadful and his guard was always up
so in the face of the sudden attack he did not panic.

Taking a step back, Bai Zemin kicked forward with all his might. His foot struck the shadow's
chest, however, surprisingly, the shadow was not sent flying after being hit and only retreated a
couple of steps.

Bai Zemin was astonished. With his 55 Strength points, that previous kick could easily kill a
person after being hit in the chest.

The shadow was actually a huge zombie.

The zombie was over 2 meters tall and its body was surrounded by fat that acted as a protective
layer. Its two bloodshot eyes glared at Bai Zemin with fury as if it could feel pain and quickly
charged towards him.

The giant zombie's fist was slow in Bai Zemin's eyes. He took a step to the left at the same time
as he kicked the zombie's front foot.

The giant zombie, losing its supporting foot and with its forward momentum, fell heavily creating
a small bang when its body hit the ground.

Bai Zemin advanced quickly and instead of decapitating the creature, he stabbed with his sword
directly into its brain. That way, although blood would flow out of the wound, it would not shoot
out like a fountain.

[You have acquired the Soul Power of Zombie Wall Breaker level 20. Strength +10, Stamina
+10, Health +10].

Although Bai Zemin was surprised that he didn't level up even once, his attention was soon
drawn to a skill scroll.

[Health Boost (Unclassified passive skill) Level 3: After learning this skill, it permanently
increases Health by +20 points].

"Oh! This is good!" Bai Zemin was excited and quickly decided to learn the skill scroll in his
hands.
A passive skill that increased stats was no different from obtaining Soul Power from another
living being. Moreover, considering that the boost was of 20 points, not just any insignificant
creature would give such an amount of Soul Power.

Bai Zemin couldn't help but wonder if Liang Peng had obtained a similar skill to boost his
strength stat. Although he did not believe that his strength was in any way weaker and, in fact,
he was confident in surpassing him, it was truly amazing that in such a short time Liang Peng
could lift and wield a hammer that clearly weighed over 200 kilograms as if it was nothing.

The pharmacy was a multi-story building. However, Bai Zemin had no intention of inspecting the
entire building.

The first thing he did was to fill his backpack with fever medicine, cold medicine, medicine to
relieve stomach pain, even medicine for muscle pain, and some vitamin pills. Ten minutes later,
his backpack was filled with boxes containing all kinds of basic but essential medicine for any
human being.

Next, he found several plastic bags and then began to inspect the shelves one by one.

As Bai Zemin searched for gauze, band aids, alcohol, and other types of first aid utilities, he
even kept a syringe and some doses of morphine that could be useful in emergencies. But,
suddenly, a wild idea that he had been ignoring until now flashed in his mind.

"Lilith... Don't tell me... Don't tell me that viruses also evolve with mana..."

If viruses also evolved, then not only was everything he was currently doing pointless, but
countless people would die from now on due to diseases. In fact, it was likely that more deaths
would be caused by diseases and not by other savage monsters.

Fortunately, Lilith's next words eased his worries.

"You need not worry. Single-celled organisms such as viruses cannot resist mana and their
evolutive process is extremely limited so the world's mana directly ignores them."

Bai Zemin unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. If the case was as he had assumed, then he
would have no choice but to find his family quickly and help them evolve so that their bodies
would become more resilient.

As for the rest of the people, Bai Zemin did not think about it. He did not even notice this fact
and acted as if his thoughts were normal.

Unknown to him, the effect of the skill he still considered useless was changing his perspective
of the world little by little.

After filling several bags with all sorts of items needed to provide first aid, Bai Zemin took out the
red orb to see what it contained.

[Piercing Glove (Normal Treasure): Attacks performed with this weapon allow the user to pierce
through the defense of almost any enemy below level 25. When equipped, Strength +5].
This gauntlet was odd in that a thirty centimeter spike protruded from the tip where the knuckles
should be by default. Although +5 Strength points was not as amazing as the increase of other
items he had acquired so far, it was free power increase so Bai Zemin equipped the glove with
pleasure.

Suddenly the ground began to shake slightly and Bai Zemin quickly realized that this was not
caused by the storm.

"What is that...?"

As he approached a window, the fog seemed to be disappearing in some parts. However, the
strangest thing of all was that instead of fog, a dense cloud of vapor was slowly ascending into
the sky. Also, as if a giant was slowly advancing, the ground was constantly vibrating and the
buildings were shaking lightly.

"Bai Zemin."

As he watched the environmental change outside the window and prepared to leave the building
for fear of its collapse, Lilith's serious voice sounded beside him.

When Bai Zemin turned around to look at her and, for the first time since he met her, he saw a
grave and even a little anxious expression on her face.

Lilith looked out the window and warned: "You'd better get ready because this could be your first
life and death battle... If you win, you will undoubtedly become stronger... If you lose, then your
path can only end here."

Chapter 18 - The Cruel Path Of Evolution

Since Bai Zemin met Lilith, only about a day had passed. Although it was not a long time, his
mind had already formed a small idea of the kind of person she was most of the time.

Playful, charming, even a little mischievous. As for kind, Bai Zemin restrained himself from
thinking about that possibility since he didn't believe Lilith was helping him out of pure kindness.

Still, it was undeniable that she had helped him on many occasions by providing him with
information that, while he might have discovered on his own after some research, it was also
true that time was precious in eras of chaos.

However, this was the first time Bai Zemin had seen such a serious expression on her face and,
although he was not so sure, there even seemed to be a touch of anxiety in her voice.

"I won't die... At least I have no intention of dying yet." Bai Zemin replied as he shook his head.

Lilith was a little surprised to realize how calm he sounded when he said those words. She
looked at him as he took off his backpack and left the plastic bags containing medicines hidden
in a corner and her eyes couldn't help but glint with a hint of praise and even a small glint of
unfamiliar satisfaction.
"You know, you really are a weirdo." Lilith pointed out as she walked beside him in the direction
of the exit.

"You think so? Well, I've been told that many times." Bai Zemin shrugged and held on tightly to
his sword as his eyes flashed with a hint of resolve.

"You really aren't afraid of dying? This time you really might die!" She raised an eyebrow and
reminded him.

"I am afraid to die. Of course I'm scared." Bai Zemin nodded impatiently and continued, "But
what I'm afraid of is not death itself, what I'm afraid of is not being able to see Meng Qi and my
parents again... What I'm scared of is not being able to help them when they need me... But I
am not afraid of death. For me, death is no different than eternal sleep and you know what? I
love to sleep!"

"You..." Hearing that he even dared to joke in such a situation, Lilith didn't know whether to
laugh or cry and a look of helplessness shone in her beautiful eyes.

"My God..."

As the heavy rain poured down on his body and lightning lit up the sky quite frequently, Bai
Zemin looked at the scene in front of him and his heart squeezed slightly.

The dense fog in the surroundings had disappeared and a ring of at least a hundred meters
around was now visible. However, what surprised Bai Zemin was that in the middle of the
building, there was a monster as big as an elephant.

This monster had various parts of its body surrounded with yellow flames that danced at high
temperatures, which erased the surrounding fog. Its body was about three and a half meters
long and was surrounded by a thick kind of armor that glowed as if it were metal. Its six legs
were as thick as a door and it had a powerful horn nearly two meters long protruding from its
mouth.

"Since when did elephant beetles get so big and have flames around them...?" Bai Zemin felt
his hair stand on end as he saw the giant insect slowly advancing towards him while looking at
him with its two eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Stop joking!" Lilith struck him gently and warned, "That's a monster that has already gone
through its first evolution, that is a First Order monster. Besides, as you also realized, that insect
already noticed you so it will chase you no matter how much you run away."

Bai Zemin nodded silently as he rushed towards another building nearby. With a heavy stomp,
the ground beneath his feet shuddered softly, and using his 70 Strength points he jumped over
three meters with relative ease. Such a feat would be impossible before the advent of the Soul
Record and without the aid of Soul Power, but with the power of evolution available to all, the
rules of the past were no longer written in stone.

Upon reaching the top, Bai Zemin observed the large insect covered in flames approaching in
his direction. The pressure he felt just from being watched by that pair of red eyes was so
immense that he had to resist the urge to turn around and leave.
Lilith tried to help him in every possible way so that he could survive and pass this test so she
quickly explained, "Upon reaching level 25, all living beings acquire the ability to choose a job or
class. As you advance in Order, the power of each living being becomes tremendously higher
and the difference is not as simple as adding 1+1... The difference between level 24 and level
25 is as big as the difference between level 1 and level 24, if not bigger!"

An even bigger difference? Bai Zemin could not help but gasp when he heard this. He was very
clear about how big the difference was between the current him and a level 1 person; it was like
comparing a small ant to a shark. There was no comparison to begin with.

"Then what about yesterday's mantis?" Bai Zemin quickly asked.

In his battle against the Great Fast Mantis, Bai Zemin had been in danger several times and a
single mistake would have cost him his life. However, he never at any time felt such immense
pressure as he was feeling right now as he came face to face against the giant elephant beetle.

According to what Lilith had just said, the level 25 Great Fast Mantis should already be a
creature of the First Order as well. But he wanted to know why the difference was so great.

"To obtain said class and then evolve to become a First Order existence, every living being
needs to overcome a test and fulfill a challenge. Until said challenge is not overcome, all Soul
Power received will be stored, and leveling up will not be possible. That mantis you killed
yesterday was still just an evolved creature but it had not yet taken the first true step on the path
of evolution." Lilith cleared his doubt quickly. "However, that giant beetle is definitely a First
Order creature. Those flames around it must be its special skill acquired after successfully
obtaining its job!"

Bai Zemin finally understood everything. He nodded and thanked her before half-closing his
eyes towards the incoming creature.

The giant elephant beetle was currently less than twenty meters away and strange roars came
out of its mouth as it stared at him intently. The murderous intent exuding from its body was so
great that even its own flames seemed to grow stronger.

Obviously, this creature could sense the Soul Power inside Bai Zemin's body and was eager to
devour him.

Although Bai Zemin was barely level 15, because he had been fighting and defeating enemies
of a higher level than him since the beginning, stealing some of their Soul Power in the process,
his own Soul Power was extremely rich at this moment.

If the giant elephant beetle could absorb it, it could definitely evolve even further.

However, the giant elephant beetle was not the only one who thought like this.

Bai Zemin licked his lips and a flash of wildness flashed in his eyes for a split second before
disappearing and hiding under that cold gaze.

From the first moment he defeated that Big Bee, Bai Zemin felt drunk at the pleasant sensation
of feeling his body and soul growing stronger.
The feeling of his muscles hardening, his ligaments strengthening, his flesh becoming tougher
and his brain capacity becoming higher... Bai Zemin could feel it all!

Humans were creatures that sought power by instinct. The history written in books was proof of
this.

Bai Zemin wanted power too... To survive, to live a better life, to protect his loved ones, to not
have to bow his head to anyone, and to take revenge on those who dared to hurt his loved
ones.

Lilith thought he was silent because he was nervous or thinking about his next action.
Therefore, she stood there, trying to give all her moral support at least.

"I wonder..."

Hearing his voice, she turned her face towards him and was so surprised that she, a higher
existence, couldn't help her eyes from widening slightly.

A big smile graced his face which, although for someone like Lilith was not particularly
attractive, at that moment was very striking.

"I wonder how much I'll grow after killing this beetle!"

He exclaimed.

The surrounding mana moved at his will and the magical power within his body burst forth
completely without holding back as he focused on his enemy only ten meters away.

Chapter 19 - A Hard-fought Battle

Bai Zemin's body currently had a mana reserve of 134 points and his magic points were equal.
Before the Soul Record showed up on planet Earth, activating the world's mana and displaying
each person's status window, it was precisely his Magic stat that caught the attention of the
beautiful and charming succubus Lilith.

Until now, Bai Zemin had never used all of his magical power to the fullest since he never found
himself in need of it. However, in the face of the approaching giant elephant beetle, he had no
choice but to give his all if he wanted to survive.

With a single thought, Bai Zemin spent his 134 Mana points immediately and pushed all that
mana with his 134 Magic points towards the giant beetle. When the mana under his control
flowed into the creature's body, Bai Zemin immediately activated his First Order Blood
Manipulation skill.

His face turned as pale as a sheet and his whole body felt weak after the abrupt loss of his
mana reserve. However, he endured and began to make the blood burn inside the monster
while using all his magical power.

The results were immediately evident.

Roar!!!

A sound similar to that of a wounded beast roaring came from the mouth of the ten-foot
elephant beetle. When it was only five meters away from being able to attack with its giant horn,
its movements stopped and it raised its head to the sky while writhing uncomfortably as if it was
suffering the most terrifying pain of all torments.

Bai Zemin's Blood Manipulation skill was indeed powerful, just as Lilith had mentioned earlier. It
was just that until now, Bai Zemin had only faced mainly dead creatures that did not feel pain
nor did they know the meaning of the word scared.

By controlling his mana to get inside the enemy's body, Bai Zemin could make use of all his
magic to activate his Blood Manipulation. The problem with this was that the cost was too
heavy, much heavier than Bai Zemin thought.

The elephant beetle writhed in pain and its giant body struck a nearby building. The seemingly
sturdy and robust building's foundation couldn't even stand for five seconds before collapsing
with a loud explosion and raising a cloud of dust.

Before the apocalypse, humans had no mana inside their bodies. However, with the intervention
of the Soul Record, Bai Zemin's Mana points were especially high. Now that he had used all his
mana to execute a powerful attack, he felt as if he had lost all the sugar in his blood and his
body felt extremely weak.

However, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and hold on.

His pale face without a trace of blood looked at his enemy and a bitter smile appeared at the
corner of his mouth when he saw the three-meter elephant beetle stand up again.

Roar!!!

The monster glared at him with murderous intent and its two eyes seemed to spit flames of rage
as it headed towards him with somewhat unsteady steps. Its body was stained with blood and
its armor-like shell had small cracks through which boiling blood seeped.

When the blood came in contact with the yellow flames on its body, the liquid began to
evaporate at astonishing speeds rising in a gaseous cloud into the sky.

Seeing this, Bai Zemin inwardly felt happy not to use external blood attacks or else he would
only be wasting mana. After all, flames could be considered the perfect counter to his Blood
Manipulation skill.

The wounded elephant beetle reached the building Bai Zemin was standing on and slammed its
horn forward with all its might.

Bai Zemin's face changed when he saw the creature's intentions and he hurriedly jumped off the
building to the ground and rolled to the side.

Boom!
As if a demolition machine had hit it mercilessly, the three-meter-high building collapsed
immediately and soon joined with the building previously demolished by the elephant beetle.

Stones of all sizes flew everywhere and, although Bai Zemin had rolled to the side at the first
possible moment, he was still hit by a considerably large block of stone.

"Ugh..."

His body was sent flying two or three meters as he grimaced in pain and a small trail slid silently
from the corner of his mouth. If it wasn't for the fact that his muscles were much stronger than in
the past, that cement block would have left him half dead if not severely injured.

Without giving him time to rest, the elephant beetle turned and rushed in his direction while the
fury in its gaze seemed to want to consume him alive. Although its defenses and attack power
were quite high, its internal body was weak like that of any other living being; Bai Zemin's
previous attack had damaged its organs, its flesh, and much of its blood disappeared due to the
high temperatures of its flames.

As a monster that had already passed its first evolution, successfully becoming a First Order
monster, the elephant beetle could be considered a small overlord in this area. Now that a
weaker creature had injured it to such an extent, it was naturally furious.

After seeing what the elephant beetle did to the building with its horn, Bai Zemin did not dare to
fight it head-on. Taking advantage of the fact that his speed was superior to that of the wounded
creature, Bai Zemin endured the feeling of weakness he felt after the abrupt loss of mana and
gritted his teeth fighting against the pain as he ran in search of another building he could quickly
climb.

One running and turning into different streets while the other relentlessly pursued and crushed
everything in its path, Bai Zemin and the elephant beetle sought to end each other's lives in
different ways.

It was clear to Bai Zemin that he simply could not win in a face-to-face battle against the
elephant beetle. All of his body stats were below the creature except for his Agility. Therefore, to
survive and win, he had to make use of his intelligence.

After running mercilessly after its hated enemy for almost ten minutes, the elephant beetle had
demolished more than seven buildings of different sizes. However, as a consequence, a look of
exhaustion flashed in its eyes.

The constant loss of blood was something the creature could not bear and, although its flames
were a powerful defensive skill, the elephant beetle could not use it to attack and therefore only
served to keep its enemies away from its body. However, to keep its skill active at all times, the
elephant beetle had to expend too much Mana and after so many powerful attacks, its Stamina
was also quickly running out.

Bai Zemin also noticed the change of pace in the creature's steps and hurriedly jumped towards
a nearby building hoping to end this battle as quickly as possible. His own Stamina had dropped
by more than half and he had only recovered a bit more than 20 Mana points.
After reaching the top of the building, Bai Zemin looked up to see the elephant beetle prepare to
strike with its powerful horn once again. However, instead of jumping to the side, Bai Zemin
jumped with all his might towards the giant beetle.

Boom!

Another building fell. However, its previous attack had created a big opening in its defenses and
the elephant beetle could not prevent its hated enemy from landing on top of its shell.

Bai Zemin had just landed on the mutated insect's upper body when a wave of fire assaulted his
lower body at once.

"It hurts! It fu*king hurts!" he couldn't help but scream in pain as his face constricted horribly at
the sensation of being burned alive. He felt as if his lower body was suddenly submerged in a
pool of burning lava and such a feeling of pain was driving him crazy.

Although his defensive cloak protected his body, from the knees down he had nothing capable
of fighting off the elephant beetle's fire. Bai Zemin could feel his legs starting to burn little by
little and the only reason why they had not yet completely caught fire was thanks to the
Treasure Normal Velocity Boots he was equipped with; however, he could clearly feel the boots
melting rapidly without being able to withstand the heat.

Gritting his teeth and fighting the urge for his tears to fall involuntarily from the overwhelming
pain, Bai Zemin ran at full speed until he reached the creature's neck.

The giant elephant beetle's entire body was covered by an extremely hard shell. If Bai Zemin
wanted to break through its defenses he would need a lot of time and that was what he lacked
at the moment, not what he had to spare.

However, the junction between the head and the rest of the body, the creature's neck, was not
surrounded by that shell. After all, this would limit its natural movements.

Bai Zemin raised his sword and slashed fiercely downward, tearing off a large chunk of flesh in
the process. Blood splattered everywhere and fiery steam caused by the struggle between the
liquid and the flames surrounded him.

The elephant beetle sensed danger of death and its body began to shake violently as roars of
pain escaped from its mouth.

Chapter 20 - First Order Blazing Beetle

For safety reasons, Bai Zemin immediately held his breath as the blood evaporated after
coming into contact with the heat of the flames. He had no way of knowing if this monster's
blood had obtained poisonous attributes of some kind after eating different organisms to evolve
to where it was currently.

In any case, with his current Stamina he could endure several minutes without breathing for
several minutes without experiencing any kind of problem.
Enduring the overwhelming pain that enveloped the lower part of his body and slowly began to
affect the other parts, Bai Zemin raised his sword and fiercely slashed the neck of the huge
creature again!

Another large chunk of flesh was cut in half and an even larger wave of blood than the previous
one came out of the monster's body. The pain was so great that the giant elephant beetle began
to run while roaring in pain.

Boom!

The huge sturdy body of the elephant beetle hit a building, knocking it down in the process.

Several stones of all sizes flew everywhere and Bai Zemin was hit by several of them. His face
constricted even more in pain and a big stone struck his head making him feel dizzy.

He felt his whole world spinning and had to bite his lips with all his strength to the point of
breaking them to fight the drowsiness that had suddenly overwhelmed him. A thick line of blood
slid silently from his forehead to his left eye, partially covering his vision. Because the rainwater
could not overcome the flames of the elephant beetle, the blood over his left eye accumulated
until everything within his left vision range turned crimson red.

Using the pain and hatred he felt after being injured to such an extent, Bai Zemin not only did
not stop his attacks; on the contrary, he began to slash more and more ferociously! The
Xuanyuan Sword in his hands had become a whirlwind of blades that cut large chunks of flesh
per second!

The giant elephant beetle was very strong. Its defense was powerful and its horn was strong
enough to knock down minor buildings. However, its mobility was its greatest weakness. With
Bai Zemin on its upper body, the giant elephant beetle had no way to reach that area so it could
only do its best to force him down from it.

Roar!!!

Like a beast that had gone completely berserk, the mutated beetle began to writhe ferociously
as it slammed against every nearby building in sight. Some of these buildings collapsed
immediately while others held firm even after being hit several times.

Bai Zemin felt his head spinning and the weakness his body and mind felt was slowly
overwhelming him to the point where even his right eye began to see his surroundings blurred.
With his left eyesight practically blocked by the blood dripping from his head and his right
eyesight failing due to exhaustion, Bai Zemin had turned into something similar to a machine;
with the glove's protruding thorn firmly stuck into the monster's flesh to prevent himself from
falling, he slashed with his sword relentlessly knowing that stopping meant the end of his path.

The thought of not falling to his death was the only thing that kept him steady!

Both living beings fought for several minutes for their own survival, trying to defeat the other for
a higher evolution.
The sound of constant explosions caused by more than twenty buildings collapsing from the
giant elephant beetle's mad charge had defeated the sound of rumbling thunder. The area
surrounding the pharmacy had become a dead zone.

Crushed zombies with their deformed bodies and countless cement blocks were scattered
everywhere. Some of them with their brains intact struggled with all their strength, tearing their
legs away from the rest of their bodies as they crawled towards the source of the sound.

The blood of over two hundred zombies in conjunction with the huge amount of blood lost by the
giant monster had accumulated to the point where even the fierce storm had no way of washing
it away as easily as before.

After what seemed like an eternity, the wild movements of the elephant beetle stopped and its
charge stalled. After the constant loss of blood, after being attacked again and again in such a
delicate and deadly area by Bai Zemin, the beast finally lost all its energy and collapsed to the
ground.

Boom!

An explosion similar to that of a collapsing building shook the surrounding ground and Bai
Zemin's body was almost sent flying. However, although he was not sent flying, the price he had
to pay was high.

A heartbreaking cry of pain slipped out of his mouth as he felt the bones of his left hand
cracking.

To hold himself steady, Bai Zemin had no choice but to rely on his left hand as well as his
Piercing Glove. However, suffering from such a sudden and abrupt impulse, his wrist that was
not so flexible had bent backward.

The flames on the giant elephant beetle's body had stopped as the beast could not withstand
the energy consumption and the new pain made Bai Zemin's mind clear for a moment.

Making use of the sudden surge of clarity, Bai Zemin wielded his sword and slashed at an even
faster speed than before. After cutting more than fifty times, several green letters flashed in his
retina.

Since the birth of all the chaos after the arrival of the Soul Record, Bai Zemin had never felt so
happy to see those strange messages. His mouth opened and closed several times as if he
wanted to say something, but in the end, he was so exhausted that he did not manage to utter
any words.

Before the whole world went out of control, Bai Zemin was just a normal student who lived his
daily life striving for a better future. Although he was still striving to secure a better future,
everything had changed.

The bones of his left hand had broken, his left eye had closed due to all the accumulated blood
running from his forehead, some of his dark hair had turned crimson red, his feet hurt and
burned horribly, and his single open eye could hardly take in any information from the outside
world.
When had he ever suffered so much?

Bai Zemin had once heard in the past that when the pain reached a certain point the brain
turned off those receptors as an automatic defense mechanism so that it was no longer possible
to feel pain. Before he was not so sure about this, but now he had confirmed it.

Although he was in terrible condition, his mind was so exhausted that he no longer felt any pain.

The flames surrounding the elephant beetle's shell were extinguished after its death and the
rain began to fall on the area once again after losing the burning heat that suppressed it.

Standing over the three-plus meter creature, Bai Zemin could not help but lifted his face to the
sky as he felt the raindrops falling on him. Although the battle was already over, his grip on the
Xuanyuan Sword had not loosened as this sword was the only way he had to feel safe at the
moment.

Tired, his feet wobbled and he could not help but fall downward. In fact, he was so exhausted
that he didn't even notice he was falling to the ground. All he felt was the wind in his
surroundings and that was it.

However, fortunately for him, someone caught him just as he was about to hit the ground and
make his already horrible condition even worse, an extremely soft body held him gently.

The sweet scent of roses so familiar but at the same time so unfamiliar to him enveloped his
exhausted body and as if it was the best medicine to relieve his situation he couldn't help but
breathe a bit more as if he was intoxicated.

"Good job, Bai Zemin."

A soft and innocent voice like that of a baby without impurities reached his ears. However, he
could no longer distinguish what was what.

" That was a wonderful victory... You can rest now..."

As if they were the words of his mother and most beloved being, Bai Zemin obediently closed
his eyes as exhaustion finally defeated him and a smile rose unconsciously on his face.

[You have acquired the Soul Power of First Order Blazing Beetle level 30. Magic +50, Mana
+70, Health +40, Stamina +28, Strength +15].

[You have leveled up and reached level 16. You get +2 status points to distribute freely].

[You have leveled up and reached level 17...]

[You have leveled up and reached level 18...]

[You have leveled up and reached level 19. You get...]

[You have leveled up and reached level 20. You get +2 status points to distribute freely].
Chapter 21 - Serious Injuries And New
Enemy
Lilith looked at the not so handsome face resting shamelessly on her bosom and a strange
smile appeared on her lips as she recalled the entire process of the previous battle.

Just one strike from the First Order Blazing Beetle was enough to kill Bai Zemin or, at the very
least, knock him out and render him helpless like a fish out of the ocean. However, Bai Zemin
managed to evade the most dangerous attacks and was only hit by the aftermath of those
attacks.

Whenever his life was in danger, Lilith could only clench her fists and look on helplessly, wishing
that his path would not end here. But, Lilith knew very well that Bai Zemin's enemy this time was
too strong; even if his stats were overwhelmingly higher than a normal level 15 evolved due to
his constant absorption of Soul Power from stronger enemies, the difference between a normal
evolved and a First Order monster was simply too difficult to overcome.

Unlike humans who acquire stat points to distribute after each level, monsters don't get any of
that. However, in return, they get a powerful boost in their overall stats after successful class
advancement.

She led him towards the pharmacy building which, coincidentally, was just a few meters away.
The corpse of the First Order Blazing Beetle lay dead surrounded by all sorts of debris with
almost the entirety of its huge head separated from the rest of its body.

Lilith pointed towards the monster's body and some things floated towards her. After a glance,
she simply put them away.

"At least I can do so much."

***

Bai Zemin couldn't rest for long.

Although his mental fatigue was very great, he was feeling tearing pain and itching similar to
that of thousands of red ants crawling all over his body.

When he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but grimace at how horrible his current condition
was.

Thanks to the fact that the rainwater had washed away the blood on his face, he could now see
out of his left eye. However, due to mental fatigue, his eyesight was not as focused as it used to
be. The blood that was dripping from his wound after being hit by a large cement block on his
head had also stopped completely and he could feel that part of his head stinging horribly.

He felt his heart bleed when he saw that the Velocity Boots had already melted to the point of
no return. Even if it was just a Normal Treasure, +10 Agility points was an improvement too
great that he had suddenly lost.
Moreover, looking at his practically destroyed wrist, Bai Zemin didn't know whether to feel happy
or sad.

Happy because he "fortunately" fractured a hand and not a leg, which would practically render
him an invalid in this world, Being an invalid in a world where dangers lurked around every
corner was no different from being dead.

"You finally woke up, sleepyhead."

A soft, honey-sweet voice brought him out of his thoughts. Looking ahead, he saw the beautiful
Lilith looking down at him with a smile that, for the first time to him, looked real and not faked.

"Good morning... No no no no! How long did I sleep?" Bai Zemin suddenly became anxious
about something and quickly asked as he tried to stand up. Unfortunately, he failed miserably as
he felt burning pain from his feet.

Only now did he realize that he had suffered burns of varying degrees. Moreover, the stinging
he felt in that area was especially annoying!

"It's only been about thirty minutes, don't worry." Lilith's words calmed him once again.

Gritting his teeth and with his forehead now beaded with sweat, Bai Zemin growled, "What's
wrong... What's wrong with all this itching I feel?"

"You suffered different kinds of injuries during your battle against that First Order monster." Lilith
slowly explained, "If you were the previous you could have died. However, after absorbing an
amount of Soul Power purer than yours, all of your stats underwent a drastic change. Your
Health stat also affects the speed at which your body recovers from different injuries... The
reason for the itching you are feeling right now is because your high Health is healing your
body's wounds at higher rates than you are used to experiencing."

Bai Zemin, curious, couldn't help but call up his status window to see how high his stats were
now so he could draw his own conclusions.

[Bai Zemin -

Status Points: 22

Level: 20

Race: Human

Job: None

Title: None

Strength: 55 (+30) / Agility: 71 (+5) / Health: 85 (+5) / Stamina: 75 (+5) / Mana: 199 (+5) / Magic:
179 (+5) ]

"These stats are mine? Level 20?!" He couldn't help but be surprised to the point of asking a
meaningless question.
Previously, because he had become unconscious, Bai Zemin did not know how many stats he
had gained after killing and absorbing part of the First Order Blazing Beetle's Soul Power.. His
current stats were a completely different world from his stats before he ended the First Order
monster's life. Even his level had increased by so much!

"Hehe... Your stats right now are really scary for someone of your level" Lilith giggled softly and
looked at him with glittering eyes: "I have high expectations and a lot of hope in you, I hope I
wasn't wrong."

Bai Zemin looked at her deeply before closing his eyes and saying casually, "You don't need to
worry. I will do my best to repay you for the help you have given me so far."

He already knew from before that there was no way an existence like Lilith was helping him out
of the goodness of her heart alone. All intelligent beings generally acted with a goal in mind and
she had lived for who knows how many years so far, so it was natural not to act casually and
waste her time pointlessly.

However, it was better for him as well. That way, Bai Zemin didn't need to feel indebted to her
either.

"You know, men who are too smart are not very well liked!" Lilith pouted charmingly, acting like
a little girl. Soon, however, she smiled softly and assured him, "You don't need to worry, though.
After all, my goals and your ultimate goal will align perfectly, you'll see~."

"If you say so." He replied rolling his eyes. His only two current goals were to survive and find
his family, as for the rest of the goals, they were only secondary goals.

Suddenly, several zombies appeared at the entrance of the building, staggering around with
their white eyes showing no sign of life. Thanks to the heavy storm, the blood on their bodies
had mostly been washed away and they currently did not look as terrifying compared to before.

Bai Zemin tried to stand up but the pain he felt in his feet had reached the point where he could
not move. With no other choice, he expended some of his mana and activated his First Order
Blood Manipulation skill.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The eyeballs of more than ten zombies exploded and blood began to flow uncontrollably from
the sockets. However, that blood turned into twenty centimeter long thorns and fiercely stabbed
the brains of the ten zombies.

Before Bai Zemin could let out a sigh of relief, another five zombies appeared at the entrance
and began to slowly slide towards him.

Just like before, he had no choice but to spend some of his mana to end the lives of the
incoming zombies. Although the drain was fewer thanks to the blood of the zombies he had
killed earlier, at this rate all of his mana would be depleted and, with his current condition, he
would end up dying miserably.

Under normal conditions, even a group of two hundred zombies was nothing in his eyes.
However, he was currently unable to move and if those weak level 3-4 zombies scratched him
or bit his skin, no matter how high his level and stats were, he would definitely not be able to
survive another day.

Lilith also noticed the current problem and frowned. Previously, the reason why she was able to
help Bai Zemin just as he was about to hit the ground was because the battle had already
ended and did not count as her interfering. However, the current situation was completely
different and she could not interfere in any way or she would be punished.

But there was something that was disturbing Lilith. She was sure there was no way these
zombies could get here so fast. After all, most of them had lost their legs or had been
incapacitated after being crushed by the debris of the collapsed buildings during the battle
between Bai Zemin and the First Order insect.

Suddenly she looked at a particular place and saw a person running under the storm in the
opposite direction of the gymnasium.

This person was clearly not part of the group of survivors of Bai Zemin and the rest or else Lilith
would remember it. However, she understood that this person was an enemy.

Chapter 22 - Shangguan Bing Xue

Soon, Bai Zemin had taken the lives of the second group of walking corpses almost
effortlessly. The only problem was the consumption of Mana. Currently, Bai Zemin faced
the difficult problem that he did not have good control over his own Mana; after all, he
had never used or had control over such power.

If he wanted to use his Mana to perform an all-out attack without caring about the
consequences, then there was no problem since he did not need to worry about Mana
consumption just as he had done against the First Order Blazing Beetle. However, if his
goal was to make many weak attacks and with less consumption, then the problem
appeared.

To end the lives of those fifteen weak zombies, Bai Zemin had spent approximately 40
Mana points, which was quite considerable since currently his total Mana was 204
points.

Unfortunately, Bai Zemin did not seem to be in luck today as after finishing off that
group of five zombies, another group of ten appeared at the entrance and started
walking towards him. Some zombies stumbled over the corpses of their own kind and
struggled to get back on their feet, while others got stuck in the doorway from trying to
enter in a group, blocking the path of entry for those behind them.

Bai Zemin spent a total of 15 Mana points to end the lives of those who had successfully
entered and left alive those who got stuck at the entrance blocking the way.

"Although I can temporarily make use of those zombies, if a mutated beast or an

evolved zombie appears and lets this group of endless zombies start charging towards
here, my little life might be in trouble." Bai Zemin frowned and felt incredibly frustrated.

Lilith, who could only look on without being able to act, was about to give Bai Zemin
something when a playful smile rose on her lips and she slowly said, "Apparently you're
more appreciated than you thought."

He looked at her confused and with questioning eyes. However, the answer he was
looking for came not from Lilith, but from the outside.

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees suddenly and the already cold
atmosphere due to the raging storm became even colder. The sound of zombies
growling and bodies falling to the ground one after another could reach Bai Zemin's
ears even with the ongoing storm.

After about five minutes, the zombies that were stuck were hit by something and their
bodies fell limp on the ground to never get up again. On the back of their heads was a
small wound the size of a baby's fist completely frozen by a thin layer of ice.

Seeing Shangguan Bing Xue dressed in white slowly walk into the building like an ice
goddess, Bai Zemin's expression became a bit complicated.

She looked at him silently for several seconds and observed his condition carefully.

After almost a minute where the two observed each other with different thoughts,
Shangguan Bing Xue lightly clenched her pearl-white teeth and took a step forward as
if she was fighting against something.

Bai Zemin observed all this in silence. The reason he wasn't afraid that she would want
to do something to him was because at the first strange move he could end her life by
destroying her from the inside out with his First Order Blood Manipulation; even if she was
powerful, she definitely couldn't have higher stats than him.

However, the facts proved that his precaution was not necessary. She crouched down
beside him and without a word supported him to stand up.
Bai Zemin quickly picked up the backpack and the few plastic bags with his healthy
hand; he put the backpack on his right shoulder and held the bags with his right hand.
With Shangguan Bing Xue's help, he slowly stood up. However, he had to grit his teeth
to the point where his mouth began to bleed from the embracing pain and the
uncomfortable itching under his feet.

When Shangguan Bing Xue moved his left arm around her slender gooseneck to
support him, her rain-soaked body shivered slightly and her eyes trembled softly.
However, she did not say a word and slowly led him towards the exit.

After reaching the outside again, Bai Zemin was shocked to see over a hundred
corpses scattered everywhere. All of these zombies had been killed with a clean shot
and their heads only had a small wound that had been frozen with a small layer of ice
preventing the blood from escaping from inside.

Obviously to save him Shangguan Bing Xue had no choice but to end the lives of this
huge group of zombies by herself. However, one thing Bai Zemin could not understand
was why she was alone here and the other two were not? After all, Bai Zemin knew that
she didn't like him.

Another thing that was bothering him a bit was why she was here to begin with. After
all, the agreement was that he would look for the medicines alone and not join her,
Chen He, and Liang Peng's group. So, it didn't make much sense for her to show up at
this place when she should be waiting in a relatively safe place where the freezing
water wouldn't be able to reach her.

However, the truth was that Shangguan Bing Xue's appearance had gotten Bai Zemin
out of a big trouble that in the long run could have cost him his life.

However, seeing that she had no intention of speaking, he also said nothing and
focused on supporting the pain he felt with every step he took.

When they passed by the corpse of the giant First Order Blazing Beetle, Shangguan Bing
Xue hesitated as if she wanted to ask something but in the end she seemed to be too
focused on something else as her teeth were still clenched tightly. Without saying a
word, she continued to move forward.

The two walked and the raging storm attacked them mercilessly. Neither of them said
anything as they both seemed to be fighting for different reasons and all the willpower
they had seemed to be focused on the single goal of moving forward.
The only good thing about all this was that fortunately, the fog had receded quite a bit
thanks to the wild charge of the First Order Blazing Beetle and its flames so they could
see much better than in the past.

Suddenly a group of fifteen zombies rounded a corner and appeared before the group
blocking the way. However, Shangguan Bing Xue casually waved her free hand and
fifteen ice pikes appeared.

As if they had a mind of their own, the fifteen ice pikes flew swiftly and the next second
they had appeared before the fifteen zombies. The mindless creatures were struck in
the head with precision and collapsed lifelessly a moment later.

The group of two had not even taken twenty steps when a mutated dog with brown fur
appeared out of nowhere and charged towards them furiously.

The mutated dog's speed was very high, at least 30 or 40 points. A normal person would
not even have time to cry out before their throat was ripped to shreds.

However, Shangguan Bing Xue said only one word to end its charge.

"Freeze."

Following the fall of her cold voice, the mutated dog's body stopped dead in its tracks.
Using the water under its feet, the beast's body began to gradually freeze until it
became a lifeless ice statue.

Seeing this Bai Zemin could not help but feel a tinge of jealousy. If he had the high
Mana control that she had his life would be much simpler and he wouldn't have to fear
losing all his Mana after several attacks.

However, he was so focused on how powerful and precise her attacks were that he
didn't notice how her voice, for the first time since he met her, quivered slightly. She
immediately gritted her teeth again as if that simple word had cost her all her energy
and continued to support him slowly.

***

No matter whether it was Bai Zemin or Shangguan Bing Xue, both of them were soaked
from the tips of their hair to the tips of their toes, and if it wasn't because they were both
evolved humans with much higher stats than their respective levels they would have
definitely gotten sick as a result.
Due to Bai Zemin's injuries, Shangguan Bing Xue had no choice but to move forward at
a snail's pace, and by the time the two returned to the gymnasium it had been a little
over an hour since they had left the pharmacy.

Chapter 23 - Different Gazes, Different

Attitudes
The atmosphere inside the building was extremely gloomy.

The sound of stifled sobs along with whispers containing words of fear and worry could
be heard almost everywhere.

Some men were comforting beautiful women and vowing to protect them with their
lives, thus gaining the favor of those helpless women who had no one else to trust.
However, how could those men who did not have the courage to pick up a weapon to
fight defend them? But, with the condition the world was in, sometimes even false hope
was welcomed with open arms.

Among these men was Liang Peng.

As one of the few men within this group who not only had the courage to fight, but also
possessed the ability to protect others, Liang Peng, who was lustful by nature, was
surrounded by a group of five female university students.

Liang Peng's appearance was not brilliant and, in fact, he was slightly ugly rather than
handsome. However, what the naturally weaker women needed was to survive in this
new world; this was something they had realized after a day of witnessing their friends
dying before their eyes like flies.

Chen He could also be surrounded by beauties if he wanted to; even more than Liang
Peng. However, he simply stood in a corner as he looked at Liang Peng with a casual
glance.

Bang!

Suddenly the door opened with a loud bang, drawing everyone's gaze. Each of them
praying to God or any saint that no more enemies had appeared.

At first, when they saw Shangguan Bing Xue and Bai Zemin, they unconsciously let out a
sigh of relief. However, after seeing her supporting him and seeing his staggering
footsteps, their expressions were filled with disbelief; especially those people who had
been saved by him.

"He... He was injured?"

"What creature could have been able to injure him to the point of taking away his
capacity to move on his own?"

"How could this be possible..."

The group of surviving students and teachers began to murmur and their gazes were
filled with terror and apprehension.

If there was an existence out there capable of causing Bai Zemin, one of the strongest
people in this group and one of the few who actually had the courage and ability to
fight, to be left in such a miserable condition where he couldn't even move on his own,
then how were they going to survive? Dread and worries about the future
overwhelmed their weak minds once again.

Liang Peng also had a slight change in his previously smiling expression and for a
moment forgot that he was apparently living the best moment of his life.

As for Chen He, he was stunned for different reasons. Seeing Shangguan Bing Xue
supporting Bai Zemin, Chen He could not believe what he was seeing and for a
moment even doubted whether his eyes were working properly.

"Bing Xue you... Are you okay?" with eyes wide open and full of disbelief he asked.

"I'm fine." Shangguan Bing Xue's reply was short and cold as usual.

As for Bai Zemin, he couldn't help but look at Chen He as if he was an idiot. The injured
person here who couldn't even move properly was him, not her. Who was he asking
then? However, he didn't care too much and the next second he forgot about it.

"I won't say thank you since currently that word is even less valuable than it was in the
past." Bai Zemin looked at the beautiful woman beside him, who was once again
completely soaked because of him, and said in a deep voice, "Today, it could be said
that you got me out of a trouble that could have cost me my life. In the future, I will
definitely return the favor to you until I'm even."

Without waiting for a response, he gritted his teeth and removed the arm he was using
as support on her. Feeling embracing pain under his feet, pain that even freezing water
could not alleviate, he began to walk to his place away from everyone.
Every step he took was heavy and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead even
though his body was cold.

Seeing this, it didn't matter if it was Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, Liang Peng, or the
rest of the survivors; they all realized the pain he was feeling at that moment was too
great for words to describe.

"He..." Chen He seemed to want to say something but as he looked at Shangguan Bing
Xue he preferred to remain silent.

As for Shangguan Bing Xue, she watched his back slowly disappearing at the end of
the corridor and although she really didn't like Bai Zemin, she accepted that at least, he
was a man with courage and bravery; unlike others.

She looked at Liang Peng and her eyes flashed with disgust, hatred, and disdain as she
coldly whispered, "You piece of scum."

In fact, the reason why Shangguan Bing Xue was alone when she went to find Bai
Zemin was because Chen He had to stay behind to see to it that Liang Peng didn't do
something stupid since when she invited the two of them to go find him, Liang Peng
was the first to immediately refuse saying that Bai Zemin had wanted to go out alone on
his own.

While Liang Peng's words were true, Shangguan Bing Xue had received the highest
education in society. Apart from personal talent, she had worked very hard to become
what she was today. She, intelligent, could see the bigger picture and knew that Bai
Zemin's help would be needed in the long run because regardless of his negative points
he was a good fighter.

Therefore, when Liang Peng refused and upon discovering the almost naked lust in his
eyes, Shangguan Bing Xue had no choice but to leave Chen He here to take care of
him and prevent him from doing anything stupid. As for why she didn't stay and let
Chen He go find Bai Zemin, it was because even with her self-control she had no
confidence in putting up with the strongman's stupidities and might end up turning him
into an ice statue.

"Bing Xue, are you really okay?" now that they were finally a little further away from the
rest of the people, Chen He looked at her worriedly and asked.

"..."
Shangguan Bing Xue did not answer and, as if tired, closed her eyes as she sat down in
a corner. Her white dress was completely wet, hugging and outlining the curves of her
body making her even more charming than she naturally already was.

Even the gentlemanly and kind Chen He couldn't help but let his eyes run wild and
secretly stole a glance or two before closing his eyes to avoid looking anymore.

Countless gazes fell on her and seemed to want to eat her with their eyes. But she had
no intention or energy to pay attention to them... She had gotten used to this a long
time ago anyway, to the looks of desire, lust...

***

"F*ck its mother!" Bai Zemin couldn't help but curse as he gritted his teeth and dropped
to the ground like a broken rag without caring about anything but relieving the pressure
on his feet.

A person could never imagine how horrible the pain of feeling their own skin peeling off
and their flesh tearing after being burned by the fire was. Bai Zemin had never in his life
experienced such dreadful pain like this and he never wished to experience it again if
possible.

"Hehe... That's what you get for acting all proud!" Lilith teased him mercilessly. Still, she
reached over and helped him lean back more comfortably against the wall with
careful movements.

"Leave me alone." Bai Zemin rolled his eyes and grunted. His chest rose and fell as he
took deep breaths, fighting the pain he felt. "I already owe that woman and I am truly
grateful for her help. Whatever her reasons, the fact is that she helped me in my
weakest moment... But I do not wish to owe her anything more."

"You and that woman have known each other before?" Lilith asked as she sat down
beside him.

"No. Before the world became this hell, she and I had never interacted and probably
never in our lives would have." Bai Zemin closed his eyes and replied quietly, feeling
exhausted.

"Then why do you seem to be so wary of her?" Lilith had noticed that while Bai Zemin
kept his distance from everyone, he seemed especially guarded against Shangguan
Bing Xue.
While all the men were enchanted with her in some way or another, Bai Zemin was
doing his best to stay away; the more the better. This was something that had confused
her until now so she decided to ask around to get to know him better since there
seemed to be a backstory. That was the reason why Lilith had thought that they had
known each other before.

Bai Zemin, exhausted, unconsciously replied, "All of you... Women... Are not a good
bird."

"Eh?" Lilith was surprised by his words. She wanted to ask him what he meant, but when
she looked at him she realized that he had already fallen asleep.

The pain was so great that Bai Zemin had immediately fallen asleep as soon as he was
in a relatively safe place. After all, he was not only in physical pain; his mind was
exhausted beyond words as he had not yet had a proper rest after fighting a battle in
which his life was about to end on several occasions.

In fact, he was so tired that he didn't even notice what he had said at the end before
he fell unconscious.

Chapter 24 - Magic Grade Treasure

Although it had only been five or six hours since he had awakened, the battle to the
death against the First Order Blazing Beetle, his first enemy who had actually taken a
step on the true path of evolution, Bai Zemin felt as tired as a person who had not slept
for two days in a row. Therefore, after his exhausted mind and aching body forced him
to sleep after reaching a relatively safe place, he was not allowed to wake up until the
next day.

The world had changed drastically. To say that the previous society had completely
collapsed was not an exaggeration in the least, and what all the survivors inside the
sports center were hoping for was to get out of this place and get back under the
protection of the government and the military; only then could they feel a little more at
ease.

None of them knew the situation in which the army equipped with modern weapons
was in... The reality was that none of them knew the situation of the outside world.
However, for the sake of their own mental health, none of them dared to speak words
of despair and even tried not to think of the worst possible situation.
When Bai Zemin opened his eyes again, the second day since the beginning of the
change had ended and the third day had officially begun.

"The rain stopped,,," He muttered with still slightly sleepy eyes as he concentrated on the
noise outside.

The sound of thunder, the illumination of lightning flashing between the small cracks in
the window that the timbers could not cover, as well as the fierce sound of water
lashing the world as if it were a punishment from the heavens; it had all stopped.

"A few hours ago the storm stopped. The reason behind the strange weather in this
world was because the sleeping mana could sense the approach of the Soul Record...
Now that the Soul Record has finally reached this world, things will slowly return to
normal."

A soft, charming, playful, but also kind voice sounded a few meters away from him.

Looking to his left, Bai Zemin saw an extremely beautiful woman sitting elegantly on a
table next to the window that was now no longer being covered by a block of wood.
The few rays of sunlight that slipped through the clouds surrounded her creating a great
contrast with her black hair and her dark-as-night dress... Without a doubt, this was one
of the most beautiful scenes he had ever seen in his entire life.

"Angel?" Still half asleep, Bai Zemin couldn't help but mutter.

"I'm not an angel. I'm a demon~" Lilith gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever
seen in all his life. "Good morning."

Although her smile was beautiful, to Bai Zemin it was extremely dangerous. As if he had
received an electric shock, he flinched and looked away as he responded, "Good
morning to you too..."

Lilith's eyes had a strange hint flashing within them. She blinked for a few seconds
before shaking her head as if dismissing an idea.

"How about your body?" She asked as she approached him with soft steps like a spring
breeze.

"Now that you mention it..." Bai Zemin ignored her as she sat down next to him. He
inspected his condition and was pleasantly surprised to find that the wrenching pain he
felt yesterday was at least half gone. Although still painful, it was no longer unbearable
for him.
But what was most surprising was that, after the flesh burned by the beetle's flames fell
off, new flesh had begun to grow and skin was slowly forming on the less affected parts.

"This... What is this all about?" Bai Zemin was dumbfounded.

"Didn't I tell you already?" Lilith didn't know whether to laugh or cry seeing his expression.
"Your health is currently several times higher than that of a normal person. If it used to
take a person three or four months to recover from such injuries, you can do it ten times
faster!"

In fact, with the 90 Health points he currently had, his recovery speed was
approximately nine times faster than that of a normal person with no evolution,,, Cell
reproduction, repair of damaged cells, and regeneration of new tissue; everything was
much faster.

"At this speed, I only need a couple more days to fully recover." Bai Zemin felt excited
and let out a complicated sigh.

He felt happy since by recovering quickly he would finally not have to fear. After all, if
another monster similar to the First Order Blazing Beetle appeared, with his current
physical condition only death would await him. However, in the midst of that happiness,
there was a complex emotion as he had finally realized that nothing would be like
before.

Bai Zemin shook his head softly and looked at Lilith as he stretched out his arms.

She raised an eyebrow and teased, "You want me to hug you~?"

He rolled his eyes and replied, "Give me my damn orbs already."

"How do you know?" She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Even though I had fallen unconscious at that moment, I know that you won't let go of
anything that could help me grow." Bai Zemin said indifferently. "After all, the faster I
grow up, the better it will be for you too. Right?"

"Tsk.. You really have no good sense of humor." Lilith clicked her tongue and scolded
him while pouting cutely. However, the glint in her eyes was one of mirth as the smarter
he was, the greater the odds of surviving and becoming more powerful.

"Here, I'll give them back to you, boring man." She waved her hand and three objects
floated towards him before falling gently into his lap.
Bai Zemin looked at her with jealousy. He too wanted to wave his hand and make
things float easily, but it didn't seem to be something that would happen anytime soon.

"Where did you get this?" he asked as he looked at her in confusion.

She stretched out her right hand gracefully and without needing to say anything, Bai
Zemin's gaze was drawn to a beautiful gold colored ring with silver runes similar to a
wedding ring like the ones Earth people wore.

"You're engaged?" he teased.

"Idiot." She rolled her eyes charmingly and replied, "This is a space storage ring. Inside
there's a big space where I can save my stuff."

"Just like in the novels." Bai Zemin nodded with understanding. "How can I have one of
those?"

How could he not want one? After all, with a ring like Lilith's, he wouldn't need to carry a
backpack everywhere and his general life would become much simpler in this world.

"If you want one with a large spatial size like this, then forget it." Lilith softly shook her
head as she casually said, "This is a Legend grade Treasure. Even for you, it's impossible
to acquire something of such a level yet."

"Oh." Bai Zemin couldn't help but be slightly discouraged. Forget Legend Treasures, he
had yet to even see a Magic grade Treasure, and his two strongest and most precious
items were only Rare grade.

"But." Seeing him depressed, Lilith continued, "If you're lucky, you might be able to get
one of lesser quality. You can also get a Green Orb, and maybe, just maybe, if your
luck is really high... Maybe you can get one."

"Forget it... I'll make do with what I have for now." Bai Zemin no longer entertained the
matter of the ring. Such things seemed too far away from someone like him yet.

Turning his attention to the objects in his lap, Bai Zemin's eyes lit up with delight, and all
the previous bad thoughts completely disappeared without a trace.

The First Order Blazing Beetle had dropped three objects.

Two orbs and one skill scroll.

One of those orbs was orange in color, representing a Rare Treasure... Surprisingly, the
other orb was deep yellow in color. In other words, Bai Zemin had before him an orb
that contained a Magic grade Treasure!

This was his first Magic grade Treasure! Although he had just heard something incredible
like Legend grade Treasures, he had not been discouraged at all since after seeing
how precious his Xuanyuan Sword and Full Coat were, he was definitely looking forward
to seeing what this orb before him contained!

Chapter 25 - The First In The Universe's

History
Before seeing the contents of the orb, Bai Zemin felt mischievous and anxious as if he
were a small child about to open his Christmas present. However, he fought the desire
and turned his attention first to the orange orb.

"Let's save the best for last hehehe..."

"You're acting like a child, you know that don't you?"

"Don't distract me."

In the midst of light conversation as if the outside world was still peaceful and as if the
danger of death did not lurk around every corner, Bai Zemin squeezed the orange orb
with a bit of strength and after a flash of light, a new object appeared before him.

Honestly, what Bai Zemin was looking forward to was another pair of boots that could
replace his previous boots that were destroyed by the flames of the First Order Blazing
Beetle... Unfortunately, things didn't always turn out as one expected.

[Blazing Ring (Rare Treasure): A ring that contains the power of burning fire within it.
When equipped, Magic +10 points. Once per day it can release a flare of fire that can
be used to attack or defend].

Seeing the deep red ring, Bai Zemin's face turned a little strange. He looked at the
beautiful woman a short distance away and slowly asked, "Miss Demon Race, what is
this all about?"

"Mm? What do you mean?" Lilith blinked at him and looked at him blankly.
"What do you mean by what do you mean?" Bai Zemin didn't know if she was playing
innocent or really didn't understand, therefore he asked patiently; "Why would a Rare
Orb possess a Treasure with magic like this ring?"

"Uh? Who said that objects with magic could only come out of magic-grade orbs?" Lilith
looked at him with amusement and softly explained; "While it's true that the chances
are low, from Rare grade Treasure onwards, objects like the ring in your hands can
appear... It's similar to the case of my space storage ring. Even an Epic Treasure can
contain one, but its grade will be much lower."

The corner of Bai Zemin's mouth twitched severely upon hearing her explanation and
this time it wasn't because of pain.

In fact, he had assumed that the Magic Grade Treasures meant objects capable of
releasing magic spells. However, he had apparently misunderstood the name of the
ranks, attributing those names to the contents of the orbs.

With a much more open mind and much more expectant than before, Bai Zemin
turned to the deep yellow orb and crushed it.

A bronze-colored light flashed, forcing him to close his eyes for a second. When he felt
that the brightness had disappeared, Bai Zemin opened his eyes expectantly and
looked at the object in his lap. However, when he saw the appearance of the object,
his expression turned a little ugly.

A bronze-colored pocket bell lay in his lap. This bell was dented in several places and
there was even a part that had been forcibly torn off or had fallen off due to how old it
was. Basically, it looked exactly like a useless bell.

However, even though the appearance was extremely ugly, Bai Zemin was never one
to judge a book by its cover; although his expression was not very good, his hopes had
not been dashed in the slightest and he picked up the object to inspect it.

[Broken Bronze Bell (Magic Treasure): An ancient bell that was broken and whose
current defensive power is practically non-existent. When worn it automatically
increases magic power and mana by 20 points. Effect: When the user is attacked, the
Bronze Bell automatically releases a shield that protects the user from imminent danger.
The amount of damage received affects the duration of the effect and after
exhausting all its energy it takes 24 hours to recharge its power].

Bai Zemin's expression was a bit erratic and difficult to describe. On the one hand, he
felt happy, but on the other hand, he felt confused.
Practically non-existent defensive power... Well, just by looking at the appearance of
the Bronze Bell he didn't expect much but that description...

"Forget it... 20 Magic points and 20 Mana points is great..." He spoke aloud to himself as
if to lift his own mood.

Curious, Lilith picked up the broken bell, and green letters flashed in her retina with the
object's information. She handed it back to Bai Zemin and assured him, "Although this
bell is broken and its description says that its defensive power is almost non-existent, in
reality, it is probably the best treasure you could ever possibly obtain!"

"Oh?" His ears twitched gently and his interest piqued. He looked at her with sparkling
eyes waiting for her next words.

"While the defensive power of this item might not be as strong against evolved beings,
against other humans it will be your best ally." Lilith smiled, her eyes glittering strangely.
"Currently, this world is not especially advanced in technology like other worlds.
Therefore, it is likely that,,, Forget it, you will see for yourself when the time comes."

Although she had not finished her words, Bai Zemin felt that he understood what she
meant. His mood lifted once again and he carefully put away the Broken Bronze Bell in
the pocket of his Full Coat.

His life had now acquired another layer of protection, which in this world was more than
appreciated.

"Finally, let's see what this is." Bai Zemin picked up the skill scroll and the information
immediately appeared.

[Elephant Skin (Unclassified Passive Skill) Level 5: Increases Stamina by +50 points].

To say he wasn't a bit disappointed would be a lie considering he was expecting a

much stronger skill. However, 50 Stamina points was a huge amount of boost to his
strength; even after so many battles and so many upgrades, Bai Zemin's Stamina was
only 75 points not counting the extra 5 from his Full Coat.

Moreover, since it was a passive skill and did not take up space among the few
available ones he possessed to learn active skills, this skill was welcome.

With a thought, the skill scroll disappeared and several particles of gray light entered his
body. Deep within his soul, a dull gray rune formed and Bai Zemin felt his entire body
suddenly become much harder and tougher than in the past.
However, before he could think of anything else, several green letters flashed across his
retina.

[Evolution requirements fulfilled. Do you wish to evolve Elephant Skin skill to the next
level?]

"This... Woah!" Bai Zemin was dumbfounded.

What happened?! He hadn't even done anything and it hadn't even been two
seconds since he learned the skill but it could already be evolved to the next level?

"Lilith... Looks like I can evolve a skill." He said in a weird tone.

"You probably fulfilled some relatively easy requirement?" Lilith wasn't sure either. "Focus
on that skill and look at the evolution requirement to confirm it."

Bai Zemin nodded and quickly looked at his newly acquired skill.

[Elephant Skin (Unclassified Passive Skill) Level 5: This skill is at its maximum level and can
evolve to the next level if the following requirements are met -

[Stamina stat above 100 points naturally without external support: 125/100]

[Requirements met. Do you wish to evolve the skill Elephant Skin to the next level?]

Ah... Apparently, each skill had different difficulties to evolve. At least for Bai Zemin, it
didn't seem difficult at all to reach 100 points in a stat.

However, when he told Lilith the evolution requirement, she didn't know whether to
laugh or cry when she said, "You little brat, do you think it's easy for a person of your
level to reach and surpass 100 points in stats? While there have been more people who
have achieved that, there aren't many... Besides, you are the first living creature I know
in the universe's history who is able to evolve a skill so fast!"

Bai Zemin felt happy at her words, but he did not let that happiness go to his head.

While he might be the first to evolve a skill so fast according to Lilith's knowledge, it was
just an unclassified passive skill so Bai Zemin did not believe that his act was something
incredible.

Of course, Bai Zemin had no idea that Lilith was comparing him to monsters like the
God of the bible that Christians worshipped, or else his thoughts would not be so simple.
Chapter 26 - Sex Machine
The real reason why Bai Zemin did not feel that such an achievement was a big deal
was mainly because he was only evolving an Unclassified to First Order skill; it was not as
if he was evolving a particularly powerful skill by any stretch of the imagination.

Furthermore, while it was true that Bai Zemin's Stamina had reached 125 natural points
without external support, the reality was that almost half of those points came from the
Elephant Skin skill itself... Of course, even with all the aforementioned, the fact that he
could achieve so many Stamina enhancements in just over two days was the real
achievement.

Lilith had never met or heard of another existence capable of improving so quickly.

With a single thought, the Elephant Skin skill began to evolve.

The dull gray rune that was engraved deep within Bai Zemin's soul lit up. Countless
flashes of lightning flickered from deep within him and his entire body began to heat up
as a strange tickle-like but not so unbearable feeling was transmitted through every
millimeter of his skin.

After several minutes, the lightning flashing inside his body receded and was absorbed
by the rune from which it came before. However, the once dull gray rune had now
become a deep bronze rune.

[Elephant Skin (Unclassified Passive Skill) Level 5 → Bronze Skin (First Order Passive Skill)
Level 1].

[Bronze Skin (First Order Passive Skill) Level 1: Your skin becomes much tougher than that
of any living being on Earth before the awakening of Mana. Increases Stamina +100
points].

Bai Zemin was grinning from ear to ear as he looked at his 180 total Stamina points. He
could feel practically unlimited energy from his body and the feeling of becoming
stronger once again excited him to the point of forgetting about his injuries.

"You should be careful now that you have such monstrous Stamina." Lilith said out of
nowhere, dragging Bai Zemin out of his daydream.

"What? Why?" he looked at her with some alarm.

Could it be that there was really something bad? Maybe it was because his stats were
a little off balance? After all, Bai Zemin's Stamina stat was his current highest physical
stat and by a wide margin.

Maybe the body needed to balance itself somehow?

Lilith looked at him with a serious expression and slowly said, "Well... Your current
Stamina is almost twenty times higher than that of a normal man and woman. Imagine
what would happen if you suddenly decided to unleash your libido wildly on a woman's
body? The poor girl would probably be devastated~".

"..."

Bai Zemin's face rotted when he heard her words.

She thought he was a sex machine or something like that?

With his face as black as coal, Bai Zemin gritted his teeth and bellowed, "I swear I'll kick
your ass someday..."

"Hahaha!"

Seeing him gritting his teeth and looking at her as if he wanted to bite her to death, Lilith
felt so amused that she started to laugh out loud.

This was the first time she thought that a lower existence was so interesting!

***

Three days later, the sixth day since the Mana was awakened by the Soul Record.

During these three days, Bai Zemin did not leave the cafeteria and closed the door
firmly, isolating himself from the rest of the people. Except for eating and drinking, Bai
Zemin's only entertainment was chatting with the beautiful and charming succubus
Lilith... Fortunately, due to constant evolutions, his digestive system was no longer as
problematic as that of a normal person.

In this time, he focused on recovering from his injuries without doing anything else. In
addition, to avoid any kind of trouble, Bai Zemin had talked to Chen He and asked him
to take all the food out of the cafeteria, leaving only what he needed for himself and a
bit for emergencies.

This way, he did not have to be in contact with people he did not know and did not
trust while he was still injured.
Bai Zemin stood up and stomped on the ground several times as if checking something.

"Em. The wounds on my feet and legs healed completely." He nodded in satisfaction
and relief.

Now, even if a second monster similar to the First Order Blazing Beetle appeared he was
confident that at least his chances of victory weren't practically non-existent like when
he was injured and unable to move.

The only problem was that his left wrist was still broken. However, he only needed to use
his right hand to wield the Xuanyuan Sword so he was temporarily fine.

Bai Zemin estimated that he would need at least another seven days for his wrist bones
to fully recover. Although seven days was quite a long time and his Strength would be
affected as a result of not being able to use both hands at the same time, this result
was already good enough considering that in normal cases a person would need two
to three months to recover from a bone fracture.

"Let's see how things are going outside... Besides, I have a debt to pay." His eyes flashed
coldly as he opened the cafeteria door for the first time in three days.

"When you act mad you look hot~" Lilith, as beautiful and charming as ever, walked
behind him as if she was his shadow.

***

Unlike three days ago, the mood inside the gymnasium had not improved in any way,...
On the contrary, the hope of many students and teachers began to flicker.

The cold and fever medicines that Bai Zemin had obtained from the pharmacy had
already been distributed by Shangguan Bing Xue and the help of other teachers;
therefore, those who were sick had improved a lot and those who were about to get
sick were able to avoid illness successfully.

Each one of the survivors had been well fed and, while it was true that the food was no
longer as luxurious or extravagant as in the past, at least all of them were able to have
three meals a day without fail.

However, even under such conditions countless times more luxurious than that of who
knew how many people who at the moment could only hide in some dark corner
without food, the hope of all the survivors in the gym was shaken.

The reason? They, who were waiting for the arrival of the military army or, at the very
least, the support of the police forces, had not yet even heard the sound of a siren.
In the gymnasium, there was also a big screen, but there was no news and all the
channels were dead. As for the radio; it had also collapsed as well as the phone signal.

Bai Zemin caught the erratic eyes of the people and when they saw him appear
walking some sighed in relief that the group's strength was rising while others had no
apparent reaction.

However, the most surprised of them was Shangguan Bing Xue. She looked at him and
her beautiful blue eyes had a strange glint in them.

"Are your wounds okay now?" She asked with clear surprise in her usually indifferent
voice.

This shocked Chen He to the marrow of his bones and his eyes widened in
astonishment. In fact, his surprise was no less than when the Soul Record displayed his
status window the first time.

She was worried about him? But how could such a thing be possible...? Didn't they just
meet? Didn't they dislike each other? Chen He's head was full of unanswered questions.

While the handsome Chen He looked at Shangguan Bing Xue with surprise and Bai
Zemin with caution, he actually did not know that the reason she asked that question
was not that she cared about him; it was because she had seen how severe the burns
on his feet were!

With such dreadful burns, Shangguan Bing Xue had figured that it would at least take
him two months to walk completely naturally again, after all, Bai Zemin's level was
obviously not low; although he had not said anything and she had not asked,
Shangguan Bing Xue was almost 100% sure that that three-meter tall beetle had been
killed by him.

A person capable of killing such a hideous monster could not have a low level.

However, what Shangguan Bing Xue did not expect was that only four days later, Bai
Zemin would appear again as if his previous wounds had never existed.

What kind of immortal monster was this?

Chapter 27 - Bai Zemin's First Change

"My wounds are fine now. Thank you for asking." Bai Zemin took a moment to look at the
faces of the people in front of him before looking at Shangguan Bing Xue and replying.
Hearing that he was indeed fine and confirming it through his natural voice, Shangguan
Bing Xue's eyes had a strange glint in them after confirming that his wounds had
effectively healed.

"I see." She only nodded before looking at Chen He silently.

The talented archer understood the intention behind her gaze and slowly began to
explain to Bai Zemin the situation.

"During the past three days when you were recovering, the condition of the sick due to
the low temperatures of their bodies improved with the help of the general calefaction.
Thank you for that." He honestly thanked on behalf of the rest of the survivors. Soon,
however, he frowned and continued, "But there is another problem at present."

Bai Zemin was not surprised. He nodded slightly and finished his words instead, "The food
is running low, isn't it?"

"That's right." Chen He sighed and scratched his head in frustration. "Currently, because
we didn't want to make the situation any worse than it already is, we let everyone eat
their fill. The problem is that now the reserved food finally ran out. We can only last until
tomorrow."

Liang Peng, who had been silent with his big hammer, interrupted, "Then why don't we
just go get some more? Those zombies are slow as hell and those dogs and cats may
be fast but they're too dumb. I don't think we'll have a problem if we all move together."

"In fact.. I'm afraid we have no choice but to go out and forage for food at the
university restaurants." Chen He had no choice but to say yes.

Food was an indispensable resource that could not be missed. Even the strongest
evolvers had no choice but to eat to provide nutrients that the body needed but did
not produce naturally. Without food, everyone would weaken to the point where lifting
a single finger would be a challenge. Moreover, the chaos resulting from starvation was
something no one was willing to let happen.

"Besides..." Cai Jingyi, the same girl who had met Bai Zemin at the beginning of the
apocalypse, suddenly seemed to gather the courage to speak. Although she felt a little
self-conscious under everyone's gaze, she continued, "If possible it would also be good
if we can get clothes... Actually, since there are male and female changing rooms for
showering, hygiene is not much of a problem. However, after almost a week of wearing
the same clothes, it is starting to become a bit unbearable."
"We will definitely get more clothes." Shangguan Bing Xue was the first to agree as she
frowned slightly. Although her clothes were free of dirt stains and her white dress along
with her silver hair made her look like an angel, the truth was that after not being able
to change even once in six days, her mood was not the best.

The corner of Bai Zemin's mouth twitched a couple of times but he said nothing. Even
he did not feel comfortable with the current situation, not to mention the women who
were by nature beings who constantly worried about cleanliness.

Seeing that no one disagreed with her words, Cai Jingyi couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"By the way..." Taking advantage of the momentary silence, Bai Zemin looked at Chen
He and casually asked, "The army, the government, the police forces... No word on
this?"

Hearing his question, Liang Peng, Cai Jinyi, and the few teachers present looked at
Chen He waiting for his answer.

"Nothing..." Chen He shook his head to no one's surprise.

"But." A bespectacled teacher interrupted with an anxious expression. "Young master

Chen, your Chen family is a big family with power in the army and your father a
Regimental Commander? Shouldn't they send someone for you at least?"

Bai Zemin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Family with military backing? Regimental
Commander? He hadn't expected Chen He to have such a background.

To think that this handsome guy's father was actually a veteran soldier with military rank
Colonel. Bai Zemin had a strange glint and his gaze could not help but shift slightly
towards Shangguan Bing Xue... Then, her background should be similar or superior to
Chen He's.

Chen He's face changed slightly but soon returned to normal. He looked at Shangguan
Bing Xue for a moment before sighing: ''Indeed... I was hoping that my family would get
here soon, but apparently the situation is far worse than we all thought."

"How can that be possible...?" The teacher who had spoken earlier looked desperate
and his face lost all color.

If even an important person like Chen He had been practically abandoned to his fate
by his own family, how could they, people with no real backing, expect support from
the government or the army? It was nothing but wishful thinking!
They all looked desperate for a moment. The only two people whose expression
remained unchanged were the indifferent Shangguan Bing Xue and Liang Peng who
was casually looking around.

Even Bai Zemin's expression turned a bit ugly. Not because of the lack of military or
governmental response; but because of his family... The worse the situation was outside,
the less likely it was that his family would survive amidst such chaos!

They have to be okay. No matter what, definitely nothing could happen to them... Bai
Zemin clenched his fists, ignoring the pain in his left hand. Every time he thought about
his family, his heart squeezed hard as if a giant stone was pressing down on it.

However, no matter how much he wanted to see them and run out to find them, he
couldn't do that. As strong as he was, Bai Zemin did not know what kind of dangers
dwelled outside this place and he was not arrogant enough to believe that his strength
was enough to overcome them all.

"Then, let's go find the food we can." Bai Zemin said coldly. His tone of voice lacked
emotion, "However, there should be some changes from now on."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, noticing the change in his eyes and his indifferent
voice seemed to hold a higher weight than in the past. While Bai Zemin was previously
indifferent, his current indifference contained several degrees of coldness that was not
there before.

"What do you mean?" Shangguan Bing Xue furrowed her eyebrows slightly, also secretly
surprised by the abrupt change.

Bai Zemin looked at her and slowly explained, "From now on, those who are unwilling to
help in any way will only be able to eat enough to not starve. To be honest, I have no
time to waste with leeches here. If no one is willing to move to advance and get out of
this damn place, then I will start moving on my own with people who really want to get
out of this hellhole. But I definitely won't get dragged down by anyone!"

Lilith, who was visible only to Bai Zemin, stood silently beside him. When she heard his
words, her eyes glittered and a silent smile rose on her lips.

From a certain point of view, it could be said that this was the first major change in Bai
Zemin after the world had changed. He had already saved many people out of
kindness, but if they wanted to keep him using that kindness, then he would abandon
them without even a second thought; to him, his family was everything.
As long as he had such an impulse, then he would not be held back by anything...
Lilith's only worry was that if Bai Zemin's family did not survive, it was probable that he
would not be able to rally a motive to fight for; therefore, she had to think of
countermeasures.

No matter what, she couldn't just let him fall in this place.

"Wait, wait a moment!" Liang Peng raised his voice and looked at Bai Zemin with wide
eyes, "Are you crazy?!"

Bai Zemin casually looked him up and down before looking him in the eyes and asking
coldly, "And you are what? My previous words were not a question. What I said is what
will happen, whether you like it or not, you don't have a choice here!"

Chapter 28 - Cowardice & Courage

Bai Zemin's words stunned everyone present. Regardless of whether they were teachers
or students, the people able to participate in this small meeting and express their
opinions stared straight ahead with blank expressions.

Shangguan Bing Xue frowned and suddenly felt that there was something wrong with
this situation. Her brain was like a supercomputer, remembering what had just
happened and soon her eyes flashed softly as if she had finally understood everything.

Chen He, who always had a calm expression on his face, could not help but gasp in a
breath of cold air as he looked at Bai Zemin as if he was an unidentified alien.

Until now, although the time they spent together was not much, Chen He had identified
Bai Zemin as a person who enjoyed loneliness more than the company of others and
was usually quite calm. Therefore, now that he saw him go crazy and say such arrogant
words, he did not know how to react.

Moreover, Chen He had seen how terrifying Liang Peng's strength was during the first
day of the apocalypse after the arrival of the Soul Record to this world. A single blow
from his hammer was enough to turn a zombie's body into a pile of meat paste!

"What arrogance, brat!" Liang Peng's eyes opened as wide as those of an enraged bull.
His beard quivered and he looked at Bai Zemin as if he was going to jump on him at
any moment.

Liang Peng had seen Bai Zemin's speed back then when he decapitated zombies.
Although he was fast, Liang Peng believed that at such a distance he only needed to
stretch out a hand to crush him like an ant; such was the confidence in his physical
strength!

Bai Zemin's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness as he looked at the man who was like a
small giant.

His current mood was gloomy to say the least. As if that wasn't enough, his left hand
was still hurting, his family might be suffering from hunger or who knows what kind of
hardship... Since this person does not understand in a good way and words could not
reach him, a bit of pain might make him understand the meaning of the word terror...

Bai Zemin took a step forward and was about to make his move when a cold but
beautiful voice stopped him.

"Okay, let's do as you say."

Everyone looked at Shangguan Bing Xue in surprise and disbelief. Even Bai Zemin
himself was surprised that this woman agreed with his words so easily and without
argument.

"Bing Xue, you... Are you sure of what you are saying?" Chen He looked at his childhood
friend in shock. It was no secret to anyone that he had been in love with her for years;
therefore, he knew very well that she was an intelligent woman. However, he did not
understand why she had accepted such an idea that was clearly not good at the
moment.

Shangguan Bing Xue gently shook her head but did not explain anything. Among those
present, only she had noticed that Bai Zemin's mood was on the floor and if it wasn't for
her interrupting just in time, it was likely that things would have gotten out of hand. Right
now, the last thing they needed were internal battles.

"While I agree with what you said, I need you to explain better what you have in mind.
Otherwise no one will accept such a wild idea like that." Shangguan Bing Xue looked at
Bai Zemin indifferently and slowly explained, "At this point, everyone's mood is not good.
The situation of the unknown world is getting worse and worse. If we suddenly tell them
that their meals will be cut off, no one will accept it willingly."

Bai Zemin looked at her and took a deep breath to calm down a bit before speaking
slowly, "Of course, what I want is not for everyone to suddenly have the courage to
fight. I know something like that is illogical."
Noticing that things had calmed down, the teachers present, Cai Jingyi, and Chen He
secretly let out a sigh of relief. As for Liang Peng, he only snorted and remained silent as
he listened to what Bai Zemin had to say about it.

Shangguan Bing Xue nodded and indicated with her eyes for him to continue
explaining his idea. If Bai Zemin had asked everyone to fight in order to eat, then even if
the strength of the group fell she would have no choice but to ask him to left alone.
After all, very few people were willing to risk their lives and the human mentality had not
yet completely changed to adapt to the new world.

Bai Zemin continued: "My idea is simple... After we find food, the students and teachers
who are unable to fight will carry it. In addition, when we look for clothes or other useful
items, these people will also help... I also think it would be good to get some beds. In
short, whatever is logistical support and does not require risking life and death, all those
who want to eat their fill should cooperate."

After a moment of silence, the handsome Chen He was the first to open his mouth, "I
agree. That idea is good enough."

"I agree as well." Shangguan Bing Xue finally nodded in perfect accord.

In the end, everyone accepted Bai Zemin's suggestion. While some of them might not
be satisfied, three of the four fighters in the group had already made up their minds so
those without fighting ability could only accept their fate.

When the new rules were announced, many people complained loudly and some of
them even began to curse. However, when Bai Zemin said that those who disagreed
and all those who continued to make a fuss should leave the group, all the "courage" of
these people disappeared completely and no one else was willing to complain for fear
to be kicked out of the group.

What a joke! As weak as they were, being expelled from the group and the protection
of those with real power was no different to courting death!

Bai Zemin looked at the more than a hundred people present and an idea flashed in his
mind. It was a bit annoying, but in the long run, it might be his best help in finding his
loved ones.

With this in mind, he stepped forward and said aloud, "I know many of you are afraid of
being scratched by those zombies as most of you here have probably seen the
aftermath... However, you don't need to be so scared! Those zombies are even slower
than a normal person like you, so imagine how slow they are for people like me and
everyone else who have leveled up by absorbing the enemy's Soul Power!"
The eyes of several people had a strange glint in them upon hearing this. Indeed,
zombies were slow and if one was careful, even a normal person could kill a zombie.
However, it was not easy to overcome the fear, let alone knowing that zombies were
not the only danger.

But Bai Zemin's next words changed things: "I will personally hunt zombies, cut off their
legs and arms, even crush their jaws! You just need to have the courage to pick up a
weapon and finish them off to gain Soul Power and level up!"

People began to murmur and stare at each other as they argued amongst themselves.
Clearly, there were many tempted by the offer. After all, without their hands, legs, and
without their teeth; the zombies were nothing to fear.

None of them were really willing to die and there were many of them who didn't want
to do more embarrassing jobs for fear of fighting. However, at the end of the day, fear
was one of the strongest human emotions.

After a minute, no one stood up and everyone was silent.

While Bai Zemin's words were tempting, no one was willing to risk their lives just like that.
Even if the zombies were incapacitated by him, there were still terrifying insects and
other horrible beasts that could emerge from anywhere at any time. Asking them to
pick up a weapon to fight after living almost twenty years or more in a peaceful society
under the protection of rules, laws, and their parents. was no different than asking them
to walk naked down the street in broad daylight; it might sound easy, but no one in
their right mind was willing to do something like that.

However, these people forgot that sense had already disappeared and that the
mentality of the past no longer applied in this new world. Unfortunately, by the time
many of them realized this fact, it would be too late to regret it.

Liang Peng folded his arms and looked at the scene with a mocking expression.

Chen He was casual, unconcerned about what was happening in front of him.

Shangguan Bing Xue had a strange glint in her eyes and looked at the women present
seemingly thinking about something.

"Since you are unwilling, then you can continue to be trash for the rest of your lives." Bai
Zemin looked at the crowd coldly and snorted. However, just when he was about to
turn around and leave, a soft voice took him by surprise.

"I'll go with you."

Bai Zemin looked to the side and saw the pretty but normally shy and fearful Cai Jingyi
looking at him with a serious expression.

She gritted her teeth softly and continued, "Please let me go with you to kill zombies."

Cai Jingyi was a smart woman and knew that although they were currently being
protected, if a problem that Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, Liang Peng, or Bai Zemin
could not solve arose, just by having strength of her own her chances of surviving in this
world would be higher; otherwise, it was only a matter of time before she would die for
some reason or another.

When a rock fell on a silent lake, waves always appeared no matter how small they
were.

"Let me come with you, I want to kill zombies too!" A young man around 19 years old,
wearing glasses and whose body was thin stood up and took a step forward.

"I also want to level up. Let me go with you please!" Another young man in his 20s stood
up and looked at Bai Zemin with determination.

"I'll go with you." A pretty female student with some freckles also stood up while gritting
her teeth. Although her body shivered with fear, she still decided to step forward.

Only four of them huh... It will do for now. Bai Zemin thought silently and a smile raised
softly on his face as his eyes scanned the four people who had the courage to step
forward.

Sometimes, human beings just needed a little push to dare to do things they normally
would have never even thought to do.

Chapter 29 - Fu Xuefeng
"There are even two women here who had the courage to stand up but you, who call
yourselves men, don't have the courage to take a step forward?" Bai Zemin looked at
the male students and even the male teachers with undisguised disdain.

Hearing his words, all the men on the scene who did not dare to step forward blushed
so much that it seemed like all the blood in their bodies had rushed up to their heads.
However, none of them dared to look him back and, of course, none of them dared to
step forward.
On the other hand, the two male students who had the courage to step forward could
not help but straighten their backs a little more. Even the glasses-wearing and slightly
skinny student had more courage than men with bulky bodies.

Bai Zemin no longer wasted his time with these people. They themselves would soon
regret the opportunity they had just missed.

"Is it alright with you guys if we go out to look for food now?" Bai Zemin looked at the
other three leaders and asked.

"Fine with me." Chen He nodded and picked up his bow as he looked at the woman
beside him.

Shangguan Bing Xue simply stood up and walked towards the exit without saying
anything.

As for Liang Peng, he just snorted as he picked up his hammer and followed the other
two without saying a word. Clearly still upset about what had happened earlier.

Bai Zemin looked at the four people who decided to follow him and slowly said, "You
four follow me. You don't need to carry anything, but you should mentally prepare
yourselves for what's coming."

The four nodded quickly indicating that they understood. Seeing this, Bai Zemin turned
around and walked out with the four students behind him.

"Everyone, please follow closely behind President Shangguan's group and the rest. I
hope we all contribute a little bit of each other to improve everyone's lives." Teacher Jia
Jiao clapped her hands and tried to raise everyone's spirits.

***

The group led by Bai Zemin, Chen He, Shangguan Bing Xue, and Liang Peng walked
slowly and with looks full of precaution as they escorted over twenty male and female
students.

Taking out over a hundred people and protecting them all was an incredibly difficult
task to accomplish. After all, unknown dangers lurked around every corner and slow
zombies were the least of the worries of people who had been absorbing the enemy
Soul Power and constantly leveling up; but the danger of high-level mutated animals or
evolved insects was much higher and was something that even they dared not take
easily.
Therefore, to prevent unnecessary losses and to make the job simpler for themselves,
the four of them had decided to bring a few more than twenty people to carry the
food on this occasion.

Of course, the pretty and shy freshman, Cai Jingyi, had registered all the people who
were willing to go out and work but did not have the opportunity this time; these
people could eat freely and would be mobilized in the near future... As for those who
were not willing to work, they could only eat what was necessary to not starve.

The world had changed and the old rules no longer applied. Slowly but surely there
would be necessary changes that would be implemented over time. This was only the
first of many more to come.

The four evolved people were divided into four parts, each protecting one side of the
rhombus in which the more than twenty people were enclosed.

Liang Peng, whose strength was monstrous, was in charge of the front. When the
zombies approached, he would charge forward and needed only a swing of his
hammer to turn that zombie into a bloody mess.

Although his hunting method scared many students, the reality was that it worked well.

Shangguan Bing Xue, whose ability to control ice and move it at will was incredibly
strong, was in charge of protecting the right of the diamond. Whenever a zombie
came too close, an ice spike would appear above its head and pierce its brain silently.

Shangguan Bing Xue's hunting method was extremely beautiful. Not even a drop of
blood fell to the ground and the ice fragments floating in the air were extremely
charming. Not even a single zombie managed to show any signs of breaking through
her defenses.

Chen He, who was at the back of the group, was probably the most relaxed person at
the moment. His right hand was holding an arrow and his left hand was tightly gripping
his bow.

When a zombie escaped Liang Peng's range due to his normal speed, Chen He
casually shot an arrow and the walking corpse fell to the ground with a wound on its
forehead.

Bai Zemin, who was in charge of protecting the left side of the group, silently looked on
as a zombie slowly crawled out of a building dragging its feet and approached
towards the group.
"They really are slow..." He couldn't help but shook his head softly. After so many
upgrades to his Agility stat, zombies were like moving turtles from his point of view.

However, although to Bai Zemin they were slow and not much of a challenge, from the
point of view of the other survivors they were extremely terrifying creatures.

When they saw the zombie's dead eyes and the amount of bloody wounds on its body,
as well as its yellowish teeth full of human flesh or any other living thing stuck in
between, it didn't matter if it was male or female; they all shuddered in terror. Many of
them even began to sob silently.

In fact, the sound that could be heard most in the group was the restrained cries of the
people. They, who had been living safely for six days without having to see such
creatures, were again forced to remember that the present world was no longer the
world they knew.

"Who wants to go first?" Bai Zemin looked at Cai Jingyi and the other three students as
he spoke in a deep voice, "I'll hunt them down for you. You just need to give them the
final strike and enjoy the benefits, easy. Don't let me be disappointed, opportunities like
this won't always come."

Although the four of them gathered the courage to move forward at that time, when
facing the zombie face to face it was natural to feel fear. Therefore, after several
seconds, none of them spoke.

Just as Bai Zemin's face was beginning to turn ugly, one of the students slowly raised his
hand and in a trembling voice asked, "L-Let me do it first."

It was a bit of a surprise for Bai Zemin to see that the first person was actually the thin
student with glasses. This guy was average in every aspect and his body was even
weaker than that of a normal young adult without evolving through Soul Power
absorption. However, his courage was commendable.

"What's your name?" Bai Zemin looked at him for a moment and asked.

"I-it's Fu Xuefeng!" The glasses-wearing student quickly announced. His eyes looking at
the zombie that was slowly but surely approaching and, though his weak body
quivered in fear, he took a step forward and asked in a low voice, "Big brother Bai... I
wonder if I can ask you something?"

"Oh?" Bai Zemin narrowed his eyes. He was already doing everything he possibly could,
but this person wanted more? However, he didn't immediately burst out and asked
slowly, "Tell me. What is it about?"
Fu Xuefeng took a deep breath and, while looking at the zombie said words that
surprised Bai Zemin, "I hope you will lend me your sword and let me kill that zombie with
my own hands. No help, just me!"

Although his voice was quite low, the group was not big therefore many heard his
request. Most looked at him in shock and disbelief, others looked at him with
indifference, and others looked at him with pity as if they were already looking at a
dead man.

You're as thin as a bamboo pole but you want to show off? Many of the men who had
been mocked by Bai Zemin's words felt that they could finally vent the bad smell and
secretly sneered.

"Okay. Since you have so much resolve and courage, you can do it all by yourself." Bai
Zemin's eyes flashed strangely and without another word, he handed the Xuanyuan
Sword to Fu Xuefeng silently.

"This... Incredible!" Fu Xuefeng immediately felt the huge boost of Strength rushing
through his body after the sword ringed by strange runes touched his hands.

He, who was always considered the weakest, at this moment felt that he could break
the bones of even the strongest student!

Under the surprised and scared gaze of many, Fu Xuefeng took a deep breath and
while observing the zombie less than ten meters away he tightened his grip on the
wielding hilt of the sword.

Although his Strength stat had gone up dramatically thanks to the treasure in his hands,
all of his remaining stats were even below average and average at best.

Besides, the fact that one scratch was all he needed to receive for his life to be over
was something he knew perfectly well.

Nevertheless, Fu Xuefeng gritted his teeth until his lingual gums bled before stepping
forward.

Bai Zemin watched all this with flashing eyes. He was going to give the sword to the four
students after hunting the zombies, but Fu Xuefeng's request was something he did not
expect.

Chapter 30 - Mind Manipulator

Was Fu Xuefeng scared? Of course, he was obviously scared.

However, he fought against the panic and forcibly suppressed his instincts to retreat. His
whole body, every cell seemed to be begging him not to do so and to step back
where he knew he would be protected.

Fu Xuefeng could feel the stares of the other survivors prickling his back; pity, mockery,
disdain, wonder, disbelief, surprise, and many other looks with different meanings.
However, he endured.

The reason he endured all this? In reality, it was a very simple reason and for many, it
might not be anything special... The only thing he wanted was to be able to raise his
head at least once in his life.

Since he was young, due to his weak constitution and as a consequence of his below-
average appearance, he was always ridiculed in different ways. Fu Xuefen, who came
from a hard-working family, also wanted his parents to be proud of him.

Now that the world had changed, he longed to be able to change his life and, if they
were still alive, to be able to give his parents a source of security on which they could
rely in times of need. Now that a powerful person like Bai Zemin had stretched out a
helping hand to him, Fu Xuefeng was willing to do anything to hold on to it.

As the zombie slowly approached, Fu Xuefeng could feel his legs trembling. Still, he too
advanced slowly and began to circle around the zombie, studying the creature's
movements carefully.

Due to Bai Zemin's actions, the whole group had no choice but to stop momentarily
and everyone's attention had been focused on what was happening on the left side of
the small human rhombus.

"And now what?" Liang Peng asked in frustration as he surveyed the scene.

Chen He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw Bai Zemin's reckless actions.
His move practically forced everyone to stop in a place where they could be attacked
at any moment.

However, the only person present other than Bai Zemin himself who knew the reason
why he was so calm, was Shangguan Bing Xue. She, who had practically saved his life
three days ago, knew that very close to this place was the battlefield where the huge
beetle lay dead.
All the dangerous creatures nearby had been crushed by the beetle, decapitated by
Bai Zemin, or had their brains crushed and frozen by Shangguan Bing Xue herself.
Therefore, the only temporary danger was some straggling zombies that definitely did
not reach a hundred.

After nearly two minutes of circling the zombie, Fu Xuefeng finally calmed down a bit
and realized that Bai Zemin's words were completely true... These apocalyptic creatures
were incredibly slow!

Suddenly, Fu Xuefeng dashed to the right, causing the zombie to slowly start turning
around. However, his previous move was just a feint and he quickly moved to the left,
confusing the zombie for a moment.

Fu Xuefeng raised his sword high in the air and slashed down with all his might, shouting
to shake off his fears. Unfortunately, he couldn't concentrate due to his fear, so the
sword sliced off one of the zombie's arms instead of falling on its head.

However, he was not sad or disappointed; on the contrary, he was delighted. Because
he had finally realized that as long as he was a little careful, these mindless zombies
were not as dangerous as he thought!

Taking advantage of the zombie's weakened side due to the loss of a limb, Fu Xuefeng
silently slipped behind the zombie and with a strong slash without much skill, he easily
hacked off the infected creature's head.

[You have acquired the soul power of Normal Zombie level 3. Stamina +3.]

[You have leveled up to level 2. You have received 2 status points to distribute freely.]

As the zombie's body fell forward and blood stained the ground, Fu Xuefeng was
surprised when several green letters flashed in his retina.

In the end, the 19-year-old was so shocked that he stood there in a daze.

"Congratulations on officially entering the path of evolution." Bai Zemin's voice snapped
him out of his surprise. He looked at him and asked, "I did?"

Bai Zemin didn't know whether to laugh or cry seeing the guy's dumbfounded face. In a
serious voice, he said, "If it wasn't you who did it, then who was it?"

"I did it... I did it! Hahaha! I finally killed my first zombie!" Fu Xuefeng shouted without
caring whether he attracted another monster or not.
Bai Zemin simply looked at him but did not stop him. This guy was not only expressing his
joy, but he was also shouting to shake off the lingering fear that still remained in him.
After all, it wasn't easy to step forward to battle against death when you know that
someone else was willing to do it for you.

Moreover, none of those present mocked Fu Xuefent's childish attitude. On the

contrary, they all looked at him with astonishment and disbelief while the looks of
ridicule and disdain were long gone.

Fu Xuefeng suddenly ran forward and picked up a white scroll that had fallen from the
zombie. Although he hesitated for a moment after knowing what it was, he gritted his
teeth and walked toward Bai Zemin as he said, "Big brother Bai, this skill, I give it to you."

"You give it to me?" Bai Zemin picked up the scroll in a daze. He definitely did not
expect this move.

[Stealth (First Order Active Skill) Level 1: Erases your presence to some extent while
weakening your body smell and the sound of your heart. It costs 10 Mana points to
activate and takes 4 Stamina points per minute to keep activated. After deactivation, it
has a cooldown time of 20 minutes].

"I give it to you. You use it." Bai Zemin handed the scroll back to him and shook his head.
He looked at him with appreciation and said, "Anyway, I never thought of taking what
rightfully belonged to you. However, I like grateful people like you. I just hope you can
continue to be like that and not get carried away by the emotion of the moment."

"Don't worry, big brother Bai. Although my family may be poor, my parents taught me
values. Favor with favor is repaid, and this favor is so great that I will never forget it!" Fu
Xuefeng clenched the skill scroll tightly and looked at Bai Zemin with eyes brimming with
gratitude.

Not only had Bai Zemin given him the courage he needed to fight, but he also spoke to
him with respect and had even allowed him to keep a supernatural skill like the one in
his hands. In this world where the strong devoured and fed on the weak, a skill, as
useless as it seemed, was no different than possessing another life-saving source in times
of need.

"Go get some rest for now. Also, I advise you to add your status points to Agility and
Stamina. That way, with your Stealth skill, you could become a terrific assassin." Bai
Zemin gently patted his shoulder and advised honestly.

Without hesitation, Fu Xuefeng wished to learn the skill just as Bai Zemin had told him.
Then, he silently handed the sword back to him before returning to the crowd with his
back straight. Those who had previously glared at him now did not dare to stare at him
for more than a second before looking away.

Now that his initial fear was gone, as long as Fu Xuefeng maintained that courage and
as long as he was on good terms with one of the four main leaders of this group, his
strength would only increase more and more. No one was foolish enough to look for
trouble where there was none against such a person.

"You're a mind manipulator~" Lilith sneered beside him. However, even though it
seemed like she was mocking, her eyes glittered with appreciation as she said, "Inflict
fear first, then embarrass him with your previous talk to push them forward, finally give
him power and respect... Kya~ Little Zemin, big sister loves you more and more!"

Bai Zemin smiled slightly before turning around and walking back.

Indeed, Lilith was right. What he was doing was manipulation.

Right now, Bai Zemin might be much stronger than most. However, even he was not
able to fight against thousands of zombies; his Stamina would be drained sooner no
matter how high it was. Therefore, he urgently needed people able to follow him
willingly, people able to become his sword.

Lilith was also delighted that Bai Zemin had understood this so soon. After all, even she
herself was not invincible, let alone he who had barely taken his first steps in this new
world of evolution and death... Besides, Bai Zemin's move also suited what Lilith needed
and was a first step to what she hoped he could one day become.

The group of people soon left the corpse of the zombie decapitated by Fu Xuefeng;
their first of many to come.

Other zombies appeared along the way, but all were appropriately dealt with by the
main fighters, placating some of the survivors' fear. Soon, however, they saw several
buildings collapsed and crushed as if an earthquake had struck the earth during the
night and their gazes were filled with horror and shock.

What kind of creature could do such a thing?

Survivors were apprehensive about moving forward and many could not help but stop
in fear of what lay ahead.

Chapter 31 - Soul Stone

Not to mention the powerless survivors; even Chen He and Liang Peng had changes in
their expressions when they saw the debris of different sizes scattered everywhere. The
entire place looked as if several bombs had blown up the foundations of nearby
buildings and demolished them in the process!

"What... What happened here?" Chen He muttered dumbfounded. Although his words
were uttered unconsciously, everyone heard him clearly due to how awfully quiet the
atmosphere was.

"No need to worry." Bai Zemin broke the silence and continued to move forward.

"No need to worry..." Chen He looked at Bai Zemin's back and wondered if this person
had gone crazy. If there was no need to worry about this, then what were they going to
worry about? However, another person spoke up just then:

"Let's continue. It should be fine." Shangguan Bing Xue gently shook her head and also
slowly moved forward.

"This..." Chen He did not know what to say. His childhood friend had also gone crazy?
Since the world changed, Shangguan Bing Xue's attitude had changed a little
compared to his memories; this was something confused for the talented archer.

Actually, it wasn't that she had changed; Shangguan Bing Xue was simply adapting to
the new world and learning the new rules for survival. Simple as that.

Being forced by the fighters who protected both sides of the diamond, Chen He and
Liang Peng had no choice but to move forward. As a consequence, all the survivors
were forced to walk whether they wanted to or not, after all, they could not survive
alone as they lacked the power to do so.

***

"My God..."

"What... What is that creepy thing...?"

"Beetle? How can there be such a big beetle?!"

When the group of more than twenty people arrived at the place where the body of
the First Order Blazing Beetle lay inert, it didn't matter if it was Chen He and Liang Peng
or if it was a powerless survivor; they all gasped and took a step back.

Seeing the creature's body that was over three meters tall and looked similar to a small
flesh building, they were all shocked beyond words. Moreover, when they looked at
that mighty horn and its long legs, they all felt as if their hair stood on end just imagining
having to face something like that.

"What other monster could have been able to kill this terrifying beast?" Liang Peng
couldn't help but slowly reach out and touch the elephant beetle's shell only to be
surprised to realize that it felt like he was touching cold metal.

"Apparently the monster that fought this elephant beetle cut off a large part of its
head." Chen He noticed a large amount of dried blood running down the creature's
slashed neck and quickly came to the conclusion.

Shangguan Bing Xue simply stood silently as she stared at the giant beetle. Only she
knew that the cause of all this was probably the man who was even younger than her
and the person who had had the least interaction with the rest of the group.

"I wonder if the big monster that defeated this First Order beetle is also a monster in
bed~" Lilith joked as she listened to the humans' conversation. She would never miss a
chance to tease him as she loved his reactions.

As for the "monster" that had ended the life of the First Order Blazing Beetle, Bai Zemin,
he almost spits out two liters of old blood when he heard the words of the beautiful
succubus beside him.

This woman really didn't know when to give up! Bai Zemin secretly gritted his teeth,
trying not to imagine wild scenes.

Ignoring everyone's gaze and not caring about their comments, he walked towards the
head of the giant elephant beetle and jumped approximately three meters with a loud
stomp.

Seeing this scene everyone was amazed and astonished. A three-meter high jump was
something that in the past would be taken as superhuman, but now it was happening
before their very eyes.

Fu Xuefeng clenched his fists tightly as he secretly vowed to become powerful enough
to perform such feats. Cai Jingyi and the other two students also had resolute looks in
their eyes, further reinforcing the idea of becoming stronger.

"Are you sure it's here?" Bai Zemin whispered softly as he approached the giant beetle's
forehead.

"Little Zemin, are you doubting the older sister?" Lilith folded her arms, emphasizing her
already big attributes even more.
Cough... Bai Zemin quickly turned his gaze away as he secretly cursed her.

Without further ado and under everyone's confused gaze, Bai Zemin wielded the
Xuanyuan Sword and using the tip easily pierced the beetle's flesh. He cut several
centimeters deep until he reached about half a meter before finally stopping.

Bai Zemin stuck his right arm in as he put the sword down for a moment and rummaged
around before finally pulling his now blood-filled arm back out. However, his attention
was on the dark yellow rock the size of a baby's fist in his hands.

The rock was not perfect and had many imperfections in it. However, its glow was
extremely enchanting.

"That's a First Order Soul Stone fire element." Lilith nodded and slowly explained, "I had
previously overlooked it as it is not valuable to me, but to the current you, it is. Soul
Stones are used to evolve skills, boost the power of spells cast from the same element,
and can even boost treasures as long as you find a person with the Blacksmith class
and enough ability. In short, Soul Stones have many other uses that you will slowly learn
about."

Bai Zemin's eyes glittered when he heard her words. Such a treasure had almost been
overlooked and fortunately Lilith remembered it or else he would have no tears to cry
later.

The more time passed, the more he realized how valuable the help that Lilith was giving
him was. While he could learn all of this on his own as time went by, the truth was that it
was an extremely big advantage in the beginning.

Without saying a word, Bai Zemin took out a plastic bag from his backpack and
carefully put away the First Order Soul Stone before putting it back into his backpack.
Then, he took out an empty bottle and began to draw blood from the beetle.

He had not forgotten the requirements to evolve his Blood Manipulation skill to Second
Order. It was so difficult to defeat the First Order Blazing Beetle and his life was close to
ending on so many occasions that Bai Zemin couldn't even imagine defeating nine
other similar or more powerful creatures... Worse yet, he also needed to defeat a
Second Order monster!

One step at a time... One step at a time. Bai Zemin sighed as he continued his work.

While everyone was dumbfounded, Shangguan Bing Xue's beautiful eyes glittered and
without saying a word to anyone, she walked away from the group.
"Bing Xue? Where are you going?" Chen He called out to her but was completely
ignored.

A few seconds later and just when Bai Zemin had finished filling several bottles of blood
just in case, Shangguan Bing Xue came back walking like an ice goddess.

"That woman is smart." Lilith praised as she looked at the silver-haired woman. "She went
back to look for the body of the mutated dog that was frozen to death three days ago
to obtain its Soul Stone."

"What, those creatures have too?" Bai Zemin was dumbfounded.

"Not all of them." Lilith shook her head and slowly explained, "Even evolved creatures
don't necessarily form a Soul Stone. Besides, the value of an unranked creature is far less
valuable than a Soul Stone from an officially evolved creature... But still, it's valuable to
you."

F*ck its mother... Looks like I should go find the mantis corpse when I get the
opportunity. Bai Zemin sighed and after washing his hands with some water he climbed
down from the giant beetle's body.

Bang!

Suddenly a bang sound forced Bai Zemin to look in that direction and when he saw the
scene his face became a little strange. Not only he had that strange reaction; Chen
He, the rest of the survivors, and even the cold and indifferent Shangguan Bing Xue had
strange looks plastered on their faces.

Lilith looked at the scene with a touch of amusement as well, waiting to see what would
happen next.

Chapter 32 - Bai Zemin's Strength

No one knew exactly how it happened as everyone's attention was completely fixed
on the mysterious actions of Bai Zemin and the disappearance and appearance of
Shangguan Bing Xue. However, at this moment, the little giant Liang Peng was lying on
the ground, sitting on his butt while looking at the giant beetle in surprise.

"What happened?" Shangguan Bing Xue broke the awkward silence and asked with a
small frown.
Liang Peng didn't answer her and instead jumped off the ground as he shouted loudly,
"Damn it! This beetle's shell is so hard that even with my strength and hammer I can't
break it!"

Those survivors who were enduring the urge to laugh when they saw Liang Peng on the
ground turned pale when they heard this.

Liang Peng had been unconsciously considered as the person with the most physical
strength in the whole group because of his huge hammer and the ease with which he
wielded it. However, as one of the strongest in the group, even he could not break
through this beetle's defenses.

What did it mean not to be able to break through the enemy's defenses? It meant that
in the event of a battle, it was only a matter of time before he would have to retreat in
defeat or be killed.

Then, if a creature on the level of this giant beetle appeared, Liang Peng might have a
chance to flee. However, they were all weak people with average stats; if they were
left to their fate it would only be a matter of time before they died miserably.

Many young female students could not help but burst into tears again, realizing how
dangerous the world was now and how little life was worth.

"That big man looks like he graduated from a fool's college." Lilith couldn't help but
giggle softly as she played with her hair.

Bai Zemin frowned slightly at the growing fear of the survivors. At this rate, all his plans
would fly out the window before they were even put into action.

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Zemin slowly walked towards Liang Peng and
stretched out his right hand as he calmly said, "Can you lend me your hammer for a
moment?"

"What do you want it for?" Liang Peng looked at him suspiciously. His impression of Bai
Zemin was not very good at this point after what happened earlier in the gymnasium.

"Just to see if I can break through the beetle's defenses. Don't worry, I'll get it back to
you right away." Bai Zemin looked at him seriously and assured him.

Liang Peng looked at him as if he was an idiot and was about to say something when
suddenly an idea flashed in his mind. With a strange smile, he raised his hammer and
handed it to Bai Zemin, "Here."

"Thank you." Bai Zemin nodded and stretched his hand forward.
When Bai Zemin's hand came into contact with the hammer's handle, Liang Peng
scoffed and released his grip. However, the scene of Bai Zemin being sent to the
ground by the weight of the hammer did not happen, unlike what Liang Peng was
imagining in his mind.

"Uh?"

"Look! Bai Zemin can also hold Liang Peng's big hammer!"

"Not only that, he's doing it with one hand!"

Some people began to whisper softly amidst the sound of sobbing.

Chen He also blinked in surprise at Bai Zemin's physical strength. On the other hand,
Shangguan Bing Xue's blue eyes flashed as if she had finally confirmed her earlier
theory.

[Skull Breaking Hammer (Normal Treasure): A hammer over 2 meters long created with a
metal called Atium. It weighs 300 kilograms and is capable of crushing a medium sized
vehicle with ease if its wielder has enough power to wield it. When equipped, +20
Strength.]

The hammer was bright blue in color and while it brought the same amount of Strength
as Bai Zemin's Xuanyuan Sword, it was obvious from reading the description and seeing
the difficulties of lifting the hammer that his sword was superior in every aspect.

Bai Zemin took a big step forward as he lifted the hammer with his single healthy hand
and, after raising his right arm above his head with the hammer pointing towards the
sky, his 85 Strength points fully burst out as he smashed with all his power downwards.

The weight of the hammer together with Bai Zemin's total Strength being equivalent to
almost nine normal people before the evolution caused a loud bang as a result of the
sudden movement.

Boom!

After a loud boom and a small shockwave, several students could not help but fall to
the ground as they lost their balance when the ground beneath their feet shook from
the great weight of the weapon and the force with which it was used.

Everyone could not help but suck in a breath of cold air at the thought of what would
happen if that strike landed on them. Wouldn't they be crushed into meat paste?
Forget about them, even a normal house would collapse!
Bai Zemin looked at the cracks in the giant elephant beetle's shell and nodded
seemingly satisfied. He turned to look at Liang Peng, who was stunned looking at the
cracked shell and said casually, "It really is tough. It looks like I can't break it. Here,
thanks for your hammer."

After picking up the hammer, Liang Peng couldn't help but reach over and touch the
place where Bai Zemin had just banged.

Crack... Crack... Bang!

As if that was all that was necessary, when Liang Peng's hand came in contact with the
shell, over fifty centimeters of the shell dropped to the ground, revealing the flesh and
bloody cracks inside.

"This... Wasn't Bai Zemin supposed to be an evolved Agility type? Besides, his Strength is
even superior to Liang Peng's?" Chen He was dumbfounded as he looked at the
ground split by the weight of the beetle, the weight of the hammer, and the heavy
blow Bai Zemin had just made.

"Who knows. Even I haven't shown everything yet. Come, an idea occurred to me,"
Shangguan Bing Xue shook her head slightly before walking towards Bai Zemin and
Liang Peng,

"I guess everyone hides their own secrets." Chen He nodded. He followed Shangguan
Bing Xue and as he looked at her back he couldn't help but think under his breath,
"Although I wish you trusted me enough to not have secrets..."

...

"Then..." Bai Zemin looked at Shangguan Bing Xue and said with a somewhat surprised
tone, "You want us to use the beetle meat as food?"

Shangguan Bing Xue nodded indifferently and continued, "The energy called Mana
empowers the living beings in the world. Then, it is likely that the giant beetle's meat also
contains some remaining Mana. I assume that the probabilities that it is beneficial to the
human body are high and it is also a good source of food."

Apart from the four main leaders, Cai Jinyi was also present as she had demonstrated
good ideas during the early days of the evolutionary apocalypse. Meanwhile, the other
survivors were inside the pharmacy looking for and storing as much medicine and
medical utilities simple to move; in this world where unwanted surprises awaited in every
corner, it was unlikely that social order would be established soon and the laboratories
in charge of producing medicine would not be in operation either. Therefore, it was
best to get as much as possible now that they had the opportunity to do so.

"I think it's a good idea." Chen He agreed without hesitation.

Bai Zemin secretly sneered. As Shangguan Bing Xue's suitor, it was natural for Chen He
to agree with whatever she said.

Liang Peng and Cai Jingyi also agreed with her suggestion. Not only could they obtain
a source of food, but they could also fortify the body by consuming the monster's meat.
After all, the reason for the apocalypse was not a virus; the reason why everything
changed was caused by the Mana!

After some discussion, the five people finally came to the conclusion that they should
first secure the surroundings and get some tools to take care of the elephant beetle's
flesh: in the meantime, the monster's body could only stay here. No one was worried
about the meat suddenly going bad because as an energy booster, the Mana was
doing a good job.

Thirty minutes later, the group left the practically collapsed area and continued
advancing in a northwesterly direction. Although there was still medicine left in the
pharmacy, there were 2 survivors carrying 2 big backpacks each and some plastic
bags full of all kinds of medicines.

The next point the group was aiming for was a nearby restaurant in search of food,
being this place not only the closest but also the one that was relatively less ringed by
buildings in comparison, facilitating the vision of the surroundings, mobility, and
preventing them from being trapped in case a large group of zombies appeared
without warning.

***

Inside a three-story building that used to hold classes in the past, two people were
hiding next to the window looking out at the restaurant fifty meters distant.

This building that had previously been used to hold classes had now become a hellhole.
Blood stains were everywhere, tables and chairs turned carelessly over, doors broken...
The whole place was as if a hurricane had swept through it during the night and the
only two people alive were these two hidden people.

Three days had passed since the last time they had eaten something and finally,
hunger was beginning to overcome their sense of fear.
Chapter 33 - Arrogant And Vicious Qiao
Long (Part 1)
"He Yuhan, are you sure you want to do this?" asked one of the two surviving students
hiding in the building.

"Xu Fen, do we have any other choice?" He Yuhan, a tall and fit young man in his
twenties replied helplessly. "It's been almost seventy-two hours since I last tasted a bite
and my stomach roars as if a monster is hiding inside. If we don't take the risk now to get
some food, when our energy runs out it will be difficult to even move a single muscle."

Xu Fen's face was filled with helplessness. When had he ever had to go through such
suffering? Going hungry was something he had never expected to happen to him. In
the past, if he wanted something to eat, a call to a restaurant or a visit to a food center
was all he needed to satiate himself, but now all this had disappeared so abruptly that
it was hard to digest it all casually.

"I knew it. If we had stayed with the group, none of this-"

"Don't say any more!"

Xu Fen was muttering some reproachful words when He Yuhan's voice stopped him with
a shout that startled him. He Yuhan didn't seem to care if the zombies or some other
creature had heard his scream as he looked at his fellow survivor with eyes full of fury as
he growled, "You want to go back to that place? What for? Do you want to become
Qiao Long's bitch? Eh?!"

Xu Fen's face turned purple when he heard this and his heart filled with regret after
remembering everything Qiao Long had done during the three days they were in his
group.

"Poh..." He Yuhan spat on the ground as he cursed, "I'd rather starve to death or be
eaten by a zombie than stay with that wild dog surnamed Qiao! It had only been three
days but his humanity was already eaten by beasts!"

"Hey, look! Look over there!" Xu Fen suddenly interrupted his companion and quickly
tugged at his clothes to urge him to look out of the window.

With a face full of anger, grief, and helplessness, He Yuhan forced himself to calm down
and peeked his head out of the window. However, what he saw shocked him greatly
and he could not suck in a breath of cold air.
"Who... Who are these people? Are they still human or are they ghosts?"

***

The group of more than twenty survivors led by Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, Liang
Peng, and Bai Zemin finally arrived at the nearby street where the restaurant they
aimed for this time was located. The walk was slow due to the survivors' fear so it had
been another ten minutes since they left the place where the First Order Blazing Beetle's
corpse lay.

"How will we do it?" Bai Zemin asked casually as he looked at the surrounding two
hundred plus zombies.

"It's impossible to avoid a confrontation against them." Chen He surveyed the

surroundings before pointing. "I think the best idea is to let me lure them out slowly. That
way we can annihilate them all much easier after splitting them into smaller groups."

Because there were few buildings nearby, the zombies were quite scattered if
compared to other places and the odds of being ambushed by a creature were much
lower as well. However, the downside was that due to the lack of buildings when one
zombie was alerted, the others would also notice the nearby life force and they would
start moving in that direction.

"I get your idea though... Wouldn't it be easier if we just move forward and crush them
all?" Liang Peng couldn't help but point out.

Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him as if he was an idiot, however, she nodded to
express her agreement, "Underestimating the zombies is not good. But I also feel that it
would be easier to simply charge in and finish them off with a single strike to avoid
attracting too much attention for too long. Anyway with the strength of our group a few
hundred zombies shouldn't be any problem."

Although Shangguan Bing Xue did not agree with Liang Peng's attitude of
underestimating the enemy, she also felt that there was no need to give them
importance when they did not deserve it. It was precisely for this reason that she
accepted the proposal of the man with the hammer.

"Then let's get it over with." Bai Zemin didn't even wait for the others and charged
forward like a whirlwind. In less than three seconds he had already closed a distance of
several meters and found himself in front of the first zombie.
His right hand shook gently and the Xuanyuan Sword flashed with sharp light for a split
second. In the next instant, the zombie's head flew up and created a beautiful arc in
the sky as red blood spurted out like a fountain.

However, Bai Zemin had already left that place a long time ago so he could not even
smell the scent of blood, let alone see it.

[You have acquired level 4 Normal Zombie soul power].

[You have acquired level 3 Normal Zombie soul power].

[You have acquired level 4 Normal Zombie soul power].

...

Even after losing his Velocity Boots during his battle against the First Order Blazing Beetle,
Bai Zemin's Agility was still far superior to that of a normal person and most evolved
people. With 76 Agility points and being almost eight times faster than a normal person,
Bai Zemin's current speed had reached a point where he could move at approximately
one hundred kilometers per hour.

Unlike most automobiles that needed some time at first to get up to speed, making use
of his 85 Strength points to push himself with his legs, Bai Zemin could reach a speed of
0-100 kilometers per hour in just one second!

His body flickered through the crowd of zombies at astonishing speeds while small
explosions sounded every time one of his legs stomped the ground to propel himself
forward.

In less than five seconds, ten zombies had fallen to the ground decapitated and their
blood was slowly beginning to accumulate.

"No matter how many times I see it, that speed is insane..." Chen He couldn't help but
force a smile as he looked at the ongoing massacre. Was the help of the three of them
even necessary here to begin with?

"Let's go." Shangguan Bing Xue said indifferently as she took a step forward. Her body
moved like an ice butterfly and, although her speed was not as high as Bai Zemin's, she
was definitely not slow as even Chen He and Liang Peng were quickly left behind.

With a smooth wave of her hand, ten small ice bullets appeared out of nowhere, and
with another smooth movement gracefully the ten ice bullets silently pierced the heads
of ten zombies almost at the same time.
Although Shangguan Bing Xue might not be as fast or as strong as Bai Zemin since these
two stats of hers were lower than his, her crowd fighting ability was actually much more
efficient.

While it was true that Bai Zemin was not using his Blood Manipulation skill, the reality was
that Shangguan Bing Xue's ice bullet penetration ability was much higher. In addition,
her control over Mana was truly spectacular. Therefore, when she joined the battle she
had soon claimed the first place in kill count with Bai Zemin following closely behind.

Chen He sighed before drawing three arrows from the quiver on his back and placing
them in his bow. With a simple pull and release of the bowstring, the three arrows
soared through the skies like dragons and found themselves hitting three different
targets at exactly the same time. The next instant, another three arrows shot out and
three more zombies fell lifeless with an arrow stuck exactly in the middle of their
foreheads.

Although his killing speed was not as high in comparison to Shangguan Bing Xue, it was
only slightly lower than the speed at which Bai Zemin without using any skills cleared
enemies.

Chen He's skill was Professional Sniper and as long as he had the necessary weapon,
even a fly two kilometers away could not escape his shots.

Liang Peng snorted and seemed to take the zombie clearing as a competition. With a
fierce growl, his body suddenly swelled up and several parts of the clothes he was
wearing cracked,

Bang!

With a mighty stomp that left a crack in the ground beneath his feet, Liang Peng made
use of his monstrous strength to boost himself forward and with a ferocious blow, a
zombie was smashed to pieces as flesh and blood splattered everywhere. With another
heavy stomp, his body moved in a straight line towards the next target.

The survivors who had quietly stood by Chen He, who was constantly shooting arrows
while Fu Xuefeng hurriedly picked them up, looked at the scene unfolding before their
eyes with fervor and hope.

Being part of a group with four such powerful evolved ones and with others rising in the
near future, the chances of survival were undoubtedly much higher and the lifestyle
they could lead would undoubtedly be a lot better than those without power. Of
course, with the new rules in place today, they all knew that they had to work hard to
get a better living; but as long as they didn't have to fight a zombie or any other
creature, it was okay for them to do any job. That was precisely why these survivors had
the courage to go out to carry the food.

Chapter 34 - Arrogant And Vicious Qiao

Long (Part 2)
After about five minutes, all the zombies, even the farthest one in sight, had been
completely annihilated by the group of four.

Bai Zemin looked on indifferently as the blood of over two hundred zombies had
accumulated to form a large pool of blood. Although his expression was casual, several
thoughts flickered in his mind as he looked at his own status window.

The battle had lasted only a few minutes but Bai Zemin had consumed five Stamina
points. While it was true that five points were not much compared to his one hundred
and eighty total points, the reality was that this small scuffle against the zombies had
made Bai Zemin realize even more that even if he was strong he had not reached the
point of being able to take on an army of inexhaustible creatures that knew neither the
meaning of the word fear nor the meaning of the word pain.

A few hundred zombies was fine, but if there were several thousand of them, then even
Bai Zemin himself would have no choice but to retreat before his Stamina was
completely consumed, or else he would end up becoming zombie food.

Liang Peng was panting slightly, obviously his Stamina stats were not particularly high
and he had probably consumed even more than Bai Zemin, whose body had evolved
steadily and more evenly.

Chen He was picking up some arrows while rubbing his fingers softly, seemingly numb.
Moreover, his chest was rising and falling smoothly; even if he hadn't had to run all over
the place, the optimal concentration he had to exert to shoot three arrows at the same
time with total accuracy was not a simple thing and the pressure was immense for him.

As for Shangguan Bing Xue, she was as indifferent as ever and it was simply impossible
to know what was going through her mind.

Soon, the group of survivors entered the restaurant and began to inspect what they
could and could not take. As they passed by the blood-filled corpses, the smell of iron
assaulted their nostrils and many of them had to be supported by others in order to
move forward as their legs had softened to the point where they could fall to the
ground at any moment.

***

"What do we do?" Xu Fen whispered quietly as he looked out the window of the small
building.

He Yuhan was silent for more than a minute before finally saying somewhat hesitantly, "I
think we should try to contact them..."

"What?! And what if they also end up being just like Qiao Long and abuse of their
power?" Xu Fen didn't seem very willing. Although he had previously asked what to do,
he actually hoped not to have to leave this place.

Fear and the things he had seen over the past week had turned Xu Fen into a
frightened person who would rather starve to death than take the slightest risk.

He Yuhan also hesitated a little when he heard this. However, he shook his head and
said resolutely, "No, I don't think they are the same as that bitch surnamed Qiao! The
president of the student association Shangguan Bing Xue was with them and she is
known for her impartiality. Besides, as a woman, she definitely won't allow such
atrocious acts like Qiao Long committed to happen before her."

Xu Fen could not help but nod. He had also recognized Shangguan Bing Xue among
the survivors, she was an extremely strong and capable fighter with the ability to create
ice at will and control it as if it was something she had been doing all her life.

Considering that Shangguan Bing Xue was known to be extremely righteous in her
decisions in the past, Xu Fen believed that she would not turn into a beast with human
skin so soon.

"Besides, if we don't go with them, we'll die like starving dogs here... Worse yet, a zombie
might appear at night and eat us without us noticing!" He Yuhan shook his head and
slowly stood up, fighting the dizziness that struck him as a result of not having eaten
anything for three whole days.

Seeing him walk towards the door, Xu Fen gritted his teeth before standing up and
following closely behind.

***
The group of more than twenty survivors found plenty of food in the restaurant. The only
unfortunate thing was that most of the food was not durable as canned food was not
particularly popular here.

Even so, over thirty kg of rice, noodles, flour, and other miscellaneous items were found
that did not need any particular care except to be kept away from moisture. This type
of food could last a long time without too much specific care which was a good thing.

Apart from plain food, they also found white meat and red meat, but because the
gymnasium's refrigerator was not particularly large, they could only take a few kilos
before they had to leave the rest there since defrosted meat would not last long before
going bad anyway.

After filling approximately sixty backpacks with all kinds of food and drink, the group
that had found enough food to feed a hundred people for at least another two weeks
was about to leave when two people came into view.

"Other survivors?" Chen He was surprised and moved forward. However, before he
could go too far, Shangguan Bing Xue stopped him and gestured for him to stay in his
place.

She looked at the two people cautiously and asked, "My name is Shangguan Bing Xue,
may I know who you are?"

"Sh-Shangguan president... M-My name is He Yuhan, a third year student." He Yuhan

could not help but stammer nervously before introducing himself.

However, the other young man did not introduce himself and instead stared dazedly at
Shangguan Bing Xue with wide eyes.

What a beautiful woman! Xu Fen had never had the opportunity to see Shangguan
Bing Xue up close and this was the first time such an opportunity had come his way.
However, when he saw how beautiful she was, he could not help but be stupefied to
the point where his brain seemed to have stopped working.

Her cold face was like that of an ice angel and the curves of her body were so lovely
that even her dress could not fully cover them. Xu Fen felt all the lack of energy he felt
before disappear just by seeing her.

Shangguan Bing Xue couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows slightly and a look of disgust
flashed in her eyes. Although she was already used to such looks, such impudence to
stare at her undisguisedly was still unbearable.
"Hey, didn't anyone teach you politeness?" a cold voice snapped Xu Fen out of his
daze and he was startled when he saw Chen He staring at him with icy coldness.

Bai Zemin secretly raised an eyebrow. To think that this handsome and kind guy was
actually capable of speaking in that tone and giving that kind of look... Interesting, he
thought.

"I-I'm sorry!" Xu Fen blushed fiercely and quickly apologized before introducing himself.

The atmosphere became extremely awkward after what happened earlier and after
the introduction of the two newcomers, everyone fell silent.

"So..." Bai Zemin broke the silence as he looked at the two men around his own age and
questioned, "What do you guys want? Join our group?"

He Yuhan's eyes lit up and he nodded hurriedly, "That's right! We would like to join your
group! Although we can't fight, doing jobs like carrying food should be easy!"

He Yuhan was a smart guy. Previously he had seen how the survivors worked with the
food while the four fighters and three other people did nothing; therefore, he had
come to the conclusion that this was a group with certain tactical rules.

"That's good." Bai Zemin nodded with a small smile. "As long as you are not leeches, you
guys are welcome."

"Even if they are leeches we can't just let them die casually." Shangguan Bing Xue
pointed out.

Bai Zemin looked at her briefly before saying lightly, "Well, you'll have to give them some
of your food in that case. Personally, I am not anyone's father here. This group was
formed to survive and live better, not to drag burdens."

"Aren't your words a bit rude?" Chen He couldn't help but frown. To him, Shangguan
Bing Xue was the most important person in the world, even more than his family.
Therefore, he always cared about everything related to her.

"Hehe..." Bai Zemin chuckled before looking at him with a touch of sympathy as he said,
"Let me see how far you go with your kind-hearted mentality. When your kindness and
hesitation become an obstacle, your life will not be the only thing in danger."

Saying that, Bai Zemin's gaze momentarily paused on the silver-haired woman before
turning his attention away from this pair of strange friends.
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at Chen He and then looked at Bai Zemin who looked
casual. She sighed in her heart.

While it was true that Bai Zemin's words were not pleasant to listen to and Chen He was
helping her, the reality was that in this new world Bai Zemin's words were far more
logical. Moreover, while Chen He's personality was almost perfect, this was in the world
before the Soul Record came to this planet; in this new era, such a personality would
only attract troubles.

It was just that for her it was not simple to abandon people. She was raised in a very
powerful government family and Shangguan Bing Xue felt it was her responsibility to
protect others when in fact it was not.

Chapter 35 - Arrogant And Vicious Qiao

Long (Part 3-Last)
While He Yuhan and Xu Fen looked at the people who were apparently the leaders,
upon more careful observation they realized that the union of this group was not
particularly good. In fact, He Yuhan had subtly noticed that except for Shangguan Bing
Xue and Chen He, both famous people on campus, the guy with the sword whose
name was unknown to them and the leader of the team in charge of maintaining
guard Liang Peng were not particularly close to any person present.

Bai Zemin did not bother too much with useless introductions. While these people
claimed to be able to do some jobs without danger, what he lacked most now were
fighters. As for the matter of Chen He, he didn't even think about it for a second before
forgetting that.

Shangguan Bing Xue saw that Chen He's expression had turned a little ugly. As for Bai
Zemin's expression... He was so indifferent that he seemed to be competing with her.
Not wanting the group to have more problems than they already had, she looked at
the two foreigners and asked suspiciously, "You two, would you mind telling me how you
were able to survive for a whole week? Not only are you not evolved people who
absorbed Soul Power from the Soul Record, neither are there any particularly safe
places here to casually rest for six days without food."

Bai Zemin's ears twitched softly upon hearing this and he focused his attention on the
two people again. If it wasn't for Shangguan Bing Xue's sharp mind he really wouldn't
have cared about something as small as that; but now he really was curious.
Besides, he was still hoping to get information about the person who had conspired
against him three days ago.

While Bai Zemin was recovering from his most severe wounds, Lilith had told him that a
man who did not belong to the group he was part of had lured many zombies to
surround him after he finished his battle to the death against the First Order Blazing
Beetle. Back then, if not for Shangguan Bing Xue's timely appearance, Bai Zemin might
have actually died in that place.

It was precisely for this reason that his attitude towards her had become slightly more
tolerant as he knew he was in debt. Bai Zemin was always a person who remembered
favors... But he also remembered enmities.

In the past, a person close to him betrayed him in the cruelest way. As revenge, when
Bai Zemin recovered from his depression, he secretly sneaked into that person's
bedroom and broke his legs as well as his arms with a metal pipe during the night.

How could he forget about someone who intended to turn him into zombie food?

Although Bai Zemin did not expect to find such a person from the mouths of these
people, pleasant surprises still happened even in hell.

He Yuhan's eyes flashed with anger, reproach, sadness, and many complex emotions
when he heard Shangguan Bing Xue's question. In a low voice, he began to narrate the
events that he and Xu Fen had witnessed the first few days that the world changed.

Before everything became chaotic, He Yuhan was escorting his girlfriend back to the
women's dormitory after they had been together most of the day when the storm broke
out without warning. Not long after, He Yuhan felt as if he had been punched in the
stomach, forcing him to stop his steps in his tracks as he knelt on the ground.

The pain only lasted a few seconds, however, when he looked to his side, he was
shocked and startled to realize that his pretty girlfriend was standing under the rain in a
daze. He Yuhan tried to call out to her, but when he saw her dying white eyes he was
so frightened that he couldn't help but turn away... It was then that chaos erupted.

Being the closest building, He Yuhan ran to the female dormitory and locked himself in
a room before sealing the entrance with anything useful. A day later, the door was
broken down by a good-looking strong-muscled man named Qiao Long.

Qiao Long was a person who had trained hard in some kind of martial arts since
childhood so he somehow managed to kill several zombies, absorb Soul Power, and
evolve. However, his lucky break came when he encountered two high-level mutated
dogs seriously injured after fighting each other; taking the opportunity, Qiao Long killed
both mutated dogs and directly evolved to level 15.

However, Qiao Long was actually a cruel snake who hid his fangs behind his facade of
a handsome man. After gaining power, he understood and accepted very quickly that
the world and the rules of the past were no longer valid; the only valid rule in this new
world was that all rules were written by whoever had the strongest fist.

Having understood the whole situation, Qiao Long showed outstanding adaptability.
However, he also unleashed all his darkest desires without caring about anything but
enjoying the new life.

Within his group, Qiao Long had forced everyone to call him 'King'. As 'King, Qiao Long
naturally had his own harem which was composed of a total of eight beautiful female
students and two beautiful female teachers. Among these ten women, only four of
them were happy as they could eat the best food and have the backing of someone
strong; but the other six were unwilling.

Unfortunately, these women were weak and Qiao Long simply forced himself on them.

Qiao Long not only forced the women to serve him, but also ate the best food and
enjoyed the best treatment available within the group of survivors he had rescued. This
had naturally aroused the discontent of many people for which a group consisting of
five hot-blooded students stood up to confront him.

Too bad, these warm-blooded students were just normal people. How could five normal
human beings even compare to Qiao Long, who was not only versed in martial arts but
had even absorbed a vast amount of Soul Power higher than his own? Qiao Long broke
the legs of the five male students and threw them into a group of zombies while
laughing loudly as he watched them crawl with their hands and the slow zombies
chased after them at similar speeds.

In the end, due to the zombies' infinite stamina, the five students were eaten alive when
they exhausted all their strength. After this event, no one dared to oppose Qiao Long
anymore and he has been living a life of debauchery and uncontrolled while the rest
were living the life of cats and dogs.

After finishing narrating the story, He Yuhan explained that the reason why he and Xu
Fen managed to flee was because three days ago Qiao Long had returned frightened
for some reason and vented all his fear having physical relations with several of his
'imperial concubines'. Making use of this opportunity, they both fled during the night.
When the group of survivors heard about Qiao Long's actions most of them could not
help but suck in a breath of cold air. The women shuddered in terror at the thought of
leading a life worse than death and their eyes were filled with pain at the suffering
those people were experiencing.

He Yuhan's words also served to make everyone realize how fortunate they were. After
all, while the group had its own problems, at least everyone was relatively decent and
the four strongest leaders kept their sanity seemingly intact; even the lecherous Liang
Peng had not forced anyone to do anything obscene.

Suddenly the temperature of the place seemed to drop several degrees all at once
and the survivors could not help but recoil as they looked at the beautiful and usually
indifferent Shangguan Bing Xue with surprise and trepidation.

Even Bai Zemin, Chen He, and Liang Peng had to move several steps away as they
looked at her with different reactions.

A part of the ground under her feet had frozen completely while her eyes seemed to
burn with fire as she looked at He Yuhan. Very slowly, she uttered word by word, "You...
Lead me to the place where Qiao Long is."

Her voice was as cold as millennial ice that had been cut off from all warmth and
seemed to have forgotten all about emotions.

Chapter 36 - Bone-chilling Coldness

-In a building north of the university campus, fourth floor.

This place was previously used as an important meeting room by the teachers and
directors of the university, therefore, the decoration was quite elegant, the glass
windows were almost two meters high; which provided a beautiful view from the fourth
floor to the outside. However, while the view was beautiful, the danger was also high
because in this new world such a place without any protection was definitely not a
good place to stay too long.

A young man of about 21 or 22 whose face was quite handsome and whose body was
very fit was sitting in a leather chair while drinking a glass of whiskey.

While students was not hard allowed to drink alcohol on the university grounds
regardless of their age, the teachers had their own stocks so it was not easy for him to
find several bottles.
On the young man's lap was a beautiful female student about the same age as him.
This young woman smiled every time the young man said something and was clearly
trying to curry favor with him in any way possible.

This young man was Qiao Long.

"That little dog Su Min sure is arrogant." Qiao Long spat as he clung tightly to the
woman's slender waist in his embrace. "Does he think that just because he's a teacher
he can give me orders? Let's see if now that I've broken his legs he'll learn to be more
careful next time!"

The girl in his embrace shuddered imperceptibly at his words. With a flattering smile, she
kissed him and praised, "King Qiao, why bother with little flies? Who doesn't know that
your power is the only reason we are still alive?"

"Hahaha... My little Xiao Xiao is still the best!" Qiao Long laughed approvingly before
giving the beauty a deep kiss.

He loved the feeling of dominating the life and death of others. Even the women he
had slept with had to call him 'King' or else they would have to suffer his anger.

The girl's name was Xiao Xiao and she was a fourth year student. She was one of the
few women who was willing to give herself to Qiao Long of her own free will; she just
wanted to survive and lead a better life. Moreover, although she was scared of Qiao
Long and his wild acts, Xiao Xiao had also become accustomed to giving orders and
looking down on others with arrogance after only six days of apocalypse.

Bang!

The office door was opened with a bang and one of Qiao Long's cronies walked in with
a pale face as he urgently shouted, "King, those two little bitches Xu Fen and He Yuhan
are back!"

Qiao Long was about to curse this student for interrupting his moment of happiness,
however, when he heard his words, his eyes flashed viciously.

"Those two puny ants finally couldn't stand the hunger? Just wait until I get my hands on
them and let me watch them run away again!" Qiao Long gently pushed the woman
he was about to have a good time with and stood up as he walked to the exit.

The student buddy was surprised and quickly followed him as he hurriedly said, "King,
those two puny ants are not alone! There is a group of survivors of about twenty or thirty
people and among them is the number 1 beauty of our university!"
Qiao Long's footsteps stopped abruptly and he looked at the student with red eyes, "Is
that right?"

The student naturally understood the meaning behind that question. After so many
days of seeing Qiao Long's arrogant and confident attitude, this student knew that he
was not afraid of crowds.

"It's really her. I saw her with my own eyes! Shangguan Bing Xue was together with that
pretty face Chen He and two other guys I don't know!"

A huge smile appeared on Qiao Long's face and he walked out taking long strides as
he daydreamed about delighting with the body of the arrogant woman that countless
men were dreaming about; even teachers were secretly looking at the beauty
Shangguan Bing Xue.

As for Chen He and the other two strangers, Qiao Long ignored them completely.

Chen He came from a powerful family, this was something that everyone knew well
and it was also for this reason that no one dared to touch Shangguan Bing Xue, thinking
that he was her safeguard. However, few knew that she never trusted the protection of
anyone but herself.

But what good did it do to have a powerful family now? Weren't they all in the same
situation? Qiao Long was confident that as long as he did not meet that monster who
killed the beetle there was no one capable of defeating him in this university!

'However, that guy should be dead or at least seriously injured right now.' Qiao Long
thought as he headed for the exit of the building.

That night three days ago, Qiao Long was terrified when he saw the giant elephant
beetle; his whole being was screaming to run away and not to appear before that
creature. However, to Qiao Long's surprise and horror, one person actually dared to
face that beetle and actually emerged victorious... Qiao Long did not even dare to
think about what would happen if that person appeared before him one day as his
enemy.

Therefore, taking the opportunity of the fact that this person was injured after defeating
the elephant beetle, Qiao Long attracted a large number of zombies to surround such
a person. In fact, Qiao Long was so scared at that time that he did not even dare to
approach and left after attracting more than a hundred infected undead.
But Qiao Long did not believe that that unknown person would have survived and even
if he survived his injuries should be critical considering that fierce battle in the middle of
the storm.

***

Bai Zemin and the rest of the survivors advanced under He Yuhan's guidance.

Although He Yuhan was scared and did not want to see Qiao Long again for the rest of
his life if possible, under the death stare Shangguan Bing Xue was giving him he did not
dare to say no and could only lead the way obediently.

"Bing Xue, why don't you calm down a moment?" Chen He walked beside his best
friend and at the same time the only woman he had ever loved, trying to appease her
with a soft voice.

Unfortunately, all his efforts failed miserably.

Shangguan Bing Xue's gaze was fixed on the road before her and every time a zombie
dared to appear in her vision it was miserably slaughtered even before it could growl
twice.

Bai Zemin was quite surprised. Although in the past he was indifferent to everyone and
did not pay attention to anyone in particular, the reality was that it was impossible not
to know Shangguan Bing Xue unless one was not a student or teacher of this university.

However, that cold and indifferent Shangguan Bing Xue from the rumors and whom he
had known for a week seemed to have disappeared at this moment. While she was still
cold, that elegant coldness had disappeared and been replaced by deadly coldness
that no one would be willing to get too close to.

Chapter 37 - Having Power But Being Held

Back By Her Own Allies
Sensing Shangguan Bing Xue's extremely bad mood, none of the survivors dared to say
a word and continued carrying the heavy backpacks and bags full of food and drink.

"It's here..." Hesitantly, He Yuhan pointed to a four-story building one street away and
everyone stopped after hearing his words.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Shangguan Bing Xue nodded indifferently and slowly
walked forward with Chen He following close behind.

Liang Peng also followed a little behind. After all, as a member of this group,
Shangguan Bing Xue was an important asset and Liang Peng was not willing to see her
die as it would mean his own life would be harder from then on.

As for Bai Zemin, he mingled among the survivors and in a low voice that no one could
hear, he whispered, "Hey, Lilith... Is this the guy who tried to kill me three days ago?"

"Indeed, he's the one who attracted that crowd of zombies." Lilith nodded with a casual
smile as she floated several meters above the ground. With eyes full of curiosity, she
looked at Bai Zemin and asked, "What will you do?"

"Just wait and see." Bai Zemin replied indifferently. However, his eyes flashed with a hint
of coldness imperceptible to the naked eye.

You dare to try to kill me using the zombies? I will show you the consequences of having
failed then!

...

"Oh! It's really you, Shangguan Bing Xue!" Qiao Long exclaimed ecstatically as he
opened his arms wide. His eyes glittered with naked desire as he gazed at the curves of
the beautiful woman before him.

Shangguan Bing Xue was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in
his entire life! Only such a woman was truly worthy of being his queen!

"You are Qiao Long, the leader of this group who calls himself King?" Shangguan Bing
Xue's voice was bone-chilling as she looked at him coldly.

"That's right." Qiao Long did not contradict and confirmed as he nodded. He inspected
first Chen He and then Liang Peng before saying, "I see that you are also good fighters,
how about joining this King? I can promise you the best treatment and the best looking
women. Above all and only below one, me!"

Chen He looked at him as if he was an idiot. This person surely lost his brain just like the
zombies.

Liang Peng seemed tempted by the offer when he heard the word women, but finally
sighed as he muttered 'what a pity' over and over again.
Shangguan Bing Xue was clearly not in the mood to listen any nonsense. She waved
her right hand gently and two ice pikes appeared floating above her head before
shooting out towards Qiao Long's arms; she clearly intended to disable him
immediately.

"Since you won't agree to be mine for good, then I'll make you my personal bitch when
I get my hands on you!" Qiao Long snorted in response. He was already expecting
things not to go his way so he was secretly on his guard.

"Break!" Qiao Long shouted and punched a fist forward.

Bang!

Qiao Long's punch seemed to be strong enough to make the air in front of him bang
noisily. As if an air cannon had formed after that blow, Shangguan Bing Xue's two ice
pikes were shattered by the strong pressure.

With a stomp, Qiao Long's body shot forward at full speed while staring at Shangguan
Bing Xue and having identified her as a ranged fighter.

Shangguan Bing Xue's expression remained unchanged. With a wave of her hand, ten
ice pikes appeared above her head and shot towards the enemy.

Seeing the ten ice pikes approaching at full speed, Qiao Long's face changed slightly
and he was forced to jump to the side. He had barely rolled on the ground and
dodged three pikes when the other seven changed course and continued to pursue
him.

In response, Qiao Long clenched both fists and launched a flurry of punches forward.

Bang...Bang...Bang...Bang....

In a moment, the seven ice pikes were crushed into tiny pieces of ice that fell
powerlessly on the ground.

In retaliation, Qiao Long clenched both fists and fiercely punched forward while glaring
at Chen He and Liang Peng. The air blasted noisily and two air cannons shot out toward
the two men who apparently had no intention of participating.

The two men were stupefied. Neither of them expected that this person would suddenly
attack them when he was fighting another person.

Shangguan Bing Xue's face finally had a slight change upon seeing this. Without delay,
she waved both hands and two thin walls of ice appeared in front of the two men.
Bang!

Bang!

The two thin walls of ice were crushed by the force of the air cannon, but they
managed to stop the sneak attack successfully. Unfortunately, Shangguan Bing Xue
had spent a lot of mana to create those two ice walls; after all, her Ice Maker skill was a
First Order skill and she did not have perfect control over it.

"Hehehe..." Qiao Long laughed and charged forward as he took the opportunity of lack
of attacks.

"Damn bastard!" Chen He blushed in embarrassment and couldn't help but curse. If it
wasn't for Shangguan Bing Xue he might have been seriously injured or even killed by
the previous attack! But worst of all was that because of him she had to face incoming
troubles.

With swift and expert movements, Chen He pulled out three arrows from the quiver on
his back and with fiery anger shot the three arrows towards Qiao Long.

"Are you still trying to be soft? You trash!" Qiao Long looked at Chen He and sneered.
With a strong punch, the three arrows aimed at his limbs were easily torn apart.

Shangguan Bing Xue crafted twenty ice bullets and shot them all forward at the same
time. She no longer seemed to care about her enemy's life as many attacks targeted
areas like the head and heart.

Qiao Long also noticed the change in the pattern of enemy attacks and immediately
realized that, to his frustration, he was actually weaker than her. With no other choice,
he was forced to change his strategy.

While Shangguan Bing Xue thought that Qiao Long would continue charging towards
her, he suddenly turned his body and charged towards Chen He, who was still shocked
by the ease with which his attack was crushed.

"Chen He, watch out!" Shangguan Bing Xue couldn't help but exclaim as she built up a
wall of ice in front of him.

"HAHAHAHA. You fall little beauty~" Qiao Long laughed out loud like a lunatic whose
plan succeeded. A whirlwind of wind appeared under his feet and his speed soared to
new heights.

Under everyone's dumbfounded gaze, Qiao Long dashed toward Shangguan Bing Xue
once again. However, she had no time to create more attacks this time since she was
still dazed by what had just happened. Powerless, she could only watch as his hand
stretched forward in an attempt to catch her.

"How dare you, you damn brat!" an enraged roar sounded from the side followed by a
loud pressure.

Qiao Long's face turned pale when he saw a huge hammer just a meter away from his
head. If that blow reached him, forget about being seriously injured; his head would
undoubtedly explode into several hundred pieces!

Chapter 38 - Killing Without Remorse (Part

1)
Surprisingly, instead of backing away, Qiao Long gritted his teeth and punched his fist
forward.

Boom!

A powerful air cannon collided with the huge hammer, stopping the attack and giving
Qiao Long time to retreat and change direction. At the same time, Liang Peng's timely
interruption ended up buying Shangguan Bing Xue the necessary time.

Among the crowd of survivors, Bai Zemin looked at everything coolly.

"What a surprise..." Lilith's voice sounded beside him. "To think that human actually has a
skill as strong as your Blood Manipulation."

"No. His skill is weaker." Bai Zemin shook his head softly and replied in a whisper.

"Good. It's true that in advanced stages your skill is stronger... But how do you know?"
Lilith looked at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for his answer.

"Instinct." Bai Zemin smiled slightly.

"Bah." Lilith rolled her eyes.

Qiao Long was really strong. Although not as much as Shangguan Bing Xue, he was
powerful. His skill had already been discovered by Bai Zemin and was indeed very
strong; however, it was strong in the initial stages, Bai Zemin knew that his Blood
Manipulation skill was going to become extremely horrifying in the future. On the other
hand, Qiao Long's skill would only become more and more insignificant in comparison.
"Why don't you go and finish him off?" Lilith was getting a little bored and apparently
wanted to see some blood.

"Although I know I am strong, in my battle against the Blazing Beetle the reason I
survived and emerged victorious was because of my intelligence and not my strength
as I was clearly weaker." Bai Zemin narrowed his eyes and a strange glint flashed deep
inside it. "Now, we are all in the same group, but in the future, it won't necessarily be like
that."

Lilith's eyes widened and she looked at him with noticeable surprise as she asked in
amazement, "You... Are you studying the strength and weaknesses of each of them?"

Bai Zemin smiled faintly but did not reply, instead, he focused on the movements of
Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Liang Peng.

Know what you are capable of doing, learn about your enemy, plan, and you will
emerge invincible in every battle. This was a proverb that Bai Zemin had been fond of
since he was young.

Although he and they were currently allies, Bai Zemin had already suffered an
assassination attempt from a person he did not even know. Bai Zemin had no desire to
be stabbed in the back ever again in his life, once in the past was enough.

"Better safe than sorry." He whispered to himself.

As she looked at Bai Zemin acting as if he was a computer, Lilith couldn't help but feel
even a bit of pity in the midst of her happiness. She was happy that he thought that
way since his survival would be much smoother and the probability of him dying would
be much lower... However, she also felt pity as he was changing too fast. Compared to
that young man she had seen for the first time, that young man who had been scared
when he saw his first zombie and even screamed when he saw the level 5 Big Bee, the
current he was a lot more cold and cold-hearted.

What skill did he acquire? Lilith was going crazy trying to find out but she couldn't get to
the answer she was looking for.

It was simply impossible for him to change so much in just six days. Therefore, he must
have acquired a powerful passive skill but with side effects as a consequence.

As Lilith looked at him with complicated emotions, while Bai Zemin analyzed the
movements of each evolved, the battle continued,
Shangguan Bing Xue was clearly stronger, but Qiao Long was extremely cunning and
used Chen He's safety to force her to stop her ice attacks and erect defensive walls,
which was causing her to expend a large amount of Mana.

Qiao Long naturally knew that the two of them were friends since they were young,
after all, Shagguan Bing Xue and Chen He were both well-known characters before the
apocalypse. Therefore, he used this against them.

Chen He was strong, but his forte was in ranged attacks. However, every time he
wanted to move away, Qiao Long would appear before him at higher speeds than him
so he was completely and utterly suppressed.

As for Liang Peng, although he possessed the power to threaten Qiao Long's life, his
Agility was simply too low to catch up with him. Therefore, Liang Peng stood beside
Shangguan Bing Xue without allowing Qiao Long a chance to get close.

"Bai Zemin, what are you doing? You still don't plan to move?" Shangguan Bing Xue
finally couldn't help but get frustrated and shouted out loud while looking back.

She really intended to kill Qiao Long, but he was like a slippery cockroach running
around. As if that wasn't enough, she had exhausted almost all of her Mana protecting
Chen He and her mood had turned extremely ugly at this moment.

Qiao Long's face changed when he heard Shangguan Bing Xue's words and he
hurriedly retreated while making use of two air cannons under his feet. Currently he was
already in huge trouble, if another evolved appeared then it was likely that he would
have no choice but to retreat.

"Sure. I just thought you wanted to do it by yourself." Bai Zemin walked out with casual
steps as he looked at Qiao Long with a smile that wasn't a smile.

"It's you!"

When Qiao Long saw him, his pupils contracted to the size of a needle and he couldn't
help but gasp. In fact, he was shocked to the point where he couldn't help but yell out.

Although it was dark that night and Qiao Long had not been able to make out Bai
Zemin's appearance, the black coat and the sword in his hand were something Qiao
Long would never forget no matter what.

"I'm glad you remember me." Bai Zemin nodded with a smile, as if greeting an old
friend. Since Qiao Long wasn't playing dumb, it was easier for him to not have to beat
around the bush.
"You know this scumbag?" Shangguan Bing Xue looked at Bai Zemin cautiously and
walked away from him.

Bai Zemin looked at her and instead of answering, he asked, "That stormy night three
days ago, the reason those zombies surrounded me was because of him. Do you think I
know him or not?"

At first, she was surprised. However, she soon let out a small sigh of relief. Since Qiao
Long had planned to kill him, that meant they were not friends; if Bai Zemin and Qiao
Long were friends and joined forces, then things would be difficult.

Bang!

Qiao Long's face turned pale and without even a moment's hesitation, he turned
around to flee. The ground under his feet cracked slightly due to the air cannons and
he sped away.

The people in Qiao Long's group were shocked to the point of not being able to
believe what they were seeing. He, who was arrogant as hell and called himself 'King'
was actually running away like a cowardly chicken?

But how could Bai Zemin allow him to come and go at will?

"Where do you think you are going?"

Suddenly, Qiao Long's footsteps stopped abruptly. A moment later, he spat out a
mouthful of fresh blood and knelt on the ground while clutching his stomach growling
lowly.

Bai Zemin approached step by step and without haste. At this point, he didn't mind
showing off a bit of his main skill... Anyway, it was unlikely that anyone would be able to
identify it with such little testing.

Arriving next to Qiao Long, Bai Zemin squatted down and with his healthy hand
grabbed him by the hair, forcing his head up and to look directly into his eyes.

"Ugh..." Qiao Long couldn't help but grimace in pain. However, when he looked into Bai
Zemin's eyes, he was so startled that for a moment he forgot the pain he was feeling.

Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes were cold by nature and it was as if all her life she had had
that frozen gaze with no sign of emotion. But the coldness emanating from Bai Zemin's
gaze was brimming with a cruelty that seemed to come from every fiber of his being.

"A little bird told me that you like to play with zombies? Sounds interesting!"
hapter 39 - Killing Without Remorse (Part
2-Last)
"A little bird told me that you like to play with zombies? Sounds interesting!"

Hearing the words that Bai Zemin had just spoken, the crowd of people inside the building who
were silently observing the battle and the survivors who were guided by He Yuhan could not
help but gasp.

What did Bai Zemin mean by 'play with zombies'? Of course they all understood! How could
they not understand the intention behind those words? After all, while the group of survivors led
by Qiao Long had seen him throw live people to the zombies, the group led by Bai Zemin and
the others had heard the story of the events less than an hour ago!

Chen He's face turned a little ugly when he heard this. Even now he couldn't just casually go
and kill a person. Being raised in a family with a military background, Chen He always believed
and still now did believe that criminals should face the law.

"This person is crazy? He's joking, isn't he?" Chen He asked dumbfounded.

"Who knows..." Shangguan Bing Xue replied absently and without much interest. Currently, her
thoughts were on something else.

What happened just now? Why did Qiao Long, who was acting all powerful just a moment ago,
suddenly become as weak as an insect and coughed up a mouthful of blood? Shangguan Bing
Xue was trying to find answers to these questions while looking at Bai Zemin with eyes filled
with doubt.

''Bing Xue, are you okay with this? Your family won't accept it either if they find out...
Considering how many witnesses there are here..." Chen He hesitated for a moment before
pointing. From his point of view, while it was true that the world had changed, it was impossible
that the army could not defeat the zombies considering how slow they were.

It was only a matter of time before everything regained a certain level of normalcy and even if
the world could no longer return to the way it was, it was only natural to Chen He that the laws
would be enforced.

Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him a little exasperated. She knew that Chen He was saying
those words to stop Bai Zemin out of kindness, but that kindness in this world without rules was
somewhat annoying.

"Then you want me to kill him?" she asked casually, as if killing a person was not difficult at all.
"With my family backing me up, even if I kill him in front of so many people it should be fine."

"What? That's not what I meant and you know it!" Chen He couldn't help but look at her as if she
was crazy.
"Anyway, that scum will die in one way or another." Shangguan Bing Xue shook her head
before looking at Qiao Long with disgust and hatred. "Such a scum of a man.... That's why they
shouldn't exist to begin with."

Chen He was slightly dumbfounded as he heard her final words. In the end, he could only sigh
as his eyes flashed with complex emotions.

* * * (binabasa mo ba talaga?) haha pahinga ka muna .. love you :*

On the other hand, while the survivors were looking at him with terror and while Chen He and
Shangguan Bing Xue had different thoughts about the current situation, Bai Zemin was dragging
Qiao Long on the ground as if he was a broken rag.

"Let me go, you f*cking bastard!" Qiao Long roared furiously and tried to activate his skill to free
himself. However...

Cough!

Qiao Long felt all his internal organs clench, it was as if they were about to break into pieces. In
the end, he couldn't help but cough out a mouthful of blood for the second time.

"What... What's going on?" Qiao Long was scared. The pain was so great that it was about to
become unbearable!

"You can't activate your Air Manipulation skill right?" Bai Zemin questioned indifferently as he
continued to drag Qiao Long on the ground.

Bai Zemin's hand was like a pair of unbreakable iron pincers that clung tightly to Qiao Long's
head unwilling to let go.

"What... How do you know the name of my skill?" Qiao Long looked at him as if he was looking
at a ghost in broad daylight.

"Hmm... About that..." Bai Zemin replied unhurriedly as he stopped and smiled slightly at the
group of ten zombies slowly approaching.

Due to the sound of the previous battle, some creatures were attracted so Bai Zemin hadn't
even walked thirty meters before a group of zombies came into view.

"While you were fighting before I noticed that you were trying to hide your skill by using your
fists." Bai Zemin explained as he released his grip on Qiao Long.

Qiao Long wanted to take the opportunity to run away, but before he could react, Bai Zemin had
already struck with his right leg.

"Arghhh! You damn bastard! I'll kill you! I swear to god I'll kill you!!!" Qiao Long cried out in pain
as he felt the bones in his leg breaking into pieces. His eyes widened as he glared at Bai Zemin
as a bloodthirsty demon.

Bai Zemin did not even react to his threat and kicked his other leg again with all his strength.
The bones of Qiao Long's other leg were also crushed into countless pieces and his sharp cry
of pain echoed everywhere.
"As I was telling you before." Bai Zemin looked at him with a smile and explained, "Although you
were hiding your skill well, you made a very big mistake when you boosted your speed. That's
when I realized that your skill was similar to mine."

Bai Zemin ignored the look of hatred, fear, and surprise on Qiao Long's face. Instead, he looked
at Lilith with a smile and said casually, "You see? Even if there is air in the entire atmosphere
and this trash's skill is stronger than my Blood Manipulation at the beginning, what good is it if
he can't activate it?"

"You..." Lilith looked at him as if he was a monster.

Not only was Bai Zemin many times stronger than his actual level, but he did not get carried
away by that strength and instead analyzed each situation carefully in detail before stepping
forward. This was extremely alarming!

Because the Higher Existences were precisely superior beings to the Lower Existences,
everyone disdained them and gave them no importance. However, Lilith opened her eyes again
as she looked at the glint of indifference in Bai Zemin's gaze.

"Bai Zemin, what skill did you obtain back then?" She finally couldn't help but ask.

"That's a secret for now." He replied as he looked at the zombies approaching step by step.

"You do realize that your behavior isn't normal, right?" Lilith frowned a bit worriedly. "If I'm not
mistaken, this should be the first time you're going to kill a person but your hand didn't even
flinch for a second and your gaze doesn't even have a wave in it... Do you think that the past
you would act like this?"

Bai Zemin was a bit surprised when he heard this and frowned as he realized that Lilith was a
bit right.

Indeed, he did not feel that he was doing anything wrong nor did he feel fear for what he was
about to do. Was this the effect of the Stone Heart skill? Bai Zemin analyzed the situation.
However, he shook his head gently and replied indifferently, "It doesn't matter. This person
wanted to kill me and separate me from my loved ones. Therefore, I will kill him. Is it wrong?"

"No... It's not that it's wrong..." Lilith didn't know what to answer.

Was it wrong? Of course it wasn't wrong and she was happy that he understood that. However,
her happiness couldn't help but be dampened by the realization that at this point he was
beginning to look more like a machine calculating advantages and disadvantages than a human
being... From this point of view, the current Bai Zemin was not much different from the Higher
Existences.

Qiao Long screamed in terror when he felt the zombies' closeness and their growls. He tried to
activate his Air Manipulation skill but all his tries were crushed by the sickening pain he felt
every time Bai Zemin activated his Blood Manipulation skill.

"As long as it is for my sake and the sake of my loved ones, even if I have to kill hundreds of
people I can kill without remorse." Bai Zemin said indifferently and slowly walked away while
muttering to himself as if to reinforce that thought even more.
Chapter 40 - Differences & Similarities
(Part 1)
"D-Don't come close to me, you damn creatures!" Qiao Long crawled backwards with his hands
as he activated his Air Manipulation skill, demonstrating that the use of his fists earlier was only
to hide the true nature of his skill, just as Bai Zemin had said before.

Bang!... Bang!... Bang!

Three air cannons blew off the heads of three zombies and the ground soon became a bloody
mess. Immediately afterwards, three other oversized air cannons exploded the heads of three
other nearby zombies.

However, to Qiao Long's horror, when he wanted to create another three air cannons he
realized that he had no more Mana left!

In their previous battle, Shangguan Bing Xue had not been the only one who had consumed a
lot of Mana; Qiao Long was the same. Due to the sharp and dangerous attacks that she was
making with the intention of killing him, Qiao Long was forced to push his skill to the maximum
possible and unfortunately to him, Shangguan Bing Xue's Ice Maker skill was his perfect
counter as she could create walls of ice to defend against his cannons and ice bullets or ice
pikes to keep him away from her.

Qiao Long's Air Manipulation skill allowed him to control the air near him, but unlike Bai Zemin's
Blood Manipulation skill, Qiao Long could not control the air inside people; each skill had its
pros and cons. However, both were very powerful.

"The Mana consumption of powerful skills is also much higher than normal." Bai Zemin's voice
getting farther and farther away reached Qiao Long's ears.

Under his terrified and panicked gaze, a zombie reached forward and grabbed his head before
taking a sharp bite on his face.

"Aaargh!!! It hurts!!!! It hurts so much!"

Another zombie knelt down beside him and bit onto his arm, tearing off a large chunk of flesh in
the process.

"Help me! I'm sorry for what I did before!"

A third zombie latched onto his other arm and began to eat his hand, tearing off two fingers with
a single bite.

"I'm willing to be your dog! I'll work like a mule to death for you!"

...
Qiao Long's desperate screams echoed everywhere causing his voice to bounce between the
nearby buildings, creating a great high-pitched echo that shook the eardrums of all those who
heard it.

Under the care of four zombies, Qiao Long was bitten all over to the point where his body had
become a mess of blood and flesh. His screams of pain and agony stopped when one of the
zombies bit his throat.

The survivors shuddered in fear as they witnessed such a horrific scene with their own eyes.
Something that should only happen in movies, novels, or fantasy books was actually happening
before them without any censorship and leaving nothing to the imagination!

Everyone's gaze was unconsciously directed at Bai Zemin, who was about twenty meters away.
However, none of them dared to look at him for more than a few seconds before hurriedly
looking away as if they were afraid that he would suddenly throw them into the zombies. Even
the teachers inside the building where the group rescued by Qiao Long was in the past were
looking at Bai Zemin with surprise and trepidation.

Who would have thought that this young man could actually be so cruel! But the most surprising
thing was that his expression was so indifferent as if what he had just done was none of his
business!

However, there were some people who looked at Qiao Long's death with endless hatred, and
when their gazes fell on Bai Zemin's back that hatred turned to gratitude; these people were the
women who had suffered from Qiao Long's tyranny.

After being abused and objectified for almost a week, these women were willing to do anything
to get revenge. Too bad, they were too weak to do anything about it. But Bai Zemin's
appearance was similar to the sun rising after such a long time of darkness.

"How ironic, this guy, who could have been one of the strongest powers of the mankind in the
future to fight against the different races, actually ended up dying at the hands of another
human less than a week after acquiring his powers," Lilith commented with a casual smile as
she watched Qiao Long being slowly devoured. She was obviously already used to such sights.

In fact, Qiao Long was destined to be someone great and with his skill Air Manipulation as his
mainstay, as long as he didn't encounter monsters of a higher Order, surviving shouldn't be
much of a problem for him.

"That bright destiny vanished that thunderstorm night three days ago when he tried to kill me."
Bai Zemin finished as he took a step forward.

Swoosh!... Swoosh!... Swoosh!... Swoosh!

Making four slashes at lightning speed, four heads flew through the air right before falling to the
ground and rolling a couple of times before finally stopping.

Ignoring the approaching zombies, Bai Zemin crouched down next to Qiao Long's shattered
corpse and couldn't help but frown slightly at the incredibly gruesome and disgusting sight.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, he began to rummage through the body before finally finding
some interesting things.
[Hurricane Necklace (Rare Grade Treasure): Contains great wind-like elemental power inside.
Once a day it can release a hurricane in a straight line and send nearby targets flying. When
equipped, Magic +10].

[Draughtbane Dagger (Normal Grade Treasure): An easy to conceal and easy to carry dagger
created with a metal called Harbenite. It is harder than steel and lighter than cork. When
equipped, Strength +5].

Although there were only two treasures in Qiao Long's body, they were two new items for Bai
Zemin.

By defeating human powerhouses, it was not only possible to acquire Soul Power and
experience just like with monsters, but also to obtain all the items that the loser had gathered
and accumulated. Of course, while it was true that the higher the level of the enemy and the
greater the number of treasures they possessed turned a person into a walking treasure trove,
the reality was that defeating such beings was also proportionally difficult.

Moreover, although the current Bai Zemin had no qualms about killing people, he did not
consider himself a mad machine who killed people just to gather a couple of treasures. As long
as someone did not obstruct his path, Bai Zemin would not consider that person his enemy and
therefore would not attack them either.

However, just because Bai Zemin thought that way did not mean that everyone thought that
way. There would definitely be people who would hunt humans to take their belongings.

Bai Zemin's face suddenly changed, but he soon relaxed.

Swoosh!

An ice bullet shot out from the distance and accurately hit the head of Qiao Long's corpse.
Surprisingly, after penetrating the brain, the ice bullet released a terrifying amount of frost that
froze practically the entire head in and turned it into an ice cube.

"Even though that scum's life was over after being devoured by those zombies, he could still
become one of them." A light voice sounded a few meters away.

Raising his head slightly, Bai Zemin saw Shangguan Bing Xue approaching. Behind her, Chen
He and Liang Peng were looking at him with different emotions but both shared one thing; a
touch of fear and wariness.

Clearly what Bai Zemin had just done had shocked the two men too much and his figure had
been etched in their minds as someone dangerous.

Chapter 41 - Differences & Similarities

(Part 2-Last)
In fact, one of the main reasons why both, Chen He and Liang Peng, were furious with Qiao
Long other than his inhumane mistreatment was because he had thrown several people alive to
the zombies. To commit such a cruel act only six days after the world changed one needed to
be extremely vicious and have a heart with no feelings for anyone in particular.

So what about what Bai Zemin had just done? They had personally seen him throw Qiao Long
invalid to be eaten alive by the zombies. They heard his screams of terror and heart-wrenching
pain every time a zombie scratched or bit him.

However, even when they were all shuddering in fear in the back, Bai Zemin had always been
watching everything with indifference... From Chen He and Liang Peng's point of view, only a
cruel person who had probably already killed in the past could kill another living being without
compassion and without flinching. Of course, there could be other reasons as well... But it was
always easier to think of the worst in people; this was a human quality after all.

While it was impossible for Bai Zemin to know the thoughts of the two men in front of him,
considering that their eyes were somewhat erratic just like the look that 90% of the survivors
were giving him at the moment, Bai Zemin could judge and get an idea of what they were
feeling.

However, what surprised him remarkably was that the gaze in Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes had
not changed as she looked at him. There wasn't even a hint of fear in those bright blue eyes...
In contrast, there was even less disgust in her gaze.

Bai Zemin stood up and dusted off his knees before looking at her and asking with a raised
eyebrow, "You're not scared of me?"

"Scared? Of what?" Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him dubiously before looking at Qiao Long's
lifeless corpse and asking rhetorically, "I should be afraid of you for killing this scum? It's not like
you killed an innocent person and just... You took out the trash. Is there something wrong with
it?"

Bai Zemin was really shocked by her words. However, soon he shook his head softly before
chuckling lightly and walking away, Unfortunately, before the thought 'this woman is interesting'
appeared in his mind, Shangguan Bing Xue's voice stopped him.

"Wait a second."

With a dubious look, he turned around and looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say.
However, all Shangguan Bing Xue did was stretch a hand forward and stared at him.

Bai Zemin looked at her without imperfections white hand and then looked into her eyes as he
asked with a slight frown, "What's wrong?"

For the first time in his life, Bai Zemin saw Shangguan Bing Xue smile when he asked that
question. Her smile was beautiful to the point where it seemed to have the ability to freeze the
entire world as no one would be willing to miss the chance to see it; in fact, all of Shangguan
Bing Xue's overall beauty had easily increased by 100% just by smiling.

Unfortunately, Bai Zemin did not have much time to appreciate such a beautiful sight as the
following words pronounced by Shangguan Bing Xue completely destroyed it.
"Don't you think you owe me a treasure? For better or worse, the reason you were able to take
care of this Qiao Long trash was because I exhausted most of his Mana. Otherwise, it wouldn't
have been so easy and with his skill he could have run away."

Bai Zemin's face soured when he heard her words and that beautiful smile suddenly seemed to
have transformed into the smile of a cunning little fox.

Indeed, what Shangguan Bing Xue had just said was true. If it wasn't because she drained most
of Qiao Long's Mana and entertained him, Bai Zemin might never have discovered the true
nature of his skill and if Qiao Long made any unforeseen attacks or wanted to flee it was very
likely that Bai Zemin would not be able to stop him; after all, although Bai Zemin's Agility was
high, with his Air Manipulation skill Qiao Long could exploit astonishing speeds for a short
period of time.

Besides, Bai Zemin might also have been forced to expose more than he wanted to... Of
course, if Qiao Long dared to approach Bai Zemin, no matter how good his martial arts were; in
front of Bai Zemin, who was basically a special forces soldier after learning a roll of skills, he
could easily crush him.

To Shangguan Bing Xue's surprise, Bai Zemin also smiled back at her. He stretched his hand
forward and said 'kindly', "Sure. Here you go."

Shangguan Bing Xue took the dagger with a frown and looked at Bai Zemin bitterly. The dagger
was a good item, but what she wanted was the necklace; even without knowing what it was,
everyone knew that the accessories were especially valuable.

Without waiting for an answer, Bai Zemin went into the building under everyone's scared gaze.
Every time he passed next to a survivor, that survivor would flinch and turn their eyes to the
ground in fear.

"Tsk..." Shangguan Bing Xue clicked her tongue but still kept the dagger to herself. As she was
preparing to enter the building and organize the remaining survivors as well as the supplies that
were controlled by Qiao Long before, she noticed that Chen He was looking at her in a state of
shock.

"Chen He, are you okay?" She asked with a frown.

"... I'm fine," Chen He forced a smile and nodded slightly.

"Is that so...?" Shangguan Bing Xue realized that something was wrong but her mood was not
the best so she simply nodded and walked into the building without giving the matter too much
thought.

Although Qiao Long had died and she had acquired a treasure for her efforts, the reality was
that Chen He's lack of courage had bothered her a little. She knew that if he had not hesitated
and really given it his all, Qiao Long might not have casually toyed with them; however, Chen
He did not have the courage to shoot to kill, which gave Qiao Long the opportunity to capture
her and, if not for Liang Peng, she might have been in trouble.

It was also for this reason that Chen He did not tell her what he was thinking and simply
followed her with a gloomy face. After all, how could he not know about his mistakes?
However, what was bothering the talented archer more than his own personality was that the
woman he loved since he was a child actually smiled at another man. To other people, this
might not be a big deal, but Chen He knew that Shangguan Bing Xue's smiles were more
valuable and scarcer than diamonds. The fact that she smiled, even if it was a smile with hidden
intentions, was a big surprise to him.

Gradually, Chen He began to realize the differences and similarities Shangguan Bing Xue had
with each core member of the group and, to his dismay, after recalling past events, Chen He
realized that Shangguan Bing Xue and Bai Zemin, regardless of how much they disliked or
doubted about each other, were the most alike from a certain point of view.

Chapter 42 - Request
The twenty or so survivors that Bai Zemin and the other three leaders had brought out of
the gymnasium to help with the food issue joined the group that was previously led by
the dead Qiao Long.

Because Qiao Long had rescued the girls who were in the female dormitory when the
chaos fully erupted, most of the group members were women. The total number of
survivors was approximately one hundred and sixty people of which approximately 70%
were women.

Currently, Bai Zemin was sitting at a table on the fourth floor together with several
people such as Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, Liang Peng, Cai Jingyi, and others
discussing some important matters about what to do next. After all, no one really
wanted to stay in this university forever; each of them had their own goals but most of
them hoped to reunite with their families.

Most of the survivors feared Bai Zemin after seeing what he did, therefore, no one dared
to try to disrespect him and in fact, his words were beginning to become slightly heavier
than those of Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Liang Peng.

"Excuse me..."

As they were discussing going back to the restaurant for more imperishable food now
that the number of people had increased, a somewhat trembling voice came from the
door and interrupted the meeting.

Chen He saw that the person was a young woman who was scared so he smiled kindly
and said in a soft voice, "You don't need to be afraid. None of us here are like Qiao
Long. What is your name?"
At the door, a rather pretty little young girl cringed in fear as everyone turned in her
direction. Fortunately, Chen He's appearance and voice actually helped calm her
nerves a bit as the girl nodded and spoke hesitantly, "M-My name is Ming Shui Shui.
This... If possible... Could you please go to the female dormitory? There are people in
there and they're probably starving right now."

"Isn't Qiao Long supposed to have already cleared that area?" Shangguan Bing Xue
asked, her gaze full of surprise.

If what this girl said was true, then those people would probably be experiencing a lot
of hunger right now! After all, it had already been six days since the world changed,
and considering that no one kept too much food in the dormitories they should have
exhausted everything at least four days ago.

Ming Shui Shui shook her head and quickly explained, "No. Actually, King... Actually,
Qiao Long was only able to reach the third floor before he was forced to retreat. Before
we left, it was only by accident that I caught a glimpse of a strange zombie whose skin
was blue with glowing green eyes..."

Hearing the girl's explanation, Bai Zemin's face changed slightly and he couldn't help
but think in the First Order Blazing Beetle. If this zombie was also an officially evolved
creature, then it would be really troublesome to fight it and honestly Bai Zemin was not
100% confident in defeating it.

Shangguan Bing Xue had especially sharp eyes and noticing the change in his
expression. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Bai Zemin, do you think that strange
zombie is also a monster on the same level as that beetle you killed back then?"

Hearing Shangguan Bing Xue's question, Liang Peng and Chen He's disbelieving gaze
fell on Bai Zemin immediately.

"Wait, wait a moment!" Liang Peng slammed the table and jumped to his feet as he
looked at Shangguan Bing Xue with wide eyes, "You're saying that giant scary beetle
from earlier was defeated and killed by Bai Zemin?"

Liang Peng could not believe it. He himself had felt the overwhelming power
emanating from the body of the dead giant elephant beetle. Then he couldn't even
imagine how dreadful it was alive! However, Bai Zemin had defeated it alone? Liang
Peng was incredulous.

"Bing Xue, are you sure about that..?" Chen He also hesitated before asking, "I mean...
You saw him defeating the beetle yourself?"
Chen He's words were clear; are you sure he killed it and didn't lie? From a certain point
of view, Chen He's doubts were just as valid as those of Liang Peng. However,
Shangguan Bing Xue did not have time to answer since the current situation was simply
too bad and she hoped that Bai Zemin would shake his head at her earlier question.

Unfortunately for her, wishes were not always granted and even less so in a chaotic
world.

After some hesitation, Bai Zemin nodded and said in a deep voice, "I'm at least 80% sure
that zombie is a First Order creature."

"First Order?" Shangguan Bing Xue quickly asked, noticing new words.

Then, Bai Zemin began to slowly explain the name of the beetle that appeared in his
retina when he defeated it and its level. Then he used some interesting theories to
express his thoughts regarding evolution in a way that did not reveal too much or raise
doubts from others.

The atmosphere turned extremely heavy and everyone's face became extremely ugly
after listening to Bai Zemin's explanation and hearing how horrifying the strength of the
First Order Blazing Beetle was.

Everyone's gaze toward Bai Zemin had changed again, adding another layer of fear
and respect. After all, if everything he had just said was real, then his current stats were
probably far higher than his actual level.

Seeing everyone's expression and taking advantage of the silence, Bai Zemin said in a
serious voice: "I'll be honest. I have no intention of going to risk my life to save people I
don't know and who probably won't even thank me properly."

"What? How can you be so selfish?! There could be dozens or even hundreds of women
in that place!" For the first time, Shangguan Bing Xue raised her voice upon hearing Bai
Zemin's words.

"What about me?" Bai Zemin looked at her indifferently and slowly replied, "To be
honest, my only goal currently other than surviving is to find my family."

During his battle against the First Order Blazing Beetle, the reason why Bai Zemin
managed to win and survive was because of various reasons; the beetle was slower
than him, its mobility was limited, its attack pattern predictable, and so on. However,
fighting a First Order evolved zombie was something completely different compared to
fighting against an insect.
If the First Order evolved zombie could match Bai Zemin's speed, then Bai Zemin's life
could be at real risk since a small carelessness or mistake would cause the zombie to
manage to scratch him. Unlike Bai Zemin, who needed to finish off the enemy's brain to
win, the zombie only needed a light hit to cause its enemy's death.

Since Bai Zemin had no reason to move he would not do so no matter how selfish it was.

Suddenly Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes glittered and just as her improved perception
towards Bai Zemin was vanishing, an idea flickered in her mind. With narrowed eyes, she
questioned, "Didn't you say before that you owed me a favor and would do your best
to save my life once as payback? Then come with me. Or what, are you so low man
that your word and your promises are empty?"

Chapter 43 - A Hard Life

Shangguan Bing Xue's words cooled the atmosphere even more than it already was
and the eyes of the few present, including the newcomer Ming Shi Shi, unconsciously
turned in Bai Zemin's direction waiting for his response.

Shangguan Bing Xue's gaze was fixed in Bai Zemin's eyes. She wanted to wait and see
what kind of answer he would give after she said those words. However, she figured
that considering how indifferent Bai Zemin had been so far, he would refuse.

After all, who would risk their own life for a mere worthless word that was mentioned in
the past? Let alone considering that he was a man. Honestly, Shangguan Bing Xue was
already mentally prepared to hear his negative response.

However, Bai Zemin surprisingly nodded calmly and slowly said, "Good. Since you put it
that way, then I'll help you rescue those people... At the very least, I promise to do my
best."

Bai Zemin's father was a severe man who rarely expressed his emotions and did not get
so involved in Bai Zemin's education because he knew that his thoughts were outdated.
However, there was only one thing he always reminded Bai Zemin since he was a little
kid: 'A man's word is more valuable than gold itself. If you can't even keep your own
promises, then you are not worthy of being called a man'.

Bai Zemin might have countless flaws, but he always kept his word and respected his
parents, who sacrificed everything to raise him and give him the best life possible. Poor?
Yes. But never a coward or a liar.
Shangguan Bing Xue clearly did not expect this response from Bai Zemin, partly due to
her disdain and hate for men. Therefore, when she saw him nodding his head and
saying such words without even hesitating for more than a few seconds, she was
surprised and for a moment did not know what to say.

She looked at him as if she were looking at an alien and asked with some disbelief,
"What did you say?"

Bai Zemin ignored her question and stood up as he said, "We should plan some things
first. My left hand is currently practically broken as a result of my battle against the First
Order Blazing Beetle three days ago and I will need some time to fully recover."

Saying that, Bai Zemin moved his left arm in various angles and everyone quickly
noticed that, indeed, the hand that was covered by a strange glove was moving
erratically as if it were jelly.

"Why not wait until you recover then?" Chen He looked at him with some concern and
proposed, "If you fight without being at your peak you are likely to die. After all, that
zombie might be just as strong or even stronger than the Blazing Beetle you faced
before."

"But if we wait too long those girls in the female dorm might actually end up starving to
death." Liang Peng pointed out the problem.

"That's just the way things are." Bai Zemin looked at everyone one by one, studying the
reaction of certain people and trying to understand what they were thinking.

Chen He looked at him with some surprise, jealousy, a hint of fear, and another hint of
worry.

Liang Peng looked at him with complex eyes. After all, not long ago the two of them
had had a verbal confrontation that had almost turned into a confrontation of muscle
and, considering what Liang Peng had seen so far from Bai Zemin, it was simply
impossible for him to win.

Cai Jingyi, Fu Xuefeng, and the other two students who had decided to follow Bai
Zemin earlier were looking at him with concern. After all, Bai Zemin was basically the
only source from which they could currently obtain power. Especially Fu Xuefeng, who
also felt extremely grateful to him.

As for Shangguan Bing Xue, she was still seemingly stunned by something Bai Zemin did
not understand.
"Then, listen carefully as I will need your help for the odds of success to increase.
Otherwise we only have at most a 50 to 60% chance of getting out of that place alive."
Bai Zemin began to explain each person's role as well as his idea for dealing with the
evolved zombie.

***

In the female dormitory.

Inside a room on the fourth floor, several items were stacked in front of the door to
block it. Four girls were crowded on a bed, eyes filled with fear and exhaustion.

Silence reigned throughout the room, as if there was no one living there. The
atmosphere was extremely depressing. The 4 girls clearly understood that the zombies
could tell where they were by the sounds. Therefore none of them dared to speak too
loudly.

A girl whose stature was quite small whispered a question in an extremely low voice,
"Gao Min, I'm hungry, is there anything left to eat?"

Gao Min, with a wry smile, said, "Li Na, that last packet of dry cookies left wasn't finished
this morning by all of us?"

"Gao Min, are you saying that we are going to die?" Suddenly, another girl whose face
was extremely adorable like that of a baby called Fan Wu said this while looking at Gao
Min. Her heart was filled with fear and anxiety as hunger began to test her sanity.

Gao Min looked at her friend and comforted, "Don't worry, Fan Wu. I'm sure someone
will come soon to rescue us."

"But.. The whole place is plagued by zombies and although one person killed several of
them a few days ago and seemed to be extremely strong, in the end he even had to
retreat." Li Na recalled the scene where Qiao Long slaughtered zombies apparently
invincible.

At that moment, as the four girls peeked out of the window in hiding, they thought they
were safe. However, even that man with strange powers was forced to flee miserably
after going up a couple of floors.

The atmosphere became much heavier and even Gao Min could not utter words of
comfort this time. To be honest, even she had no hope of getting out of this place alive;
the world had already become a mess and here they were, locked up without daring
to lift a finger... So why would anyone risk their lives to save them? However, that little
hope was the only thing that kept these four girls together and sane after not eating
properly for almost a week.

"I don't care who it is... If someone saves my life and gets me out of this hell, I'm willing to
be his woman." Said suddenly the only one of the four friends who had remained silent.

Finding the opportunity, Gao Min joked softly, "To be our Princess Charming's boyfriend, I
wonder who will be so lucky."

"Bah." The girl from before rolled her eyes and giggled softly. Her name was Wu Yijun,
she had long black hair, a charming oval face, a beautiful pair of bright eyes, and her
body was impressive; the bosom area was especially well fleshed out.

Wu Yijun was actually the second most beautiful woman in the entire university, right
after Shangguan Bing Xue. Therefore, the number of men who courted her daily before
the apocalypse were countless, and probably many of them would be willing to take
the risk if they knew what she had just said.

After the room was silent for several minutes, Wu Yijun asked somewhat worriedly, "You
all think Bing Xue is safe?"

"She is definitely fine." Gao Min didn't even hesitate this time and responded with
certainty. Although she had only met Shangguan Bing Xue in the university, they had
become quite close and she knew that Shangguan Bing Xue was not a woman who
gave up easily.

"You're right..." Wu Yijun sighed. She and Shangguan Bing Xue had been friends for
many years so it was clear to her that although her friend could be arrogant at times
and her indifferent attitude could be a bit annoying to most, due to her family's strict
upbringing and because of past problems, Shangguan Bing Xue would definitely not sit
around and wait for death, unlike the four of them.

Since Shangguan Bing Xue's life had already been hard and sad enough in the past,
this new world would not be able to break her. This was what Wu Yujin firmly believed.

Bang!

Suddenly, the sound of something crashing in the distance rang out amidst the silence.

Chapter 44 - Empowering
The four girls approached to the window carefully, their eyes were filled with fear but at
the same time there was a small glimmer of hope in the midst of that terror; hope to be
rescued and released from this building that had now become a prison, a prison that
kept them safe but at the same time was slowly killing them.

"Look, it's a person!" Gao Min couldn't help but exclaim in delight as she tried to keep
her voice under control.

"Could it be that help finally arrived?" Li Na observed as the zombies in the surrounding
area began to move due to the sudden sound.

These creatures that had been surrounding the place silently and without moving were
the reason why none of the girls had tried to escape through the window even with the
hunger they felt. However, the sudden noise that broke the silence successfully lured
them in.

Wu Yijun and Fan Wu also looked at the scene with shining eyes, longing to be rescued
from hell once and for all.

***

Bai Zemin, Shangguan Bing Xue, Liang Peng, and Chen He were standing on top of a
four-story building as they watched the zombies moving in their direction with trembling
footsteps.

"That kid sure got braver now." Liang Peng couldn't help but point out as he looked
ahead in slight surprise.

Several meters away, on the ground, Fu Xuefeng was destroying the windows of the
nearby buildings by hitting them with whatever he found in the middle of the road. In
his hand, the Xuanyuan Sword was responsible for decapitating any zombies that came
too close and the Full Coat that Bai Zemin lent him temporarily had practically
eliminated 70% of the risk of being infected by the creatures.

With stats at least two to three times higher thanks to the gear equipped, Fu Xuefeng no
longer feared the zombies and after killing a few dozen of them he had already
absorbed enough Soul Power to become a level 6 evolver.

Fu Xuefeng also decided to follow Bai Zemin's advice and assigned his acquired status
points to Agility and Stamina every time he leveled up. With each time he felt his power
increase, his gratitude to Bai Zemin only grew and at the same time, he began to
realize how big the difference in power was between himself and others.
More than two hours had passed since Bai Zemin and the others had finished discussing
the matter of rescuing the people locked in the female dormitory. During the meeting,
a plan was formulated which consisted of four parts.

The first part of the plan was to lure all the zombies or any other creature in the vicinity
by making noise. That way they could avoid having to face other enemies and
practically cut off the chances of being surrounded; at the same time, it would also
open a path in case it was necessary to retreat.

"Cai Jingyi, it's your turn." Fu Xuefeng approached the pretty Cai Jingyi and took off the
Full Coat and handed her the Xuanyuan Sword.

Cai Jingyi nodded and took a deep breath before stepping forward and slowly
approaching as she looked fearfully at the group of zombies whose limbs had been
hacked off by Fu Xuefeng earlier.

More than twenty zombies lay on the ground writhing in their own blood that kept
pouring out of the wounds as they constantly growled in her direction. Although their
expressions were extremely atrocious and the smell of blood extremely repulsive, Cai
Jingyi gritted her teeth and raised the sword high before fiercely slashing downwards.

[You have acquired the Soul Power of Normal Zombie level 4. Stamina +4].

[You have leveled up to level 2. You acquire two status points to distribute freely].

Due to the spectacular edge possessed by the Xuanyuan Sword, a Rare Grade
Treasure with the ability to pierce through the defenses of almost any level 40 monster
or enemy, the zombie's head split off as easily as if it were a hot knife cutting through
butter.

Cai Jingyi was clearly surprised as she did not expect to end the zombie's life so easily,
precisely for this reason she had used so much strength in her previous cut and if it
wasn't for the sickening sensation of cutting flesh that traveled from the blade of the
sword to her hands she might have even cut a part of the ground.

Still scared but at the same time feeling a bit braver and curious, she carefully walked
towards another zombie and seeing that there was really no danger she cut again.

Suddenly a mutated dog appeared in a corner and attracted by the sound and smell
of blood charged forward while looking at Cai Jingyi with eyes filled with murderous
intent.
Cai Jingyi's face turned white as a sheet and her brain seemed to stop working as all
she could do was watch in fright as the mutated dog approached. The current
situation was very different from the incapacitated zombies! Besides with Cai Jingyi's
average person's speed she could never escape from the mutated dog that was at
least three to four times faster than a normal person!

Swoosh!... Swoosh!... Swoosh!

Three high-pitched hisses sounded from the distance and the next thing that the scared
Cai Jingyi saw was how the mutated dog fell down to the ground without even a growl
of pain.

An arrow had pierced the beast's head, another arrow had pierced its neck, and
another arrow was firmly buried in its stomach. Red blood began to pour out of the
holes slowly, forming a small puddle around the now lifeless body.

Cai Jingyi looked at the mutated dog that had been killed in a split second before
turning around to look at the building across the street and quickly remembered that
she wasn't really alone. Breathing a sigh of relief and smiling in thanks, she began to kill
the rest of the zombies and level up; each time she leveled up she added a point in
Agility and a point in Stamina just like Fu Xuefeng since in the beginning these two stats
were the most important for survival.

With enough Agility one could evade attacks and flee as well as give the possibility to
fight, but Stamina was needed to withstand the exhaustion or otherwise nothing would
make sense.

Chen He sighed softly and lowered his bow.

Currently, Chen He's bow was not a treasure; it was just a normal bow just like his arrows.
Therefore, to pierce through the mutated dog's fur he needed to imbue some Mana
into the tips of the arrows using some magic power. However, because he was not yet
good enough at controlling this new power energy, the consumption was quite high in
the long run.

"We should start with the third part of the plan soon." Bai Zemin said and jumped out of
the building without waiting for a reply.

The second part of the plan was precisely to take advantage of the opportunity to
empower those people with the courage to fight, and currently there was little time left
to finish. Therefore, it was time to implement the last two parts that represented the real
beginning of the real battle.
Chapter 45 - Kang Lan: Lesser Healing
"Fu Xuefeng!" Bai Zemin shouted loudly without worrying about attracting other
creatures or more zombies; in fact, that was the idea.

Fu Xuefeng approached him quickly and with a look filled with adoration and gratitude
asked, "Big brother Bai, do you need anything?"

"That's enough for now. Have Cai Jingyi, Zhong De, and Kang Lan return to rest." Bai
Zemin ordered in a deep voice.

Zhong De was the other man who had decided to follow Bai Zemin. His body was in
good condition due to being part of the university's substitute basketball team in the
past.

As for Kang Lan, she was the girl with glasses who also stood up, being the last of the
only four who dared to accept Bai Zemin's tempting but dangerous offer. In the past
she was very studious and generally did not distinguish herself in anything, however,
beneath her quiet appearance was a very brave and tenacious woman.

When the four of them returned, Kang Lan handed the Xuanyuan Sword and the Full
Coat to Bai Zemin. She had been the last of the four to kill zombies.

"What levels are each of you?" Bai Zemin asked as he received the skill rolls they had
obtained after hunting their first zombies. In order to have the people under his
command more under control, he had requested that before using a skill they should
be shown it to him; this was an idea he had come up with after what had happened
with Fu Xuefeng.

"My level is 5. I distributed equitably my points in Agility and Stamina." Cai Jingyi
announced while staring at him.

"Level 5. My choice was Strength and Agility." Zhong De responded in a serious voice
before remaining silent.

"My level is also 5 but..." Kang Lan seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
However, in the end, she slowly explained, "I haven't distributed my status points yet, I
have ten free."

"Oh?" Bai Zemin looked at her a little confused and slowly asked, "Why is that so?"

"If you look at the skill I got you'll understand." Kang Lan pointed to the scroll she had
handed to Bai Zemin.
Bai Zemin said nothing and nodded silently before he began to inspect the skill scrolls.

[Agility Boost (Unclassified Passive Skill) Level 3: After learning this skill increases Agility by
+20 points permanently].

[Power Boost (Unclassified Skill) Level 3: To activate this skill you need to consume 3
Mana points. After activation, it increases Strength by +35 points for 5 minutes. After the
effect is finished, the skill has a cooldown time of 20 minutes].

[Lesser Healing (First Order Skill) Level 1: To activate this skill, 10 Mana points must be
consumed and the user must possess at least 5 Magic points. It can heal minor wounds
and its constant use can accelerate the healing of bone fractures. Magical power
influences the healing. It can be used twice a day and after that it goes into cooldown
for 12 hours].

Agility Boost had been acquired by Cai Jingyi.

Power Boost had been acquired by Zhong De.

... And Lesser Healing had been acquired by Kang Lan.

For the first two skills, Bai Zemin's reaction was quite casual. However, upon seeing the
skill obtained by Kang Lan he could not help but be surprised.

Even when Fu Xuefeng had incapacitated the zombies, Kang Lan actually obtained
such a good skill, this was something Bai Zemin did not expect.

According to what Lilith had told him a few days ago, even if they hunted stronger
monsters they would get the same as they would get in case of killing a zombie since
the Soul Record seemed to be able to distinguish when a person received outside help
and when they did something on their own. It was for this reason that Bai Zemin did not
bother looking for more powerful monsters.

Little did he expect that Kang Lan would obtain a skill of such quality. Although she
wasn't useful in combat by any means, with this skill, as long as someone protected her
she could take care of healing from behind! Of course, for such a thing to be possible
Kang Lan needed to have a lot of Mana, and the more Magic the better.

Although there was still a long way to go, Bai Zemin couldn't help but look at the girl
with glasses as if she was some kind of treasure.

Perhaps sensing the change in his gaze, Kang Lan couldn't help but squirm a little as she
blushed slightly.
"Kang Lan, what are your current stats?" Bai Zemin asked after thinking for a moment.

"This..." Kang Lan's eyes moved as she looked at the personal status window that only
she could see and carefully said, " Strength 4 / Agility 5 / Stamina 8 / Mana 20 / Magic
35... That's what it says here."

Bai Zemin's eyes lit up and Lilith's voice sounded beside him, "Oh? This girl has a decent
amount of magic power."

In fact, while she was not that impressive when compared to Bai Zemin and while the
rest of her stats were average at best, Kang Lan possessed at least twice as much
Mana as a normal person would obtain after the advent of Soul Record and her
Magical power was also at the level of a human genius.

"I see." Bai Zemin outwardly remained calm without letting the surprise he felt show on
his face and slowly said, "Allocate all your points in Mana and Magic. You decide the
distribution."

"Alright." Kang Lan nodded immediately before allocating the ten points to both stats.

She also understood Bai Zemin's intention and was secretly delighted. While it was true
that her battle power would be extremely low compared to Cai Jingyi and the rest, if
she managed to get her hands on an active magic skill then her power would also
skyrocket through the roof, becoming a fish that jumped through the dragon gate.
Besides, as long as Bai Zemin was there, Kang Lan knew that her safety and well-being
would definitely be guaranteed.

As for if Bai Zemin died? Then Kang Lan would have no hope of surviving against an
enemy capable of defeating him; therefore she also did not worry about problems
about which she had no solution.

"Each of you learn your respective skill." Bai Zemin handed back the skill scrolls before
looking at Kang Lan and commanded, "Kang Lan, use your skill on my left hand."

The scroll in her hands turned into countless white light particles that entered her body.
Deep within her soul, a transparent colored rune with strange white lines formed.

Kang Lan stretched both hands forward and as if she had done it all her life, she
activated the skill. A faint pale white light flashed in her hands and enveloped Bai
Zemin's broken hand.
Kang Lan's face turned a little pale after the abrupt loss of half of her Mana reserves.
However, seeing Bai Zemin still staring at her, she gritted her teeth and activated her skill
once again, thus expending all her Mana in a matter of seconds.

Bai Zemin felt the changes immediately as he could clearly feel his broken wrist being
repaired and the sound of bones clinking together once again was extremely clear,
sending a shiver down everyone's spine.

Chapter 46 - Preparations Are Ready (Part

1)
Bai Zemin felt a great amount of pain coming from inside his wrist. The pain was such
that he was forced to grit his teeth to prevent a grunt from escaping his mouth.
However, that excruciating pain soon began to turn into itching, extremely
uncomfortable itching! Fortunately, that feeling was also short-lived, probably thanks to
Kang Lan's skill.

Kang Lan's face turned completely pale and her previously red lips began to lose their
color as if she was suddenly suffering from some kind of illness. She staggered slightly at
the sudden dizziness that hit her mercilessly, fortunately, Bai Zemin had already
expected something like this to happen due to the fact that he himself had
experienced the same feeling during his battle against the First Order Blazing Beetle
after spending all of his Mana abruptly.

"Good job, Kang Lan." Bai Zemin smiled slightly at her and nodded as he gently
supported her while keeping her from falling.

"No... It's nothing." She forced a smile. Although she was exhausted and felt somewhat
nauseated as a consequence of using all her Mana in such a short time, she actually
felt extremely satisfied since receiving such praise from Bai Zemin, who was usually
indifferent and casual with others, meant that he really appreciated her previous act
no matter how small it was.

He looked at Cai Jingyi and said in a deep voice, "Cai Jingyi, support Kang Lan and
help her rest."

Cai Jingyi nodded and quickly stepped forward to support her and they both retreated
inside the building.
After freeing himself, Bai Zemin looked at Fu Xuefeng and Zhong De in front of him and
began to give a series of simple orders and instructions about what they were to do
next.

***

Meanwhile, Liang Peng, Chen He, and Shangguan Bing Xue were preparing to start
and implement the third part of the plan to defeat the zombie. Although they weren't
100% sure if it was a First Order evolved creature or not, in this new world where death
was only half a step away it was best to prepare as best as possible to even fight the
weakest enemy.

"This should be enough." Shangguan Bing Xue retracted both hands as she panted
softly. Her chest was rising and falling steadily as a small bead of sweat slowly slipped
down from her beautiful face that now looked sickly white instead of perfect white as
before.

In front of her was an ice stake about half a meter long. Along the length of the ice
stake were ice spikes about five centimeters long that pointed outward. It was a
weapon with great piercing power, capable of entering the target's body with ease
and, because of the spikes along the body in the opposite direction, it would be
extremely difficult for anyone who was pierced by it to break free easily.

"Are you okay?" Chen He asked as he patted her back.

"You don't need to worry. I'm fine." Shangguan Bing Xue shook her head gently and
took a step forward to pick up the ice stake to take a better look at it.

Although the stake was extremely thin as a stick and looked extremely fragile,
Shangguan Bing Xue was confident in her creation. After all, she had consumed 90% of
her Mana, which was why she was so mentally exhausted.

Not only had Shangguan Bing Xue concentrated practically all her Mana into this small
half-meter ice stake, but she had also packed every bit of her magical power into it
and had focused every cell of her brain into her creation. To say that this ice stake was
the strongest and most enduring weapon she had created so far with her ice skill was
by no means an exaggeration.

To test her theory and to check the strength of the object, she asked Liang Peng to hit
the ice stake with his hammer while using all his strength.

"If this thing breaks don't blame me later." Liang Peng couldn't help but scratch his head
as he looked at the small stake.
"If it can't resist at least that much, then the plan we came up with earlier will never
work in the first place." Shangguan Bing Xue replied coldly.

Liang Peng shrugged his shoulders and raised the hammer high. With loud roar, he
struck downward with all his might as he made use of the weapon's weight to the
perfection.

Bang!

With a mighty bang, the ground shuddered as if it would collapse at any moment and
several cracks appeared extending over a meter long. However, to Chen He's surprise
and Liang Peng's disbelief, the ice stake under the hammer that had taken the brunt of
the impact actually didn't even splinter since it still released that bone-chilling coldness
that seemed to be able to freeze everything.

"Impressive!" Chen He praised honestly.

That earlier strike should have been able to knock down an entire wall but the ice stake
that Shangguan Bing Xue crafted withstood it like it was nothing!

Shangguan Bing Xue also nodded and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

"I see you guys are done here," Bai Zemin returned, directly jumping to the upper floor
and entering through the window. Although such a thing was impossible in the past,
with his current stats such a thing was no longer a big deal.

"All done here." Chen He replied as he looked at him curiously and asked, "The things on
your side, finished?"

"Finished." Bai Zemin responded and sat in a corner while checking his left hand.

Before, Bai Zemin estimated that he would need at least one more week for his
fractured wrist to fully recover. However, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that he
now only needed approximately five days to fully recover.

The reason for this was, naturally, the Lesser Healing skill used by Kang Lan on him.

Of course; Kang Lan's Lesser Healing skill alone was not the reason for Bai Zemin's quick
recovery. The other important reason was his overwhelmingly high Health stat which,
compared to a normal person, was speeding up his healing process almost tenfold!

With 90 Health points and Kang Lan's skill along with his high magic power compared to
a normal person, the speed at which Bai Zemin was recovering was simply astonishing.
Bai Zemin estimated that, with treatment twice a day for three days, his broken bones
would be reattached and repaired.

A small smile appeared on his face as he thought about how incredibly great the
difference in power was between the past him and the present him. Bai Zemin couldn't
wait to see what the future held for him.

Of course, first he needed to survive the next battle in which a scratch meant death.
Only then was it possible to think about a possible future. However, if he couldn't survive
even that much, then it meant that somewhere along the way, sooner or later, he
would end up falling.

While Bai Zemin checked his physical condition, Shangguan Bing Xue had sat down in
another corner to recover the consumed Mana. After all, she was an essential fighter in
the upcoming battle.

Moreover, occasionally, she looked in his direction with complicated eyes; there was
hate, but there was also gratitude; there was approval, but there was also rejection.
Complex and opposing emotions were constantly mixed together.

Chapter 47 - Preparations Are Ready (Part

2-Last)
Shangguan Bing Xue was a wary person by nature. Moreover, such wariness was
especially high against men as throughout her life she had received different looks and
treatment from men based on her appearance.

However, the fact that Bai Zemin kept his word even when he clearly had little to gain
and might even end up dying on this mission had caught her off guard. At the same
time, it made her realize that maybe, just maybe, not all people or even all men would
look or act the same way towards her.

Of course, such a thought was still in its infantile stages and was just that, a fleeting
thought. As to whether that thought would turn into something more, such as
confidence, it was too early to say.

***

After staying inside the building for three whole hours, Shangguan Bing Xue's Mana had
recovered enough to influence the battle to come.
During these three hours none of the four especially did anything, with only Chen He
and Shangguan Bing Xue chatting occasionally and Liang Peng's sudden interruption
by saying something not too meaningful and inconsequential.

As for Bai Zemin, he just sat quietly in a corner while looking at a small picture with a
longing look that no one could see except Lilith, who was silently sitting beside him.

There were four people standing in the picture, with an adult couple behind a little boy
and girl of barely eight or nine years old. In the background was the beautiful green
view where the trees spread out in the distance like an endless sea.

This picture was a family photograph of Bai Zemin's parents, his little sister, and himself.
At that time he had just had his birthday and his mother decided to go with the whole
family to visit the Great Wall of China and other beautiful places with history.. This was a
treasured memory that Bai Zemin always took everywhere with him since due to the
distance between the university and his home he could not see his family often.

Now, in this crazy world where trust and betrayal went hand in hand even more than in
the past, Bai Zemin could only gather warmth from past memories that previously had
not been so important to him as he considered it something normal.

"Family?" Lilith asked even though she already knew the answer. After all, this was the
first time in six days that she had seen such an expression on his usually stone-hard face.

Bai Zemin nodded in response. Although he and Lilith did not talk a lot, Bai Zemin knew
that she was there for him and, strange as it was, deep in his soul he trusted that she
would not betray him.

Although he and she were usually silent, Bai Zemin felt very comfortable since he had
never been a person of many words even before the arrival of the Soul Record to this
world.

The silence that usually surrounded them was in no way uncomfortable, on the
contrary, it was extremely relaxing.

"My Mana recovered almost completely."

Shangguan Bing Xue's icy voice brought Bai Zemin out of his thoughts. When he lifted his
face, his longing gaze could no longer be seen anywhere and that face that
practically let nothing be seen on him ruled once again.

"If you are ready, we can start now." Shangguan Bing Xue stared at him with an
expression just like his and pointed.
"... Then let's start now. There's no point in wasting more time and further delays might
make things more difficult than they already are." Bai Zemin stood up and let out a
small sigh inaudibly.

Shangguan Bing Xue and the other two nodded to express that they thought the same
way he did and also stood up.

Bai Zemin seemed to want something but after a moment's hesitation he decided to
simply shook his head and walked towards the window without another word.

Before he could leave, Chen He's voice rang at his back, "Hey, Bai Zemin!"

Bai Zemin turned around and looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Be careful. If you think the zombie is too hard just run. We can try another day." Chen
He nodded and looked at him with a serious expression.

After a slight surprise, Bai Zemin nodded and said in a clear voice, "I'm relying on you for
the next part."

Chen He gave him a thumbs up as if telling him to leave it to him. Seeing this, Bai Zemin
no longer dawdled and jumped out the window before turning into a gale of wind
charging towards the building a few streets away; the female dormitory.

When Bai Zemin left, Liang Peng looked at Chen He with raised eyebrows and laughed:
"I thought you didn't like that guy very much? Aren't you two rivals in love or something?
Hahahaha!"

Chen He frowned and looked at him with some anger as he slowly said, "The reason
why I don't like him too much is because of his previous cruel act, he is not my rival in
love. Besides, just because I don't like Bai Zemin too much because of his cruelty doesn't
mean I hate him. Isn't it natural to wish him good luck? At the end of the day he's still our
ally."

"Tsk, what a boring guy." Liang Peng, who expected Chen He to blush in
embarrassment after having his feelings exposed, in the end ended up shrugging his
shoulders and clicking his tongue when he saw that the handsome archer's reaction
was normal and calm.

Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him coldly and said in an icy voice, "If you have time to
talk nonsense why don't you prepare yourself as well?"
Liang Peng snorted and walked towards the exit with his big hammer on his shoulder.
With such a weight he didn't dare jump out of the window or he might end up breaking
both his legs trying to show off.

After Liang Peng disappeared, Shangguan Bing Xue picked up what appeared to be a
string and tied it to the tip of the ice stake before freezing it and joining the string and
the stake together.

This string was actually carbon fiber and was taken from gym exercise machines. It was
especially resistant to weight and extremely durable under pressure as well as being a
very good flexible material capable of withstanding sudden pulls. It was usually used in
the creation of boats, cars, airplane parts, bicycle hoops, etc. Although the quality
depended, the carbon fiber cable Shangguan Bing Xue was using was very strong and
flexible.

Seeing that the two of them were alone, Chen He decided to break the silence: "Bing
Xue, about what Liang Peng said earlier... About rivals in-"

"Focus." Shangguan Bing Xue interrupted him before he could continue and while
looking out the window reminded him, "Your help is crucial here. You can't afford to lose
focus no matter what."

Chapter 48 - Unusual Situation

Seeing Shangguan Bing Xue interrupting him without letting him continue, Chen He
smiled bitterly and shook his head before sighing and getting to work.

Obviously, she knew what he was going to say. However, Shangguan Bing Xue not only
had no interest in anything romantic, but even though she trusted Chen He enough to
call him a friend, he was just that; a friend.

At the end of the day, his friendship was what Shangguan Bing Xue cherished, but if he
was looking for more than that, at this moment he would only get hurt if he listened to
her answer.

As for the future? That no one knew. It was just that considering how many years
Shangguan Bing Xue and Chen He had spent together but even then he failed to get
into her heart, it would be difficult for such a friendship to turn into something more than
friendship.

***
In the female dormitory.

"Great, this time we are saved!" Li Na exclaimed as she used both hands to muffle the
sound of her voice overflowing with excitement and joy.

"We will be saved!" Gao Min and Fan Wu hugged each other as they sobbed
emotionally moved to the point of tears.

Even the generally positive Gao Min was beginning to lose all hope after so many days
without a proper meal and locked up in a place that was like a prison to them.

"Girls, look!" Wu Yijun quickly noticed a young man charging toward the female
dormitory. However, when she wanted to point him out for her friends to see, he had
already disappeared with lightning speed.

"Fast!" Wu Yijun was surprised and secretly glad.

The more powerful this person proved to be, the better news for the girls as the hopes of
being rescued would increase exponentially as well!

Trapped in the girls' dormitory, seeing no chance of survival where if they didn't die of
starvation or thirst, they would die of being eaten by a zombie. With such a cruel and
devastating reality, if it hadn't been for the girls cheering each other on, they all would
have gone crazy right now.

A couple of days ago, when they saw Qiao Long show seemingly invincible power,
they believed that help had finally arrived. However, even he who was as strong as a
super human was forced to retreat miserably by some unknown entity.

The girls really couldn't take it anymore!

At the same time as they were celebrating to lift their moods, the zombies outside the
door headed towards the girls' dormitory and began to violently attack the door.

The four girls shut their mouths without daring to make another sound, not even daring
to move, standing together in silence. Staring at the door in fear; in their eyes, the door
represented a prison that contained them trapped here, but at the same time it also
represented their escape and survival.

If the door fell, they all knew there would be no chance of survival.

Bang!
Suddenly there was a loud bang coming from somewhere in the building and the
zombies pounding on the dormitory door stopped.

The girls sighed in relief as they felt the beasts growl and move away with shaky steps in
the opposite direction. The four girls looked at each other with fear and a touch of
hope as they sat on a bed all together facing the door.

Now, all they could do was wait.

***

Bang!

Bai Zemin appeared before the firmly closed front door of the female dormitory and
kicked it open. The bang of the metal door opening wide resounded everywhere and
the echo traveled among the nearby buildings.

Because the zombies in the vicinity had already been eliminated earlier by Fu Xuefeng
and the rest, no creature appeared. However, Bai Zemin was not satisfied and frowned
tightly.

Why doesn't this zombie come out? Bai Zemin thought silently.

Until now, as long as there was a certain amount of noise, the zombies would definitely
advance in that direction. However, even after making such a commotion, the strange
zombie that this Ming Shui Shui girl had seen before leaving here did not show itself.

Bai Zemin's wariness increased another notch as he walked towards the inside of the
building with slow and cautious steps.

Although Ming Shui Shui had said that Qiao Long had cleared the first two floors before
having to retreat on the third floor, Bai Zemin did not trust anything but what he saw
with his own eyes at the moment.

The smell of rancid blood and rotting flesh embraced Bai Zemin's nostrils as soon as he
had taken a step inside. Zombie corpses and people lay everywhere, creating a
catastrophic scene scary enough to scare the most macho man in the world.

However, after experiencing and seeing with his own eyes so many people dying, Bai
Zemin felt that he could bear at least that much. Therefore, after stopping for a
moment he continued to move forward slowly.

The lower floor was devoid of any sign of life; only corpses and death was what could
be seen in that area.
Upon reaching the second floor after carefully climbing the stairs, what greeted Bai
Zemin was exactly the same sight he had seen on the fist floor and if it wasn't for the
different clothing on each body or the position they were in after dropping dead he
might have thought that he was still on the previous floor.

It was upon reaching the third floor that Bai Zemin finally saw signs of movement.

More than fifty zombies were slowly advancing down the corridor in the direction of the
stairs. All of these zombies were women who had been infected after being scratched
or bitten or who simply became mindless creatures after the arrival of the Soul Record
and the Mana movement.

While fifty zombies were no challenge at all for someone like Bai Zemin, when you put
those fifty zombies in an enclosed space where there was hardly any room left to move
properly things were different and the difficulty was multiplied by countless times.

Fortunately for him, thanks to his Rare Grade Treasure Full Coat things were not as
complicated as they seemed to be. Moreover, unlike zombies and unintelligent
animals, humans could think of countermeasures to adapt to whatever situation they
had to face.

Chapter 49 - A Virgin Succubus?

After a moment's thought and considering that there was a creature capable of
threatening his life, Bai Zemin decided to play it safe instead of trying to show off before
Lilith.

He retreated towards the stairs until he reached the second floor and waited for the
zombies there. His back was almost touching one of the walls and the left side of his
body was against the corner where the staircase wall and the wall of the lower floor
met; this way, he could prevent being attacked from behind, he could avoid receiving
attacks with his damaged hand, and at the same time he would be able to react with
his right hand immediately in case someone tried to attack him from the only possible
angle there was.

The first zombies soon reached the stairs and began to descend. However, as
expected, they fell on their faces as they rolled down to where Bai Zemin was waiting
for them. Because the zombies could not control their own bodies properly and
because they only knew how to advance in a straight line, the steps of the stairs
became their doom.
Bai Zemin swung his sword relentlessly up and down again and again. The zombies'
heads rolled on the floor constantly and blood had begun to accumulate after the
escalating slaughter forming a small red pool under his own feet.

But it wasn't just Bai Zemin who was killing zombies.

Zombies coming from behind were often stomping other zombies to death and many
other zombies were falling head over heels, breaking their necks after hitting the floor
hard.

Two minutes later, all fifty zombies had been completely obliterated by Bai Zemin. Not a
single zombie could even react after falling before their heads rolled on the ground.

"You've gotten a little better with the sword." Lilith smiled slightly as she looked down at
his crotch and said in a playful voice, "I wonder if you're also so good with that sword
down there."

The corner of Bai Zemin's mouth constricted a couple of times. However, instead of
remaining silent as usual, this time he decided to ask a question that had been
bothering him for several days now.

"Lilith, since you're a succubus, you've probably slept with many men throughout your
life, no?"

"You..." Lilith opened her eyes slightly surprised by the rather daring question. However,
she felt no shame and responded in a flat voice: "You humans have an imagination
that is too wild."

"What do you mean?" Bai Zemin asked as he climbed the stairs again. He decided to
talk with Lilith to calm the nerves he felt and to lure the creature that was hiding.

In fact, Lilith's jokes often relaxed Bai Zemin's heavy mood and she was undoubtedly
one of the reasons why he was still able to stay completely sane.

"Even though I'm a succubus, that doesn't mean I have to sleep with a man to gain
power." Lilith followed him a few steps behind and rolled her eyes as she slowly said,
"Isn't it obvious? Just like you, to evolve further and become more powerful I need to
defeat powerful enemies and absorb massive amounts of Soul Power."

"Em?" Bai Zemin couldn't help but look back with slight surprise on his face and asked
the stupidest question of his entire life: "But, aren't you a succubus?"

"For the love of the devil! Are you dumb?" Lilith couldn't help but smack him upside the
head and say in a serious voice, "While among us succubi there are some who are
promiscuous, I'm not like that. Do you think that just because I joke with you I have slept
with many men? Hard as it may be to believe, in my entire life I have never allowed a
man to even see my naked body, let alone sleep with one!"

Bai Zemin's footsteps stalled and he stared at her with eyes filled with disbelief.

"Virgin?"

"What's wrong with that?" Lilith looked at him with a seductive smile and said in a
whisper, "Could it be that you want to take my purity now? Kya~ Little Zemin you are
such a bad guy~"

Bai Zemin's breathing became somewhat ragged upon hearing the demon's whisper
and he quickly shook his head, regretting asking that.

Lilith also stopped joking knowing that Bai Zemin's life was on the line here and started
to explain some things slowly: "What you humans imagine and the stories you create
are not exactly correct. For example, we succubi are beautiful by nature, and our sex
appeal incredibly high. But that's just it, our charm is higher... Well, although I am
probably one of the most beautiful women in existence and even among the Higher
Existences I have yet to meet a woman capable of exceeding me. Feel honored, little
Zemin."

"Woah... Your humility is truly incredible." Bai Zemin joked as he decapitated a group of
three zombies that came out of a room whose door had been kicked down.

"Hey! I'm serious!" Lilith began to act like a little girl who had been bullied. Her innocent
act was extremely cute and attractive creating a beautiful contrast to her seductive
body.

"Yes, yes." Bai Zemin casually nodded as he continued slaughtering zombies. "Whatever
you say, your majesty Beautiful Queen."

"Tsk." Lilith knew that Bai Zemin didn't believe her so she simply clicked her tongue and
her eyes glittered with a hint of hesitation. However, in the end, she shook her head
softly and decided not to do what she was thinking or things might get out of hand.

On the other hand, Bai Zemin had already finished off over thirteen hundred zombies
that were scattered all over the third floor. The female dormitory was huge, as was the
male dormitory; after all, the university was extremely large and the number of students
simply too many to count.
While it was true that not everyone stayed on campus, at least 40% did. The men's
dormitory and the female dormitory were large buildings only four or five stories high but
stretching for several yards around.

[You have acquired the Soul Power of Normal Zombie level 5].

[You have leveled up to level 21. You have acquired two status points to distribute
freely].

"Phew... Good timing." Bai Zemin was starting to feel a bit exhausted, however, after
killing the five hundredth zombie the sweet message telling him that he had leveled up
appeared in his retina, relieving that exhaustion immediately.

After about ten minutes, Bai Zemin had finally cleared the way to the stairs leading to
the fourth floor.

According to the story told by Ming Shui Shui, Qiao Long had been repulsed by a
strange zombie upon reaching the third floor and, so far, almost everything matched as
Bai Zemin could not see corpses destroyed by the air cannons of Qiao Long's skill.

But... Where was that zombie then?

Bai Zemin's answer came soon enough, because as soon as he stepped on the top step
of the staircase that led to the fourth floor of the building, a horrifying pressure
enveloped his body as if it wanted to devour him in one piece.

This pressure was so strong that Bai Zemin had only felt something similar once in his life
so far.

Chapter 50 - Adrenaline And Blood

Manipulation!
The pressure Bai Zemin felt when his feet reached the fourth floor of the building was
very great and although he did not know how it felt to have a waterfall of water hitting
him from several meters high, he estimated that surely it should feel similar to what he
was feeling at that moment.

However, the corner of Bai Zemin's mouth turned up into a small smile instead of
twitching.
"I really have become stronger haha!" Bai Zemin laughed out loud and took a step
forward as he tightened his grip on the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword.

Right! The current Bai Zemin was no longer the same Bai Zemin of the past!

The current him was no longer the same level 15 Bai Zemin who could only run and plan
to barely have a slim chance of victory against the First Order Blazing Beetle! He was
currently a powerful level 21 evolver who had absorbed massive amounts of pure Soul
Power; including the Soul Power of a First Order monster!

Bai Zemin stopped hesitating when he realized that while he might be unable to win in
one-on-one, he wouldn't necessarily lose either!

It would all depend on what kind of skill the evolved zombie possessed.

With a steady gaze, Bai Zemin activated his First Order Blood Manipulation skill and cast
it on himself. Of course, his intention was not to hurt himself; his aim was different from all
the previous times.

...

What was adrenaline?

Adrenaline was a hormone and could also be considered a substance. The substance
possessed the ability to constrict the blood vessels, dilate the airways and increase the
heart rate.

But when did this substance show itself?

The body begins to secrete adrenaline when it feels threatened or in danger and this
substance travels through the blood as a means to reach every part of the body.

In addition, adrenaline had great benefits, some of them being the improvement of
reflexes, increased reaction speed, and many other effects... So, what would happen if
Bai Zemin increased his own blood flow and made the adrenaline start traveling at
faster speeds?

Would it enhance those characteristics even more?

"You're crazy..." Lilith's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Bai Zemin as if he was
an unknown beast.

Honestly, Bai Zemin was not the only existence capable of manipulating blood to some
extent. Lilith knew someone who was even more powerful than her who possessed a
similar natural skill... However, that other existence had clearly never thought of using
such a skill in a self-destructive manner on himself when he was still weak.

The reason? Using one's own skill on one's own body was extremely dangerous unless
such a skill was a blessing or benefit of some sort. However, Bai Zemin's Blood
Manipulation skill was a skill intended for attack and not to be used on himself.

Even less so when he did not even possess initial mastery over his own skill!

Although it was risky, Bai Zemin's situation was already dangerous to begin with. Besides,
in this world, if one did not take risks in the early stages when everything was simpler
then one could only expect death in the later stages.

Bai Zemin had understood all this very well and that was precisely why he decided to
gamble... And his gamble along with his high magical power proved to be right.

He could feel his heart rate increasing after activating his Blood Manipulation skill and
the blood throughout his body began to move twice as fast as normal; Bai Zemin did
not dare to force it any further than this.

His pupils dilated, improving his overall vision of his surroundings.

Due to the faster circulation of adrenaline, blood glucose increased and Bai Zemin
could feel how his body seemed to have more energy than in the past.

Doing this was extremely dangerous and consumed Mana constantly as Bai Zemin had
to keep his Blood Manipulation skill constantly activated. However, at this point, as long
as the battle ended as quickly as possible, it was a good thing.

Bai Zemin stomped the ground beneath his feet and shot forward at full speed, flashing
between the unfamiliar corridors in search of the strange zombie. Due to his high speed
and how small the corridors were in comparison, from a certain point of view it seemed
as if he was blinking short distances constantly.

The fourth floor was practically undisturbed unlike the first two floors which were littered
with corpses and blood. There was also no sign of zombies or any other strange
creature, so Bai Zemin correctly assumed that all the zombies on the fourth floor had
probably gone down to the third floor and joined the zombies there, explaining why
there were so many of them.

Another strange thing was that no door had been broken down yet and while there
were many open, most were firmly closed so the odds were high that there were still
people alive inside since if they were zombies they probably would have fought to
destroy the door the first day the world changed in search of food.

Bai Zemin took out several bottles of blood from his backpack and due to the
adrenaline coursing through his veins he almost didn't feel the pain when he opened
the bottles with his still half-broken hand. Then he began to spread blood on the
ground.

For every corridor he went through, Bai Zemin spread a two-liter bottle of blood on the
ground.

Finally, after more than twenty bottles of blood and leaving himself with only ten in
reserve for emergencies and leaving aside the First Order Blazing Beetle blood needed
to evolve his Blood Manipulation, Bai Zemin stopped dead in his tracks and waited
patiently there.

Although he could not sense where the horrendous pressure was coming from exactly,
he could sense that the creature was rapidly approaching him.

Suddenly Bai Zemin felt a gale of wind charging towards him and without hesitation, he
jumped to the side while slashing with his sword diagonally.

Clang!

The sound of two clashing metals echoed throughout the corridor, traveling through
practically the entire fourth floor as proof of how powerful the clash between the two
was.

*itutuloy ko next year!*