Chapter 34: Arrival at the Destination

After confirming Lin Xinghai’s ability, Fang Tianhe, pressed for time, immediately ordered the team to set off.

Lin Xinghai felt it was a pity, as quite a few zombies had approached during his breakthrough and were subsequently killed. A rough count showed there were over thirty. He was currently in dire need of blood energy, and without it, he felt a sense of unease. However, he could not voice this reason, so he had no choice but to follow orders and rejoin the convoy.

Back inside the vehicle, Lin Xinghai occasionally fired a shot to take down a stray zombie. Feeling idle, he began to ponder that mysterious and profound sense of perception. Soon, he discovered another marvelous use: it could detect zombies in advance. Basically, he could sense any zombie within a hundred meters, though he could not determine their exact number or direction. However, he could roughly gauge their strength; the sensation he felt when a common zombie appeared was entirely different from that of a high-level one.

"Brother Yang, your genetic optimization level is higher. Can your perception act as a weakened version of a zombie detector?" Lin Xinghai couldn't help but ask.

"How could it? For people like us who have only broken the first genetic lock, the perception generated is at most an aid for close-quarters combat—it's good enough if it helps you sense an enemy's lethal move in advance so you can dodge it," Qin Yang patiently explained. "To use perception to detect zombies, one must at least break the third genetic lock. Only the commander and vice-commander can do that. But even then, their range of perception is no more than 100 meters, and it is extremely vague."

Lin Xinghai thought to himself, *Good thing I didn't reveal anything.* While feeling relieved, he also felt a surge of excitement. According to Qin Yang, his current perception was almost on par with experts who had broken the third genetic lock. He reckoned this was related to the 100 points of blood energy he had spent on his breakthrough.

Unable to continue discussing perception, Lin Xinghai shifted the topic to abilities. Qin Yang’s explanations remained equally patient. Lin Xinghai soon learned that abilities were divided into three main categories: Basic, Common, and Rare. Basic abilities were those that enhanced fundamental attributes—his own "Extreme Speed," Luo Jie’s "Super Strength," and Wu Yan’s "Rockification" all fell under this category. Abilities like Shen Han’s "Sky Frost" were considered Common. Only Xu Haishui’s "Werewolf Transformation" and Fang Tianhe’s "Heaven-Splitting" counted as Rare.

It is worth noting that the boundary between Common and Rare abilities is actually quite blurred, depending primarily on their power. If Shen Han’s "Sky Frost" were strong enough, no one would dispute labeling it as Rare. Unfortunately, even with the amplification of her mecha, her ability could only freeze a mutated zombie for less than half a second, let alone inflict any significant damage.

...

Just as Lin Xinghai was listening with great interest, the team came to a halt under Fang Tianhe’s command.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xinghai became instantly alert, though neither his perception nor the zombie detector picked up anything amiss.

"The commander must want to leave the Armored Zombie here," Qin Yang said.

"Huh? Why bring it all the way here?" Lin Xinghai asked, slightly confused.

"The surface is so desolate. Do you know how zombies survive? They eat everything, including the corpses of their own kind. The body of a mutated zombie is a great tonic for other zombies. The area where we just fought has such a strong scent of blood that it will surely attract a large swarm of zombies later. Hiding the mutated zombie there would make it far more likely to be discovered. The zombie density around here is noticeably lower, making it a good place to hide the body. Let’s go, we should get out and help," Qin Yang explained as he jumped out of the vehicle.

Lin Xinghai quickly followed. By then, Fang Tianhe was already using his mecha to lower the Armored Zombie to the ground. Other mercenaries gathered around, holding white spray canisters, and began coating the corpse with a substance.

"That’s plastic spray. Once the mist touches an object, it rapidly adheres and forms a thin plastic film. This seals in all the scents from the corpse," Qin Yang explained before Lin Xinghai could even ask.

Lin Xinghai nodded, noting that everyone was working with practiced efficiency. They coordinated, spraying different parts of the massive creature, and it seemed they would finish in under a minute. Others went to pry open the doors of a nearby warehouse, clearly intending to store the Armored Zombie inside.

As Lin Xinghai approached, the sheer size of the giant corpse—which stood taller than him even while lying down—gave him an inexplicable sense of oppression. The cuticle on the creature’s body looked uneven and rough, but a closer look revealed that every protrusion was exceptionally sharp and jagged. It was easy to imagine that without a mecha, engaging this creature in close combat would be like fighting a giant hedgehog—there would be nowhere to land a blow. Furthermore, while the Armored Zombie was known for its defense, it was not without offensive power; its half-meter-long, lethal claws were the best proof of that.

The more Lin Xinghai looked, the more apprehensive he felt. This mutated zombie was terrifying, and this was not just his imagination. As he moved closer, his own perception kept warning him that if this thing were alive, a single swipe of its claws could take his life. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he opened the system interface to use "Scan" on the Armored Zombie. He wasn't even sure if it would work on a corpse.

As it turned out, the system was quite reliable. The next moment, information appeared on the panel:

Name: Armored Zombie
Constitution: 1083 points
Strength: 872 points
Speed: 631 points
Note: Thick cuticle, can negate 50% of incoming damage.

*Hiss!*

Lin Xinghai gasped. He checked the numbers several times to ensure he hadn't misread them, and the lingering sense of complacency he had felt vanished instantly. He now understood the reality of the apocalypse more clearly: if humanity didn't possess mechas, they would have no way to resist these mutated zombies.

For the remainder of the time, Lin Xinghai neither helped nor walked away. He stood in a daze, watching the others work. Once the Armored Zombie was covered in the plastic film, moved into the warehouse, and the doors were welded shut, the task was complete.

The team set off again, and their pace noticeably increased. However, for the rest of the journey, Lin Xinghai sat silently inside the multi-purpose off-road vehicle. Qin Yang found it a bit strange but didn't press him. After all, Lin Xinghai had just achieved a breakthrough and awakened an ability; he was likely just taking the time to process his new state.

After another twenty minutes or so, the team finally arrived at their destination. A pristine, oval-shaped building appeared in their field of vision. On its outer wall, the seven characters for "Spaceship Research Institute" shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.

"We have arrived!"