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……
Rumble~~~
Outside the research institute, the sound of iron hooves erupted, like ten thousand charging horses and a hundred beasts stampeding, with an overwhelming momentum that startled everyone inside.
"What's going on?"
"Are monsters attacking?"
Bai Long, Yue Heng, and the others hurried out of their bedrooms, all looking bewildered and uncertain.
At that moment, Ye Chen walked out of his room with his sister, Ye Zhu. He glanced at everyone, saw that Bai Long, Mo Feng, and the others had been roused, motioned for them not to panic, and walked calmly toward the institute entrance, looking up.
Moonlight spilled down, revealing dozens of colossal beasts crouching outside the research institute. Among them were the largest, like the Purple Extreme Demon Ox and the Golden Feather Crown Eagle, while the smallest included mutated ants and zombie ants.
Globally, not only had 70% of humans turned into zombies, but 70% of animals had too!
Consequently, evolved animals and humans existed in a relationship that was almost both ally and enemy in the later stages. If any faction was about to be wiped out by dark creatures, the other would lend a hand.
If the lips perish, the teeth feel cold!
Thump, thump, thump...
Many of the massive monsters shook their bodies, flinging off the zombie corpses they carried, which piled up everywhere. Illuminated by the moonlight, Ye Chen took a quick look; there were about 300 corpses, causing him to frown slightly.
"There's more!" Xiao Hei's voice echoed in Ye Chen's mind, followed by a chuckle. "Look behind these monsters."
Ye Chen stepped out of the institute, rounded behind the beasts, and immediately saw several enormous wooden sleds upon which zombie corpses were heaped like mountains. The sleds were strung together with ropes, tied around the necks of these monsters, and dragged all the way back.
Ye Chen calculated; there were at least 2,000 corpses, including those of zombie dogs, zombie cockroaches, zombie chickens, and zombie snakes, though the majority were still zombie humans.
"Not bad!" Ye Chen nodded slightly.
There were 68 monsters in total, each possessing the strength of about 60 men. If each one killed 40 zombies, that amounted to over 2,000 in total.
"With my sister extracting genes at a half efficiency, from these nearly 2,500 zombies, we can extract about 1,200 Medium Grade Base Chemicals. The extraction ratio for Medium Grade is 100:1! We can extract a total of 12 Medium Grade Base Chemicals, and there's even a chance to extract one Large Grade Base Chemical from the zombie oxen—one equals 20 vials, equivalent to the strength of 20 men!"
Ye Chen felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
At this moment, Bai Long and the others cautiously emerged. Seeing the mountain of corpses before them, they were all dumbfounded.
"So many—how did they drag them back? Did some humans help these monsters?" Bai Long asked, astonished.
Ye Chen smiled faintly. With the Black Snail Worm's special ability, it wouldn't be difficult for one to possess a human corpse and control it to find ropes and wooden sleds.
The Black Snail Worms were truly an all-around team!
As long as they were supplied with various types of corpses.
When facing a swarm attack, they relied on the charge of the Purple Extreme Demon Ox!
When facing flying creatures, they depended on the venom of the Green Python!
When facing narrow terrain, they used the mutated ants!
Reconnaissance was handled by the Golden Feather Crown Eagle!
A monster team like this was terrifyingly invincible!
Most importantly, the intelligence of these Black Snail Worms was extremely high, no less than that of humans. Even when encountering enemies stronger than themselves, they would employ all sorts of tricks.
"Good work!" Ye Chen turned to the approaching Three-Tailed Silver Hound. "Work hard next time, and I'll consider giving you something good!"
"Something good?" The Three-Tailed Silver Hound's eyes lit up. "Is it the antidote?"
"You'll know when the time comes," Ye Chen said without elaborating. He then instructed Bai Long, Yue Heng, and Zhuge Fan, "You three will dissect these corpses. Ye Zhu, you will extract the Base Chemicals. Mo Feng, you are responsible for cleaning and refining. Once everything is done, Xiao Hei, you drag the useless remains somewhere far away to discard."
No one objected.
After spending over a month beside Ye Chen, everyone had witnessed bloodshed and had grown accustomed to viscera and intestines. Although there was still a slight discomfort, the thought of the Base Chemicals within excited them all.
More resources!
How much strength would this instantly add?
After giving instructions, Ye Chen turned and walked back into the research institute to rest. The others didn't stop him, knowing he had expended a great deal of energy fighting the Blood-Toothed Tiger during the day. Moreover, all these zombie corpses were brought back by these monsters, while their task was merely dissection—it consumed no stamina and posed no danger. Why refuse?
In the early hours of the morning, when everyone else was normally asleep, they were lit up, excitedly dissecting the zombie corpses. Occasionally, when tired, seeing a large barrel of extracted Base Chemicals beside them filled them with renewed vigor.
Occasionally, monsters attracted by the activity were swiftly dispatched by Xiao Hei and the others. As a group, these monsters could even take down a Blood-Toothed Tiger, as even the largest prey can be felled by sheer numbers, though the cost would be significant.
In the following days, Ye Chen and his group continued to hunt low-level zombies and monsters in the residential area where they lived, leaving other territories to Xiao Hei and the pack of monsters.
Seven days later!
On the green lawn of a residential complex.
Fffft!
The skull of a zombie exploded, and its body collapsed.
Ye Chen looked up at the sky; dark clouds were gathering, signaling an impending heavy rain. "It's getting late; let's call it a day!"
Bai Long and the others nodded, offering no objection. They dissected the corpses lying on the ground, extracted the Base Chemicals, and then left the complex for the research institute.
In many areas across the mainland:
Residential complexes were relatively low-tier areas, hosting only basic zombies and monsters like zombie dogs, rarely featuring powerful beasts such as the Purple Extreme Demon Ox or Demon Wind Dogs, posing no real threat to Ye Chen and his group.
Areas near the zoo, however, were extremely dangerous, no less perilous than rural areas or open plains.
Soon, the group returned to the research institute.
"I'm showering first! Don't try to take the tub from me!"
"On what grounds!"
"Fine! We'll do it the old way!"
Bai Long and Yue Heng glared at each other, sparks flashing in their eyes. They each retreated a step, their expressions solemn. "One! Two! Three!"
"Out!"
"Cloth!"
"Rock!"
Bai Long burst into laughter. "I win, little brother." Saying that, he turned toward the bathroom, only to find the door shut. He paused in surprise. "Who's in there?"
Zhuge Fan, standing nearby, whispered, "While you guys were playing rock-paper-scissors, Brother Ye went in."
"Damn it!"
"That despicable guy!"
At dinnertime—
The group gathered around the table, eating with gusto. Over the last few days, they had looted several supermarkets, stripping them bare of all edible supplies, which should last them quite a while. Furthermore, the research institute had a cold storage facility, significantly extending the shelf life of their provisions.
"Good haul today. Xiao Feng, how's the modification of the gene refining instrument coming along?" Bai Long asked, savoring a piece of fried egg.
"It's progressing," Mo Feng replied.
"How much speed improvement?"
"With sufficient Base Chemicals, the output is 60 bottles per hour!"
"Holy crap, that's one bottle a minute! That fast!"
"En."
"As expected of a Doctor, impressive!"
"En."
"Damn it, can't you be a little more modest like me?"
After finishing their bowls, around 7 PM, Xiao Hei and the others returned with another large batch of zombie corpses. Ye Chen and the others quickly changed into their dirty work clothes and began the dissection.
They would finish dissecting by the early hours, then sleep, repeating this routine daily.
After this week of intensive work, everyone had improved significantly. After all, having 68 incredibly powerful monsters assisting in the hunt made it impossible not to advance quickly.
Ye Chen's physique reached the strength of 102 men, putting him in the Level 10 New Human category!
Ye Zhu: 86 men's strength.
Bai Long: 61 men's strength, Level 6 New Human!
Yue Heng: 58 men's strength.
Mo Feng: 95 men's strength.
Zhuge Fan: 52 men's strength.
In addition—
The Black Snail Worms had also upgraded. On average, each one reached the strength of 20 men, while Xiao Hei reached 70 men's strength, utilizing the Blood-Toothed Tiger's body for combat.
There was a time limit on controlling each corpse.
For example, a standard zombie corpse, only possessing the strength of 6 men, would quickly decay. Once rotten, the internal systems would break down, making control impossible. Corpse bodies with stronger constitutions could be controlled for longer.
Like the body of the Three-Tailed Silver Hound, possessing the strength of 120 men, its skin was taut and its vital essence vigorous; it wouldn't rot for a month! The Blood-Toothed Tiger's body was even more robust and could be used for two to three months.
As overall strength increased—
The Base Chemicals found within ordinary zombie bodies, possessing the strength of six men, were no longer sufficient for Ye Chen and the others. Even consuming a hundred bottles wouldn't increase their strength by a single bit. They now needed to slay powerful monsters possessing the strength of a hundred men or more to continue advancing.
Under the lamplight, Ye Chen carefully studied a map. This was a map of another city.
"Traveling from here to there will take about six days total; this is the fastest shortcut," Ye Chen said, looking at a red marking on the map where the characters "Maoshan" were written.
"If I recall correctly, in a Huayang Temple on Mount Mao, there is a relic from a prehistoric civilization that can yield Rune Power for weapon crafting!"
Ye Chen pondered.
Since killing the Blood-Toothed Tiger, he had keenly felt the inadequacy of lacking weapons. Although, at present, with his terrifying 2,000 men's strength in his Super State, he could crush any monster.
However, once the Super State ended, it was a period of extreme vulnerability!
At that time, his intrinsic strength must be high, or he would face mortal danger!
To craft weapons, they needed to be infused with Rune Power to make them tougher and less prone to breaking.
Rune Power.
This was a power source from a prehistoric civilization.
As the apocalypse progressed—
Many prehistoric civilizations would be unearthed in later stages, concealing untold treasures and deadly traps. Success would depend entirely on an individual's luck.
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