That faint, dark mist possessed a potent corrosive effect; any life touched by it would rapidly succumb to infection, the epidermis rotting away, and over time, the mist would bore through the pores into the body, unleashing even greater destructive power!
Whoosh!
Ye Zhu’s figure flashed, and she was instantly beside the Demon Wind Hound. The pale black mist had no effect on her whatsoever. With her two slender, fair hands, she seized one of the beast’s sharp claws, let out a sharp cry, lifted its massive body entirely, and executed an over-the-shoulder throw.
With a deafening boom, the Demon Wind Hound was slammed violently into the ground, shattering the surrounding stones and carving a deep pit.
“Wuuuh…” The creature wailed, many of its bones fractured, its internal organs ruptured from the shock. Before it could even struggle to flee, Ye Zhu’s axe cleaved across its neck, and it fell dead.
“No way?”
“It was dealt with just like that?”
Bai Long and the others standing nearby widened their eyes, their faces filled with astonishment. Although the Demon Wind Hound possessed the strength equivalent to 80 humans, matching Ye Zhu’s physique, actually killing it required extremely powerful combat techniques paired with an excellent weapon. Otherwise, it would take a human of at least 100-strength to overcome it!
Mo Feng, standing nearby, remained composed, not showing much surprise.
Ye Zhu deactivated her Superman Mode. The antennae on her forehead slowly retracted into her body, and the fine lines on her cheeks vanished. She skipped happily over to Ye Chen, beaming excitedly, “How was that? Impressive, right?”
Ye Chen rubbed his nose. “Not bad.”
Indeed, it wasn’t bad. To gain control over such a massive surge of power on the very first entry into Superman Mode required formidable control skills. Take his own Ant Superman Mode, for instance; upon activation, his strength would surge twentyfold. Most people initially couldn't react to it—it was akin to an ordinary person suddenly realizing they possessed the strength of several thousand pounds; they’d likely trip just walking or crush the steering wheel of a car.
However, in his previous life, he had been incomparably stronger than he was now and had deep experience handling such immense power. The stronger the power, the less difficult it was to control; rather, he felt more practiced, as if he had returned to his former self.
Although Butterfly Superman wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as Ant Superman, that was because it was an auxiliary combat class.
Butterfly Superman Tier One: Arm Strength Multiplier x5! Tier Two: Arm Strength Multiplier x10! Tier Three: Arm Strength Multiplier x20! Tier Four: Arm Strength Multiplier x30! Tier Five: Arm Strength Multiplier x50!
Ye Zhu was able to lift the Demon Wind Hound instantly because, upon entering the Superman state, her arm strength reached the level of 400 humans!
In comparison, the Ant Gene was far more potent. However, Ant Superman was a primary offensive combat class, frequently engaging in brutal battles with monsters, making it too perilous! Butterfly Superman, conversely, could fly and camouflage. Though its early combat prowess was lacking, self-preservation was not an issue.
This was why Ye Chen hadn't allowed his sister to integrate the Ant Gene. If the entire small team consisted only of Ant Supermen, encountering a swarm of aerial monsters would result in them being bombarded into oblivion. Ants cannot fly unless, in later stages, the gene mutates and they gain a chance to develop wings…
“When the late stage arrives and the Butterfly Superman evolves into the Phoenix Moth, this fragile early-stage class will suddenly ascend to become a super-powerful profession that even Ant Supermen dare not underestimate!” Ye Chen mused internally.
At this moment, Bai Long and the others approached. They looked at Ye Zhu’s forehead curiously. “Why did antennae suddenly grow on your forehead just now?”
Ye Zhu glanced at Ye Chen, looking somewhat hesitant.
Ye Chen spoke calmly, “It’s nothing; it’s just another combat mode, called Superman Mode!” He then proceeded to explain the Superman Mode to Bai Long and the rest, leaving them utterly bewildered.
“That’s incredible, is it really possible?”
“Damn, if that’s the case, once you become a Superman, you’re practically invincible.”
Bai Long was thrilled. “Is the awakening process difficult? If not, let us awaken too! We could kill monsters so fast, slaughtering them however we please!”
The others looked at Ye Chen, their eyes full of eager anticipation.
Ye Chen said indifferently, “The awakening process isn't hard, but if your willpower isn't strong enough, you'll die midway. The mortality rate is extremely high; perhaps not even one in a hundred people succeed.”
Bai Long and the others paused, then managed bitter smiles. They understood the simple principle: the greater the reward, the higher the risk one must pay.
Seeing their expressions, Ye Chen continued plainly, “Actually, I can let you awaken, cutting the risk in half, but I haven't found suitable monster genes for you yet.”
Bai Long was stunned. “Aren’t the Ant Genes you awakened incredibly powerful? There are mutated ants everywhere now; getting them should be easy.”
Ye Chen shook his head.
If he were to allow Bai Long and the others to awaken as Supermen, such individuals would eventually need to be loyal to him; therefore, staying together meant they were one team. As a survival-oriented combat team, having all members be nothing but Ant Supermen would make tasks like killing flying monsters nearly impossible. Furthermore, if they encountered prehistoric civilization ruins situated deep underwater or in abyssal chasms ten thousand feet deep, they would need Supermen capable of dealing with various environments.
After all, every type of Superman possesses unique talents, excelling in different domains.
In terms of raw power— Ant Superman and Octagonal Immortal Superman hold the top spots. In terms of flight— Eagle Superman and Roc Superman take the lead.
As the saying goes, there is a master in every trade. A whale, the overlord of the ocean, would be butchered if brought onto land. Therefore, for a team, sheer strength isn't the most crucial factor; having a wide range of expertise covering various domains and possessing diverse talents is what a team truly requires!
After a brief respite, the group continued forward.
… Day One— They traveled from the research institute to the city's outer ring road, encountering and killing numerous Zombie People, Demon Wind Hounds, Bloodthirsty Rats, and Zombie Ants!
Day Two— They rested for a day in a residential building. Departing from the outer ring road, they reached the outskirts of the suburbs and were attacked by a swarm of over a hundred biting insects. With the assistance of the Blood-Toothed Tiger and the Gold-Plumed Eagle, they successfully eliminated the threat!
Day Three— The group crossed the city and arrived at another urban center. Along the way, they were ambushed by many Demon Wind Hounds, Bloodthirsty Rats, Razor Cockroaches, and Bloodthirsty Earthworms, all of whom were cut down!
Day Four— They arrived in Jiangsu province and continuously hunted monsters while searching for Mount Mao.
… Shlick!
A Three-Tailed Silver Hound fell heavily. Ye Chen strode forward to its corpse, checking the situation, confirming it was dead. An Armored Ant with 80-strength rushed over from behind, and a finger-sized Black Slug Worm crawled out of it, moving along the corpse and burrowing into the Silver Hound’s skull.
Moments later, the deceased Three-Tailed Silver Hound swayed slightly, rose from the ground, licked Ye Chen’s hand, and then trotted back.
Throughout this journey of constantly hunting zombies, the lowest-strength monsters controlled by the Black Slug Worms were now powerful beings equivalent to 80 humans, including many Three-Tailed Silver Hounds, Silver-Scaled Poisonous Pythons, and Iron-Feathered Flying Eagles.
With the aid of these monsters, every night, the group received the corpses of numerous zombies. They dissected them to extract the Base Matter (Jihua). Since they lacked proper equipment, they had to eat it raw, as the Base Matter did not store well and was inconvenient to carry.
Fortunately, Base Matter took up no space in the stomach; once consumed, it melted away as quickly as candy, transforming into pure energy that permeated the body, leaving behind only minuscule residue. If one ate three bowls of rice, roughly one bowl of residue would remain, but eating 100 units of Base Matter would yield only half a bowl of residue.
Therefore, there was no concern about becoming full from eating too much. To fill one's stomach using only Base Matter, one would need to consume at least three to four hundred units, which would only equate to two or three bowls of rice—it occupied virtually no volume.
After dissecting for most of the night, they extracted 36 units of Base Matter, all Level 7 or higher. Only three units came from monsters with 120-strength, just enough for Ye Chen to increase the team’s power by one person, bringing their collective strength to 103 human equivalents.
A few days prior, the team members had all reached 60-strength, classifying them as Level 6 New Humans. Thus, they now required at least Level 7 Base Matter to increase their power, rendering the killing of ordinary zombies pointless.
In the later stages, strength increases would slow down considerably.
“Sleep.”
After eating a simple dry ration made of flour, the group quickly fell asleep. The responsibility of keeping watch was handed over to Little Black, though it certainly wouldn't keep watch alone; this heavy duty was naturally delegated to its younger sibling—another Black Slug Worm.
… Under the scorching sun, the group walked down the center of the street. Although zombies often rushed out from the sides, they were swiftly killed. With the team's current overall strength, there was little danger unless they encountered an Ant Swarm.
“Roar! Roar!”
In the distance, three figures sprinted, wielding pistols, axes, and other weapons. Chasing them was a Bloodthirsty Rat with 35-strength.
“Damn it!” One of the three men, gripping a sleek silver pistol, his long black hair flowing loose and his face sharply defined like a carving knife, his eyes resolute, fired a shot backward without even looking while running at top speed.
With a bang, the bullet struck the Bloodthirsty Rat in the chest, but it inflicted minimal damage; only a headshot would suffice.
Wounded, the Bloodthirsty Rat became even more frenzied, its speed surging as it rapidly caught up. The black-haired man gritted his teeth. “You two go first! I’ll cover the rear!”
“What?!” The other two companions were greatly alarmed. They exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and stated gravely, “Take care!” Then they turned and fled at full speed.
The black-haired man turned, facing the Bloodthirsty Rat with cold composure. He stopped running, as that would only accelerate the depletion of his stamina. With a click, he changed the magazine on his pistol. Watching the Bloodthirsty Rat hurtling toward him from a kilometer away, his eyes narrowed.
He pulled the trigger!
Bang!
A bullet shot out, tracing a beautiful arc in the air, and with a shlick, struck the forehead of the Bloodthirsty Rat, drawing blood. However, the bullet’s force was insufficient to instantly kill such a powerful monster. The creature let out a piercing shriek and continued its ferocious charge toward him.
It leaped into the air, swooping down!
The black-haired man’s expression shifted slightly. He fired his pistol repeatedly, peppering the Bloodthirsty Rat with bloody spray until it was finally killed. But the creature’s body, carried by the momentum of its charge, slammed into him.
This impact would absolutely crush a person of ordinary physique!
In this moment of life and death—
Bang!
A figure shot in swiftly from the side, placing itself in front of the black-haired man. In the next instant, under the stunned gaze of the man, the figure swept out a kick, landing squarely on the corpse of the Bloodthirsty Rat.
That once very large corpse, struck by the man’s kick, had its bones shattered and was flung far away, landing on the roof of a nearby parked sedan, instantly crushing the vehicle.
A slight breeze swept down the street…
Utter silence.
… Overslept, only got up at 10 AM, feeling sheepish. I will make up with three chapters tomorrow!!! Last call, brothers, give me those recommendation tickets!!!