7: Continue to delve deeper and upgrade

Lin Ye swept his gaze over the slow zombies still wandering in the distance. Having grasped the charging mechanism of the xiao dingdang modifier, he felt even more motivated.

As he continued to venture deeper, he proceeded to summon more floating cannons.

With a thought, a second fist-sized, silver-white spherical floating cannon materialized beside him, floating alongside the first. The dim blue light at its muzzle was similarly ready to fire.

Immediately after, a third, fourth, and fifth...

A total of five m-1 type miniature floating cannons circled Lin Ye like loyal satellites. Each one radiated energy fluctuations far exceeding its Black Iron tier, their muzzles pointed outward in unison, filled with a murderous aura.

"Five should be a manageable number for me to control at this stage." Lin Ye assessed internally, feeling the Integrated Link between himself and the five floating cannons.

"Begin clearing."

At his command, the five floating cannons turned into five silver shadows, shooting off in different directions like lightning, each locking onto a slow zombie. The dim blue energy beams wove into a web of Death, each flash striking the target's head.

"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!"

"- 485!" "- 490!" "- 478!" "- 482!" "- 488!"

Almost at the same time, the five slow zombies collapsed, not even having time to let out a scream.

Under the terrifying amplification of his talent, clearing these Level 1 zombies with the floating cannons was as easy as chopping melons and vegetables—one shot per kill. Lin Ye didn't even need to use his other two buff skills for extra amplification.

Under such efficient clearing, Lin Ye's experience bar rose rapidly. He followed leisurely behind the floating cannons, occasionally using the assault rifle in his hand to pick off a few stragglers.

As he continued to venture deeper into this desolate frontline, the figures of other recruits around him became visibly fewer and fewer.

Most people were still gathered near the passage exit, cautiously luring monsters and attacking in teams, far from the unstoppable momentum Lin Ye displayed.

Before long, apart from occasionally seeing a few daring solo players or elite squads in the distance, Lin Ye was the only one left in the vast area.

As Lin Ye continued deeper, the zombies here began to undergo some changes.

【Healthy Zombie】

Level: 3

HP: 750 / 750

Attack Power: 45

Defense: 15

Skill: None

Characteristics: Undead creature, physique is still relatively intact, has slight resistance to physical damage.

Description: An individual that has been eroded by Void Energy for a relatively short time; it retains more of its physical strength from when it was alive and is more threatening than a slow zombie.

Although the skin of these Level 3 Healthy Zombies was still pale, the degree of decay was greatly reduced, and their movements were slightly more agile than the Level 1 slow zombies.

Lin Ye commanded the group of floating cannons, farming these Level 3 monsters with ease.

Under the concentrated fire of five floating cannons, the Healthy Zombie's 750 HP couldn't even withstand a single volley.

【Killed Level 1 Slow Zombie, gained 10 EXP.】

【Killed Level 3 Healthy Zombie, gained 50 EXP.】

【Killed Level 1 Slow Zombie, gained 10 EXP.】

...

Before he knew it, Lin Ye's EXP reached 1000, and a pleasant system notification sounded in his mind:

【Congratulations! Level increased to LV2! All attributes increased! HP and Mana fully restored!】

【Level: 2 (0 / 5000)】

Lin Ye immediately opened his attribute panel:

【Character Attribute Panel】

Name: Lin Ye

Race: Human

Level: 2 (EXP 0 / 5000)

Class: Myriad Mechanist

HP: 600 / 600 | 5000 / 5000 (Talent 【Integrated Link】 effect)

Mana: 1500 / 1500

Base Attributes:

Strength: 6 (3+3)

Agility: 7 (4+3)

Constitution: 6 (3+3)

Intelligence: 22 (7+15)

Spirit: 15 (5+10)

Luck: 99999999

Skills Mastered: 【Miracle Law】, 【m-1 type miniature floating cannon】, 【Integrated Polarization Shield】, 【Tactical Command - Alpha Band】, 【Extraordinary Modification】

"Strength, Agility, and Constitution each increased by 3 points, Intelligence increased by a whopping 15 points, and Spirit increased by 10!" Lin Ye was shocked as he looked at this incredibly luxurious attribute growth.

Although he didn't know how other classes' attribute growth compared, he knew without thinking that this was definitely super-spec treatment.

His maximum HP increased to 600, and his maximum Mana skyrocketed to 1500, allowing him to use skills more freely and greatly enhancing his sustainability.

In a great mood, Lin Ye continued his monster-farming journey. The 50 EXP provided by the Level 3 Healthy Zombies caused his experience bar to rise steadily at a visible rate.

After pushing forward for several more kilometers, the Void Energy permeating the air became even denser. Animal bones chewed beyond recognition began to appear on the ground, along with the corpses of other recruits. It seemed some had overestimated their capabilities by venturing this deep, paying the price with their lives.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Just as Lin Ye was directing his floating cannons to clear out a small group of Healthy Zombies, a lightning-fast black shadow suddenly darted out from behind some collapsed building ruins, pouncing toward one of the floating cannons with the speed of lightning!

It was a zombie slightly smaller than a Healthy Zombie, but with more robust limbs and eyes flashing with bloodthirsty red light. Above its head, besides its level and name, was an eye-catching golden skull mark, representing its special status.

【Agile Zombie (Elite)】

Level: 5

HP: 3000 / 3000

Attack Power: 80

Defense: 40

Skill: 【Assault】: Bursts speed in a short time to perform a quick claw strike on the target.

Characteristics: Light (Movement speed and attack speed slightly increased).

Description: A rare zombie individual that underwent a beneficial mutation, retaining and strengthening its agility from when it was alive; it is a ghost assassin on the battlefield.

"An Elite monster?" Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.

The Level 5 Elite Agile Zombie was extremely fast, closing in on a floating cannon almost the instant it appeared, its cold, gleaming claws slashing down fiercely!

"Clang!"

With the blessing of his talent, the floating cannon had a physical defense as high as 200 points. Although the Elite Zombie's 80 attack power was decent, it only scraped a string of tiny sparks against the floating cannon's shell, failing to cause any substantial damage.

"The speed isn't bad." Lin Ye praised, then immediately ordered: "Concentrate fire!"

The five floating cannons instantly turned their muzzles, and dim blue energy beams locked onto and fired at the Elite Agile Zombie from five different angles simultaneously!

"Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!"

"- 460!" "- 455!" "- 462!" "- 458!" "- 465!"

The dense energy beams were like the scythe of Death, instantly enveloping the Elite Agile Zombie as it jumped around, attempting to evade.

Under the concentrated fire of the five floating cannons, the Elite Agile Zombie's 3000 HP melted away as quickly as ice under the scorching sun. It couldn't even launch another decent attack before exploding into pieces amidst a scream of unwillingness.

【Killed Level 5 Elite Agile Zombie, gained 200 EXP.】

【Obtained: Elite Combat Boots x1】

【Obtained: Copper Coins x85】

【Obtained: charge crystal x1】

【Obtained: Primary Skill Book x1】

As expected of an Elite monster, the drops were no longer fragments, but equipment, complete materials, and a skill book. Lin Ye couldn't wait to check his loot.

【Elite Combat Boots】

Type: Footwear (Bronze)

Level Requirement: 5

Durability: 150 / 150

Armor + 50

Speed + 10%

Skill: Light Assault (Gain 100% movement speed, lasts 3s, cooldown 20s)

A decent piece of equipment, but unfortunately, Lin Ye was only Level 2 and couldn't equip it yet.

【charge crystal】

Type: Material (Bronze)

Description: A natural crystal containing stable lightning energy; it is a key material for crafting certain energy weapons, magic items, or reinforcing mechanical units, and is extremely rare.

"Oh? A Bronze-tier material!" Lin Ye's eyes lit up. This material seemed useful for enhancing his floating cannons.

【Primary Skill Book】

Type: Item (Bronze)

Description: After use, it can increase a skill level by 1. Only usable on skills below Level 3.

"It seems this is how skills are leveled up." Lin Ye muttered to himself while looking at the skill book.

Dropping three Bronze-tier items at once—this must be all the items this Elite monster could drop.

It seems killing Elite monsters is indeed an efficient way to obtain high-level resources.

He was also quite satisfied with the 200 EXP, moving him one step closer to the 5000 EXP required to reach Level 3.

Looking back at the xiao dingdang modifier panel, the tiny progress bar at the bottom had also increased by 0.02%. It seems different levels of Alien Species provide different progress bar values.