37: Chapter 37 High-Energy Reactions

Song Shiyu's Scout Talent was even more useful than Lin Yan had anticipated.

Light blue sensory ripples spread outward from her feet, covering a range of at least five hundred meters. Whether it was the location of zombies, resource points, or safe resting spots, she could provide answers after closing her eyes for just a few seconds.

"Two hundred meters to the front left, common resource point, low zombie density nearby," she said, pointing to a small alley half-buried by collapsed buildings.

"Four hundred meters to the front right, elite resource point, strong energy fluctuations, but there are at least two hundred zombies nearby, and there's an open area in between; it's easy to get surrounded."

Lin Yan chose the elite resource point.

Two hundred zombies were scattered across the open ground, their gray-white figures dense and numerous. Shen Bing's frost erected two ice walls on either side, leaving only a single passage in the middle.

Lin Yan stood alone in the center of the passage, taking one out every few seconds.

The heads of the common zombies exploded like watermelons under his fists, with filthy blood and bone fragments splattering in all directions.

The bone spurs of the lickers claw popped out when he clenched his fist, and every punch carried a piercing whistle through the air. His speed was too fast; the zombies fell to the ground before they could even reach him.

[Kill Count: 612 / 500]

[Attribute Forger triggered — Constitution +1]

[Kill Count: 634 / 500]

[Attribute Forger triggered — Strength +1]

[Kill Count: 657 / 500]

[Attribute Forger triggered — Constitution +1]

...

[Kill Count: 821 / 500]

[Attribute Forger triggered — Constitution +1]

It took less than half an hour to clear out the two hundred zombies. Lin Yan stood in the center of the pile of corpses, filthy blood dripping from his gauntlets, his breathing as steady as if nothing had happened.

Song Shiyu circled to the side of the elite resource point, the glow of the rune stone standing out conspicuously among the ruins. She looked back at Lin Yan, and Lin Yan nodded.

"You guys open it."

The metal box rose from the ground, and Song Shiyu lifted the lid—four hundred low-rank dimensional crystals, three bottles of advanced health potions, and one green-grade bracer. She didn't take them, handing everything to Lin Yan.

Lin Yan took the bracer and tossed the replaced ant bone bracers to them. "I don't need the rest; you guys split them."

[Obtained Equipment: Wind Scale Bracers · Level 10]

[Quality: Green Fine]

[Effect: Max HP +1000, Physical Defense +60, Magic Defense +60, Attack Speed +20%]

[Equip Requirement: Level ≥ 10]

Ma Chen was stunned for a moment, and Han Yi hesitated for a second as well. The three of them exchanged glances and divided the items.

Over the next few hours, the five of them advanced along the route detected by Song Shiyu.

The second resource point was common, and the items found were average, so Song Shiyu took them.

The third resource point was elite, another tough nut surrounded by over a hundred zombies. Lin Yan cleared them out alone and opened the box: three hundred crystals, five bottles of potions, and a green-grade breastplate.

"You guys split it."

Han Yi didn't hesitate this time and accepted the breastplate. His defense was the lowest, and he needed this piece of equipment the most.

"Boss, what's your kill count at now?" Ma Chen walked over to Lin Yan and asked.

"933."

Lin Yan glanced at his panel.

[Current Level: 13]

[Current Stats: Constitution 47, Strength 40, Agility 20, Spirit 1, Luck 10]

[Current HP: 31535 / 36035]

[Current MP: 100 / 100]

[Physical Attack: 600]

[Magic Attack: 10]

[Physical Defense: 440]

[Magic Defense: 405]

[Speed: 350] (Bonus 40%)

[Talent: F-Rank Weak Constitution]

[Skills: Hardened Skin (fixed reduction of 92 physical damage), Blood Burning Strike, Titan Strength (increases physical attack by 180), Rend]

[Equipment: iron scale legguards · Level 5, Wind Scale Bracers · Level 10, Carapace Belt · Level 5, Licker Breastplate · Level 10, Fire Scale Boots · Level 5, blood rage ring · Level 10, lickers claw · Level 10]

[Current EXP: 300 / 20000]

[Free Stat Points: 52]

[Items: Special-grade health potion × 5, Advanced health potion × 5, intermediate health potion × 12, Intermediate mana potion × 2, burrowers grasp · Level 5, bone tumor breastplate · Level 5, Dimensional Crystals × 12000, various materials, various food]

[Hex: Stats! (+2 Constitution), Stats Stack Stats! (+6 Constitution, +1 Strength)]

[Hex Bond: Dice Roller Fanatic × 2]

[Attribute Forger accumulated: 37]

[Kill Count: 933 / 500]

His level had risen to 13, his Constitution to 47, and his Strength to 40. Although he hadn't encountered a golden Attribute Forger, it was more than enough; his panel had increased significantly in just over half a day.

"Let's take a break." Song Shiyu's voice came from ahead. Her eyes were closed, and sensory ripples were spreading outward. "There are no large zombie hordes within five hundred meters; it's safe."

Lin Yan leaned against a broken wall, took out dry rations and water from his Carapace Belt, and began to eat heartily. Shen Bing sat beside him, holding half a piece of compressed biscuit, nibbling on it in small bites, and then asked softly.

"Are they from 'out of town' like you?"

"Yes."

"If only you guys could have come earlier."

Lin Yan lowered his head and remained silent.

After resting for a moment, Song Shiyu suddenly opened her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ma Chen was the first to notice her unusual behavior.

Song Shiyu didn't answer immediately. Her sensory ripples were extending with full force in one direction, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter. A few seconds later, her voice was very low, as if she were afraid of startling something.

"To the northeast, about eight hundred meters away, there is a high-rise building. There is a very strong high-energy reaction inside that building—stronger than any monster I've ever seen."

Han Yi's hand, which was gripping his short blade, paused. "Stronger than Meat Mountain?"

"Much stronger." Song Shiyu's tone didn't have the slightest hesitation. "The energy fluctuations are on a completely different scale. Meat Mountain's energy is like a burning bonfire, but that thing... it's like a dormant volcano. It isn't moving right now, and there are no obvious signs of activity, but that energy base is just sitting there."

Ma Chen stood up and gripped his shield again. "Is it a Tyrant?"

"I don't know." Song Shiyu shook her head. "I can only detect the energy intensity; I can't determine exactly what it is. But there is only one creature in Winter City that can be called a Tyrant. While other mutants have varying strengths, their energy fluctuations have all been within a range I can understand. This one... it exceeds my understanding."

Shen Bing's expression changed. Having lived in Winter City for two years, she had seen countless mutants, but she had never heard of an energy reaction of this level in the direction of the City Center. On the reconnaissance map provided by Sister Chen and the others, that area was marked as "Unknown."

Lin Yan stood up.

"Let's go take a look."

Song Shiyu walked in the middle of the group, her fingers still trembling slightly; the sense of oppression from that energy reaction hadn't completely dissipated yet.

The five of them headed in the northeast direction.

The ruins became even denser here, with the remains of buildings standing one after another, blocking out the sky. Sunlight leaked through the cracks, casting long, thin columns of light onto the ground, with dust slowly floating within the beams.

The stench of decay in the air had faded a bit, replaced by an indescribable...

After walking for about ten minutes, Song Shiyu stopped behind a broken wall.

"We're here."

She stepped aside, letting Lin Yan see the scene in front of them.

It was a sixty-plus-story high-rise building that was relatively well-preserved. Large sections of the glass curtain wall on the facade had shattered, leaving only the gray concrete skeleton standing amidst the ruins. The building was covered in dark green vines, some thicker than an adult's arm, hanging from the roof all the way to the ground like some kind of massive root system.

The entrance to the building was mostly blocked by several overturned buses, leaving only a narrow gap. There were signs that the edges of the gap had been pushed aside, and the size of the gap was just enough for one person to pass through sideways.

Lin Yan's gaze shifted from the entrance to a higher point on the building.

Around the twenty-fifth floor, there was a window that had been sealed from the inside with a steel plate. Several angle irons were welded onto the steel plate, with the ends of the angle irons fixed to the concrete structure of the wall. Although the welds were rough, they were very sturdy. There was a thin layer of rust on the surface of the steel plate, but there were no signs of any damage.

"Someone is inside," Lin Yan said.

This building had been transformed into a cage, the kind sealed from the inside. Someone was protecting something from getting out, while also protecting things outside from being harmed by what was inside.