38: Lin Zhi's Assessment

"Of course! You are currently lacking some practical combat experience... You still need to face some monsters! Let's find some low-level monsters like zombies for you to practice on." Lin Ze said with a smile, nodding.

Given Lin Zhi's current strength, zombies were completely beneath her; she could easily crush them.

The key was whether Lin Zhi could overcome her psychological barriers and if she had the courage.

At the same time, this was also an assessment from Lin Ze. Only if she could truly engage in combat would Lin Ze completely accept Lin Zhi as a member of his team.

Lin Zhi was smart and clearly realized this. She took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: "Rest assured! I will definitely be able to do it!"

Lin Ze nodded. Whether she could or not, time would tell.

"Let's go!" Lin Ze stood up, ready to head out.

"Wait! Lin Ze, what about the supplies we left here..." Lin Zhi was somewhat worried about what would happen if someone came while they were away and stole their supplies.

"Don't worry, it's fine!" Lin Ze waved his hand: "Just hide them well. Besides, even if they get stolen, it's not a big problem!"

The most they could take was food. As for the food, he kept half of the supplies he collected every day in the System space. What he actually brought back was only half, but the haul was still very generous for the average person.

Therefore, Lin Ze had plenty of backup plans, not to mention the System as his backing.

If Lin Zhi was successfully accepted and became a member of the team in Lin Ze's plan.

Then Lin Ze would claim to have a storage space gained from his evolved special power. In the future, he could keep part of the food and various supplies with him and leave the rest outside.

Lin Ze naturally wouldn't say anything more than that.

Evolutionary crystals were inherently mysterious, and humans knew very little about them. They only knew they could improve physical fitness and make one stronger. As for evolving special abilities, most people who knew about evolutionary crystals had only heard it was possible, but many didn't know the specifics.

Since Lin Ze said so, Lin Zhi had no choice but to believe him.

This wasn't an important matter, so it didn't get in the way.

In fact, Lin Ze having this ability would be even more useful for the future team. After all, it was equivalent to a guarantee for supplies, and it was also much more convenient and handy.

It was just that everything would be in Lin Ze's hands, but that didn't matter! The team was formed with Lin Ze as the leader; Lin Ze was the core figure, the Soul.

"Ah..." Lin Zhi pouted: "Then wait for me a moment! I'll go hide them!"

Lin Zhi quickly ran over to the food and started hiding it one by one.

Lin Ze shook his head with a smile. He didn't stop Lin Zhi's actions and waited there for her.

Once Lin Zhi passed the assessment and officially became a member of the team, and once she learned of Lin Ze's "lie" that wasn't really a lie, things would be much more comfortable afterward.

Lin Ze wouldn't have to hide things anymore, which would be much more comfortable for him as well.

After a while, Lin Zhi finished hiding the food and walked over, satisfied, though she was still a bit worried.

"Let's go!" Lin Ze took Lin Zhi and walked outside.

Outside was thick fog, and visibility was extremely low. However, Lin Ze had the "Goggles" produced by the System; there was an impact, but it wasn't very significant.

But it was different for Lin Zhi; her visibility was less than ten meters.

Sometimes, when the mist rolled slightly and thickened, visibility was even less than five meters.

"Ooh... this thick fog..." Lin Zhi was very nervous, holding the alloy blade Lin Ze had given her earlier. The lack of visibility brought the unknown, and coupled with the fact that outside was a world of monsters, the sense of fear was immense.

Especially in this kind of open terrain, danger could come from all directions, which added a deep sense of urgency.

Fear stems from the unknown, just like... if a spider larger than your palm appeared in your house, you might look at it and be afraid, but as long as you don't get close, it's fine...

But, it disappears right under your nose...

Me: This house is yours now!

"It's okay, I'm here!" Lin Ze said with a smile. He had invested all eight thousand source points he had earned over these past few days into his own strength.

【Stamina Enhancement I】 → 【Stamina Enhancement II】 (Cost 1000 source points, next upgrade requires 10000 source points)

【Agile Reaction I】 → 【Agile Reaction II】 (Cost 1000 source points, next upgrade requires 10000 source points)

【Arm Strength Enhancement I】 → 【Arm Strength Enhancement II】 (Cost 1000 source points, next upgrade requires 10000 source points)

【Wrist Strength Enhancement I】 → 【Wrist Strength Enhancement II】 (Cost 1000 source points, next upgrade requires 10000 source points)

【Body Coordination and Flexibility Enhancement I】 → 【Body Coordination and Flexibility Enhancement II】 (Cost 3000 source points, next upgrade requires 15000 source points)

The remaining balance was 1582 points, which Lin Ze had not touched.

Lin Ze's current strength was far greater than before.

"Mm..." Lin Zhi nodded. She still trusted Lin Ze's strength very much. After all, he had been searching for and bringing back so many supplies these past few days, so his strength went without saying. Plus, she had previously witnessed the power Lin Ze displayed when slaying so many zombie dogs and zombies.

Lin Ze planned to take Lin Zhi to the city, specifically to the area he had visited before.

He didn't know if that giant bear from before was still there.

If he ran into it again this time, Lin Ze certainly didn't intend to run away as miserably as he did last time.

Monsters that "respawned," except for some special ones, would not disappear with time; only death would "clear" them.

Therefore, if that giant bear hadn't died, it definitely still existed; he just didn't know if it would still be active in that area.

Before they even reached the urban area, Lin Ze discovered over a dozen zombies wandering ahead.

He didn't know if it was because of the thick fog, but even though they were less than a hundred meters apart, the zombies still hadn't discovered them.

"There are over a dozen zombies ahead, get ready!" Lin Ze said to Lin Zhi.

"A... a dozen?!" Lin Zhi nearly cried out when she heard Lin Ze's words.

Over a dozen zombies! Lin Zhi secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. So many zombies!

When she had encountered five or six zombies before, she felt like her heart was about to jump out.

Now Lin Ze was telling her there were over a dozen zombies...

"Um... Lin Ze, hmm... You should have heard the story of pulling sprouts to help them grow, right? I feel like! Are there a bit too many zombies? Of course, I don't mean anything else, it's just that, I think! It should be gradual, from small to big..." Lin Zhi chattered on.

"Get ready, they are coming this way!" Lin Ze said just one sentence to make Lin Zhi shut up.

"!!!" Lin Zhi immediately gripped the alloy blade in her hand tightly.

"Here, put these goggles on." Lin Ze exchanged for a pair of identical goggles and gave them to Lin Zhi.

"What are these?" Lin Zhi took them and put them on immediately, trusting Lin Ze completely.

"Eh!?" After putting them on, Lin Zhi immediately discovered a "new world."

Visibility skyrocketed, but she also saw the dozen or so zombies wobbling toward them. Their disgusting appearance made Lin Zhi's expression turn very ugly.

A large part of why zombies were so terrifying was their disgusting appearance...

"Take advantage of the fact that they haven't discovered you yet and strike first. If you're lucky, you can kill a few more before they react." Lin Ze suggested to Lin Zhi.

The cold wave was still having an effect; the zombies' movements were obviously slower than in normal conditions. Coupled with the alloy blade in Lin Zhi's hand, this was the reason why Lin Ze dared to have Lin Zhi go directly against over a dozen zombies.