Chapter 121 Tell Brother Jinxing
"Can't absorb crystal cores?" Fu Jinxing was somewhat surprised, as he had never encountered a situation where a superhuman couldn't absorb crystal cores.
"Xixi, come with me, I'll give you a check-up."
Josie readily followed him into the laboratory.
With a power bank by her side, Josie wasn't worried. On the contrary, she thought it was good that she could improve her abilities without having to find zombies to dig for crystal cores.
But what if none of these men who can recharge him are around?
That would put her in a very passive position, so it would be best if the problem of not being able to absorb crystal cores could be solved, then she wouldn't have to worry about not being able to replenish her powers with crystal cores when they were depleted.
"Xixi, put your hand up here, I'll draw a vial of blood from you."
Fu Jinxing watched as the once delicate girl drew a vial of blood without even flinching, and sighed inwardly.
Fu Jinxing pressed the cotton swab onto her wound and gently held her palm.
"Xixi, you can tell Brother Jinxing if you feel pain or discomfort in the future. You don't have to bear it all by yourself."
As he spoke, he lowered his head, his thin lips slightly parted, and his warm breath brushed against the wound where she had just had blood drawn.
With that handsome face so close, Josie's breath hitched.
Josie wanted to pull her hand back because it was burning hot, but he held it tightly.
After blowing for a while, Fu Jinxing straightened up and looked up at the little girl, only to see that her eyes were moving but she was not looking at him.
He slightly raised his thin lips, spread his fingers, and firmly held her hand in his palm.
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Dust filled the air, and the pungent smell of blood and rotting flesh permeated the atmosphere.
Lu Yuyang stood in the center of the chaotic battlefield, his handsome face covered in sweat and dust, his combat uniform torn in many places, his exposed arm muscles bulging, and bearing several fresh bloodstains.
Beside him, a dozen or so Lu family superhumans, equally exhausted but with excited eyes, were deftly dissecting the heads of several large, grotesque evolved zombies, extracting their precious crystal cores.
"Brother Yang, we've hit the jackpot this time! Two level 2 and four level 1!"
A young team member excitedly waved the crystal nucleus covered in slime in his hand.
Lu Yuyang nodded slightly, but his sharp gaze swept across the area where the fierce battle had just ended, like a searchlight.
The smell of blood and residual energy interfered with his senses, but he always felt that something was amiss.
His gaze finally settled on an inconspicuous corner at the edge of the battlefield.
There, in the cracks between the collapsed concrete blocks, a faint, dim light, different from that of a crystal nucleus, seemed to shine through.
He gestured for the others to collect the spoils first, while he approached cautiously and quietly.
After clearing away a few pebbles, a strange stone about the size of a fist, as black as ink, with countless tiny stars seemingly flowing slowly on its surface, was revealed.
Unlike crystal cores, it doesn't emit energy outwards, but when Lu Yuyang gets close, he can clearly feel a strange tingling sensation on his skin. However, his body strongly resists it, and he subconsciously takes a few steps back.
Lu Yuyang forcibly suppressed his psychological aversion, slowly approached and squatted down, without rashly touching her.
He carefully observed the marks around the stone and then thought about the unusually dense and high-level evolved zombies in this area.
A bold guess came to mind: Could this thing be the source that attracts and drives the evolution of zombies?
To verify his hypothesis, Lu Yuyang made a decisive decision to stay.
He ordered the Lu family to take the crystal core and the wounded back to the safe zone to rest and report, while he himself found a spot with a good view and good concealment among the broken walls and ruins to lie in wait.
For the next three days and three nights, Lu Yuyang was like a stone that blended into its environment.
He witnessed a chilling scene: ordinary zombies, even those missing limbs or deformed ones, would unconsciously wander near the black rock as if summoned, lingering there for a long time.
Before dawn on the third day, an ordinary zombie that had been curled up by a rock for a long time suddenly convulsed violently, its bones cracking like popping beans, its skin hardening rapidly, and its nails growing out of shape... In just a few hours, it had completed its transformation into a level one evolved zombie!
Lu Yuyang's heart began to pound.
He confirmed his suspicions!
This black stone is the core catalyst for the evolution of zombies.
Its value is immeasurable!
Just as he was pondering how to best utilize the stone, a familiar voice, brimming with immense joy, rang out from not far away:
"Senior, is that really you? That's great! I knew you'd be alright!"
Lu Yuyang turned around abruptly and saw a burly fat man wearing modified leather armor, his face full of surprise, running excitedly toward him. Behind him were four male superhumans with sharp auras and wary eyes.
"Fatty?"
Lu Yuyang recognized the other person as one of his juniors who had fought their way out of the zombie horde in the university town during the early days of the apocalypse!
He was overjoyed, which even dispelled the fatigue of days of lying in wait.
The two hugged tightly, pounding each other's shoulders.
After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Yuyang learned that the fat man had not gone to the official safe zone like him, but was struggling to survive in a civilian shelter in another city. The four men beside him were his brothers who had shared life and death with him and whom he could entrust with his life.
The fat man patted his chest heartily: "Senior, join us! If we brothers work together, we can carve out a way to survive in this hellish world!"
Lu Yuyang's mind raced.
He looked at the fat man and his four brothers, who were clearly quite strong and had determined eyes, and then at the priceless black stone. A comprehensive plan instantly took shape.
He succinctly explained his identity and the resources he controlled within the safe zone, extending a highly tempting offer to the five men: "Fatty, brothers, are you willing to follow me? I can guarantee you ample food, safe shelter, stable logistics, and opportunities to improve your strength. I need power, but even more so, I need trustworthy people."
Without any hesitation, the fat man excitedly pulled his brothers along: "What are we waiting for? Let's follow Brother Lu! With Brother Lu around, why would we need to scavenge for food in these ruins?"
His brothers, having witnessed Lu Yuyang's demeanor and strength, and trusting the fat man's judgment, all nodded in agreement.
"Fatty, I need you to guard this area and prevent anyone from getting close. I'll go back and bring the other ability users from my Lu family."
"Don't let anyone get close to here?" the fat man asked doubtfully, but then nodded. "Okay, Brother Lu, don't worry, we'll definitely do as you say."
After three months of getting to know Fatty, Lu Yuyang was quite at ease with him.
He has already decided to use his power to firmly control this area, and he will not allow other families in the safe zone to set their sights on it.
He needs to quickly improve his strength and expand his influence in order to bring Xixi out of Professor Fu's laboratory.
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