Upgrade
Lu Tingxiao was a little vague about how the night went.
He only remembered waves of heat all over his body, forcing him to relieve himself again and again.
He was sure that Ling Shi next door was just as sleepy as he was.
Because he could occasionally hear the slightest panting sound leaking out from the other side of the thin wall.
Those gasps, coupled with the heat in his body, made him completely lose his composure. He could only helplessly follow the feelings of his body, climbing to the peak of release again and again.
It was not until dawn that Lu Tingxiao opened his eyes and found that the sky was already bright and the sun was shining all over the bedroom.
He was half leaning against the headboard, with the quilt draped over the corner of his abdomen.
The bedside table was cluttered with papers.
After a crazy night, the heat in my body has basically subsided, but my bones and muscles are still swollen, sore and tired.
Boom boom boom.
There was a loud knock on the door.
"Captain Lu! Captain Ling! The sun is shining on your butts! Why haven't you gotten up yet?" It was Zuo Hao's voice.
Lu Tingxiao had a headache.
He silently thought about incorporating daily etiquette into the training content and giving some barbarians who didn't know etiquette a good lesson.
He lifted the quilt and stretched his sore legs. Before he stood up, he heard the door of the next bedroom open.
Ling Shi's voice said, "It's up."
Lu Tingxiao also left the room.
The moment they saw Ling Shi, their eyes met.
This was the first time the two had met since the awkward "Don't come in!" last night.
Ling Shi's eyes flickered, and he tilted his head slightly, avoiding his sight in a very subtle way.
If he hadn't mastered the art of observing people, he would have most likely missed it.
This was the first time, the first time since he met Ling Shi, this always straightforward, clean, upright and pure-hearted man...didn't dare to look him in the eye.
Lu Tingxiao's heart softened.
He suddenly wanted to know, was Ling Shi embarrassed to look at him because of the embarrassment after being caught by him last night, or because... for the first time... he finally looked at himself from a different perspective?
But he pretended nothing happened and stretched out his body while standing there.
If a hunter wants to hunt, he must not scare the prey away.
Wait for him to slow down.
"When are we going out?" Zuo Hao shouted again outside.
Probably seeing that Lu Tingxiao didn't have any special reaction, Ling Shi finally calmed down and gradually regained his normal composure.
He ran to open the door. "Sorry for staying up late. Is everyone okay?"
Zuo Hao nodded: "I'm fine. I ate some ginseng last night, and my stomach felt warm all night long. It was so comfortable."
He raised his arms and said, "I feel like I have endless energy. I can go beat up some rotten people now."
Ling Shi nodded: "That's good. Wait for us to wash up and we will notify you to gather in a while."
A quarter of an hour later, everyone was sitting in the living room.
Lu Tingxiao glanced at him and frowned, "Where's Yi Yan?"
Peng Gaoxuan seemed to have been pressed a switch, and stood up like a spring: "He, he is not feeling well..."
The usually calm man actually stumbled over his words today: "Captain Lu, we won't need him to find Long Jiao anyway, so why not... let him rest in the house?"
Lu Tingxiao was silent for a moment and looked at Peng Gaoxuan.
The person opposite him was so anxious and restless that he felt as if there were ten thousand needles under his feet, and he almost wanted to run away.
He thought of something, sighed, and finally showed mercy: "Okay, let him rest."
These two guys are luckier than him.
He glanced at Peng Gaoxuan again: "Are you feeling well?"
Peng Gaoxuan almost bit his tongue: "Okay, okay, it's okay."
He took a breath in slowly and exhaled slowly, not daring to look directly into Lu Tingxiao's eyes.
Lu Tingxiao felt a little unhappy, but he also knew that no matter what, he could not blame Peng Gaoxuan.
He waved his hand: "Stop standing there like a pillar and sit down."
Peng Gaoxuan, an older brother who was usually very calm, broke out in a sweat after just a few words and sat down with his head down.
"Try on this portable tester and see." Ning Fu took out two silver-gray metal wristbands, two fingers wide. "This is equipment the base developed a long time ago. It's always been distributed to people who go out on missions, just in case their values suddenly skyrocket."
"However, the disadvantage is that the measurement is not very precise. There is often a fluctuation of about 5%."
"That's enough." Ling Shi took the wristband and put it on his wrist.
Didi——
The display screen on the wristband quickly popped up data: visible cell index 51%, hidden cell index 38%.
Um?
51%?
He actually reached the second level so quickly?
Before he could digest this fact, Zuo Hao's excited voice came from the other side: "Fuck! Brother Peng! 50%! That's awesome!"
"Have you reached that...second level?"
Peng Gaoxuan is actually at level two?
They both had the same 33% before, and took the same nutritional supplements. It is reasonable that they have achieved similar results to him now.
"What's your cryptogenic cell index?" Ling Shi asked.
Peng Gaoxuan glanced down again: "6%."
Ling Shi nodded: "Everyone else should also hurry up and test it."
The growth of cryptogenic cells was indeed slow, but if the ratio was 1:10, it would be sufficient.
Zuo Hao excitedly took the wristband from Peng Gaoxuan, took a test, and shouted, "I'm 39%!"
After shouting, his voice suddenly weakened: "Hey, it's still the first level."
The others were also measured one by one, and most of them were between 30% and 40%, with only Xiang Chongyi reaching 42%.
Lu Tingxiao was the last one to take the wristband and put it on his left wrist.
Zuo Hao leaned forward and nervously whispered, "Captain Lu, the moment to witness a miracle is about to arrive!"
Lu Tingxiao curled the corners of his mouth but said nothing.
Didi——
The data came out quickly.
The smile froze on Zuo Hao's face: "Is this...is this wristband broken?"
"Captain Lu, did you not take any nutritional supplements last night?"
Lu Tingxiao frowned and stared at the data on his wristband without saying a word.
How could he not have eaten last night? He ate so much that his nose almost bled.
But how come there is no effect at all?
The data on the wristband is still 38%.
Ling Shi grabbed his wrist, stared at the wristband for two seconds, and also frowned: "Are you feeling unwell?"
Lu Tingxiao shook his head: "Could it be because of me..."
"Don't worry about it for now." Ling Shi interrupted him: "Go back to the base and help you do a test."
He lowered his wrist. "We're on a mission today, just keep an eye on the back. Don't rush ahead."
Lu Tingxiao guessed that the fact that his data had not changed was probably related to the fact that he had no hidden cells in his body.
He didn't care about others knowing about his affairs, but Ling Shi obviously thought differently.
Is Ling Shi's concern for him...normal friendship between comrades, or...a little bit more?
If it were an ordinary comrade, would he care so much and be so cautious? Would he be willing to risk violating discipline and help him conceal the truth?
Probably... no way.
So, yes... a little bit.
Even if he was fantasizing, he now had a "theoretical basis".
Thinking of this, he felt as if he had walked into a warm room in the cold winter, and his whole body was filled with comfort: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Ling Shi asked Peng Gaoxuan again: "After reaching the second level, do you feel any changes?"
Peng Gaoxuan clenched his fists. "I can't explain it, but it feels like... I feel stronger. I even feel like I'm invulnerable."
Ling Shi casually pulled out a dagger from his calf and pretended to stab him in the hand. His movements were swift and there was no delay at all.
There was no advance warning at all.
Peng Gaoxuan nearly jumped up from the sofa, holding his hands in the air to stop him: "Captain Ling, Captain Ling! That was just a metaphor!"
The dagger quickly slashed across his palm.
There were some white marks, but they faded away quickly.
Peng Gaoxuan retracted his hand, looked at his palm, raised his eyebrows and seemed to be thinking about something.
"How does it feel?" Ling Shi still held the dagger: "Try again, you are still far from your limit."
"It's itchy." Peng Gaoxuan looked up at Ling Shi. He clenched his fist and rolled up one sleeve, revealing his strong arm. "Come on, prick here."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Xiao Gang shouted from the side: "Are you crazy? There must be a limit to experiments!"
Ling Shi raised his knife and stabbed it down, controlling only five points of strength.
The tip of the knife dug into the skin and got stuck.
Not a single skin was broken, not a drop of blood was shed.
"Holy crap!" Xiao Gang's eyes widened: "Brother Peng, you've become Iron Man!"
Ling Shi put away the dagger: "Normal attacks can't hurt you anymore."
"Yeah." Peng Gaoxuan nodded, grinned, and looked excited.
All the caution that Lu Tingxiao had just shown was driven away by this good news.
At this moment, Ling Shi's arm was pulled by someone.
He turned around and saw Lu Tingxiao looking at him with interest: "What's your surprise for upgrading?"
Ling Shi was stunned.
Yes, what changes will my level-up bring?
He calmed down and felt it carefully.
Hmm... I have a vague feeling, but I'm not quite sure.
Ling Shi suddenly grabbed Lu Tingxiao's arm, but his eyes were fixed on the wristband on his wrist.
Sure enough, I felt a familiar cool sensation in the palm of my hand.
He can control his purification ability independently!
Didi——
The number on the wristband dropped to 37%.
"Hmm?" Lu Tingxiao also saw it. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Ling Shi, with the tail end of his tone rising.
Ling Shi quickly let go.
The supplements this guy took last night were of no use at all, and now he has even taken some of it off himself.
Anyone with a little less manners would curse.
He smiled politely but awkwardly: "Aren't you asking me about the changes in my level?"
He tilted his chin towards his watch and said, "See, my purification ability is no longer limited by external factors."
Lu Tingxiao smiled unhappily, said nothing, and gave him a thumbs up.
*
Half an hour later, everyone... no, except Yi Yan... stood in front of the municipal building again.
Ma Minghong and his men cleared the way with rocket launchers, and they advanced like a hot knife through butter, clearing a road filled with rotting corpses in front of the building.
When they reached the door and saw dozens of second-level corrupted people gathered together, Ling Shi and Peng Gaoxuan rushed forward.
A second-level corrupted man let out a strange cry and rushed towards them.
Peng Gaoxuan bumped into him head-on.
Bang--
He didn't move at all, and the corrupt man opposite him took three steps back.
As it retreated, it stretched out its claws and grabbed Peng Gaoxuan's arm.
Swish—a stroke!
Not even a trace was left.
Ling Shi seized the opportunity, grabbed the corrupt man's arm, and exerted force with his palm, and a steady stream of coolness flowed into his palm.
The coolness was so overwhelming that it far exceeded any previous experience.
But in just a few seconds, this second-level corrupted man was drained of energy and fell to one knee, unable to stand up again.
Ling Shi blew a loud whistle, his excitement evident in his words.
Just like that, in the absence of Lu Tingxiao, he and Peng Gaoxuan cooperated, one blocking the damage and the other draining the corrupted people.
The efficiency is surprisingly high.
Half an hour later, there were no more corrupt people standing at the gate.
Ling Shi waved to the back, and everyone else immediately followed, walking into the municipal building in a dignified manner.
Zuo Hao even raised his hands high, looked up and shouted as he walked: "Grandpa, I'm here!"
The Municipal Building is no less tall than Building No. 1, towering into the sky with about a hundred floors.
The building was built in a standard manner, with white exterior walls. There was a sign at the main entrance on the first floor, which was half destroyed.
"Captain Lu, have you been here before?" Zuo Hao asked. "It's such a big building, it must be hard to find."
Lu Tingxiao said, "Hmm," and said, "Follow me."
The elevator was no longer working, so everyone followed Lu Tingxiao to the stairwell and climbed up one floor at a time.
At the beginning, everyone was very excited and chattered about the process of beating the corrupted people.
Almost everyone felt a complete transformation in their body.
When they had climbed to the top ten floors, Ma Minghong suddenly looked up and asked, "Captain Lu, which floor are we on?"
Although everyone was quite strong, they were still a little out of breath after climbing more than ten floors.
Lu Tingxiao didn't respond.
He was at the front of the team and continued to climb forward.
As soon as he fell silent, the people in the team sensed something was wrong.
Everyone held their breath, gave up most of the nonsense that expressed their emotions, and only occasionally communicated in a low voice.
We climbed to more than 30 floors and everyone fell silent. They all lowered their heads and grunted as they worked on the steps.
"Dr. Ling," Zuo Hao asked softly, panting, "I remember going to the President's Secretary's Office. Do you know which floor it is on?"
Ling Shi shook his head.
Lu Tingxiao is an ambassador, and he must have come to this place many times for exchanges on international affairs.
He didn't reveal his destination at all, maybe...
"Maybe on the top floor."
“Ah?!” Zuo Hao stumbled and grabbed the handrail of the stairs, fear in his eyes: “Top floor?!”
The voice was a little louder, and everyone around looked over.
There were sounds of people sucking in their breaths of cold air one after another.
At the front of the team, Lu Tingxiao stopped. He made a "tsk" sound and pointed at Ling Shi: "What's the punishment for disturbing the morale of the troops?"
Ling Shi smiled and said, "Commander, you didn't even give us a target. Isn't this disrupting the morale of the troops?"
He stood on the first step, his head held high. The light from the air vents in the stairwell shone on his face, making it particularly bright. The light cast a shadow on one side of his high nose, making his face look three-dimensional and soft.
Lu Tingxiao was dazzled and forgot what he wanted to say.
Two seconds later, he cleared his throat and said, "88th floor."
After saying that, he turned around and continued walking up.
The team let out a series of wailing cries.
Okay, now we have a goal.
That strange, wrong feeling of tension was gone.
Instead, there is a solid sense of helplessness and despair.
Fortunately, these people had evolved physically, and although they were exhausted and panting like dogs, they all reached the 88th floor at a normal walking speed without exception.
After stepping onto the corridor of this floor, Zuo Hao, Xiao Gang and others put their hands on their hips and gasped for breath. Although Ma Minghong and Muye were also tired, they stood up straight and remained alert to their surroundings at all times.
The gap in training and psychological quality between professional soldiers cannot be fully compensated by simple physical evolution.
Lu Tingxiao waited for them to catch their breath for a while before ordering, "Search thoroughly."
This floor is the president's office. Half of the area is the president's office, and the other half is divided into a large conference room and the secretary's office.
Everyone worked together to search the three rooms on this floor thoroughly, even the folds of the curtains were searched thoroughly.
After searching for an hour, nothing was found.
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