Chapter 41 Absorbing Crystal Nuclei
The registrar in the mission hall was visibly surprised to see her return unharmed, especially after reviewing the footage from her mission logger of her battles against level-two strength zombies, super-powered zombies, and zombie dogs.
"You...you really encountered zombie dogs?" The registrar's voice was a little dry.
"Hmm." Ruan Ning nodded and handed the recorder back. "They're very fast, have a keen sense of smell, and their claws are infused with corpse poison, making them more troublesome than ordinary zombies. I suggest upgrading the patrol level outside the city and issuing relevant warnings."
She succinctly described the characteristics and key points of combat against the zombie dogs, and many of the superhumans exchanging missions around her perked up their ears, their expressions grave. The appearance of zombie animals meant that the danger no longer came solely from zombies transformed from humans; the wild environment had become even more deadly.
The registrar quickly processed the paperwork, transferring 600 points to Ruan Ning's ID card and giving her an extra bulging supply pack. Their attitude was much more respectful than before: "Ms. Ruan, the information you provided was invaluable; the points have been credited to your account. Furthermore, the base's research institute seems quite interested in the new type of mutant. If you are interested…"
"Not for now," Ruan Ning interrupted him. She had no interest in dealing with the research institute right now. She just wanted to get back to her little apartment as soon as possible.
Back in her familiar apartment, she locked the door, shutting out the noise and prying eyes of the outside world. Ruan Ning let out a long sigh of relief; her nerves, which had been under intense pressure for a week, could finally relax.
She first went into the cramped bathroom, took out a clean bathtub and hot water from the space—all prepared and stored before the apocalypse—and took a comfortable hot bath. The warm water washed away her fatigue, blood, and dust, and also soothed her muscle aches.
She leaned against the barrel wall, closed her eyes to rest, and recalled the gains and dangers of the past week, gaining a clearer understanding of her own power.
After bathing and changing, Ruan Ning felt refreshed. She took out several steaming stir-fries from her spatial storage: shredded pork with green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and Mapo tofu, along with a large bowl of fragrant white rice.
These were all delicacies she had stockpiled in her spatial storage before the apocalypse, where time stood still. Even now, they looked as fresh as if they had just come out of the pot.
As night gradually fell outside the window, she sat at the small table by the window, quietly and contentedly enjoying this long-awaited meal filled with the taste of "home." Every bite was a comfort to the arduous battle of the past week, and a replenishment of energy to continue living in the future.
After finishing her meal, she put the dishes and chopsticks back into her spatial storage to clean them. Standing by the window, gazing at the scattered lights gradually illuminating the base and the distant wilderness shrouded in darkness, her eyes sharpened once more.
Zombie animals have appeared, and mutated plants are expanding... Humanity's living environment is deteriorating at a visible rate. Improving our strength is of paramount importance.
She touched the few level-two crystal cores in her pocket and felt the abundant energy contained within them.
"Starting tomorrow, absorb these crystal cores. We must become stronger faster."
In the early morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window.
When Ruan Ning woke up, she felt full of energy, and the fatigue from yesterday had vanished. After a quick wash, she didn't go out immediately, but instead took out the several level-two crystal cores. The crystal cores emanated a warm yet powerful energy fluctuation in her palm, far more enticing than level-one crystal cores.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, picked up a crystal core from the level-two zombie, held it in her palm, closed her eyes and concentrated, and began to circulate her superpower, guiding the energy within.
The process was far more difficult than absorbing a level-one crystal core. The energy within the crystal core was far more abundant, and it also carried a trace of the original owner's violent characteristics. The surging energy rushed into the meridians, bringing waves of throbbing pain.
Ruan Ning kept his mind focused and, guided by his own more refined and powerful secondary water system energy, patiently sorted, tamed, and integrated this foreign energy, just like dredging a river.
Time passed slowly, and after she successfully absorbed all the energy of the crystal core, she could clearly feel that her energy core had become stronger and more solid, and her control over the power seemed to have become more refined.
"The effects are significant, but it also consumes more time and energy." She assessed the situation, and without being greedy, she temporarily put away the remaining crystal cores to allow her body to adapt.
Ruan Ning decided to go for a walk. As soon as she stepped out of the apartment building, she noticed the atmosphere at the base was more tense than it had been a week ago. The number of patrolling soldiers had increased, and their expressions were serious. A large crowd had gathered in front of the bulletin board, where new notices had been posted, emphasizing the risks of encountering zombie animals and mutated plants in the wild, and updating the mission risk level assessment criteria.
She first went to the information hall and found Lao Dao.
When Lao Dao saw her, he immediately came up to her and lowered his voice: "Miss Ruan, you're finally back. The mother and daughter you were looking for... although we haven't found their exact whereabouts yet, I've heard some rumors that someone in the base seems to be secretly contacting some newcomers, especially women who may have awakened auxiliary abilities. Their motives are unclear. If the person you're looking for has awakened an ability, they might be being targeted."
Ruan Ning's eyes narrowed: "Do you know who's pulling the strings behind the scenes?"
Old Dao shook his head: "The other party is very cautious and keeps a deep secret. I will continue to investigate and notify you immediately if I find any clues." He paused, "You should also be careful yourself."
After parting ways with Lao Dao, Ruan Ning went to the mission hall. The mission list showed a significant increase in missions related to clearing zombie animals and scouting mutated areas, with correspondingly higher rewards. Ruan Ning noticed that the previously heavily damaged "Qinghe County" mission was now marked "Completed," followed by her code name.
Instead of immediately accepting a new mission, she went to the base's resource exchange center. She used some of her points to exchange for some high-grade alloy, intending to have her machete reforged and reinforced to deal with tougher enemies. At the same time, she also looked for any illustrations or information about mutated plants and animals for sale, but unfortunately, she couldn't find any information from the system.
In the afternoon, a soldier approached her and conveyed the command's invitation. In the base's operations room, Commander Wang, several senior officers, and a researcher in a white lab coat were present.
"Comrade Ruan Ning, thank you for the important intelligence you provided." Commander Wang got straight to the point. "Based on the information you brought back, and the recent experiences of other teams, we can confirm that the threat we face is escalating. The appearance of zombie animals means that the virus's host range is expanding, and the ecosystem is being disrupted."
The researcher adjusted his glasses: "Ms. Ruan, we are very interested in the zombie dogs you encountered, especially their attack patterns, speed and strength data, and...did you keep any samples?"
Ruan Ning shook her head: "The battle was intense, and no samples were preserved." She recounted the characteristics of the zombie dogs in detail and added, "I believe that at this stage, improving the combat capabilities of individuals and squads is more urgent than studying samples. I suggest strengthening targeted combat training."
Commander Wang expressed his agreement and informed her that the base was planning to form a more elite tactical squad of superhumans and invited her to join.
Ruan Ning did not immediately agree, only saying that she would consider it. She needed to maintain a certain degree of independence and freedom.
Back in her apartment, Ruan Ning absorbed another level-two crystal core. With the experience from the morning, the process went more smoothly this time, and the energy absorption rate seemed to have improved as well.
She could feel herself steadily progressing towards the intermediate level of level two.
Standing by the window, she gazed at the night sky pierced by searchlights. Outside the base lay a perilous and ever-evolving world; within, undercurrents surged, enemies were nowhere to be found, and unknown forces operated in the shadows.
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