The varying increases in his three Attributes sparked a lot of speculation in Lin Xinghai's mind, but he had no time to investigate now.
Quite a few people had already finished looting the zombies and were starting to return to the transport vehicle.
The time left for him to collect Blood Qi Power was running out.
Putting away his Attributes panel, Lin Xinghai quickly ran to the next zombie corpse. The moment he started running, he immediately felt a difference.
'This increase in my Speed... it's just too exaggerated!'
He could easily run at a speed that previously required a full-on sprint. He was even worried about attracting unwanted attention, so he didn't dare to run at his full speed.
The boost to his Speed also allowed Lin Xinghai to collect Blood Qi Power a bit faster, and in the end, he gathered another 13 points of Blood Qi Power.
By now, very few people remained. To avoid attracting attention, he had no choice but to head back to the transport vehicle.
...
"So? Did you find the cause?" The moment Lin Xinghai sat down, Roger sat next to him and asked.
"I have a theory." Lin Xinghai said after a moment of thought. "The wound on the back of the head probably isn't from a finishing blow. It's not very deep, and more importantly, it's a cut, not a stab wound. That doesn't seem reasonable."
"But the most important thing is, I mentally reconstructed the flesh and found that a piece of it seems to be missing."
"If I'm not mistaken, there was something on the back of these zombies' heads that was taken."
After speaking, Lin Xinghai looked at Roger. He wasn't just spouting nonsense; he had genuinely observed this carefully.
The look of surprise on Roger's face was fleeting. He nodded. "That's right. Those are Elemental Crystals—a type of crystal containing a special Energy."
After a brief silence, Roger continued, "You've seen what it's like out there now and have some understanding of the apocalyptic situation. Let me ask you again, are you willing to join my Mercenary Corps?"
"Can I ask what the benefits are for joining the Mercenary Corps?" Lin Xinghai inquired.
Seeing Lin Xinghai finally show some interest, Roger smiled. "Too many eyes and ears here. Let's find somewhere more private to talk."
Lin Xinghai glanced around. Everyone had their ears pricked, occasionally glancing their way. This really wasn't a good place to talk.
'But where on this vehicle is there a private place?'
But Roger was already standing up as he spoke, so Lin Xinghai could only hurry to follow.
Reaching the front of the vehicle, Roger knocked forcefully on the alloy steel plate twice.
CREAK!
What had been a seamless alloy steel plate slowly opened under the force of a pneumatic mechanism, revealing a small door. It led directly to the driver's cabin.
Following Roger, Lin Xinghai ducked inside and found the driver's cabin was surprisingly spacious, with more than enough room for five or six people.
After greeting the soldier driving the transport vehicle, Roger led Lin Xinghai to a corner to sit down.
"First, let me introduce us. Our Mercenary Corps is called the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps. We're a First Level Mercenary Corps registered with the Mercenary Guild. Among the hundred or so Mercenary Corps in the Shelter, we're about mid-tier."
"With your B Level Genetic Assessment, if you join our Mercenary Corps, you can receive 100 Points per week as compensation."
"Points?" Lin Xinghai interjected.
Roger explained, "Points are basically currency. You use Points to buy anything and everything in the Shelter. A salary of 100 Points a week is definitely higher than any normal job."
"And that's just for now. If you can become one of the Optimized, your weekly pay will be at least 150 Points."
"The Optimized?" Lin Xinghai's heart skipped a beat. He had a faint feeling this was closely related to the Genetic Optimization Level on his system panel.
"Mhm!" Roger seemed to have expected this question and immediately explained. "It all starts with our genetic engineering. Since the 20th century, humanity's research into our own Genes never stopped, but for over 200 years, there were no major breakthroughs. Not until the appearance of Elemental Crystals."
"Inside Elemental Crystals is a special kind of Energy. Although we can't absorb this Energy directly, it can be specially processed into a Genetic Potion to optimize the Genes in our bodies."
"When a person's Genetic Optimization Level reaches 30%, it's like they've broken through a shackle. Their strength gets a major boost, and there's even a small chance of awakening special abilities."
"That's why we call people whose Genetic Optimization Level is over 30% the Optimized."
"If you join our Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps, we'll give you a certain share of Genetic Potions every week based on your talent to help you become one of the Optimized as soon as possible."
After listening to Roger's explanation, Lin Xinghai's pupils constricted slightly, but he quickly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
'With his system, his Genetic Optimization Level has already reached 19%.'
'What's more, he still has 13 points of Blood Qi Power he hasn't used. Becoming one of the Optimized will be a piece of cake!'
'But such a rapid increase in strength will definitely need a cover story. Joining the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps is undoubtedly a good choice.'
"If I choose to join your Mercenary Corps, how do you plan to train me? Specifically, the Genetic Potions—what's my weekly share?" Lin Xinghai asked.
'Even though he has the system, Genetic Potions sound like good stuff. Of course, I should fight for more for myself.'
Seeing that Lin Xinghai was finally tempted, Roger smiled and said, "Three vials. I can get you three vials of Genetic Potion per week."
"Only three vials? With my B Level Genetic Assessment, shouldn't I be getting twenty or thirty?" Lin Xinghai immediately shot for the moon.
The moment he said this, Roger's face darkened. Even the soldier who had been focused on driving shot Lin Xinghai a strange look.
"Do you know how many vials of Genetic Potion new members get per week? One!"
"Even official Mercenary Corps members only get two vials a week."
"Even with my strength, plus the bonus for my position as captain, I only get six vials of Genetic Potion a week."
"And you want twenty or thirty? To get you three vials, I'll have to shamelessly go and apply to the corps leader," Roger said, suppressing his anger.
Hearing this, Lin Xinghai couldn't help but be a little shocked. 'If that's the case, then the treatment the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps is offering me seems a bit too generous!'
An idea came to him. He called up his system panel and used the Investigation Technique on Roger.
Name: Roger
Physique: 50
Power: 65
Speed: 43
Superpower: Giant Strength (Power increases by 30% for three seconds)
Genetic Optimization Level: 65%
'His strength is much higher than I guessed! And he's even awakened a Superpower. But for someone with his strength to only be allocated six vials of Genetic Potion a week... that can only mean one thing.' Thinking of this, the corners of Lin Xinghai's mouth turned up slightly.
"Captain Luo, your Genetic Assessment isn't B Level, is it?"
The annoyed expression on Roger's face froze for a moment.
Getting his answer from the man's expression, Lin Xinghai continued, "In that case, my B Level Genetic Assessment must have immense training value! If I were to spread the word, then other Mercenary Corps…"
Lin Xinghai didn't finish his sentence, just smiled at Roger.
"With a B Level Genetic Assessment, you could choose to join the Military Department. It's safer than joining a Mercenary Corps, and you'd also get three vials of Genetic Potion a week," the soldier who had been driving silently suddenly spoke up.
Roger's face grew even darker. 'If I'd known this would happen, I would've just talked to Lin Xinghai back in the main compartment.'
"Four vials of Genetic Potion a week. That's my limit. I also have one condition: within one month, the speed of your power progression must match your talent."
"Otherwise, it's three vials a week at most." Roger had no choice but to propose a new condition.
"Deal! But what if my power progresses faster than you can imagine? How will the Genetic Potions be calculated then?" Lin Xinghai asked with a smile.
Roger's eyes narrowed slightly, but then he remembered Lin Xinghai's attitude while looting the zombies and suddenly started to laugh. "Such confidence. I hope you're not all talk. If that really happens, our Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps will absolutely not treat you unfairly."