"I have a plan."
Wang Zhigang's words sparked Wen Yu's interest.
If there was a way to engage those mutant rats, even if it only killed one-tenth of them, it would still be a substantial amount of points.
After careful consideration, he looked again at Wang Zhigang's almost frantic eyes.
"Okay, let's talk while we walk."
Wen Yu was reluctant to discuss this in front of so many people. He signaled to Wang Zhigang, and the two of them disappeared from sight.
「...」
"My wife passed away early, leaving me with a daughter who just turned eight this year. She was in my office when the apocalypse broke out," Wang Zhigang said, seeming to be lost in memories as he muttered to himself. "My daughter is lovely. She's my angel. I thought that even if it was the end of the world, I could protect her. I didn't expect everything to be ruined by those rats."
"She died?"
"Yes, eaten. In front of my eyes."
Wen Yu shivered at the sight of the increasingly composed Police Chief Wang.
Wen Yu wasn't afraid of monsters, but a maniac with obvious suicidal tendencies, especially when the two of them were comrades—that was quite scary.
"Tell me your plan. Keep in mind, if it's not a sure thing, I reserve the right to terminate this cooperation immediately," Wen Yu said directly to Wang Zhigang.
"Don't worry, I'm confident. I'm sure you'll make a fortune."
Wang Zhigang's calm and unflinching expression sent chills down Wen Yu's spine, yet he couldn't resist the prospect of the points from a horde of mutant rats.
Wen Yu decided to hear Wang Zhigang's plan.
"The police station has explosives—all homemade. The police confiscated them from criminals. I know where they're stored, and there's enough to send these rats straight to hell."
"Heh, you call this a plan?"
Wen Yu was exasperated. What a crummy plan!
"Just listen," Wang Zhigang continued. "There aren't many zombies at the back door of the station. My original intention was to let the zombies and the mutant rats destroy each other. Then I would charge in from the back door and avenge my daughter. As you've seen, though, the mutant rats weren't hurt; in fact, they grew stronger. It's clear that relying on the zombies isn't practical. We won't be able to kill many on our own either. So, I plan to rush in from the back door, detonate the explosives, and completely blow up the police station. Then you can come back and clean up any remaining rats. It's a good plan, isn't it?"
Police Chief Wang stated his suicide mission in an indifferent tone.
Wen Yu became increasingly surprised.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes."
Looking at Police Chief Wang's dead eyes, Wen Yu silently nodded.
Indeed, it's impossible to reason with a maniac.
「...」
Under the dim moonlight, the fight between the zombies and the mutant rats continued. However, the zombies, which had initially been charging headlong at the mutant rats, were now being diverted mid-course, instead swarming into a narrow alleyway.
This was the location Wen Yu and Wang Zhigang had meticulously chosen. It was a narrow alleyway, only wide enough for three people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, with a shabby residential building beside it.
Wen Yu and Wang Zhigang had been there for hours. From the initial overwhelming zombie tide to the now sparse groups, they had taken several breaks in the residential building, finally managing to wipe out this large horde of zombies.
Seeing his points continuously rise, Wen Yu couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. He casually approached an Exchange Stone Pillar. "Check points."
"Remaining points: 2,036."
Wen Yu thought carefully. First, he exchanged for an F-Class steel saber, as his previous one had become blunt. Then, he exchanged for 14 Level 1 attributeless magic crystals.
Looking at the E-Class battle sabers and defensive tools on the exchange list, Wen Yu couldn't help but sneer. Professionists of Level 2 are required to exchange for E-Class equipment. I'm not yet eligible for that.
Picking up the battle saber and magic crystals from the Stone Pillar, Wen Yu immediately started to Absorb them.
One magic crystal could increase his constitution by 0.5 points. Wen Yu's current Attribute was 3 points. The 14 magic crystals perfectly raised his constitution to Peak Level 1. A body with 10 Attribute points made Wen Yu feel a sense of familiarity.
He had struggled for quite a while at this stage in his last life.
Wang Zhigang, beside him, also finished his exchanges. He had a brand new steel saber, a worn-out protective suit, and his body Attribute was now 7 points.
It seems Wang Zhigang also chose to Strengthen and upgrade using attributeless magic crystals. I intentionally didn't remind him. In the upcoming battle, physical fitness Strengthened with attributeless magic crystals will be twice as high as that from Attributed Magic Crystals. For someone whose mind is filled with suicidal thoughts, this is the most cost-effective way to spend points.
Looking at the remaining 586 points in his hand, Wen Yu first exchanged for a bottle of basic healing potion. Drinking it all at once, he felt the wounds on his hands and face healing rapidly. Then he chose two Level 1 beast attribute magic crystals.
The price of Attributed Magic Crystals was twice that of attributeless ones; 200 points per crystal made Wen Yu wince.
Having spent all his points, Wen Yu collected the two newly exchanged beast attribute magic crystals and placed them on his Soul Beast.
Feeding the Soul Beast with a beast attribute soul crystal was the result of careful consideration. My innate Soul Strike leans toward close combat, and most of the abilities that can be awakened by the Beast attribute are related to enhancing physical combat capabilities.
The Soul Beast smelled the aroma of food. Its rounded body suddenly split open, forming a large mouth, and it swallowed the Soul Crystal whole in one gulp. Then, the Soul Beast's body squirmed continuously. Within ten seconds, its body returned to its original state; a beast attribute soul crystal had been completely digested.
Wen Yu carefully assessed the Soul Beast's power. One Soul Crystal increased its basic Attribute by 0.5 points, the same as for professionists.
He then handed another Soul Crystal to the Soul Beast. The little Soul Beast jumped up and down, clearly very happy about getting such a delicious meal.
Wen Yu privately estimated his power. In a battle state, I'll have 13 Attribute points—enough to crush all Level 1 creatures.
Seeing that Wang Zhigang beside him was also ready, the two men nodded tacitly and walked towards the gradually quieting police station.
「...」
The battle at the police station was nearing its end, the outcome a foregone conclusion.
Countless mutant rats were feasting at the station entrance. Occasionally, some rats Evolved into Level 1 mutant beasts. One could sense that among this horde, those at Level 1 and above were certainly not few.
Given their current rate of Evolution, this horde of mutant rats could be one of the strongest forces in all of Mudanjiang City.
What Wen Yu and Wang Zhigang had to do now was poke the hornet's nest.
"Old Wang, are you sure about the plan?"
The closer they got to the police station, the more Wen Yu's heart pounded.
The pressure from the rat swarm was immense. Having feasted on a massive number of zombies, these rats were all fat and robust, their tiny green eyes darting about. Most importantly, their numbers were overwhelming.
"Protect me," Wang Zhigang said. "Once we rush into the police station, you just run. If it explodes, come back and help avenge my daughter. If it doesn't explode, then you should leave."
Wang Zhigang was truly a remarkable man. Wen Yu looked at his eyes, which showed no trace of emotion, as if he weren't the one about to die.
"Go!" Wen Yu shouted, and together with Wang Zhigang, they dashed forward.