When the observatory's metal door bulged with its fifth dent, Lu Ye's Eye of the World suddenly flashed a scarlet warning:
[Two Second-Tier Mutants Detected]
[Traits: Exoskeletal Armor / Sonic Positioning]
"Qin Hao! Left corridor!" Lu Ye hurled a fire axe, activating his Dimensional Space ability. The axe accelerated and spun mid-flight, slicing into the lead zombie's cervical joint—a glowing golden weak point marked by his Eye of the World.
Chen Mo roared, lifting the heavy telescope mount, his muscle fibers taut like bowstrings. The 300-kilogram metal instrument (Chen Mo was already strong, capable of lifting objects around 100 kilograms) whistled through the air, smashing three zombies that had broken through the window into pulp.
Qin Hao leaned against a bookcase, green light flickering in his palm. He glanced at Zhao Yang and sighed helplessly. Having just healed a glass-cut wound on his thigh, his life detection ability made his face pale. "Damn, we need to wrap this up fast—there are at least thirty lifeforms surging up from downstairs!"
Huddled in the shadow of the blackout curtains, Zhao Yang trembled violently. Sunlight seeping through the curtain gaps scorched his arm, his vampire regeneration locked in a tug-of-war with the burning pain. Staring at his bluish fingertips, he hadn't even awakened the basic vampire skill "Night Vision."
"I… I can't…" Zhao Yang's fangs bit through his lip in frustration. He didn't want to just hide, but he was too weak. "I have no attack abilities. I can't help you guys."
Lu Ye's senses picked up a signal, and he lunged, yanking Zhao Yang away. A second later, the concrete floor dissolved into a gaping hole from corrosive liquid—a four-armed mutant emerged from the ceiling vent, dripping vile saliva.
"Crisis Premonition has 2 seconds left on cooldown!" Lu Ye's retina flashed with a frantic countdown. His Dimensional Space ability had been used twice today, leaving only half a bottle of water in his storage.
The mutant lunged from the vent like a gecko.
Qin Hao's healing orb was swatted away by the mutant. Chen Mo tried to assist but was pinned by two zombies, his bulging arms veined with effort but unable to break free.
Lu Ye watched helplessly as the mutant's razor-sharp bone claw aimed for Zhao Yang's chest—
"Get off!!!"
Zhao Yang's fangs suddenly elongated, his pupils contracting into a single scarlet slit. The primal fear and rage exploded in his veins, awakening a dormant instinct.
[Dark Blood Kinetics Awakening]
▷ Vampire Potential Activated
▷ Kinetic Siphoning (Passive)
The bone claw halted ten centimeters from his heart—not blocked by external force, but by a thin layer of dark red energy coating Zhao Yang's skin. The mutant's arm seemed trapped in viscous plasma, every inch of movement agonizingly slow.
"What… is this?" Zhao Yang stared at his palm, blood-mist-like energy swirling around his fingertips. His vision sharpened, able to trace the mutant's muscle fibers' trembling paths.
Instinct took over.
He raised his hand, fingers clenching in the air—
Bang!
Not a gunshot, but the explosive sound of compressed air. The mutant's chest caved in, three ribs crushed as if by an invisible hand, the impact hurling it toward the window. As the glass shattered, Zhao Yang's pupils split into an hourglass shape, all motion in his vision transforming into manipulable "lines."
"Inertia Absolution… Activate!"
The falling mutant defied physics, making a right-angle turn midair as if yanked back by blood-red threads, crashing into the zombies pursuing Chen Mo. Amid the muffled sound of breaking bones, Zhao Yang staggered, dark red blood seeping from his orifices, but he grinned, baring his fangs:
"So… this is the power that comes with the cost of blood?"
Lu Ye's Eye of the World rapidly updated data:
[Zhao Yang · Dark Blood Kinetics Lv1]
✓ Kinetic Storage: 37%
× Mental Strain: 89%
"Don't push it!" Lu Ye tossed the last half-bottle of water from his Dimensional Space. As Zhao Yang caught it, his fangs pierced the bottle, vampire enzymes mixing with saliva to crystallize the water into ice. When he threw it, his kinetic control imbued the ice shard with supersonic piercing force.
Lu Ye sliced open the mutant's skull, his Eye of the World locking onto a glowing purple crystal:
[Primary Energy Crystal]
Purity: 12%
Compatibility: Human Genes 82%
Side Effect: Neural Burning Sensation (3 hours)
"Four crystals for a second-tier evolution," Lu Ye tossed the crystal to Qin Hao. "You try first."
When Qin Hao swallowed his fourth crystal, his healing orb suddenly metallized. The silver light threads he emitted wove into a net, absorbing crystals from the nearby zombie remains.
[Qin Hao · Life Affinity Tier 2]
✓ Cellular Overdrive: Detects life signals within 50 meters
✓ Neural Synapse Repair: Restores central nervous system damage
⚠ Overload Risk: 41%
"My turn!" Chen Mo slammed two crystals into his fractured right arm. Amid the sound of bone restructuring, his skin shimmered with a bronze sheen, and a single punch triggered a fan-shaped shockwave.
[Chen Mo · Strength Affinity Tier 2]
✓ Bronze Physique: Defense ×3
✓ Shockwave Conduction: Forces enemy bone frequency synchronization
× Agility -30%
Blood Moon Resonance
As the blood moon reached its zenith, Zhao Yang collapsed to his knees, roaring. Crimson moonlight poured into his bulging veins like an infusion, ancient vampire runes surfacing on his skin.
[Vampire Evolution Path]
▷ Blood Consumption: Slow and stable (requires 200ml mutant blood)
▷ Lunar Phase: Intense and high-risk (current completion: 71%)
As Zhao Yang tore into a zombie's carotid artery, black blood vaporized into a mist he inhaled. Lu Ye's Eye of the World flashed a warning:
[Continued absorption may result in loss of humanity]
"Damn, slow down on the drinking!"
After a while, the outside fell silent, save for the relentless growls of zombies.
"New battle formation test," Lu Ye said, unfolding a weapon rack from his Dimensional Space:
"Chen Mo triggers shockwaves (syncing zombie bone frequencies), Zhao Yang forms blood-mist needles (precision strikes on forehead crystals), Qin Hao handles crystal retrieval with light-thread nets, and I'll use spatial lockdown for cleanup."
The gym's glass suddenly refracted a blood-red light web. On the highest bleacher, a shadow was devouring its kin's crystals—a near-third-tier "Reaper" that had consumed 19 crystals.
"We're the hyenas of this new world now," Zhao Yang said, licking crystal residue from his claws. Outside the window, the second wave of the blood moon surge was gathering energy in the clouds.