The rain had already stopped earlier, but the four zombie corpses were still soaked, clearly drenched before it ended. He had no choice but to give up on dissecting them for Tier-1 Nightmare Crystals.
To be safe, the two of them moved to the adjacent lounge. Lin Qingqing slept restlessly, murmuring from time to time. But Huan Tian's sleep was even more troubled.
That second-tier mutant felt like the Grim Reaper's scythe hanging over his head, making it impossible for him to rest.
Only then did he finally remember the system.
Huan Tian was still not accustomed to its existence. After all, he had always survived the apocalypse by relying on himself. Whether he had a system or not didn't mean much to him, at least not until now.
"System, is there any way for me to get stronger immediately?"
[Ding. The host currently has Demon Hunting Points: 31. Upgrade requires 20/31 points. Upgrade can be completed by consuming 20 points.]
"What are the benefits of upgrading?"
[Upon upgrading, the system's exchange store will be unlocked. Demon Hunting Points can be used to redeem items in the store. The store level increases with the system's level—the higher the level, the more items available for exchange.]
[Additionally, each level-up grants 4 free attribute points, which can be freely allocated to enhance the host's abilities.]
"I can get attribute points, too?"
A gleam of unprecedented light burst from Huan Tian's eyes—his breathing quickened with excitement.
In his previous life, there was no such thing as "attribute points," but there were certainly standards for evaluating a warrior's overall capabilities. Genetic enhancement serums were rare precisely because they could rapidly improve a fighter's physical attributes.
In other words, genetic serums were essentially a way of increasing attribute points.
And now, he could achieve the same effect, without the serums? Even Huan Tian, hardened by a lifetime in the apocalypse, couldn't suppress the wave of joy that surged in his heart.
"Upgrade immediately."
[Initiating upgrade procedure—]
[Congratulations, Host has reached LV2. You have gained 4 free attribute points. Current system level: LV2. Upgrade progress: 11/50 Demon Hunting Points. Exchange Store has been unlocked.]
"Two points to Strength, one to Agility, one to Constitution."
As soon as the thought flashed through Huan Tian's mind, he felt a noticeable change ripple through his body.
Name: Huan Tian
Strength: 8
Agility: 8
Constitution: 8
Spirit: 9
First, his muscles became noticeably tighter, and the slight fat that had lingered around his arms and lower abdomen seemed to melt away. His joints loosened as well, granting him a newfound fluidity of movement.
What caught him off guard was the reflection in the glass door of the bookshelf—his skin looked smoother, and his features more defined. Even his appearance had visibly improved.
"Just one level of attribute enhancement is already equivalent to absorbing a third of a Tier-1 genetic enhancement serum?! This is insane!"
He tested his limbs, feeling the surge of power and agility that coursed through them. The joy in his eyes was impossible to contain.
In his previous life, all genetic enhancement serums had been strictly controlled by the military. Even defective Tier-1 serums, with high failure rates, were worth a fortune on the black market. A stable, fully refined serum? Practically priceless.
He remembered clearly—House Yun, the family that once showed him great kindness, was annihilated simply because rumors spread that they possessed a single vial of a Tier-3 enhancement serum.
"With this system, I might not even need genetic enhancement serums anymore. I can focus entirely on the higher-tier gene unlocking serums instead…"
Genetic enhancement serums were only the beginning—they merely improved physical strength and resilience. But gene unlocking serums? They broke the shackles hidden deep within human DNA, unleashing dormant potential locked away in the genome. That was a leap across species-level boundaries.
In his past life, it was precisely because Huan Tian unlocked eight genetic locks in succession that people came to revere him as the Demon Hunter God!
Huan Tian hadn't forgotten about the system's Exchange Store.
He opened the interface. There was only a single item available, but the moment he saw it, he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
Tier-1 Genetic Enhancement Serum.
Price: a staggering 50 Demon Hunting Points.
That was enough to upgrade his system to another level.
But after weighing the pros and cons, Huan Tian still placed it as his top priority. If he could get his hands on even one vial of that serum, he would truly have the power to face a Tier-2 mutant head-on.
"Stay calm."
He took two deep breaths, forcing his excitement to settle. From this moment on, hunting zombies and accumulating Demon Hunting Points had become his top mission.
Soon, he drifted into sleep.
Outside, the sound of rain grew heavier again, faintly echoing through the window.
But no more than two hours later, Huan Tian's eyes flew open—he shot upright in bed!
A faint tapping sound had reached his ears.
Thump, thump... thump.
The sound came from the adjacent small conference room.
In one swift motion, he dashed over.
Outside the shattered tempered glass, rain was falling steadily. But amid the drumming of the storm, low, greedy snarls echoed from the rooftop above.
And right there—on the rain-slick floor of the conference room—lay a freshly severed human arm, blood still hissing and bubbling from the stump.
Lin Qingqing had also awakened and rushed to Huan Tian's side. The moment her eyes fell on the arm, a chill shot down her spine.
She didn't need to ask what the fresh scent of blood meant for the zombies above.
"H-How did this arm get here...?"
Her voice trembled, but neither of them had time to think.
Because the snarls from above were growing louder, closer.
Then, with a loud series of impacts, dozens of zombies leapt onto the sloped surface of the tempered glass. Sliding and scrambling over one another, they surged downward in a frenzy, drawn by the overwhelming scent of blood!
Most of the zombies, their bodies stiff and uncontrollable, fell from above, but over a dozen still crashed into the small conference room. A few clung desperately to the windowsill, frantically trying to climb inside.
"Huan Tian, shoot them!"
Lin Qingqing's face drained of color as she gripped her short spear tightly, ready to fight.
But Huan Tian suddenly paused, a sharp thought crossing his mind. He clenched his teeth.
"No, we're abandoning this place. We're leaving!"
"But it's still dark outside…"
"Fine, I'll grab our stuff right now, and we'll get out of here!"
Lin Qingqing caught the firm command in his voice and didn't hesitate. She spun around and dashed back to the break room, shouldering all their food and water.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out as Huan Tian opened fire, but more zombies kept falling from above—there was no way to hold them off.
In the blink of an eye, his Demon Hunt Points surged to 15, yet his expression grew even grimmer.
He wasn't afraid of zombies; in fact, he urgently needed those points to redeem a Tier-1 Genetic Enhancement Serum.
But these rain-soaked monsters were too dangerous to approach. If he kept firing the Desert Eagle, the noise would almost certainly attract that Tier-2 mutant.
Leaving here immediately was the only sensible choice.
"All set!"
"Let's go!"
Huan Tian grabbed Lin Qingqing's hand, retreating while firing as they withdrew from the break room and out of the small conference room.
Behind them came the furious roars of zombies and the thunderous pounding on the door—
In the pitch-black, deathly silent corridor, the terrifying sounds echoed like death itself closing in.