Chen Jie recognized this aura—it was a treasure for enhancing a Mimic Battle Spirit.
"Hongmeng Purifying Qi, come forth!"
He gently pointed toward the purple aura ahead. A mysterious yellow-and-black energy shot out from his body.
The energy was overwhelmingly domineering. As soon as it appeared, those around were blinded by its brilliance.
The Hongmeng Purifying Qi, upon seeing the purple aura, excitedly surged forward.
With a swish, it enveloped the purple aura.
In no time, the aura vanished without a trace, completely devoured by the Hongmeng Purifying Qi.
After the devouring, the aura's power increased several fold.
Part of the energy fed back to Chen Jie.
Stranger still, Chen Jie felt as if something new had appeared on his body.
He clenched his fist and focused his mind.
Suddenly, a thin layer of scales sprouted on his body, emitting a faint yellow glow.
"Is this the defensive talent of the Lizard Monster?"
Chen Jie was secretly astonished.
This Hongmeng Purifying Qi not only fed back energy but even transferred the opponent's talent to Chen Jie.
Ecstatic at gaining a new talent, Chen Jie's heart leapt.
Normally, a person could only possess the talent awakened within themselves.
But his Mimic Battle Spirit could acquire new talents for him.
Wouldn't that mean in future battles, he'd have another tool at his disposal?
"Boss, this is amazing!"
"Just with one axe, this ugly brute is down—boss, you're awesome!"
"Didn't it want to eat us? Big bro, can we keep its body? I can make some lizard barbecue!"
…
As soon as they got a chance, the classmates began praising Chen Jie.
They clearly understood the situation now.
Monsters that ate humans were everywhere, and one careless move could get them crushed by other Awakened beings.
Their only hope of survival was Chen Jie.
As long as he led them for a day, they could survive one more day in this apocalypse.
"The body of this Lizard Monster—you can have it if you want!"
Chen Jie waved his hand.
Actually, eating the corpses of monsters in the apocalypse could give humans some benefits, making their physiques stronger than average.
But Chen Jie had a strong aversion to these monsters and had no intention of eating them.
"Thanks, big bro!"
Lin Shiyu took the lead, somehow producing a small knife from somewhere.
Excitedly, he ran to the Lizard Monster and began cutting it up.
Even facing the fierce creature directly, he showed little fear.
To survive in this apocalypse, they had to be brave.
After a few minutes, Chen Jie finished dissecting the Lizard Monster, categorizing the meat.
By this time, evening had gradually fallen, and the surrounding light began to dim.
"Let's rest at the hotel nearby."
Chen Jie casually chose a hotel.
He cleared out a few ordinary monsters inside, enough to occupy it.
He stayed on the second floor.
The other classmates, prioritizing their safety, preferred to lie in the hallway outside rather than go to other floors.
As soon as Chen Jie settled into the room, the sound of firearms came from outside.
He drew back the curtains.
From a distance, an armed squad was sweeping the approaching monsters with machine guns, moving toward their location.
The squad fired while retreating to Chen Jie's hotel.
"Boss, there are too many monsters; we can't finish them! My ammo is running low!"
"We need cover. We have to regroup; otherwise, these monsters will wear us down to death. Fall back while continuing to fight… don't stop!"
"There's a hotel behind us—we can make it our base, hold this place, and find a chance to break through!"
Amidst the gunfire, they roared and moved toward Chen Jie's hotel.
Chen Jie frowned as he watched from his room.
These people were luring the deformed monsters toward his direction, causing him no small trouble.
The burly man leading them pulled out two grenades and bit off the safety pins.
With a sudden swing, he threw the grenades into the crowd of monsters.
"Boom!!!"
The grenades exploded with a deafening roar.
The monsters, previously in a frenzy, froze momentarily at the sound.
Taking advantage of the brief pause, the eight-member squad pushed open the hotel doors and stormed inside.
Some of them set up machine guns through two windows, continuing to fire at the monsters.
Several curious classmates peeked from the second floor to watch.
"There are people here!"
A scar-faced soldier in the squad immediately spotted Chen Jie's classmates.
At the shout, the students quickly withdrew, though they had already been seen.
"Old Eight, go check it out!"
The leader patted a short, chubby man beside him, continuing to cover the monsters.
Old Eight, as he was called, picked up his sub machine gun and ran to the second floor.
He immediately noticed the students huddled around Chen Jie's room.
Spotting a few average-looking girls inside, his lust flared.
"Hehe, so many schoolgirls! This is going to be fun for us brothers!"
The chubby man licked his lips and aimed his gun at the students.
Having never seen a real gun, the students were terrified, shrinking back toward Chen Jie's door.
"Huh? All gathered in one spot? Could there be something good inside?"
Curious, he stared at Chen Jie's door.
The students were all huddled around it, making him suspect there was a more exquisite prize inside.
"Move!"
The chubby man pushed several students aside with his gun.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
He kicked the door violently.
Seeing no response, he fired two shots at the doorknob and shoved hard, forcing the door open.
As soon as the door swung open, he saw Chen Jie standing in front of him, holding Xia Wanrou in his arms.
Xia Wanrou was fair-skinned and beautiful.
The chubby man was immediately captivated, unable to tear his eyes away.
"A beauty like this here! Hahaha, I've hit the jackpot! Hey, you, get lost!"
He was ecstatic, raising his gun at Chen Jie.
In his eyes, Chen Jie was just a defenseless student, easy to scare.
"Pointing a gun at me? I hate that more than anything!"
Chen Jie glared at him.
In the past, he had been forced to do many things at gunpoint.
The chubby man's actions made him extremely uncomfortable.
His intent to kill had already arisen.
"So what if I'm pointing at you? Let go of that girl—are you deaf? She's mine now!"
The chubby man sneered.
He had a gun, and in his mind, that made him king.