Chapter 15: Psychic Plants

An hour later.

The motorcycle screeched to a halt. Lin Yi slammed on the brakes, his expression grim.

Not far ahead, a mountain of corpses blocked the city entrance. Strangely, there were no zombies in sight.

Wen Ya jolted awake, her eyes still bleary with sleep. Lin Yi's sudden stop caused her chin to slam into his back.

"Ow... that hurts," she mumbled.

Is he made of stone? Wen Ya couldn't help but grumble internally. This guy really doesn't know how to treat a lady gently.

Lin Yi glanced back, completely unfazed. With his enhanced physique, such an impact was nothing. Even if an ordinary person tried to attack him with a weapon, they'd be hard-pressed to break his skin.

The scene before them was bizarre. Lin Yi activated his Judgment Eyes, quickly scanning the area.

Countless human bodies were piled into a corpse mountain, but there wasn't a single zombie to be seen. This oddity put him on high alert.

"Scan complete," the Judgment Eyes reported in a flash.

"Survivors: 0"

"Zombies: 0"

"Damaged vehicles: 11,219"

...

The corpse mountain stood about 10 meters tall, composed of at least 10,000 bodies. More bodies were scattered near the highway entrance, along fences, and inside vehicles.

On the ground, partially eaten chunks of flesh had darkened to a deep red, indicating they'd been there for some time.

Not far from the corpse pile, a ring of shattered zombie remains encircled the area.

After confirming there were no immediate threats, Lin Yi cautiously approached the strange circle of zombie remains.

What's this? Lin Yi took a few strides to examine the shattered corpses up close.

His expression turned grave. The zombie bodies were cleaved with clean cuts, their internal tissues reduced to a pulpy mess. This wasn't the result of an explosion or any ordinary physical attack.

Lin Yi bowed his head in thought, an uneasy feeling growing in his chest. He glanced back at the corpse mountain, then compared it to the flesh in his hand.

The corpse mountain...

Money still held great allure for them.

Lin Yi didn't bother arguing with the flower shop owner any further. Though his goal was the psychic plants inside, he had essentially saved her life.

This woman not only lacked gratitude but was becoming increasingly greedy and unreasonable. If she dared to make another fuss, Lin Yi wouldn't hesitate to cut her down.

The zombies in the distance may have already heard the commotion. The shop entrance was narrow - if they couldn't find the psychic plants quickly, the delay could attract a horde of zombies. Even Lin Yi would be in trouble then.

As the bills fell to the ground, the portly flower shop owner first froze, then scrambled to pick them up. She snuck a glance at Wen Ya holding the axe, stuffed the money in her pocket, then her eyes gleamed with a new idea.

"It's not enough!" she shrieked. "You broke my door too! That electric shutter costs at least 20,000!"

The shop owner gesticulated wildly, pointing an accusing finger at Lin Yi. She had completely forgotten how she'd been cowering upstairs begging for help moments ago.

Lin Yi's willingness to pay seemed to have emboldened her. If they were really robbers, she wouldn't have dared to make a peep in the face of such menacing figures.

Giving food and money? These people must be pushovers.

Feeling braver now, the shop owner held up her phone, pretending she was about to make a call.

"If you don't pay up, I'm calling the police right now to arrest you!"

She was getting worked up, originally worried about how to recoup the losses from the zombies damaging her flowers. Now seeing Lin Yi's generosity, a spark of greed ignited within her.

Wen Ya grew irritated hearing this. "How can you be like this? We basically saved you, didn't we? You're demanding payment for the door now, but you weren't talking about money when you were screaming for help earlier!"

The shop owner looked at her disdainfully. Though Wen Ya held a fire axe, the owner had already decided in her mind that these people were easy to bully, so she felt no sense of threat.

"You could have waited for me to open the door!" she retorted. "I asked you to save me, not break down my door!"

"Swoosh!"

Lin Yi raised his razor-sharp blade, now immune to the zombie virus. At most, it would only prolong the time he could resist infection.

This antidote gave Lin Yi a significant advantage when facing large-scale zombie hordes.

Perhaps...

He could now consider going to that place with a large concentration of zombies as planned?

Lin Yi remembered that there was an extremely powerful piece of equipment in the downtown area of Linjiang City.

However, it was a densely populated area, and Lin Yi had originally planned to wait until he had formed a team before retrieving the equipment.

After all, when facing a large number of zombies, even a small scratch could easily lead to infection.

But now with the antidote, it was worth a try.

Wen Ya noticed a rare hint of joy on Lin Yi's usually cold face and couldn't help but feel curious.

Could these flowers really make Lin Yi happy?

She handed a large bouquet of colorful flowers to Lin Yi.

"Lin Yi, see if there's anything you need here?"

"Also, do these flowers have any special properties?"

Lin Yi looked at the flowers in Wen Ya's hand and activated his Judgment Eyes again.

A pale blue mist rose, and stars seemed to swirl in his pupils.

"Some plants or foods can mutate. Eating them can enhance your attributes," Lin Yi explained casually.

"But not all of them are edible."

"Some might kill you if eaten."

Psychic plants couldn't be consumed recklessly. This was a lesson learned at the cost of many lives in his previous life.

If Lin Yi didn't have the Judgment Eyes to discern, he wouldn't dare eat them randomly either.

Enhance attributes?

Wen Ya was a bit surprised, but she didn't hesitate to hand over the flowers.

Although knowing that psychic plants could enhance attributes made her want them too, she knew her place.

She didn't have the right to ask Lin Yi for anything.

So, if Lin Yi didn't offer, she absolutely wouldn't ask.

Lin Yi took the remaining flowers and examined them carefully.

He didn't notice that Wen Ya was a bit entranced as she looked at him.

This was the first time Wen Ya had seen Lin Yi's eyes up close after he activated the Judgment Eyes. Her mouth slightly open in surprise.

Such deep eyes...

Flashes of pale gold occasionally appeared in the depths of Lin Yi's pupils. Looking into them felt like one's soul could be drawn in.

"Peony: Ordinary plant"

"Effect: Decorative."

"Iris: Highly toxic psychic plant (psychic pollution, poisonous)"

"Effect: Decorative, causes bodily collapse if consumed."

"Carnation: Ordinary plant"

"Effect: Decorative."

Highly toxic psychic plant?

Lin Yi pulled out the iris from the bouquet and examined it carefully.

After a moment's thought, he carefully stored it in his spatial ring.

Although this highly toxic psychic plant couldn't increase attributes, its various strange and terrifying poisoning effects could have their uses.

If used properly, it could be a trump card.

...

Looking at the last plant.

Lin Yi suddenly held his breath, hardly able to believe it.

Holy shit!

"Purple Saint Laurent (Level 2 Psychic Pollution)"

"Effect: Enhances attributes when consumed."

A level 2 psychic plant!

Lin Yi was overjoyed, feeling a rush of excitement.

Although there was only one level difference between level 1 and level 2 psychic plants, the effects were worlds apart.

In his previous life, for a full three years.

He had only seen information about a suspected level 2 psychic plant once in a chat channel!

That single piece of information had sparked a frenzied scramble among dozens of second-tier awakened in the East China War Zone.

In the end, it was obtained by a top second-tier awakened at the cost of over a thousand deaths among his team.

Without pausing to wonder why a level 2 psychic plant would appear here, Lin Yi swallowed it without hesitation.

"Whoosh~"

A strong warm current surged through his body from the moment it entered his mouth.

"Hng-"

The Saint Laurent, which dissolved instantly upon entering, streaked through his body like a line of fire.

Lin Yi let out a muffled groan, feeling a wave of pain in his limbs.

This was the manifestation of psychic energy remodeling his body.

As large amounts of psychic energy surged within him, a powerful force rose from his lower abdomen.

"Ding, consumed level 2 psychic plant. Gained Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Will +1."

"Ding, gained level 2 psychic plant exclusive enhancement: Explosive power increased by 10%."

"Ding, gained level 2 psychic plant exclusive reinforcement: Movement speed increased by 10%."

After the enhancement finished.

Lin Yi was drenched in sweat, his gaze burning with intensity.

Looking at the constantly refreshing light screen, he was filled with joy.

This is... too powerful!

As expected of a level 2 psychic plant.

Besides the high attribute bonuses, it also had rare additional effects.

A 10% increase in explosive power meant he could unleash attacks beyond the limits of his strength attribute.

And movement speed was equally crucial.

In the apocalyptic game, speed often meant the difference between escaping danger and facing death!

With these two formidable additional effects, he now felt like he had limitless power within him.

Of course, Lin Yi knew this was just an illusion caused by the sudden increase in strength.

"Character panel!"

Lin Yi called out in a low voice, eager to check his current attributes.

"Character Information: Lin Yi (Tier 0 Awakened, Player Level: 0)"

"Strength: 17"

"Agility: 14"

"Constitution: 15"

"Will: 15"

"Equipment: Ring of Doomsday (Special)"

Awakened Talent: Strength Burst S Rank.

(Greatly enhances physical abilities for a short time, enters a weakened state after continuous use.)

"Tier 0: All attributes +2 (Normal human limit for each attribute is 10.)"

Savior Template: Judgment Eyes (Consumes mental power when activated, can obtain target information, upgradeable.)

"Savior Template Mission Information: Kill Tier 2 Mutant [Stitched Zombie]"

"Mission Level: Dangerous!"

"Time Limit: 120 hours"

"Mission Reward: Antidote Serum *3 (Removes zombie virus from the body.)"

"Savior Template Mission Information: Recruit 5 team members (30-day time limit), current progress (2/5)."

"Mission Reward: Apocalypse Base Vehicle (Initial)."

After reviewing his current attributes, Lin Yi was very satisfied.

His attributes now were luxurious, almost rivaling a mid-tier 1 Awakened!

Most tier 1 Awakened only had attributes slightly above 10.

It was no exaggeration to say that if he encountered an ordinary Awakened now, they probably couldn't even withstand a single blow from him.

Let's test it out!

Lin Yi raised his right fist and threw a punch into the air.

"Boom!"

A crisp explosive sound rang out as his fist broke through the air, creating a momentary vacuum explosion.

In the small flower shop, debris was lifted by the air current.

Lin Yi's target was the thick wall. With one punch, the reinforced concrete wall was instantly pierced, revealing the street outside.

"Gulp."

The flower shop owner's eyes widened to ovals, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

She had crouched down by the window when Lin Yi was killing zombies and had carefully observed how he moved.

She had seen the final moment when Lin Yi killed the zombie.

Now, seeing Lin Yi punch through a concrete wall with one blow, she was utterly shocked.

Is this even human?!

Too terrifying.

She carefully shrank her neck, afraid of drawing Lin Yi's attention.

Wen Ya was also surprised.

She knew how powerful Lin Yi was, but now he seemed even stronger than before.

Amazed, Wen Ya obediently remained silent.

Lin Yi withdrew his right fist. His fair-skinned knuckles showed no signs of injury, only a slight redness.

His newly enhanced constitution had also strengthened his resistance to damage.

Now, even if Wen Ya were to hack at him while he stood still, she might not be able to kill him.

As his strength increased, Lin Yi gradually felt himself moving away from being human.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a mass of footsteps came from outside the shop, accompanied by the howls of zombies.

Lin Yi looked up, peering through the hole he had punched in the wall.

Outside the shop was a sea of black, with pairs of bloodshot, savage eyes.

"Ah!"

"M-monsters!"

The flower shop owner let out a terrified scream, inciting the zombies to become even more frenzied as they crashed against the shelves blocking the doorway.

As if scared out of her wits.

The flower shop owner displayed a speed that belied her obesity, darting up the stairs in a single bound.

"Click."

The door locked from the inside.

The sound of heavy objects being moved came from behind the door, apparently her attempt to barricade herself in.

Wen Ya was momentarily stunned, somewhat exasperated.

She instinctively grabbed Lin Yi's arm.

With a light sigh, she cast a pitying glance at the tightly closed door on the second floor.

In her view.

The flower shop owner had undoubtedly made the worst possible choice after seeing the zombies.

Escaping alone and locking the door behind her.

Did she think she could survive like this?

No.

The real path to survival was to stick with Lin Yi.

"Let's go!"

Lin Yi paid no attention to the shop owner's actions. He had seen plenty of this in his previous life.

A quick glance showed at least four hundred zombies had appeared on the street outside the shop.

Without hesitation, Lin Yi scooped up Wen Ya and moved.

Weighing less than a hundred pounds, Wen Ya felt as light as a feather with his current strength.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening.

"Strength Burst!"

A pale golden light flashed briefly before disappearing into his body.

His already well-defined muscles seemed to explode, bulging prominently.

Using his talent for the first time after the enhancement, Lin Yi felt as if time had slowed down.

The zombies swarming towards the door outside, rapidly crashing against the shelves, appeared to move in slow motion in his eyes.

"Boom!"

Like a small cannonball.

Lin Yi kicked out violently, the terrifying force sending the half-ton shelf along with dozens of crowded zombies flying.

The metal deformed, blasting back ten meters.

In an instant, the zombies clogging the shop entrance were briefly cleared away.

"Ha!"

Lin Yi let out a low shout, bending down to scoop up Wen Ya before shooting out like an arrow leaving a bow.

Ten meters in a single step!

He burst out of the encirclement in an instant, leaving the other zombies unable to react, only able to howl at his receding figure.

However, as the commotion in this area continued.

More and more zombies from the edge of the city district were drawn by the noise.

The small clearing Lin Yi had made was quickly filled again by the attracted zombies.

Soon, over a thousand zombies had gathered around the small flower shop.

From the second-floor window of the flower shop, the owner poked her head out to see the zombies nearly filling the street, her gaze blank.

...

The motorcycle sped along, with Wen Ya tightly holding onto Lin Yi's waist.

"Lin Yi, where are we going now?"

For some reason, even though they had known each other for less than a few hours.

Wen Ya felt as if she had known Lin Yi for a long time.

There was something about Lin Yi that made her inexplicably want to be close to him.

"City center."

Lin Yi's gaze was calm, but a glimmer of anticipation flashed in his eyes.

He pondered silently.

"A tier 2 mutant's strength is 30 points, while I can only reach 22 with my skill activated."

"I need to close the strength gap to within 10 points to be able to damage the [Stitcher]."

According to the rules of the apocalyptic game, attributes exceeding 10 points would have an overwhelming effect.

With such an overwhelming effect, he wouldn't even be able to break through the [Stitcher]'s defense!

The 12-point gap didn't discourage him though.

Now, whether it was his player level or his Awakened tier, he was just one mutant away from the next level.

Once he leveled up, he would gain three more points in strength.

Nine points, just five more to go.

"About 5 points of strength difference..."

Lin Yi smiled calmly.

He happened to know of a piece of equipment that could increase strength by 5 points!

It was in the city center, where at least a million zombies and numerous tier 1 mutants had now gathered.

Originally, he had planned to enter the city on the fifth day.

But now he decided to change his plan.

The increase in his strength exceeded his best expectations, and he even got the unexpected bonus of antidote.

With these two advantages, he suddenly had more confidence in obtaining the equipment he hadn't planned to get in the early stages.

"[Skullcrusher's Hand]"

"The only Rare equipment (blue) in Linjiang City during the apocalypse!"

As the motorcycle roared down the road, Lin Yi's mind raced with possibilities. The city center was a death trap for most, but for him, it might just be the key to survival and growth. With Wen Ya clinging tightly to his back, he sped towards their dangerous destination, ready to face whatever horrors awaited them in the heart of the zombie-infested metropolis.