Blessed with Unyielding Defense Through a Kind Heart in the Apocalypse

"What?! SSS-level?!"

Chen Dafeng jumped to his feet in shock, his face a mix of disbelief and awe. From within the room, Old Xu's voice echoed, filled with curiosity. "Young man, are you calling me?"

"Oh, no, nothing! Please, continue with your work!" Chen Dafeng hurriedly sat back down, his tone now unexpectedly polite. His nerves got the better of him, and he glanced nervously at Li Aiguo, who was stifling a laugh. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Li Aiguo responded casually. "You could always ask your commander. Surely he could tell."

Li Aiguo's words were laced with a subtle challenge, testing just how sharp Mike's investigative abilities were.

Mike's voice suddenly cut in, interrupting the exchange. "Indeed, he's an SSS-level talent."

After a long pause, Mike spoke up, his voice seeping into their ears as though it had always been present. "[Hand of Compassion]: SSS-level shelter talent. Through the use of his hands, any medicine he creates possesses [Absolute Healing] properties. Every time he successfully manufactures a medicine, there's a chance it will come with one of the following effects: [Resurrection], [Flesh from Bone], [Extended Life], [Talent Advancement], [Skill Advancement], [Radiance], or [Immunity to Evil]. When one of these effects appears, the creator of the medicine gains that effect permanently, and it enhances tenfold when applied to the creator, unaffected by negative alterations or suppressions."

Mike recited the details of Old Xu's talent in full, leaving Li Aiguo in stunned silence, his eyebrows raised in astonishment. It wasn't just the incredible talent that shook him; it was Mike's uncanny ability to discern it all.

To be able to see an SSS-level talent's abilities? Li Aiguo felt his heart race with anxiety. Thank goodness he hadn't tried to confront this mysterious commander earlier.

What Li Aiguo didn't realize, however, was that Mike hadn't seen all of Xu's data. Even the talent effect Mike had discerned was only the main effect. Many shelter talents had hidden and supplementary effects that Mike couldn't fully perceive. Even though he had spent survival points—more than 50,000 worth—he was only able to catch glimpses of the major details.

As an SSS-level talent himself, Mike understood that Xu's abilities were almost certainly more complex than what he could perceive.

But even the fragment Mike saw was enough to make him marvel. "This old man is truly powerful!"

It was like having Hua Tuo—legendary physician—alive in the apocalypse!

The seven major enhancements, each one so outrageously beneficial!

With this old man around, Dantu's survivors practically had access to a supercharged medical support system!

As long as Old Xu kept creating medicines and distributing them, theoretically, every survivor in Dantu would eventually benefit from these seven enhancements.

And, importantly, these effects could stack. If they could, why stop at S-level enhancements? With the right conditions, one could create a whole team of SSS-level survivors through repeated enhancement.

Even if they didn't reach SSS-tier, having a whole group of SS-level talents was no small feat!

Imagine a Level F talent continually strengthening by taking medicine—what could they become after enough time?

Xu's strategic value was immeasurable. In that instant, Mike even entertained a dark thought.

What if I could bring Xu over to my side…? he thought. With him, I'd have an enormous advantage.

No, wait. Mike paused internally. That talent has its limits. The person with the ability controls its application. If Xu doesn't want to cooperate, forcing him won't yield much.

Mike's mind shifted, and suddenly a more complex idea formed.

Wait a minute. He narrowed his eyes, catching on to Li Aiguo's underlying intentions. He knows I have detection abilities, and yet he brought me to see Xu, letting me see all of this... What does he mean by this?

Mike began to piece it together. Could it be that Guangling is putting too much pressure on Dantu? Is Li Aiguo using Xu as bait to get me on his side, to help balance Dantu's military shortcomings?

Mike considered this possibility carefully. Nothing else made sense. Why else would Li Aiguo display such a powerful talent like Xu's to me?

Xu's talent was a treasure so valuable, it couldn't just be handed around like this. If Mike had Xu in his possession, he would keep him under the highest security, not letting anyone near him.

The reality hit Mike hard: Xu's abilities were worth a whole city.

Meanwhile, Chen Dafeng, utterly stunned, could only gasp, "My god... What a powerful talent!"

His eyes sparkled as he stared at the elderly man in the room. "Chief, do you think... If I capture him, would we become rich?"

Mike's jaw dropped. "What the—? Dude, you're way too direct! Can't you keep some of that to yourself?"

"I don't think it would work." Li Aiguo tapped his nose, a sly grin spreading across his face as he looked at Chen Dafeng. "Although Old Xu doesn't have combat abilities, his defense is practically unbeatable."

"Unbeatable?" Chen Dafeng raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What do you mean by unbeatable? You really think you know what that word means?"

"I do. I've looked into your information," Li Aiguo said casually. "As long as there's no direct counter to your abilities, you're practically invincible."

Li Aiguo shrugged. "No one in Dantu can face you head-on. If they want to take you down, they'll have to use other methods. But even if we can't stop you, there's no way you're walking out of here with Old Xu."

"I don't know what the exact effects of Xu's seven enhancements are, but I do know the [Immunity to Evil] boost."

Li Aiguo narrowed his eyes, a knowing grin creeping up on his face. "The [Immunity to Evil] effect is designed to resist various 'evils.' In traditional Chinese medicine, 'evil' refers to things like wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire. But in our tests… we've found that Xu's talent resists anything that harms him directly."

Li Aiguo leaned in, lowering his voice with a mysterious glint. "We've tested it—curses, attacks, deceptions—all of them fail. Physical attacks don't work either. Even my commands and loyalty effects have no impact. He can directly resist any negative effects, or any mechanism that negatively alters him."

Li Aiguo casually continued, "Remember last month's plant disaster? The mutated plants couldn't even touch Xu's house, let alone the pseudo-humans and the 'difficulties' from this month. Xu's been perfectly fine."

He smirked, his voice dripping with intent. "I've also tested this with others who took Xu's medicine. Those with enhancement talents were completely protected. And as your commander just said: this effect? It's ten times stronger than usual."

Li Aiguo leaned closer to Chen Dafeng, his voice almost a whisper. "Still thinking about making a move?"

"No... I'm done," Chen Dafeng muttered, his gaze still fixed on the elderly man. He couldn't shake the disbelief from his expression. "But... if that's the case, isn't he invincible?"

"Yep!" Li Aiguo nodded with enthusiasm, then dropped an unexpected remark. "Because of his kind heart, this old doctor gained invincible defense in the apocalypse."

Chen Dafeng furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"

Li Aiguo shrugged helplessly. "I can't explain it to someone like you. You wouldn't understand."

Silence hung in the air as Chen Dafeng continued staring at the old man, his mind clearly racing with thoughts.

Mike, meanwhile, couldn't let the question go. "Then why hasn't he been made a commander? Why did they pick you instead?"

If Li Aiguo was right, Xu's abilities could make him nearly unstoppable. Tenfold immunity to harm—nothing could hurt him.

Yet, Mike was aware that although Xu lacked combat abilities, his defense was top-tier. If Xu could resist all attacks, why wasn't he leading?

Li Aiguo sighed, as if this was an easy question. "Of course, they wanted Xu, but he refused."

He smiled slyly at Mike. "And Xu recommended me. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am now. If it wasn't for Xu, there's no way I could command this city of gifted individuals."

Li Aiguo's eyes sparkled. "Oh, and by the way, I'm sure you've seen my abilities. You've probably noticed the weaknesses in my talents."

He chuckled lightly. "Right now, two of my three conquering abilities require others to willingly pledge loyalty to me. I can't force anyone to obey. Without followers, I'm just a turtle in its shell—physically immune, but not much else."

He glanced over at Chen Dafeng, a wistful look crossing his face. "If I were in your position, I could have had fun with this guy. He'd be no problem."

Mike agreed with a quiet nod. A physical immunity talent like Chen Dafeng's could totally break this system.

But before Mike could ask more questions, Chen Dafeng suddenly stood up and began walking towards the elderly man.