Survival and Strength

The Apocalypse Realm

At 9:00 AM, Li Xuan woke up from the spacious bed. The weather seemed to be getting colder, and snowflakes began to drift outside.

Though Room 1901 was spacious, the utilities had long been shut off. The cold weather would make survival even harder for the remaining survivors.

The first thing Li Xuan did upon waking up was to take out his supplies and start cooking. He set up an alcohol stove, grabbed a pot, boiled some bottled water, and added hotpot base seasoning. Then, he began to add ingredients: lamb slices, beef slices, tender beef, crispy ham sausages, fish balls, shrimp balls, cabbage, water spinach, mushrooms, beef meatballs, potato slices, yam slices, lotus root slices, yogurt, cola, and beer.

He was making hotpot!

In such cold weather, enjoying a steaming hotpot felt like a luxury. In the urban dimension, having hotpot would be nothing special, but in the apocalypse realm, this was an exquisite feast.

While others might still be nibbling on moldy bread, Li Xuan was indulging in hotpot and beer. Now, this was life!

"Ah, that's the stuff!" Li Xuan sighed, content after his meal.

After finishing up, he grabbed his mountain-cutting knife and headed downstairs. Due to the temperature drop and the heavy snowfall, the zombies roaming the streets had reduced significantly. They were now scattered and sparse, which worked to Li Xuan's advantage.

In the past, when there were more zombies, even if Li Xuan could kill them, he didn't have time to collect the crystal cores. The overwhelming blood scent would attract more zombies, putting him in danger. Unless he had the ability to clear out a whole area of zombies, he had to be cautious.

Soon enough, Li Xuan encountered his first zombie: a lone female zombie.

With a swift motion, Li Xuan drew his mountain-cutting knife and slashed the zombie's arm off. Then, using his battle axe in his other hand, he cleaved through the zombie's skull in one powerful strike, splitting it in two.

The first zombie fell to the ground, defeated.

The attack was precise and brutal, a huge improvement over his earlier attempts.

Li Xuan searched the zombie's brain and found a small white crystal, the size of a marble.

"Good luck—an opening win! The first zombie has a crystal core!" Li Xuan smiled.

Not wasting time, Li Xuan continued hunting. He swiftly dispatched the second, third, fourth, and fifth zombies. But when he killed the tenth zombie, he started to wonder if his luck had run out.

Aside from the first zombie, none of the others had any crystal cores. His mountain-cutting knife was starting to dull from all the combat.

Suddenly, the sound of several zombies growling reached his ears. The horde seemed to have been attracted by the strong blood scent.

Realizing the danger, Li Xuan decided to retreat. He quickly sprinted back to Building No. 7, locked the door, and made his way back up to Room 1901.

"Today's zombie hunting was much smoother. My strength, mindset, experience, and even my courage have all improved. Plus, I have plenty of supplies to replenish my energy and maintain optimal condition," Li Xuan thought as he reviewed his progress.

His strength and physical capabilities were clearly growing with each fight. Even without using the zombie crystal cores, just through physical training and combat experience, he was becoming stronger.

"Today's zombie crystal core? I'll leave it for my urban counterpart. After all, that 200-pound body needs some work to improve its fitness!"

Li Xuan continued to analyze his progress. "The urban dimension might be peaceful with laws and order, but unexpected situations can still occur. So, both versions of myself need to have self-defense capabilities!"

After some more thought, he stored the zombie crystal core in his mind space.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock knock!

"Li Ge, it's me, Gu Sisi!" a familiar voice called out.

Li Xuan peered through the peephole. There she was, Gu Sisi, as enchanting as ever.

"What brings you here?" Li Xuan opened the door.

"Li Ge, I'm running low on food. This time... I'd like to trade food again," Gu Sisi said, holding a box filled with jewelry and gemstones.

Li Xuan's eyes widened. The least valuable ones were glass-grade violet jade, worth over a million. There were also emeralds, top-quality red jade, and 8-carat pink diamonds...

"Come on in," Li Xuan said, pulling her inside.

"I'll take all these. In return, I can give you a week's worth of food."

"Thank you!" Gu Sisi said with a grateful smile before leaving.

Li Xuan then began his structured physical training. Combining the zombie crystal cores with body training was the fastest way he could think of to enhance himself.

After three hours of intense training, he was utterly exhausted. He had a hearty meal and went to sleep.

The next morning, at 7:30 AM, the urban Li Xuan woke up in his bed. With a thought, he retrieved a zombie crystal core emitting a sweet, rice-like fragrance from his mind space.

"Starting today... I'm going on a diet!"

Li Xuan steeled his resolve, took the crystal core, and swallowed it.

Ten seconds later, a fiery heat surged from his chest, spreading through his limbs and veins. The pain was agonizing, as if his body was being torn apart.

Li Xuan's once-fat body swelled with bulging veins. His face twisted in agony, his skin turning blood-red as he endured the unbearable pain.

But, miraculously, his body began to burn the fat at an astonishing rate, turning it into massive amounts of energy to fuel his system. The process sped up his metabolism and rejuvenated his cells.

Despite the pain, Li Xuan held on, refusing to faint.

Two hours later, as the pain faded, Li Xuan's body was drenched in sweat and oil.

"Is it over? Am I finally through this?" Li Xuan gasped as the feeling of being reborn surged within him.

He weighed himself on a scale. 85 kilograms—170 pounds.

"That's a 30-pound weight loss!" Li Xuan marveled. "The zombie crystal core is like a super fat-burning pill. One swallow, and I drop 30 pounds instantly!"

While 170 pounds was still considered overweight, it was a huge improvement. His body was noticeably slimmer, and his skin was tighter—no sagging skin like others who lost weight too quickly.

The transformation had already begun.