Split Actions

"Captain Lin, what are you looking at?"

Zhang Tie, with his usual carefree manner, appeared beside Lin An in no time.

"Nothing important."

Lin An reached into his waist pouch and pulled out two vials of pre-prepared potions, handing them to him.

The vials shimmered with a strange purple hue, their contents swirling in an entrancing display.

"Captain, what's this?"

Zhang Tie instinctively took the potions, his eyes widening as he read the accompanying details on his player interface.

Ding! You have obtained Giant Lizard Extract (Special): Increases Strength +1, Constitution +1, Agility +1 for a short period after consumption.

Ding! You have obtained Snake Venom Purification Serum (Special): Increases explosive power by 50%, endurance and resistance to impact by 30%, and attack speed by 20% for a short period after consumption.

Zhang Tie was stunned.

As an awakened individual, he understood just how valuable any boost to attributes could be.

"This stuff is amazing, Captain Lin!"

"With these, I won't be afraid of zombies anymore!"

"Give me a few more!"

Lin An sighed inwardly.

After deducting what he had already used, only 24 vials of potions remained in his ring.

Although it sounded like a lot, it wouldn't last for long.

One person was fine, but if the squad increased in size...

A few battles, and they would be gone.

"I don't have many left, use them sparingly."

"Can your mental strength still support another transformation?"

Zhang Tie, hearing that there wasn't much left, felt a little disappointed.

He cradled the potions carefully in his arms like a treasure.

"Captain, I can still transform into a bear once more. But the duration will be much shorter."

"How long do you think?"

Zhang Tie thought for a moment before giving a somewhat uncertain answer.

"About twenty seconds."

Lin An frowned. Twenty seconds was far too short.

He had already done the math.

No matter how fast they moved, the fight in the hospital building wouldn't last less than five minutes.

Both locations were important.

If the supply room really contained a spiritual energy node, Lin An could take Wen Ya there tomorrow and help her awaken.

That was the best-case scenario.

Otherwise, the alternative awakening location was far more dangerous, with large hordes of zombies. Taking Wen Ya in her current state, as a mere ordinary human, was too risky.

Finding the spiritual energy node in the supply room would be the most ideal.

"Then," Lin An began, "We'll split up."

"You go to the supply room. There are fewer zombies there."

"If you find anything unusual, contact me immediately."

After a moment of thought, Lin An decided to send Zhang Tie alone to the supply room.

Even if the spiritual energy node had disappeared, there might still be some benefits left behind.

Keeping Zhang Tie with him wouldn't help much, so it made more sense to send him off on a separate task.

Zhang Tie hesitated for a moment, then said nothing.

He knew that if he couldn't transform, he was just a tough but slightly stronger human, a far cry from being useful in close combat against zombies.

He would only be a burden to Lin An.

His pride in his strength had been shattered.

Sighing and feeling dejected, Zhang Tie looked down at his left hand. The severed arm had certainly weakened him a lot.

Lin An noticed his mood and intended to comfort him. After all, they would be in the same team from now on, and mutual support was essential.

"Zhang Tie, don't be discouraged or feel useless."

"Any awakened individual is a symbol of power."

"You may feel weak right now because we're facing hordes of zombies."

"In these kinds of situations, it doesn't matter who you are. Nobody is strong enough to handle it."

Lin An paused before adding, "Your talent skill is really great."

"Bear Transformation, in terms of combat, is more useful than many other awakened abilities."

"Once the transformation time increases, and if you level up to the second tier, you'll gain a new skill."

"With long-lasting bear transformation and the new skill you'll acquire, your combat effectiveness will be formidable."

Lin An thought of the other awakened individuals he had encountered in his past life, especially those who controlled elements.

Casting flames or storms seemed powerful, with great damage output. But in the early stages, their mental energy was limited, and they could only use their skills a few times before becoming drained.

They ended up relying on their basic attributes, fighting on pure stamina, which was less effective than a sustained transformation like Zhang Tie's.

Zhang Tie's transformation, while weaker in bursts, was better for prolonged fights.

It was like the difference between an ADC and a mage: one focused on sustained, stable output, while the other specialized in short bursts of damage.

Zhang Tie felt a little better after hearing this, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart. He started imagining how powerful he could be once he reached the second tier.

Lin An also looked forward to that moment.

The recent battles with large numbers of zombies had revealed one glaring weakness: a lack of crowd control skills.

Against single targets, his brute strength worked fine. But when facing hordes, using his bare hands was becoming too tiring.

His innate skill was strength-based, and it wasn't much different from Zhang Tie's transformation.

It was a versatile auxiliary ability, but in the apocalyptic game, it was a bit impractical without an area-of-effect attack.

The mutated creatures were strong but few in number. The real threat was always the swarm of zombies.

Lin An made up his mind.

After securing the necessary equipment, he would go deal with the Stitcher, and if all went well, level up to tier two before setting up a safe zone.

Reaching tier two would give him not only a significant power boost but also a new skill.

He already had an auxiliary skill, and he was determined that whatever skill he would gain at tier two couldn't just be another auxiliary one.

Even a single-target burst skill would be more useful than hacking away at zombies one by one.

"Captain Lin, I think I'm ready now."

"Shall we go?"

Lin An glanced at Zhang Tie, nodding slowly.

Having given Zhang Tie the two potions, Lin An trusted that with Zhang Tie's strength, the supply room, with its relatively fewer zombies, shouldn't pose too much of a threat.

"Bang!"

After confirming their routes, they didn't hesitate. They jumped from the second floor without a second thought.

One rushed toward the hospital building; the other toward the supply room.