(3) You Might Want to Be Grateful (3)

Converting the points he had earned from kills into zombies would be enough to overflow a city; they could be piled up into a mountain.

A message arrived.

Lam Pham picked up his mobile phone. The sender was Lao Chung.

Lao Chung: My ability has just reached the 5th stage.

Lam Pham replied to Lao Chung's message.

"Congratulations."

"Are you in a bad mood?"

Lao Chung, who had messaged Lam Pham, felt that Lam Pham's mood might not be good. After all, based on his understanding of Lam Pham, he wouldn't be like this when in a good mood.

"Can't say it's good, but it's not bad either. Just ran into some annoying things. Today, what happened was..."

He told Lao Chung about the incident at that shelter.

There was a brief silence, no message for a moment.

A little while later.

Lao Chung sent a message.

"No one wants this kind of era to happen. Back then, Diep Thien and I were betrayed by a companion. His cowardice and scheming almost got us killed by zombies. At times like these, when people face life-or-death choices, they often become selfish. Right now, in the Sunshine Shelter, because of your existence, everyone thinks of a beautiful future and doesn't worry about their lives being threatened. But if, by some chance, that sense of security disappears, people who have grown accustomed to normalcy will gradually change under the influence of the environment. This is human nature... human nature is hard to fathom; it changes with the environment."

When Lao Chung wrote this content, he deleted and re-deleted parts, thought it over, and still sent it to Lam Pham. He wanted Lam Pham to understand that his importance was indispensable.

Don't be fooled by Lao Chung's usual quietness and seemingly simple nature. He saw things very clearly. The beautiful Sunshine Shelter was not indestructible.

Its current beauty was because of Lam Pham's great hand, holding everyone firmly in his palm.

The moment that palm opened, that scene of unity would truly be gone without a trace.

Lam Pham: "Don't worry, I won't let this environment change."

Lao Chung: "I believe you."

Lam Pham: "What's the situation like at the fifth stage? Are there any astonishing changes?"

Lao Chung was likely the very first among the Awakened to reach the fifth stage.

Lam Pham himself was not an Awakened, so it was very difficult for him to analyze just how large the gap between stages was.

Lao Chung: "It's very strong. I've found that the fifth stage is much more powerful than the fourth stage, more than I imagined. I feel like I could demolish a building with one punch right now. Also, I just tested it with a knife; I scraped my skin, and it only left a tiny white mark. My body is as hard as steel."

Lam Pham: "Is it that strong?"

Lao Chung: "It's hard to say without a proper test."

Lam Pham: "Let's test it tomorrow. You're the first to reach the fifth stage. Only you can feel it; others don't know."

Thinking about that notebook from the base, the description of a Strength Awakened's punching power must have been wrong.

Those who hadn't reached the perfect stage of their Awakening couldn't be used as a standard.

The next day, early in the morning.

At an abandoned old building in the city.

"You really seem different." Lam Pham noticed that Lao Chung's entire aura and energy had undergone a heaven-and-earth change compared to before. He wasn't wearing his armor, and one could see the lines of the powerful muscles hidden under Lao Chung's clothes.

They were filled with terrifying explosive power.

Strength Awakened could be sculpted; as their ability increased, their muscles would bulge.

Chuc Thanh said, "The honest-looking, human-shaped beast Lao Chung. He looks terrifying. I feel like one punch could kill me. If I ran into Lao Chung, I'd definitely pick a good spot to lie down and die first, to avoid being blown to bits by him, with no remains left."

"Exaggerating," Lao Chung said.

Chuc Thanh shook his head, "Not exaggerating at all. I feel it's very possible... no, not just possible, but certain."

Lam Pham said, "Lao Chung, throw a punch at this abandoned building."

"Alright."

Dong Giai watched with rapt attention.

Diep Thien felt that Lao Chung had taken a huge leap forward. Reaching the fifth stage gave him the ability to demolish a building?

If that was really the case...

The gap between the fourth and fifth stages was just too big.

At this moment.

Lao Chung took a deep breath, stood before the abandoned building, clenched his fist, and let out a low roar. He threw a punch towards the abandoned building. This was an explosion of power without wearing his armor.

As Lao Chung threw the punch, a deafening explosion rang out as the air itself was blasted apart.

With Lao Chung as the center, a wave of air suddenly expanded.

Rumble!

A shocking scene occurred.

The moment Lao Chung's fist collided with the abandoned building, a deep, muffled sound echoed. The wall in front of him instantly exploded, and countless cracks spread out like a spiderweb.

Dong Giai, who could foresee the future, shouted, "Back up, the building is going to collapse!"

The group hurriedly retreated to a safe distance.

Not long after they retreated...

The abandoned building suddenly collapsed, sending up a thick cloud of dust.

Lao Chung stared wide-eyed, looking at his own fist in disbelief. "Can I really have this kind of destructive power?"

Chuc Thanh said, "Lao Chung, you're too awesome! I now believe one hundred percent that if that punch landed on me, forget bones, I'm afraid not even a scrap of my flesh would be left to scatter."

Diep Thien touched the sniper rifle on her back, feeling a bit lost. Was the fifth stage really this terrifying? At the same time, she felt a little excited. If she could also advance to the fifth stage, would she become even stronger?

Lam Pham clapped, the sound echoing continuously. "Amazing, truly amazing. I firmly believe that if you encounter a mature-stage hybrid zombie, Lao Chung alone could easily blow it to pieces."

Although mature-stage hybrid zombies were formidable, they were definitely not this powerful.

He had really overestimated the hybrid zombies before.

Why would Lao Chung need to reach the fifth stage to kill a hybrid zombie with the coordination of his teammates? With his current ability, he was more than enough on his own.

Lao Chung still couldn't quite snap out of his joy.

He had truly never imagined that he would one day become this powerful.

It was an unbelievable thing.

He looked at Lam Pham, knowing that he could achieve such a change all because of Lam Pham. With that kind of boundless feeding and nurturing, even a pig could become a terrifying awakened pig.

Lam Pham tossed an ordinary straight blade to Lao Chung.

Without a second thought, Lao Chung swung the blade towards his own arm. Just as Chuc Thanh and the others thought Lao Chung had gone a little crazy, a shocking scene occurred.

Crack!

The moment the sharp, ordinary straight blade touched his arm, it instantly snapped in two.

"Damn, Golden Bell Shield? Iron Cloth Shirt?" Chuc Thanh exclaimed in shock.

Lam Pham said, "After Lao Chung reached the fifth stage, his body's toughness has been enhanced to an unimaginable degree. He can resist cuts from blades and swords. I'm afraid his shock absorption ability has also been greatly improved."

If Lao Chung were to put on his armor, his combat ability would likely be even more unimaginably terrifying.

Absolutely shockingly fearsome.

Ha ha... Lam Pham's mood was truly joyful. He had finally seen an Awakened, akin to a savior, emerge in the apocalypse.

Based on Lao Chung's current state, he wouldn't even be afraid if he encountered a zombie tide.

It would be the same even without armor.

With this level of physical hardness, a zombie's teeth and claws couldn't even leave a scratch.

"So envious," Chuc Thanh's eyes lit up with envy.

Diep Thien said, "I want to reach the fifth stage too."

Dong Giai said, "That's just perverted."

They had all watched how Lao Chung had developed from what was considered a normal stage to his current, almost inhuman stage.

Was this progress?

No... this was simply god-like.

And the hand pushing from behind the scenes...

Was the idol in their hearts.

The Guardian God of Hoang City's Sunshine Shelter, Lam Pham.