Bai Hanlin adhered to the principle of survival first, which did not mean he wouldn't fight or level up.
Instead, before engaging in combat, he would observe, attempting to select enemies or monsters he was confident he could defeat.
This was the fundamental reason he, Cui Zhiyan, and Xiu Min could survive in the apocalypse.
If he wasn't confident, he would retreat, then slowly study the opponent's energy flow and combat patterns. Once everything was understood, Bai Hanlin would counterattack.
In this manner, Bai Hanlin had overcome numerous crises in the apocalypse.
As for opposing survivors, Bai Hanlin, as a surgeon, possessed an expert understanding of the human body, akin to a butcher meticulously dissecting an ox. Coupled with his preference for attacking only those weaker than himself, he had remained undefeated until now.
Bai Hanlin was reluctant to join the battle because he did not want to engage with these unknown individuals rashly, especially since they were all from the previous cycle of轮回者 (lunhui zhe), and their strength might far exceed his own!
Live, he must live!
However, he couldn't disobey the order from the leader, Zhang Chen. Thus, Bai Hanlin walked towards the battlefield with trepidation, his nerves stretched to the absolute limit!
The street and buildings were already in chaos due to the fighting.
Everywhere were chunks of broken concrete, shattered glass, and survivors who had been flung aside.
Various skills and energy beams flew wildly, creating an extremely chaotic scene.
"Please don't let anyone bother me... let's all get along peacefully, a harmonious society..."
Bai Hanlin mumbled softly, walking slowly along the base of the buildings.
Just as he reached a small alley entrance, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps and voices from within:
"Quick, let's flank around the back of the building and ambush those women. They're alluring, be careful not to look into their eyes!"
"Attack from a distance first, then go in close and finish them. Quick and decisive!"
"This is bad, enemies!" Bai Hanlin frowned.
Attack? Or avoid?
If he attacked, the opponents seemed to be five or six people, and they were from the previous cycle of 轮回者 (lunhui zhe), so he was at a numerical disadvantage.
If he avoided... these people seemed to be planning an ambush on his comrades. Doing so felt rather dishonorable...
While Bai Hanlin was conflicted and hesitating, the opponents had already emerged from the alley.
The two parties met face-to-face, both startled!
"Someone's here!"
"A green ring, it's an enemy!"
Five fair-skinned Westerners with yellow hair from a parallel world appeared before him.
"So, your world also has Westerners..."
Bai Hanlin found it somewhat novel. Sherry and Zuo Nan, whom he had met before, both had black hair and black pupils, leading him to believe that all 轮回者 (lunhui zhe) from the previous cycle were the same.
He hadn't expected other races to exist, though they were simply rarer survivors.
"The enemy is cunning. They anticipated our flanking maneuver, so they sent someone to ambush us here!"
"Who cares? It's just one person, and he's from the new cycle of 轮回者 (lunhui zhe). With five of us, what's there to fear!"
"Attack him, kill him, and quickly go support Big Brother Bald!"
The five members of the Black Ox Legion's energy surged rapidly within them, and they charged towards Bai Hanlin with fierce cries.
"Damn it, five of them, and they're all attacking together. I have to go all out to survive! I'll fight!"
In an instant, Bai Hanlin's internal energy surged, flowing rapidly through his meridians to his entire body.
The enemies' figures instantly disappeared from Bai Hanlin's sight, replaced by bright energy cores and the entire body's meridians.
*Swish!*
*Bang bang bang bang bang!*
The two parties instantly switched positions.
Bai Hanlin stood at the alley entrance, while the five Black Ox Legion members stood where Bai Hanlin had been moments before.
Both sides remained in a state of frozen stillness.
"How could this be..."
The Black Ox members' faces were filled with disbelief. Then, blood began to ooze from their eyes, ears, and nostrils.
Subsequently, their bodies convulsed and twisted, and they began spewing blood!
Before long, they all dissolved into wisps of white mist and vanished.
Bai Hanlin was equally incredulous: "These guys are... this weak?"
Because he was so afraid, he had unleashed his full power from the outset, directly channeling energy into multiple vital points on the opponents' bodies simultaneously.
In fact, any one of these vital points could cause immediate death.
However, since the enemies were 轮回者 (lunhui zhe) from the previous cycle, he couldn't be sure if they had any hidden abilities. Thus, Bai Hanlin, exercising extreme caution, struck all the vital points he could reach within a short period.
This resulted in the gruesome demise of the group.
"It seems there are weaklings among the previous cycle's 轮回者 (lunhui zhe)... but I can't become complacent just because I encountered a weak one!"
"There are still many strong individuals, and danger can appear at any moment. Life is only one!"
Bai Hanlin cautioned himself softly.
Then, he continued his cautious advance.
After walking another hundred meters or so, he encountered a group from a Soul Organization subordinate camp.
Upon seeing the green ring on Bai Hanlin's hand, these individuals, without a word, charged at him with enraged roars.
Bai Hanlin forced himself to calm down from his nervous state. Facing dozens of enemies, he rapidly dodged and weaved, waiting for an opportunity to either detonate their acupoints or dissect them with his scalpel...
In just a few minutes, Bai Hanlin emerged alone from the area covered in white mist.
Fortunately, those killed quickly turned into white mist.
Otherwise, the scene would have been extremely bloody.
...
At the center of the battlefield, Zheng Hao straightened his slightly aching back and looked at the "corpse" of the Soul Organization leader, which had not vaporized. He frowned.
Logically, the enemies he killed should have vaporized. Why was this corpse lying there intact?
Zheng Hao reached out and gently touched it. "Collect!"
*Ding!* Collection successful. Congratulations on obtaining the [Dark Red Ring]!
That's it?
Is that all?
Zheng Hao was stunned. The leader of the Soul Organization only had an empty ring? He didn't even have a crystal core inside?
Could a normal person without a crystal core fight him for so long?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
The corpse before him was definitely not the leader of the Soul Organization; it was likely just a puppet he controlled!
The leader of the Soul Organization must be nearby!
Zheng Hao was very displeased. He had fought for a long time and gained nothing.
He turned back, twisted the neck of an enemy attempting a sneak attack, stared directly at him as he gradually turned into mist, and then said coldly,
"I will find you!"
...
In a street-facing office on the fifth floor of an office building by the roadside, a man covered in skull tattoos rested his legs on the desk, looking at his left hand in astonishment.
Innumerable transparent threads were attached to it.
His ability was puppetry. He could turn deceased survivors into his puppets and have them fight according to his will.
The survivors' abilities would become the puppets' abilities.
Inside Kui Ling's ring were seven coffins containing puppet corpses. Now, five of the coffins were empty, leaving only the last two.
"It's time to add some new puppets!"
Kui Ling murmured to himself.