"Intermediate Aggregation." Who would be the best candidate for this ability?
Zhang Chen scanned the surroundings.
Everyone currently teamed with him was absolutely loyal.
Those who met the human form requirement were: Xu Ruina, Xiaobai, Morran, and Shirley.
All four of them were in human form.
First, Xu Ruina was ruled out...
It wasn't that Xu Ruina wasn't loyal enough to him, but rather that she had her own missions and goals to pursue.
On several previous occasions, she had taken it upon herself to leave the team, forcing Zhang Chen to travel great distances to find her.
What if Xu Ruina discovered another clue one day and left again? Zhang Chen would then lose a skill.
Thus, she was the first to be excluded.
Next... Shirley's combat power was slightly inferior compared to Xiaobai and Morran, so she wasn't a priority choice.
Although Morran was now a top-tier fighter among the mutated ix types, she was still young.
It was better to place it on Xiaobai.
Besides, he wasn't short of Subjugation Serums anymore. Xiaobai would maintain a stable state and stay by his side obediently.
Moreover, her outstanding combat strength was also a good guarantee.
"Xiaobai, come here!"
Zhang Chen beckoned Xiaobai with a smile.
"Coming, Daddy!"
Xiaobai, skipping and hopping, ran over.
"I'm entrusting you with an important task. From now on, you'll be responsible for my logistical support. The crucial job of synthesizing core crystals falls to you!" Zhang Chen said, patting Xiaobai's slender shoulders.
"Okay, Daddy, Xiaobai will definitely complete the mission..."
"But... how do you synthesize core crystals? What are core crystals? Can they be eaten?" Xiaobai asked, blinking her eyes.
Good grief, she had no idea what it was, yet she agreed immediately. Truly remarkable...
"Wait a moment, you'll know soon!"
Zhang Chen focused his gaze on Xiaobai.
Soon, a line of prompts appeared:
Do you wish to configure the [Intermediate Aggregation] skill onto Xiaobai? This will consume 100 Modification Points!
Yes!
Ding! Modification successful! Remaining Modification Points: 30!
A flash of white light flickered in Xiaobai's eyes. After a moment, she steadied herself and said with great excitement, "Wow, what is this? I have a special ability too?! This is amazing!"
"Daddy is so good, Xiaobai loves Daddy the most!" Xiaobai exclaimed, hugging Zhang Chen's neck and giving him a firm kiss on his cheek.
Then she ran off to show off her new skill to Morran.
Indeed, Morran had skills from birth, the most obvious being web weaving. Er Pang had intimidation and could summon an adult pack of howlers. Xu Ruina and Shirley also had skills. As for Zhang Chen's skills, they were too numerous to mention. Only Xiaobai possessed brute strength. Now that she also had a "special ability," she finally felt like Zhang Chen's biological child... otherwise, she always thought she was picked up!
After Xiaobai's excitement subsided, Zhang Chen called her over.
"Alright, Xiaobai, it's time for your special ability to shine!" Zhang Chen deliberately added the word "special" before the ability, making Xiaobai seem particularly important.
As expected, these words instantly ignited Xiaobai's enthusiasm!
"Okay, don't worry, Daddy, leave it all to me!" Xiaobai looked eager and ready to get started.
Zhang Chen glanced at the bottom right corner of the interface.
Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystals: 215, Energy-Conducing Core Crystals: 523,515, Energy Core Crystals: 12.35 million.
"Come on, let's start synthesizing!" Zhang Chen took out 3 million Energy Core Crystals for Xiaobai to aggregate.
Three million Energy Core Crystals formed a small mountain nearly two stories high.
Xiaobai reached out and touched the Energy Core Crystals. The green mountain instantly began to collapse, disintegrate, and condense...
Before long, it transformed into 1,000 [Energy-Conducing Core Crystals], each about the size of a child's fist.
The synthesis ratio was truly terrifying! Three million [Energy Core Crystals] only yielded 1/3 of a [Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystal]. It was truly pathetic.
In fact, if Zhang Chen used the [Energy Extraction] skill to synthesize [Energy Core Crystals], the yield would increase by about double. However, that skill required a channeling time, which consumed too much time. Synthesizing over ten million Energy Core Crystals would likely take until the day after tomorrow. Moreover, even if the yield doubled, it would only go from 1 [Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystal] to 2 [Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystals], which wasn't very significant.
Zhang Chen then took out another 9 million [Energy Core Crystals], piling them on the ground, leaving 150,000 Energy Core Crystals as pocket money. Although he now needed Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystals for upgrades, it was only the ninth day of the apocalypse. Most survivors had just reached the first stage of basic metamorphosis, and many were still lingering in the Awakener stage. Energy-Conducing Core Crystals were a luxury for them; only Energy Core Crystals were commonly used as "currency" for daily consumption.
After all the effort, a total of 3,000 [Energy-Conducing Core Crystals] were synthesized. Zhang Chen mixed these 3,000 [Energy-Conducing Core Crystals] with the existing total and handed over 525,000 slightly bluish [Energy-Conducing Core Crystals] to Xiaobai in one go. Subsequently, Xiaobai gave 175 sapphire-blue [Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystals] to Zhang Chen.
Currently, Zhang Chen's remaining core crystals were:
Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystals: 390, Energy-Conducing Core Crystals: 1,515, Energy Core Crystals: 150,000.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Chen's inventory of core crystals was so vast that it was once considered a national treasure. Yet, after compression, only 175 [Hyper-Aggregated Core Crystals] remained. This was far less than the core crystals within the singer's body. It was evident that this guy must have swept through numerous cities before encountering Zhang Chen, and among them were undoubtedly many newly awakened轮回者 (Reincarnators) from the previous era!
"Alright, everyone worked hard today. Let's get some rest early." With that, Zhang Chen took out his manor and walked inside. Xu Ruina handed over the infected army to the cleaners for management and also moved into the manor. After a fierce battle, the lakefront street returned to its usual calm...
At this moment...
In a nearby hotel building.
A man sat in a chair by the window, holding a bloodstained dagger. The pale moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the side of the man's face. The man's expression was unreadable – was it satisfaction, excitement, or rage? His hand, gripping the dagger tightly, trembled slightly. Three corpses lay in the room: two on the bed, and one in the bathroom. On the floor of the hallway outside the room, there was another female corpse. A total of four bodies.
At this point, a man with curly hair appeared silently at the doorway and said with a contemptuous tone, "As expected, barbarians cannot shed their savage nature. I am not surprised at all by this act of self-destruction among you!"
"Who are you?" the man asked, standing up in alarm.
"Me? You can call me the Shepherd!" the curly-haired man said with a smile.