Annihilation of the Ant Colony
The mall wasn't large, with only eight floors, each selling different items.
In the past, the place was bustling with people, but today, the first floor was eerily empty.
This area was originally for selling jewelry, but now various necklaces and rings were scattered on the ground.
The glass display cases were shattered, bearing clear signs of looting.
Shaun didn't detect anything unusual on the first floor and made his way to the elevator. However, it had lost power, so he had to climb slowly.
On the second floor, there were already traces of black ants. Fortunately, their numbers weren't large, with dozens of them moving back and forth.
The black ants were about two meters long, each carrying different kinds of food. Human arms, legs, the flesh of mutated beasts, and more, all were being transported to higher floors in the mall.
Beside the black ants were two even larger ants. Their bodies were about half a meter long, and their upper jaws were incredibly developed, exuding a fierce aura.
Shaun speculated silently: those carrying food were likely worker ants, while the aggressive ones were soldier ants.
The virus of his elite zombie status instantly triggered hostility from the two soldier ants.
The soldier ants charged directly at him, their strong mandibles trembling continuously.
Shaun remained unmoved, activating his skin-hardening ability and engaging them in combat.
In a short time, he managed to kill both soldier ants. Their strength was roughly on par with a fifth-stage regular zombie at most.
His elite zombie strength was overwhelming, and this kind of battle was where Shaun excelled.
The remaining worker ants scrambled towards the upper levels of the mall.
At this moment, Shaun was in high spirits. He walked directly in front of the fat and skinny zombies and led the way to the third floor.
On the third floor, dozens of soldier ants were already waiting in formation.
The three zombies remained dominant, steamrolling their way through.
Thanks to the skin-hardening ability, even the fourth-stage obese zombie didn't sustain any injuries.
An hour later, the fourth floor of the mall was strewn with corpses, and light yellow fluids flowed continuously.
Finally, they reached the fifth floor, where the two mutated ants were located.
As soon as Shaun set foot on the fifth floor, a gigantic black soldier ant was waiting for him.
Its size was twice that of an ordinary soldier ant, reaching about a meter in length.
The black crocodile was constantly opening and closing its jaws, a genuine first-stage mutated creature.
Shaun quickly stepped back, positioning himself behind the fat and skinny zombies.
"Get 'em!"
The fat and skinny zombies, both equipped with hardened skin, valiantly charged forward.
Despite the immense strength of the soldier ant, the two zombies clung to it like adhesive, tightly hugging it.
Neither killing them nor shaking them off, the two ordinary zombies were giving the soldier ant a major headache.
Meanwhile, Shaun's kitchen knife had swung fiercely. Although slightly curved, it still managed to inflict damage on the mutated ant.
The two sides engaged in a back-and-forth, gradually turning the fight into a battle of endurance.
With limited attack methods but formidable defensive power due to his skin-hardening ability, Shaun was able to break through the ant's defenses with the kitchen knife.
Given enough time, he could wear it down completely.
The fat and skinny zombies also continuously bit into the mutated soldier ant.
And so, one mutated creature was worn down to death by the three zombies.
However, the obese zombie had also sustained serious injuries, even breaking an arm. Thankfully, zombies possessed strong vitality and wouldn't die easily.
Shaun chose not to devour it. Instead, he looked at a giant ant not far away.
It was over two meters in length, with an enormous abdomen that dominated its body.
The gigantic ant was none other than the mutated ant queen.
Even in the face of danger, it continued leisurely consuming the various foods around it.
Shaun couldn't help but admire its composure; it possessed an extraordinary temperament that could rival his, even in the midst of crisis.
With a swift movement of his hand, after only a few strikes, he completely slew the frail second-stage mutated creature.
Is this the feeling of fighting beyond one's level?
Shaun's confidence surged instantaneously. Fighting beyond his level – it was the hallmark of a genius!
"Ding! The host is devouring the flesh of a first-stage mutated creature. Evolution Points +10..."
...
"Ding! The host is devouring the flesh of a second-stage mutated creature. Evolution Points +20..."
...
"Ding! The zombies under your command are devouring the flesh of a first-stage mutated creature. Evolution Points +2.5..."
...
"Ding! The zombies under your command are devouring the flesh of a second-stage mutated creature. Evolution Points +5..."
...
"Ding! The host's advancement value has reached 2000/2000, fulfilling the advancement conditions..."
"The host is commencing advancement..."
"Host's advancement complete!"
"Current tier: Second-stage Elite Zombie!"
"Host's strength, speed, vision, and hearing are all enhanced... The skill 'Hardened Skin' has been strengthened!"
"Ding! The host has acquired the skill: Heavy Strike Execution!"
"Heavy Strike Execution: When activated, the host's strength increases by 300%, and there's a chance of landing a heavy strike during an attack! Duration: Five minutes! Cooldown: Two hours!"
Shaun felt a surge of joy. He finally had a powerful attacking skill!
Showing off for five minutes and cooling down for two hours!
More importantly, with this skill combined with Will Transfer, the fat and skinny zombies could now pose a threat to first-stage mutated creatures!
Shaun reined in his thoughts, then blinked in surprise – why hadn't the task been marked as complete yet?
The ant queen was dead, so wasn't the ant colony supposed to be eradicated?
He lifted his head and gazed at the sixth floor of the mall.
After instructing the fat and skinny zombies to lead the way, he headed to the sixth floor.
However, it wasn't the expected mutated ants; instead, the floor was covered in white giant eggs!
It turned out to be the ant colony's hatching room!
Shaun was about to eliminate them when he saw the fat and skinny zombies lose control and begin to feast.
Could these be something good?
He ordered the two zombies to stay still.
Don't they know any rules? Do they not understand their own identity?
"Ding! The host has devoured mutated ant eggs, slightly enhancing strength!"
...
In the end, Shaun devoured nearly half of the eggs in the hatching room. Finally, the system's notification sound ceased.
As the fat and skinny zombies began feasting, he exerted a little force, experiencing his skyrocketing strength.
Estimating that his strength had at least doubled, he hadn't expected such benefits from the mutated ant eggs.
With this terrifying strength coupled with Heavy Strike Execution, most second-stage mutated creatures probably wouldn't stand a chance against him!
After the two zombies finished consuming all the eggs in the area, the system's notification sound finally rang out.
"Ding! The host has completed the random mission 'Annihilation of the Ant Colony'!"
"Reward distribution in progress!"
"Ding! New system feature unlocked: Gathering and Crafting!"
"Gathering: The host can collect materials from the corpses of mutated creatures after they die, randomly obtaining materials. The rarity of the materials depends on the tier of the mutated creature!"
"Crafting: Synthesize different equipment using various materials. The system will craft equipment based on any combination of materials!"
"Note: Materials from higher-tier mutated creatures are the best!"
Crafting equipment? This system... is starting to seem a bit overpowered, almost like cheating. But I like it!