Turnaround

After spending 1 energy point to place Dash in the hibernation chamber, Anthony called the two women into the gym.

"Dawn, brief them on the situation," Anthony said.

"Yes, Master," Dawn nodded lightly and turned to the curious women. "According to the base rules, you can train here. The training duration is one hour, and I will be responsible for guiding you. This training can improve your physical fitness, enhance your reflexes, and teach you combat skills against zombies."

"Is it really that amazing?" Cheryl exclaimed in astonishment, while Verna remained relatively calm. Having witnessed Anthony's endless capabilities before, she could contain her inner surprise.

After Dawn finished her introduction, Anthony spoke up, "I don't know if you've noticed, but ordinary zombies have changed. They are now as agile as adult humans and even stronger than adults. We can't be together all the time, and in the future, each member of the base will need to be capable on their own. So, you need to become stronger."

"Dawn possesses the world's most excellent training system. I hope that from now on, you will train diligently. I will test you after one week. Those who pass the test can continue training in the gym, while those who fail will automatically be removed from the combat team." Anthony didn't mention the last sentence that the base doesn't keep idle individuals. If these people didn't understand his intentions, then sorry, they would be removed from the combat team and become logistical personnel. He couldn't waste resources on people without combat talents.

Upon hearing this, the two women realized the seriousness of the matter and nodded solemnly, saying, "We understand." After arranging the two women, Anthony positioned himself to the side, relaxing his body and practicing the Qi cultivation technique taught by Dash. The Spirit Value, as an external enhancement for combat, couldn't be neglected either. Setting aside distractions, he focused on his breathing, inhaling and exhaling. As he controlled the flow of Qi within his body, the surrounding spiritual energy started pouring toward him. So far, he had two strands of internal Qi in his dantian. According to the information panel, this represented the attainment of the Second Heavenly Layer in his martial artist realm.

"It seems like my speed has increased," Anthony murmured to himself. While controlling the flow of internal Qi, he felt that the influx of spiritual energy into his body was faster than before, and the flow of internal Qi had increased. If the previous flow of internal Qi was like a stream as wide as two fingers, now it was as wide as three fingers. With the infusion of spiritual energy and the cleansing of internal Qi, Anthony felt a sense of relaxation in every pore of his body, and his cells seemed to sing in joy. The third strand of internal Qi slowly condensed in his dantian.

Until 9 PM, he abruptly opened his eyes, exhaling a white cloudy breath that slowly dissipated in the air, purified by the gym's air purification system. "System, check my data."

"[Host]: Anthony

[Gender]: Male

[Age]: 23

[Level]: Second Heavenly Layer, Semi-Awakened

[Spirit]: 0.3 (Increases combat power by 30%)

[Intelligence]: 7.5+1 (1 for ordinary humans)

[Strength]: 24.25+3 (1 for ordinary humans)

[Agility]: 11.35+3 (1 for ordinary humans)

[Mental]: 7.9+1 (1 for ordinary humans)

[Virus Resistance]: 1.5+0.1 (When reaching 1, immune to first-order mutant and lower-level common zombie viruses)

[Skills]: Qi Cultivation, Iron Body Technique, Meditation, Martial Arts (Advanced)

[Comprehensive Combat Power]: 59

"Sure enough, three strands represent that I have reached the Second Heavenly Layer in my martial artist realm!" Anthony confirmed his speculation. But there was another pleasant surprise: the upgrade in the martial artist realm not only increased his Spirit Value but also various attributes to different degrees. Intelligence increased by 1 point, strength increased by 3 points, indicating that his strength had surpassed 2,725 pounds; agility reached 14.35, equivalent to 100.45 meters per second; mental attribute +1; virus resistance +0.1; awakening level increased by 3%, and his comprehensive combat power reached 59.

"Good! Good! Good!" Anthony exclaimed three times. With such strength, his chances of escaping from the mutated being outside would greatly improve. Glancing at the time, it was already 9:03 PM. Anthony's eyes flickered with determination.

Four hours had passed, and the base's mall had refreshed, allowing him to engage in another round of shopping. He directly said, "System, open the mall!"

"Ding! The mall is open."

Items for sale:

- Level 1 Spatial Ring (1,000 energy points):

[Contains space-time technology, can store objects, volume: 1 cubic meter.]

- Level 2 Doomsday Bomb (1,000 energy points):

[Explosion power can severely injure a second-order mutated being, explosion damage radius: 10 meters, one-time use.]

- Level 1 Doomsday Sniper Rifle (800 energy points):

[Powerful enough to penetrate the defense of a first-order mutated being, can harm second-order mutated beings. Sniper bullets priced at 50 energy points per round. Note: The bullets are permanent and can be purchased in the permanent items section.]

- Level 3 Doomsday Warrior (10,000 energy points):

[Strength comparable to a third-order mutated being, 100% loyalty, requires 1,000 energy points per day for maintenance.]

- Level 1 Optical Stealth Cloak (200 energy points):

[Can evade tracking by first-order mutated beings, possesses a certain level of confusion against second-order mutated beings.]

- Level 1 Doomsday Martial Arts Treasure Chest (500 energy points):

[After redemption, randomly opens a Level 1 martial arts inheritance crystal, the crystal can only be used by oneself and cannot be transferred to others.]

Anthony scanned the items from top to bottom. To be honest, each item here was what he wanted to redeem, especially the Level 3 Doomsday Warrior. The reason he didn't use the Level 1 Doomsday Warrior in his previous escape was that this mutated being was obviously different from a first-order one. If he released the Level 1 Doomsday Warrior, it could very well be directly scrapped. The exchange price for the Level 1 Doomsday Warrior was high, and as a crucial force in the base, Anthony didn't want to waste it.

"Unfortunately, I don't have enough energy points," Anthony sighed and shook his head. If he had known such an item would appear, he would have saved energy points instead of upgrading equipment. After all, once exchanged, it could resolve the crisis in his base within minutes. But after the exchange, it would bring him the dilemma of energy point shortage, despite removing the threat of mutated beings.

Every day, 1000 energy points. He was afraid he would exhaust himself to death. With difficulty, Anthony shifted his gaze to other items. First was the Level 1 Space Ring. He could avoid carrying a backpack when going out, saving a lot of trouble. There was also the Doomsday Bomb, which could serve as life-saving equipment.

After some thought, Anthony said directly, "Apart from the Level 3 Doomsday Warrior, purchase all the items in the shopping cart."

"Ding! Will 3500 energy points be deducted for the purchase?" The system prompt sounded again.

"Buy!" Anthony said firmly.

"Ding! Purchase successful. The items will be automatically delivered within a two-meter range of the host. Please check them carefully." The system voice faded, and a white light lit up in front of Anthony. First was a metal ring, a simple circular design with a silver color and no patterns. Anthony put it on his hand, and suddenly, a surge of information entered his mind.

"So that's how it works." Anthony tried waving his hand with the ring towards the Level 2 Doomsday Bomb on the ground, and in the next moment, the Doomsday Bomb disappeared. Then, Anthony flipped his wrist, and the Doomsday Bomb appeared in the palm of his hand again.

"Good stuff!" If used well, this thing could have an unexpected effect. Satisfied, Anthony picked up the Level 1 Doomsday Sniper Rifle from the ground. It resembled the sniper rifles in movies, with a total length of 1.5 meters, a matte black finish, and equipped with a sight. It had an effective shooting range of 2 kilometers, although the magazine capacity was a bit low with only three rounds.

Anthony couldn't store the rifle in the space ring, so he had to put it aside and hide it in his room later. Next, he looked at the Optical Invisibility Cloak. It was somewhat similar to a raincoat and could completely cover a person. The fabric was lightweight, and one could hardly feel its weight.

Anthony tried it on, and once worn, his body became completely invisible. He could observe the outside through the cloak, but the only drawback was that no skin could be exposed outside. If there was no cover from the Optical Invisibility Cloak, his field of vision would be exposed. The last item was the strangest of all. It was a dark wooden box."So, this is the Level 1 Doomsday Martial Skill Chest? It's a truly mysterious thing. I wonder what martial skill it will unlock."