Tier 8!

Maxwell sat on a large rock, watching as Norris approached from a distance.

Norris, noticing him too, stopped in his tracks.

"Clang!"

Norris drew his Thunder Spear once again, electricity crackling around it.

"Come on, I'm ready," he announced, adopting a fighting stance.

But he barely saw a blur before he couldn't even make out Maxwell's movements. The next moment, Norris was clutching his neck, his mouth agape, but no sound came out.

"Sorry, but you no longer have a chance."

Maxwell had already given him a chance, and Norris chose to flee, thus he had forever lost his chance to fight.

And yet, if Norris was truly as fearless in facing death as he claimed, wanting to die standing, then Maxwell wouldn't have wanted to deal with his body in front of so many people. Even if he did, he couldn't be sure that a dead Norris could turn into a zombie.

After all, it's known that only those who die after being bitten by zombies turn into zombies.

But could someone still become a zombie if they were bitten after already being dead?

Maxwell wasn't sure either.

So he had to play this game with Norris.

Norris had played right into his hands, picking the option that was most advantageous for Maxwell.

Run away? Ridiculous, who could outrun Sacha!

Even though Sacha was carrying Maxwell, it didn't affect his speed at all!

By then, Eva had already returned to Maxwell's side.

A few minutes later, Norris began to turn into a zombie.

Once he completed the transformation, with Sacha's help, Maxwell placed zombie Norris into his storage space.

Norris had become a Tier 7 male zombie.

"Goodbye, Norris!"

Maxwell then dragged Norris into the cell where No.1 was held.

Norris vanished in an instant, replaced by the number 81 in the upper right corner of Cell No.1!

No.1 has ascended to Tier 8!

Now a Tier 8, No.1 looked even more ferocious and terrifying. Not only did his physique become more imposing, but his face was also covered in bulging muscles, giving him a very fierce appearance.

"Even though he looks this fierce, the zombie traits seem much less prominent!"

Maxwell thoroughly examined No.1 from head to toe. Perhaps because he decided to keep No.1, not only the facial features but also the traits on his body seemed to have diminished significantly. Only the thing below remained unchanged, leaving Maxwell to wonder if there was any hope for it in the future—though he guessed it was unlikely.

Although the zombie traits on No.1 were significantly reduced, he indeed looked even more terrifying, definitely the type to scare children to tears and make everyone flee just by casually strolling around.

"Now that I think about it, No.1 has now merged both Samuel and Norris, and helped me unlock the lightning ability from the treasure chest, does that mean No.1 himself might also possess some abilities?"

Maxwell became curious.

He hadn't used No.1 in combat much, so he wasn't very familiar with his capabilities. However, Maxwell was about to utilize No.1 soon!

"Show me what you can do!"

After releasing him, Maxwell instructed.

No.1 walked up to a large rock nearby and effortlessly lifted it. The rock looked to be at least three times his size, yet No.1 easily hoisted it above his head!

This was No.1 demonstrating his strength.

Afterward, he put the rock down.

Then, he proceeded to demonstrate his speed, jumping ability, and bodily resistance.

Everyone knows that mutant zombies are incredibly powerful, primarily because their bodies are impervious to conventional weapons and unaffected by elements like fire and water. Ordinary attacks on them are about as effective as scratching an itch.

Finally, No.1 began to demonstrate his abilities!

He raised his hand, and a trace of lightning flickered on his fingertips.

"As expected, it's a lightning ability!" Maxwell mused.

It seems that when fusing zombies, if the original zombie possesses an ability, there is a chance that this ability is retained in the new zombie, becoming an ability of the new entity!

However, the ability No.1 displayed was different from those of Maxwell, Samuel, and Norris.

No.1's ability could not be thrown or projected. It could only be manifested directly on his body, with lightning wrapping around his palms. Then, when he struck with his hand, the ability would burst upon impact with an enemy, confronting the opponent simultaneously with No.1's immense physical strength and the effects of the lightning ability.

"It's like magic! Real thunder in the palm of the hand!" Maxwell couldn't help but exclaim.

Although this was only a close-range ability, having an ability was better than none, especially since relying solely on physical strength often isn't enough!

Just like in today's battle, if Maxwell hadn't mastered an ability, he and Norris might have been evenly matched, leading to a stalemate.

"That's enough, No.1."

Maxwell told No.1 to stop demonstrating his powers and brought the ability back into his space.

"Eva, come on, I'm taking you for an upgrade!" Maxwell gently rubbed Eva's head, smiling tenderly.

He was preparing to claim his prize for being the champion of the zombie combat—the sacred essence stone.

It's not something natural, but extracted from a multitude of Holy Crystals, making a single one far more potent than a hundred. This makes it exceptionally precious!

In Tampa City Base, Maxwell, leading Eva and alongside Carline, appeared in the city once more.

As soon as he appeared, he caught the attention of many.

"What was the final outcome? I heard that Maxwell let Norris go and then chased after him?"

People were still discussing this.

"Don't be silly, Norris is definitely dead by now. Maxwell was just playing a cat-and-mouse game, toying with his prey before killing him. But no one should feel sympathy for the Thunderclap family, they've always been detestable. Didn't you hear how Norris was berating his brother Samuel before? Norris might be slightly better than Samuel, but they're cut from the same cloth. I can only say, good riddance!"

"Wouldn't Maxwell killing Norris provoke the Thunderclap family to seek revenge? The Thunderclap family is powerful, ranked among the top families in the Warrior Alliance, and they have many allies who would rally to their cause at a moment's notice. No matter how powerful Maxwell is, how can one person stand against such a force?"

"Indeed, there was once a Tier 9 expert who tried to stand against a major family power and ended up being killed by several families united together. These families might excel at infighting, but when they come together, they're truly formidable!"