Chapter 22: Genetic Potion

A loud crash echoed through the first floor of the mall as the Green Zombie, ensnared by the 'whip', was flung several meters away, tumbling over several counters before slowly rising.

Despite the forceful attack, the Green Zombie seemed largely unaffected.

"Roar." Enraged, the Green Zombie let out a furious roar and charged at Carter Hayes. It clearly remembered that if not for Hayes' interference, it would have already tasted that delicious new blood.

"Die!" Hayes didn't have time to check on Tone's injuries as the Green Zombie rushed towards him.

When the Green Zombie was thrown by Hayes, Tone also suffered from the impact, having been struck by the zombie's foot. Fortunately, the great sword blocked some of the force, though he was still thrown several meters away.

Hayes, now equal in strength to the Green Zombie, refused to be passively attacked any longer. As the Green Zombie charged, he met it head-on.

The distance of several meters between them closed in under two seconds as they both sprinted towards each other.

With the absolute advantage of 'Silent Annihilation', Hayes' blade was already swinging as they were about to collide. The next moment, black blood gushed from the neck.

With its head severed, the Green Zombie's body, carried by momentum, didn't stop until it hit a wall.

"We must finish this quickly," Hayes noted, looking from the now thoroughly dead Green Zombie to the remaining zombies.

He was somewhat relieved that the noise from the last several minutes hadn't attracted zombies from outside. Otherwise, he and Tone would be in danger.

Subsequently, Hayes' figure darted around the mall, leaving zombies falling one by one.

"Tone, are you okay?" After eliminating all threats, Hayes approached Tone.

"I'm not dead yet," Tone coughed a few times, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Lie down for a bit longer. I'll get something and be right back to the second floor." Although Tone's condition didn't look optimistic, Hayes wasn't worried. Such injuries, he had experienced days before. Most of the Green Zombie's force had been blocked by the great sword. Tone's current state was merely internal shock, which would significantly improve with a day's rest.

Having just killed a Green Zombie, Hayes remembered the existence of 'Muscle Flesh.'

Excitedly, he approached the Green Zombie's corpse and, following the remembered method, sliced open its chest with his machete.

A piece of substance, as white as mutton fat, appeared before Hayes.

"This is 'Muscle Flesh'." Hayes quickly extracted it, about the size of a fist. He didn't need to worry about identification errors; the zombie's flesh, aside from this piece of 'Muscle Flesh', was black and emitted a foul smell.

"Let's head up to the second floor," seeing Tone could still speak and his objective achieved, Hayes carried Tone on his back, knife in hand, and made his way to the second floor.

Having reached Level 7 in physical condition, carrying Tone, a tall and sturdy man, was effortless for Hayes.

"Drink this first," after getting Tone onto the second floor, Hayes cleared a counter and laid Tone on it.

Although the warehouse was the safest place, considering their current state, entering the warehouse meant they wouldn't have a good night's sleep.

After laying Tone on the counter, Hayes, to Tone's astonishment, produced a red bottle and placed it before him.

"What is this?" Tone asked, puzzled.

"Genetic potion. It'll not only help with your current injuries but will also be greatly beneficial in the future," Hayes explained.

"Oh," trusting Hayes implicitly, Tone nodded slightly and drank the red genetic potion.

"It might be painful. Bear with it," Hayes was uncertain if the potion would change Tone's physique. If it truly altered genes, pain was inevitable.

As time ticked by, Tone's expressions gradually changed, sometimes showing pain, sometimes seeming comfortable.

"How do you feel?" After about an hour, seeing Tone's complexion return to normal, Hayes asked nervously.

"It feels like my strength has increased, and the pain in my chest is gone," Tone sat up suddenly, even jumping around a few times.

"That's good," Hayes was delighted. It seemed everything from the Aeon System was of excellent quality.

"Shall we get cleaned up and change into fresh clothes?"

Finally reassured, Hayes realized the foul smell clinging to them was unbearable. They headed towards the restroom while discussing.

The mall lacked a shower, so they made do with a quick wash. With water available, they considered themselves fortunate.

April's weather was still quite cold, but both individuals' physical condition had improved several folds from before. Now, taking a cold bath was of no concern, with no fear of catching a cold.

"This large piece of scale armor is enough for us to make a couple of pieces of leather armor," Carter Hayes and Tone, having cleaned themselves, decided not to venture out again that afternoon. Besides concern for Tone's full recovery, there were other tasks to attend to.

"Turn this into leather armor?" Tone didn't quite grasp Hayes' intention.

"Exactly, it can significantly enhance our defense," Hayes explained, sharing the changes he had undergone recently while they bathed. By now, Tone understood most of it.

Simple-minded as he was, Tone didn't question how Hayes knew so much.

With "Silent Annihilation," the machete, cutting the mutated lizard's scale armor was not a problem. Although neither had experience making clothes, crafting leather armor primarily required covering vital parts of the body. After some assembly, they completed two pieces of fitting leather armor.