Chapter 23: The Gene Extraction Machine

At night, Carter Hayes entered the Aeon System's interface.

After having slain so many zombies throughout the day, Hayes certainly did not forget about the rewards awaiting him.

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"Today, the host has hunted a total of 250 Level 1 zombies and one Level 2 Green Zombie, obtaining one piece of 'Muscle Flesh'." Before Hayes could even inquire, the Aeon System announced his impressive achievements for the day.

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"251 in total, so does that mean I've earned 25 reward points today?" Hayes hadn't expected such a fruitful outcome from just one morning. If this continued for a few more days, he could easily afford a handgun.

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"It should be 27 reward points, as a Level 2 zombie counts for two reward points," the Aeon System corrected.

"The system has automatically promoted the host by two levels, leaving 25 reward points for exchanges. Do you wish to proceed?" Aeon added.

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"Adding the point from yesterday, that makes 26 reward points. I should be able to exchange for something now, right?" Hayes thought to himself.

Although he still longed for a firearm, his desire had significantly lessened after acquiring 'Silent Annihilation.'

"Alright, enter the exchange space," Hayes agreed, and Maya activated the exchange interface.

Immediately, an array of items appeared before Hayes.

"Aeon, what's the best choice for me right now?" Knowing he only had 26 reward points to spend, Hayes ignored items that exceeded this amount.

"Here's a suitable item, the Gene Extraction Machine." After a brief silence, the screen displayed a small, oddly-shaped machine.

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"The Gene Extraction Machine is capable of extracting the nutritional essence from 'Muscle Flesh,' amplifying its benefits. It can extract all useful nutrients from Muscle Flesh, allowing humans up to Level 20 to gain the strength of an additional person per bottle," Aeon explained the function of the Gene Extraction Machine. "Without extraction, it takes ten pieces of Muscle Flesh to gain the strength of one person."

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"Really?" Hayes' eyes lit up at the prospect of one bottle increasing a person's strength, realizing its effectiveness was tenfold.

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"Do you wish to proceed with the exchange?" the Aeon System repeated.

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"Yes, definitely. Such a valuable item is a must-have," Hayes considered the future proliferation of Green Zombies and the abundance of Muscle Flesh. Owning the Gene Extraction Machine seemed like a golden opportunity to amass wealth.

Having added Tone to his team, Hayes realized that having an extra person's strength was better than working alone. After all, two heads are better than one, right?

As time progresses, the emergence of stronger zombies and mutated creatures is inevitable. Hayes might not consider himself a hero, but survival would be impossible if everyone else perished.

To truly survive, one must possess the strength to eliminate all zombies and mutated creatures, and Hayes was privy to secrets unknown to the rest of humanity.

"What exactly are the Zack species mentioned by Aeon?" This was Hayes' greatest concern.

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"The Gene Extraction Machine will cost 26 reward points, deducting now. Transaction successful," while Hayes pondered these issues, the Aeon System completed the transaction.

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"A day's battle, just like that." Hayes emerged from the Aeon System interface, looking at the new machine in his hands with a mix of feelings.

The Gene Extraction Machine, about twenty to thirty centimeters wide and square-shaped with a round hole on top, presumably for inserting Muscle Flesh.

"Let's give it a try," Hayes took out the Muscle Flesh he carried, placed it into the machine, and after a few seconds, a cup filled with white liquid appeared below.

Despite being extracted from raw Muscle Flesh taken from zombies, the liquid was free of any foul smell, instead emitting a faint fragrance.

"Here goes nothing," Hayes had no concerns about the safety of the Muscle Flesh and slowly drank the white liquid.

Upon swallowing, he felt a gentle warmth spreading throughout his body, immensely soothing.

"I've actually gained the strength of another person," after the warm sensation faded, Hayes tested his strength and found he had indeed reached Level 10. The system's two-level increase, combined with the strength gained from the genetic potion, confirmed his advancement.

"At Level 10, unless I encounter a mutant creature above Level 20, there should be few threats to me," Hayes felt a powerful sense of strength within him.

"Once Tone's physical condition reaches Level 10, we'll leave the mall," Hayes looked at the sleeping Tone, slowly planning their next move.

Over the following ten days or so, Carter Hayes and Tone began their zombie-hunting operations centered around the mall. Each day, hundreds of zombies fell by their hands.

However, frustratingly, they found no other survivors in the two or three streets around them.

As for whether there were any people in the houses, they weren't sure. Entering each house posed too much of a threat; a surprise attack could mean the end for them.

"Tone, after drinking this bottle of genetic potion today, will you have reached the strength of ten men?" Nearly a month into the apocalypse, Hayes extracted three pieces of Muscle Flesh into genetic potions at night, giving two bottles to Tone and keeping one for himself.

It's undeniable that Tone's physical condition improved rapidly after consuming the 'Strength Gene' potion, now having reached the strength of ten men.

Without the Aeon System as a cheat code, Hayes feared Tone would soon surpass him.

"That's right. Yesterday I was at Level 9, and after taking these two potions, I'll be at the strength of eleven men," Hayes and Tone had fully adapted to the apocalypse after nearly a month of struggle.

In fact, they felt that zombies no longer posed a significant threat to them, at least when not surrounded.

"The day after tomorrow, half of the zombies will evolve into Green Zombies. We're too few in number to stay in the mall any longer," Hayes calculated the dates and formulated a plan.

"Where should we go then?" Tone, after spending these days with Hayes, realized that Hayes had changed significantly. He was no longer the skinny, indifferent homebody who preferred to stay indoors.

"We'll leave this place and see if we can encounter other humans," Hayes hoped that, as the survival manuals suggested, humanity would have established strongholds or bases for resisting zombies and mutated creatures in the aftermath of the apocalypse.