Chapter Thirteen: Gene Elixirs

"Sniper rifles, pistols, rifles." Carter Hayes stared at the items appearing on the screen, his mouth agape, struck by the visual impact.

These were things he usually only saw on television. The fact that they were now appearing within the Aeon System made Carter even more suspicious about what exactly this Aeon System was.

"These items are all available for exchange, Carter," he finally managed to say after a moment of astonishment.

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"Yes, as long as you have enough reward points, you can exchange for them," nodded Aeon.

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"What can I get with my two reward points?" Carter looked at the firearms on the screen, really wishing to possess them. Despite his childhood dream of wielding firearms on the battlefield, now having firearms would make survival and zombie hunting much more convenient. However, knowing he had only a few reward points, Carter didn't dare hope for heavy weaponry like machine guns or rifles. Being able to acquire a handgun would be a godsend.

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"Each item has a corresponding redemption point listed below. You can check for yourself, Host," Aeon reminded him without specifying.

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"Does that mean I can exchange for a lot with just two reward points?" Carter's mind raced with possibilities upon hearing Aeon's reminder. However, when he carefully examined the screen, his expression became more nuanced.

"A handgun costs one hundred and twenty reward points, a rifle two hundred, and a machine gun one thousand two hundred," Carter's voice trembled as he read out the redemption points for the firearms.

His two reward points seemed pitiful at that moment.

"There must be something I can exchange for," Carter refused to give up, continuing to scroll down. After seeing the firearms on the screen, other items seemed less appealing. But now, with his hope of obtaining firearms temporarily dashed, Carter had to see what else was available.

As he scrolled down the list of items, he was increasingly amazed. Beyond the food section, which he ignored since he currently had no food worries, the subsequent sections were even more abundant.

Cars, boats, airplanes—everything appeared.

However, the redemption points required for these items were astronomical for Carter's current situation. After hastily glancing over all these items, Carter's gaze stopped at the bottom of the screen.

At the bottom was a section related to pharmaceuticals.

"Gene Elixirs." Carter's heartbeat suddenly intensified as he looked at those four red letters.

He took several deep breaths before calming his racing heart.

The term "Gene Elixirs" was not unfamiliar to Carter. On the first day, the Aeon System had informed him that the reason Earth had become an apocalypse was due to the powerful "Gene Virus" carried by the Zak race's spacecraft entering Earth's atmosphere.

Because of this, Carter was particularly sensitive to the term "Gene Elixirs."

However, seeing Gene Elixirs in the Aeon System raised many questions for him.

"Aeon, what are these Gene Elixirs?" Carter asked, puzzled.

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"They are drugs that alter human genes. By injecting the corresponding Gene Elixir, one can obtain corresponding abilities," Aeon explained. "For example, the Gene Elixir of the Great Peng, once successful, grants the ability of high-speed flight, and so on."

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"There's something like that too?" Carter found it incredible. Flying was a dream of every human being, and now, in the apocalypse, anything seemed possible.

"Will injecting these things turn me into a zombie?" Carter thought of the most important question. These Gene Elixirs sounded incredibly attractive, but the risks might be significant.

"No, but there's a one in ten chance of failure. And the host must have a physical fitness level of at least level ten," Aeon replied bluntly. "And failure results in death."

"Death," Carter murmured, the urge he had just felt to possess the ability to fly slowly dissipating, cooling down.

Not to mention that his physical fitness level didn't meet the requirement of level ten. Even if it did, Carter wouldn't recklessly attempt it. Success would be good, but if he failed, there would be no turning back, and Carter still didn't know which Gene Elixir was best suited for him.

Carter had carefully examined the names of those Gene Elixirs just now, and most of them were related to animals and plants. With so many options, Carter found it difficult to choose.

"Forget it, I'll put off thinking about Gene Elixirs for now," Carter decided after a moment of contemplation, unable to make a decision.

"Aeon, save my two reward points for me," Carter instructed Aeon as he saw there was nothing he could exchange for.

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"The host can repair Gene Elixirs now," just as Carter was about to exit the Aeon System, Aeon spoke up.

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"Repair Gene Elixirs?" Carter was puzzled; he hadn't noticed such a drug when he was looking just now.

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"It can repair bodily injuries and increase resistance to virus infections," Aeon reminded him.

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"Is there such a drug?" Carter was worried that the injuries he suffered today might affect tomorrow's plans. Aeon's reminder seemed like a timely intervention.

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"Yes," Aeon nodded.

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"Then I'll take it," Carter decided that nothing was more important than being able to survive.

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"Originally, repairing Gene Elixirs required five redemption points, but there aren't many requirements for the first transaction," Aeon said in a more human-like tone. As soon as she finished speaking, a blue bottle appeared in Carter's hand.

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"If I had chosen the heavy machine gun just now, could I have gotten it too?" Carter wondered.

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"Yes," Aeon nodded again.

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"Ah," coming out of the system, Carter still had a painful expression on his face, regretting not choosing the heavy machine gun just now.

"Let's drink the elixir first," Carter examined the bottle of Gene Elixir and knew that he just needed to ingest it directly. He then raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

The blue elixir, upon entering his body, caused a faint warmth to surge through Carter's body, very comfortable. The areas of his chest and back where he had been injured were the most noticeably affected.

After a few minutes, the chest pain he had felt earlier completely disappeared, and when Carter pulled down his shirt to check, the red scar on his chest had disappeared completely, and his skin had returned to its normal color.