Chapter 20

Tang Sanli handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.

Chu Nan took a puff and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

Tang Sanli could see that Chu Nan was listless, and with the surrounding darkness, staying here temporarily was the safest option, so he also sat down beside Chu Nan. Feeling a bit more at ease, he said, "Chu Nan, let's stay here until dawn."

It was already the middle of the night, and dawn wasn't too far away.

Chu Nan smoked and nodded.

"Just now, I thought I was going to die too," Tang Sanli said with a bitter smile.

When the残耳 (Cane Ear) appeared just now, it was too fast. In the blink of an eye, Gan Yueyue and Yu Xiaohu were bitten to death. Tang Sanli was still shaken, saying, "This Cane Ear is getting stronger, almost like a monster. This time, we couldn't kill it, and it seems to be targeting us. If it appears again, who knows what it will be like."

Yin Yiping was silent, just staring blankly at the bodies of Gan Yueyue and Yu Xiaohu, his face filled with fear. The series of bizarre and terrifying events that had happened from morning until now had almost driven him to the brink of collapse.

Chu Nan watched the smoke slowly curl out of his mouth and said, "Yes, it's certain that this Cane Ear is constantly evolving. Just like how we evolve by killing the zombie-like creatures, this Cane Ear might also evolve by killing us or the zombie-like creatures. I think it has a pineal gland, or rather, a genetic core, in its brain."

"Moreover... the physical abilities of these mutated animals are more advantageous than those of ordinary humans." Chu Nan's expression was very serious. Reflecting on his recent encounter with the Cane Ear, his advantage wasn't due to his physical strength being superior to the Cane Ear after stimulating his adrenaline, but because of the electric baton.

The Cane Ear didn't understand the electric baton and bit it, which led to its downfall. Chu Nan took the opportunity to kick it in the stomach. Without the electric baton, it was hard to say whether he would have had an advantage based on the Cane Ear's previous performance.

"Next time, it probably won't fall for the same trick. This Cane Ear has already evolved to have a certain level of intelligence."

Chu Nan's expression was very serious. "I need to become stronger..."

He gently clasped his hands together. After stimulating his adrenaline, his physical abilities improved, with his speed doubling and his strength nearly tripling. However, this stimulation and enhancement had its limits.

It was easy to imagine that if the Cane Ear continued to mutate and evolve, Chu Nan might not be its match.

"Here, these are theirs..." Tang Sanli took out two withered, reddish-brown bean-like objects and handed them to Chu Nan.

After Yu Xiaohu and Gan Yueyue died, Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping feared they would turn into zombies, so they destroyed their heads. Tang Sanli found these withered pineal glands and gave them to Chu Nan.

Chu Nan took them. He knew that people killed in this way, with the genetic force in their pineal glands absorbed, would not turn into zombies. However, he didn't explain this.

Now, he had thirty-three such withered pineal glands.

The series of bizarre and terrifying events during the day, combined with the increasingly terrifying Cane Ear, made Chu Nan feel a strong sense of crisis. He needed to become stronger as quickly as possible, or he might be the next to die.

"In this damned world, anything is possible. It's impossible to guess what will happen next..."

Chu Nan thought to himself and then took out the magnifying glass he had carefully stored.

Despite the risk of arousing Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping's suspicions, Chu Nan needed to use the magnifying glass's power to enhance himself as soon as possible, or they might die soon.

"Chu Nan, what is this..." Tang Sanli was somewhat surprised to see Chu Nan suddenly take out a magnifying glass.

"It's a magnifying glass. I need to study the principles and direction of evolution from it," Chu Nan explained calmly, then took out a withered pineal gland.

From Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping's perspective, Chu Nan was carefully examining the withered pineal gland through the magnifying glass.

Because it was night, and Chu Nan had the small, withered pineal gland in his palm, they couldn't see it. Due to the magnifying glass focusing the moonlight, the pineal gland slowly absorbed genetic force and became plump again.

Chu Nan didn't know if they would suspect or discover anything, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now. He needed to become strong as quickly as possible.

Soon, the withered pineal gland absorbed enough force and became plump again.

Chu Nan quietly put it back in his pocket and sighed slightly, shaking his head as if he hadn't found anything special. Then he took out another withered pineal gland and continued to examine it with the magnifying glass.

Each time a pineal gland absorbed enough force and became plump, Chu Nan put it back in his pocket without immediately absorbing it. If he absorbed it, the pineal gland would shatter and disappear, which would easily arouse Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping's suspicions.

At first, Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping watched Chu Nan use the magnifying glass to study the pineal glands. Because it was night, they couldn't see clearly, only seeing Chu Nan with his head down, seemingly studying intently.

After a while, seeing Chu Nan frequently replace the pineal glands but not making any new discoveries, they found it boring.

They had also studied the withered pineal glands and found nothing particularly worth examining. However, since Chu Nan was a doctor and a professional, he might have his own insights.

Finally, Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping turned their attention to the surrounding darkness, carefully watching for any unusual movements.

Right under their noses, Chu Nan quietly recharged all thirty-three withered pineal glands with genetic force.

Especially the one from the seemingly evolved and unique zombie-like creature, which contained much more genetic force than the others, at least equivalent to several others.

After recharging the pineal glands, Chu Nan let out a light sigh. Now, the thirty-three fully charged pineal glands were in his pocket, and he put away the magnifying glass.

Tang Sanli turned his head and asked, "How is it? Did you find anything special?"

Chu Nan said, "These pineal glands can evolve. Each one looks the same, but upon closer inspection, there are subtle differences. It's hard to say for now, but... one thing is certain: killing zombie-like creatures can absorb the genetic force needed by the pineal gland, activate the genetic core, and gain control over adrenaline, just like me."

"Unfortunately, stimulating adrenaline has significant side effects."

Chu Nan explained a bit more to dispel their suspicions.

Yin Yiping hesitated and said, "So, if we kill enough zombie-like creatures, we can become as strong as you?"

Chu Nan nodded.

"But how many do we need to kill?" Yin Yiping was somewhat tempted. He now realized that running away wasn't a solution; they could die at any moment. It was better to be like Chu Nan, killing zombie-like creatures to become strong.

"Um, I estimate about ten or a dozen should be enough, definitely not more than twenty. Of course, I don't know if there are differences between individuals. If there are, it's hard to say."

"Ten... a dozen..." Yin Yiping recalled how many zombie-like creatures he had already killed and how many more he needed.

After chatting with them for a while, Chu Nan looked up at the sky, which was still dark. Then, he slowly and casually inserted one hand into the pocket containing the pineal glands.

In the pocket, Chu Nan grabbed a plump pineal gland and quietly crushed it. Soon, a warm, hot current flowed into his palm, then up his arm, and was finally absorbed by the genetic core in his brain.

The crushed pineal gland, having lost its genetic force, quietly disintegrated.

Chu Nan remained calm, crushing one pineal gland after another, absorbing the genetic force. The genetic core in his brain, absorbing the force, grew stronger.

Previously, after activating the genetic core, he had killed over a dozen zombie-like creatures, absorbing a significant amount of genetic force. Now, absorbing the genetic force from these pineal glands, when he crushed the twenty-first one and absorbed its force, his brain was suddenly jolted.

The genetic core, having absorbed the maximum amount of force, triggered a change. The powerful force destroyed the existing genetic core and then rebuilt a new, stronger one in his brain. This time, the amount of force was more than double what he had previously absorbed, so the new genetic core would be even stronger.

Of course, this was just a vague sensation in Chu Nan's mind. He didn't know the actual process, or it could be that the genetic core, having absorbed the powerful force, reached a certain limit, which then activated the hidden, more powerful genetic forces within it.

In his mind, chaos reigned, and Chu Nan's body trembled slightly. However, this tremor was imperceptible to others, so Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping didn't know that a dramatic change was happening inside Chu Nan.

Chu Nan felt a powerful force awakening deep within the genetic core, and more astonishingly, the genetic force he had absorbed began to flow from the pineal gland in the genetic core to his entire body.

Blood, bones, organs, blood vessels, nerves, skin, and every part of his body were gradually stimulated by the genetic force, which seemed to nourish every inch of his skin.

Afterward, he broke out in a sweat, which had a faint, unpleasant odor.