Chapter 8

The pale moonlight filtered through the windows into the building, the air thick with the pungent smell of blood. Occasional low roars of monsters and the screams of humans echoed through the night, creating a terrifying atmosphere.

It was already midnight, but Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng had no intention of resting. First, in such a highly tense environment, it was not suitable to rest. Second, both of them had become Evolvers, and their physical attributes had significantly improved, reducing their need for sleep compared to ordinary people.

Moreover, Ye Zhan had another consideration: the faster they progressed, the easier it would be to hunt monsters in the future. Monsters were constantly evolving by hunting humans, and if they couldn't evolve faster than the monsters, it would greatly impact their future development.

Being ahead by a step meant being ahead everywhere. Gaining an early advantage was extremely important.

Thus, the two of them wandered through the various floors of the building, hunting lone monsters. They encountered survivors in the building, some of whom had already started hunting monsters.

To reduce the death rate of these people, Ye Zhan told them about the monsters' weaknesses and some precautions before parting ways.

Ye Zhan's kindness was also for his own survival. The more people survived and hunted monsters, the stronger humanity would become, and the more pressure would be shared. Otherwise, if too many humans died, each person would face more monsters, making it harder for Ye Zhan to survive.

In his previous life, the more humans died, the more monsters they faced, and they were completely unable to resist.

The survivors were disappointed when Ye Zhan left. In this building, Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng were well-known. When the monsters suddenly appeared and humans were in a panic, these two people stepped forward with their long swords, showing that the monsters could be killed.

These people wanted to follow Ye Zhan and hunt monsters with him, but Ye Zhan naturally couldn't take them. Not only would they be of little help in battle, but their gathering might attract higher-level monsters, which Ye Zhan would never agree to.

Although Ye Zhan had top-tier combat awareness, he was only Level 1 and didn't have the arrogance to think he could face Level 4 or higher monsters.

By the next morning, Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng had both reached Level 2, each gaining 1 skill point. Ye Zhan immediately added his point to [Meditation].

In this world full of danger, one could fall into crisis at any moment, and death was permanent. A skill that restored vitality was crucial, as it could mean the difference between life and death in a critical moment.

Zeng Cheng, on the other hand, added his skill point to [Brutal Strike]. When activated, this skill increased attack speed for 30 seconds and allowed for life stealing, with both effects improving with level. The life steal could only be triggered once every 2 hours and lasted for 10 seconds.

This was also a very good healing skill, useful for survival in critical moments.

When they leveled up, their physical attributes evolved again. Ye Zhan's changes were not obvious, but his muscles became more evenly distributed. Although his physique didn't change much, the quality of his muscles had significantly improved, enhancing his explosive power and speed, which were crucial for the Wuji Sword Saint.

Zeng Cheng's changes were more noticeable. His formerly fat body was now mostly muscle, making him look like a human tank.

Zeng Cheng wanted to test the life steal skill, but Ye Zhan stopped him. Wasting a 2-hour cooldown was not worth it, especially since Zeng Cheng wasn't seriously injured.

Ye Zhan had a clear plan for what to do next.

He glanced at the Sanhe Hospital across the street. The eastern sky was beginning to lighten, but the hospital was now filled with various monstrous creatures instead of doctors and nurses.

The night had passed, but it was the darkest night in human history. The human population on Earth had decreased by 60% in just one night, and this number would continue to rise. However, this night also marked the beginning of human evolution.

After successfully reaching Level 2, Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng stopped hunting monsters and returned to the 11th-floor restaurant to find some food and rest. After a night of fighting, even the toughest person would be exhausted.

"If I face four hyena men now, I can easily take them down. Even against three two-headed wolves, I have a fighting chance," Zeng Cheng said confidently, holding his broadsword.

Ye Zhan smiled but didn't respond. He knew Zeng Cheng was still angry about being beaten up by the hyena men earlier.

After a night of combat, Zeng Cheng had become a qualified warrior. Standing at 1.9 meters tall with a muscular body, his eyes were sharp and intimidating.

Ye Zhan was slightly relieved by Zeng Cheng's current state. The faster Zeng Cheng progressed, the better his chances of survival in this chaotic world.

After resting for a while, Ye Zhan pulled Zeng Cheng and stealthily approached the Sanhe Hospital. The spider should be appearing soon.

Ye Zhan didn't dare to make a big move. He knew the hidden dangers, and even with his current strength, being surrounded by monsters would still mean certain death.

It was precisely because of Ye Zhan's cautious nature that he survived, standing out among the many humans struggling on the brink of death.

The streets outside were in chaos, with scattered vehicles, broken glass from the building, and corpses strewn everywhere.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with occasional screams indicating that someone had been found by a monster.

By this point, humans had passed the initial large-scale death phase, and survivors were hiding and carefully fighting against the monsters.

In his previous life, Ye Zhan and Li Xing's group had hidden in a storage room of a building, surviving the initial death phase, then slowly hunting monsters and finding food to survive, eventually becoming Evolvers and surviving in the chaos.

"I wonder how they are doing now. The message I sent in the group should help them. This time, they should fare much better," Ye Zhan thought.

He should have stayed and fought with them, but he had more important things to do. He needed to quickly improve his strength and then go home to save his parents, so he had to leave them.

They carefully made their way to the Sanhe Hospital and reached the third floor, where the spider was said to be.

The third floor was formerly a fluid therapy hall, now filled with a pungent smell of blood. The ground was littered with human body parts, and the floor was covered in fresh blood. No living humans remained, and a few blood-soaked, half-human-sized monsters wandered aimlessly.

"Take care of it!" Ye Zhan frowned and said calmly. These were just ordinary Level 1 monsters, dog-headed men, which Zeng Cheng could practice on. However, with so many deaths, there must be a Level 2 monster nearby, and Ye Zhan's goal was to guard against any sudden attacks.

"Hehe, no problem, just a bunch of small fries!" Zeng Cheng, holding his broadsword, stepped onto the blood-soaked floor and approached the dog-headed men.

Both of them ignored the dead humans on the ground. Ye Zhan had seen much worse in his previous life and was already desensitized, while Zeng Cheng, after initially feeling nauseous, had become numb to such scenes.

The dog-headed men, seeing a living human, all screamed excitedly and charged at Zeng Cheng.

Zeng Cheng stood still, waiting for them. As they pounced, he pushed off with his right leg, crouched, and gripped his broadsword tightly, eyes fixed on the approaching monster. A light shout echoed in the empty hall, and he swung his broadsword.

"Thud!"

The sound of the blade slicing through flesh rang out, and the dog-headed man was sent flying backward, landing with only half a life left. A half-foot-long gash appeared on its chest.

Zeng Cheng's face lit up with joy. Instead of retreating, he advanced, swinging his broadsword and cutting down the dog-headed man with one strike, ending its life. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he charged at the other monsters, quickly taking down three or four more.

Ye Zhan watched Zeng Cheng's growing confidence and smiled. This was the true nature of a berserker, taking down several Level 1 monsters in an instant without using any skills.

Standing at 1.9 meters tall, Zeng Cheng towered over the dog-headed men, looking more like a monster himself.

In no time, Zeng Cheng had killed all the monsters in the hall. Ye Zhan felt the hidden Level 2 monsters quietly disappear, and he relaxed.

Monsters also had intelligence and would flee when faced with a powerful enemy.

Ye Zhan wasn't afraid that these monsters would attract more powerful ones. The spider should arrive soon, and by the time the other monsters returned, Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng would be long gone.

The purpose of clearing the floor was to prevent the monsters from interfering with their hunt for the spider.

They quickly extracted the demon cores from the dog-headed men, and Ye Zhan led Zeng Cheng to a hidden spot to wait. About three to four minutes later, a spider the size of a grinding stone slowly climbed up the stairs.