CHAPTER 257: ASSEMBLING TOGETHER

"Eh? What the hell!?"

Tang Wei choked on her drink the moment she saw Liang Mei.

It wasn’t only her—everyone froze the moment she appeared from the room beside me. Her thighs and hips were a little too sensual now, with the firm muscles and shape ideal for tempting men.

"Are you Liang Mei?" Zhou Xue rushed up to her, still a little taller than the rabbit, but Mei’s long legs made her envious. "What happened!?" she looked at me, eyes burning with a sense of confusion and curiosity.

"Wow... look at those muscles, you even have abs now Mei Mei!"

Liang Qiu joined in the praise as Deng Hua and Chen Xun avoided looking, their cheeks flushed.

"Liang Mei is dangerous..."

"Truly, but we both know she only has eyes for him."

The two foolish guys were a little wiser after becoming entwined with Liang Qiu, which made me smile. Though I did regret that the girl whom others had ignored before now became a beautiful, blooming lily.

"I’ll tell you what happened in a minute.

I didn’t want to waste too much time. Mu Qinglan, Shen yifei and Jiang Roulan would be here soon, so I would tell them all at once. "Can you wait for the others?"

"Of course."

Tang Wei, Zhou Xue, Deng Hua and Chen Xun nodded. All four sat down and waited, while Liang Mei and Qiu stood next to each other. The atmosphere remained a mixture of shock and joy, which made me smile.

Ten minutes later, Mu Qinglan and Jiang Roulan appeared together. They seemed to have just arrived from the base entrance since they were both wearing their combat suits and stood beside Shen Yifei, who held her spear with signs of zombie blood on the tip. "John? Why is everyone here?"

Jiang Roulan looked a little confused about why we waited for them in the standard room, where anyone could come and go, rather than the private rooms we often used. I couldn’t help but try to adjust the words in my mind while also avoiding spilling too much information about my System.

It wouldn’t help if too many people knew too much.

***

Liang Mei took the lead after that, explaining to everyone what had happened to her with the Type-R serum, the transformation into something more powerful, and all of her new abilities.

"So, she’s a kind of mutant?" Tang Wei shrugged, tapping her chin... then she looked at me. "Can any of us take that kind of thing?" It seemed that she noticed the benefits of the serum, but I wasn’t sure how to answer.

"To be honest there is a chance for a bad reaction, but yes... it is possible. I only used this for Liang Mei to help cure her heart defect. Although I won’t be giving the serum out for no reason. If it’s needed, or you have a convincing reason for me to give it to you, then you’re welcome to try."

I looked at each of them, and they seemed to understand.

It was pretty easy to imagine what most of the girls would want, but I couldn’t just hand it out like candy. The serum was expensive, at least 50,000 ZKP points each time, not to mention the risk involved.

Mu Qinglan didn’t seem interested, but Roulan, Tang Wei, Yifei and the two foolish guys looked tempted to ask me.

Is there a safer alternative?

I don’t mind if it has weaker effects without danger.

[Give me a Moment to check, John]

"Well for now, let’s talk about the current situation."

I sat at the table, crossed my legs, and watched as everyone followed suit, with Roulan and Qinglan beside me, and Tang Wey leaned behind me with her chin on my shoulder. The heat from her breath blows down my chest.

"There will be a massive horde attacking in just over thirty hours."

"I see." Chen Xun nodded his head and looked at Deng Hua, who seemed to agree. "Can our forces handle them?" He added, then looked at Liang Qiu and Mei.

"John, you’ve done something to the wall right?" Roulan smiled, her leg extending and brushing against mine, her voice low and seductive in my ear.

"Yes, we won’t have an issue defending ourselves—the only danger is the Stage Five Mutated human and the Stage Fours with him." I smiled back at her and felt Tang Wei pull on my shoulder before she leaned closer.

Mu Qinglan remained stoic with her arms folded across her chest while Yifei paced up and down, chewing her lips.

"Are you going to fight until you’re broken again?" Shen Yifei suddenly said out loud while glaring at me, her eyes full of fire.

"No, this time all of us will deal with them. It will be more like a hunt than an open fight, but I want all of you here ready for the event."

"John... don’t lie, we all know that you are the strongest here. You will have to fight him, and you will be the one wounded and forced to hold that Stage Five back alone!" Yifei didn’t stop and shouted, her foot on the table as she pointed at me...

Her passion stunned me for a moment as she suddenly yelled. "Give me one, just like her... make me strong, strong enough to fight that thing with you! I don’t care if I become a mutant, or a monster!"

Her words were powerful, and everyone’s eyes widened.

"Yifei..."

"I want to fight beside you... not behind." Her eyes beamed with determination, but I could also see the fear. She wasn’t deluded or acting out of pure emotion, but this seemed to be her genuine desire. "I-I can’t watch you fight alone again."

Roulan and Qinglan looked at each other. It was the first time I noticed Qinglan react or focus on the conversation, as she grasped her sword while looking up at me with her electric blue eyes. "I want to fight with you, too."

She added her voice to the pleas of Yifei.

"If it works, then... let us have some too," Deng Hua and Chen Xun said while looking at each other. "We will need it, to stay with Liang Qiu."

All of them want to fight with me... I feel honoured.

[Analysis complete...]

I didn’t ignore them, but the sudden analysis was a chance for me to think about their request.

’Tell me.’

Although I would love to give them all the expensive Serum, to be honest, I wasn’t that charitable to provide it to women and men with no relationship with me. I cared for these people because of the affection they held for me.

It made me feel special... I’d been an outsider most of my life.

But my priorities lie with Mu Qinglan, Shen Yifei, Jiang Roulan, Tang Wei and Liang Mei right now. Though I would help Zhou Xue, since she was just as important and I promised to take care of her. If the other two guys got stronger then Liang Qiu wouldn’t have to work as hard, and would be safer... so it was fine by me.

I wasn’t that much of an asshole, as long as everyone was happy I would do all I could.

[How do you wish to help them, John?]

The group looked at me as the screens appeared in my vision.

’For Deng Hua, Chen Xun and Liang Qiu something to give them a light boost for an affordable level.’

’Then Shen Yifei, Mu Qinglan, Jiang Roulan and Tang Wei I want the best thing for them without significant danger. Oh, and also add Zhou Xue in this list.’

The moment I asked, the screens lit up with several items.

Affordable: Serum L-Type 1/3 - Increase all attributes by 10%

Affordable: Serum M-Type 1/3 - Increase Muscle Strength (20%)

Affordable: Serum S-Type 1/5 - Increase Skeleton Strength (20%)

’System, give me more information on these Serums.’

The System didn’t keep me waiting.

Serum L-Type - By splicing human DNA with the most common alien species, a slight increase in strength can occur. This process is irreversible, but allows for quicker adaptation of the body. (Caution: There is a 0.1% chance that the user will reject this serum, which may lead to permanent damage or even death.)

Serum M-Type - Muscle cells taken from the most powerful species allow for an enhancement in strength, without any risk involved. Once injected, your muscles will be enhanced, but there are some side-effects which involve a change in appearance depending on the user.

Serum S-Type - Inject a bone-transforming serum that is made from the bone structure of a giant, increasing the strength and suppleness of each bone. (Caution: There is also a risk that a user will reject this injection, which could result in death or permanent damage.)

’System how effective are these?’

The L-Type seemed like the best, but it wasn’t that impressive, and instead, the S-type was what I chose for Liang Qiu and her two lovers.

[Serum S-Type: 10,000 ZKP x 3]

I bought the serum right there, as I swiped the air, the cold, icy box dropped on top of the table. It was enough to stun the entire group into silence.

"John?"

Tang Wei looked at me, confused, then noticed the box...

The box unlocked with a click, and inside he found three vials of light pink liquid and a giant needle. "This is for you three—it will strengthen your bones." I looked at Qiu and her boyfriends. "Use it if you want."

The trio looked at each other before slowly nodding.

"Make sure you only take it in a private room. Liang Qiu should take it too, it will be quite messy."

The trio looked at me and then took the box with a nod before they rushed out of the room.

Now, I needed to make my next move.

’System give me all available Serums that aren’t dangerous, or have a low risk of danger. For these five women.’