The enhancement from Iron Body far exceeded expectations.

Cheng Ye’s eyes flashed with awe as he carefully sensed the changes in his body.

Without experiencing it firsthand, it was impossible to grasp this earth-shattering difference.

No wonder the S-3 virus, as recorded in books, could topple civilizations. A mere talent from genetic reversion had already left ordinary humans in the dust.

What about transcendent abilities?

They were likely so terrifying they’d split “human” into entirely different forms!

“Wait, Dai Zun’s Iron Body didn’t seem this strong?”

Losing pain perception while gaining enhanced bodily awareness—this change was outrageous.

Cheng Ye unequipped Iron Body and re-equipped it to test.

After four or five rounds of comparison, he noticed an unexpected quirk.

“This talent’s effect diminishes over time?”

“And it has a built-in cooldown?”

When first equipped, Iron Body’s boost was intense, freeing up nerves to spike body control by 50%, achieving a qualitative leap.

But this boost lasted only a minute before steadily fading.

Within five minutes, the enhancement vanished entirely, requiring the talent to be unequipped to reset.

Testing further, Cheng Ye found that re-equipping immediately didn’t restore the boost.

He had to wait five minutes to regain the peak enhancement.

“Pain neurons are repurposed for information processing… could it be that the freed neurons can’t handle prolonged high-intensity data?”

Cheng Ye speculated. Though his major was civil engineering, this was covered in high school biology.

Pain signal transmission relies on specific neurons. When pain perception drops, their firing rate decreases, theoretically freeing up neural resources from the spinal dorsal horn and thalamic pain centers.

Neuron signaling depends on ion channel activity, consuming energy supplied by mitochondria.

Under high information loads, mitochondria could exceed their energy and metabolic capacity, manifesting as the boost’s gradual fade.

“Theory’s just theory. If my high school knowledge could crack this, genetic reversion wouldn’t be so mystical. Maybe I’ll search for some research skills later to dig deeper.”

Cheng Ye shook his head, deciding not to dwell on neurology.

Without the control boost, this talent was a double-edged sword.

Still, outperforming Dai Zun’s original version was a massive, unexpected win.

He hadn’t planned to keep pain reduction equipped long-term, only using it during extreme training to push his body’s limits.

In combat, close-quarters fights resolved in under thirty seconds, far from the five-minute fade.

More than enough!

Gurgle, gurgle.

A familiar hunger surged like a tide.

Cheng Ye’s face shifted. Without thinking, he grabbed nutrient paste and chugged.

As expected, high-level skills or talents triggered adaptive changes at the body’s core.

Last time, Basic Power spurred new muscle growth.

What about Iron Body?

One bag, five, ten… twenty bags of nutrient paste vanished, wrappers littering the floor.

From past experience, this much should’ve eased the hunger.

But now, the black-hole-like void in his stomach didn’t subside, it felt like it was hollowing out his organs.

“Great, perfect, this is exactly right!”

“More, I can handle more!”

Faction conflicts were just heating up, and the infected threat loomed.

Any trace of luck was snuffed out.

This was the wasteland, and death gave no reprieve.

A station chief fell today; tomorrow, it could be an inspector.

Cheng Ye’s hunger for strength had never been so urgent, answered by bags of empty nutrient paste!

Tearing open packets, he entered a frenzy, downing a bag every five seconds.

The thick paste, meant to sate hunger, vanished in his mouth like it was sucked into a void, leaving no satisfaction.

Soon, the nutrient paste bought from Uncle Dong that morning was gone.

Cheng Ye’s heart leapt with joy. He yanked open a crate, tearing into more.

Ten bags… thirty… fifty…

Only when wrappers piled into a small mountain did the paste finally settle in his stomach, no longer vanishing on contact.

Drawing from last time, he downed ten more bags, finally feeling full.

“Basic Power took 28 bags; Iron Body took 107.”

Scanning the littered wrappers, Cheng Ye stood, sensing the change.

“This… enhanced physical resilience?”

His skin had undergone a strange shift.

Running a fingertip over his left arm, it no longer felt like soft flesh but taut, like weathered cowhide.

Turning his neck or flexing joints, he felt subdermal fascia pull like bowstrings, emitting faint “zzt” sounds, as if his skin had become elastic armor wrapping his muscles.

“This is insane!”

Cheng Ye’s eyelid twitched. With Basic Power’s precedent, he knew this wasn’t a temporary skill boost but a permanent enhancement etched into his body.

No matter what skills he equipped later, this reinforcement would stay.

“Iron Body reduces pain and boosts control. Without this enhanced body, high-intensity moves could easily tear my fascia.”

“But now, after this upgrade…”

Cheng Ye squeezed his arm. The muscles beneath swelled like inflated tires.

He couldn’t quantify the strength gain, but he sensed that pre-skill him wouldn’t stand a chance, probably could take on five of his old self in a gauntlet.

One-on-one, of course.

“The inner city has ways to measure vitality, but it’s exclusive to the three legions for warrior grading. Inspectors focus on operations, not combat, so my clearance can’t access that equipment.”

“Maybe I’ll hit the training gym. Big B’s not around, but they’ve got paid sparring. A test will show how much I’ve improved.”

Placing the dagger by the bed, Cheng Ye lay down fully clothed.

That night, he slept fitfully, as Uncle Dong predicted, sporadic gunfire cracked through the night like popping beans.

Infected entities had indeed slipped in. Thankfully, inspectors weren’t tasked with internal searches.

That fell to the Happiness Legion, the strongest of the three, with inspectors only handling final sweeps, a low risk.

[Collector: Cheng Ye]

[Current Rank: Lv.1 Trainee (3.2/100)]

[Life Tier: 0]

[Skills: Basic Power, Beast Instinct, Iron Body (Talent)]

[Locked…]

[Evaluation: Your strength has surged rapidly, one step from the minimum standard for a Civilization Collector. Focusing on developing your foundational potential will yield additional rewards.]

“The panel changed again!”

At dawn’s first light, Cheng Ye leapt up.

While brushing his teeth, he habitually opened the panel, spotting the change instantly.

Iron Body added a whopping 2.5 to his information gauge, eight times his estimated 0.3.

At this rate, just 40 searches could meet the rank-up requirement.

“Targeting the strong for skills is definitely the way to go.”

Spitting out foam, Cheng Ye kept assessing.

Nearly five days had passed since mastering Basic Power.

As muscle memory solidified, even unequipping the skill caused no noticeable force disruption.

Some complex attack moves might feel slightly off.

But he sensed that in two or three days, even those would smooth out.

This meant he could free up a skill slot before acquiring the next one.

“Too bad Beast Instinct is likely a talent too, just Lv.1, so it’s not labeled.”

“These core talents lose effect immediately when unequipped.”

Noting this, Cheng Ye packed early and left.

Though he had the day off and only needed to attend the study session in the afternoon, the flimsy tenement door, shaking at every gust kept him on edge all night.

“Big iron plates, yeah, those! Give me three!”

“Anti-theft lock from the ruins? Still works? Fine, install it.”

“Nails for reinforcing doors… you’ve got a whole set? Oh, high demand? Two packs then.”

“Ground spikes? What for? Block infected ambushes at the door? Alright, one set!”

“Fresh mutant beast dung? Smear it on the door, and infected entities will steer clear!”

“…”

The flea market on the pedestrian street, usually quiet until afternoon, was packed by morning.

Amid the haggling, Cheng Ye marveled. He wasn’t the only one spooked last night.

The buying frenzy outdid yesterday’s nutrient paste rush.

“Hunger won’t kill you quickly, but infected entities are lethal.”

Cheng Ye circled the street.

He’d worried about what materials to buy, but vendors had ready-made fortification kits.

From tenements to roadside tents, wastelanders had solutions for every dwelling, fully stocked.

Buy enough, and they even offered free delivery.

“580 coins, I’ll arrange delivery now.”

Taking Cheng Ye’s Happiness Coins, the vendor grinned ear to ear, turning to summon help.

Soon, two scrawny youths pushed a cart, piling on Cheng Ye’s materials.

“Sir, lead the way, we’ll follow.”

“Good.”

In the buffer zone, no one dared scam an inspector.

Cheng Ye returned to the tenement, grabbing a wrench to tackle the flimsy iron door.

Dismantling it was easy, two swings at the hinges, and it fell apart.

Rusted hinges broke into pieces, the frame rattling.

“Damn, forget blocking infected entities, a regular human could bust through.”

Cheng Ye eyed the rust with lingering dread. If an infected had slipped in right after he transmigrated, this door wouldn’t have stopped it, he’d be dead without knowing how.

Soon, the materials arrived in the hallway.

Hauling the heavy anti-theft door to the fifth floor left the two youths panting.

“Thanks, you earned this.”

Cheng Ye handed over two 5-coin Happiness Coins. Their faces lit up, gushing gratitude as if emptying their vocabulary of praise.

After they left, staring at the pile of materials, Cheng Ye’s overnight tension finally eased.

“With these, infected entities won’t get in so easily, right?!”