Roar!

The Prehistoric Colossus roared, lifting its massive claw to crush several zombies.

The endless snarling continued. Even after the mutated colossal squid died, the zombie horde wouldn't cease in the short term. Ordinary zombies lacked intelligence, possessing only the most basic desires to feed and thirst for blood. They had already detected the dense human presence within the base!

When facing a formed zombie horde, there are two solutions. One is sustained attrition—continuously killing zombies until those nearby are wiped out, causing the horde to naturally dissipate.

This method has significant flaws: it consumes a massive amount of the base's ammunition, and soldiers fighting under high tension are prone to errors. If any point in the defense becomes weak, the dense mass of zombies will tear through the protective circle and flood into the base.

At that point, the entire Z City base would become a living hell.

The second method is to kill a large number of zombies in a short period, slaughtering them so fast that nearby zombies aren't even attracted before the horde ends.

But executing the second method requires sufficient firepower!

The zombie horde facing the official Z City base was far beyond comparable to the one the Black Bear Base faced. What Black Bear Base encountered was a horde that hadn't fully formed yet, at best a small-scale horde. After he killed two mutated zombies, the horde was on the verge of collapse. After he charged through it a few times, the horde completely scattered.

If it were the horde facing Z City, not a single soldier from Black Bear Base would remain;

they would all turn and run.

The disparity was too great. The number of zombies was terrifyingly high, leaving not a sliver of possibility for a successful defense. Would the soldiers even stay?

Remember, Black Bear Base soldiers fought with cold weapons—they didn't even have guns—while the official Z City base had various firearms, its firepower surpassing Black Bear Base's a hundred times over.

The mutated colossal squid was very intelligent and could control a greater number of zombies. By now, the horde was completely formed, and it wasn't a small-scale horde anymore;

it was at least a medium-scale horde. If the mutated colossal squid hadn't been killed and left unchecked, the horde could have evolved into a large-scale horde.

By then, not only would the official Z City base be in trouble, but survivor bases in neighboring cities would also be affected, with casualties numbering who knows how many.

"I'll cut off the rear of the horde. You eliminate the zombies at the front. We'll act simultaneously from both ends, severing the horde's formation," Li Xuan said.

Hearing this, the Bear King instantly understood Li Xuan's meaning and charged back to the base.

The moment she returned, the Deputy Leader stepped forward and, without any courtesy, kicked the Bear King. "Who told you to go out! Do you really think you're invincible? One or two zombies can't break your defense! But if a whole group bites you together, even if you've absorbed a defense-oriented Supernatural Characteristic, it won't save you!"

The Bear King looked embarrassed, lowering her head. "Team Leader, I was wrong. Don't scold me now, punish me later, okay? The urgent matter is to quell the zombie horde. The Giant Beast wants us to coordinate with him..."

The Deputy Leader interrupted the Bear King. "I heard him."

"Should we coordinate with him?"

The Deputy Leader shot an exasperated look at the Bear King. How could he not see what she meant? She was afraid he wouldn't agree. "He's the support Team Leader Yun found. How could I possibly not coordinate with him? Use your brain!"

The Bear King uttered an "Oh." "Then should I go kill some more zombies?"

"Stay right there! Don't charge out again! Save your stamina for cleaning up the battlefield! You charging out doesn't kill as many zombies as a single soldier with a rifle," the Deputy Leader said.

The Bear King was a key cultivation target for the base and hadn't fully matured yet.

The authorities had long discovered that after absorbing Supernatural Characteristics, the evolution of transformation abilities wasn't instantaneous;

it was still slowly progressing. Over time, Transformers would become stronger and stronger until one day, even artillery would have no effect on them.

The Bear King was special. Clearly, her transformation ability was the same as her family's, but the brown bear she transformed into had brighter, smoother fur and erupted with greater strength.

After research, it was preliminarily speculated that the Bear King's human form had high potential and she had a naturally high degree of bodily control. Therefore, after transforming into a brown bear, she could unleash greater power than others of her kind.

Team Leader Yun's plan to eliminate the Prison of Corpses Forest this time, aside from the reason that the Prison of Corpses Forest would inevitably become a major future threat needing early resolution, had another purpose: to obtain the Prison of Corpses Forest's unique Supernatural Characteristic. After having the Bear King absorb it, they intended to let her fuse with that strange creature.

The Prehistoric Colossus slaughtered madly, crushing all zombies blocking its path. It quickly fought its way to the rear of the horde.

Its massive tail swung, causing buildings to collapse with a roar. It grabbed a huge concrete slab and shot it out low, like skipping a stone.

The Giant Beast's claws weren't as dexterous as human hands. The angle and technique of the launched concrete slab were far inferior, but the distance it flew was not lacking.

Great force makes bricks fly!

The Giant Beast's strength was unknown multiples beyond human power. A concrete slab in the Giant Beast's hands was like a plastic toy in a human's, easily thrown extremely far.

The concrete slab swept horizontally, howling through the air, striking who knows how many zombies. A small chunk was directly taken out of the horde.

The Giant Beast swung its claws, cutting through stairwell walls, repeating the tactic.

The tall buildings beside it were like building blocks, constantly being dismantled by the Giant Beast until only the ground floor remained.

Inside the base, the Deputy Leader gave the order. All soldiers opened fire frantically. Flamethrowers were set to maximum, mortars boomed, and shells were fired as if they cost nothing.

Coordinating from front and rear, the zombie numbers sharply decreased. The horde showed signs of collapse.

Two hours later

Rotten corpses littered the ground, a strong stench of decay hovering outside the Z City base.

After dozens of charges by the Prehistoric Colossus, the horde was finally broken up. The zombies no longer mindlessly assaulted the Z City base walls, returning to their original state—aimlessly wandering about.

Seeing the Giant Beast about to leave, the Bear King hurriedly shouted, "Where are you going! Aren't you going to rest?"

"Not needed. Just killed a few zombies, didn't use much stamina," the Giant Beast said.

"So strong," the Bear King muttered to herself, her eyes full of envy.

She also wished to have terrifying strength like the Giant Beast. That way, she could protect more people, and the base would be safer.

The Deputy Base Leader patted the Bear King's thigh (he actually wanted to pat her shoulder, but her brown bear form was too tall;

he couldn't reach). "His initial individual strength is too high;

it's hard for you to catch up. But it's not impossible. After obtaining the Prison of Corpses Forest's unique Supernatural Characteristic, an opportunity will appear."

The Bear King looked at the Deputy Base Leader. "Really? I can surpass him?"

"Definitely," the Deputy Base Leader nodded, watching the Giant Beast's departing figure, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Actually, he had many questions he wanted to ask the Giant Beast. This was also a question all survivors worldwide wanted to ask.

Did the Giant Beast know about the Descent of Darkness in advance? Is that why he absorbed the genes of three giant beasts?

If the Giant Beast truly knew about the Descent of Darkness in advance, when would the second Descent of Darkness occur?

Very few people had transformation abilities involving multi-gene fusion animals. Most were useless gene fusions, like chicken-duck gene fusion, or softshell turtle, hen, oyster, and ram gene fusion. The former was eating a chicken-duck stew when the Descent of Darkness happened;

the latter was eating a tonic soup.

The animals resulting from multi-gene fusion weren't necessarily powerful. For example, the one who ate the tonic soup transformed into a simply assembled monster. Its frontal combat ability was far inferior to the Bear King's. The only advantage was probably being amphibious.

He had many questions in his heart, but after careful thought, he gave up on the idea of stopping the Giant Beast to ask.

The Giant Beast came to help this time. They couldn't be impolite;

otherwise, what difference was there between their base and those small settlements without bottom lines?

The Giant Beast's figure gradually disappeared. Upon reaching a place unobservable by the Z City base, the Giant Beast returned to human form.

Li Xuan found a clean spot, sat down, and rested. He had been purely bragging earlier;

the stamina consumed charging through the zombies was enormous. It was like a regularly trained boxer stepping into the ring and being exhausted after just four or five minutes.

The Giant Beast form was powerful, its stamina far surpassing a boxer's. But charging the zombie horde dozens of times consecutively, dismantling buildings and throwing concrete walls, plus the travel expended a lot of stamina—he was almost dead tired.

"If I didn't have physique enhancement, I probably would have exhausted my stamina in the horde and turned back human," Li Xuan said.

A pair of delicate, pale hands reached from behind, slender fingers landing on Li Xuan's head, gently massaging.

"That's just an estimate. You haven't reached your limit yet;

you don't know your full potential. That may not have been your limit," Huo Lingling said.

She and Yun Xiuzhi had hidden in this building beforehand, waiting for Li Xuan's return.

Li Xuan was surprised. "Who did you hear that from?"

"Sister Yun taught me," Huo Lingling said.

Li Xuan gave Yun Xiuzhi a thumbs-up. "You finally taught Huo Lingling some useful knowledge."

Yun Xiuzhi flapped her wings disdainfully. "When you say that, you should have Huo Lingling stop. Helping you relieve stress is also something I taught her."

Li Xuan chuckled. "The battle over there should be ending soon too."

"If I didn't have physique enhancement, I probably would have exhausted my stamina in the horde and turned back human," Li Xuan said.

Meanwhile, at the location of the Prison of Corpses Forest

"That's just an estimate. You haven't reached your limit yet;

you don't know your full potential. That might not have been your limit," Huo Lingling said.

The Prison of Corpses Forest showed no further movement.

"Team Leader Yun, the Prison of Corpses Forest is suspected to be dead!"

Team Leader Yun's gaze was sharp, his eyes seemingly harboring a male eagle soaring the heavens. "Have you found the little rats hiding in the shadows?"

"Thirty-eight have been found! Most are restless, likely to make a move to snatch the Supernatural Characteristics at any moment!"

"Is White Dog here?"

White Dog was a notorious Transformer in Z City. Because his transformation ability was into a white wolf, people called him White Dog. He was greedy and lustful, had repeatedly betrayed companions, and seized their wives and daughters.

"I'll go check. You going out could easily expose your identity," Yun Xiuzhi said.

"White Dog's trail hasn't been found, but given his character, he will definitely come."

Team Leader Yun's eyes showed ruthlessness. "Tell the brothers to use lethal force! Anyone who can't be captured 100% alive is to be killed!"

On the periphery, a Transformer transformed into a Falcon, charging towards a target he had spotted long ago.

"That spot is absolutely one of the Prison of Corpses Forest's cores! There's a Supernatural Characteristic inside! I just need one! Grab it and run, no greed!"

After the Falcon made his move, the Transformers hiding in the shadows could no longer conceal themselves. Some had the same target as the Falcon. If the Falcon stole the target's Supernatural Characteristic, what would they snatch?

Team Leader Yun's gaze was sharp, his eyes seemingly harboring a male eagle soaring the heavens. "Have you found the little rats hiding in the shadows?"

Every Transformer's ability was not simple. To be precise, those with weak transformation abilities wouldn't dare to snatch the Z City base's Supernatural Characteristics!

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

It was the sound of a sniper rifle.

"White Dog's trail hasn't been found, but given his character, he will definitely come."

The Falcon's body wasn't large to begin with. This blow took most of its internal organs with it. Its wings couldn't flap, a sense of weakness swept through its whole body, its speed plummeted, and it fell downward.

Thump~

On the periphery, a Transformer transformed into a Falcon, charging towards a target he had long spotted.

A fierce tiger covered in black scales darted through the ruins, dodging several bullets, finally reaching its target location. It swiped down with a claw, tearing through the rotten flesh. Inside, sure enough, lay a Supernatural Characteristic.

After the Falcon made his move, the Transformers hiding in the shadows could no longer conceal themselves. Some had the same target as the Falcon. If the Falcon stole the target's Supernatural Characteristic, what would they snatch?

Thus, Transformers revealed themselves one after another, each displaying their unique abilities, snatching Supernatural Characteristics.

Every Transformer's ability was not simple. To be precise, those with weak transformation abilities wouldn't dare to snatch the Z City base's Supernatural Characteristics!

Boom!

Flames engulfed the black tiger. The sniper kept firing, bullets shooting into the black smoke.

When the wind came and the smoke dispersed, the black tiger already lay in a pool of blood, deader than dead.

The sniper sneered, loading a new magazine. "Did you really think having a transformation ability and absorbing a Supernatural Characteristic made you invincible? Fool!"

Several hours later, Team Leader Yun returned to the base with his team, escorting many captured Transformers. Each was injured and hanging their heads in dejection.

The Falcon's body wasn't large to begin with. This blow took most of its internal organs with it. Its wings couldn't flap, a sense of weakness swept through its whole body, its speed plummeted, and it fell downward.

Of course, Team Leader Yun wasn't keeping them to recruit them, but to give to the researchers for experiments, to dig out the secrets hidden in transformation abilities, and to attempt whether Transformers could be artificially created.

Li Xuan received three Supernatural Characteristics from Team Leader Yun: Self-healing Characteristic, Organ Enhancement, and Hardening Characteristic.

The Nest Characteristic was indeed as he had predicted—a high-level Supernatural Characteristic. Its effect was to merge with other organisms into one entity. The difference from the Fusion Characteristic was that the biological will would also merge.

The Fusion Characteristic Li Xuan mastered allowed for complete absorption of a creature's genes to strengthen oneself, without causing schizophrenia. The flaw was that only one type could be fused. The Nest Characteristic could fuse many types.

Theoretically, the holder of the Nest Characteristic was the absolute master of will, able to freely view the memories of fused organisms and control their actions. The problem was that memories would also merge.

The more organisms fused, the harsher the memory impact. How much memory impact could a human brain withstand without developing schizophrenia?

A strange sound attracted the black tiger's attention. Looking up, it discovered it was a rocket-propelled grenade.

Simultaneously, Li Xuan also received a piece of news: Team Leader Yun had only found eight Supernatural Characteristics. After giving three to Li Xuan, he only had five left!

Flames engulfed the black tiger. The sniper kept firing, bullets shooting into the black smoke.

Three Supernatural Characteristics were still missing!

The sniper sneered, loading a new magazine. "Did you really think having a transformation ability and absorbing a Supernatural Characteristic made you invincible? Fool!"

Had the Prison of Corpses Forest not died completely? Was a piece of its flesh still hiding in secret?