Chapter Eighty-Eight: Level Three Black-Scaled Giant

Compared with the evolution point Zhang Ran had condensed when he was only a first-tier evolver, this one was far clearer and more brilliant in color. Its ten thousand and eighty-one facets radiated dazzling light, mysterious and exquisite.

After it was successfully formed, the evolution point hovered at the tail end of Zhang Ran’s spine, rising and falling with a very slight motion, while rotating slowly in a marvelous rhythm.

As it turned, it continuously released streams of pure energy. The energy flowed from Zhang Ran’s spine into his arteries, then followed his blood as it coursed through his body.

Wherever that energy passed, Zhang Ran’s cells quietly restructured and optimized themselves. His genetic sequence grew ever more complete, harmful genetic impurities were removed and expelled through the circulatory system, and the coordination between the tissues of his body improved at a rapid pace.

After being transformed by that energy, Zhang Ran’s physical attributes had risen by only 0.01 point, yet his overall strength had increased by about twenty percent, while his evolutionary potential had also been further enhanced.

Not only that, part of the energy flowed into Zhang Ran’s sea of consciousness and poured into the Tree of Evolution. Nourished by it, the Tree of Evolution within his mind grew increasingly lively, releasing a green glow as its branches and leaves expanded at a visible rate, brimming with vitality.

As the Tree of Evolution grew, the two runes upon its trunk, Blood Plunder and Spatial Box, were also nourished, and their power steadily rose.

"Beep. Evolution point formation complete. Current number of evolution points: 13. Current completion of evolution point formation: 0.07 percent."

Once the evolution point was finished condensing, the chip’s prompt sounded in Zhang Ran’s ear. Hearing it, Zhang Ran nodded in satisfaction.

After successfully forming the evolution point, Zhang Ran went to the corpses of the two level-two agile zombies. With a sweep of his greatsword, he severed their heads one by one, then pried open their skulls and took out the brain cores inside.

Generally speaking, the materials from a level-two mutated creature could be sold for around one thousand to fifteen hundred Black Hawk coins. Since zombie brain cores were one of the raw materials used in gene enhancement potions, their purchase price was even higher than that of ordinary mutated creatures, often reaching two thousand Black Hawk coins.

Next, Zhang Ran beheaded the remaining zombies one by one, packed their brain cores into a storage box, then put it away in his spatial box and continued on his hunting journey.

...

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

After condensing his first evolution point, Zhang Ran’s strength had risen further. Even against a third-tier evolver with one C-rank ability and one B-rank ability, Zhang Ran now had confidence in holding his ground.

And when facing some weaker third-tier mutated creatures, Zhang Ran had also gained the means to kill them. To verify this, he had already conducted simulated battles in the chip’s training space, and the results confirmed it.

As his strength increased, Zhang Ran’s hunting speed naturally accelerated as well. In just one week, his second evolution point had already reached ninety percent condensation, with only the final ten percent left before completion, and all of his attributes had increased by about 0.2 point.

In addition, because the previous debt had been forgiven, the proceeds from the materials he sold now belonged entirely to him, and his accumulation of Black Hawk coins was faster than before.

At present, Zhang Ran possessed two hundred thousand Black Hawk coins, roughly equivalent to more than half a year’s income for an ordinary second-tier evolver. However, if Zhang Ran wanted to buy some high-end weapons, two hundred thousand Black Hawk coins were still far from enough.

Zhang Ran’s current firearm was an AM41 automatic rifle. It was fairly effective against first- and second-tier mutated creatures, but once facing third- or fourth-tier mutated creatures, it was of little significance.

Against those stronger mutated creatures, which possessed very high agility, the AM41’s rate of fire made them difficult to hit. Even if they were struck, its power was somewhat insufficient; unless it hit a vital point, it could do at most minor damage.

To injure such high-tier mutated creatures with firearms, one must either possess corresponding psychic-domain abilities or replace the weapon with something far more powerful, such as a heavy sniper rifle or a psychic firearm.

However, whether heavy sniper rifles or psychic firearms, both were extremely expensive. Taking heavy sniper rifles as an example, although Black Hawk Company had the ability to produce a few light sniper rifles, once it came to the domain of heavy sniper rifles, the company had no corresponding blueprints at all.

What was more, even if Black Hawk Company somehow obtained the relevant blueprints, its current technology and equipment would still not allow production, because those high-precision machine tools were also monopolized supplies in Black Sand City and were never sold externally.

As for the reason behind this monopoly over technology and equipment, it was very simple: in the eyes of the rulers of Black Sand City, small forces like Black Hawk Company were nothing more than free labor, just as Black Hawk Company itself treated those evolvers.

For that reason, every heavy sniper rifle in Black Hawk Company had to be imported from Black Sand City, hundreds of kilometers away, and required escort by high-tier evolvers. Each one was often worth more than a million Black Hawk coins. Only evolvers of tier three and above generally had the funds to buy one, and even then they often needed to borrow money. This was not to mention psychic firearms, whose prices were even more exorbitant.

For now, however, Zhang Ran’s enemies were only second-tier mutated creatures, and the weapons in his hands were already sufficient. When the time came for him to face stronger enemies, he would naturally be able to gather enough funds.

After a morning of hunting, Zhang Ran had killed five more second-tier mutated creatures. Added to the scattered first-tier creatures he had also taken, the condensation of his evolution point had already reached ninety-seven percent. Just then, he suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath him.

"What the hell is that? An earthquake, or a mutated creature? If it’s a mutated creature, then this is bad. To make such a huge commotion, it has to be a real monster!"

Feeling the earth shaking, a trace of alarm appeared in Zhang Ran’s eyes, and he thought to himself uneasily.

At that moment, far out in the wasteland, a giant had appeared. It stood five meters tall, with thick arms, a powerful build, and black scales covering its body like a small mountain, and it was charging straight toward Zhang Ran.

Though massive in size, the giant’s speed was by no means slow. With each stride, it could cover seven or eight meters, leaving a deep crater in the ground and producing thunderous booms and fierce tremors.

"Beep. A level-three creature, the Black-Scaled Giant, has appeared near the host. This life-form is extremely dangerous. In the event of conflict, the host’s chance of victory is less than 36 percent. Recommendation: keep your distance!"

At that moment, the chip’s alarm also rang in Zhang Ran’s ear, and Zhang Ran’s heart sank at once.