Chapter 16: Drive the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf

{Current Mechanical Heart Level: LV.1285/500}

{Tip: Upgrading the Mechanical Heart grants special skill rewards. At LV.3, LV.6, and LV.9, you gain a Mystery Awakening.}

{Base Attributes}

{Strength: LV.133/50}

{Speed: LV.19/50}

{Defense: LV.020/30}

{Current Basic Skills}

{Mechanical Devour: LV.22/500}

{Mechanical Crafting: LV.1112/300}

{Mechanical Scan (Passive)}

{Mechanical Repair (Passive)}

{Mechanical Operation (Passive)}

{Special Skills}

{Wind Cannon: LV.112/100}

Looking at the holographic screen, Lin Xian felt his Mechanical Heart roar wildly within him—he shuddered involuntarily, and in his excitement, he immediately fixed his gaze on the last freezer.

{Devour Progress: 2%}

The progress bar on the screen visibly accelerated!

“Of course!!!”

Increased efficiency was absolutely a huge advantage—it saved precious time at critical moments and drastically reduced the risk during devouring.

Drip~

Lin Xian started timing with his watch and began focusing entirely on devouring.

{Devour Progress: 10%}

{Devour Progress: 20%}

……

{Devour Progress: 50%}

……

{Devour Progress: 80%}

{Devour Progress: 99%}

“So fast!” Lin Xian checked his watch—the previous three freezers had each taken him about an hour and forty minutes on average, but now, under an hour, he’d nearly finished in just fifty-five minutes.

Efficiency had nearly doubled!!!

Before Lin Xian could suppress his excitement, a flash of golden light suddenly appeared before his eyes!

{Devour Successful! Mechanical Core Points +25, Mechanical Devour Skill Proficiency +6, Bonus Reward: You have obtained the Ice Shield skill!}

“Freezer… Ice Shield??”

Lin Xian froze in place—sure enough, the skills he gained were somehow linked to the mechanical or electrical devices he devoured.

Looking at the screen: {Ice Shield LV.10/100}

Lin Xian hesitated, then mentally willed it—and raised his hand.

Click-click-click!

In an instant, a small semicircular shield of deep blue ice erupted from the ground, shielding him—its height precisely covered Lin Xian’s shoulders.

“Holy shit!”

Lin Xian shone his flashlight on the ice shield he’d conjured out of thin air, stunned.

The ice shield wasn’t thick—barely the width of a palm.

Thud!

He swung his short knife against it—the sound echoed like chiseling frozen ice.

It felt like an old block of ice frozen in a refrigerator for years—harder than he’d expected.

At the same time, Lin Xian felt a massive drain on his stamina—he immediately felt the cost outweighed the benefit.

“This skill drains too much. Defense probably won’t stop bullets. Only usable in emergencies. Cost-effectiveness is….”

“Wait a minute.”

Lin Xian stared at the ice shield, his brow slowly furrowing.

He fell silent for a moment, then stepped forward and stuck out his tongue to lick the ice.

Colorless, tasteless, icy cold…

Instantly, his pupils contracted—a look of unparalleled shock flashed across his eyes.

“Damn! It’s conjuring ice out of thin air!!”

“With this… I’ll never run out of water again???”

Lin Xian suddenly felt his mind expand dramatically…

Clean water was an incredibly precious resource in the apocalypse—he could now conjure a massive block of it. Sure, it drained stamina, but if you weighed it against the value? He was making a fortune!!

Lin Xian’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He hacked off a chunk of the ice shield with his knife and shoved it into his mouth—immediately, a coolness spread through his mouth.

Though the outside air was growing colder, the freezer was stifling and made his head spin—this single bite of ice instantly cleared his thoughts.

He checked the time, then turned toward the freezer door.

He activated his Mechanical Heart—the lock and hinges unlocked again—but when he pulled the door open slightly, chains outside barred it.

“Old bastards!”

Lin Xian cursed silently—he knew these people had rigged the door to stop him from escaping.

But his purpose in opening the door now wasn’t to flee.

Tap~

He turned his flashlight back on, used the door crack to pinpoint the direction of another freezer across the room, then switched it off. Slowly, he extended a finger through the gap, focusing his strength with his keen night vision.

Puff!

A wind lance shot out.

The silent wind lance struck the stainless steel door across the room—and erupted into a thunderous, bell-like crash!

Bong hum!

The deafening sound reverberated through the entire warehouse, echoing into the night.

The family hiding inside the freezer jumped in terror.

“Who the hell is that!!” The two brothers snapped to attention, grabbing their pistols—but outside the door, darkness swallowed everything.

“Is it a monster?!” The little fat boy cowered behind Gong Li, his face pale with fear.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared…”

“Shh! Don’t make a sound!” The old woman’s face was terrified. “Zhaojian, Jie—don’t you dare fire. If you draw something closer, we’re done for.”

The two brothers nodded, swallowing hard in the dark. For safety, the old woman turned off the electronic lamp they used for eating and light—now the entire freezer plunged into total blackness.

Unease began to spread through the group.

On the other side, hidden behind the door, Lin Xian’s face was cold.

“You like trapping turtles in a jar, huh? Today I’ll teach you what a jar is—and what a turtle is.”

Puff!

Another silent wind lance shot out—and the thunderous crash echoed again.

Bong hum!

This time, the Huang family jumped again—they could no longer sit still.

!

“Something’s out there! Something’s out there!!”

Huang Jie, gripping his long gun, trembled violently.

“Fuck, what the hell is that?”

With these two thunderous crashes, the screams of zombies outside Warehouse #14 erupted in waves—drawing closer, from scattered cries to a full-blown horde. Worse, a strange, rustling sound tore through the air, as if shredding something—making the parked train cars groan and screech on the rails as they rushed closer.

Hearing that sound, Lin Xian’s first thought was the white giant—he instantly tensed.

But it was too late to turn back. Through the dim light, he saw countless dark shapes surging through the door into the warehouse—now, a horrifying chorus of shrieks filled the entire space.

Puff!

At that moment, Lin Xian fired his third wind lance—the deadliest one, his final trigger. He had to draw the horde completely toward the other side, or he’d be in trouble too.

The Huang family clearly heard the horde flooding in—they huddled in the deepest corner of the freezer, the two brothers gripping their guns, eyes locked on the darkness ahead.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry—the door’s solid as hell. Even a crowbar won’t pry it open. Those things can’t get in!”

Huang Zhaojian comforted them while swallowing hard.

Bong hum!

The third impact struck the door.

The sound hit like thunder—they felt as if they were sitting inside a metal barrel, shaken to their very souls.

“Waaahhhhh!!”

The little fat boy couldn’t hold back his terror—he screamed, but the old woman clamped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t scream!!!”

“What do we do!!”

“It’s fine, they can’t get in…”

“Damn it! I should’ve taken that train during the day!”

“What’s the point of saying this now!”

Ugh… ugh…

Countless zombies were utterly enraged by the sound, frantically scratching and slamming against the family’s front door; the steel pipes and crowbars bolted behind it groaned under the pressure.

Everyone trembled violently, but then another, more terrifying sound emerged.

It was a sound like some beast chewing—ripping through zombies, and also biting into the steel door.

Crunch… crunch… crunch… crunch…

The sound was heavy and powerful, carrying immense force; even the steel emitted sharp, cracking breaks.

Finally—crash… crash…

The door groaned as it slowly creaked open.

Inside, the Huang family, hearing this deadly noise, could no longer hold back; the women and children began screaming and crying.

“Ahh!! Mom!”

“We’re done! What do we do!!”

“Wwwww…”

At that moment, the howling reached the freezer, and grew closer!

Something’s come in!

The two Huang brothers, Huang Zhaojian and Huang Jie, were shaking like leaves, their faces ashen; they could no longer bear it, raising their guns into the darkness and firing, desperate to make their final stand.

Tap-tap-tap!

The muzzle flashes of the pistol and semi-automatic rifle erupted, instantly illuminating the entire freezer.

At that moment, everyone saw in horror: among the horde of snarling zombies charging forward was a massive red insect, its enormous chelicerae wide open, emitting a piercing screech. The red insect was colossal—resembling some giant centipede, at least as thick as an adult human and over ten meters long, its entire body covered in crimson scales, hundreds of legs writhing in dense motion. One glance sent ice cold dread shooting from their soles to the tops of their heads.

“Ahh!!”

The agonized scream echoed through Warehouse 14.

Yet within just a few breaths, the gunfire and screams ceased abruptly.

The warehouse fell silent again, save for the zombies’ howling and the sound of some insect chewing.

On the other side, Lin Xian had quietly sealed his freezer door and, through the observation window, had seen the giant insect’s shadow—he dared not even breathe.

He had expected the white giant monster to appear, but something even more terrifying had emerged…

He couldn’t help cursing inwardly.

“Damn it, is this a night of a hundred demons? Why are all these monsters and spirits showing up on this planet…”

In comparison, Lin Xian suddenly found the zombies almost gentle, even pitiful.

After all, these zombies were once human beings who had mutated.

Lin Xian’s heart pounded wildly; his plan to set the tiger against the wolf had been dangerously reckless—if he misstepped, even hiding aboard the “Infinity” might not save him from that giant insect.

“Shit, the armor needs upgrading! The weapons need upgrading! The engine needs upgrading!”

New book, please follow and read!

(End of Chapter)