Chapter 16: Driving Tigers to Devour Wolves

【Current Mechanical Heart level: lv. 1 285/500】

【Hint: Upgrading the Mechanical Heart grants special skill rewards. Reaching lv. 3, lv. 6, and lv. 9 grants a mysterious awakening.】

【Basic Attributes】

【Strength: lv. 1 33/50】

【Speed: lv. 1 9/50】

【Defense: lv. 0 20/30】

【Current Basic Skills】

【Mechanical Devouring lv. 2 2/500】

【Mechanical Manufacturing lv. 1 12/300】

【Mechanical Scanning (Passive)】

【Mechanical Repair (Passive)】

【Mechanical Operation (Passive)】

【Special Skills】

【Wind Cannon lv. 1 12/100】

Looking at the light screen, Lin Xian felt the Mechanical Heart in his body roar crazily for a moment. He couldn't help but shiver all over. In his excitement, he immediately set his target on the last freezer.

【Devouring progress: 2%】

On the progress bar, the devouring speed was visibly accelerating!

"As expected!!!"

Increased efficiency was definitely a great thing for him; it could save enough time at critical moments and greatly reduce the risk probability during devouring.

Beep~

Lin Xian used his watch to time it, then began to devour with focused concentration.

【Devouring progress: 10%】

【Devouring progress: 20%】

【Devouring progress: 50%】

【Devouring progress: 80%】

【Devouring progress: 99%】

"So fast!" Lin Xian looked at the time on his watch. The previous three freezers took an average of about 1 hour and 40 minutes, but now, in less than an hour—only 55 minutes—it was already nearly finished.

Efficiency had nearly doubled!!!

Just as Lin Xian hadn't yet suppressed the excitement in his heart, a golden light suddenly flashed before his eyes!

【Devouring successful. Mechanical Source Points +25, Mechanical Devouring skill proficiency +6, extra reward: You have acquired the Ice Shield skill!】

"Freezer... Ice Shield??"

Lin Xian was stunned. Sure enough, acquiring skills was indeed related to the mechanical or electrical appliances he devoured.

Looking at 【Ice Shield lv. 1 0/100】 on the light screen,

Lin Xian hesitated for a moment, then tried to focus his mind and waved his hand!

Crack, crack, crack!

Almost in an instant, a small, semi-arc-shaped azure ice shield rose from the ground, protecting him, its height just enough to cover Lin Xian's shoulders.

"Holy crap!"

Lin Xian shone his flashlight on the ice shield he had created out of thin air, somewhat dumbfounded.

The ice shield in front of him wasn't thick, only about the thickness of a palm.

Clang!

He tried to hack at it with a short knife, producing a dull sound of chiseling ice.

It was just like old ice cubes frozen in a refrigerator for years; the hardness was higher than he had imagined.

At the same time, Lin Xian felt a large chunk of his energy being drained, and he immediately felt it wasn't worth the cost.

"This skill consumes too much energy, and the defense probably can't stop bullets. It can only be used for emergencies. The cost-effectiveness is a bit..."

"Wait, hold on."

Lin Xian looked at the ice shield, his brows slowly knitting together.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward, stuck out his tongue, and licked the ice.

Colorless, tasteless, icy cold...

Immediately, his pupils shrank, and an incomparable look of shock appeared in his eyes.

"Damn, condensing ice out of thin air!!"

"With this move... won't I never have to worry about water to drink in the future???"

Lin Xian suddenly felt his train of thought open up significantly...

Clean water was such a precious resource in the apocalypse. He could create a huge chunk out of thin air. Although it consumed a lot of energy, if calculated this way, it was a massive profit!!

Lin Xian couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes. He used his knife to chisel a piece off the ice shield and put it in his mouth; a refreshing coolness immediately spread through his mouth.

Although the weather outside was getting colder, the cold storage was stuffy enough to make one dizzy. A piece of ice at this moment immediately cleared his head significantly.

At this time, he checked the time and turned to the cold storage door.

With the Mechanical Heart activated, he unlocked the lock core and hinges again, but the cold storage door only opened a crack before being blocked by the iron chain outside.

"Old hag!"

Lin Xian cursed under his breath. He knew this group of people must have done something outside, fearing he would run away.

However, his purpose in opening the door now wasn't to escape.

Tap~

He turned on his flashlight again, confirmed the direction of the other cold storage in the distance through the crack in the door, then turned off the flashlight. He slowly extended his finger through the crack, and with his keen night vision, he focused his strength!

Pfft!

A wind gun shot out.

The almost silent wind gun hit the stainless steel door of the cold storage opposite, but it produced a sound as loud as a giant bell!

Boom-hum!

The massive sound instantly echoed throughout the entire warehouse, rippling out under the cover of night.

The family hiding in that cold storage was startled by this movement.

"Who's there!!!" Caught off guard, the few people reacted. The brothers hurriedly picked up their pistols, but it was pitch black outside the door, and they couldn't see anything.

"Is there a monster?!" The little fatty hid behind Gong Li, his small face turning pale with fright.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

"Shh! Don't make a sound," the old woman said, her face full of panic. "Zhaojian, A-Jie, you must not fire your guns. If you draw something here, we'll be in trouble."

The two brothers nodded, swallowing nervously in the night. For safety's sake, the old woman turned off the electronic light they were using for eating and lighting. The entire cold storage plunged into total darkness.

Unease began to spread among them.

On the other side, Lin Xian, hiding behind the door, had a cold expression.

"You like catching turtles in a jar, do you? Today, I'll teach you what a jar is and what a turtle is."

Pfft!

Another silent wind gun blasted out, and then, that massive roar sounded again.

Boom-hum!

This time, the Huang family was startled again, and they couldn't sit still anymore.

!

"There's something outside, there's something outside!!!"

Huang Jie held his long gun, his whole body trembling with fear.

"Damn it, what the hell is that thing?"

Following these two massive sounds, the low growls of zombies soon echoed outside Warehouse 14. They came from far to near, changing from sporadic sounds to a tide of zombie howls. Not only that, a more eerie rustling sound seemed to be tearing at something, causing the trains parked outside to emit the harsh sound of rails grinding as they approached rapidly.

Hearing this sound, Lin Xian's first thought was of that giant white monster, and his heart immediately tightened.

But he was already riding a tiger and couldn't get off. Through his faint vision, he could already see dense black shadows pouring madly into the warehouse from outside the gate. For a moment, hair-raising howls and screams echoed throughout the warehouse.

Pfft!

At this moment, Lin Xian decisively fired a third wind gun, the most fatal death warrant. He had to draw the zombie tide completely over there, otherwise, he would be in trouble too.

The Huang family clearly heard the dense zombie tide pouring in. The family of five huddled in a corner deep in the cold storage. Huang Zhaojian and Huang Jie stared fixedly at the darkness in front of them with terrified expressions.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. That door is solid; even a crowbar can't pry it open. Those monsters can't get in!"

Big brother Huang Zhaojian comforted everyone while swallowing hard.

Boom-hum!

At this moment, the third sound slammed into the door.

The sound was like a thunderbolt. The family felt as if they were sitting inside an iron barrel, shaken so hard by the sound that their souls nearly left their bodies.

"Waaaaahhhhh!!!"

The little fatty couldn't control his panic and screamed, only to have his mouth covered by the old woman. "Don't scream!!!"

"What do we do!!"

"It's okay, they can't get in..."

"Damn it! If I had known, we should have gotten on that train during the day!"

"What's the use of saying that now!"

Ugh-ah, ugh-ah!

Countless zombies were completely enraged by the sound, madly scratching and slamming against the door outside the family's hideout. The steel pipes and crowbars bolted behind the door emitted creaking sounds.

Everyone was shivering, but just then, another, more terrifying sound appeared.

It was a chewing sound, similar to a beast, seemingly tearing at zombies and also tearing at the steel door.

Click-clack~ click-clack~ click-clack~ click-clack~

This sound was heavy and powerful, carrying immense force, causing even the steel to emit crisp breaking sounds.

Finally, clank~ clank~

The door emitted whimpering sounds and was pried open bit by bit.

The Huang family inside, listening to this deadly sound, couldn't hold back anymore; the women and children began to cry and scream.

"Ah!! Mom!"

"It's over, what do we do!!"

"Wooooooo..."

At this moment, the howling sound entered the cold storage, and it was getting closer and closer!

Something had come in!

Huang Zhaojian and Huang Jie were already shaking like chaff, their faces pale. They couldn't hold back anymore and fired their guns into the darkness in front of them, intending to make a final stand.

Rat-tat-tat!

The muzzles of the pistols and semi-automatic rifles erupted, and in an instant, the firelight illuminated the entire cold storage.

At this moment, everyone saw with horror that among the countless ferocious zombies rushing in, there was a giant red monster insect. It opened its huge pincers and emitted a harsh screech. The red insect was incredibly huge, looking very much like some kind of giant centipede, at least as thick as an adult, over ten meters long, covered in crimson scales, with hundreds of legs moving densely. Just one look was enough to make the family feel a chill from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.

"Ah!!"

The shrill screams echoed in Warehouse 14.

However, within just a few breaths, the gunfire and screams came to an abrupt end.

The entire warehouse was left with only the howls of zombies and the chewing sound of some kind of insect.

On the other side, Lin Xian had quietly locked his cold storage door. Through the viewing window, he also saw the giant insect shadow, and he didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

He had originally thought the one to appear would be that giant white monster; he hadn't expected something even more terrifying to appear...

He couldn't help but curse in his heart.

"Damn it, is this the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons? How come all these monsters and ghosts are appearing on this planet..."

By comparison, Lin Xian suddenly felt that the zombies had become kind and gentle, even a bit pitiful.

After all, these zombies were mutated from dead humans.

Lin Xian's heart was pounding. His plan to drive tigers to devour wolves was truly a desperate gamble. If he wasn't careful, even hiding on the "Infinite" might not be enough to escape that kind of giant insect.

"Damn it, the armor needs to be upgraded! The weapons need to be upgraded! The horsepower needs to be upgraded!"

New book, please follow!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 17 =====