[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-18":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312400,4518,"Chapter 18: The Power of Law — Corpse Evolution","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>In the living room, Zhai Yan and Xiao Xi lay sprawled on the sofa, especially Xiao Xi, who seemed to have lost all her bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Xiao Xi relied on her dominance over Zhai Yan and slacked off while moving supplies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d only carry a few pots and pans as a token gesture, leaving the heavy lifting entirely to Zhai Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Fang Shi completely ignored her antics; upon catching her slacking, he immediately warned her with the cleaver in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terrified, Xiao Xi dared not slack off again; though her efficiency remained low, she worked diligently enough to collapse from exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Xi, I’ll take you to kill a corpse soon, unlock your attribute panel, and fill in your stats—then you won’t have to suffer so much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Zhai Yan bore most of the labor, he was panting from fatigue—but his constitution was higher than Xiao Xi’s, and he recovered faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this period of rest, he already had enough strength for another round of moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Xiao Xi offered no resistance; strands of hair stuck to her forehead, her face greasy and filthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you stupid? Just ask that guy for a corpse and say your moving efficiency won’t improve without unlocking your attribute panel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhai Yan pondered a moment, thinking Xiao Xi had a point—but then he added, “How about after you finish filling your stats, we sneak out onto the balcony and hide in a room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of fear appeared in Xiao Xi’s eyes: “No way—what if there’s a corpse inside the room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rooms they’d moved supplies from had all been deliberately cleared by Zhai Yan using traps—but the balcony was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, we lose the advantage of terrain; with our strength, we might not even win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, smashing the door and using traps to clear it is no different from shouting, “I hid the silver here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Xi only wanted to survive safely and refused to take risks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After that guy leaves, you lure the corpses into a group downstairs, and I’ll clear them out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Xi told Zhai Yan; after being crushed by Fang Shi, she deeply understood the importance of personal power in the apocalypse and intended to take full responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of resentment surfaced in Zhai Yan’s eyes, but seeing Xiao Xi’s state, a hint of fascination arose—he slowly nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the rooftop, Fang Shi, who had intended to leave, suddenly noticed something strange below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below, due to Fang Shi’s aerial debris throws, the ground was piled high with clutter and corpse corpses, forming a small mound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining living corpses, desperate to reach Fang Shi, mostly stood atop the pile, clawing and thrashing to climb upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, a young-looking corpse, squeezed into the pile, should have been utterly unremarkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this very corpse began emitting a metallic sheen, standing out starkly against the dull, decaying horde.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is evolution?” Fang Shi gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corpses differ from the later-arriving extraterrestrial beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They are humans transformed by failed law conversions, their bodies still retaining traces of law power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though lacking the order of law power found in living humans, it grants corpses immense evolutionary potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially under certain conditions, their latent potential activates more easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be that my corpse-clearing caused a pile of unclaimed death energy below, triggering this one corpse’s evolution?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi felt no fear at the corpse’s evolution—only a faint thrill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three years of apocalypse, corpse evolution had been thoroughly studied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting from the most basic corpse, then Iron, Copper, Silver, and Gold tiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that lie the legendary Luocha, Yecha, and Hanba tiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each tier upgrade is a major evolution, increasing the corpse’s power by one level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gold Corpses are fourth-tier beings, equivalent to legendary human experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the corpse below won’t be so extreme as to leap straight to Iron Corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Fang Shi gained 485 experience points, meaning 97 corpses died below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That much death energy absolutely cannot sustain a monster at Iron Corpses level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Generally, it would be around a level-3 elite corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A level-3 elite corpse has 14 Strength, 12 Agility, 2 natural armor, and 39 HP.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its attacks also inflict 1d4 paralysis toxin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To inflict effective damage against a level-3 elite corpse’s defense, you need at least 10 Strength and a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the average level of current survivors, killing one requires a team to surround it—and they’ll suffer casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is only if they outnumber it; if other corpses surround the level-3 elite, it becomes nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A whole team might be wiped out without killing a level-3 elite corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that doesn’t include Fang Shi—his level has long surpassed everyone else’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his current attributes and combat skills, he can easily defeat a level-3 corpse in a 1v1.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A level-3 elite corpse grants 60 experience points, plus a 20% bonus for over-level killing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi gains 72 experience points for each one—equivalent to killing twelve ordinary corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, he strongly suspects that the first over-level kill carries a substantial bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the real reason for his excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the effort to gain 72 experience points is less than killing more ordinary corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wonder if anyone’s ever received the over-level first-kill bonus?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably not—corpses above level 2 have gained some intelligence; they gather and avoid danger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They no longer charge blindly. Without knowing about the bonus, no one would risk a heavy cost to kill such organized, led corpse groups.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Fang Shi watched the corpse evolve below, making no move to interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he knew the evolved corpse would command the horde, making experience farming harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for the over-level first-kill bonus, the cost was worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the reward was rich enough, it might even exceed the power boost from leveling up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would be crucial for surviving tonight’s first surge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After ten full minutes, the corpse below finally completed its evolution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The evolved corpse’s decayed appearance lessened, becoming more like a mummy—its features sunken, its skin tinged with a faint metallic sheen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the entire corpse glowed iron-metallic, it would prove it had evolved into a first-tier Iron Corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This corpse had metallic sheen only on its limbs; judging by Fang Shi’s experience, it was a level-3 elite corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt relieved—if it had only evolved to level-2 elite, he’d have lost out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A level-4 elite corpse was killable, but too dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This level-3 elite corpse, right in the middle, was perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The evolved level-3 corpse opened its gray-brown eyes and scanned Fang Shi on the rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the barrage of debris earlier had left it traumatized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It let out a roar, and the surrounding corpses scattered, no longer clustered tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This move disrupted Fang Shi’s experience-farming plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then it didn’t know what to do next—level-3 corpses had limited intelligence, not enough for strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was utterly helpless against Fang Shi hiding on the rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet its hatred for the living kept it from leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, it tried climbing the wall edge—and its immense strength drove its claws deep into the concrete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, alternating hands, it scaled the wall in moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This discovery made the level-3 elite corpse roar with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the horde, it climbed straight toward Fang Shi on the rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This corpse is smart—has some potential,” Fang Shi muttered to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The level-3 corpse’s behavior was exactly his planned strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike frail human flesh, level-3 corpses have 2 natural armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A normal human trying to embed hands like this would only injure themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi intended to exploit this trait: lure and provoke the level-3 elite corpse into leaving the horde, forcing it to climb alone to the rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t even begun his plan when this corpse discovered the technique on its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The level-3 corpse roared as it advanced, its perception sensing the hated living presence growing closer—and its excitement mounting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After evolution, it had gained some intelligence; it felt a flicker of rage toward Fang Shi’s slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why should these weak living beings still survive, while it endured the agony of death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, it would extinguish this flame. It didn’t believe its evolved strength couldn’t crush this frail living thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if its life flame burned brighter than the two inside the building, it was still just a slightly stronger ant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the level-3 corpse neared the rooftop,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it was met by a chipped cleaver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The level-3 elite corpse had 12 Agility—far exceeding normal humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to Fang Shi, that Agility was nothing. His strength, his speed, were faster, stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with the advantage of attacking from above, the level-3 elite corpse had no chance to dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took a solid blow to the skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the chipped cleaver was no longer sharp—the corpse’s skull cracked only slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It failed to cleave the head open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But under Fang Shi’s immense force, the Level 3 Elite Corpse’s hands tore free from the wall, its entire body tumbling backward and crashing toward the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a height of twenty meters, its head plummeted vertically, and with the crack already present, even the Level 3 Elite Corpse’s defense could not withstand it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its brain and guts splattered, spilling a pool of black, unidentifiable fluid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Blunt strike activated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You dealt 2.5 damage to the target.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target fell from height, received 40 points of fatal damage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target is dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Extracting target’s soul energy, you gain 72 (60 * 120%) experience points, 7.2 survival points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah!” Fang Shi smiled triumphantly inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a fool would wait for the Level 3 Elite Corpse to climb up and fight it head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What matters most to humans is wisdom—any method is valid as long as the target is killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now came the thrilling reward moment.\u003C\u002Fp>",1625,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","96c7c85f74b964ceca5368879f9da67f2d881bc6d4de0f7149bf110b6f54a779","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-19","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-17",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]