Chapter 129: A Glimmer of Hope in Despair

The trial faced by Level 3 Evolved Heroes is far more terrifying. Due to the ratio of one in ten thousand, Level 3 Evolved Heroes must confront 360,000 hunting creatures. And how many Level 3 Evolved ones are there now? When all is said and done, only the six in Shanghai. How could they possibly survive this crisis? Furthermore, if 360,000 Level 3 hunting creatures appear and slaughter these six, would they not come for the rest of humanity next? Once these 360,000 hunting creatures gather, they will eventually flatten Shanghai, sweep across the globe, and lead to the extinction of mankind. Despair instantly gripped many. Even many Level 1 Evolved Heroes who were ready to unlock their Level 2 genetic locks dared not act; after all, hunting 100 Level 1 creatures offered a much higher survival rate than facing 1,000 Level 2 creatures. Countless heroes hesitated.

At this moment, Qin Hao turned his focus to the updates of the Hero System. "I will consider this favor owed." While the Invading Alliance tried every means to exterminate humanity, the Peace Alliance had simultaneously provided Qin Hao with an opportunity. Both the Hero Combat Power Ranking and the Hero Communication Function were crucial for the heroes of today. On the Hero Combat Power Ranking, information about countless heroes appeared. First place: Hero No. 0, Qin Hao, Combat Power E+. Second place: Hero No. 9, Zi Hui, Combat Power E+. Third place: Hero No. 1817, An Ziheng, Combat Power E. Fourth place: Hero No. 12271, Xu Qian, Combat Power E-. Fifth place: Hero No. 8786, Li Xinlong, Combat Power E-. Sixth place: Hero No. 38217, Lin Ke'er, Combat Power E-. Seventh place: Hero No. 4729, Hai Hanting, Combat Power F+. There were six Level 3 heroes, over three thousand Level 2 heroes, and roughly thirty-two thousand Level 1 heroes. Heroes with F+ or G+ combat power were those whose strength already surpassed that of ordinary evolved individuals and who long had the ability to break their genetic limits. For now, no other changes appeared on the leaderboard.

Just then, Qin Hao took out 100,000 Star Energy Crystals to activate the new feature of the Hero System: the Hero Communication Function. 100,000 Star Energy Crystals allowed for a global broadcast lasting three minutes. "To all heroes still surviving on Blue Star, I am Hero No. 0, Qin Hao. If you open the newly released Hero Ranking, you will see me. I hope you will follow my instructions, for this is the only way humanity has a chance at hope. According to the new rules of the Invading Alliance, hunting creatures will soon launch individual invasions specifically targeting heroes. If we do not resist, humanity will face total annihilation. Now, listen to me and act. All Level 2 Evolved Heroes with F+ strength must break their genetic locks and promote to Level 3. This will bring the number of Level 3 heroes to 2,117, meaning each will face an average of 170 Level 3 hunting creatures. All Level 1 Evolved Heroes with G+ strength must break their genetic locks and promote to Level 2. This will bring the number of Level 2 heroes to 16,020, meaning each will face an average of 224 Level 2 hunting creatures. The remaining Level 1 Evolved Heroes will face 2,000 Level 2 hunting creatures. It has been two months since the apocalypse began, and there are still 3.6 billion survivors on Blue Star. Survival is not just a hero's burden, but a matter for all mankind. You all have evolved individuals struggling by your side; they may not be heroes, but they are your best partners, family, and loved ones. A single hero facing hundreds of hunting creatures may be terrifying, but a team facing such numbers is nothing. In three hours, the first wave of hunting creatures will descend; creatures from the Ancient Demon Civilization will appear. Level 1 Evolved Heroes will face Flame Demons, Wind Demons, and Voodoo Demons. Level 2 Evolved Heroes will face Lash Demons, Thorn Demons, and Treant Demons. Level 3 Evolved Heroes will face Earth Demons, Stone Demons, and Mire Demons. The weakness of the Lash Demon is a fear of fire, the weakness of the Thorn Demon is..."

Qin Hao did not pause for breath. The three minutes passed in an instant, and he did not even finish describing the weaknesses of the Mire Demons. At this moment, Zi Hui and the others stared at Qin Hao in a daze, then a surge of great hope ignited within their hearts. "Qin Hao, you... you truly are a hero." Zi Hui could not find words to describe him other than this. The others looked at Qin Hao with admiration. Previously, they thought Qin Hao was merely a warrior with brute strength who would never be a marshal or an emperor. Now, it seemed he was the true powerhouse—calculating and decisive. In a mere moment, he had devised a solution and announced it to the entire world. If these people could follow through, this crisis might be averted. A Level 3 hero facing 170 hunting creatures could avoid disaster if they had other Level 3 evolved individuals who had broken their genetic limits by their side, and if they truly could not win, they could always flee and eliminate them one by one.

The 360,000 hunting creatures could not be avoided, but against 170, the heroes had a much better chance of survival. The same went for the Level 2 heroes; since there were many more Level 2 evolved individuals now, they could call upon friends and allies, making these hunting creatures a minor threat. As for the 2,000 hunting creatures faced by Level 1 heroes, while that sounded like a lot, in reality, if China implemented Zi Hui's methods, those 2,000 creatures would likely not even be enough to fill their teeth. These hunting creatures might well become food for humanity. Furthermore, at this time, with the awakening of all people, the number of Level 1 evolved individuals would likely exceed five hundred million—provided they did as Qin Hao said.

According to the current distribution of hero strength, Level 1 is the comfort zone, Level 2 is the danger zone, and Level 3 is the extinction zone. Moving up one step meant more danger; who would be willing to take that risk? Especially the Level 3 evolved ones. If, within these three hours, the number of Level 3 evolved individuals did not reach over 2,000, the risk they would face would be too terrifying. "Will they do it?" "I don't know, but we at the Sky Dome base surely will. Those on the list, drink the genetic lock potion, quickly!" "With Mr. Qin here, what do we have to fear? Drink!" More than half of the hundred-plus heroes at the Sky Dome base drank the potion, evolving into Level 3 Evolved Heroes. Soon after, they received the "Survival 4" mission. But now, with countless Level 3 evolved creatures to face every day, who cared about the 70 hunting creatures from various invading civilizations? Their strength rose one after another, and the Hero Combat Power Ranking shifted dramatically, though the top few spots remained unchanged. Just then, a new name appeared in third place on the first page, pushing even An Ziheng—who had five pets—out of the spot. The crowd widened their eyes in surprise, only to see a familiar face: Hai Hanting! Wasn't this the person Qin Hao had just rescued?