Chapter 58: Zi Hui Reveals the Method of Evolution
The effects of ice abilities were exceptionally powerful; in particular, like metal abilities, ice abilities did not conjure elements from nothing but manipulated what was already present. Since seventy percent of Blue Star was water—and even the air held abundant moisture—it was merely a matter of using mental force to condense these resources into ice.
Most crucially, once the water was frozen into ice, all it took was fire to return it to its liquid form. In the apocalypse, nothing was scarcer than water.
Qin Hao chose this ability without hesitation.
In a flash, his hero points dwindled to forty million. He had earned these from hunting the Fang Demon, Serpent Demon, and Venom Spider, yet his standards were high, and ordinary items held no appeal for him.
He paid no mind to the remaining points. At that moment, a spatial black hole appeared in the void, and a streak of snowy white light entered Qin Hao’s vision. The light fell upon his brow, seeping into his mind.
When Qin Hao acquired the metal ability, his brain had not yet been developed, so he could not use his powers. The divine entity had been forced to unlock his mental gene lock in advance. This time, however, it was unnecessary; Qin Hao immediately mastered the god-level ice ability.
His mental force radiated outward, causing the air temperature to plunge. Translucent ice spikes began to materialize one after another.
He found a large basin, placed the ice spikes inside, and then lit an alcohol lamp to melt them into water.
After making a full basin of hot water, Qin Hao took a thorough, satisfying bath.
Leaving the sanctuary had its drawbacks—he no longer enjoyed the services available at the Sky Dome Base.
He ate the meat of the Claw Insect Tribe and, once full, stepped outside.
He still had forty million hero points, which could be exchanged for Star Power Crystals. Since Zhuo Fan was now controlled by Feng Qun and used as a puppet, the city government believed that for every hundred monsters killed, one person could undergo Star Power Tempering.
He might as well set the price at one hundred Star Power Crystals for the procedure; that way, he could amass four hundred thousand crystals.
Such profit was enormous.
Qin Hao decided to give it a try.
He made his way toward the municipal government.
In recent days, after the death of the Fang Insect Tribe, Feng Qun had ordered people to pile blood-stained soil around the government building, and Zhuo Fan had activated the Fang Demon Butcher. This had transformed the area into a veritable garden within the apocalypse; no mutant beasts dared approach. The blood seemed to warn monsters of the brutal demise that had befallen the Claw Insect Tribe.
Thus, the government compound saw a surge in population, nearly thirty thousand people now.
With so many, daily sustenance was a problem. Feng Qun quickly shifted the base’s policies, declaring only one meal would be provided each day; people had to forage for other food themselves, and certain resources had to be surrendered to secure a place inside.
He named the base Yangchuan Base.
He led a team of fifty, and Zhuo Fan likewise had fifty followers, forming the two dominant factions within the base.
As Qin Hao drew near the base, it was already noon. Most people of Yangchuan Base were out gathering supplies, and they spotted him.
Two evolved guards at the gate recognized him at once—the powerful hero.
“Mr. Qin Hao.”
“Welcome, Mr. Qin,” Feng Qun greeted him warmly. Controlling Zhuo Fan had proven difficult, and both men were now top leaders in the base, wary of each other and locked in rivalry. Feng Qun had to seek new allies.
Seeing Qin Hao arrive, he immediately set his sights on him.
“Are you planning to join our Yangchuan Base, Mr. Qin Hao? We now have twenty-five thousand survivors and considerable strength…” Feng Qun boasted.
Qin Hao waved him off. “I’m here for a transaction.”
“What kind of transaction?” Feng Qun inquired.
Qin Hao had no intention of entrusting this matter to Feng Qun.
Before time was reversed, Qin Hao had stayed at Yangchuan Base. He had not met Zhuo Fan then, but he knew Feng Qun was the administrator, maintaining a tight grip on everything.
This man controlled evolved individuals strictly and was jealous of the talented.
Qin Hao’s mental force spread outward, just as it had with the Claw Insect Tribe.
“Anyone who can gather one hundred Star Power Crystals may come to me and become an evolved. I am Qin Hao, bearer of the Hero System.”
All thirty thousand inhabitants of Yangchuan Base heard him.
Having survived battles and consumed alien flesh and blood, the people of Yangchuan Base were stronger than ordinary pre-apocalypse humans. They could hunt Fang Demons, and once they killed a hundred, they could become evolved.
Previously, everyone endured communal meals for the sake of survival and safety.
Now, with a haven secured, they sought power.
Qin Hao brought them timely salvation.
Many emerged, this time not to search for food but to hunt mutant beasts.
As they came out, Qin Hao’s mental force keenly sensed a peculiar presence.
He looked up and saw, high in the sky, a fist-sized object.
“The Eye of Myriad Sects.”
Qin Hao was astonished.
Why was the Eye of Myriad Sects here?
As he puzzled over it, the Eye burst forth with light, forming a giant screen.
The screen faced Yangchuan Base directly.
Then, on the screen, appeared a woman of breathtaking beauty.
Zi Hui!
Before the apocalypse, Zi Hui had merely been a popular idol, a girl group singer—a minor newcomer compared to international stars and the Four Great Actresses.
After the end times arrived, all celebrities were reduced to ordinary people, living in fear. Yet this woman became a hero whom all revered.
Now, Zi Hui made her appearance in such an abrupt fashion, stirring excitement among the humans.
“It’s Zi Hui!”
“How did she appear here? What kind of technology is this? Isn’t there no electricity now?”
“Is this alien technology? Could aliens have abducted Zi Hui?”
Countless questions filled their minds.
At that moment, black words appeared beside Zi Hui.
They were written with dark-element energy.
“All survivors, greetings. I am the hero Zi Hui.”
“Now, I will announce the method for becoming evolved.”
Everyone was thrilled to see these words.
Was there another way to become evolved besides having a hero perform Star Power Tempering?
Zi Hui soon answered.
She wrote just a single word.
[EAT!]
Perhaps fearing that those far away might not see clearly, she deliberately played footage of her hunting: she slew a Fang Infant, cut open its body to reveal the flesh within, and, without cooking, consumed it directly.
“A pound per meal. In about a month, you will become evolved.”
The crowd erupted in astonishment.