Chapter 117: Three Golds Unleashed!
「Extraction Time: 1:59:44」
【Extraction Point: 29km】
Two hours, almost 30 kilometers. With this body, it shouldn’t be difficult.
But then, a wave of chanting from below caught her attention.
“Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Heavenly King of the East, Ino.”
“Rise, oh benevolent one, and deliver us from evil. Hear our prayers!”
“Free from disaster and disease, svāhā!”
“Free from disaster and disease, svāhā!”
“Free from disaster and disease, svāhā!”
Loud, impressive.
But Lin Jiayao didn’t understand a word.
She did, however, recognize the woman lying at her feet, staring up at her with wide, shocked eyes.
The woman who had been offered as a sacrifice earlier. She was wearing clothes now; Lin Jiayao almost hadn’t recognized her.
This was likely the woman who had fed the fifth zombie blood crystals.
Unable to communicate verbally, Lin Jiayao simply extended her right hand towards the woman.
The woman’s expression shifted rapidly, a whirlwind of emotions.
How… how was she supposed to handle this?
She didn’t know the Awakened controlling this zombie, couldn’t communicate with it. What should she do?
If it left, how would she explain it?
If it destroyed this place, how would she escape?
The cult did have a B-rank Awakened, but he, like the others, was a fanatic, brainwashed since the early days of the apocalypse. He wouldn’t dare harm the “God of Ino,” even if ordered to.
Being crushed by the God of Ino would be considered a blessing, a sacrifice for the greater good, their souls ascending to paradise.
This was… a problem… And she hadn’t even considered the possibility of someone controlling the God of Ino when she’d been feeding it! And she couldn’t even see the controller!
Everyone would think the God of Ino’s soul had returned, ready to bestow blessings upon them.
Then they saw the God of Ino lower its head and slowly extend its right hand.
Igarashi, closest to the giant zombie, her back drenched in cold sweat, frantically kicked the executive lying prostrate behind her.
You’re a high-rank Awakened too! Don’t just lie there playing dead!!!
But then she despaired; the massive hand was reaching towards her.
Everyone on the mountaintop watched, wondering what the great God of Ino would do.
“Whoosh—”
The movement created a gust of wind, and those who had foolishly kept their eyes open shielded their faces. And then they saw…
The God of Ino, its right hand raised, giving a thumbs-up to those in the house below.
A… thumbs-up…?
Everyone was stunned.
The God of Ino… was…
Cool?
Ignoring their reactions, Lin Jiayao looked towards the extraction point on the right, estimated the distance, and then slowly crouched down.
“Boom—”
She leaped, landing in a residential area at the foot of the mountain, the impact shaking both the mountain and the ground below.
She felt like a giant monster in an Ultraman episode – although she was much smaller than those kaiju.
Compared to those hundred-meter-tall behemoths, she was just a baby.
Only the deep-sea monsters could rival their size.
Landing, she walked towards the extraction point, her long strides covering a considerable distance.
Her vision was incredibly wide, the extraction point clearly visible.
If she wasn’t mistaken… it was on a beach?
Or rather, what used to be a beach, now just a stretch of debris and rubble, the original coastline long gone.
And ten-meter-tall waves crashed against the shore, a relentless assault.
Something massive was churning beneath the waves.
The further she walked, the more… unusual… the landscape seemed.
Her enhanced vision could see across the water, through the mist… Was that… another landmass?
A continent, much lower than the one she was currently on, almost completely submerged, only a few remnants of buildings visible.
The sea level had risen, but not this much; otherwise, Donghai City and the surrounding plains would be underwater.
“Rat-tat-tat—”
As she walked, she noticed a group of people in a vehicle, firing at her frantically as they sped away.
But the bullets, hitting her thick skin, didn’t even register.
The fifth zombie, a B-rank, seemed to have specialized in defense and regeneration, its hide incredibly tough.
But its offensive abilities were limited, lacking any real ranged attacks, unlike the versatile, fire-breathing, flying, melee-and-ranged-combat Awakened she’d encountered in Kun City.
Its only area-of-effect ability was a sort of “pseudo-gravity” that pulled nearby blood crystal entities towards it, forcing them to match its speed, turning every encounter into a melee brawl.
The fifth zombie was essentially a pure tank.
That B-rank Awakened in Kun City had died rather pathetically, her abilities useless against her.
After all, she hadn’t just been fighting the Building-Tree Guardian controlled by Lin Jiayao, but the entire interconnected ecosystem of Kun City.
Their combined power far surpassed that of a B-rank Awakened; she’d been overconfident.
Ignoring the “ants” shooting at her feet, Lin Jiayao continued towards the extraction point, her massive strides unwavering.
Nothing could stop her now.
A B-rank evolution… once she obtained it, she would be practically a B-rank herself, the only limiting factor her blood crystal reserves.
A significant power boost.
Thinking this, she abandoned the roads, running between the buildings, her massive form creating tremors and dust clouds.
“Rumble—”
The ground suddenly shook violently, the waves rising into a tsunami, crashing against the shore, the water surging inland for several kilometers.
The floodwaters almost reached her, even though she was far from the shore. And the tsunami’s impact was even greater on a large peninsula further down the coast.
The peninsula was almost completely submerged; it had absorbed most of the tsunami’s force, lessening its impact on Tokyo.
If that landmass had sunk completely, the next tsunami would engulf Tokyo.
The sight made Lin Jiayao uneasy.
It seemed Japan wasn’t safe either… this island nation, surrounded by the sea, would face increasingly powerful threats from the depths as time went on.
At this rate, in another two years, Japan might be completely destroyed.
With the coast so dangerous, why would the system place the extraction point there…? Wasn’t this sending the fifth zombie to its death?
She still wanted to extract with this B-rank body a few more times, to gather more evolutions. She didn’t want to lose it to some sea monster.
She would deal with them after extracting. Perhaps the system would even offer some compensation…
Lost in thought, she had reached the shore, the massive waves now reaching her knees. Although the impact was negligible, compared to the shattered debris around her, it was still an impressive sight.
It’s fine… the next extraction point should be further inland… the system wouldn’t deliberately place her in danger.
She could still handle the current threat level.
[Extracting: 7.9]
Lin Jiayao stood still, not wanting to be swept away by the increasingly large waves.
Although her current form was massive, it was still insignificant compared to the power of nature. If a tsunami hit, her next login might be in the deep sea.
Her extraction was… anticlimactic, even a little… cowardly.
But to those on the mountain, her silhouette against the crashing waves, a lone figure standing firm against the relentless assault of the sea, was a heroic sight.
A lone hero – a fitting description.
“The God of Ino…” Igarashi, now also outside the house, looked at the distant figure.
If she hadn’t created this cult herself, she might have actually believed it.
But the other cult members, seeing the God of Ino’s actions, were in a frenzy.
“Perfection and beauty, svāhā!”
“The great God of Ino! He will protect us!”
“God of Ino, take me with you!”
“God of Ino…”
Tears streamed down their faces as they prostrated themselves, chanting and praying.
One young woman in a red and white witch’s costume even rushed up to Igarashi, tears and snot streaming down her face.
“Master, I apologize for my earlier disrespect towards the God of Ino! You are truly blessed by him!”
She sniffled, wiping her tears, her voice trembling with excitement. “We can feel his call! If we fight alongside him, our souls will ascend to paradise!”
After bowing deeply to Igarashi, her eyes glowing red, her body transformed into a streak of blood-red light, flying towards the distant figure, leaving only the sound of rushing wind.
Igarashi stared, speechless, her mouth agape.
“Master Igarashi, I understand,” Executive Higashida said, bowing deeply, a look of admiration in his eyes.
Understand what?!
Igarashi wanted to scream, but she didn’t dare; the atmosphere was too charged, too fervent.
“I now fully understand your teachings,” Higashida said solemnly, thumping his chest. “In fact, we’ve already learned of the other organizations’ intentions through… other channels.”
“Indeed, many terrible things have happened since the apocalypse, and many were caused by our own organization.”
“But now, Japan is in grave danger. Our leader has abandoned the plan to flee to China. We are grateful for the Ino Cult’s… participation.”
“I will report this to our leader… we will fight to our last breath! For Japan!”
After this passionate declaration, he ran down the mountain, leaving Igarashi standing there, dumbfounded.
She looked at the retreating figure, then at the distant purple silhouette standing against the waves.
But… that mysterious Awakened… wasn’t even Japanese… what were they so excited about?
Escaping to China was the better option.
After a moment of thought, she sighed and looked up, then froze.
The other cult members, no longer prostrating themselves, were now looking at her, their fervent gazes clear.
They were ready to die for the God of Ino.
She had lost control…
Igarashi sighed, remembering her pre-apocalypse research on cults.
As cults grew, they inevitably deviated from their founders’ original intentions, the fanatics becoming… unpredictable.
“Prepare yourselves. We’re relocating to the God of Ino’s… side.”
Ignoring their cheers, she quickly walked down the mountain towards the old house, her heart heavy.
…
In the darkness of the consciousness space, Lin Jiayao blinked, looking at the settlement interface.
She wasn’t carrying anything; why was she here?
Then, looking at her body, she grimaced.
So, embedded bullets also counted as transferable loot?
It seemed the system was becoming increasingly… less intelligent.
After checking for any other… surprises… she exited, her consciousness returning to her body.
The moment she returned, she knew something was wrong.
Like a balloon suddenly deflating, her mental strength had been completely drained.
One moment she’d been breathing normally, the next, her body felt like it was being crushed by weights, every breath a struggle.
Mentally and physically exhausted.
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She clutched at her clothes, the thin fabric suddenly feeling constricting.
“Mommy? Mommy!”
“Screech—”
“Yao? What’s wrong, Yao?”
A sudden stop, and through her hazy consciousness, she heard her sister and Huayibai’s voices, their worried tones barely registering.
“System… what’s happening…?” Fighting the exhaustion, she asked mentally.
She’d only logged into two zombies today; why was she so drained?
「Logging into a B-rank zombie is mentally taxing for the host in their current state」
“Why… didn’t you tell me…?”
「You didn’t ask」
Lin Jiayao: “?”
Lin Jiayao’s head throbbed; she couldn’t even focus on arguing with the system.
It felt like she’d been awake for four or five days straight, unable to sleep, the worst kind of exhaustion.
And it made her acutely aware of the difference between her and other Awakened.
Normal Awakened, even those not specializing in physical or mental enhancements, still received an overall boost to their physique after each evolution.
But not her. She could only enhance the specific abilities she chose.
This meant that if she focused solely on mental enhancements, she might end up with B-rank abilities but E-rank mental fortitude, or B-rank defense but the strength of an ordinary human.
The ultimate specialized character build.
But then, her dry lips felt a welcome moisture. She squinted and saw her sister carefully dripping water into her mouth with a bottle cap.
Thankfully, with Lv.3 Robust and Lv.1 Mutated Regeneration, although she still felt the pain, her recovery wasn’t slow.
But she wouldn’t be logging into the fifth zombie today.
After about ten minutes, she felt much better.
Opening her eyes again, she saw her sister trying to pry open her mouth, a blood crystal in her hand.
And Huayibai, beside her, its face crumpled, didn’t dare move, its skirt trapped beneath Lin Jiayao.
I made them worry again…
Lin Jiayao sighed inwardly and tried to sit up, but her sister pushed her back down.
“Stay still, Yao, don’t move…”
Her sister’s hands were strong; weakened, Lin Jiayao couldn’t resist. She could only let her sister put the small blood crystal fragment into her mouth.
The crystal instantly dissolved into blood crystal fluid, absorbed into her bloodstream, simply increasing her blood crystal reserves, not actually healing anything.
After all, she wasn’t a blood crystal entity.
Because Lin Jiayao wasn’t a blood crystal entity, it had no effect.
“Thank you, Sister…” Lin Jiayao managed a weak smile. “I feel… much better…”
“Let’s stop here. We can rest for a bit before continuing,” Lin Xiwan said, still shaken by her sister’s earlier state. She wouldn’t drive any further now, even if her sister insisted.
Her sister had said she was carsick. If they continued driving now, something bad might happen.
And she herself was starting to feel the effects of driving for so long. A break was necessary.
After turning off the engine and getting out, Lin Xiwan went to the trunk, retrieved a bottle of water and a clean towel, and then sat beside Lin Jiayao.
“I’ll clean you up, and then you can get some sleep,” she said, dampening the towel with the water.
Her sister was covered in sweat; she needed to change into dry clothes before sleeping.
“Mm…” Lin Jiayao nodded and let her sister undress her.
“I… I can help…” Huayibai said from the back, watching the sweat glistening on Lin Jiayao’s skin, swallowing hard.
Yibai can lick it clean! Yibai is very good at licking!
But before she could offer her… services, a hand ruffled her hair.
“Good girl, no need. You should get some rest too… oh, your clothes are wrinkled, I’ll…” Lin Xiwan praised Huayibai and then, gently lifting Lin Jiayao’s head, pulled her skirt down.
Huayibai, relegated to the trunk, watched as Lin Xiwan wiped the sweat from her Mommy’s body, hugging her knees, drooling, her eyes fixated on her.
Want to lick… want to lick… want to lick… want to lick…
Huayibai, already weakened from lack of nourishment, almost couldn’t control its impulses.
Thankfully, Mommy’s words held more weight, preventing it from doing anything… untoward.
After cleaning Lin Jiayao, the towel was completely soaked. As Lin Xiwan was about to wring it out, she saw Huayibai watching them intently from the back.
Such a good girl… even eager to help with chores…
She handed the towel and the water bottle to Huayibai, smiling. “Yibai, can you rinse this towel outside? Don’t use too much water, okay?”
“Yes! Leave it to Yibai!” Huayibai’s eyes lit up. It jumped up, hitting its head on the car roof with a “thump.” Taking the towel and the bottle, it scrambled out of the car.
Lin Xiwan chuckled, watching Huayibai wash the towel by the car door, not paying much attention, her focus on her sister, dressing her in clean clothes.
Huayibai, its back to Lin Jiayao, stuffed the wet towel into its mouth and swallowed.
The coarse, soft towel, soaked in the sweet, refreshing “nutrient solution,” stretched its throat as it was pushed down its esophagus.
Gulp—
“Ahhh…” Huayibai closed its eyes, a blissful expression. This was the best feeling ever.
After a moment, its dress and belly split open, revealing the tendrils and organs within, the towel nestled among them.
It reached in, pulled out the towel, now completely dry and even cleaner than before, and then, its belly seamlessly closing, turned back with a satisfied smile. “Yibai is done!”
“Good girl. Put the towel back,” Lin Xiwan said, still dressing her sister, not looking back.
It was just a towel, after all, nothing to fuss over.
Meanwhile, Lin Jiayao, her headache gone, finally had a chance to check the evolution options.
「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Dermal Armor Lv.1 (Gold): Enhances your skin’s defensive capabilities when infused with blood crystal fluid. Effectiveness depends on the evolution level and the amount of blood crystal fluid infused】」
「2、【Perfect Regeneration Lv.Max (Gold): An advanced version of Mutated Regeneration Lv.1. Grants unparalleled healing and regenerative abilities to your bodily fluids and flesh. Consuming blood crystals allows for cellular-level regeneration】」
「3、【Crystal Resonance Lv.1 (Gold): Manipulates blood crystal resonance, affecting blood crystal entities within a range of 1 meter to infinity. Applies pressure to targets, the intensity depending on the evolution level and the amount of blood crystals within your body】」
「Note: Max level does not indicate maximum strength, only that this evolution cannot be further upgraded.」
This is… B-rank?
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