Chapter 30: New Abilities and a Familiar Despair

My abilities had successfully awakened, and concurrently, my body had fully recovered.

With everything now prepared, I intended to leave the clothing store and venture outside to hunt zombies, gathering crystal cores as a vital reserve.

Given my current capabilities, confronting even a dozen zombies no longer presented a cause for concern.

This newfound confidence stemmed from my formidable strength, especially now that I possessed two additional abilities, truly akin to a tiger gaining wings.

Extending my left hand, I instantly summoned an ice sword.

The ice sword gleamed in hues of blue and white, with an ethereal white mist continuously swirling from its blade.

With a swift wave towards the clothing store’s entrance, the ice sword fragmented into hundreds of ice shards, which then shot towards the glass door, riddling it with a dense array of holes.

Surveying the now-perforated glass door, I nodded in satisfaction. Then, lowering my left hand, I extended my right.

This time, a constantly burning orb of fire materialized in my right palm, hovering in the air and noticeably warming the surrounding atmosphere.

Once more, I directed my hand towards the clothing store’s entrance, and the flame instantly detached, surging fiercely towards the glass door.

The glass door, already riddled with countless punctures from the ice shards, could not withstand the sudden inferno. It instantly gave way, shattering completely into a scattered mess of debris on the floor.

Dispelling the flame ability, I exited the clothing store, a faint smile playing on my lips.

Indeed, the visions I had seen in my mind earlier were nothing less than precise instructions for wielding my newfound abilities.

If that’s the case, then the hand that had emerged from the ice sword—was that also one of my skills?

Even if it was a skill, it likely belonged to a higher tier, one I was currently incapable of manifesting.

In my mind’s eye, both the ice sword and flame abilities had initially manifested as tens of thousands of simultaneous spectral attacks. Yet, in my current state, I could only summon around a hundred such manifestations at a time.

This limitation stemmed from my insufficient level, which prevented me from wielding the necessary energy to unleash a greater number of these spectral forms.

Consequently, I now found myself eager to acquire a substantial quantity of crystal cores, solely for the purpose of elevating my level.

Though the apocalypse was undeniably harsh and brutal, the act of hunting zombies and ascending in power still managed to ignite a flicker of excitement within me.

In this desolate world, it was perhaps the only form of entertainment left.

During a decade of surviving the apocalypse, if one failed to find an outlet for release, they would inevitably be driven to madness.

Some sought solace in companionship, others in the fleeting pleasure of fine food, while a select few, like myself, chose the path of continuous self-improvement and strength.

I, clearly, belonged to the latter category.

Stepping out of the clothing store, I set off towards a different street district.

This particular area had previously been thoroughly ravaged by enhanced zombies, and it would likely take considerable time before the zombie population here replenished.

Lingering here, merely waiting for prey to appear, was hardly an effective strategy. I needed to take the initiative.

Accelerating my pace, I maintained a brisk speed, yet felt none of the prior fatigue or weakness.

Instead, my body felt relaxed and natural, exhibiting no signs of breathlessness or discomfort.

The sensation of enhanced physical prowess was truly exhilarating!

My pace quickened once more, and in what felt like mere moments, I arrived at another street district.

It was only upon spotting a considerable number of zombies shambling aimlessly down the street that I finally halted my sprint.

While my abilities had certainly grown considerably, confronting a multitude of zombies alone remained a precarious endeavor. Setting aside other concerns, a relentless ‘wheel battle’ strategy from them could, quite literally, wear me down to my demise.

“Go on, quickly! Lure the zombies away, or your precious son will be fed to them!”

Just as I was about to engage a few zombies to test my newly enhanced skills, a human voice suddenly pierced the air.

I instantly froze, quickly ducking behind a nearby wall.

Truth be told, a direct confrontation with zombies, even numerous ones, held little fear for me—provided they didn’t employ a ‘wheel battle’ strategy. The truly formidable opponents, I’d learned, were other humans.

Shen Qing served as a stark, living example. A Level 5 powerhouse, she had ultimately been manipulated by a few worthless ability users, leading to her tragic demise by her own hand.

Cunning humans, devoid of conscience, were far more dangerous than any mindless zombie.

“I’ll go, I’ll go! Please, don’t harm my child!”

A male voice rang out, and I cautiously peered around the wall towards its source. There, a middle-aged man in a suit was bowing and scraping incessantly to two younger men, his face contorted in a desperate plea.

However, one of the younger men, clearly impatient, simply raised his foot and delivered a swift kick, sending the middle-aged man sprawling to the ground.

“Stop dawdling! Get your ass over there and lure those zombies. If you don’t bring back what we need today, you know what the boss will do to your wife, don’t you?!”

“Heh heh, and honestly, your wife’s in her twenties, so young and pretty. Can’t imagine what she sees in an old geezer like you.”

“Please, I beg you, don’t touch Xiao Qing.”

“Enough chatter. Go now!”

As my ears processed the conversation between the middle-aged man and the two youths, my eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

What strange twist of fate was this? It seemed as if everyone I knew was suddenly materializing before me.

Indeed, even this middle-aged man was someone I recognized.