[Current Mechanical Heart Level LV.1 285/500]
[Alert: Upgrading the Mechanical Heart will grant a Special Skill reward. Reaching LV3, LV6, and LV9 with the Mechanical Heart will trigger a Mysterious Awakening]
[Strength: LV1 33/50]
[Current Basic Skills]
[Mechanical Devouring LV.2 2/500]
[Mechanical Manufacturing LV.1 112/300]
[Mechanical Scan (Passive)]
[Mechanical Repair (Passive)]
[Mechanical Operation (Passive)]
[Wind Cannon LV.1 12/100]
Looking at the light screen in front of him, Lin Xian felt the Mechanical Heart within him roar wildly for a moment, causing him to shiver uncontrollably from excitement. He immediately focused on the last freezer.
[Devouring Progress 2%]
The progress bar on the screen was visibly speeding up!
"Just as I thought!!!"
Increased efficiency was certainly good news for him, saving him considerable time at critical moments and significantly reducing the risk involved in devouring.
Lin Xian started the timer on his watch, then started to devour with intense focus.
[Devouring Progress 10%]
[Devouring Progress 20%]
[Devouring Progress 50%]
[Devouring Progress 80%]
[Devouring Progress 99%]
"So fast!" Lin Xian looked at the time on his watch; it usually took him an average of about 1 hour and 40 minutes for the previous three freezers, but now in less than an hour, just 55 minutes, he was nearly done.
Efficiency almost doubled!!!
Just as Lin Xian was unable to suppress his excitement, a flash of golden light suddenly appeared before his eyes!
[Devouring Successful, Mechanical Source Point +25, Mechanical Devouring Skill proficiency +6, Additional Reward: You have obtained the Ice Shield Skill!]
"Freezer... Ice Shield??"
Lin Xian was stunned. Indeed, the skills acquired seemed to have some connection with the devices or appliances he devoured.
Looking at the screen showing [Ice Shield LV1 0/100]
Lin Xian was a bit hesitant, so he tried to evoke it with a thought and waved his hand!
Almost instantly, a small semicircular azure Ice Shield arose from the ground, protecting him at a height just over his shoulders.
Lin Xian shone his flashlight on the Ice Shield he had created out of thin air, somewhat dumbfounded.
The Ice Shield was not very thick, only about the thickness of a palm.
He tried chopping it with a Short Knife, producing a dull sound of chiseling ice.
It was like those aged ice blocks that had been frozen in a refrigerator for years, harder than he expected.
At the same time, Lin Xian felt a substantial amount of his energy being drained, which made him feel somewhat that the cost outweighed the benefits.
"This skill consumes quite a bit of energy, and its defensive power probably can't block bullets, suitable only for emergency use, the cost-effectiveness is a bit..."
Lin Xian looked at the Ice Shield, and his eyebrows slowly raised.
He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward, extended his tongue, and licked the ice.
Colorless, tasteless, chillingly cool...
Immediately, his pupils contracted, a sense of unmatched shock appearing in his eyes.
"Holy crap, it's frozen out of thin air!"
"With this move... won't I never run out of water to drink??"
Lin Xian suddenly felt his thoughts broaden significantly...
Clean water, such a precious resource in the apocalypse, and he could create a large chunk out of nowhere. Although it took quite a lot of energy, if calculated this way, it was absolutely a huge gain!
Lin Xian, unable to hide his excitement, fiercely chiseled a piece of the Ice Shield with his knife and put it in his mouth, immediately feeling a cool refreshment all over his mouth.
Although the weather outside was getting colder, the air in the freezer was dizzyingly stuffy, and at this moment, a chunk of ice made his head much clearer.
He glanced at the time, then turned and walked towards the freezer door.
With the Mechanical Heart activated, he once again unlocked the core hinge, though the freezer door only opened a bit before being locked by the chains outside.
Lin Xian cursed under his breath, knowing these people likely tampered with the outside fearing he might escape.
However, his purpose in opening the door at this time wasn't to escape.
He turned the flashlight on again, confirmed the direction of another freezer in the distance from the gap of the door, then switched the flashlight off. He then slowly extended his finger through the gap, relying on his keen night vision, gathering his strength!
Almost soundlessly, the Wind Gun bombarded the stainless steel door of the opposite cold storage, producing a thunderous noise as loud as a gong!
The massive sound instantly echoed throughout the entire warehouse, rippling through the dark night.
At this moment, the family hiding in the cold storage was startled by the disturbance.
Caught off guard, the brothers quickly picked up handguns, but it was pitch black outside the door, and they could see nothing.
"Is there a monster?!" The chubby boy hid behind Gong Li, his face pale with fright.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
"Shh! Don't make a sound," the old lady said in panic, "Zhaojian, Ah Jie, don't shoot whatever you do. It'll be trouble if you attract something."
The brothers nodded nervously, swallowing hard in the darkness. For safety, the old lady turned off an electronic light used for dining, plunging the entire cold storage into pitch darkness.
An uneasy mood began to spread among them.
On the other side, Lin Xian, hiding behind the door, had a cold expression.
"Like trapping turtles in a jar, huh? Today I'm going to teach you what is the jar and what is the turtle."
Another silent Wind Gun fired, followed by that massive booming sound again.
This time, the Huang family jumped again, unable to sit still any longer.
"There's something outside, there's something outside!!!"
Huang Jie, holding a long gun, trembled uncontrollably,
"Damn it, what the hell is that."
Following these two loud noises, the sound of zombies howling soon came from the outside of warehouse number 14, growing from a few sporadic noises to a chorus of undead, and more sinisterly, the rustling noise as if tearing something apart made the parked train carriages emit the screeching sound of grinding tracks, closing in fast.
Lin Xian thought of the White Giant Monster as soon as he heard this sound, and instantly felt his heart rise to his throat.
But now there was no turning back; with his limited visibility, he saw dense shadows swarming from outside the door into the warehouse, filling the space with a hair-raising howl.
At that moment, Lin Xian decisively fired the third Wind Gun, the most lethal Death Sentence, aiming to fully attract the horde; otherwise, he too would be in trouble.
The Huang family obviously heard the dense influx of the horde too. The family of five now cowered in a corner deep in the cold storage, Huang Zhaojian and Huang Jie held their guns tightly, staring ahead at the darkness, their faces filled with terror.
"Don't worry, don't worry, that door is very sturdy. A crowbar can't even pry it open, those monsters can't get in!"
Big brother Huang Zhaojian comforted everyone while swallowing hard.
At that moment, the third sound banged against the door.
The sound was like thunder, and the family felt as if they were inside a metal drum, shaken to their souls by the noise.
The chubby boy couldn't control his fear and cried out, only to be quickly silenced by the old lady's hand over his mouth "Don't shout!!!"
"There's nothing to worry about, they can't get in..."
"God damn it! We should have taken that train during the day!"
"What's the use of saying that now!"
Countless zombies, enraged by the noise, frenziedly scratched and slammed against the door outside, making the steel pipe and crowbar tied behind it creak.
Everyone trembled with fear, but at that moment, another more terrifying sound emerged.
It was a sort of beastly gnawing noise as if something was chewing on zombies and also biting into the steel door.
Creak~ Creak~ Creak~ Creak~
The sound was massive and forceful, causing even the steel to emit crisp cracking sounds.
Finally, clang~ clang~
The door sobbed as it was pried open bit by bit.
Hearing this deadly noise, the Huang family could no longer hold back; women and children started crying and screaming.
"It's over, what do we do!!"
By then, the howling had penetrated the cold storage and was getting closer!
Something had gotten in!
Huang Zhaojian and Huang Jie, both as pale as death, could no longer hold back, lifted their guns towards the darkness, and fired, intending to make a last stand.
The gunfire of pistols and semi-automatic rifles spurted flames, instantly lighting up the entire cold storage.
And at that moment, to everyone's horror, amidst the ferocious approaching zombies, there was a gigantic Red Worm, opening its massive jaws and emitting a piercing screech. The Red Worm was immensely large, resembling some giant Earthworm, at least as thick as an adult and dozens of meters long, covered in crimson scales, with hundreds of legs bustling about. Just one look sent chills from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.
A piercing scream echoed in warehouse number 14.
However, within a few breaths, the gunfire and screaming abruptly stopped.
The warehouse was then filled only with the howling of zombies and the chewing sounds of some creature.
On the other side, Lin Xian quietly closed the door of his cold storage, and peering through the spy window, he too saw the massive shadow of the creature, daring not to breathe heavily.
He initially thought that the White Giant Monster would appear, but he didn't expect something even more terrifying...
He couldn't help but curse internally,
"Damn it, is this a parade of a hundred demons? How come every kind of specter and monster is appearing on this planet..."
Compared to that, Lin Xian suddenly felt that zombies seemed benevolent, even pitiful.
After all, these zombies were mere mutations of dead humans.
Lin Xian's heart pounded; his plan to use one beast to expel another had indeed been a dangerous gamble. If anything went wrong, that big worm might still get him even if he hid on the 'Infinity.'
"Damn, need to upgrade the armor! Upgrade the weapons! Upgrade the horsepower!"