Chapter 51: Fusion and Reflection
Chu Zhaozhao squatted on the ground, balancing the umbrella on her head. Holding back her nausea, she focused on cutting into the corpse on the ground.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan took the opportunity to carefully observe his Life Value.
[95/370].
When the previous [Wild Potion (Medium)] was active, his Life Value recovered by about one point every 20 seconds. Over the full ten-minute duration, it had restored about 30 points of life.
But after equipping this Activation Crystal, it was recovering about one point per minute.
He didn’t know the potency of the [Wild Potion (Small)] yet, so he couldn’t make a comparison.
As for the energy bar, Lin Fan had pretty much figured it out. The "energy consumption" from equipping a crystal referred to the blue energy bar.
Equipping this Activation Crystal consumed about one point per minute. Three minutes had passed, and the energy bar was now at 97 points.
’That means I have enough energy to maintain this state for another hour and a half.’
That would be a total recovery of 100 Life Value points.
He just didn’t know how quickly the energy bar regenerated. He didn’t dare unequip the crystal right now, so there was no way to test it.
"Found it!"
Just as he was mentally calculating the entire system of his abilities, a clear, cheerful shout came from near his feet. He looked down and saw Chu Zhaozhao pulling her hand out of the corpse, a bloody Crystal Stone clutched in her grasp.
She adjusted the umbrella with one hand, then held out the hand with the Crystal Stone, using the rain dripping from the umbrella’s edge to wash it clean before handing it to Lin Fan.
It was another polyhedral Crystal Stone.
[Activation Crystal]
[Energy Level: 1]
[Quality: Common (Fuseable, Effective Channel Structure 10%)]
[Equippable]
[Fuseable]
...
’Fuseable?’
Lin Fan finally reached out and took the crystal. The moment it was in his hand, a few more lines of text popped up:
[Fusing crystals of the same level and channel type can increase crystal quality (based on the effective channel structure ratio)]
[Fuse?]
Lin Fan had already suspected this after reading the previous crystal’s description. ’It really can be fused!’
He glanced at Chu Zhaozhao, who was watching him nervously. Lin Fan casually pretended to put his hand in his pocket, and with a thought, confirmed the fusion!
He felt a slight tremor from the crystal in his hand before it vanished. At the same time, the feeling of enhancement in his body, similar to the Wild Potion, intensified!
The Activation Crystal he had equipped began to emit a faint blue glow. With a thought, Lin Fan checked its properties:
[Activation Crystal]
[Energy Level: 1]
[Quality: Excellent (Fuseable, Effective Channel Structure 20%)]
[Equippable]
...
The effective channel structure had reached 20%, and the quality had been upgraded to Excellent!
’The tangible effect has definitely gotten stronger!’
’Though it still hasn’t reached the level of the [Wild Potion (Medium)].’
’But even so, a constant buff lasting an hour and a half is still incredibly powerful!’
’So, fusion combines the "effective channel structure" of two crystals with the same function, turning them into a higher-quality crystal with enhanced effects!’
’It’s a shame the other crystals aren’t fuseable. But that’s okay. As I accumulate more crystals, I’ll be able to hunt Mutated Zombies more easily and get more crystals. This process will also increase my maximum Life Value, making me stronger and stronger!’
...
Chu Zhaozhao picked up the dagger from the ground and washed it clean in the rain.
Seeing the determined look in Lin Fan’s eyes and the slight curve of his lips, she couldn’t help but feel her own confidence surge.
’I don’t know what Big Bro is so happy about, but it must be something good!’
"Let’s go. We’re heading back."
Lin Fan felt the future becoming clearer, and a weight lifted from his heart.
The two returned to the gas station. Chu Zhaozhao said goodbye to Lin Fan, gathered some food and water, and went to check on the other two people.
Lin Fan, however, still had no intention of entering their room. Instead, he found some food, picked up a few floor mats from the ground to place in a corner, and then pulled over a shelving unit, propping it in front of him to form a triangle with the walls.
Even though the surrounding zombies were mostly cleared out, if he fell asleep, this setup would ensure that any approaching zombie would bump into the shelf first, making a noise.
With his arrangements made, he leaned against the corner, eating snacks one bite at a time to replenish his energy.
Having another path to getting stronger besides just increasing his Life Value was definitely a good thing.
That 10,000 HP health bar had been like a persistent nightmare, weighing heavily on his mind.
Besides, the maximum Life Value he gained from killing regular zombies and Mutant Dogs had decreased.
Lin Fan suspected this was related to his own Life Value. He could infer that once his Life Value reached a certain number and he became powerful enough, killing regular zombies would no longer increase his maximum Life Value.
’After all, water can’t flow uphill.’
To get stronger, it was more efficient to kill Mutated Zombies or monsters with higher Life Values than his own.
’Maximum Life Value and the strange crystals from Mutated Zombies... I need to get a firm grasp on both.’
Lin Fan gazed through the metal shelf at the curtain of rain outside the gas station. ’Once I’ve recovered a bit more, I need to figure out a way to kill more zombies.’
He had been running constantly just to survive ever since the day he woke up.
He had cleared the monsters inside the building and, by sheer chance, nipped two Mutated Zombies in the bud.
He had trained Su Qing to handle chores and miscellaneous tasks, all to free himself up to fight more effectively.
But compared to these monsters with thousands or tens of thousands of HP, his progress was still too slow.
Lin Fan lifted his shirt with one hand. The torn wound on his abdomen had already closed up. It hadn’t healed completely, but it was much better than the jagged mess of bite marks it had been initially.
Although his left arm was still immobile, Lin Fan squeezed it and could tell that, under the restorative effects of the Activation Crystal, the bone had mostly set. Just like with his hearing before, recovery was only a matter of time.
This rate of muscle and bone recovery was almost alien to him, but it was a good thing. At least he didn’t have to worry about being permanently crippled by injuries.
’But if the wound has already closed, then what was that feeling—the one like my bone marrow was being seared by flames—that I felt when the potion wore off, and back at the beginning of the apocalypse?’
Unable to figure it out, Lin Fan gave up on exploring such a baseless question and turned his attention back to his Life Value.
[101/370].
’I’m clearly a wreck right now, my torso is a mess, and my left arm is useless, yet I’ve already recovered an amount of Life Value equivalent to a whole normal person.’
’I have no idea what this Life Value is even based on.’
A sudden, morbid thought struck Lin Fan. ’Am I like the zombies? If only my head was left, would I still have 30 HP remaining...?’
This thought, which came from nowhere, sent a chill down his spine, as if he wasn’t human anymore.
But in truth, he didn’t even know if he could still be considered human.
At this thought, Lin Fan couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh. ’In Chu Zhaozhao’s eyes, I probably stopped being human a long time ago.’
’The way she looks at me is like she’s staring at some overpowered, transmigrated protagonist from a novel.’
’Am I?’