Chapter 42: An Extra Zombie in the Cave!
Maxwell got up and walked to the entrance of the cave, pointing his fingertip directly at a small tree not far ahead. Then, with a thought, he activated his ability.
"Zap, crackle!"
A thread of electricity, as thin as a pinky finger, shot from his fingertip, instantly striking the small tree ahead. Blue-white sparks danced along the trunk, and after a while, the tree slowly began to burn.
"This is pretty weak! This must be the level of an Awakener, only good enough against ordinary people. If used against evolved beings, it would probably be laughable."
Maxwell then directed the electric shot at himself, feeling a tingling, numbing sensation as the electricity hit. His skin resistance was now very high, and this attack felt less significant than a mosquito bite, just a light crawl at most.
"Next time, I'll allocate all the ability points I get to this power."
Maxwell thought.
After opening all of today's treasure chests, Maxwell had become much stronger.
And this time, the fact that he had obtained the lightning ability from a treasure chest was indeed a pleasant surprise, as previously Maxwell didn't have any powerful means of attack.
In previous fights, Maxwell had only served as a meat shield for Eva and Carline.
After finishing with the chests, Maxwell was extremely tired, so he instructed the Tier 7 mutant male zombie to guard the cave entrance while he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
He didn't know how long he had slept when he felt two little heads burrow into his arms.
Maxwell couldn't help but smile, holding Eva and Carline as he drifted back to sleep.
However, he was soon awakened by the sounds of a scuffle.
Opening his eyes, he saw Carline pinning a zombie under her foot, her hands gathering flames, ready to burn it with a single blast.
"Hold on, Carline!"
Maxwell quickly shouted.
The flame in Carline's hand extinguished in an instant.
Maxwell walked over and collected the zombie lying on the ground into his space; it turned out to be a Tier 1 mutant female zombie.
"A Tier 1? Since when did mutant zombies become so common? And where did she come from?"
Maxwell released the zombie from his space again and examined her closely. This mutant zombie was slightly different from other Tier 1 mutant zombies; her eyes looked small, and her skin was very pale, a plaster-like gray-white color that was somewhat nauseating.
Maxwell walked to the cave entrance and looked outside. Seeing the Tier 7 mutant male zombie still diligently guarding the entrance, it was impossible for the Tier 1 mutant female zombie to have come from outside.
Could it be that this zombie was already inside the cave? But before they entered, the Tier 7 male zombie had checked the cave...
Something didn't add up.
A Tier 1 mutant zombie wouldn't know how to hide for long. Maxwell had made a fire earlier, eaten, and had lengthy conversations with Eva and Carline. With such activity, if it had been inside, it surely would have emerged earlier.
For a moment, Maxwell's mind raced, quickly ruling out many possibilities. He looked at the female zombie in front of him, had a thought, and then went deeper into the cave to search.
Sure enough, he discovered a secret passage behind a large boulder inside the cave.
"There's actually something hidden here!"
The passage was pitch dark, but the night vision eye he had just obtained from the treasure chest came in handy. After putting on the night vision goggles, Maxwell walked further inside.
The corridor appeared natural, without any signs of man-made alterations, varying in width but wide enough for a person to pass through.
Maxwell walked further inside but found nothing of note, the passage simply being as one would expect.
"I feel like I'm in a scene from 'Dark Invasion', maybe because it's fully enclosed and pitch black, it's almost suffocating," Maxwell muttered to himself.
He then turned and returned to the cave above.
Maxwell suddenly thought: Could this zombie be like the subterranean creatures turned zombies he had seen in 'Dark Invasion'?
Maxwell had no interest in delving underground, but with this thought, he commanded the newly discovered Tier 1 female zombie to enter the passage and walk forward. This way, Maxwell could find out where the passage led and what was at the end.
After receiving the order, the Tier 1 female zombie entered the passage, but after a long walk, the corridor was still just a corridor, with no end in sight.
Maxwell ran out of patience to wait any longer; he let her continue on her own. His space was quite spacious now, and having one more Tier 1 zombie didn't bother him—perhaps there might be something new waiting for him inside!
After all this commotion, it was already bright daylight. Maxwell yawned, but felt no sleepiness, so he declared, "Let's go, we'll head towards the direction where the sun rises!"
Maxwell watched the sun rise slowly on the horizon, pointing his right hand high with a spirited determination.
...
The zombies on the mountain had been thoroughly cleared, and he had already swept the area below a few days earlier, leaving few remnants.
Thus, this time, Maxwell decided to lead Eva and Carline eastward.
Perhaps because this place was on a parallel universe Earth, Maxwell had visited many places before coming here, but still couldn't figure out exactly where he was now.
"Anyway, it's towards the east."
In the eastern region, there are many people, numerous bases, and complex powers, which also means there are more zombies!
Additionally, there are mutant beasts in the east.
During his time here, Maxwell had only heard about these mutant beasts but had not seen any.
That day, with the sun shining brightly and the company of Eva and Carline, plus his greatly increased strength, Maxwell couldn't be happier.
In this post-apocalyptic world, it seemed like it had become a place of joy just for Maxwell.
Moreover, the scenery along the way was beautiful. Untouched by humans for three hundred years, let alone damaged, these natural landscapes were well-preserved, giving Maxwell a sense of satisfaction from traveling with beauty.
Leaving the area they had been in for the past few days, the zombies they encountered gradually increased.
Maxwell didn't mind; he collected every zombie they met, storing them directly in the Fusion space. This way, he spent the better part of the day, even managing to combine a level 10 zombie.
At this pace, Maxwell would need to work in this wilderness for over ten days to match the gains from a small wave of zombies.
It would take him several more days of hard work to catch up with the harvest at Red Castle.
Indeed, everyone loves to make a fortune!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone