Chapter 62: Chapter 62: The Blue Pill
The next day, on the fourth day of the apocalypse, Logan woke up early to practice the Health Preservation Technique in the living room.
Now that he knew practicing the Health Preservation Technique could make him stronger, he naturally devoted more time to it.
Last night, after returning to the safehouse, Logan had practiced the technique for several hours until his limbs were too exhausted to move before finally going to sleep.
After a night of rest, he had come to a realization.
He was just a nobody, unable to change the human future, not even just Xia Country's destination.
Even if he went to the authorities and told them this was the third apocalypse, and that humanity should start improving itself instead of trying to restore technological civilization, they wouldn't believe him.
They might even arrest him, interrogate him about how he knew all this, or worse, kill him to seize the Cornucopia.
The best-case scenario would be them controlling him and turning him into a pawn for the superiors.
Logan wasn't noble enough to sacrifice himself for all of humanity.
With the Cornucopia, the Health Preservation Technique, and the knowledge of the truth about the apocalypse, he was already ahead of everyone else.
What he needed to do now was to continue getting stronger.
Only by becoming powerful—strong enough to make even the authorities fear him—could he gain the right to speak to them on equal terms.
An ant cannot change the world, but a giant can.
Besides, he wanted to see if this world was worth saving and how far he was willing to go for it.
After all, the worst-case scenario would be that they all perish together.
At this thought, the faces of the Clarks flashed through Logan's mind, his eyes turning cold in an instant.
People like Benjamin Clark didn't deserve to live well.
Watching Logan suddenly reveal such a terrifying expression, Max Knight, who had been observing him practice, widened his eyes and instinctively tilted his head backward.
...
After finishing his practice, Logan rested for a while and made two ham sandwiches, boiled thirty eggs, and prepared two cups of milk. He shared half with Max Knight.
In this regard, he and Max Knight got along well—they both had hearty appetites.
After breakfast, Logan reinstalled the camera he had taken down, placing it back on the peephole of the front door.
Outside, a snowstorm had begun.
The world was blanketed in white, with snow falling endlessly.
The outdoor temperature had already dropped to -31°C, which is around -24 °F.
The villagers who had fled didn't come back to cause any more trouble.
Who knew how many people had died in their sleep last night, taken by the cold?
By now, they were likely struggling just to survive.
As for the government supplies that Dev had mentioned, there was still no sign of them.
Logan could imagine that the sudden temperature drop had been too fast, too unexpected. The authorities had probably planned to distribute lighting supplies to calm the public but hadn't anticipated that the ability to see at night would no longer be the priority.
What people needed now was warmth and food.
He wasn't particularly interested in the official supplies; he just wanted to see how far the authorities in South City could go.
Returning to the safehouse, Logan changed the dressing on Max Knight's wounds.
The dog's recovery was astonishing. After just one day, the wound hadn't become infected and was even beginning to scab over.
To be safe, Logan gave Max Knight half a dose of antibiotics.
After the injection, Max Knight paced around the safehouse, frequently glancing toward the door.
It seemed he had excess energy to burn.
"I'll take you outside once you're healed," Logan said helplessly.
Thinking for a moment, he remembered that among the pet supplies he had collected, were some toys. Maybe those could keep Max Knight occupied.
"I'll find you something to play with," Logan said, using his mind to communicate with the space. He scanned its vast interior, and suddenly noticed a box.
"Huh?"
In a flash, a box appeared in his hand.
"This is..."
It was the box that had been in the briefcase that Simon Clark's bodyguard had tried to bring into the hospital.
After swapping it out for the handgun, Logan had been too busy rushing back to the safehouse and had completely forgotten about the box until now.
Seeing it again, he remembered.
Max Knight curiously sniffed at the box in Logan's hand, his hairless head poking forward.
"Not this," Logan said, pushing Max Knight's head aside as he pulled out a ball with his other hand and tossed it to him.
"Play with this."
However, Max Knight only glanced at the ball before turning his attention back to the box in Logan's hand, clearly more interested in it.
Seeing that, Logan relented.
"Fine, let's look together. But I have no idea what's inside, so keep a safe distance."
Obediently, Max Knight moved to the other side of the sofa.
Carefully, Logan opened the box.
Inside, neatly arranged, were six blue pills, which looked strikingly similar to the blue drug he had obtained from Agent No. 2, though these were larger and shaped differently.
At some point, Max Knight had crept closer again, sniffing at the blue pills.
These pills were supposed to save Simon Clark's life.
But what exactly were they?
Logan picked one up.
As soon as he touched the pill, the Cornucopia interface suddenly displayed a message:
[Detected trace amounts of "source" material. Absorb? Yes/No]
Logan was taken aback.
These pills contained "source" material?
He now knew exactly what "source" material represented.
Had Benjamin Clark really managed to extract this substance even before the apocalypse began?!
With a serious expression, Logan immediately said, "Yes. Absorb!"
The next second, a faint warmth flowed from the pill through his fingers and into his body.
He felt a brief warmth in his arm, but nothing more.
After sensing the effect, Logan realized the absorption process felt similar to absorbing source power, but the effect was nowhere near as potent—perhaps one-thousandth of what real source power offered.
As for the blue drug he had gotten from Agent No. 2, there was so little source material in it that the Cornucopia didn't even register it.
This realization brought a slight sense of relief to Logan.
If these pills had contained large amounts of source material, he would have had to reconsider his plan for revenge against the Clarks.
Agent No. 2 had mentioned before dying that Benjamin Clark was cultivating gene warriors.
If these pills had been rich in source material, it would have meant Benjamin Clark had likely succeeded.
But now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Moreover, these pills appeared to be incredibly valuable to Benjamin Clark, or he wouldn't have brought just six of them to save his dying son.
Turning, Logan saw Max Knight still sniffing eagerly at the pills, clearly wanting one.
"Do you want one?" Logan asked.
Max Knight: "Woof!"
Source material was beneficial to both humans and animals.
But for Logan, these pills provided less source material than a single session of practicing the Health Preservation Technique.
Without hesitation, Logan tossed one of the pills to Max Knight.
Max Knight swallowed it and licked his lips.
Seeing no adverse reaction, Logan fed him the remaining five pills.
It was a casual decision, but it led to an unexpected surprise the next day.
The next morning, as soon as Logan woke up, the Cornucopia interface suddenly displayed a new message:
[Detected a Tier-1 Source Beast within two meters]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone