Chapter Forty: The Blue Potion

The group pressed forward, but their journey no longer enjoyed the luck of its early hours. The flock of crows seemed to have marked them as prey, returning to attack at intervals, forcing everyone to remain vigilant. Each awakened one had joined the fight against these crows; even Shen Lie had intervened twice.

However, Wang Qingshan, lacking any means of long-range attack, had not fought back. He was caught off guard, and the crows managed to wound his back—two deep gashes, the bone visible, opened beneath his clothes, staining his shirt with fresh blood.

For an awakened one, such injuries were hardly severe, and after being bandaged, his movement was unaffected. Still, Wang Qingshan’s expression grew increasingly grim.

“Listen, everyone, if we keep going like this, we’re doomed. Our group is too large and slow, an obvious target. Isn’t this just asking for death?” Wang Qingshan’s voice was the first among several awakened ones gathered with Yang Weiguo. As they kept watch for another attack from the shadows, they discussed their options. Ma Zhanlin nodded in agreement, and even Du Lili remained silent, tacitly accepting the suggestion.

Unlike Yang Weiguo, these awakened ones had no lofty ideals. They followed his command for two reasons: he had supplied them with antidote pills, and he carried the locator device. Otherwise, they would have already gone their own way with their loved ones and confidants.

Traveling in such a large group was far too slow, and the repeated use of abilities was rapidly draining their energy. If it continued, none could guarantee survival through the forest.

Wang Qingshan’s words made Yang Weiguo’s face cloud. Though he was military, he was not awakened, and at this moment, he had no power to restrain Wang Qingshan and the others. Persuasion was futile; their behavior over the past three months in the town had proven they were not benevolent, or perhaps they simply saw themselves as superior, as superhumans.

How could a superhuman accept orders from an ordinary man? Helplessness filled Yang Weiguo’s eyes as he looked toward Shen Lie. Shen Lie had helped him rescue survivors before, suggesting he might be a responsible person, and the attack with his phantom hammer had left a deep impression.

“What does King Shen say?” Yang Weiguo brushed his hand over the locator. If Shen Lie agreed with Wang Qingshan’s proposal, he feared he would lose the device.

“Cough, allow me to say a few words!” Just as Shen Lie hesitated, Professor Liu suddenly spoke up.

Wang Qingshan felt confident seeing Du Lili’s lack of objection. As long as he and Du Lili were united, he didn’t think anyone could stop them, and the proposal benefited all awakened ones. Ma Zhanlin and Shen Lie had no reason to oppose.

“Professor Liu, do you have any suggestions?” Wang Qingshan’s tone grew impatient, his resolve clear. No one knew how many mutated crows lurked here; with every passing second, the danger increased.

Shen Lie also turned his gaze to Professor Liu, whose age showed, but whose spirit was undiminished, as if he had suffered little in the apocalypse.

Professor Liu’s expression remained calm. He took a delicate rectangular box from his leather bag and carefully opened it, revealing its contents.

“What’s that?” Shen Lie asked, seeing a row of slender glass vials inside.

“Professor, you succeeded?” Yang Weiguo approached with excitement, his voice trembling as he looked at the vials.

“Not entirely,” Professor Liu replied, shaking his head, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

“So what is it?” Yang Weiguo’s inquiry was thick with anticipation.

“Can you two stop speaking in riddles? We don’t have time to waste here. If you don’t have a good reason to convince us, then Sergeant Yang, hand over the locator. Better yet, join us—your constitution won’t slow us down,” Wang Qingshan pressed, unwilling to let Yang Weiguo stall, and ready to seize the device.

“Wait!” Professor Liu raised his hand to halt Wang Qingshan, then took a vial from the box and held it up. The golden liquid inside shimmered as he shook it.

“This is an evolution serum!” Professor Liu’s voice trembled with excitement, his eyes scanning the awakened ones—Shen Lie, Du Lili, Ma Zhanlin, and Wang Qingshan.

“Evolution serum? What do you mean?” Ma Zhanlin spoke up, guessing at its purpose from the name, his eyes shining.

Not just Ma Zhanlin—everyone, including Shen Lie, fixed their gaze on the vial. But Shen Lie, besides his bright eyes, looked dazed, recalling the pot of golden liquid from the underground palace.

“Evolution serum, naturally, is something that can trigger human evolution,” Professor Liu continued, captivating his audience, even making them forget the threat of crows.

“This substance was extracted from the phantom mushrooms near the mushroom fields, with other additives. Since we had no awakened ones here, all the phantom mushrooms I obtained were used for experiments. The disaster was sensed by nations a year ago, and mutated species were discovered. Six months ago, the first human awakening occurred, and research began into the conditions for awakening.”

“I was a member of the research team in our country. Through our study, we found that the other side of the spatial rift was likely an unknown world, and the catalyst for mutation was the gray mist emanating from it. This mist has changed everything, as you all know, and most importantly, it can awaken latent bloodline abilities in living things!”

“Bloodline? Professor, do you mean our abilities come from our own bloodline?” Du Lili’s clear voice voiced everyone’s question.

“Exactly. Our research revealed this energy exists in the blood, and every person possesses these energy genes, though in varying amounts. But even those with abundant genes may not awaken on their own, so we hypothesized that drugs might catalyze the process, accelerating human enhancement.”

“So did you succeed? And why are you here, Professor?” Du Lili asked again.

“Succeed? No, the apocalypse came far too quickly, giving us little time, and the so-called catalyst serum remained theoretical and experimental. When I left the institute, there was no clear progress.”

“As for why I’m here, this is my hometown. My father passed away, and I returned to arrange his funeral. I never expected the situation to worsen so abruptly. Xiao Yang and his team were sent to assist me, but we ended up trapped in this town.”

At these words, Shen Lie suddenly understood. He had always thought it odd that two platoons would organize a retreat in a small town, and their equipment seemed overly advanced. Now it was clear—the soldiers were here to protect the professor, with evacuation of the populace only a secondary task.

“All right, to be brief, we can discuss bloodlines once we survive. Now let me explain the evolution serum.”

“The original purpose of this serum was to accelerate awakening in those with abundant bloodline genes, but that clearly failed. Yet I discovered another effect: the serum accelerates recovery of bloodline power in awakened ones and can boost their evolution.”

“Simply put, it’s like the mana potion in games, and with repeated use, it can even level up the user!”

Professor Liu’s explanation made Shen Lie instantly grasp the serum’s value. Du Lili’s eyes shone with intense light.

Only Ma Zhanlin and Wang Qingshan looked confused; neither was familiar with gaming. As for Yang Weiguo, upon hearing the serum’s effects, his gaze dimmed—it was of no use to ordinary people for now.