So… is this what Evolution Points (EP) are for?
In his past life, Chen Xiao never got a chance under the Blood Moon, so he knew nothing about this.
Even though he was called the "Chicken Overlord" back then, he was just a small fry in the apocalypse.
All he knew was: the higher your EP, the easier it was to join local factions, and the more respect you'd get.
A cold realization dawned on Chen Xiao.
If EP worked like this, ordinary people would never get to use it in their lifetime.
So all that struggling, all that risking their lives to hoard EP…
Was it just to let the big shots "unlock chests" at critical moments?
Are we all just cannon fodder?
Many things felt contradictory to Chen Xiao, viewing them through the lens of two lifetimes.
He'd stop overthinking it—time would tell.
With a thought, Chen Xiao willed it. His Evolution Points plummeted by 184 in an instant.
A pitiful 26 remained.
[Evolutionary Catalyst: 5000/5000]
Five thousand. The number lodged itself in his brain. That was the value of almost five thousand lives.
If he wanted to unlock this Evolutionary Catalyst alone, wasn't that a bit ridiculous?
Kill five thousand New Humans?
Chen Xiao shook his head. That's madness.
The path to power was indeed paved with skulls.
[Creature No. 230001]
[Evolutionary Catalyst Acquired]
[Blood of the Black Goat]
Description: Drink it. Drink it. Drink it.
Effect: Inherit the Black Goat's superior bloodline.
As the glow faded, Chen Xiao saw a small vial of black blood sitting neatly on the platform.
He stepped up, popped the cork, and threw back the contents without a second thought.
He'd never pass up a power-up; this was his key to dominating this apocalypse.
The blood was thick, cloying, and bitter as gall.
The next moment, a searing pain exploded from his heart!
This agony was even more intense than when his body had been torn apart during his self-destruction!
Chen Xiao clung to the platform, half-kneeling to keep from collapsing.
Ten minutes passed.
As the pain ebbed, his clothes were drenched—soaked to the point where he could wring sweat from them.
[Creature No. 230001]
[Hidden Trait Unlocked]
[Bloodline]
At this, Chen Xiao hurried to check his status panel. Sure enough, "Bloodline" now appeared at the bottom.
Bloodline: [Black Goat]
Description: The Black Goat is an aberration among its kind—rejecting magic, it hones brute strength alone. Its birth is a calamity for its tribe.
Effect 1: Immune to all elemental damage.
Effect 2: Strength increased by 50%.
"Evolutionary Catalyst…"
This was insanely overpowered!
From this moment on, Chen Xiao's deadliest weakness was neutralized.
Before unlocking this Hidden Trait, his greatest fear was being kited by fast mages—too slow to catch them, yet vulnerable to their attacks.
But now, with the Black Goat bloodline…
He could tank hits from anyone, then bulldoze through with raw strength!
Even if he couldn't catch up, their attacks wouldn't hurt him.
And the bloodline's bonus? His strength had suddenly jumped by half!
"I'm really leaning into this One-Punch Man build."
Suddenly, Chen Xiao recalled something.
The Evolutionary Catalyst that second-tier New Human got in his past life? It definitely wasn't this.
It should've been a true species evolution!
Seems like every location's Evolutionary Catalyst is a Schrödinger's cat—you never know what you'll get.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Chen Xiao glanced back at Young Master Wang, still doing his best. The man's eyes were clamped shut, acting like he'd seen nothing.
Ever since witnessing Chen Xiao's terrifying strength, Wang Qi had been as obedient as a cat—crowing on time, without fail.
Even when the rule was lifted, he dared not open his eyes, terrified of seeing something he shouldn't.
But did Chen Xiao care if he saw?
Of course not!
A dead man—what's there to fear!
The moment Wang Qi plotted that car accident, he'd sealed his own fate.
"Someone's coming. You don't need to crow for the next five minutes."
With his enhanced senses, Chen Xiao already knew someone was approaching the library.
[Dragon's Breath] activated—three people incoming.
No surprise there—must be the three survivors he met in the cafeteria earlier.
With the [Dawn] talent, they'd likely survive the first day.
Chen Xiao didn't know their intentions and had no plans to interact.
He slipped into a shadow on the rooftop to observe.
"How the hell did that guy open the security door?" Zhang Ming muttered in disbelief as he walked.
"It wasn't picked. He brute-forced it. The lock's totaled," Tang Shiyang replied, tugging at her skirt hem. Her heart raced.
Li Li, hearing this, complained: "I told you to stay away from him! The guy carries a live person in a sack—you think he's a good guy?"
Zhang Ming shook his head. "I don't want to be near him either, but the cafeteria's crawling with monsters now."
The trio moved cautiously along the wall, never letting their guard down.
Chen Xiao had cleared most New Humans from the library, so their path was smooth.
Following their memories, they quickly reached the library's main door on the first floor.
Faint blood-red moonlight filtered through—the light of hope, the path to survival.
When they saw the door, they exhaled in relief.
Grim faces finally cracked into smiles.
But just as quickly, those smiles faded.
Because outside the door…
The circular staircase was swarming with New Humans!
These monsters, once aimless, seemed to sense them.
Suddenly, all their eyes snapped toward the door.
"Holy shit… there's a whole army of them!"
"How… how is this possible…"
Zhang Ming and Li Li's expressions crumbled; their lips trembled.
Tang Shiyang frowned. "This is too weird. Why are there so many monsters outside the library?"
Li Li, the most fragile of the three, broke down in tears after this rollercoaster of hope and despair.
Zhang Ming thought for a moment. He knew they had to escape the campus now!
The library felt safe, almost empty.
But who knew when that mountain of monsters outside would rush in?
The library's flimsy glass couldn't hold back those steel-hard brutes.
Zhang Ming pointed to a narrow path on the right: "There's another way. That path leads straight outside, but it's far from here."
Li Li, grasping at this last straw, eyes manic: "Great! Zhang Ming, you're fast—you open the door and run first! Shiyang and I will follow!"
Zhang Ming's face darkened at her words.
If he opened that door now, those milky-eyed monsters would tear him apart.
The mangled corpses on the ground were proof enough.
This bitch wanted to use him as bait to escape!
Zhang Ming's voice turned cold: "Li Li—if your talent weren't useful, I'd have thrown you to those monsters for that little stunt."
Li Li lifted her chin defiantly. Her talent was her ace—she knew Zhang Ming wouldn't dare harm her.
Tang Shiyang stayed out of their argument, forcing herself to stay calm.
"There's a way… there has to be a way."
Zhang Ming was the strongest; Li Li's talent was the most useful.
Who was the most awkward one here? No need to ask.
But Tang Shiyang had no interest in being bait.
Quickly, a resolve hardened in her eyes.
Then, her gaze toward Zhang Ming grew inexplicably fierce.
She had no idea that, far away on the rooftop, a cunning bastard was watching everything unfold.
Chen Xiao sharply picked up on Tang Shiyang's shift.
He was curious to see how they'd escape this.
With his strength exceeding the first-stage limits, breaking out would be easy.
But with so many New Humans, there was still a risk of things going south.
If he could just sit back and reap the benefits? He'd love that!