Apocalypse: I Can See the HP Bar, Killing Monsters Drops Loot

Of course, there were still quite a few messages. The most frequent were from Ding Yuqin who contacted Wang Tao daily on schedule. Although Wang Tao felt it was unnecessary, it was after all their way of showing concern, and Wang Tao responded to each message in turn. He was currently at the east gate of the base, still some distance from his villa, so he couldn't communicate directly with Ding Yuqin. However, their perception had become relatively clear. After the security check, the staff used a high-pressure water gun to wash the crystal energy car, quickly cleaning all the stains on the car. Blacky now also had a "ID card" of Changhe Base, and this time it didn't scare anyone. "The feeling inside the base is still the best, listening to these noisy sounds is just like listening to music…" Lan Yulian sighed. Wang Tao smiled, about to say something, but suddenly made a sound of surprise. "Is it New Year already?" As he entered the city roads through the security check, aside from various festive decorations, there were also some signs that seemed like advertisements, reading "New Year Countdown: Ten Days." Wang Tao had noticed it was almost New Year the last time he came back, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. This time, he returned to find only five days were left. "Brother! Your name!" Jiang Shixue suddenly pointed at the billboard. Beneath this billboard, in smaller letters, it mentioned that there would be some events during the New Year and that Wang Tao was one of the special guests. It was only then that Wang Tao remembered, Cui Sheng had previously invited him on behalf of the City Hall to be a special guest. At that time, Wang Tao planned to rest in the city and had nothing else to do, so he agreed. However, afterwards, to increase the success rate of his second awakening, Wang Tao had gone out again and had spent quite some time outside, and had forgotten about this event… Seeing his own name now, Wang Tao suddenly frowned. He realized he might be very busy during this period? He had to undergo the second awakening, participate in the Spring Festival event, and also visit the cave with Cheng Yiyi and the others… Would there be enough time? Yet on the other hand, the time Wang Tao had agreed to go to the cave with them was in these two days, but now with a massive zombie wave outside, could they still go to the cave? "I'll ask Cheng Yiyi what the situation is later…" When he got back to Autumn Water Pavilion Villa Area, it had already gotten dark. Ding Yuqin and the others were waiting downstairs at Wang Tao's villa, and when they saw Wang Tao returning, their faces showed happy smiles. "Wang Tao!" Wang Tao got out of the car and was immediately enveloped in a big hug. "Sis-in-law, did you miss me these past few days?" Wang Tao laughed as he released Ding Yuqin. "I did~" Ding Yuqin spoke with a red face. Wang Tao kissed her forehead, and then hugged Han Rui, Yang Changhong, and Lu Yingfeng as well. "Let's go inside and talk." Once inside, Wang Tao saw that Ding Yuqin and the others had already prepared a lot of hot food. Although Wang Tao and the others had replenished themselves with nutrient solution, the taste of nutrient solution was after all no match for real food, and they immediately felt their appetites whetted, devouring their meals voraciously. After the meal, Wang Tao shared the details of his recent trip with them. The post-apocalyptic world was very dangerous, and each outing was a precious experience. Wang Tao never skimped on sharing these, as his insights might help them overcome some difficulties at some point. Hearing about the massive Night Demon's Nest, a large number of Tier Four and Five Night Demons, and even numerous Night Demon Lords, everyone was amazed and regretful. They regretted that they were not able to see that rare situation themselves. Then, Wang Tao spoke about the zombie wave. Ding Yuqin and the others knew about zombie waves, but were unclear on the details, having never been outside. Hearing that there indeed was a Level 5 Lord leading the wave, they were all somewhat astonished, given not only the sheer number of zombies but also their strength. They wondered if the base had any countermeasures. Although the zombie wave was not headed towards the base, such a large group roaming outside could cause a lot of trouble for those venturing out... "Oh right, there's also this." Wang Tao took out the [Strange Snake Fruit]. Upon seeing this, Er Hei, Sanhei, and the other Black Snakes suddenly got a bit excited. "Take these and eat." Wang Tao gave them each 100 snake fruits and then briefly explained the origin and function of these fruits. Hearing that it could enhance the strength of serpentine creatures and even possibly awaken them, everyone thought it sounded great. Upon hearing that there were more outside, they immediately began whispering among themselves. This opportunity definitely couldn't be missed, but there was a horde of corpses outside, and the snake fruits were far from the base, making it impossible to send someone to watch over them. "Tomorrow I'll go see Qu Shilin to find out if their institute has a way to transplant them. If we can move those fruits to our garden, it would be much more convenient," Wang Tao said with a smile. Everyone's eyes lit up. If they could transplant them to the villa's garden, that would indeed be nice. While several snakes were eating the fruits, Wang Tao took out a large amount of Night Demon Equipment. He had made them earlier in the vehicle using design diagrams. Wang Tao had killed so many Night Demons and obtained a large amount of Tier Four Night Demon Sets, even including Night Demon Rings that allowed for rapid equipment deployment. Wang Tao handed out this equipment to everyone, which instantly increased their strength by a notch. "And this too..." Wang Tao brought out a pile of Level 4 Ascension Crystal Cores. He actually always had a significant number of physical awakening keys on hand, but Ascension crystal cores were too few, and Ding Yuqin and the others consumed a lot... This time, Wang Tao had obtained a large number of high-quality Ascension crystal cores, enough for everyone to use! A moment later, everyone had integrated the Ascension crystal cores. Now, they just needed to integrate a physical awakening key, and they could attempt to awaken. However, they weren't in a rush, they wanted to wait until after Wang Tao's second awakening to try their own. After all, awakening required 24 hours, and they needed to ensure that either Wang Tao or someone else was awake in case they encountered any emergencies. Since they had already met all the requirements, they could awaken at any time, so there was no rush. "Okay, I'll go meet Qu Shilin and Cheng Yiyi tomorrow. If all goes well, I'll start attempting my second awakening tomorrow night!" ... The next day, early morning. Wang Tao drove the crystal off-road vehicle alone to the Hope Research Institute. "Wang Tao, you're finally back!" Qu Shilin said, looking very happy to see Wang Tao. However, Wang Tao always felt that her happiness was not because of him as a person, but rather like she had developed something new and was eager to share it with someone... As it turned out, Wang Tao's feeling was accurate. Qu Shilin took Wang Tao to a large laboratory that looked technologically advanced. Inside the laboratory, a group of men and women in white lab coats were staring at the center of the lab, where a tall platform was located. On the platform, there was a structure with a muscular figure that shone with a metallic luster, stationed upright. Seeing the person with his eyes closed, Wang Tao was utterly surprised. It was none other than Xiang Hongbin! Compared to before, Xiang Hongbin looked completely different—half of his face was still normal, while the other half had turned into silver metal, resembling a half-face mask. And his previously missing limbs, like his arms and legs, had now turned into mechanical limbs composed of steel, gears, and rivets! Many other parts of his body were also covered with metal! On his chest, half flesh and half machine, there was a round metal protrusion, inside which was a small cavity. Qu Shilin waved her hand, and a tall, thin researcher brought out a Level 4 Epic Crystal Core with no Ability and placed it on Xiang Hongbin's chest. Click— A light sound as the crystal core locked into place and emitted a faint orange glow. Then, He Jijun's eyes suddenly opened—one eye a normal dark brown, and the other a cold blue.