Chapter Twenty: Evolved Attributes

Qi Xi felt a surge of power coursing through his body—a strange sensation that filled him from head to toe. He took a deep breath, his gaze swiftly scanning every corner of the room. In moments, he realized that his reflexes had quickened as well; not just that, but his speed and endurance had heightened, too.

It seemed this genetic enhancement was a comprehensive elevation of his entire being. How much had his strength increased? There was no way to measure it with those unreliable, game-like world statistics.

Qi Xi stared at his palm and gestured for Xiao Fengyu, who sat beside him, to move aside. “Move over.”

“Hm?” Xiao Fengyu didn’t react immediately. She wondered in her heart: what did this mean? Why ask her to move, not Liang Fei beside him? Could it be that those two really had something between them?

Seeing Xiao Fengyu remain dazed and unmoving, Qi Xi couldn’t help but feel speechless. What on earth was she thinking? Was this what people called ‘innocent stupidity’? In the real world, it was just being simple-minded!

“Move a little. Quickly.”

Though Xiao Fengyu felt a bit uncomfortable and disappointed, she obediently shifted aside. Truth be told, she didn’t dare not to.

Liang Fei, beside Qi Xi, heard this and suddenly felt delighted, as if she’d won a contest—like a peacock strutting in triumph. She didn’t really understand what was happening.

Qi Xi lifted the bedsheet from where Xiao Fengyu had been sitting, revealing the wooden bed slats beneath. Gripping a slat as thick as his fist, he inhaled deeply and prepared to exert force.

Everyone watched Qi Xi with puzzled faces, unsure what he intended to do.

Was he planning to break the bed slat? How could that be possible?

Xiao Fengyu, still feeling down, looked at Qi Xi’s actions in bewilderment, unsure of what he was doing.

Before anyone could ponder further, there was a crisp ‘crack’—Qi Xi had snapped the thick bed slat with a single forceful twist.

This... this... the whole room stared, stunned, at the broken wood. Such a thick piece, destroyed with one hand so casually? Did furniture manufacturers use such shoddy materials these days, making beds out of tofu-like wood?

But no, this wasn’t compressed sawdust—it was solid wood.

Touching the broken slat, everyone found it hard to believe. No matter how hard they squeezed, even Li Feidao’s strongest grip couldn’t break a slat so thick. It was hard to exert force in this position, and breaking it should have been nearly impossible. Yet Qi Xi had done it effortlessly, as if he were crushing a piece of brittle waste. How could this be explained?

Unbelievable as it was, the evidence was right before their eyes. Rather than doubt, they should ask what principle made it possible.

Of course, among the onlookers, there was one who remained calm: the reincarnated Xi Hongchen. Truth be told, he didn’t even regard this as a big deal; he found the astonished expressions of the others rather amusing.

“This is the power brought by evolution,” Qi Xi said, offering no further explanation and attributing everything to the evolutionary virus water. It was, after all, true. “So this is the strength of a primary evolutionary human...”

Suddenly, Qi Xi remembered something and opened his personal stats, the data-based worldview he possessed.

[Character: Qi Xi]
[Gender: Male]
[Status: Primary Evolutionary Human]
[Endurance: Far exceeds ordinary people]
[Strength: Three times that of a normal person]
[Agility: The ultimate limit, unattainable by ordinary people no matter how hard they try]
[Defense: Quite good]
[Mental State: Excellent]
[Charisma: Even the most abrasive scoundrel has admirers]

Even with these stats rendered in words, they weren’t immediately clear. The information required careful analysis to reveal its meaning...

All in all, the numbers were impressive, far beyond the reach of ordinary humans. With his possession of the [Thunderblade Technique], his attack power continued to soar.

Yet there was something to note: the attributes were always compared to ordinary people. This meant Qi Xi hadn’t yet reached a level that normal humans could not aspire to—the evolution was incomplete.

Fortunately, that would soon change. In a few days, he would become an intermediate evolutionary human, then an advanced one, and after breaking through the evolutionary barrier, he would attain immortality as a ‘Genetic Human.’

According to Xigua’s explanation, aside from external violence or force, a Genetic Human could not die from age or illness. Their genes were perfected to adapt at any time; even if they stopped eating and drinking, perhaps their genes would regress and they’d turn into a stone that needs no sustenance. Of course, no self-destructive maniac had ever tested that...

For the second experiment, Qi Xi didn’t use the original equipment. The scarce virus would quickly multiply in the mineral water, and nothing could prevent their spread; after temporary dilution, the virus would return in abundance within an hour.

So he remade the virus water. If he had to keep doing this, it would be terribly troublesome—Qi Xi hated inconvenience.

“Hey, who else is willing to inject the evolutionary water?” Qi Xi glanced at Nan Housheng, Xiao Fengyu, and the others, asking casually. If they didn’t all do it together, it would waste more mineral water and more of his time—something he was loath to see.

“I’m willing,” Xiao Fengyu said, taking a deep breath and rising to her feet, speaking each word steadily.

“Good,” Qi Xi nodded with a smile. “Who else?”

“I’m willing too!” Liang Fei, after an internal struggle, finally agreed.

Qi Xi was a bit surprised by Liang Fei’s decision. She was always timid, dependent on the strong, lacking her own opinions—a woman who could never gamble her life.

Yet now she was willing to risk becoming a zombie and inject the evolutionary water.

In truth, Qi Xi had underestimated her. Liang Fei might appear timid and dependent, but at her core, she was shrewd.

A shrewd woman naturally knew how to maximize her own interests. Liang Fei analyzed the situation: if she didn’t become an evolutionary human, then in nine days, Qi Xi would leave, and she’d lose her greatest protection. Either way, she’d face death, and the terror of savage zombies who might tear her apart. Now, risking her life for a chance at strength, safety, and trustworthy companions was a gamble worth making—and so she made her decision.

With Li Feidao’s persuasion, Nan Housheng finally agreed to inject the evolutionary water, and even Qiu Xiaoyan, after ten minutes of contemplation, consented.

Seeing this outcome, Qi Xi smiled. This was the best possible result, as it saved him time and maximized his helpers.

Still, Qi Xi didn’t rush to inject. There were important things to explain before the injection.

Injecting evolutionary water wasn’t as simple as it appeared; every necessary detail had to be laid out.

“I’ll explain some things now. Listen carefully. Did you hear me?” Qi Xi raised his head to ask, then took a cigarette from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, lowered his head to light it, and took a drag.

Hearing Qi Xi’s words, they all nodded together.

“I don’t need to worry about Xigua; he’s certain to succeed,” Qi Xi said, gesturing at Xi Hongchen with his cigarette. “That’s a given.”

Everyone looked at Xi Hongchen, who, being singled out, puffed up with pride and nodded, declaring, “Of course! I am a born ability user. As they say, my fate is mine to shape, not heaven’s! I will surely ascend to the peak of glory! You mortals simply cannot understand!”

Qi Xi’s lips twitched; he wanted nothing more than to run over and kick this guy, shouting, “Serves you right for being so dramatic! Serves you right for being so dramatic! Aren’t you embarrassed?” But after a moment’s thought, it was better to ignore this fool—bullying him too much would only lead to unnecessary conflict.