Published: January 31, 2025
Seeing this strange arm, Ye Zhongming's eyes widened suddenly.
Because he had seen it countless times before his rebirth.
It was a Grade 2 mutated zombie, the Iron-Arm Zombie!
In his previous life, like many survivors, Ye Zhongming had complained about the unfairness of the apocalypse. One aspect of this unfairness was the enormous difference between human evolution and the evolution of other life forms.
Although humans could improve and manufacture one-star and below Evolution Potions a few years later, and even create genetically modified humans and powerful modified warriors, ultimately, human evolution was dependent on chance.
Evolution relied on the pot of Evolution Potions, but this only made one's body stronger; to gain special abilities, one still had to rely on luck.
It could be said that human evolution was entirely constrained by this wheel of fortune; this magical thing was both humanity's hope and its shackles.
Other life forms, however, did not have this limitation. Their evolution seemed innate, enhancing their basic attributes while also developing some special abilities naturally.
Compared to humans’ reliance on external factors, other life forms' evolution conformed more to the laws of nature.
Some survivors once self-deprecatingly remarked that humans were the true abandoned children of the apocalypse.
Just like the bizarre zombie that suddenly attacked Ye Zhongming now, its body maintained the proportions it had in life, and the skin on its limbs was far more intact than that of other zombies. It moved swiftly and with great strength, rivaling that of a one-star evolver.
Even more terrifying was that this zombie had evolved to Grade 2 and acquired the ability—a massive arm as hard as iron!
In the apocalypse, people referred to such zombies as Iron-Arm Zombies.
A single swing or punch could seriously injure an evolver of the same level!
Ye Zhongming could never have imagined that just a few hours after the apocalypse began, there would already be a zombie evolved to Grade 2, and it was a well-balanced Iron-Arm Zombie with both offensive and defensive capabilities!
This reminded him of the body he had seen before, in the building that had had its back skull hollowed out.
It was clear that some zombies or mutated plants and animals had already found shortcuts to evolution.
Grade 2 zombies had regained some of their intelligence from when they were alive. They had an innate talent for hunting. This particular one had been waiting for the right moment to strike after observing Ye Zhongming fighting other ordinary zombies for a while. It had already surpassed the instinctual stage of lower-level zombies.
This rapid speed of evolution presented Ye Zhongming with the greatest crisis since his rebirth.
At this moment, it was too late to block with his machete or the fire axe on his back, and he couldn't stop it either.
His peripheral vision caught sight of the black arm almost touching his back; in a moment of danger, Ye Zhongming erupted with powerful abilities.
He pushed off with his legs, using his strength to bolt forward, like a fish leaping out of the water. However, unlike a soccer move, as his body shot forward, he had a moment of hang-time in the air. With his legs slightly bent after leaving the ground, he suddenly kicked back, slamming his foot into the rushing Iron-Arm Zombie. This not only halted the Grade 2 zombie's offensive but also propelled Ye Zhongming forward even faster.
The black iron arm that had aimed to strike him whistled past above his back, and Ye Zhongming could distinctly feel the cold wind it brought with it.
Just narrowly avoiding that strike, Ye Zhongming rolled away from the Iron-Arm Zombie, but the knife in his hand did not stop. He swiped upwards twice, slicing the terrifying faces of the two approaching ordinary zombies in half, their brain matter and bodily fluids splattering everywhere.
"Hiss!"
The Iron-Arm Zombie behind him let out a snake-like hiss, its forehead already a white Grade 2 magic crystal, faintly emitting a strange glow. Its long-awaited attack that failed to kill the enemy made it feel enraged. With a bit of regained intelligence, it clearly sensed that by devouring this man's brain, it could advance further and gain even more powerful strength! This was far superior to consuming dozens of human brains before.