Brian Carter also found an iron rod over a meter long to use as a weapon. It might have been torn apart by the Zago, with one end extremely sharp. Although he didn’t know if it could actually be lethal, the iron rod still gave him a bit more sense of security.

The reason people suffer is because they always pursue the wrong things.

Brian Carter was just a young man who had just turned fifteen. To have made it this far was already impressive. But making him stay here motionless for too long was never going to work, so Brian Carter decided to explore outside the ruins. Maybe he’d find a way out, or run into the human army. Either way, staying here seemed even more hopeless.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t been discovered by the Zago for so long that Brian Carter became bolder. Youth always comes at a price. He was spotted by a lurking bug. When that huge creature leapt in front of him, Brian Carter’s nerves were tough enough not to collapse—he exploded with wind-like speed and sprinted away, while the three-meter-long, one-meter-tall giant spider-like Zago behind him swung its eight blade-like claws like a small tank, mowing down everything as it chased Brian Carter.

Humans harbored deep hatred toward the Zago, while the Zago, who evolved through heredity, possessed the most advanced evolutionary method known to life. They could even pass on emotions genetically. The Zago had dominated space, but for the first time, suffered a baffling defeat at the hands of humans—a race that wasn’t particularly remarkable suddenly erupted with astonishing combat power and an unbelievable rate of evolution. So whenever the Zago encountered humans, they too became excited.

“Blackie, Blackie, open the door!”

From far away, Brian Carter started shouting. Luckily, Black Charcoal heard him and opened the door in time. According to their agreement, the door could only ever be opened fifty centimeters—a safe distance.

Brian Carter did a side roll and tumbled straight through the door. He didn’t dare look back the whole way, because he felt that Zago was right behind him.

Boom...

The bug’s forehead slammed into the door like an axe, making Brian Carter tremble a little. But the mine’s door was a full eighty centimeters thick, and the material seemed especially strong. After hacking at it for a while, the bug only left a series of terrifying scratches before disappearing—though maybe it was just a weaker bug.

Brian Carter lay on the ground, gasping for breath. For the first time in his life, he realized he had the potential to be a sprinter—he’d run faster than he ever thought possible.

“Ah, where’s my rod?” Brian Carter looked at his empty hands. Apparently, when he saw the bug, he’d completely forgotten about fighting back and just focused on running.

“Master, shall I go fetch it for you?”

“Forget it. You think you’re that much tougher than me?”

Black Charcoal wouldn’t make it ten meters before being torn apart by the Zago. Brian Carter didn’t want his only companion to end up as a pile of scrap metal.

Chapter 5: Knock You Silly

Brian Carter was amazed at how fast he’d just run. He shouldn’t have activated his gene core, but he’d already surpassed normal human limits. Sigh, if only all this had happened after he’d learned more about it. Right now, he was just fumbling in the dark.

“Blackie, do you think I was fast just now?”

“Master, your speed just now was equivalent to a beginner-level armed warrior,” Black Charcoal said.

Brian Carter grinned. Even the lowest level of armed warrior was pretty good. That meant what just happened wasn’t a fluke. He closed his eyes and carefully recalled the process.

The biggest difference between his current self and his old self was the speed at which he could run the Blade Technique. It used to be slow and troublesome to activate, but now, even if he didn’t consciously control it, the Blade Technique would run on its own. When faced with danger, his reaction was lightning fast. He was finally starting to appreciate the benefits of unlocking his eighth brain region, and he longed even more to become a powerful armed warrior.

Suddenly, Brian Carter really wanted to test his attack power and speed. He had Black Charcoal light up the tunnel, took a deep breath, accelerated the Blade Technique, and suddenly burst forward—boom!

Brian Carter slammed viciously into the wall, mouth full of dust. Lying on the ground, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

So it wasn’t just a fluke, nor was it an illusion!

For the next two days, Brian Carter enthusiastically adapted to his new speed. Otherwise, if he charged too fast and ran straight into a bug’s mouth, that would be bad. Besides speed, his strength had also improved greatly—he could now drive the iron rod deep into the wall, a feat unimaginable before. If he ran into a lone low-level Zago, he really wanted to give it a try.

So Brian Carter planned his first hunt.

The Zago that had spotted Brian Carter never left. The Zago’s patience was even better than a human’s. It kept circling nearby. Even though it hadn’t been trained, as the movies said many times, the Zago weren’t stupid and had incredible patience when hunting. So with nothing happening outside, Brian Carter didn’t go out either. He knew that thing was definitely lurking somewhere, ready to pounce the moment he left.

Brian Carter and Black Charcoal started digging a pit with great enthusiasm. They were going to dig a big trap. For his first kill, Brian Carter was a little excited, but he knew he would succeed. He wanted to use this battle to build his confidence.