Chapter 188

  Jake spent the rest of the evening looking for mana ables, doing his best to avoid frontations with both humans and mutants. There weren’t many mana items to be found, but he khat it would ge when the System performed its usual world refresh at nightfall. He just o wait a couple more hours. After the regur world refresh, the mutants killed during the day would be revived, and various loot, including mana items, would materialize throughout the city.

  However, trary to Jake’s expectations, something surprising occurred when night finally fell. At midnight, a system message appeared in his mind.

  Your current area is set to be upgraded.

  Jake immediately remembered the versation he had overheard in the trol security room betweehree sub-bosses. Minh had told Dominid Patrick that the System would very soon upgrade their city. Jake had thought this would happen in a few days, but as it turned out, the area upgrade was much closer thaicipated.

  For the hour or so, the System was in the process of upgrading the city. In Jake’s mind lingered a progress bar, indig how much time was left before pletion. During this period, no mutants materialized iy. The night was eerily quiet.

  When the progress bar reached 100%, another system message appeared in his mind.

  The area upgrade is plete. The strength of all the mutants has been increased, and new mutant types have been introduced. Good luck, survivor!

  Jake was sure this message was also sent to all the survivors on their PDAs. Most of them were currently asleep and unaware of what had just happened. However, in the m, when they woke up and checked their PDAs, an unpleasant surprise would await them. Unlike survivors, he received system notifications directly in his mind since his Enhanced Intelligence skill had many capabilities simir to those of a survivor’s PDA.

  Jake couldn’t help but notice that the System had referred to him as a “survivor.” It still seemed fused about him, unsure whether to cssify him as a survivor or a mutant. At times, it beled him simply as a mutant, especially when it assigned missions to survivors to kill him for some impressive rewards. Yet there were moments, like now, when the System treated him as a typical survivor. It was clear that it was grappling with how to categorize him.

  During the hour or so, mutants began materializing iy. Despite the System’s cim that new mutant types had been introduced, most of the appearing mutants were walkers. However, when Jake tried to fight one, an unpleasant surprise awaited him. The walker turned out to be much mile and powerful than its terparts before the city upgrade.

  Sure, it was to be expected, but Jake hadn’t anticipated that regur walkers would bee so much strohe strength of a single walker was now parable to that of a chaser—which was the most dangerous ex-human from before the city upgrade—or perhaps eveer! Previously, dealing with chasers hadn’t taken Jake much effort at his current level, but those mutants rarely attacked in groups rger than two or three. Walkers, however, had always been sidered the weakest type of mutant, and as such, they teo atta rge groups, swarming their prey from all dires.

  Jake realized that dealing with groups of walkers would be much harder for him now than before, at least until he leveled up several more times. After finally killing the beefed-up walker, he decided to avoid any further fights for the time being, as he still o increase his mana reserves. Killing the upgraded walker, though, had given him a hefty k of XP, bringing him some joy. At least, he would be able to level up faster now. He was really excited about that.

  Mutants tio respawn for the hour or so until the process finally stopped. Jake couldn’t help but notice that the System had spawned signifitly more mutants during the night than it usually did before. A bunch of walkers lurked around every er now, and they were much more active to boot. Instead of just standing around or aimlessly moving from spot to spot, they prowled the night streets, tirelessly searg for prey.

  The city had definitely bee a much more dangerous pce—Jake noticed this within minutes of the area upgrade and the pletion of the respawning process. There was also more loot avaible. While most of it was meant for survivors, he leased to see that mana ables were now found more often as well.

  Since Jake was unwilling to engage in fights for now, he scaled one of the high-rise buildings and tio traverse the city by leaping from rooftop to rooftop, searg for mana items, using Mana Vision to locate them. He focused primarily on gathering rger items like crystals and shards, pletely ign the smaller ones like beads and marbles.

  At some point, the sounds of gunfire reached his ears. Initially, he didn’t think much of it. After all, while most survivors rested at night, he sometimes came across groups still active. Los Demonios, in particur, relished the opportunity to ambush regur survivors, log their hideouts and ung surprise attacks on the unsuspeg.

  However, after some time, Jake reized that the level of activity was far beyond what he usually entered at night. His sharp hearied multiple gunshots ing from different parts of the city. Occasionally, he also caught the sounds of human screams and panicked voices. He wondered what it could mean.

  He remembered that before the city upgrade, mutants had never materialized in buildings where survivors te for the night. Had that ged now? Or perhaps, with many more ex-humans respawning at night and being much more active—seemingly always looking for prey—they were now venturing into buildings where survivors had set up their hideouts? Whatever the reason, it was obvious that survivors were no longer safe at night.

  By the time dawn arrived, Jake had gathered a signifit amount of mana. Before evolving to Stage 3, though, he wao explore the city further, curious about what had ged sis upgrade. As the sun climbed above the rooftops, casting a gentle glow over the streets, he resumed his rooftop leaps, eager to make new discoveries.

  He noticed that the number of anomalies had certainly increased. Much like the mutants, these anomalies were more dangerous now as well. The good news was that anomalies that had challenges lio them were noearing more often. Prior to the city upgrade, he had rarely e across them.

  However, he decided not to take on any challenges for now. Before the city upgrade, when challenges were a rare occurrence, he immediately attempted one upon entering it. But now that challenges were more ohere was no immediate o take oer finding it.

  So he chose to tinue fog on expl the city for the time being. Besides, it made seo evolve to the stage and level up a few times before tag any challenges, as most of them required him to kill mutants, and he o bee stronger before engaging in tough fights.

  He tio explore the city, which was now fully awake. Gunfire erupted all around him ireets below. Jake watched from above as regur survivors tried to fend off beefed-up mutants that charged at them the moment they emerged from their hideouts.

  Survivors were now having a really hard time fighting off ex-humans, as even the weakest types, like walkers, were now as strong as the chasers had been before the city upgrade. Watg the events unfold ireets below, he could feel the palpable panic emanating from the survivors below. Most of them seemed totally unprepared for the drastic ges that had occurred. They were pletely unaware that mutants would soon bee signifitly more powerful because the System hadn’t even bothered to give them any warning about the impending threat.

  Jake watched as survivors attempted to fend off groups of walkers, only to be eventually swarmed by them. Some others jumped into their vehicles, desperate to escape, but crashed when a shambler or another powerful mutant suddenly popped up and rammed into them. Those who sought refuge in buildings found themselves chased by mutants inside, and the terrified screams of the human survivors being killed echoed out.

  Over the few hours, Jake witnessed several different groups being sughtered by the beefed-up ex-humans. A grim realization dawned on him: had he still been human, it most likely wouldn’t have taken long for him to face the same deadly fate following the city upgrade.

  While regur survivors struggled to defend themselves against ex-humans, nothing much had seemingly ged for Los Demonios. They tio roam the rown streets in their vehicles, killing ex-humans with their powerful ons almost as easily as before. Having anticipated the city upgrade, the bandits had worked diligently to prepare, building fortified bases, acquiring powerful ons, and leveling up as much as possible. For them, the upgrade was expected, and therefore, they were now fully equipped for the new challenges. Regur survivors, oher hand, were noed betweehless Los Demonios and the beefed-up ex-humans, with their fate looking increasingly dire.

  Jake recalled what Minh had told his two sub-bosses in the security trol room about the gang’s home city—it had seemingly been overrun by mutants after the upgrade. This was why the gang had worked tirelessly to build bases and prepare for the uping ges in this city. If nothing ged and the regur survivors didn’t find a way to bee stronger, it wouldn’t be long before Los Demonios became the st group standing iy. Right now, Jake saw no path for the regur survivors to turide. They were not only incapable of defeating the beefed-up mutants, but they also couldn’t even properly defend themselves. Without help, they would all be wiped out very soon.

  Jake had spent so much time expl the upgraded city that he didn’t notice the day slipping away, having pletely lost track of time. It was only when darkness began to settle over the skylihat he recalled his iion to evolve. However, with the sed night following the city upgrade fast approag, he decided to dedicate one more night to gathering mana.

  The streets below became somewhat quieter as night fell. However, terrified screams and the sounds of guill erupted sporadically from various ses of the city whenever a group of roaming mutants breached into the buildings where survivors had taken refuge for the night.

  A couple of hours ter, Jake realized he could no loore any more mana in his body. When he crushed a retly found crystal in his hand, mana seeped from the newly formed cracks, but the magical energy didn’t flow toward him as it had before. Instead, it drifted in various dires, gradually dissipating as if dissolving into the air.

  When Jake checked his current mana t, he saw that he had 170,000 MP. He recalled w some time ago if there was a limit to how much mana his body could hold at o seemed there was indeed a limit, and 170,000 MP appeared to be that threshold—for now, at least. He figured this limit would probably increase as he leveled up or improved his attributes.

  In the dead of night, Jake stood atop a high-rise building. He opened his fist, letting the empty crystal he had just crushed fall onto the rooftop. Gazing up at the night sky, he decided it was finally time to initiate the process of evolving into the stage.