C11 The Zombie Girl Joined the Party!

Jiang Loong treated the zombie in the same manner.

He had a mutated zombie subdue it before swiftly storing it in his space—this creature had evolved into a Level 8 zombie.

That implied the Awakener they encountered earlier was at least Level 8, though more likely Level 9 or even Level 10.

Jiang Loong already had a Level 8 male zombie in his space, which he promptly merged with the newcomer.

The woman who had last turned into a zombie was also taken into Jiang Loong's space.

To his surprise, she turned out to be a formidable Level 9 zombie.

This suggested she was the most formidable among the trio.

Yet, an Awakener is just that—an Awakener, vastly outmatched by an Evolver. Even as a Level 10 Awakener, against a Rank 1 Evolver or zombie, victory was out of reach.

But the arrival of the Level 9 female zombie was serendipitous.

Jiang Loong's space was already housing a Level Nine female zombie.

Without hesitation, he moved the new Level 9 female zombie into the same compartment as the previous one.

Instantly, he was rewarded with a Level 10 female zombie.

At that moment, the three despicable individuals had been utterly erased from the world.

Since their initial encounter, there had been no direct interaction; they had never laid eyes on Jiang Loong, nor did he concern himself with their opinions.

They regarded Jiang Loong as insignificant, while he deemed them unworthy of his attention.

In Jiang Loong's view, they were the true insignificants!

He affectionately tousled Tongtong's hair before sending her back into the space.

Then, he transferred the newly acquired Level 10 female zombie to Tongtong's compartment.

The digit in the upper right corner of Tongtong's tag instantly shifted—the number now read 11!

Tongtong had ascended to Level 11!

Upon witnessing Tongtong's successful advancement, Jiang Loong promptly released her.

But to his dismay, Tongtong's eyes lacked their usual sparkle.

"What's the matter? Tongtong has ascended to Rank 1; why hasn't she developed any origin crystals?"

Jiang Loong was slightly perplexed as he examined Tongtong once more, noticing that the hue of her eyes had deepened. It dawned on him—could the origin crystal in Tongtong's brain be black?

Energy crystals varied in color and typically took the form of a small sphere. Upon reaching Rank 1, a sharp horn would sprout on an energy crystal's surface. At Rank 2, a second horn would emerge. The number of horns on an energy crystal corresponded to the number of tiny light spots in a zombie's eyes. Since Tongtong's energy crystal was black, her eyes lacked these light spots.

"Normally, a Rank 1 mutated zombie would possess some level of consciousness. So, Tongtong, do you understand me?" Jiang Loong asked with a hopeful smile.

Yet, Tongtong showed no sign of comprehension.

"I guess her level is just too low to grasp what I'm saying," Jiang Loong thought, feeling a tinge of disappointment.

Meanwhile, the young Evolver girl had completed her transformation into a zombie. She started to stir, emitting a series of hisses and growls. Just moments before, she was a beautiful and formidable Evolver, but now, she had become a ghastly and fearsome zombie. In the apocalypse, no one could predict their fate from one moment to the next.

"Tongtong, go subdue her. She's weak from her recent transformation and no match for you!" instructed Jiang Loong.

With Tongtong's assistance, Jiang Loong managed to secure the zombie girl, Ke'er, within his space. He wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the number 11 in the upper right corner of the grid.

Both Tongtong and Ke'er were Level 11, but Jiang Loong had no intention of merging them. He looked at Ke'er in the grid and declared, "Your name shall remain Ke'er."

The system alerted him, "The host has named the zombie. You have two unused exclusive grids. Would you like to allocate one for zombie Ke'er to prevent any accidental elimination in the future?"

The icy mechanical voice echoed in Jiang Loong's ears once again.

Without a moment's delay, Jiang Loong decisively selected "Yes."

In the Synthetic Space, Ke'er was instantly teleported into a designated grid, positioned right next to Tongtong.

Zombies in their specific grids couldn't be dragged around; owners could only merge ordinary grid zombies into these special slots. This provided an excellent layer of protection for unique zombies like Ke'er.

Once Ke'er was secured in her exclusive grid, Jiang Loong released her.

Now, Ke'er's appearance was far more intimidating than Tongtong's, her visage far more grotesque and fearsome than that of the other zombies.

Had Jiang Loong not been so familiar with Ke'er's features, he would have undoubtedly rejected her on sight and promptly merged her away.

"Her appearance will recover over time," Jiang Loong reassured himself.

By upgrading Ke'er, her beauty would surely be restored gradually, but whether her sanity could be regained remained uncertain.

The newbie guide explained that zombie synthesis and elimination were merely the fusion of energy, life, and consciousness. If both zombies possessed intelligence, their minds would remain unaffected after merging, with the system selectively preserving the one not dragged.

Jiang Loong harbored hopes for Ke'er's cognitive recovery. He gazed at her pensively before finally venturing, "Ke'er, can you understand what I'm saying?"

Expressionless, Ke'er turned her head toward Jiang Loong.

"She's somewhat stronger than Tongtong," Jiang Loong mused.

But as he turned back, he caught Tongtong's gaze fixed on him.

A smile crept onto Jiang Loong's face, and he gestured to Tongtong, "Tongtong, do you recognize me?"

Tongtong just faced him, her dark eye sockets betraying no emotion.

"Well then."

Jiang Loong was somewhat accustomed to this, not feeling too disheartened.

Outside, the noise level was rising. The residents of Base City must be out clearing the bodies. Left unattended, these corpses would inevitably turn into new zombies.