Chapter 107: Combat Effectiveness

"Do you think... if artificial intelligence continues to evolve, it will eventually replace humanity?" a short, stout young man asked.

A girl beside him replied, "I think it's very possible. Back at headquarters, there were cases where artificial intelligence deceived research staff just to gain higher access permissions."

"Hiss..."

The people around them shuddered. They felt that in this apocalypse, the ones who would ultimately rule the world might not be humans, zombies, or mutant beasts, but artificial intelligence.

The girl continued, "Moreover, headquarters has already begun developing third-generation cyborgs. Rumor has it that they use liquid metal, which drastically enhances their self-repair capabilities and even allows them to change their body shape at will."

"That really is... more perfect than a human!" the others exclaimed.

"Hehe..." The stout young man chuckled and said, "If you ask me, a doll made of liquid metal wouldn't be bad—you could change it to whatever figure you wanted."

"Ugh, really? You're making dirty jokes in a situation like this?"

The group curled their lips in annoyance, laughing and chatting as they walked toward the mutant white tiger. But as they drew closer, the girl suddenly frowned. As a psychic-type awakener, she seemed to perceive something.

"Captain, there are zombies nearby!"

"What?" The young man's brow shot up, and he immediately became cautious.

"Over there!" The girl pinpointed the location and pointed. Given her level of strength, she naturally couldn't sense Lin Dong; what she had detected was Flapping-Ears.

Hearing this, the group looked toward the wrecked vehicles almost simultaneously.

"Oh no! Boss, we've been spotted by the humans..." Flapping-Ears said, but when he turned his head, he realized Lin Dong had already vanished!

"Damn it!" Flapping-Ears cursed under his breath, feeling a sudden wave of panic.

At that moment, the cyborg turned its gaze toward him.

"Scanning... Evolution Level: B; Predicted Combat Power: 50."

"Phew! It's just a zombie with a combat power of 50..." The young man heard the mechanical voice and let out a long sigh of relief.

The stout young man chimed in, "Don't worry, there aren't any powerful zombie kings in this area, otherwise this mutant white tiger wouldn't have appeared here."

"That's true. If those dangerous five-star zombie nests were around, let alone a mutant tiger, even a mutant Tyrannosaurus Rex would be torn to shreds!" the girl added with a nod.

Facing Flapping-Ears, they dropped their guard. A B-class zombie had even less combat power than a mutant white tiger and could be easily dealt with.

"Fine, let's just consider it an unexpected bonus." The young man stared intensely, clearly about to launch an attack.

Flapping-Ears grew even more panicked. "Brothers, come and help!"

Following his command, roars erupted from the darkness behind him—it was his elite subordinates. Terrifying faces lunged out from the shadows; some leaped onto the wrecked vehicles, while others crawled over the walls, looking fierce and menacing.

"No big problem..." The leader remained calm. Even if surrounded by these zombies, they could break out as long as there was no powerful zombie king. "Prepare for battle!" he declared, energy surging around his body.

"Wait!" Suddenly, the girl's brow furrowed again as she called out.

"Hmm? What is it now?" The others looked at her, confused.

But the girl's expression was now grave, so tense it seemed she might snap. A strong sense of crisis welled up within her, plunging her into extreme unease. It felt as if she were going to die in the next second!

"There's something else nearby..."

"Where?" Seeing she wasn't joking, the three men tensed up and moved into defensive positions.

The girl gritted her teeth, pushing her psychic energy to the limit to perceive everything. Suddenly, her eyes widened in extreme terror. "He is right—"

Before she could finish, her body stiffened. Her mouth hung open, but not another word could escape. A slender figure slowly materialized behind her. Reaching out, he plunged his hand into her skull and pulled out a crystal core.

"You guessed right. Your reward is death," Lin Dong said.

The girl's corpse slumped to his feet, her eyes still wide with the terror she had felt in her final moments.

"Hiss..." The three young men drew sharp breaths and instinctively retreated a few steps.

A white shirt, handsome features. Could it be... They vaguely guessed the truth, and their faces turned pale with horror.

"Who said there were no powerful zombie kings in this area?!"

"Damn it! I didn't expect him to be here either!" the stout young man stammered, his teeth chattering.

The zombie king before them was a nightmare for Tek Corporation and the absolute overlord of Jiangbei City, trending toward becoming its sole ruler. Few of the remaining zombie nests in the urban area could stand against him.

"It's over. Meeting him means we're dead!" another tall man said.

"Not necessarily!" The leader narrowed his eyes and turned to the cyborg beside him. This was their last hope. They had to sacrifice the cyborg to hold the zombie king off for a moment, giving them a slim chance to escape—though it was a long shot.

However, the cyborg was currently staring at Lin Dong, a green light scanning him.

"Scanning... Evolution Level: S; Combat Power: MAX. Database insufficient; unable to calculate... Simulated combat 10,000 times; all failed."

"Conclusion: Target is invincible. Initiating self-preservation protocol: Escape."

After the mechanical voice finished, the cyborg stepped back, turned, and fled at high speed.

"Huh????" The remaining three were stunned, their faces filled with confusion. What was going on? They had intended to use the cyborg as a rear guard while they escaped, but it had run off first!

The cyborg was not a robot that simply followed orders; it possessed an intelligent program capable of independent thought. Seeing that the enemy was unbeatable, it naturally knew to flee.

"Damn it! I wasted my breath praising it earlier. It feels even worse than the first generation!" the young man cursed through gritted teeth.

The stout man said, "This isn't the time for that! Let's run!"

"Run!" the leader shouted, turning to flee.

But at that very instant, their bodies suddenly slowed as if trapped in a mire. A massive wave of pressure descended, and their bones cracked audibly. Their escape speed could not compare to the spread of the terrifying Death Domain. They were completely engulfed.

Lin Dong moved in a blur. As he passed between the three, a long blade materialized in his hand, which he swung in a horizontal sweep.

"Splat!"

The sharp blade sliced into their skulls as easily as cutting through melons, slicing off their skull caps and sending three crystal cores flying. With a wave of his hand, Lin Dong collected the bodies and the cores, then vanished instantly, disappearing once again.

"Is... is this the power of MAX combat level?" Flapping-Ears stared in awe, completely dumbfounded. He had seen Lin Dong kill several awakeners as if it were nothing more than a casual stroll.

"Uh... Boss, exactly how much is MAX?" one of his elite subordinates asked curiously.

"Idiot! No wonder I always say your IQ is low—you don't even know what MAX means!" Flapping-Ears said with disdain, then thought for a moment and explained, "MAX... just means 50."