Watching Lin Qun's uneasy face, Li Jie reached out and patted his shoulder, comforting him: "Bro, no need to think too much. Given how things are now, let's just take it one step at a time and focus on staying alive first."
"Anyway, I'm going to work hard to survive. I'm going to leave Modu and go to Anshan to find my parents!"
Speaking of his parents far away in another land, a light flickered in Li Jie's eyes—that was the hope that supported him to keep living, and also the source of courage that gave him the nerve to use his own ability to confront the Bakatan people.
Then he shifted his tone, grinning while still speaking earnestly:
"And besides, if anything really happens, I've got your back!"
Lin Qun agreed with what Li Jie said—right now the priority was just staying alive, and worrying about the future could come later.
As for the second half of what this guy said, though, Lin Qun was rather doubtful.
Li Jie glanced left and right, then chuckled. "Bro, do you know what level I'm at now? Personal Level."
Seeing his mysterious expression, Lin Qun figured this guy was probably also someone who had awakened a high-level ability.
Lin Qun thought to himself that he himself was ranked third in the region at level five, so Li Jie couldn't possibly be the actual first or second place.
Wait, no—maybe he just hadn't registered on the leaderboard, and was secretly hiding his strength?
While Lin Qun was still mulling this over, Li Jie couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Heh heh, I'm level three now! I've also killed quite a few Bakatan people—we're ranked sixteenth on the DC district leaderboard!"
Qian Yingying, behind them, chimed in as well: "Li Jie is amazing. His awakened talent is C-rank, and he's killed about six Bakatan people so far. I'd guess hardly anyone in the entire DC district has reached level three!"
Li Jie also looked quite excited and said, "Heh heh, now that Manager Qian has spoken up, you should believe it, right?"
As he spoke, he shifted his tone and said, "Bro, how about you—have you killed any Bakatan people? Let me tell you, raising your Personal Level also boosts your Physique Attribute. My strength right now is already eleven points above average—that's a completely inhuman level!"
Watching his excited expression, Lin Qun looked at his own panel data—level five, strength thirteen, a regional ranking far ahead of fourth place—and fell silent.
In the end, he still couldn't bring himself to deal Li Jie a blow, so he said, "I've barely managed to kill one Bakatan too. Not as impressive as you."
"It's fine, bro. Back at the office, you always looked out for me—now it's my turn to have your back!" A light flickered in Li Jie's eyes. "And don't be discouraged either. As long as you're alive, that beats everything else."
He mistakenly assumed Lin Qun's silence meant he was feeling some kind of psychological gap.
After all, back at the company, Lin Qun had always been the one looking after him in every way.
But Lin Qun understood Li Jie.
What he was saying now, though a bit boastful, was still all sincere.
He genuinely wanted to "have his back."
Thinking back on those memories with Li Jie, as if watching from an outsider's perspective, Lin Qun took a deep breath, patted Li Jie's shoulder, and said, "Then I'll be counting on you."
Li Jie also brought Lin Qun quite a bit of news.
Only half of the Sixth Armored Division was in the DC district—the main force was at the battlefield in the Central City District, which was why the Federal Army in the surrounding area was so sparse.
Li Jie was still the same as always, holding nothing back from Lin Qun, and he readily volunteered to share his own talent.
His ability was to conjure lightning strikes bare-handed—this kind of powerful offensive talent was the crucial reason he'd been able to kill six Bakatan people.
Also, on their way here, they had been following along with a military action.
Li Jie also asked about Lin Qun's ability.
So far, Lin Qun hadn't met anyone who possessed two abilities. He hesitated for a moment, then only said that he had a super jump ability, capable of leaping seven meters high.
Li Jie said, "Bro, that ability of yours is impressive and all, but it doesn't seem like it has much combat power!"
Lin Qun just smiled.
Li Jie thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, compared to these Bakatan people, don't you think this Civilization Hegemony sweeping across the globe is even more terrifying? What kind of power could possibly be behind guiding an event like this? And then there's the Contribution Point Mall, and forces that stand above countless civilizations—compared to that, we're as small as ants."
Lin Qun had also thought about the things Li Jie was saying.
Why Blue Star? What was the meaning behind the Civilization Hegemony?
But the answers to all of it remained unknown.
Behind the bloody, frenzied Civilization War, it felt as though some indistinct, terrifying shadow was orchestrating everything that was happening.
This world was becoming a stranger place.
Lin Qun said heavily, "Perhaps only once we've become powerful will we be able to uncover the answers to all this."
By the time they finished talking, they had already made their way back deep into the Residential Community. The Squad Leaders of the three squads discussed things among themselves and decided to settle the survivors first. Jiang Bin stepped forward again, hoping the survivors would voluntarily join in and participate in the community's defense.
Li Jie volunteered readily, actively joining the self-defense team.
His personality was the enthusiastic type, so Lin Qun wasn't at all surprised by his choice.
What he was curious about was how Li Jie had managed to win over Qian Yingying.
Qian Yingying had barely spoken the whole way, following behind Li Jie like a delicate little bird, with none of her usual air of a minor superior left.
But that was a private matter between the two of them, so it wasn't really Lin Qun's place to ask.
Li Jie and Qian Yingying moved together and quickly went to report in to Jiang Bin.
With the Apocalypse raging fiercely, among the survivors there were the cold-blooded and selfish, but there was no shortage of the warm-hearted and kind either.
Jiang Bin truly managed to rally a group of people, including several who ranked fairly high on the leaderboard, all of whom joined the self-defense team. They were also issued Supplies and firearms.
This was the "Preferential treatment" that came with cooperating with the Military.
The rest of the survivors were quickly herded upstairs.
Jiang Bin shouted from below: "Everyone, gather in these few buildings to take shelter! The Bakatan people haven't been defeated by us yet—they're about to launch an attack!"
Amid the crowd, Lin Qun saw a Military unmanned reconnaissance drone circling back in the distance.
He realized that after these two rounds of minor engagement, the Bakatan people's real offensive was about to begin.
On the ground, large numbers of Warriors surged forward, beginning to take up defensive positions, preparing for the bloody battle that might be coming.
Inside the buildings, not every survivor was aware of the storm that was about to arrive.
Many people assumed they were now briefly safe—the equally disheveled survivors around them and the sealed-off rooms gave them a false sense of security.
Some people were also discussing the Contribution Point Mall and the Regional Ranking.
Anyone with Contribution Points, even just a single one, was the envy of everyone around them.
That didn't just signify the achievement of having once killed a Bakatan—it was also an opportunity to exchange for weapons in the Contribution Point Mall.
"This is nothing, really—I just got lucky and managed to take down a Bakatan. The truly impressive ones are those in the top ten on the leaderboard, especially the top three—those guys are absolute monsters!"
"Third place already has over thirty Contribution Points. If only I had that many..."
Many survivors were caught in a vicious cycle—without combat power they couldn't defeat the Bakatan, and without defeating them they couldn't earn Contribution Points; without Contribution Points, they couldn't upgrade their talent or Personal Level, let alone exchange for weapons, which meant they had even less way to raise their combat power.
Lin Qun noticed that Yang Lin, the fitness enthusiast from the community who had earlier claimed to have a D-rank talent, had also joined the self-defense team organized by the Military.
That fitness enthusiast hadn't joined originally—his motive was completely different from Li Jie's genuine desire to help.
It was after hearing the newly arrived survivors talk about all the benefits of earning Contribution Points that jealousy burned in him, and he too wanted to earn some, which was why he'd stepped forward.
As the initial panic faded, people came to realize the enormous benefits contained within the Contribution Points earned through confrontation and killing. Anyone with even a bit of ability and sense could no longer just wait for death—even if it meant taking risks, they'd find ways to get more Contribution Points.
Fighting in coordination with the Military was, without a doubt, one of the lowest-risk ways to go head-to-head with the Bakatan people.
Lin Qun believed that before long, even without the Military calling for it, these people would start acting on their own, actively hunting the Bakatan.
Those with ability would go it alone; those without would team up...
Adaptability was one of Humanity's most powerful traits.
Lin Qun quietly observed all of this. He lingered for a while, then eventually made his way back home.
Passing by the entrance of the building, he spotted the same two people who had once tried to stop him—both wore expressions like they'd seen a ghost, clearly not expecting that Lin Qun, who had run off seeking death, would come back completely unharmed.
The tall man said, "You... you actually went and killed a Bakatan?"
"Of course... I got lucky and picked up a Head, too. I'm someone with Contribution Points now."
Lin Qun's words made the two of them exchange glances, both looking a little envious.
Before Lin Qun had gone far, the one who hadn't tried to stop him earlier said with a hint of envy, "If he can pick up scraps like that, next time we should push forward too! One Contribution Point—you could even trade it directly for a gun at the Mall. If only I had one Contribution Point..."
Lin Qun chuckled, went upstairs back home, ate something simple, and buried himself under the covers to sleep.
Conserve Strength and Wait for Opportunity, restore his Energy, and wait for the "Great war" that could erupt at any moment!
For Lin Qun, that was also an opportunity to earn Contribution Points.
Before being forced to leave the Dragon City Imperial Scenery Residential Area, the more powerful he could become, the better!
Right now, he had already reached level five, with eight Contribution Points in hand.
He looked forward to the day when, with a higher level and improved Physique, he could slay gods should he encounter them, and looked forward even more to the day he could draw an even more powerful Card.
Thinking of the World-Destroying Fantasy Skills and items from the world he'd crossed over from...
Lin Qun believed it.
Perhaps, by that time...
Even single-handedly wiping out an entire Civilization could become a possibility!