The enhancement of the Iron Body far exceeded imagination.

Cheng Ye's eyes flashed with shock as he carefully felt the changes in his body.

If not experienced personally, it's impossible to comprehend such a vast difference.

No wonder the books record that the S-3 virus is enough to overthrow civilization; this time, it's just a talent brought by genetic atavistic mutation, and it has already left ordinary people far behind.

What about Extraordinary Abilities?

They might have reached a level of terror that causes humans to completely divide into two forms!

"No, Dai Zun's Iron Body doesn't seem as strong as mine?"

Losing the sense of pain, yet enhancing the body's spatial perception; this change is absurd.

Cheng Ye simply unequipped the Iron Body and re-equipped it to try again.

After repeating the comparison four to five times, he actually discovered an unexpected change.

"This talent actually has a diminishing effect over time?"

"And it has a built-in cooldown period?"

When the Iron Body was first equipped, the boost was the most intense, with liberated nerves increasing body control by 50%, achieving a qualitative leap.

But this boost can only last a minute at most, after which it continuously diminishes.

At most in five minutes, the boost will completely disappear, and the talent must be unequipped to reactivate.

Moreover, immediately re-equipping it after unequipping does not reactivate the boost.

Through Cheng Ye's tests, one must wait five minutes to restore the strongest enhancement state.

"The pain nerves are released to capture information... could it be that the liberated neurons can't withstand long-term high-pressure information processing?"

Cheng Ye speculated secretly, although his major was civil engineering, but this part of the knowledge was actually taught in high school biology.

Pain signal transmission relies on specific neurons. When pain perception weakens, these neurons discharge less frequently, theoretically reducing the occupation of neural resources in the spinal dorsal horn and thalamus pain center.

And the transmission of information by neurons relies on the opening and closing of ion channels, a process that consumes a lot of energy provided by mitochondria.

When the information processing load increases, mitochondria in high intensity will quickly exceed their energy supply and metabolic capacity, manifesting as a gradual disappearance of the boost effect.

"Theory is just theory. If I could understand it with my high school knowledge, then the genetic atavism wouldn't be so magical. Later, I can seek some research skills to study carefully."

Cheng Ye shook his head, deciding not to bother with this pile of neurology principles.

If the boost of control power is lost, this talent is indeed a double-edged sword.

However, obtaining a performance stronger than Dai Zun's own body is already a huge unexpected surprise.

Anyway, he didn't plan to equip the weakened pain input for long; at most, using it to push the limits in daily training, he could endure and extract more potential from his body.

As for actual combat, close combat will decide the outcome in half a minute; it won't drag on until after the boost disappears in five minutes.

It's entirely sufficient!

Grumble, grumble.

At this moment, a familiar sense of hunger surged up like a tide.

Cheng Ye's expression changed, and without thinking, he grabbed the Nutrient Paste and gulped it down.

Indeed, whether it's skills or talents, once reaching a certain level, they adaptively modify the body at the foundational level.

Last time with Basic Power, the body directly spawned new muscle mass to adapt.

So what about the Iron Body this time?

One bag, five bags, ten bags... twenty bags of Nutrient Paste quickly depleted, with the packaging thrown all over the place.

From last time's experience, swallowing so much Nutrient Paste, the feeling of emptiness should have been alleviated by now.

But now, the black hole-like hunger in the stomach did not diminish; instead, it seemed to hollow out the organs.

"Good, good, this feeling is just right!"

"Bring more, I can take even more!"

The faction conflict has just had a good start, but the threat of Infected Bodies followed closely.

A glimmer of luck was completely extinguished from the heart.

This is the Wasteland, where death never lets people catch their breath.

Today it's the station master who fell; tomorrow, it might be the Inspector's turn.

The thirst for power in Cheng Ye has never been so urgent, and responding to him were bag after bag of empty Nutrient Paste!

Ripping open the packaging, after entering rage mode, he could devour a bag of Nutrient Paste in nearly every five seconds.

The sticky paste was supposed to resist hunger, but once it entered his mouth, it seemed to be sucked away by a black hole, leaving no feeling of satiety.

Soon, the Nutrient Paste bought from Uncle Dong during the day was completely finished.

Cheng Ye felt a hint of joy in his heart and hurriedly dragged over a box, violently tearing it open to continue gulping.

10 bags... 30 bags... 50 bags...

Until the packaging piled up like a small mountain, the Nutrient Paste finally stopped disappearing upon swallowing, settling solidly in the stomach.

With last time's experience, after pouring in 10 more bags, a feeling of fullness finally came.

"I drank 28 bags before and after Basic Power, but this time the Iron Body took a total of... 107 bags."

Scanning over the packaging on the ground, Cheng Ye stood up and immediately felt the changes in his body.

"Is this... increased body toughness?"

The skin seemed to undergo a miraculous change.

Cheng Ye raised his right hand, and his fingertips grazed his upper left arm; the touch was no longer the soft suppleness of ordinary skin but was resilient like taut old Niu skin.

Moreover, with just a slight turn of the neck or flex of a joint, one could feel the subcutaneous fascia being drawn like bowstrings, emitting subtle "zhi zhi" sounds, as if every inch of skin had become elastic armor wrapping the muscles.

"So abnormal?"

Cheng Ye's eyelid jumped violently, knowing from prior Basic Power experience that such an enhancement would not only manifest when skills were equipped but was a long-term reinforcement ingrained in the body.

No matter what skills were equipped later, this enhancement would not disappear.

"The Iron Body diminishes pain sensation and greatly enhances body control. If I still had my previous body, I might easily strain the fascia with large movements."

"But now, after the strengthening..."

Cheng Ye pinched his arm, the muscles beneath the skin swelling like a pumped tire.

It's unclear exactly how much stronger it became, but Cheng Ye vaguely felt that if replaced with his unenhanced self from before, even taking on five wouldn't be a problem.

Of course, it would have to be in a round-robin, one-on-one.

"There are ways to measure Life Force in the Inner City, but unfortunately, they're only available to the three main corps for soldier classification. The Inspector's job is all about business, and the higher-ups never prioritize combat power in their assessments, so I can't borrow the equipment with my clearance."

"But I could make a trip to the training center when I have time. Even though Brother B isn't there, they have paid sparring partners inside. I'll know how much my strength has improved by trying it out."

Cheng Ye placed the short knife by the bed and lay down fully clothed.

That night.

His sleep was extremely unsettled.

Because, just as Uncle Dong predicted, bursts of gunfire like popping beans would ring out occasionally during the night.

It seemed indeed that quite a few Infected Bodies had rushed in. Fortunately, Inspectors are not responsible for internal searches.

Such tasks are generally handled by the Happiness Corps, the most powerful among the three main corps.

Even if Inspectors are needed to participate in duties or searches, they only handle the final cleanup, so the danger isn't considered high.

...

[Collector: Cheng Ye]

[Current Rank: lv.1 Intern (3.2/100)]

[Life Level: 0]

[Skills: Basic Power, Beast Intuition, Iron Body (Innate)]

[Not yet unlocked...]

[Assessment: Your strength has significantly improved in a short period, and you're just one step away from the minimum standard of a Civilization Collector. Focusing on the development of the base layer of life will yield additional benefits.]

"The panel has changed again!"

Finally, when the morning light filtered through the window, Cheng Ye turned over and got out of bed.

While brushing his teeth and washing up, he habitually opened the panel and immediately noticed the change.

The Iron Body unexpectedly provided a perception score as high as 2.5, exceeding the previously calculated 0.3 by more than eight times.

If the subsequent collection efficiencies are all like this, it means just 40 searches will meet the perception score requirements for a Collector's rank advancement.

"It seems catching strong ones to 'fleece' is indeed the right choice."

Spitting out the foam, Cheng Ye continued to feel.

It's been nearly five days since mastering Basic Power.

As muscle memory became deeply ingrained, even with this skill uninstalled, his body is unlikely to notice any abnormality in exertion.

Perhaps during some special attack moves, the flow of force might still be somewhat unsteady.

But he could feel that in another two or three days, these unsteady flows would disappear.

This means that, before acquiring the next skill, he would be able to free up one of the precious three Skill Bars.

"Unfortunately, Beast Intuition should also be an innate skill, just not displayed because of the low lv.1 level."

"These innate skills are fundamental—uninstalling them would cause them to immediately lose effect."

Cheng Ye remembered this point and returned to the room to pack his bag and head out.

Even though he didn't need to work today and only had to attend a learning meeting in the afternoon, which didn't require getting up so early,

the shabby door of the tenement building truly made him uneasy, trembling in the wind and keeping him on edge all night.

"Iron sheets, yes, just like this! Give me three sheets first!"

"Locks dismantled from security doors in the ruins? Can these still be used? Fine, install them for me."

"Reinforcing nails for the door... you have full sets here? Oh, many people buy them? Then give me two packs."

"Spikes for the ground? Why would I need these? To block sneak attacks by the Infected Bodies at the door? Well... then give me a set!"

"Anyone interested in fresh mutant beast dung? Smear it on the door, and it'll ensure Infected Bodies steer clear of you!"

"..."

The flea market in the pedestrian street, usually quiet, only bustling in the afternoon and evening,

was packed with people early in the morning today.

Listening to the bargaining voices around him, Cheng Ye clicked his tongue with surprise; he was not the only one scared last night.

Moreover, the rush for supplies was even more frantic than yesterday's rush for Nutrient Paste.

"After all, famine doesn't kill you immediately, but the threat of the Infected Bodies... is deadly."

Cheng Ye took a stroll around the block.

Before coming, he was worried about what materials to buy, but unexpectedly, the vendors had already prepared complete solutions.

From residential buildings and tenement buildings to roadside tents and dilapidated houses, the Wastelanders have long devised comprehensive methods for fortifying defenses, with anything and everything available.

And if you buy a lot, there's even free home delivery service.

"A special price of 580 coins, and I'll arrange a delivery for you right away."

Receiving the Happiness Coin from Cheng Ye, the vendor smiled so widely that his teeth showed, immediately turning to organize manpower.

Soon, two thin young men came pushing a small cart, piling all the materials Cheng Ye bought onto it.

"Sir, you lead the way, and we'll follow shortly."

"Alright."

In the Buffer Zone, Cheng Ye wasn't worried about anyone daring to embezzle the Inspector's money.

He promptly returned to the tenement building and grabbed a wrench, starting work on the fragile iron-sheet door.

Although calling it door removal, he merely had to strike the connection point twice, and it just fell apart on its own.

The rusty hinges shattered into pieces, and the doorframe rattled loudly.

"Damn, forget about blocking the Infected Bodies—any ordinary human could easily break in."

Cheng Ye looked in apprehension at the rust on the broken parts, secretly thinking he was truly lucky. If there had been an Infected Body sneaking in right after his crossover, relying on this door, he probably wouldn't even know how he had died.

Soon, the materials were moved piece by piece into the corridor.

Just carrying the heavy security door up to the fifth floor left the two young men panting heavily.

"Thanks, this is what you deserve."

Pulling out two 5-coin Happiness Coins from his pocket and handing them over, the two immediately broke into broad smiles, expressing their gratitude incessantly, as if they wanted to spill all the good words they had.

After they left, looking at the small mountain of materials piled on the floor, Cheng Ye's long-anxious heart finally settled.

"With these, it shouldn't be easy for the Infected Bodies to break in again, right?!"

...

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