Chapter Seventy-Two: Advancement

Thirty thousand upgrade crystals—it was more than half of all the first-tier resources the team possessed. Jing Yi had never expected the captain would entrust her with such a generous amount of startup capital. Now, the pressure was squarely on her shoulders.

But for speculation, the more capital one had, the better. With thirty thousand as a starting fund, everything would become much simpler. She was certain that, armed with this capital, she could drive up cigarette prices within three days.

"Tonight, prepare a plan," the captain ordered.

This task needed to be done, and quickly; time would not wait for anyone. In ten days, at most half a month, Fang Xia would have to gather at least ten frontliners with tenacious gifted abilities, then leave the city.

This post-apocalyptic world moved fast—even Fang Xia, a reborn soul, felt time slipping away from him.

Jing Yi nodded earnestly. With the captain’s trust, she was determined to prove herself through her achievements. Unlike her sister, whose mind was always wandering off into nonsense. Of course, one should establish their presence through results before indulging in such fantasies—just like Sister Rui…

"Jing Ru."

The twin sister was munching lamb freshly boiled in the pot while watching the commotion with relish, never expecting the captain to call her name. She shoved a mouthful of lamb in, not even bothering to cool it.

Her small mouth bulged, and she kept blowing out hot air. "Hot, hot, hot!"

Beside her, Li Xiaochun hurriedly handed her a glass of cola. After gulping it down, Jing Ru looked at Fang Xia with wide, innocent eyes.

Fang Xia could only look at her helplessly, waiting for her to swallow before speaking. "You’re going with your sister. Listen to her arrangements throughout, and don’t cause trouble."

"And arrange for a few of the new girls to protect them—strangers, so no one knows we’re manipulating cigarette prices."

Among all the members of Fang Xia’s team, these two sisters showed their faces the least. Sending them to handle this matter meant others wouldn’t suspect their team for a while. By the time they’d made their profits, whether others found out or not wouldn't matter.

"Alright, Fang, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on my sister and make sure she completes the task quickly."

Everyone at the table looked at her with resignation—how was she supposed to be the elder sister with that attitude? Still, no one dampened her enthusiasm; she needed something to do. If Jing Yi couldn’t handle her own sister, both would be relegated to mere ornaments in the future.

"Come, let’s toast to General Jing’s grand venture," Li Xiaochun said, raising her drink.

"To General Jing’s grand venture!"

Seven-thirty.

In his room, Fang Xia sat cross-legged at the head of the bed.

A thousand second-tier upgrade crystals surrounded him, bathing the room in a pale green glow.

"This damned thing, couldn’t it come in another color?" he muttered.

Looking at his body bathed in green, Fang Xia couldn’t help but complain.

Advancing from third to fourth tier—this was his first time across two lifetimes. He needed to be careful.

Everyone else upstairs knew how important this moment was, each sitting tensely in the living room, more nervous than if they were the ones upgrading.

Fang Xia took a deep breath and began consuming the crystals.

Each crystal brought a faint warmth into his body. That was only because his constitution had grown so strong—the second-tier crystals no longer had much effect. But quantity made up for quality.

In the blink of an eye, five hundred crystals were gone.

He felt the warmth within him increasing, but it was still not enough.

He continued.

Seven hundred.

His body started to itch, reminiscent of his previous upgrades.

Eight hundred.

Something different happened—a mild headache, something he’d never experienced before.

Nine hundred.

The pain in his head intensified. His body ached as well, but compared to the pain in his head, it was negligible.

Suddenly, Fang Xia realized—the sensation was identical to when his gifted ability first manifested.

A thousand.

He couldn’t help but roar.

With prior experience, he didn’t faint this time, but endured the agony.

"Damn it, is this side effect because I wasn’t born with a gifted ability?"

When Bai Xing and the others awakened, it was like playing house—a bit of light on the head and done.

Look at him: it was sheer torment.

"Fang, are you alright?" Jing Yi called out, worried.

Everyone in the living room heard Fang Xia’s cry—it sounded painful.

"He’ll be fine," Liu Rui said, barely lifting her head, eyes flicking over before returning to her manga.

These comics were fantastic—tens of thousands of chapters. The perfect way to pass the time.

But what did “Volume One” mean? Would she have to find “Volume Two” to continue? She dreaded the possibility of a “Volume Three”—that would be a nightmare.

Liu Rui fretted: if she couldn’t find the next volume, could she exchange for it?

Fang Xia was at the final stage.

A thousand second-tier upgrade crystals.

It was as if shackles within him shattered; his entire body brimmed with strength.

His mind was clear, and the pain gradually faded.

Sitting on the bed, he casually flexed, feeling his newfound power.

Now, a single punch could kill three of his former selves. If he encountered a third-tier zombie, it wouldn’t even qualify to trail behind him.

He settled his mind to explore his ability, when words suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Ability successfully upgraded."

"Teleportation: Centered on oneself, instantly reach any spot within a hundred meters, ignoring obstacles, can carry one person."

"Usable three times per day."

Fang Xia was very satisfied.

This ability description was finally reliable.

Unlike the previous tier—‘wherever your eyes reach’? He almost thought he could fly and touch the sun. Whoever wrote that must have been a child.

This was much better—at least written by someone who finished compulsory education.

The upgraded skill was far more practical.

Ignoring obstacles—he could teleport directly into a room from outside. Perfect for breaking in—or, no, for rescue operations.

Carrying one person—that was tailor-made for the previous trait.

Teleport inside, see a beauty bathing, then instantly take her out—perfect.

Only, three uses a day was too few.

...

In the living room.

Liu Rui continued reading her manga, her page-turning movements exuding intelligence and elegance.

Li Xiaochun was polishing her knife. In a moment of panic today, she’d thrown it; next time, she’d just store it in her space.

Bai Xing brewed coffee—she’d need to stay up late to fight tonight, something to keep her alert.

The twin sister was applying a face mask, coaxing her sibling and Doctor Jiang to join.

She kept saying outrageous things.

"Sister, don’t forget, we’re young and beautiful now—but who here isn’t young and beautiful?"

"Oh, except for Doctor Jiang, she’s twenty-six."