Apocalypse: I can control zombies

Chapter 97 Strengthening Power

After finishing lunch, Lu Chen said he wanted to go back to his room to rest.

He deployed the elite zombies to guard the entrance of 501. Their massive, over two-meter-tall bodies stood firmly against the doorframe, like guardian deities, preventing anyone from getting even a step closer.

After locking the door, Lu Chen couldn't wait to activate the meteorite mark.

Upon returning to that special space, the phantom before him, identical to himself, emitted a faint glow from its head, torso, and legs, signifying that the enhancements to his mental strength, defense, and speed had been completed.

Now there is only one direction that can be strengthened—the arms that represent strength.

This time there was no good choice, so he directly reached out and pointed at the phantom's arms.

The moment their fingertips touched, a faint light shone from the phantom's arms.

The next moment, consciousness returned to the body, and immediately there was excruciating pain.

This pain is different from the previous ones.

After the heat flowed into my arms, it wasn't the burning sensation of hot skin, nor the dull pain of bones being crushed, but rather the excruciating pain of muscles being torn apart.

He could clearly sense that every muscle fiber in his arm was being forcibly torn apart by a brute force, and then rewoven together by new energy in the same instant.

Tearing, rebuilding, tearing again, rebuilding again—each cycle is accompanied by a sharp, agonizing pain that makes your teeth ache.

His arms tensed involuntarily, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged out.

Then the warm current spread along my arms to all parts of my body, from my shoulders to my torso, and from my torso to my legs.

Almost all muscles are undergoing profound transformations—chest muscles, abdominal muscles, back muscles, thigh muscles—every muscle is being penetrated, torn, and reshaped by that energy.

The body is a whole. Lifting weights requires not only the arms, but also the stability of the shoulders, the support of the core, and the foundation of the legs. That's why there is this kind of whole-body muscle group remodeling.

He could feel his muscle density increasing in an unreasonable way, as if it were being repeatedly forged like steel, becoming denser and tougher.

However, he has experienced this pain three times already, and now he is gradually getting used to the excruciating pain of muscle tearing.

He gritted his teeth, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead, but his consciousness remained clear, and he even had the energy to perceive the path of energy flow within his body.

Twenty minutes later, the pain began to subside, and the heat flow turned into a warm flow, beginning to nourish the muscle fibers that had just been remodeled.

The warm current gently caressed every torn and regrown muscle, gradually dispelling the lingering soreness between the muscle fibers.

Half an hour later, the enhancement was complete!

He immediately examined his body. His physique had changed slightly, mainly the muscle contours in various parts of his body had become more defined.

Especially his arms, which felt thicker than before, lean and strong, with each muscle tightly attached to the bone and clearly defined lines.

He took off his combat uniform shirt, looked down, and his abs were clearly visible. They weren't the kind of bulky muscles you get from using protein powder and machines in a gym; they were more like the physique of a hunter who relied on his body for a living in the wild—lean and powerful, with every muscle designed for practical use.

He thought for a moment, threw his shirt aside, put his hands on the ground, and did a handstand push-up.

Even though his superpower had broken through once before and his life level had evolved, it was still a bit difficult for him to do push-ups upside down like this.

But now, he did a dozen or twenty in one go, bending and straightening his arms with ease, feeling as relaxed as if he were doing a regular push-up.

He then took other tests.

He stood up, sprinted forward, and ran a few steps in the living room at high speed, finding that his speed had indeed increased.

Similar to the feeling after strengthening my defense last night, but this time the improvement is more obvious. The main reason is that the muscles in my thighs have been strengthened, and my explosive power is stronger. Every step I take has a greater pushing force transmitted from the soles of my feet.

The knees provide more stable support during emergency stops and turns, and the body does not sway at all when changing direction at high speed.

He even took out a fruit knife to test its defensive capabilities.

With a light stroke of the blade across his arm, only a white mark remained on his skin.

He increased the force and made another cut, cutting a shallow layer of skin.

But before the blade could penetrate deeper, the muscles in the wrist automatically tightened the moment they sensed the intrusion of the external force. The muscle fibers contracted simultaneously like countless tiny steel cables, pulling the skin on both sides of the wound together and applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

After the simple tests were completed, he planned to put his strength to the limit.

He stood up, glanced around the room, walked to a corner, bent down, and picked up a crowbar from the toolbox.

This crowbar is made of solid iron, nearly two centimeters in diameter, and feels heavy in the hand.

He gripped both ends of the crowbar with both hands, took a deep breath, and exerted force with both arms simultaneously.

The crowbar trembled slightly in his hand, then began to slowly deform, bending downwards little by little in the middle, like a steel bar being pressed down by a hydraulic press.

"This—" Lu Chen released his grip, picked up the bent crowbar, and examined it, somewhat unable to believe his eyes.

This solid iron rod is so strong that ordinary people can't even bend it, let alone make it curve. "My strength has probably doubled, and it's definitely far stronger than an Iron Pillar-level zombie. I wonder how it compares to an elite zombie."

97

Curious, he opened the door and called in the elite zombie who was standing guard at the entrance.

The elite zombie strode into the living room, its heavy broadsword poised against the corner of the wall.

Lu Chen made it extend its right hand, and then wrapped its grayish-blue hand layer by layer with strips of cloth. After wrapping it, he made the elite zombie clench its fist, so that there was even less risk of it being scratched.

The two sat facing each other on opposite sides of the coffee table, elbows resting on the table. The test of strength was conducted in the simplest and most direct way: arm wrestling!

The elite zombie's strength was still terrifying. Lu Chen could feel a brute and steady force coming from the other's wrist, like a huge anvil pressing down on his hand.

His arm was pressed down little by little, his elbow leaving a shallow dent on the table.

But during this process, he and his opponent were locked in a stalemate for half a minute, until the elite zombie, relying on its pure strength advantage, gradually overwhelmed him.

In other words, although his strength is inferior to that of elite zombies, it is not a qualitative difference; he is simply at a disadvantage.

"Now that I've strengthened myself in every aspect, my physical strength should be second only to elite zombies, far above the Iron Pillar level." Lu Chen loosened his grip, moved his slightly numb wrists, and made a mental assessment.

"So, with my current close combat skills, if I were to fight other zombies, even Iron Pillar-level zombies, it should be a piece of cake," he speculated.

Of course, he could only speculate. As for actually going into battle, that was definitely impossible. If he were to get scratched by the opponent's claws during the fight, he would be completely outmatched.