At dawn, when the sky was just beginning to light up, Tao Yu had already gotten out of the car and started his training for the day.
Even with "One Proof Forever Proof," preventing any degradation of his abilities, improving them still took time.
Even when he lacked Yuan Force, he still insisted on practicing every day, and now that he had enough Yuan Force, he naturally wouldn't fall behind.
Tao Yu's figure was seen constantly moving within the circle drawn by his feet, activating different variants of the Myriad Streams Five Forms, at times dexterous, at times weighty. The tenseness of his muscles could be heard with every motion, like a bowstring plucked, his bones creaking under the flow of his Qi-Blood.
His movements were sometimes as quick as lightning, other times as slow as a tortoise.
Yet even when Tao Yu seemed to move slowly, the compression and twisting of his muscles as he slowly threw a punch, followed by a rapid, short strike, produced a vigorous sound in the air.
After completing a full set of Five Forms interacting with each other, Tao Yu finally slowly finished and took a deep breath.
"High-level skills really consume a lot."
Without fear of injuring his body, after a simple stretch, Tao Yu started drinking a bottle of sports drink in large gulps and then began stuffing Snickers into his mouth.
"Still need the meat though."
Muttering to himself, Tao Yu had just acquired Five Forms as One and had started earning money with it.
But he had encountered tough enemies twice, and both times, it could be said he was somewhat at a disadvantage.
The first time facing Cao Shaolin, he had shattered the knife with his explosive power; the second time, he didn't even dare to let his opponent get close enough to engage.
In the end, it was still due to a lack of proficiency. If he could get "Five Forms as One - Modified" up to LV5, plus fully unlocking the potential of his body, he should be able to grapple in close combat.
"Guns are extremely cost-effective, but it's a pity they have a limit, and obtaining non-standard firearms isn't easy either."
Tao Yu glanced at the "Warlord's Sidearm" in his hand.
For now, it was sufficient for him, but based on the last two encounters, he needed to anticipate and prevent potential threats.
"You're up really early."
At that moment, Jack also yawned, opened the car door, and stretched his limbs while pressing on his lower back.
Resting in the car was quite uncomfortable.
"In the Abyss, being weak is the original sin."
Tao Yu continued munching on food, quickly digesting it with the help of "Swallow Essence Technique - Modified."
With his stomach churning and intestines absorbing, he took care of half a backpack's contents in no time.
Seeing Tao Yu's intense training, Jack felt some pressure himself and quickly performed a set of Stance Skill that he hadn't completely mastered yet.
"We have a tough fight ahead; conserve your strength."
Tao Yu smiled at Jack's efforts. He himself could ignore pain, but Jack was different.
While observing, Tao Yu was also nibbling on a Snickers bar.
He whispered to Jack,
"What the heck did those people before us do? Why are there so many?"
"I don't know either. It seems more difficult than expected..."
Just as Jack was also taken aback, Tao Yu suddenly paused, then quickly looked up and saw a security camera hanging under the eaves of a building.
At that moment, the camera was still regularly flashing a red light, clearly operational.
Seeing Tao Yu stop, Jack became puzzled. But when he followed Tao Yu's gaze and realized the situation, he whispered,
"This is a military base, after all. See those solar panels on the roofs? They're enough to keep the basic systems running even if everything else is disconnected, considering it's only been seven months."
"No, that camera just moved. There's someone alive in there, or something with intelligence."
The Crane form from Tao Yu's Deification had granted him High Spiritual Perception, and it was further enhanced by the passive effects of the Warlord's Sidearm. He had definitely felt as though he was being watched.
This revelation stunned Jack for a moment. Were there still people alive?
"As you said, this is a military base. It's fallen outside for some reason, but it seems normal that they might have a secure area and enough food inside to survive," Tao Yu said.
"You're right. There could really be people. Let me test it out," Jack replied.
Jack nodded at Tao Yu and then cautiously approached the camera, careful not to stir up the zombies on the other side of the fence, before intentionally moving in front of the camera.
As a former CIA task force member, Jack was well-versed in some secret signals and started gesturing in front of the camera.
Indeed, the seemingly still camera quickly moved up and down, as if nodding.
"There really is someone."
Jack turned back to Tao Yu and took another look at Tao Yu's combat suit.
Although Tao Yu wasn't wearing a helmet while eating, his outfit could easily be misunderstood.
"Your outfit, plus the signals I just sent, might have gained us some initial trust. With so many zombies outside, the people inside must be trapped and for a long time," Jack deduced.
The main focus was on the laboratory below, and there could be guards or something, but actually, the main combat forces were above.
Clearly, those above had been wiped out and turned into the enemy, preventing the people inside from venturing out again.
"However, it's also a bit strange. The military camp here should not be so easily contaminated, right? How did the outside become like this?" Tao Yu began to ponder another issue.
If the people inside were fine, it was highly likely that they hadn't consumed the contaminated water and had a separate water supply?
If this were inherently a Zombie World, there wouldn't need to be so much consideration. But this infection had come later, so there should be an origin, not too exaggerated.
But upon further thought, with zombies that could still move around after seven months here, it seemed anything was possible...