Enhancement Card (D-Rank)
Base Attributes increase from 16% → 30%, unlocking a hidden passive: Growth Amplification.
As the Enhancement Card leveled up, the base attribute boost also rose significantly.
Strength and Agility both reached D-rank, while Magic and Endurance improved to E++, along with an unknown effect from the Growth Amplification passive.
The Safe Zone was vast.
After walking a full circle, Bai Qiu noticed that the people inside—whether adults or children—were all rather pessimistic.
There was no bullying or fighting at all, which surprised him somewhat.
Whenever a catastrophe struck, humans tended to set aside meaningless conflict and face it together.
However, most of the adults here were weary office workers long past their prime, and the children, dulled by modern education and smartphone culture, had lost their liveliness.
That was not good news.
Even though the current situation defied scientific explanation, this so-called Safe Zone was likely not unbreakable—monsters might be able to breach it eventually.
And even with reduced stamina consumption, humans still needed to eat.
After making a full inspection and finding nothing worth noting, Bai Qiu lost interest in staying any longer.
His current condition was stronger than ever—ordinary Dragonfang Soldiers no longer posed a challenge.
He needed to find the areas marked on the map as containing dangerous monsters.
Just outside the Safe Zone, separated by only a single street, was one such area—the very place he had wanted to explore first: the skyscraper beside the plaza.
Circling around the building, he cleared out several wandering Dragonfang Soldiers.
From the map and the layout, he was certain now—the high-level monster had to be on the rooftop!
Forty-five floors.
How long would it take an ordinary person to climb without an elevator?
Of course, that question didn't apply to Bai Qiu.
In a single stride, he covered more than ten steps, and with another leap, he cleared an entire floor's staircase.
In less than two minutes, Bai Qiu reached the top floor.
Seeing the "45F" mark on the emergency exit, he drew his spear and advanced toward the rooftop.
After climbing forty-five flights of stairs, his breathing remained steady.
He swung his spear, slicing through the rooftop door's lock, kicked the metal door open, and dashed forward.
His eyes swept the area—and there it was: the Elite Monster hiding on the rooftop!
Dragonfang General – Level 10 (Elite)
Strength: D+
Magic: E
Endurance: D
Agility: D
Skills: Rally, Aerial Charge
The Dragonfang General looked similar to the Dragonfang Soldiers, but its size was three times larger, and its scales were darker and denser, gleaming with a metallic sheen under the sunlight.
One glance was enough to tell that its durability far surpassed that of any ordinary Dragonfang soldier.
Its fangs and features had grown even more ferocious and terrifying.
Whether in terms of skills or stats, Bai Qiu was completely outmatched—yet not even a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
With his spear in hand, he spun it once, the air whistling as it cut through, then lunged forward with a thrust.
The Dragonfang General seemed to possess a degree of intelligence.
Upon noticing Bai Qiu, it did not recklessly charge in like the lesser Dragonfangs.
Instead, it watched him carefully, observing its prey's every move.
When Bai Qiu took the initiative to strike, it didn't meet him head-on—instead, it retreated two steps and spread its wings, widening the distance between them.
Its flying speed far exceeded Bai Qiu's, but since it was standing on the ground, it needed a brief moment to launch itself into the air.
In that fraction of a second of delay, Bai Qiu seized his chance—his spear pierced straight through one of its wings!
The Dragonfang General let out a pained roar, snapping its jaws toward Bai Qiu's neck.
But Bai Qiu had anticipated this—gripping the other end of his spear, he twisted his body to evade the bite and, with a deft spin, reversed their positions.
Bai Qiu was completely unscathed, but the Dragonfang General's wing was now shredded and useless—bones shattered, flesh torn, connected to its body by only a strip of skin.
Flying was no longer an option.
The rooftop of the skyscraper was wide, and even against such a massive monster, Bai Qiu could maneuver with agility, using the terrain to his advantage.
With his superior weapon reach, he harassed and outmaneuvered the Dragonfang General, driving it into a desperate struggle.
After several exchanges, Bai Qiu gradually gained the upper hand.
The Dragonfang General, losing blood and strength, was visibly weakening—its stats dropping with every wound.
It had no chance to escape, its flight skill now useless with both wings crippled.
At one point, the Dragonfang General swung its remaining wing to block Bai Qiu's attack, recklessly enduring the pain to force him back.
Though both wings were nearly destroyed, that desperate act bought it just enough time to activate one of its skills.
Throwing its head back, the Dragonfang General let out a piercing roar—and instantly, several Dragonfang Soldiers flew toward the rooftop, responding to the call.
Meanwhile, the General slowly retreated, widening the distance between itself and Bai Qiu.
Bai Qiu frowned in irritation.
No matter how strong a creature was, it had to have a weakness, and that was how he had managed to evade its attacks again and again.
Because of its massive size, Bai Qiu could easily circle behind it to reach its blind spot and strike from there.
But the Dragonfang General was cunning.
It knew that if it stopped attacking, its head or neck would be instantly impaled by the human before it.
So, after suffering countless wounds, it took a desperate gamble—using its last remaining wing to block a fatal blow while seizing the moment to summon reinforcements.
"Just a slow death for you! Without your wings, you have nowhere to run!" Bai Qiu roared furiously as he hacked through the Dragonfang Soldiers that swarmed around him.
Just as he said—these ordinary Dragonfangs were nothing more than weeds before his spear.
Once he finished clearing them out, the wingless Dragonfang General would be doomed!
But just as several Dragonfang Soldiers were swept away by his spear, the Dragonfang General suddenly lunged forward, exploiting the exact moment when Bai Qiu's strength had ebbed and his next strike had yet to build up.
With a thunderous roar, it pounced, its massive jaws snapping toward Bai Qiu's neck.
"Urgh!" Bai Qiu grunted as the tremendous force slammed him to the ground.
In the nick of time, he thrust his right arm up to block its gaping maw—but the creature's fangs tore into his flesh, ripping skin and muscle apart as blood began to pour down his arm.
Once the Dragonfang General had sunk its teeth into him, it refused to let go, its bite tightening with each passing second.
But Bai Qiu had no intention of waiting for death.
Gripping the front end of his spear with his left hand, he drove it down with all his strength, smashing it into the creature's skull!
At this point, there was no distinction between man and beast—only pure instinct remained.
Both were consumed by primal fury, tearing at each other's flesh and fighting for survival, not merely to win, but to live.
"Haah!!"
"Psshk!"
With every shout and every strike, Bai Qiu fought with everything he had.
His eyes were bloodshot, locked onto the Dragonfang General that loomed just beyond his shredded arm.
"Crack! Crack!" The General's fangs dug deeper, embedding into his arm, and the sound of splintering bone echoed in his ears.
If it could just bite through his arm, this human would lose his means of resistance—and then, victory would be the Dragonfang General's!
"Krrssh!"
With a sharp, wet crunch, the brutal duel finally reached its conclusion…