James Lone leaned over the balcony and looked down.

The climbing ivy had completely covered the building's exterior walls, forming a dense green expanse.

Upon closer inspection, the vines were filled with the corpses of various animals—gigantic sparrows, enormous rats, and even a cat the size of a tiger!

No wonder no animals had come to feed on Fatty Eric. They had all been killed by the climbing ivy.

The two women turned pale, trembling with fear.

The world had changed. Even plants had begun eating flesh!

James Lone immediately activated his perception ability and examined the climbing ivy again.

It emitted a faint red glow, but it was very dim and easy to overlook amidst the purple mist.

His expression darkened.

"Turns out, it's not just the strong creatures that are dangerous. Even seemingly weak ones can pose a huge threat."

Fortunately, the climbing ivy wasn't too dangerous. It had almost no mobility and relied on its prey remaining still for a long time to catch them.

James Lone also noticed faint red light coursing through Fatty Eric's veins, spreading throughout his body. It seemed to be seeds left by the climbing ivy.

With a grim expression, James Lone took a bottle of purified water from his spatial backpack and poured it over Fatty Eric's face.

Fatty Eric woke up with a start, weakly crying out,

"Water! Water!"

Severe blood loss had left him parched.

James Lone asked gently,

"Does your left hand hurt?"

"My left hand?" Fatty Eric stared intently at the bottle of water in James Lon's hand.

"No, it doesn't hurt. Water! Give me water!"

James Lone frowned.

Fatty Eric didn't feel the injury to his left hand.

The climbing ivy must have an anesthetic effect.

Without a word, James Lon tossed the bottle of water off the balcony.

"Please, just one sip! One sip!" Fatty Eric begged.

James Lone handed a roll of duct tape to Monroe Anne, smiling.

"Seal his mouth. He's too noisy."

"Yes, Master." Monroe Anne obediently took the tape, crouching in front of Fatty Eric.

Fatty Eric stared at his fiancée in disbelief.

"Baby, you...?"

Monroe Anne avoided his gaze, cutting a strip of tape with scissors and quickly pressing it over his mouth.

She whispered softly,

"You're not going to make it. I'm just a woman; I have no choice. I need to survive.

You understand, right?"

Understand my ass! Fatty Eric glared at her, his face flushing with rage.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

James Lone burst into laughter.

Fatty Eric, furious, banged his head against the iron railing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Already weak from his injuries, he quickly knocked himself unconscious.

The balcony fell silent.

The next morning, at 9:30 a.m., James Lon sat near the balcony, eating physical enhancement fruits one after another.

He wasn't sure how many he'd eaten before a notification finally rang out:

[Ding! Physical Strengthening upgraded to 4 stars! +80 Comprehensive Physical Strength.]

"Adding the original 10 points, my stats are now at 90!"

Ecstatic, James Lone leaped lightly from his bed, feeling an unprecedented sense of weightlessness.

With his comprehensive physical strength reaching 90, his body seemed to undergo a qualitative transformation.

Minor ailments disappeared, and his skin became flawless. Scars from childhood vanished, and his mild nearsightedness was completely cured.

His muscles, while still powerful, became more streamlined and compact, exuding an understated yet intimidating strength.

Picking up a one-yuan coin, James Lon gently applied pressure, folding it in half as if it were soft clay.

Folding it again and again, he finally rolled it into a small metal ball in his palm.

The increase in physical strength wasn't linear—it grew exponentially!

He picked up a knife and pressed his finger against its tip, flattening it with a slight push.

Such a powerful body significantly boosted his survival chances.

Activating his perception ability again, James Lone noticed that it consumed almost no energy.

Confident, he decided to keep it active 24/7.

In this apocalyptic world, perception was invaluable for detecting threats in advance.

After testing his abilities, James Lone stepped out onto the balcony, satisfied.

Fatty Eric was already dead.

Ivy shoots sprouted from his mouth, ears, and nose. Under his perception, James Lon could see the vines filling his corpse, glowing faintly red in a horrifying display.

Frowning, James Lone untied the corpse and tossed it off the balcony.

The entire night had passed without the mutant frog attacking Fatty Eric, confirming that its range didn't extend this high.

James Lon glanced toward the door, where the husky, "Byakuga n," lay sprawled outside.

Opening the door, the husky jumped up, wagging its tail excitedly and nudging James Lon for pets.

The husky's glow was a vibrant green, clearly signaling its loyalty.

Smiling, James Lone ruffled its head and tossed 20 steaks and a pile of sausages onto the ground.

"Woof! Woof!" The husky barked happily and began devouring the food.

James Lone petted it for a while.

"Let's observe for two more days. Then you can come inside."

In the apocalypse, dogs were far more reliable than humans.

While scrolling through his phone, James Lon pulled out a handful of perception fruits and ate them like snacks.

The news was bleak.

The government remained silent, merely encouraging citizens to help themselves.

Some footage showed fleets of armed helicopters flying across the sky, their missions unknown.

More people were awakening to new abilities, but there was still no public information about the mysterious black Nephelium.

Desperate for food, many ventured outside, most meeting grim fates.

Cats, dogs, mantises, centipedes, cockroaches, rats, spiders, ants—

Every overlooked creature had mutated, becoming a deadly threat to humanity.

The ground had turned into a hellish battleground. Without powerful abilities, survival was nearly impossible for ordinary people.

James Lone noticed his phone signal weakening.

"Probably a damaged cell tower nearby," he muttered.

As time went on, essential urban resources like water, electricity, gas, and the internet would vanish one by one, making survival increasingly difficult.

Gloomily, he looked out the window.

The exterior of Building A was now completely covered in climbing ivy, stretching all 33 floors.

Massive banyan trees emerged from the purple mist, towering into the clouds.

A giant bird, possibly a mutated swallow, circled the banyan branches. It was larger than an eagle.

James Lone's expression darkened.

He knew he couldn't stay in this apartment much longer.

As plants rapidly grew, the area would inevitably become a forest, inviting hordes of mutated animals.

No matter how well-stocked his supplies were, he couldn't fend off the overwhelming forces of nature alone.

I must become stronger!

Determined, James Lone took a photo of an ability fruit and posted it in a group chat.

[@Everyone] Looking to purchase black Nephelium. DM me if you have any. [Image attached]

Few people paid attention to the message; most didn't know what it was.

Only a handful of sharp individuals quietly took note.

James Lon had no choice. If others consumed the ability fruits, he wouldn't be able to obtain them.

Moreover, his confidence in his strength meant he could now protect himself against potential betrayal.

As he popped another perception fruit into his mouth, a new notification appeared:

[Ding! Perception upgraded to 4 stars! Perception range increased to 50 meters; you can now detect energy nodes within targets.]

James Lone's "vision" suddenly expanded.

Looking downward, he could now perceive as far as the 17th floor, encompassing half the building.

Dozens of survivors trapped in their apartments came into view.

Even the purple mist posed no obstacle to his perception.

"While others are blind in the mist, I remain unaffected!"

James Lone's eyes gleamed with excitement.

What were these energy nodes?

Looking at himself, he saw a vibrant green object in his lower abdomen, resembling an underdeveloped piece of ginger.

"What the heck is that?"

Touching his stomach, he felt nothing unusual.

He then examined others in the building.

To his surprise, only Shirley lnr Won and a survivor on the 17th floor had similar "ginger-like" objects, though theirs were smaller and less vibrant.

The survivor on the 17th floor, located in apartment 1708, was a well-built man with golden-colored "ginger."

Hawson Wer?

James Lone recalled the man's muscular frame and began to wonder:

"Could these 'gingers' be the source of abilities?"