Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1874: Descend

Clutching his stomach, Ye Zhongming dashed across a cluster of oddly glowing foliage.

These plants bore a vague likeness to Earth's willow trees, yet their limbs resembled see-through pipes brimming with vibrant, luminous orbs.

Upon contact, the glowing orbs would instantly flicker to life, mimicking breaths, while the clear pipes started squeezing upward toward the treetops.

Such a nuisance irked the Cloud Peak King, rendering it hopeless to lose the followers trailing him.

Those followers weren't fresh recruits but more than a dozen parasites.

Ye Zhongming would prefer facing off against those high-placing novices at this point over dealing with parasites.

These bugs appeared to have lost all reason, turning fiercely hostile right upon spotting any other creatures. Somehow, their power had surged dramatically, with certain ones growing alarmingly formidable, just like the ones hot on Ye Zhongming's heels now.

In his past life, Ye Zhongming had met his end pierced by subterranean bugs, so a shadow of fear lingered in him naturally. The parasites chasing him had burst from below the ground in an ambush, totaling over twenty in count. He managed to slay five or six prior to pulling back.

The price was steep: a parasite's razor-sharp, elongated claw had gouged his belly. Luckily, no vital organs suffered harm. Once he swallowed the pill, the wound started mending.

Ye Zhongming checked the points leaderboard. Moments ago, his score had jumped by more than five hundred, indicating roughly a hundred points per bug.

Parasite Type 17, Lu Hua, Slaughter Charm Crab.

These creatures packed real punch, yet Ye Zhongming knew for sure their points shouldn't hit a hundred. Social creatures like them seldom topped three figures in value.

Yet somehow, their points now exceeded a hundred.

What in the world was happening?!

Moreover, by scanning the points leaderboard, Ye Zhongming spotted two startling facts.

For one, the count of new arrivals had plummeted this day, dropping to a shocking low.

How many perished in the initial three rounds? Today's casualties nearly matched that entire sum!

For another, the scores of the remaining newbies had risen sharply. This didn't tie to expanded hunting zones, since those in prior zones showed the same boost.

Linking this to his own experiences, Ye Zhongming figured the points for all prey had gone up.

The system gauged points via two factors: the first being species, which fixed the starting amount. The second involved energy evaluation.

Together, these set a creature's final tally.

Say a parasite species started at ten points, and its energy rated high at three, the sum would reach thirteen points.

In this setup, the wild spike in newbies' points pointed to parasites hitting peak scores across the board. Meaning, species values stayed put, but energy ratings maxed out fully.

Still, why had these parasites abruptly grown so much stronger? Lacking answers, Ye Zhongming pinned it on Zizikaba and the overseers for another scheme.

He warily tracked the sounds from behind. The Slaughter Charm Crabs appeared to have burrowed away; silence reigned, leaving uncertainty about their chase.

Ye Zhongming pushed it aside. His priority was linking up with He at the meeting spot without delay.

The mini-cycle had dragged on for nearly two full days. Earlier, due to those stalkers, Ye Zhongming avoided steering anyone that way, wary of dragging He into peril. Things looked safer now; he had to verify her status.

Right then, He found herself in dire straits.

In the past, her support role would draw eager bids from squads everywhere. With her aid, survival gained an extra shield.

But these days? Word spread that she'd teamed with Ye Zhongming. Many viewed her as a key player in his group. Spotting her meant first grabbing her alive, stripping her gear, then outright slaying her. The backup plan was forcing her submission to serve them.

Yet all agreed the second option rang hollow. The stubborn devotion of the Changxu Water Race stood legendary.

Thus, after lingering at the meetup for hours awaiting Ye Zhongming, He got spotted and turned into chase bait.

She'd shifted to water form straight out of the teleporter to dodge hits and slip away, counting it as fortune. But now, that fortune faded. After dropping one foe and dodging three hunt parties, she faced encirclement by yet another crew.

Four in total, including two from the Chaos Heart Race, known as tricky foes among star races.

Their standout trait wasn't raw fighting skill, but mastery over other beings.

Not the sort that tamed mutants or parasites as battle mounts, but a hijack grip—siphoning the target's vitality nonstop, then wielding that stolen force to dominate it.

Those under their sway perished swiftly.

Thanks to this power, they ranked high in cosmic society as a famed powerhouse race. Control capacity scaled with might; typical Chaos Heart Race folk handled one being apiece, while elites managed three.

These two encircling He could each handle two.

So truly, eight beings boxed her in.

The sacred tattoos across her skin lit up, signaling the Changxu Water Race's battle readiness.

At the same instant, a pair of jade ornament-like items dangled from both sides of He's frame.

"Exploration Palm?"

One being eyed He's palms, radiating a teal light, and let out a startled noise.

This glove gear was a one-use item. It boosted palm strikes' strength twofold for a set duration.

Fine equipment, but didn't the Changxu Water Race lack strike skills beyond sacred tattoos?

"And Han Jade, Death Wheel Belt."

A Chaos Heart Race individual narrowed his eyes, greed spilling over.

Unlike consumables, these two were prime gear. Paired, they tallied over seven hundred points. Only elite newbies could snag such prizes.

"And plenty of potions," another chimed in. They eyed a haul topping three thousand points' value from offing this female.

He cocked her head a bit, like tuning into a whisper, then flashed an eased grin.

The group's stares darted about, probing the area.

This woman's ally, the top scorer, even absent, loomed as a heavy threat.

But He sprang into action then. She erupted a massive water surge from her storage while morphing to liquid herself. As her foes floundered in disarray, hunting her form, she materialized next to one. The sleek belt around her midsection unfurled abruptly, blooming into a ring that slammed into the target.