"My, my, what a promising specimen!"
The man in the work uniform smiled at Lin Qingsong.
Lin Qingsong, standing a short distance away, remained silent, staring intently at the man.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Xi Zhen. I'm from above, primarily responsible for assessing the quality of this batch of Reincarnators!"
"Seeing such a powerful and insidious individual like you truly fills me with joy!"
Xi Zhen said with a smile.
The way he looked at Lin Qingsong was not like looking at a person, but more like observing a lab rat or some kind of experimental subject.
"Mmm... mmm..."
Lin Qingsong uttered a series of garbled sounds from his throat, completely unintelligible.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. For such a dangerous subject like you, I still need to take the necessary precautions!"
Xi Zhen said, moving his right hand slightly.
Suddenly, Lin Qingsong in front of him collapsed to the ground.
"There, that's better. Now we can have a proper conversation!"
Xi Zhen smiled faintly and slowly walked up to Lin Qingsong.
*Pfft!*
The Lin Qingsong before him instantly transformed into a gaunt man.
Although his clothes were the same, his appearance was entirely different.
"Hmm? What is this..."
Before Xi Zhen could react, a cold and powerful hand firmly gripped his right wrist from behind.
"You wanted to see me? But I don't like people speaking to me in such an overbearing manner."
"Instead, I prefer to chat when I have the absolute advantage, what do you think?!"
Lin Qingsong had reappeared behind Xi Zhen.
"How is this possible?! You... how did you do that?!"
Xi Zhen felt a sharp pain in his right hand, completely unable to exert any force.
A metallic sphere slowly slipped from his palm.
"You used this to paralyze him, didn't you!"
"If I'm not mistaken, we survivors who wear rings are your puppets, right!"
Lin Qingsong, possessing the Puppet talent, was exceptionally sensitive to energy lines.
Just as he could control other survivors with energy lines, he could also see the natives controlling the Reincarnators with energy lines.
The way Xi Zhen had just suppressed the survivor with transformation abilities was through energy line control.
Lin Qingsong released Xi Zhen, toying with the exquisitely crafted metallic sphere in his hand.
"Don't think you can do anything to me just because you got that thing!"
Xi Zhen seized the opportunity to turn around, retreating seven or eight steps, and then pulled out a spare metallic sphere from his wristband.
Just as he was about to suppress Lin Qingsong's power again, Xi Zhen suddenly discovered that his fingers were no longer moving.
He remained frozen in the posture of taking the metallic sphere from his wristband; no matter how hard he tried, his fingers wouldn't budge.
"Stop wasting your effort. Do you think I could kill so many people relying solely on my cunning?"
"I admit I have a bit of cunning, but mostly it's my keen perception!"
"From the moment you appeared, I noticed you. You must possess spatial abilities, to appear in the forest without any warning!"
"Also... you don't wear a ring, unlike us... Are you a native?"
Lin Qingsong circled the immobile Xi Zhen a few times, analyzing as he walked.
"That's right, I am human, and I'm here to observe you!"
"You are my most promising experimental subject. If you continue like this, you will undoubtedly become the strongest among this batch of test subjects!"
"Our experiment will be a success. I can provide you with everything you need to become the strongest!"
Xi Zhen rolled his eyes, desperately trying to keep up with Lin Qingsong's movements, and said earnestly.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. What benefit do you get from helping me become the strongest?"
Lin Qingsong asked with a smile.
At the same time, Xi Zhen's forearm began to bend backward.
It was easy to bend the arm inward, but bending it outward, once it exceeded 180 degrees, every additional degree would cause more pain, until the arm was completely broken.
"There are benefits. You are the key to ending the apocalypse!"
"And the thing that will make you stronger is located within the seventh walled city!"
"There's a portal there that leads to another world, where a Wishing Stone resides, capable of making wishes come true."
"With it, you can obtain anything you desire!"
Unable to bear the pain, Xi Zhen spilled out everything he knew.
"If there's such a good thing, why don't you use it yourselves and give it to me?"
"Are you that full of compassion?"
Lin Qingsong questioned with a cold smile.
"We wanted to, but none of our field agents sent out ever returned alive..."
"But you are different. Some of you are mutually attracted to the energy of the Wishing Stone and won't experience rejection!"
"Therefore, you can obtain it. Moreover... your strength is greater than ours. Without the controllers, we are like ordinary people, so your chances of obtaining that item are higher than ours!"
Xi Zhen almost roared by the end of his explanation, his expression contorting with pain.
"I see. But how do I know if I am that chosen one?"
Lin Qingsong asked.
"You won't know the result unless you try!"
"What if it's you? Then you can become the King of the Apocalypse!"
"If not, with your abilities, self-preservation won't be an issue, so there's no loss..."
Xi Zhen said painfully.
"Then... which portal leads to the world you mentioned?"
Lin Qingsong pressed on.
"Portal number bd7348. Portals change frequently. As long as the computer system prompts with this number, you can enter!"
"That's all I know, I don't know anything else!"
Xi Zhen wailed in agony.
"Then I know. To show my gratitude, I won't kill you, and I'll even let you join my puppet legion!"
Lin Qingsong raised his right hand sharply.
A group of powerhouses slowly emerged from the ruins, numbering seven or eight, all at or above the Intermediate Transmutation stage.
Keiko, Rina, and Kim Soo-yeon followed behind; they had willingly followed Lin Qingsong and were therefore not controlled.
"Our legion has gained a native, truly something to celebrate!"
Lin Qingsong smiled faintly, controlling his puppet team, and advanced towards the seventh walled city.
While waiting for portal bd7348 to open, he continued to use the walled city as bait, attracting a large number of survivors to help him level up and acquire resources.
Thus, he weathered the Beast Phase, the Colossus Phase, and waited until the Ultimate Apocalypse began.
Portal bd7348 finally opened again.
However, to Lin Qingsong's surprise, a man named Zhang Chen slowly walked out of the portal, accompanied by a peerless beauty named Sheila.