Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

Chen Ye took the skill book and opened the cover.

A blue light screen popped up in front of him instantly, displaying the skill details.

[Rank B Skill: Heavy Cannon]

[Skill Description: Fist technique. Consumes 20 stamina points to deliver a powerful punch, dealing damage equal to three times the base strength. Can stack with talents.]

Wang Shuo was the first to come over, his head almost touching the light screen.

Li Zheng also opened his eyes, moved over from the wall, and squatted down next to Wang Shuo.

Zhou Yating didn't move, but her gaze also fell over.

"Holy crap! Three times the base strength damage, isn't that the same as Hai Ge's talent?"

Wang Shuo's eyes widened instantly, and his voice rose several octaves, echoing in the empty supermarket.

"This skill book is way more powerful than weapons and equipment! Weapons and equipment might add a few points to your stats at most, but this is a multiplier!"

Li Zheng also came over, stared at the text on the screen for several seconds, then shook his head, his tone filled with regret. He had the talent of weapon proficiency, so he was obviously not suitable to learn this skill.

"Hai-ge is perfect for learning this. It can be stacked with his talent, which would directly result in six times the damage. Six times! What does that mean? Hai-ge currently has 5 points of base strength. Six times would be 30 points of strength. He could probably smash a monster like the lizard-headed one punch to pieces."

Wang Shuo's first thought was Zhao Hai, whose talent and skills would directly double his combat power.

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhaoyang immediately jumped up from the shelf: "Hai Ge is indeed the most suitable, but we were able to get this book thanks to Ye Ge's guidance and my talent. I think Ye Ge should learn it."

"Indeed, Chen Ye and Qin Zhaoyang contributed the most to getting this skill book, so they should have the right to distribute it."

Zhou Yating's voice came from the other end, unhurried and calm, as if she were stating an objective fact.

"But Hai-ge will benefit the most from learning this skill, and our team will become stronger too. Chen Ye only has five points of strength, so even if he deals triple damage, he only has 15 points of strength, the same as Hai-ge without his talent. When Hai-ge activates his talent and stacks this skill, that will be a real qualitative change."

Wang Shuo shook his head, his expression serious, not like he was arguing, but rather stating his true thoughts.

He looked at Chen Ye and said sincerely, "Chen Ye, I'm not targeting you. I just think making the best use of resources is the right choice. Anyway, you can make the decisions. We can handle the fighting. You don't need to be at the forefront."

Qin Zhaoyang's face flushed slightly as he looked at Wang Shuo and retorted, "Anyway, I killed that lizard-headed creature, so I feel I have the right to decide who gets this book."

"You killed them, but we're a team. Shouldn't we consider the team's overall interests?"

"Does considering the overall benefit mean giving all the good stuff to the strongest person? Then who will contribute in the future? Since we won't get the good stuff anyway, we might as well just give up."

"I did not mean that……"

That's what you mean.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Li Zheng stepped between the two of them, then looked at Chen Ye: "Chen Ye, you tell me, who do you think is most suitable to learn this skill book?"

All eyes were on Chen Ye.

Chen Ye leaned against the wall, tapping his fingers lightly on his knees twice, and began to calculate in his mind.

Giving the skill book to Zhao Hai would indeed be the most beneficial thing right now, but this survival trial will end after tonight.

Upgrading shouldn't be too difficult at first, but the long-term benefits will definitely outweigh the learning gains.

With this skill, he developed rapidly, and the higher his level, the stronger his talent became.

In this environment, becoming stronger is the most important thing. He hasn't reached the point of being selfless yet; everything he does is for survival.

Just then, there was a knock on the supermarket's roller shutter door.

"Clang clang clang—clang clang—"

Three short and two long characters were the secret code that Zhao Hai and they had agreed upon.

Wang Shuo was the first to jump up, rush to the roller shutter door, move the shelves and metal cabinets piled up at the doorway, and then pull up the roller shutter door.

The night wind, carrying mist, rushed in, bringing with it that familiar, rotten, sweet, and fishy smell.

Zhao Hai stood at the door, his clothes torn in several places, his exposed skin covered with purplish-blue bruises and white scratches.

The wound on his right shoulder was still bleeding, and the right half of his work jacket was soaked in blood, turning into a deep dark red.

His face was pale, and his lips were chapped, but his eyes remained clear, without the kind of disorientation that comes with being on the verge of collapse.

"Brother Hai!"

Wang Shuo and Li Zheng called out at the same time, and the two of them went up to help Zhao Hai, one on each side.

Zhao Hai waved his hand, pushed their hands away, and walked in.

"I can hear you arguing right outside the door. Aren't you afraid of attracting those gray-skinned monsters?"

He walked into the middle of the crowd, glanced at the upside-down flashlight, then at the skill book light screen in Chen Ye's hand, and then plopped down on the ground, leaning against the shelf pillar, and let out a long breath.

"This skill book belongs to Chen Ye and Qin Zhaoyang, and we have no right to interfere with how it is distributed."

His voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was firm.

Wang Shuo opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhao Hai silenced him with a look.

Zhao Hai reached out and touched the wound on his right shoulder. His fingertips were stained with a little blood. He looked at it under the light and then shook his hand.

"Jiang Ning set up this scheme, used precious items, and found so many cannon fodder, but in the end he got nothing. He even gave me a weapon as a bonus, and we also got the kill points and skill books. It's fucking satisfying to think about."

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, a smile that contained weariness, but even more so, a sense of exhilaration. For a moment, he felt that all the injuries he had suffered were well worth it.

Zhao Hai flipped his hand, and the Gale Crossbow appeared in his hand.

The silver-gray crossbow body gleamed coldly under the dim light, and the faint bluish sheen on the crossbow arm was particularly striking in the dark environment.

Qin Zhaoyang's eyes lit up instantly, shining like two light bulbs.

His gaze was fixed on the Swiftwind Crossbow, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his lips parted slightly.

I wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to speak, and I was completely frozen in place, as if I had been put under a spell.

Zhao Hai raised the Gale Crossbow, weighed it in his hand, and then looked at Qin Zhaoyang.

"want to?"

"Mmm-hmm!"

Qin Zhaoyang nodded vigorously, his pace so fast it was as if he had a motor.

"Take it. Figure out the arrows yourself. Jiang Ning didn't give them to me."

Zhao Hai pushed the Swift Wind Crossbow towards Qin Zhaoyang.

"Thank you, Brother Hai! You're like a brother to me!"

Qin Zhaoyang practically lunged forward to catch it. He held the Gale Crossbow in both hands as if it were a rare treasure, his eyes scanning the crossbow back and forth while he made "tsk tsk tsk" sounds.

Zhao Hai waved his hand without replying, and turned his gaze to Chen Ye.

"You should learn the skill book. I'll feel more at ease if you have combat power. Otherwise, I'll have to worry about you every time we encounter danger, and it will distract me during the fight. If the brain of a team dies, the combat power will drop sharply."

Chen Ye looked at Zhao Hai, paused for a second, and then nodded.

"Okay, then I'll learn it."

He lowered his head, his gaze returning to the light screen.

At the bottom of the screen are two options: "Give up" on the left and "Study" on the right.

Chen Ye stretched out his finger and tapped "Study".

The light screen flickered violently, and the dark blue-covered skill book disappeared from his hand, turning into countless tiny specks of light that scattered.

Then, the system panel popped up automatically.

[Skill: Thousand-Pound Cannon (Rank B) has been learned]

[Effect: Consumes 20 stamina points to deliver a powerful punch, dealing damage equal to three times the base strength. This effect stacks with talents.]

Chen Ye turned off the control panel and clenched his fist.

Five points of base strength, tripled to fifteen points of strength damage, the same as when Zhao Hai activated his talent.

If we take into account the bonus from his SSS-level talent [Supernatural Strength], once he reaches level two, his base strength will become 10 points, and three times that would be 30 points.

The skill is very powerful, but it also consumes a lot of energy. With my current energy level, it will be depleted after five punches.

In contrast, talents are much more durable. For example, Zhao Hai's talent can last for at least thirty minutes when fully unleashed. However, the damage from skills and talents is stacked, which is also the strength of skills.