It used to be a reigning champion in its own right. However, it was easily brought down by Waldo, a downgrade, and killed without much effort.

Phew, is this what a third-level zombie looks like? Its resilience is truly remarkable.

But, just like that, it’s no match for me, completely overwhelmed. However, for other survivors, it might be a different story. Without any surprises, ninety percent of survivors wouldn’t be able to defeat a third-level zombie. Once encountered, it’s certain death!

Waldo breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Helen and Alanna also approached. They had just heard the commotion from this direction, which was intense, and hurried over.

When they saw the entire street almost turned into a sea of fire, they were left dumbfounded.

What? What’s going on?!

Alanna stared in astonishment.

Nearly a thousand zombies were howling in the blaze, a spectacular sight!

Then, even more shocking was a colossal zombie body lying at Waldo’s feet.

Alanna felt her head spinning.

She stammered, "What, what is this?"

Helen was equally surprised.

This isn’t a second-level zombie; second-level zombies aren’t this large. Could it be... a third-level zombie?

Both women turned to Waldo, seeking answers from him.

Waldo nodded slowly.

Yes, it’s a third-level zombie. Third-level zombies are not only incredibly powerful physically, but it seems they’ve gained some intelligence as well, and can even control other zombies.

A third-level zombie?

With intelligence?

Controlling other zombies?

The two women were momentarily stunned.

Any one of these aspects would be extremely shocking news!

They had a premonition that this world was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

In the future, just how far would the zombies evolve? 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

No one could say for sure!

Wait a minute!

Just then, Waldo’s face changed slightly.

Because, just a moment ago, he received a notification.

Killed a third-level zombie, gained five experience points!

Special reminder: There is a chance to obtain source stones after killing a third-level zombie.

Source stones? What are those?

After a moment of confusion, Waldo took a step forward, clenched his fist, and punched the zombie’s skull, which burst with a repulsive spray of fluids.

But Waldo’s eyes suddenly lit up because amid the mess, there was a milky-white stone emitting a faint glow.

The stone was the size of a soybean, but Waldo could feel the unusual energy within it.

Is this a source stone?

Looking at the milky-white stone in his hand, Waldo couldn’t help but wonder.

Alanna was also curious.

"It came out of the zombie’s head, which feels disgusting, but at the same time, it’s strangely attractive, like I want to devour it."

Helen nodded slowly.

"I feel the same way. It’s a conflicting sensation. Whatever its purpose, let’s try eating it. It feels right to me," Waldo said.

Then, he rinsed it off with bottled water and swallowed it.

However, after consuming it, Waldo only felt a warm sensation inside his body, as if nothing had happened.

Waldo was puzzled.

"What’s going on?"

At that moment, the system’s voice came in.

"Absorbed one source stone, gained one ability evolution point!"

"What? Ability evolution point?" Waldo was taken aback but immediately felt great excitement welling up inside.

"Ability evolution point? You mean abilities can evolve?" Waldo was trembling with excitement.

This was incredibly thrilling news!

He quickly checked his personal attribute interface and found a new section.

"Evolution Points: 1

Abilities: Teleportation (Level 1); Fire Control (Level 1); Invisibility (Level 1)

(Note: To advance from Level 1 to Level 2, you need 10 evolution points.)"

Alanna and Helen had no idea what had just happened, only seeing Waldo’s unusual excitement. They couldn’t help but inquire.

"Waldo, what’s going on? Why are you so excited? What happened?"

Waldo took a moment to calm down and excitedly explained, "Do you know what that milky-white stone was called? It’s called a source stone! It can be converted into evolution points, which can be used to evolve abilities!"

"Abilities can evolve?" Alanna was amazed and somewhat skeptical.

Helen was also in shock for a while before regaining her composure.

"Abilities are the most powerful assets for each of us survivors. Having an ability or not can mean the difference between life and death! And source stones, which can upgrade abilities, are likely to be extremely precious resources. They’re even more important than experience points!"

Waldo nodded slowly.

That’s right, abilities are incredibly important. Those with abilities can easily overpower survivors without them; the latter are almost defenseless! Similarly, high-level abilities would likely have the upper hand against lower-level ones.

The three of them quickly recognized the importance of source stones. In the future, this would be the most critical strategic resource. It might even lead to life-or-death battles among survivors.

Waldo spoke slowly, "I think we need to take action immediately and kill more third-level zombies because only their heads contain these stones!"

"Currently, third-level zombies are rare, and there are few people capable of killing them. I guess we’re the first ones to discover source stones," Alanna added.

At this point, the three exchanged glances and quickly reached a decision.

They would have two missions in the West District of the city.

First, to kill many zombies and gain more experience points.

Second, to find third-level zombies and obtain source stones.

Waldo promptly took out a map. On it, numerous locations were marked as danger zones with red dots. Upon closer examination, Waldo realized that the street they were on was one of these red dots.

This meant that the marked red dots indicated the locations of third-level zombies. In other words, there were likely dozens, if not hundreds, of third-level zombies in the West District.

"I think we need to act quickly," Helen reminded them. "Because, before long, more and more survivors may arrive in the West District. By then, others are bound to discover the source stones and learn about their significance."

Waldo nodded slightly. "You’re right."

Waldo looked at the map, and his eyes began to gleam.