"Teacher Lin not only provided this internal energy cultivation method and various combat skills, but also concocted these talent-boosting potions for me.
There are hardly any people in the entire Taoyuan Base who don't practice martial arts."
The people of Taoyuan Base get particularly excited when this topic comes up, eager to introduce their martial arts and Teacher Lin to everyone who visits.
"Teacher Lin? Is that the one who released these materials?" Yun Chang found the videos and showed them to the store clerk.
"That's right. You can start with the free basic cultivation methods. If you need more advanced techniques, you can redeem them with points. If you don't feel any 'qi sensation' within three days, you can go to the administrative hall and claim some talent-boosting potions using your identity information.
However, once you develop a qi sensation, you won't be able to get them for free; you'll need to exchange them for points. Although the potions are quite bitter, everyone loves them. It's said that after drinking them, you don't even get sick anymore. That's why the medicinal herbs ran out," the clerk explained.
"Stop chatting and come serve the dishes!" a shout came from the kitchen.
"I need to get back to work. If you have any questions, you can go to the administrative hall. There are dedicated volunteers there, those kids around ten years old, who will tell you everything," he said, heading towards the kitchen. "Coming, coming!"
Yun Chang and the others had been listening intently to the store clerk and hadn't reached for the dishes on the table. After a long while, Wang Zhixue broke the silence.
"Do you think what he said is true?"
"I don't think it can be false. After all, this isn't something you can just ask around and find out. He wouldn't have any reason to lie to us," Gao Yang reasoned, feeling that the clerk had no motive to deceive them.
"Should we go to the administrative hall to ask?" Yuan Kai was also looking at the administrative hall's page on his phone. Although he hadn't purchased any videos, he had bookmarked them.
"Let's go take a look, and then get that potion. The mission to collect medicinal herbs has been ongoing, so the potions are likely in short supply. We should apply for them as soon as possible," Yun Chang decided.
"Okay." Once they reached a consensus, the group began to eat.
It had to be said, aside from the fact that the base used points instead of money, it was truly just like before the apocalypse.
Especially with mobile payments available for everything, it felt even more similar to pre-apocalypse times. Seeing the "smartphone zombies" on the streets, they had been momentarily disoriented several times, as if the scenes of the apocalypse were just a dream.
"Oh right, if we go to the administrative hall, shouldn't we also see what kind of jobs are available?" Although they had been allocated housing due to their status as ability users and the points they possessed.
They had also been told that having a job would make their residency more secure.
"I looked into jobs too. My earth-element ability can only be used for repairing city walls, but the points given are quite high. Did they recommend any jobs for you?"
"They did. They suggested I register incoming visitors at the entrance." His ability leaned towards the mental type, allowing him to discern lies and even briefly control others.
"What about you, A'Chang? Your ability is so powerful, you should be able to find a pretty good job!"
"Oh, they… they asked me to work in power generation."
Yun Chang's words left the other three speechless; the base's vibe was still something they couldn't quite grasp.
"Let's take on missions to earn points instead. I think that's more suitable for us," he quickly changed the subject.
However, Yun Chang was somewhat tempted. After all, what the person had said was true: working in power generation could also help him better control his abilities.
He was willing to try anything that could improve his abilities, but there was no rush for now. After a few days of completing missions, they could go and look into that job.
Once the drug testing missions were posted on the administrative hall's page, many people signed up, and even the base manager came to inquire.
His martial arts weren't great, and he hadn't awakened any abilities. When Lin Yan's drug was released this time, he was also very interested.
"Please wait a moment, let's discuss it after the drug's efficacy is confirmed."
"But I believe that since Lin Yan has already conducted human trials, she must have full confidence." He understood Lin Yan; she valued human lives highly.
From the very beginning, when Lin Yan went from household to household seeking out survivors to establish the initial Taoyuan Base, they understood that Lin Yan was someone who deeply valued human life.
"Even so, I need to observe them as they awaken. Please wait a moment, and I'll schedule you for the third batch," Lin Yan persuaded him.
Although the manager didn't have many special privileges within the base, he managed the base's affairs. Even if he were to awaken his abilities, he would need to properly delegate his responsibilities before that.
Soon, the first batch of drug testers was selected. There were twenty people in this batch. Lin Yan couldn't possibly attend to more.
Lin Yan had explained the drug's potential reactions and success rates to them in advance.
However, this batch consisted of veteran members of Taoyuan Base, who trusted Lin Yan implicitly. Therefore, they had signed up directly upon hearing the news.
"Little Lin Teacher, we trust you. And you said that even if it's useless, our safety would be guaranteed!"
"Yes, Little Lin Teacher, we all believe in you!"
"Alright then, after you drink the potion, you must endure and tell me how you feel," Lin Yan instructed again.
"Understood, understood."
The first group of five people drank the potion. As the potion went down their throats, intense pain coursed through them, and their faces contorted in agony. But they endured.
With so many companions by their side, they didn't want to show weakness, so none of them cried out.
An hour later, the pain intensified, and they cried out.
Two hours later, their pain slightly subsided.
Two and a half hours in, some people fainted from the pain.
Three hours later, the pain had completely disappeared.
During these few hours, their body temperatures remained above 38°C, at one point even rising to 40°C. Although Lin Yan knew they would be fine and she was monitoring them closely, she was still very worried.
After four hours, they all woke up one by one. Each of them was drenched in sweat, but their expressions were relaxed.
After exchanging glances, they all activated the abilities within their bodies, with different abilities manifesting in their palms.
Seeing the results, Lin Yan let out a long sigh of relief. The other three groups of people behind her, witnessing these outcomes, also had eyes filled with eagerness.
The second, third, and fourth groups followed. Lin Yan stayed with each group until the end, and the results for each group were very encouraging.
All twenty individuals awakened their abilities. These abilities ranged from physical enhancements like speed and strength to elemental ones like metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
It was a pity that no more extraordinary abilities manifested, but with a hundred percent success rate, Lin Yan was still very pleased.