I STACK ATTRIBUTES IN THE APOCALYPSE -MyOwnEdit-

Mother Tree...

Upon hearing those two words, Huo Sheng frowned, a sense of unease washing over him. Lu Ming, however, remained unfazed.

He studied the three humanoid creatures before him, his brow furrowing as he noticed a peculiar detail.

While their faces differed, two male and one female with crimson eyes, their bodies were unsettlingly identical. Aside from the bat wings protruding from their backs, their appearance seemed ordinary at first glance.

But upon closer inspection, Lu Ming sensed something amiss.

"Why do all three of you have the same body?" he inquired, his voice laced with curiosity.

Indeed, their bodies were carbon copies of one another. Their clothing varied, but the exposed skin, down to the pores, was indistinguishable. Even more bizarre was the fact that the female-looking individual possessed a male physique – a detail obscured by their loose, gender-neutral attire.

Lu Ming's initial surprise gave way to a sudden realization. He turned to Huo Sheng and Meng Jie, his voice tinged with a hint of alarm. "I'm afraid your theory is correct. A monster production line has emerged in Nanxiang City..."

He gestured towards the three figures. "These three are its creations."

Huo Sheng nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the monstrous trio.

Then, Lu Ming's next words stunned him.

"But it's not a Tier 4 production line," Lu Ming corrected, his voice grave. "It's a Tier 5 production line. These three monsters possess the strength of Tier 5 creatures."

A hush fell over the gathering place as Lu Ming's words sank in.

Tier 5!

Since the onset of the apocalypse, Nanxiang City had witnessed only three Tier 5 beings: Lu Ming (whose true power remained a mystery), Chang Yi, and The Flesh Mountain.

To say that Level 5 was considered legendary in Nanxiang City would be an understatement. And yet, here were three such creatures, appearing all at once.

Huo Sheng approached Lu Ming, his gaze fixed on the monstrous trio. "You..." he began, but before he could finish his sentence, the female humanoid interrupted.

"The Mother Tree wishes to see you. Come with us," she said, addressing Lu Ming directly.

They completely ignored everyone else. In fact, if not for the Mother Tree's orders, they wouldn't have spared a single glance at anyone other than Lu Ming.

"This place," Lu Ming mused, a thoughtful expression on his face.

This was the human gathering place.

In the eyes of the humanoid monsters, it was a mere pigsty, its inhabitants nothing more than a stockpile of food. Conversations with food were unnecessary, a waste of time.

Lu Ming sensed the malicious intent behind their words, a frown creasing his brow.

"I don't want to go," he stated firmly, his voice laced with a hint of warning. "What are you going to do with me?"

When reason was an option, Lu Ming preferred to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The missile incident had made their intentions clear – these creatures harbored hostility towards humans. However, they hadn't yet displayed any direct aggression towards him. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Lu Ming sought to reason with them.

Their response was chillingly straightforward.

"If you refuse to come willingly," one of the creatures hissed, "we'll kill you and take your body. The outcome is the same."

Lu Ming's voice caught in his throat, silenced by the chilling reality of their words. Their first instinct was to resort to violence, to murder.

A wave of despair washed over him as he lamented the state of the world. "Alright..." he conceded, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

He cast a glance at the others, noticing that they had already retreated, leaving him alone to face the monstrous trio.

Every soul within the Guangping Street gathering place knew Lu Ming's nature. When the word "kill" had slipped from the lips of the humanoid monsters, there was no turning back.

Brother Lu was a gentle soul, yes, but he was also a force of nature.

When a creature dared to threaten him, Lu Ming responded with swift and decisive action, eradicating the source of malice without hesitation.

There would be no negotiation. No second chances.

And this was one such moment.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, Lu Ming vanished, reappearing a mere half-meter away from the monstrous trio. The sheer speed of his movement shattered the sound barrier, sending shockwaves rippling through the gathering place.

The human-headed monsters' eyes widened in shock and fear. The power emanating from Lu Ming far exceeded the expectations of the Blood Flesh Mother Tree.

In the next instant, Lu Ming extended his arms. Two massive palms, each the size of a prayer mat, closed in on the three figures, trapping them in a deadly embrace.

Lu Ming's physique was naturally imposing, standing at a height of nearly 2.4 meters with an impressive wingspan. Towering over the three humanoid monsters, he resembled an adult towering over children as he reached out his long arms to envelop them.

But this was no embrace.

Far from it.

A thunderous boom erupted as his thick arms, like the jaws of a hydraulic press, slammed together.

Blood and flesh splattered in all directions. Under the immense pressure, the three humanoid monsters were instantly crushed into a single, gruesome mass—a grotesque amalgamation of intertwined limbs and gore.

The sheer disparity in physical strength made the act both swift and brutal. For Lu Ming, it was nothing more than a simple slap... like swatting a mosquito.

However, after delivering the blow, Lu Ming frowned.

He stepped back, observing the mangled heap of flesh as it began to writhe and convulse. It separated, then recombined, quickly reforming into three distinct individuals.

"They're regenerating!" someone shouted in alarm.

The humanoid monsters had inherited a powerful self-healing ability.

As soon as they regenerated, the three humanoid monsters unleashed a coordinated assault on Lu Ming.

A red light emanated from one creature's eyes, causing Lu Ming to feel his blood flow slow and his strength momentarily diminish – but the effect was minimal.

Another creature opened its mouth, emitting a piercing ultrasonic wave that assaulted Lu Ming's ears, causing a sharp pain and disorienting him.

The third monster transformed its arms into flesh-colored blades, slashing at Lu Ming from multiple angles.

These three humanoid monsters, all spawned from the Blood Flesh Mother Tree, shared an uncanny bond, their cooperation and understanding surpassing that of even the closest siblings.

Their combined strength rivaled that of a Tier 6 creature.

But they had underestimated their opponent.

Lu Ming clenched his fingers into a fist, then swiftly extended his hand, transforming his palm into a razor-sharp blade.

With a series of lightning-fast strikes, arcs of saber qi erupted from his hand, cleaving through the midsections of the three humanoid monsters.

This time, Lu Ming left them no chance to regenerate. As he continued his relentless assault, he muttered to himself, "Your self-healing abilities are impressive, but you're not invincible."

"Every creature has its limits," he reasoned, "even zombies. And superpowers have their limitations as well."

"I doubt you can maintain this high-speed healing forever," he added, a determined glint in his eyes.

"Since I have nothing planned for this afternoon," he mused, "I won't nap today. I'll use you to practice my saber techniques instead."

After all, wasn't this just another form of training?

Lu Ming knew the answer all too well.