Potential Potion

It was evening, time for dinner.

The girl and the young woman sat nestled together.

Ping Chengcheng’s appetite was small these days; she felt full after just a small bowl of rice, so she leaned against Song Ning, scrolling through her phone.

She wasn’t watching videos, but rather browsing the base’s team channel, a specially developed application.

Once an S-rank team was successfully registered, it could view the basic information of all individuals ranked A-rank and below.

Ping Chengcheng was searching for suitable team members.

The team system had been announced less than a day ago, but three to four hundred members had already registered.

Most hadn’t joined a team yet; they had merely registered their basic information and were waiting to see how things developed.

Among them were many ordinary, unemployed individuals, who were temporarily outside the girl’s consideration.

Beyond these people, there were still some individuals with their own skills and vehicles who ventured out daily to scavenge for supplies.

Although such endeavors were fraught with danger, the profits were high enough to attract those with an adventurous spirit.

Of course, some smaller groups also chose to register within the team system, looking for a suitable team to join.

Everyone was striving to raise their personal rating.

The base’s rating standard for individuals was evaluated based on the missions they completed.

Initially, an F-rank individual could only accept F-rank missions, and they could be promoted after completing a sufficient number.

Of course, killing a Variant or a Special Infected, or providing vital intelligence, could also raise one’s rating, and quite substantially at that.

A team leader could invite individuals with a rating below their team’s to join, but lower-ranked individuals could not apply to join higher-ranked teams.

After using the application’s filter function, only fifty or sixty people remained, all of whom possessed a degree of survival experience.

Scanning through them one by one, most were still F-rank, with seven or eight at E-rank, and only a single one at D-rank.

There was no one higher.

‘D-rank? That’s unexpected. I would have been content with a few E-ranks.’

A small smile played on Ping Chengcheng’s lips as she focused her attention on this particular individual.

The D-rank individual was named Rong Qingfeng, a twenty-six-year-old male.

He was an existing survivor squad leader within the base.

Even before the team system was established, he had already made a name for himself, and had recently killed a Sequence-40 Special Infected, a Hunter.

A quick glance revealed he had already created a team.

It was named “End of the Road” and, including him, had four members, all of whom were E-rank.

‘Very impressive. I wonder if there’s any possibility of recruiting him.’

Ping Chengcheng felt the chances were slim.

Such men were typically proud and would be unlikely to serve under another.

But she had to try.

Talent like this was best kept in her own hands.

Thus, Ping Chengcheng took the initiative to contact him, sending a message through the application.

The girl was using Song Ning’s account, as only a team leader could send messages to others.

After a short wait, Rong Qingfeng did not respond.

Frowning, Ping Chengcheng surmised that he probably didn’t own a phone.

She shook her head.

‘So be it.’

In that case, she could find an opportunity to approach him in person.

She would surely be able to find him at the main gate of the base.

Exiting the team application, the girl logged into the base’s online store.

Ping Chengcheng’s account started with an initial balance of five hundred thousand points.

A single suit of exoskeleton armor cost a mere ten thousand points; the girl could purchase fifty of them outright and form an overwhelmingly powerful special forces unit.

An ordinary person could only save three points from a day’s work.

The best way to earn points was to hunt Variants or Special Infected and exchange their remains for points.

Of course, such a path was paved with equal parts reward and danger.

‘The expenditure of these five hundred thousand points must be planned carefully.’

The girl narrowed her eyes.

She prioritized pre-ordering ten of the newest, yet-to-be-developed exoskeleton armors, for a total cost of two hundred thousand points.

“Hm, what is this?”

Suddenly, Ping Chengcheng’s gaze was drawn to a red potion.

“Potential Potion…”

Its price was a staggering one hundred thousand points.

‘What in the world is this?’

Ping Chengcheng had never heard of such an item, not even in her previous life.

She read the description:

This potion can temporarily stimulate human potential. Side effects are severe, with symptoms such as dizziness, coma, and shock appearing after approximately fifteen minutes.

This potion was created based on original research combined with studies on the special “Butcher” captured by the current General Commander of the Armed Operations Department, Miss Ping.

Ping Chengcheng nodded with understanding.

It seemed this item was another product of the butterfly effect brought about by her rebirth.

A smile touched her lips.

‘In that case, I’m buying it.’

Although it cost a full hundred thousand points, it could serve as a trump card.

With this potion, she could better protect her sister.

She continued to browse the store, but found nothing else worth purchasing.

To the average person, the items the girl had just bought were not even visible.

Her ability to pre-order the latest exoskeleton armor and the Potential Potion was purely due to her high clearance level.

Without both wealth and status, such items were completely inaccessible.

In less than half an hour, a testament to the base’s efficiency, someone arrived to deliver the items.

After signing for the package at the door, Ping Chengcheng carried an exquisite briefcase into the living room.

Song Ning had already finished her meal and was sitting on the sofa, her eyes fixed curiously on the case in the girl’s hands.

“What’s that?”

Ping Chengcheng gave a mysterious smile, sat down beside Song Ning, and placed the briefcase on her fair lap, clicking open the latches with a snap.

A single vial of a blood-red potion, emanating a bewitching aura, lay nestled securely in a foam cutout in the center.

“This is a Potential Potion. It can enhance physical abilities for a short time.”

The girl blinked.

Song Ning was so stunned by the red vial that she was speechless for a long moment.

“What are its effects? Are there side effects? How much did it cost?”

Song Ning’s eyes were locked on the vial, as if it possessed some magical power that captivated her very soul.

“This thing has significant side effects, but they don’t last long, about fifteen minutes.”

Ping Chengcheng took the potion out and placed it in front of Song Ning.

“In a moment, I want you to drink it. For fifteen minutes, your physical fitness, strength, agility, and resilience will at least double.”

Song Ning’s breathing grew ragged, her cheeks flushing red.

“Is… is it really that miraculous?”

Ping Chengcheng looked at Song Ning, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

“That’s right. In my past life, you could only find a potion like this on the black market, and even then, it was priceless and impossible to find. After you drink it, you’ll temporarily possess strength even greater than mine.”

Song Ning’s eyes filled with yearning, curiosity, and a flicker of excitement.

“Really?”

“Mhm. I’ll give you another one. Drink it when you encounter danger.”

With that, Ping Chengcheng took another Potential Potion from the briefcase and handed it to Song Ning.

“This… this is a Potential Potion. It can enhance physical abilities for a short time.”

Song Ning frowned.

“This kind of thing must have major side effects, right?”

Although the side effects were quite severe, Ping Chengcheng chose to hide the full truth from Song Ning.

If she didn’t, she knew Song Ning would worry about her incessantly.

Even though the girl’s current body was weak, she still wanted to stay by her sister’s side.

She was terrified of Song Ning facing danger, terrified of not being there to help in that critical first moment.

“Sister, there are side effects, but it’s just weakness for an hour or two. It’s really not so bad!”

Hearing this, Song Ning nodded.

“That’s good, then,” she said, reaching out to gently ruffle the girl’s hair with a smile.

“Chengcheng, you keep this potion safe. Use it to protect yourself if you’re ever in danger, okay?”

The girl tilted her head.

“Okay.”

‘Protect myself?’

‘Compared to me, Sister, you are the one who matters most.’

Besides, she still had two hundred thousand points left, so there was no need to be too frugal.

She should use them when needed.

The night was quiet, perhaps because Zone A was sparsely populated.

Suddenly, the group radio on the girl’s hip crackled to life.

“Commander, six Tyrant-class Special Infected have appeared at the southern wall! Requesting backup, requesting backup!”

“They’re… they’re attacking the wall!”

‘Tyrants?’

The girl’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Song Ning.

“Sister, this is the perfect opportunity to bring our team into the public eye.”

“Let’s go!”

The two moved swiftly.

Song Ning donned her exoskeleton armor, and they drove out of Zone A, heading toward the southern wall.

The exoskeleton armor that Song Ning had left behind in A City had been recovered before they left; it hadn’t been lost.