novelraw Chapter 7 Gene Level: LV2
Chapter 7 Gene Level: LV2
"Squeak squeak squeak—!"
As if receiving a signal to retreat, the remaining thorn rats no longer cared about food. In an instant, they turned into dozens of gray shadows and fled back into the darkness outside the camp at an even faster speed than when they came.
All that remained was a scene of devastation, the air thick with the stench of blood, and a deathly silent camp.
The cold wooden spear was held in his palm, and the dark red bloodstains on the spearhead, which had not yet dried, gave off a strong smell of rust, which mixed with the smell of the camp and went straight to Chen Huai's nostrils.
He looked down and saw that the ground beneath his feet was littered with corpses.
These spiky rats were a bit bigger than cats, about the size of a medium-sized dog. The dozen or so corpses lying twisted in the mud were quite a visual shock.
Its bristly hairs, resembling steel needles, and its scarlet eyes made it appear particularly ferocious in the dim light.
"Killed so many in one go?"
The thought only crossed Chen Huai's mind after the battle was over, carrying a sense of unreality.
Just yesterday, no, just a few hours ago, he was in a meeting in his office about this game.
Although he had played several virtual reality games and killed many monsters, none of them could match the realism of this game world.
In reality, he has never even killed a chicken.
However, at this moment, looking at the lifeless corpses of the thorn rats, he did not have any violent physiological reaction.
There was only a strange tranquility.
The moral impact of the killing itself was temporarily suppressed by the instinct for survival and the sudden acquisition of superpowers.
He didn't become bloodthirsty; rather, in this cruel wasteland, survival itself was the most important thing.
Spiny rats are pests that threaten the survival of a camp. Eliminating them is like clearing out annoying monsters in a game; it's a necessary action under the logic of survival.
He adapted to this very quickly.
Meanwhile, the refugees were completely stunned, staring at the young man's back in the center of the field, and at the dozen or so twitching rat corpses at his feet.
The stench of blood permeated the sweltering air, so strong it was almost pungent, but it paled in comparison to the impact of the scene before him.
Even Lao Lei and the others stared at Chen Huai in surprise.
The four of them were the only ones who had witnessed Chen Huai "fighting" with the cat demon.
But the encounter was too fast, too dangerous, and too far beyond their comprehension.
Let alone fighting, the four of them were among the few people in the entire camp who had ever seen a cat demon. Their previous understanding of its terror was entirely based on rumors. As for Chen Huaihe's fight with the cat demon, they couldn't make any sense of it either. But this basic battle made them see the difference in skill even more clearly.
These thorny, ghostly creatures are the nightmare of everyone at Wild Grass Camp!
They knew the thorn rats all too well! They knew how fast they could run away, how cunning they were at squeezing in and out of defensive gaps, and the frustration of several strong men chasing and trying to catch just one, often to no avail!
Every attack by the thorn rats is a disastrous war of attrition, accompanied by losses of supplies and casualties.
But Chen Huai's actions just now were completely different.
Holding the same old wooden spear, he strolled around seemingly without any skill, but with each strike, a rat was killed instantly.
Each seemingly casual strike was accompanied by a short, sharp screech, and a thorny rat that they hated to the bone but were powerless against was swiftly and decisively pinned to the ground.
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless! Simple to the point of being brutal, yet so efficient it's breathtaking.
"Gulp."
Someone swallowed hard, their voice unusually clear in the deathly silence.
"We won!"
A trembling yet powerful voice rang out first; it was Amu.
He waved the simple wooden stick in his hand, his face flushed with excitement.
This shout of celebration seemed to ignite a fuse, and the long-suppressed ecstasy exploded in the camp!
"Not a single piece of food was missing."
A man inspected the warehouse and said happily.
The thorn rats were so busy escaping that they didn't have time to move any resources.
"God! I finally got my revenge!"
Another man kicked the nearest dead porcupine hard, a look of satisfaction on his face:
"Last month, Er Gouzi was bitten by one of these things. He had a fever and was bedridden for half a month, but he still didn't make it!"
Upon hearing this, the faces of the people around him also showed some sadness.
These unassuming monsters did indeed take away the health and even the lives of their loved ones.
Compared to those who were happy to have defended the camp and avenged their great grudge, more refugees cautiously gathered around, their eyes fixed intently on the thorn rat carcasses on the ground, their gazes filled with fervor.
These strange beasts, which they usually hated with a passion but were helpless against, were now lying there, becoming a rare treasure. They had been harassed by the thorn rats for more than half a year. Although they had killed these guys before, all of them combined did not amount to today's harvest.
Zhou Yan parted the crowd and strode up to Chen Huai.
The old scar on his face seemed to have smoothed out a bit, and the scrutiny and aloofness in his eyes had noticeably faded. He solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, and his voice was much more sincere than when they first met.
"Sir, thank you so much! These beasts come to wreak havoc every few days, not only damaging things but also injuring and killing people. Every household in the camp has suffered at their hands. If it weren't for your help today, much of our food would have been wasted, and there might even have been casualties."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the corpse on the ground, his tone tinged with a sense of relief at surviving the ordeal.
"These dozen or so... are enough to give everyone a breather and let off some steam for our brothers who were injured before."
He reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out a small bag wrapped in layers of dirty, thick cloth.
He untied the cloth bag, revealing several round coins with a dull metallic luster, and presented them to Chen Huai with both hands.
"My lord, this is five dinars, which is all the savings I have."
Zhou Yan explained, his tone tinged with apology and pragmatism:
"In a small place like ours, we usually barter, so we don't save up many dinars. This is really nothing to offer... but it's just a small token of our appreciation."
Chen Huai looked at the few slightly rough metal coins in Zhou Yan's hand. They were denars, issued by the Federation before the nuclear war and now the common currency in the wasteland, with strong purchasing power.
He glanced again at the greedy looks on the faces of the refugees around him as they stared at the thorn rat carcass, then silently nodded and accepted the five dinars.
at the same time.
【Ding! 】
[Side Quest: Camp Menace - Exterminate the Thorn Rats - Completed!]
[Assessment: Successfully drove away the thorn rat swarm, protecting camp members and assets. Number of targets eliminated: 16]
[Task rewards are being calculated...]
Experience points gained: 100
[Currency obtained: 5 dinars]
[Bonus combat experience calculated... Killed 16 LV1 Spiny Rats, gained 90 experience points]
The notification tone didn't stop immediately; instead, it took on an uplifting rhythm:
[Gene level upgrade! LV1 → LV2!]
[Genetic level breakthrough, body is being strengthened... Please wait...]
A faint yet clear warm current seemed to spring from the depths of my bones, instantly flowing through my limbs and bones.
This wasn't an illusion; it was a real, tangible sense of enhancement! The last trace of tension on my back, which had been scratched by the cat demon, completely vanished under the wash of this warm current, as if I had never been injured at all.
He immediately brought up the attribute panel again:
[ID: Chen Huai (Superhuman)]
[Occupation: Child of Nature]
[Genetic Level: LV2]
Strength: 18 → 21
[Constitution: 16 → 18]
Agility: 15 → 18
[Spirit: 30 → 34]
It's been upgraded!
Strength, Constitution, and Agility—the three basic attributes—have all increased by 2-3 points! Spirit has also increased by a whopping 4 points!
Although it was only a minor improvement, it meant that his power in this wasteland world had indeed increased.
Chen Huai felt the surging power and new vitality within his body, his gaze sweeping over the refugees who were still immersed in ecstasy and gratitude.
The joy of leveling up was real, and the physical strength he gained was real, but the tension in his heart had become even tighter.
Victories achieved through attribute advantage are nothing to be proud of. The shadow of the Cat Demon still lingers, and the attribute boosts from leveling up seem insignificant given the vast gap between them.
But he was not afraid. As a player, he was confident that he could catch up with anyone as long as he could level up.