Chapter Thirty-Three: The World Is No Longer Safe

Previously, because there was so little source energy, Zhou Shu had always been hesitant and stingy with its use, constantly calculating and worrying that it would never be enough. But once he spent it and immediately saw results, he realized—how delightful it truly was!

He used to be an ordinary high school student. Though he was fairly handsome, his physique was nothing special: simply well-proportioned, neither fat nor thin. Now, in an instant, he possessed the athletic capabilities of an outstanding student on the school’s sports team, reaching the national second-tier athlete standard in some disciplines. Muscles appeared, defined and toned.

And there was another change: he could now see himself clearly in the mirror without needing glasses. How many years had it been since he’d last experienced this? Ever since he started wearing glasses for nearsightedness back in sixth grade, his prescription only worsened over time, and taking off his glasses left the world a blurry haze.

Ten meters away, he couldn’t recognize his own family; fifty meters, and people, animals, all looked the same. Even up close, whenever he sat before a mirror after a haircut, the barber would invariably ask, “How’s the cut? Anything you want to change?” His usual reply: “I can’t see without my glasses. Just cut it short, you decide.” Now, he’d never have to say that again. He could simply answer, “Looks good, just like that.”

Ahem.

Looking at his attribute panel, the delight only grew.

[Hunter System]
[User: Zhou Shu (Recruit)]
[Mental: 1.16 (Max)]
[Strength: 0.85 (Max)]
[Agility: 0.83 (Max)]
[Endurance: 0.83 (Max)]
[Constitution: 0.84 (Max)]
[Language: Native (Proficient), English (Beginner)]
[Weapon Skills: Firearms (Beginner), Powered Exoskeleton Operation (Beginner)]
[Auxiliary Equipment: ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ Standard Powered Exoskeleton Armor (Good Condition)]
[Source Energy: 1.39]

First off, his mental attribute was truly outstanding, reaching an impressive 1.16. The ability to enter “bullet time” when concentrating and with an accelerated heartbeat was real, and this experience had proved it. Thanks to this, even with blurred vision, he’d been able to control his firearm and pour rounds into the ogre’s head and chest.

However, because his other attributes lagged so far behind his mental attribute, while he could perceive everything in slow motion and think of all sorts of counterattacks, his body simply couldn’t keep up. Thankfully, the powered exoskeleton supported him; otherwise, his aim would have wavered all over the place.

After all, the exoskeleton armor was designed precisely to compensate for human limitations. But as his operational skills were only at beginner level, he couldn’t fully utilize the suit’s power. Otherwise, with the “bullet time” effect combined with the armor’s performance, he might have been able to kill that ogre with a single shot.

Perhaps. The ogre’s head and chest had been riddled with bullet holes from his barrage, but he couldn’t be sure if the first bullet had been effective, given the creature’s freakish resilience.

Earlier, he’d been interrupted while searching the corpse, but back home now, he finally had time to check the monster’s basic stats.

[Strength 1.08–1.11, Agility 1.03–1.05, Endurance 1.11–1.14, Constitution 1.39–1.43]

Comparing these, Zhang Peng’s physical abilities seemed unimpressive; only his agility slightly edged out, while the rest were thoroughly surpassed. As for himself—his 0.8-level stats were barely worth mentioning, except for his mental attribute.

“No wonder they call it a monster,” Zhou Shu muttered.

He doubted the first bullet had done the trick—the monster’s constitution was simply too high, granting it greatly enhanced skin, muscle, and bone defenses. Especially its reinforced bones, which might well have stopped a bullet altogether.

He guessed that, while the rifle rounds could inflict serious injuries, the creature’s powerful constitution would ensure it didn’t die right away—it would at least struggle for a while longer. With stats that high, if it went berserk in its final moments, the chaos would be unimaginable.

So, the final straw that broke the camel’s back—no, that wasn’t the right metaphor. The final club that felled the beast was that high-explosive grenade.

Heavy firepower—the eternal trump card!

In fact, what pleased Zhou Shu most was that the number behind his source energy had actually increased by 0.02 units since his last upgrade. It wasn’t that consumption generated more; rather, the energy he absorbed from the monster exceeded what he’d spent, gaining a full 0.75 units.

“So, does that mean we absorb about sixty-four percent of the opponent’s average attribute as source energy?” Zhou Shu asked the Hunter as he showered.

[Original data missing, unable to compare.]
[Based on this instance, yes. However, the sample size is too small, and the current average attribute calculation lacks the mental stat, so the term ‘average’ isn’t truly accurate. We cannot draw definitive conclusions yet.]
[We need more samples for accurate comparison and determination of absorption rates.]

That seemed reasonable. Besides, even if the Hunter’s original data were available, it might not be useful for Earth’s context.

After all, the Baihua residential area and the demolition zone were so close—practically two different worlds—let alone the gulf between worlds, possibly spanning both time and dimension. The differences would only be greater.

So, when the Hunter had first reported that much data and so many modules were lost, Zhou Shu hadn’t felt particularly upset. As long as the core module worked, and as long as he could collect new data and develop new functions tailored to his actual situation, that would be ideal.

As for tonight’s events, he wasn’t sure whether to be happy or worried.

It reminded him of a similar thought he’d had before, though now the situation was completely reversed. This time, he had every reason to be happy: now that his source energy was replenished, he could boldly embark on any plan to grow stronger.

He could visit the virtual battlefield as often as he liked, whether to upgrade his body, study advanced technology, or even receive direct “knowledge infusions,” without fear of running out of energy.

He could even afford the luxury of materializing items.

But what troubled him was this: if monsters like the one tonight existed everywhere, then Earth was far less safe than he’d ever imagined.

In the past, as a powerless drifter tossed about by the world’s tides, Zhou Shu would have feared chaos erupting on Earth, would have dreaded the storms brewing on the vast ocean.

Now, he no longer feared. Once he raised his stats to “monster” level, it was uncertain who would fear whom.

His highest attribute was now 1.16, which, compared to the monster’s lowest stat of 1.03 and Zhang Peng’s highest of 1.14, meant he’d entered the realm of the inhuman.

His other stats still lagged, but they hadn’t reached their limits and could continue to improve.

He was not afraid—but his family, his relatives, and his friends were vulnerable, and he feared for their safety. He wasn’t some solitary figure from an online novel, with no parents or estranged relatives, indifferent to whatever might happen.

His family was large; many relatives lived in the surrounding villages, and others had ventured out across the country—just like the name of their group chat: “A Loving Family, United.”

Up until today, he’d always thought that, compared to other countries, the Empire of Qin was already very safe. Accidents happened, of course—that was unavoidable—but accidental death and being eaten by a man-eating monster were two entirely different things.

It was true: the more you know, the more you fear.

He thought of the monster he’d killed, the person devoured by the monster, Zhang Peng and his specialized team who seemed to handle such incidents, and of all the data comparisons—his head throbbed.

“It’s a world full of dangers…”