Chapter Thirty-Four: The Monster in the Living Room

On the virtual battlefield, the average stats assigned to alien monster minions by the Hunter were around 1.8, but this creature’s average was barely more than 1.16—a considerable gap. Furthermore, the alien monsters’ stats only accounted for close-quarters combat, ignoring their “artillery” capabilities.

Mechanical devices like powered exoskeleton armor were also difficult to quantify, but the Hunter provided “equivalent stats” for the Valkyrie using such armor, coming in at an average of about 2.3. Ordinary soldiers operating powered exoskeletons scored roughly 1.3.

Of course, just as with the alien monsters, the powered exoskeletons didn’t include machine guns, grenades, or cannons; if those were factored in, the overall combat power would be much higher. But those weapons had a prerequisite: you had to hit your target.

Most of the time, however, the warriors were turned into sieves by the “mad steel hedgehog” before they could even fire.

Though the “monster” wasn’t as formidable as the alien minions, the real world didn’t have so many powered exoskeletons in actual combat. At least, all the information Zhou Shu had seen consisted of prototypes, engineering samples, and units under batch testing—none had been formally issued to any army.

As for fighting with just humans, the most capable person Zhou Shu had encountered was Zhang Peng, whose average stat of 1 was still “inferior” to the monster’s 1.16.

From what he’d glimpsed earlier, reality relied on “exceptional individuals” like Zhang Peng paired with special operations squads to combat monsters.

Yet actual combat wasn’t simply a matter of comparing stats, and Zhou Shu’s calculations were flawed, because if the fight was short, endurance didn’t matter much.

Similarly, unless someone’s constitution was absurdly high—like steel skin and instant regeneration—it didn’t directly affect combat power.

So in brief, high-intensity fights came down to strength and agility.

From that perspective, Zhang Peng and the monster were fairly matched. The monster could crush Zhang Peng, but couldn’t catch him. Zhang Peng could maneuver skillfully, but couldn’t kill the monster bare-handed in the short term, given its outrageously tough constitution.

Of course, Zhang Peng was rational and wouldn’t roar mindlessly like the monster, nor would he fight it bare-handed, so he could probably take down the ogre alone. The risk, however, was considerable.

With a squad’s support, he could lure the monster and kite it while the team focused fire—it wouldn’t be difficult to kill. It was much like Zhou Shu’s own victory; both required effective firepower coverage.

Looking at it this way, the monster wasn’t all that terrifying, but its true horror lay in... its presence within the city!

A city, being a dense human gathering, turned any incident into a major event. Unprepared, even a lunatic with a knife could cause significant harm; a monster with such high stats was unimaginable.

Moreover, monsters could rampage without restraint, while defenders had to exercise caution—otherwise, the chaos would only deepen.

This meant firepower couldn’t be used indiscriminately.

So specialists like Zhang Peng and the response team existed.

And since there was a dedicated organization, even if monsters weren’t roaming everywhere, they probably weren’t that rare—at least not so rare that a special response team would be unnecessary.

Online sources showed that about ten million people died domestically each year, with seven million dying of natural causes and three million from unnatural ones.

He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now...

A chill ran down his spine.

The danger posed by monsters had skyrocketed!

Tonight, a victim was gutted; tomorrow night, it could be anyone—including Zhou Shu’s loved ones.

“This is tricky!”

Zhou Shu rubbed his face in frustration. “I thought things here were similar to the other world, but I didn’t expect monsters too.”

“Then again, maybe they exist there as well—I just haven’t encountered them.”

Indeed, if he hadn’t felt invincible and had strong contingency plans, he would never have walked alone at midnight through a demolition zone infamous for deaths.

Choosing safe routes drastically reduced the chance of running into trouble.

“Sigh...”

After a frazzled shower, he considered calling his parents and grandparents, but seeing it was past midnight, he decided against it.

Feeling thirsty, he put a kettle on to boil.

He hadn’t stayed here in ages; the house was bare. If he planned to spend a few days, he’d need to shop tomorrow.

Moreover, if he intended to go “hunting” for source energy in the future and protect his dearest ones, he’d need time to handle his own affairs.

Sunday was his to command, but Monday through Friday meant classes during the day and only evenings free. In the dorm, it wasn’t easy to slip out.

Not that he couldn’t sneak away, but he couldn’t go unnoticed. If someone got up late and found him gone, he’d have a tough time explaining.

One or two nights might be manageable, but over time, it would become impossible.

With society still intact, normal life had to continue—just as he had to pay for anything he broke; even with cheats and monsters, a normal identity was required.

After over a decade of schooling, giving up now would be throwing it all away. Besides, being a freelance designer after graduation sounded appealing—he’d have control over his time.

So he wondered... could he apply for day school?

If he did, visiting his grandparents or hunting monsters at night would be much easier.

He paced the living room, waiting for the water to boil and pondering his options.

“It’s a long shot. Maybe I could swing it, but with exams approaching, the school won’t want students causing trouble.”

“Wait, maybe I can use these past few days to my advantage. Outsiders will think I’m under a lot of stress and behaving oddly. The school hates disruptions, but in my situation, there might be a chance...”

[Weak monster signal detected!]

He was pacing when the message suddenly popped up before his eyes, startling him.

“Where?!”

He stopped instantly, scanning his surroundings with heightened alertness.

[Weak signal, behind you—follow the arrow.]

As this message appeared, a red arrow flashed on the far right of his vision.

He turned; the arrow shifted with his gaze, soon locking onto a paleontological fossil.

Yes, while others displayed antiques, art, or wine on their living room shelves, Zhou Shu’s family showcased fossils.

His parents were paleontologists, after all.

The Hunter marked a particular fossil, which looked like a curled dinosaur hatchling or perhaps an embryo from Evangelion. No name was listed, just a serial number.

Zhou Shu remembered this fossil well. While other kids learned to read through picture books, he studied fossils. He had vivid memories of this nameless specimen.

The first time his parents brought it home, they challenged him to guess its identity, promising a toy if he got it right. He failed, and even after tearing through reference books, found no matching name.

His shameless parents laughed until they nearly toppled over, finally admitting, “We don’t know either—let’s call it an unknown species for now.”

He was so annoyed, he skipped dinner for ten minutes!

Now, noticing it again, Zhou Shu picked it up, ensuring full contact with his palm for a more accurate system scan, and asked, “Are you sure this is a monster’s... fossilized bone?”

[Confirmed. Its signal closely resembles that of the monster you killed, differing from ordinary terrestrial lifeforms. Since the monster you slew could produce source energy, both are likely products of monster civilization!]

[This discovery strongly suggests human civilization is being invaded by a monster civilization. Please strengthen yourself as soon as possible.]

Good heavens—this was no trivial matter!