...
The evening had come once again, covering the whole city in a blanket of darkness and obscurity. The streets are now almost empty as people prefer to stay at home at this time to watch their favorite show while relaxing on the couch after a day of work. The only people working hard at this time are those who work in the malls and the drivers of public transport.
Right at this moment, a shadow can be seen on the outskirts of the city where there are tall grasses and various plants. These things are not being handled by the government as it would cost them too much to clean those plants. Plus, there are instances where some large vermin will attack those cleaning the area.
No matter how many times the city government tried cleaning this place; the weeds seem to come back again and again. However, if untouched, the plants would just settle on their own.
Curt Nilfiem, right at this time, is busy harvesting some of the weird plants in the area. He has already tested these plants and has confirmed their efficacy when used as a medicine.
Using a normal knife with a handle that was changed into a beautifully crafted stone grip and imbued with an array, Curt can easily cut the plants without any problems.
"Hmm… I think I have harvested enough…" Curt muttered as he lifted a huge backpack that was bigger than him.
The bag is something he created by combining metals, leather, and plant skin. The bag is big enough to fit many materials he would be harvesting, but its weight is not more than 300 kg. This is because, as of now, 300 kg is Curt's capacity, and more than that would cause him to exert more effort than necessary. He still has to run to the store after harvesting the materials, after all.
When he was about to leave, he suddenly discovered something moving in the thick bushes.
And this made him suddenly turn vigilant. In this place, not only are the plants mutated, but some rodents and insects can go through the walls by digging underground.
Though the city would have constant hunting assignments for these creatures, sometimes, just sometimes, some would evade their search and live in these patches of grass.
As Curt slowly crept down the ground while putting his huge backpack down, he carefully tried to sense his surroundings. His enhanced sense of smell immediately kicks in and picks up a scent in the air. And when this happened, his eyes turned vigilant.
With a modified knife in hand, he positions himself in a low stance as he prepares for the creature hiding in the bushes while watching him.
Then suddenly… a large mouse, as big as a common house dog, jumped out of the bushes and attacked him. Its red and intimidating eyes glowed as a small flicker of light hit them. While its razor-sharp front teeth and sharp claws are in the air aiming at Curt's head.
Curt was already prepared for its launch and immediately twisted his body to dodge the mouse's attack. But this quick dodge does not mean that Curt didn't counter. His right hand holding the knife moved and found itself slicing at the creature's exposed right side.
Squeak!!!
The loud cry of the mouse echoed through the darkness, which made the other creatures hiding within the plants feel alarmed.
Seeing the dying creature, Curt immediately recognizes its already clear figure as a field mouse in his old world with his sharp eyes. Although in that world spiritual energy is present, the mutation of ordinary animals did not happen. Instead, the beasts in the thick forest were the ones who were transformed.
But in this world, it seems that everything has been infected by the LEP energy that's in the air.
Then Curt squinted his eyes as he suddenly heard some noises.
"Not good! It called some of its companions…" Curt muttered as he suddenly grabbed the large bag in one hand.
With the knife in his right hand, he suddenly plunges it into the chest of the mouse. And immediately digs out a two-inch crystal. From his knowledge of this world, these crystals are called LEP crystal energy. It is the culmination of all the energy in one's body. This is also one of the reasons why people become strong, as each person in this world has one LEP crystal in front of their heart.
But of course, those weak people like Curt and Boss Lan do not have one.
With a quick movement, Curt immediately jumped towards the main road and began running like there was no tomorrow. Right behind him is a group of 5 to 6 giant field mice.
However, how could they chase after him at his fast speed?
Not long later, he reached the military barricade upon nearing the city entrance.
"Hey, look! It's that guy again." One of the soldiers said as he pointed at Curt's figure that was running frantically.
"What do you think it is this time; snakes or insects? Hahaha…"
"Who cares, that guy is a good moneymaker for me… every time he goes out we can have an easy time gathering some crystals... and, of course, edible meat. Haha…"
The soldiers began laughing as they prepared themselves.
"What is it this time?" when Curt came closer, a soldier suddenly shouted.
"Mouse! Field mouse!" Curt shouted as he came rushing along.
"Haha… This is great! Those things have succulent meat… Tell the kitchen to prepare!" shouted a tall man who looked like the leader of this squad of soldiers as he came out of the tent while fixing his military hat.
When Curt reached the blockade, he stopped and tried to catch his breath.
"I heard you have rats today. It's been a long time since I tasted those…" the captain said with a smile.
"Captain, rat meat is not that good… Ew…" one of the soldiers said beside him.
"Yes, Captain, it's not rats but field mice, look!" Curt seconded as he pointed at the group of creatures rushing towards the area.
"Haha… Right, right… Good lad…" the captain's face immediately changed and he patted Curt's shoulder as he took a step and took out his sidearm.
"Alright, lads! We'll have a lump of succulent meat for dinner tonight… Haha!" the captain shouted as he aimed.
Bang! Bang!
Bratatat!
The sound of gunfire and a few flashes echoed through the night and six field mice could be seen lying on the ground.
"Whew… Good shooting guys! I'll be off then." Curt said as he once again lifted the huge bag.
"Alright, oh by the way… Are you going to go out again tomorrow?" the captain suddenly asked.
"Yes, sir…"
"Here, take this… tomorrow is my squad's day off and there will be a substitution, so we won't be here until next month. Show this to the people who will be guarding this place."
The captain handed Curt a small silver plate.
"That's a pass… See you next month then…" the captain said as he turned around and rubbed his hands together in expectation.
Curt shook his head and smiled. He could understand how those soldiers felt. The city is having a bit of a crisis when it comes to meat. And it is seldom that they can encounter meat from those beasts without too much danger. Hence, they are happy with this setup.
At first, they are a bit skeptical of Curt's motive for going to the grassy areas. But ever since they discovered him harvesting some plants, they just let him be. But soon they find that he is a magnet for trouble and those troubles are very helpful for them and they benefit so much from him. Hence, silent cooperation and friendship are formed.
Curt enters the city and runs to the center and when he turns the corner he immediately sees the store. He slowly catches his breath while looking in the store's direction.
However, before he could take another step, he saw about ten men sneakily entering the store's vicinity.
"This is bad… what are those people planning to do?" he muttered as he hid in a corner not too far away and began observing in the dark.
If one could see Curt right now, one would think that he is one of those crazy people roaming the street or like some homeless bum.
"Hmm…" he suddenly thought and carefully put the bag on the corner of a wall.
Then with a quick movement, he scales the wall and climbs up the roof of the store about 1 block away from the convenience store he works at.
He is not worried at this time as he already put a protection talisman in the store. What he is worried about right at this time are his boss and his wife going out. Hence, he quickly decided to run through the roof. Using a light foot technique, Curt was able to run and get to the store's roof. From there he saw the couple busy talking to each other, happily unaware of the danger lurking outside.
"Boss, don't go out… please don't go out." Curt prayed in his heart.
But it seemed that his prayer was not heard as he saw his boss lifting a huge bag of garbage and slowly carrying it towards the backdoor. And what's waiting for him in that place is a lurking danger.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Curt cursed as he took out the knife hanging on his belt and prepared himself for a fight.
He knew of the law in the city. And he is unwilling to wait for the authorities to handle this matter. If he needs to take matters into his own hands, then he will.
And so what he feared the most happened.
Boss Lan is happily chatting with his wife while opening the back door. But he soon found his wife staring at him with a stupefied expression.
Upon sensing this, he slowly turned his head around and his face immediately turned pale. Only one sentence came to Boss Lan's mind.
"I'm dead!"