Yang Xiao used to keep honey powder at home when he lived in the countryside, consuming honey and larvae was a common occurrence, so he put a larva in his mouth and chewed without hesitation.
Besides the sweet honey, there was the slick and delicate taste of the larva meat, resembling the taste of a sausage.
A strong burst of energy entered his body, instantly sparking a current.
Yang Xiao stood in front of the hive stunned for a few minutes, waiting for the current to dissipate, then he deeply exhaled.
"Delicious! Struck it rich!"
Yang Xiao exclaimed, encouraging Chen Fei and the others to try one as well.
Initially hesitant, after seeing Yang Xiao had eaten one, they picked larvae from the hive like he did, first sucking the honey from the larvae, finding it scrumptiously sweet, then proceeded to bite into a larva, the taste similar to sausage, immediately delighted.
The four girls each ate one and after feeling the electrifying tempering, they were somewhat pleasantly surprised.
Yang Xiao immediately decided to return to the camp.
"This huge hive is a treasure, it's a pity the larvae haven't completed their mutation to yield Genetic Fragments."
The hive was too large for one person to carry inconveniently, so Feifei and Dai Yun lifted it and followed the same path back to the camp.
Huang Wen and others were dazzled by the sight of this enormous hive, they could all smell the sweet scent of honey inside.
While no one was paying attention, Feifei sneaked out a giant mutated spider from her bag, waved it in front of everyone, and directly tossed it onto Huang Wen's head.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
The girls screamed in unison.
Watching these joking girls, Yang Xiao thought to himself, "Childish," then he headed to the Genetic Store.
Inside the Genetic Store, there were already five or six people exchanging Genetic Fragments, Gu Bo was explaining some basic knowledge to everyone, quite busy.
On the sports field, of the more than one thousand people, at least three hundred had mutated now, many began hunting small mutated insects nearby, obtaining food and Genetic Fragments.
For everyone, food had become less of an issue than before, finally having a means to obtain it.
Yang Xiao noticed that most people had only obtained one or two Genetic Fragments and couldn't buy much even after exchanging them for Crystal Coins in the Genetic Store, as the cheapest weapon cost three Crystal Coins each.
After these people left, Yang Xiao walked up to Gu Bo's counter.
"Old man, help me check this out."
Yang Xiao placed the round Genetic Fragment, Golden Short Sword, and a golden paper written with Golden Bee Swordsmanship in front of Gu Bo.
Gu Bo's eyes lit up, saying:
"Congratulations, congratulations, young lad, you've struck it rich! You've killed a minor boss of a Primordial Gene mutation, and even dropped three treasures at once."
"Hmm, what treasures are these? Hurry up and tell me."
Yang Xiao was rather excited.
"Alright, let's start with this round Genetic Fragment; it's a complete Gene piece, equivalent to ten regular Genetic Fragments, and can be directly synthesized into a Genetic Potion."
"And this sword?"
"Hmm, let me see."
Gu Bo picked up the Golden Short Sword, examined it for a moment, and said:
"The attribute of this sword needs to be identified, which would cost 1 Crystal Coin for the identification fee, do you want to go ahead with it?"
"Nonsense, of course."
Yang Xiao said.
Upon hearing this, Gu Bo immediately held the Golden Short Sword, a blue light flashing in his eyes, sweeping across the Golden Short Sword, making it glow from head to tail, as if it had been blessed.
Gu Bo said:
"+3 Strength, +1 point of toxin damage, worth 10 Crystal Coins."
When Yang Xiao heard this, he was inevitably a bit disappointed and said:
"Is that all?"
Gu Bo glanced at Yang Xiao and smiled:
"This is already quite good, what more do you want? A sword that destroys the heavens?"
Yang Xiao thought about it and realized that he might have set his expectations too high for the Golden Short Sword. After all, it was just a weapon dropped by a mutated Bee Queen from a Primordial Gene. How could it defy the heavens?
Yang Xiao took the Golden Short Sword, held it in his hand, and asked:
"Why can't I feel the +3 Strength and +1 point of toxin damage that you mentioned?"
"Hehe, your Genetic Data System inside your body hasn't been activated yet, so naturally you can't feel it. However, looking at your condition, I estimate it will be activated in a few days."
"Ah, then what is this Golden Bee Sword Skill?"
Yang Xiao pointed to the golden page.
"It's a set of Cultivation Techniques. Before learning it, it must also be appraised, which costs 1 Crystal Coin. Do you want to appraise it now?"
"Of course."
Gu Bo still held the golden page, his eyes emitting a blue light that projected onto the golden page. With a flash of light on it, Gu Bo handed the golden page to Yang Xiao.
There was a simple introduction on it, "Golden Bee Sword Skill, a low-level Swordsmanship, a total of 9 levels. As cultivation familiarity increases, each level up adds one more sword shadow, enhancing damage. Completing the 9th level allows one sword strike to create ten sword shadows, increasing the lethality by tenfold."
Seeing this, Yang Xiao was very excited, tenfold!
Gu Bo added:
"Golden Bee Sword Skill is worth 50 Crystal Coins. It's a low-level technique, but reaching the 10th level isn't easy unless you use the Golden Bee Sword Skill in every battle. However, it suits your current stage well. Later on, you'll encounter many better techniques, and our Genetic Store also sells techniques."
Holding the page of the Golden Bee Sword Skill, Yang Xiao suddenly asked:
"How do I learn it? This only seems to have a summary, no specific cultivation methods?"
"Learning is a simple matter, but you have to complete your genetic mutation and have a Genetic Data System before you can learn it. Then, you only need to run your consciousness to integrate this sword technique into your mind."
"Can I teach it to someone else as well as learn it for myself?"
"Hehe, you're quite optimistic. If techniques could be endlessly learned like that, what would my Genetic Store sell? A Secret Technique Manual can only be cultivated by one person. Once it integrates into your mind, it automatically disappears."
"I see!"
Yang Xiao left the Genetic Store, feeling a deeper comprehension of this post-apocalyptic world, as if the entire Earth had become a game field for some mysterious power, where everything had been gamified.
But why does this mysterious power behind Gu Bo want to so cruelly destroy Earth and reshape all the rules of this world?
Yang Xiao returned to the camp, where the girls were surrounding Chen Fei and others, listening to their stories of today's adventures outside, describing how they hunted mutated spiders, frogs, and the Bee Queen, causing everyone to be filled with trepidation.
Seeing Yang Xiao return, everyone gathered around.
"Boss, how are those things?"
Feifei asked.
Yang Xiao briefly mentioned them, took out the remaining eight Crystal Coins, and distributed two each to Chen Fei, Chen Lu, Dai Yun, and Feifei.
"This manual is worth 50 Crystal Coins, and this Golden Short Sword is worth 10 Gold Coins, totaling sixty Crystal Coins. This time they belong to me as they suit me best. 60 Crystal Coins means I owe each of you 12 Crystal Coins."
Yang Xiao's principle is to benefit those who contribute. Only those who participate in battles can earn Crystal Coins, though food can be shared with the others.
Huang Wen and the others had no objections.
A third of the larvae in the giant Hive had already been eaten. Many people weren't too accustomed to eating Bee larvae raw; some just liked to eat the honey inside.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in Yang Xiao's mind. Thinking for a moment, he took Feifei to the edge of the playground where he had originally buried the box of food.