It worked!
Wang Haoyu watched as the two massive rats reacted to the scent of the rice. They bolted towards the traps with alarming speed, causing a chill to run down his spine.
In just a few seconds, the rats closed the twenty to thirty meters between them and the traps. The larger rat charged towards the left trap, while the smaller one veered right, heading for the other.
Snap! Snap!
Two dull thuds echoed as both rats landed on the traps simultaneously. The moment they touched the rice, the traps snapped shut.
Wang Haoyu had used a good number of springs in crafting the traps to ensure they were lethal. Now, as the traps clamped down, the rats struggled violently, but there was no escape.
However, due to their mutated nature, the traps, though powerful, didn't kill them instantly.
At that moment, Wang Haoyu made a bold move. He rushed out of the house, reaching the traps in seconds.
Sensing his approach, the trapped rats thrashed even more desperately, squealing in a high-pitched frenzy and baring their sharp teeth at him.
Knowing he had little time before the rats in the back yard noticed, Wang Haoyu didn't hesitate. He grabbed the knife and plunged it into the larger rat.
Fortunately, despite the rat's size, the knife pierced through its flesh. With one swift motion, black blood spurted out.
One stab, two stabs, three stabs...
He lost count of how many times he stabbed before the rat finally stopped struggling, lying still. Without a moment's pause, Wang Haoyu turned his attention to the second rat.
...
Back inside the house, Wang Haoyu stared at the two tiny blue crystals in his hand, exhaling heavily.
If killing the mutated dog earlier had been a desperate act, then taking down the two rats had been a deliberate decision. He knew he couldn't stay trapped here; he had to fight to survive.
After resting for a bit, Wang Haoyu set up the traps in the back yard, just as he had before, placing the last of the fried rice on them. Then, he hurried back inside, gripping the pulse handgun tightly as he watched the scene unfold from the window.
This time, the situation was different. There were three rats in the back yard, but only two traps. Wang Haoyu knew he would have to deal with the third one himself.
Just as before, three minutes later, the rats caught the scent and charged towards his position.
Snap! Snap!
The traps successfully caught two of the rats. But this result left Wang Haoyu a bit disappointed; he had hoped one trap might catch two rats at once, but that seemed impossible.
The third rat, seeing its companions trapped, hesitated and began scanning the area, quickly spotting Wang Haoyu behind the window.
Without warning, the rat lunged at the window.
Bang!
The force of the impact cracked the glass.
In the face of imminent danger, Wang Haoyu acted on instinct, firing the gun at the rat.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In his panic, Wang Haoyu fired three shots. One missed, but the other two found their mark. The rat twitched and then lay still.
Breathing heavily, Wang Haoyu took a moment to recover from the shock before stepping outside. As before, he used the knife to finish off the two rats caught in the traps.
Back in the room, drenched in sweat, Wang Haoyu felt the tension drain from his body. This had been the most intense moment of his life; for the first time, he truly felt the fragility of his existence.
After resting for half an hour, Wang Haoyu ventured outside again.
He couldn't stay trapped here; he needed to find a way out, or at the very least, secure some food.
But after taking just twenty steps towards the front yard, where the rats had been, he quickly retreated back to the house, cold sweat covering his body.
In the distance, about fifty meters away, he had spotted several large beasts scattered across the landscape. They looked like wolves, but their size was comparable to full-grown horses. Seeing these mutated wolves, Wang Haoyu knew there was no way he could leave now.
Back inside, his stomach growled, reminding him that he was already hungry from his earlier exertions. If he didn't find something to eat soon, he would be in serious trouble.
He glanced out the window at the rat carcasses but quickly dismissed the thought. He would rather die than eat rats.
That left only one option: the mutated dog inside the house.
But whether the dog's meat was safe to eat was a serious concern. The sight of the black blood oozing from its wound made Wang Haoyu uneasy. He had read in novels that apocalyptic scenarios often involved deadly viruses. What if eating the dog meat turned him into some kind of zombie?
Yet, his instincts told him that becoming a zombie might still be better than facing those mutated wolves outside. At least there was a slim chance the dog meat was safe to eat, whereas encountering the wolves would almost certainly mean death.
With trembling hands, Wang Haoyu used the knife to cut off a piece of the dog's leg meat. The foul stench made him gag, and he instinctively covered his nose.
How was he supposed to eat this? For a chef like Wang Haoyu, the thought of consuming such rancid meat was unbearable.
He carried the dog leg to the kitchen and, on a whim, tried flipping the light switch.
To his surprise, the light flickered on after a couple of tries.
This house has electricity!
The realization filled Wang Haoyu with excitement. But looking at the barren landscape outside, devoid of any power lines, he had no idea how the house was getting electricity—whether it was solar-powered or something else.
In the kitchen, Wang Haoyu discovered that the stove was electric. After fiddling with it for a while, he figured out how to use it.
When he turned on the faucet, he was astonished to find that water still flowed.
"The water must be coming from a deep underground source," he mused as he watched the clear liquid pour out.
He washed the dog leg, but still felt uneasy about eating such foul-smelling meat. For a chef, this was an affront to his skills.
He rummaged through the cupboards, hoping to find some seasoning, but found nothing. This left him feeling disappointed.
Wait! Didn't the system have a seasoning exchange option?
Wang Haoyu suddenly remembered that the system had mentioned something about exchanging for seasoning earlier.
He quickly opened the system menu again and scrolled to the item exchange section. There, under consumables, he found the seasoning option.
"Assorted Kitchen Seasonings: 1 energy point per set, enough for ten people for seven days."
Seeing the description, Wang Haoyu finally smiled.
One energy point for a complete set of seasonings seemed like a good deal, especially considering the five blue crystals he had left. Spending one energy point to solve his immediate food problem didn't seem like a bad idea. After all, for a chef like Wang Haoyu, eating bland food was a fate worse than death.
He clicked on the seasoning exchange, and in the next moment, a collection of bottles and jars appeared on the table before him.
"Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, cooking oil, sugar, oyster sauce, cooking wine, star anise, cinnamon…"
Wang Haoyu's jaw dropped at the sight of the dozens of seasonings laid out before him.
He had expected just the basics, but now he was staring at a vast array of seasonings, including things he hadn't even considered. There was even cheese and mustard!
After everything that had happened since he woke up, this was the first time Wang Haoyu felt somewhat at ease.
The seasonings weren't branded, just simple containers, but as a chef, Wang Haoyu had no trouble identifying them.
With the seasonings at hand, the cooking process became much easier. Wang Haoyu expertly sliced the dog leg into thin pieces and marinated them with various seasonings. Twenty minutes later, a dish of braised dog meat was ready.
The once foul-smelling meat now filled the room with a rich aroma. Wang Haoyu swallowed hard but hesitated before taking a bite.
He still didn't know if the mutated dog carried any viruses, and he found himself caught in a mental tug-of-war.
Bang!
Just then, the front door of the house burst open. A dark figure rushed into the kitchen, shoving Wang Haoyu aside before he could react.
The next moment, Wang Haoyu finally saw who it was.
It was a slender woman, dressed entirely in black, about twenty years old. She was quite beautiful, but Wang Haoyu couldn't help but frown.
The reason? Her eating habits were appalling.
The woman was hunched over the dish of braised dog meat, her face nearly touching the plate as she devoured the food in just a few bites. She even licked the plate clean, her mannerisms eerily similar to the animal she was eating.
"Another serving!"
After licking the last drop of sauce from the plate, the woman finally turned to Wang Haoyu, her voice filled with expectation.
Wang Haoyu swallowed nervously. If it weren't for the sauce smeared all over her face, he might have found her attractive.
"I said… another serving…"
Seeing Wang Haoyu frozen in place, the woman suddenly produced a handgun, pointing the black barrel at him. Her teeth clenched as she repeated her demand, this time with a dangerous edge in her voice.