When Wang Haoyu saw the rifle, his eyes narrowed. Lin Wanting had been facing him the whole time, so he hadn't noticed the short rifle strapped to her back. With such a weapon, taking down a few mutated wolves shouldn't be a problem.
"How did you make it here?" Wang Haoyu asked curiously. A lone woman arriving in a place like this—he wondered what her intentions were.
"This is the main route between the Aolong Base and the hunting grounds. I was on my way back from there and had to pass through here. This house was empty before, but now someone's living in it." Lin Wanting, seeming used to Wang Haoyu's ignorance by now, explained calmly.
Hearing her words, Wang Haoyu almost laughed out loud. Aolong Base? Why not call it Boston Base? But his curiosity was piqued—this was his first time hearing about a "base."
"The north of Aolong Base is crawling with mutated beasts, many of them gathered together, which is why it's called the hunting grounds. A lot of people looking to earn magic crystals choose to head there." Lin Wanting continued, knowing that Wang Haoyu wouldn't be familiar with the area.
So that's how it is, Wang Haoyu thought, understanding more clearly. This house lay on the only path from the Aolong Base to the hunting grounds. It had been vacant because of its remote location, but Wang Haoyu had arrived in this apocalyptic world, appearing directly in the house.
The system in his mind had mentioned that the house could be upgraded, and he saw plenty of options for modifying it. But all of them required magic crystals. At the moment, aside from some ingredients he had exchanged, he only had five magic crystals left.
"Are you trying to kill the mutated wolves around here to earn magic crystals?" Lin Wanting asked, smiling at him. "Since you made me such a delicious meal, I could lend you some crystals."
In the apocalypse, people were selfish by nature, but the fact that Wang Haoyu had been generous enough to make her food showed he wasn't stingy. Lin Wanting believed in treating generosity with generosity.
"No need," Wang Haoyu scoffed, shooting her a glance. "A man shouldn't use a woman's money."
Though he had never been in the apocalypse before, he'd read enough novels to know how cold and ruthless people could be. It was rare to meet someone like Lin Wanting who would lend out magic crystals.
The next moment, Wang Haoyu opened his "Minecraft" system. Thankfully, only he could see it. He started browsing through the item exchange menu.
The most basic pulse handgun cost 10 energy points, with each magazine of 20 pulse bullets costing an additional energy point. At best, he could afford 100 rounds. Given his shooting skills and the power of pulse bullets, those 100 rounds wouldn't be enough to kill more than a few mutated wolves. Plus, the gunfire would likely attract even more wolves. If they were surrounded, even Lin Wanting, whose stats were five or six times higher than his, wouldn't be able to handle it.
The short pulse rifle Lin Wanting had set down earlier was even more expensive—50 energy points for the gun and 10 points for a magazine of 50 bullets. That was steep for someone new to the apocalypse.
Frustrated, Wang Haoyu kept searching through the exchange page. After some time, he finally found something.
"Uh… could you lend me five magic crystals?"
Scratching his head awkwardly, Wang Haoyu glanced at Lin Wanting.
Her expression twitched as she reluctantly handed over the five crystals, clearly recalling his earlier bravado about not borrowing money.
"Man, this is exhausting without proper tools," Wang Haoyu muttered as he dug a hole using metal sheets he'd salvaged from a bed. "I really wish I had a shovel."
"Are you sure this will work?" Lin Wanting asked skeptically, toying with her pulse handgun as she sat nearby.
"Of course. You'll see soon enough," Wang Haoyu replied, wiping sweat from his brow, his voice filled with confidence.
Lin Wanting gave him a doubtful look but said nothing more.
After two hours of digging, they had a three-meter-wide pit about twenty meters from the house. Without Lin Wanting's help, it wouldn't have been nearly three meters deep.
"Done!"
Satisfied, Wang Haoyu grabbed a black bag from beside him. When he unzipped it, rows of gleaming steel spikes were revealed, each shining in the sunlight.
"So, that's why you were so smug," Lin Wanting remarked, eyeing the one-foot-long, egg-thick spikes, each featuring a blood groove.
Without responding, Wang Haoyu tossed the bag into the pit and jumped in after it.
The set of steel spikes, numbering 100, had cost him 10 energy points from the system. They were made from special steel, extremely sharp. Even though the price wasn't too high, Wang Haoyu had still needed to borrow those five magic crystals from Lin Wanting.
One by one, Wang Haoyu planted the spikes into the ground. After about an hour, all 100 were in place, glinting under the sun. Anyone with a fear of tightly packed objects would have been horrified at the sight.
"Are you sure this will work against mutated wolves?" Lin Wanting asked, still skeptical as she looked at the densely packed spikes.
"Of course. You just wait. But first, I need a favor."
"What is it?"
"Pull me out!"
"Are you sure wolves will be attracted to dog meat?" Lin Wanting asked suddenly, peering out of the window alongside Wang Haoyu, both keeping an eye on the trap.
Earlier, Wang Haoyu had covered the pit with branches and leaves, placing two plates of braised dog meat on top. Fortunately, the mutated dog he'd killed had been large enough. Otherwise, he would've had to wonder if mutated wolves liked the taste of rat meat.
"Shh… quiet, they're coming." Wang Haoyu hushed her, focusing intently on the distance.
Sure enough, several mutated wolves were racing toward them, drawn by the scent of the braised dog meat. As they reached the bait, they rushed forward, only to fall into Wang Haoyu's trap with painful howls.
Success!
Wang Haoyu clenched his fist in excitement as the wolves fell into the pit.
After ten minutes of silence, Wang Haoyu and Lin Wanting ventured out to the trap. Six mutated wolves lay lifeless at the bottom, skewered by the spikes.
"Help me pull them out. I need to reset the trap."
Tossing down a rope, Wang Haoyu began climbing into the pit as Lin Wanting helped from above. Although he'd initially worried about the wolves being too intelligent to fall for his trap, it seemed that after their mutation, they had lost some of their previous cunning.
Three days later, Wang Haoyu beamed as he gazed at the pile of 300 magic crystals scattered throughout the room.
Over those three days, he had reset the trap countless times. The mutated wolves had fallen in wave after wave, and by now, the area around the house had been cleared of most of them.
During that time, both Wang Haoyu and Lin Wanting had subsisted on mutated dog meat. While it wasn't exactly gourmet, it was enough to stave off hunger, and Lin Wanting, having no other options, ate her fill each day.
"Alright, stop basking in your success. Hurry up and absorb the crystals into your ID card," Lin Wanting said, rolling her eyes at his smug expression.
Though Wang Haoyu wanted to share some of the crystals with her, Lin Wanting refused. Her reasoning was simple: she was hired as a bodyguard, and all she wanted in return was his cooking.
That night, Wang Haoyu absorbed 250 magic crystals into his system, converting them into 250 energy points. He spent 100 of those points upgrading the house, adding a surrounding wall—the cheapest upgrade available. After the upgrade, a thick wall appeared around the house, protecting it from any mutated beasts.
Next, he navigated to the body enhancement options. For now, the only available upgrade was a "Level 1 Genetic Enhancement," costing 50 energy points. After some thought, Wang Haoyu decided to go for it.
As a golden light enveloped him, he felt his body heat up, strength coursing through his veins. He grew lighter on his feet, his whole body feeling more powerful.
When the light finally faded, Wang Haoyu was drenched in sweat but energized.
Pulling out his ID card, he quickly checked his stats:
"Human, Age: 21, Unique ID: XXXXXXX
Strength: 21
Agility: 19
Reflexes: 22
Level 1 Genetic Enhancement"
Sure enough, his abilities had nearly doubled. Not only that, but when he glanced in the mirror, he noticed he had slimmed down. His formerly 200-pound frame now looked closer to 180 pounds.
The next morning, Lin Wanting stared at him in surprise.
"You… lost weight? And what's with the wall outside? Did you build that? I didn't hear a thing."
Wang Haoyu quickly packed up, looking serious.
"I don't have time to explain. I'm heading out for a bit—it could be one day, maybe two or three. In the meantime, I suggest you stay here if you trust me. I've prepared enough food for three days. Just heat it up when you're hungry."
Lin Wanting hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. She could tell Wang Haoyu was different today—more confident, more capable.
As she watched him leave, she thought to herself, In this cruel world, maybe I've found a rare ally.
The next morning, Lin Wanting stared at him in surprise. "You lost weight? And where did that wall outside come from?"
Wang Haoyu didn't have time to explain. "I need to head out for a bit—it could take a day or two. Stay here if you trust me. I've prepared enough food for three days." Lin Wanting hesitated but eventually nodded, trusting him.
With that, Wang Haoyu returned to his room, opened the system, and hit the "Return to Reality" button without hesitation.