Chapter 3: The Test
A sudden knock on the door echoed through the room. Qin Mu was puzzled. Who would come visiting at such a late hour?
Despite his confusion, his actions were swift. He picked up the meat and larva from the living room and placed them in the kitchen. With a thought, the larva stopped its feeding to avoid detection.
After tidying up, Qin Mu approached the door and peered through the peephole. Standing outside was a middle-aged man with a square face, looking weary and missing an arm.
"It's Uncle Qing," Qin Mu murmured.
Seeing the visitor, Qin Mu quickly opened the door and welcomed him in, leading him to the living room to sit down. The visitor, Wang Qing, was a retired soldier and had been Qin Mu's father's squad leader during his military service.
Eight years ago, during a beast tide, Qin Mu's father had lost his life, and Wang Qing had lost an arm. According to him, he had survived because Qin Mu's father had saved his life, costing him only an arm. After retirement, Wang Qing had taken care of Qin Mu over the years, especially after Qin Mu's mother had also passed away. If it weren't for Wang Qing, Qin Mu might not have been able to hold on.
"Xiao Mu, have your results come out?" Wang Qing asked, his tired face showing concern.
"They have. I scored 560 points, just one point short," Qin Mu replied, his expression complex.
"560?" Wang Qing fell silent, sighed, and looked at Qin Mu with a hint of heartache. After a moment, he said, "Are you planning to repeat the year?"
Over the years, Wang Qing had been the one most concerned about Qin Mu, handling almost everything for him as if he were his own nephew.
"I haven't decided yet," Qin Mu shook his head, still unsure about his future plans. Having just arrived in this world, Qin Mu had too many questions.
"This is something you need to consider carefully. Call me if you need anything. No matter what decision you make, I support you," Wang Qing said.
After some casual conversation, Wang Qing carefully observed Qin Mu's expression, ensuring that he was okay before leaving, reassured. Wang Qing also lived in the same neighborhood. His wife had passed away years ago, leaving him with a son and a daughter. His eldest daughter was 15, while his son was 11 and still in elementary school.
After retirement, Wang Qing had been assigned to work in a military factory, where he was busy from dawn till dusk. Although the work wasn't physically demanding, the long hours made it quite taxing. Usually, whenever Qin Mu needed help, Wang Qing was there for him, which had fostered a close relationship between them.
After seeing Wang Qing off, Qin Mu returned to the living room and allowed the larva to continue feeding. As the larva ate, Qin Mu felt a faint force circulating within him, repairing his internal injuries and enhancing his physique. He wasn't sure how significant the improvement was, though.
"I'll go to the Limit Dojo tomorrow to test my strength and speed," Qin Mu thought to himself. "I hope there's a noticeable improvement."
Qin Mu wasn't sure how much the larva, despite its strength, could enhance him. He could only hope that after accumulating enough energy and transforming into a worker bug, it would provide enough power to make him a prospective fighter.
It was already close to eleven, but Qin Mu wasn't the least bit sleepy. He decided to check the latest news on his computer to learn more about this world.
"A fighter in the wilderness witnessed a battle between a Limit Dojo wargod and a horde leader level monster, eventually slaying it with a single strike."
"The military has announced a significant breakthrough in the new generation of laser cannons, with hopes of miniaturization."
"The HR Alliance has developed a new type of potion that can enhance a fighter's physical fitness."
Qin Mu eagerly searched for information online, combining it with his memories to gain a clearer understanding of this world. It was very late when Qin Mu finally fell asleep.
In the early morning, the first light of dawn had just begun to break when an alarm clock woke Qin Mu. Although he hadn't slept well, Qin Mu felt a sense of lightness in his body. After a brief moment, Qin Mu realized this was due to the larva's feeding, which had repaired some of his internal injuries.
After getting up, Qin Mu immediately went to the kitchen. The hundreds of pounds of meat had been completely consumed by the larva. After a night of feeding, its body had grown from the size of a palm to half an arm's length.
"A normal Zerg larva is about half the size of an adult's forearm. The larva's body has recovered," Qin Mu noted. Based on the larva's feedback, it had not only regained its normal size but also stored enough energy to be one-fifth of what it needed to transform into a worker bug.
Qin Mu defined the energy required for the larva to transform into a worker bug as 5 energy points, with approximately 100 pounds of regular pork providing 1 energy point. The meat of a single-horned wild boar contained about twice the energy of regular pork.
This meant that for the larva to transform into a worker bug, it would need 500 pounds of regular pork or 250 pounds of single-horned wild boar meat. Last night, the larva had consumed 60 pounds of regular pork and 50 pounds of single-horned wild boar meat, with some of that energy used for its recovery and the rest stored, amounting to 1 energy point. It would only need to eat another 200 pounds of single-horned wild boar meat or 400 pounds of regular pork to reach the required amount and transform into a worker bug.
Even with its arm-sized body, the larva would need a day or two to consume hundreds of pounds of meat. A day or two to transform from a larva into a worker bug might seem astonishing to other races, but for the Zerg race, it was actually quite slow.
Typically, Zerg larvae could activate their genes and transform into worker bugs immediately after hatching from the nest. However, this larva had been in hibernation for an unknown period, its energy depleted and its body shriveled to extend its life.
"The meat of a single-horned wild boar contains only about twice the energy of regular pork, but it costs a lot more. The cost-effectiveness is low," Qin Mu thought.
"But even though it's not cost-effective, it saves more than half the time. Right now, what I lack the most is time, so I'll buy single-horned wild boar meat."
With over 500,000 yuan at his disposal, Qin Mu wasn't short on funds in the short term. It was already the 16th, and the next assessment was only half a month away. Qin Mu had to find a way to help the larva accumulate energy quickly, transform into a worker bug, and enhance his strength while benefiting himself.
So, early in the morning, Qin Mu went to the market and spent over 30,000 yuan to buy 300 pounds of single-horned wild boar meat, allowing the larva to feast to its heart's content.
After completing these tasks, Qin Mu headed to the Limit Dojo to test his strength. It was still early, and as Qin Mu entered the hall, he saw others also heading there to start their day's training. He made his way to the training hall on the third floor of the intermediate teaching building.
There weren't many people in the hall yet. Qin Mu went to a corner and turned on a punching machine. Standing in front of the machine, Qin Mu recalled the original body's way of exerting force. Taking a deep breath, Qin Mu centered his strength around his waist and hips, arching his spine and mobilizing his entire body's strength to punch the target with all his might.
"740 kilograms. That's not right. How is it only 740 kilograms? It's even less than before. And there's a stinging pain all over my body when I exert force. My internal injuries are affecting my strength," Qin Mu's expression changed.
Qin Mu punched the target again.
"738 kilograms."
After several punches...
"I understand now. My way of exerting force is wrong." Qin Mu's eyes focused. He realized that in his previous life, he was just an ordinary person with no training, unable to bring out the full potential of his body, which explained the current situation. Adding to that, the effects of his injuries, it wasn't surprising he had such results.
Qin Mu calmed his mind and exhaled deeply, enduring the discomfort of exerting force, continuously adjusting his technique.
"Thud—" "752 kilograms!"
"Thud—" "767 kilograms"
With each adjustment, Qin Mu's numbers continued to rise.