[Nano-Healing Syringe: Primarily for non-fatal injuries, it can rapidly enhance tissue repair capabilities, accelerating wound healing.]
This contraption was something Chu Guang got from a blind box.
Initially, seeing how swiftly she healed, he'd planned to save the syringe. But when he noticed her wound had begun to fester, he weighed the pros and cons and ultimately gave up on sparing the cost.
Letting the injury worsen could lead to amputation.
Currently, the shelter had no surgeon on hand, not even anesthesia or sterilizing alcohol, let alone a sterile environment for major operations.
With this thought, Chu Guang silently resolved himself.
Forget anesthesia, but at the very least, Mosquito Brother would need to bring some alcohol.
Watching Chu Guang step closer, Xia Yan instinctively tried to back away. However, with only one leg and her strength nearly spent, she slumped back in her chair, retreat impossible.
"Don't… don't come closer."
Chu Guang, sparing no words of explanation, swiftly jabbed the syringe into her right leg.
"Ah—"
Hmm?
No pain?
Halfway through her scream, Xia Yan stopped, bewildered, staring at him as he withdrew the needle.
What had happened?
Why couldn't she feel anything...
Just as she was about to whisper her confusion, her vision blurred.
"What... did you do to me?"
"Saved your life. No need to thank me."
Well, if she did want to thank him, she could work hard.
Though Chu Guang wasn't expecting the natives here to be as diligent as the players from the other world.
Xia Yan tried to speak, but her tongue failed her, her consciousness slipping into darkness as her erratic breathing evened out.
"Who would've thought this thing had a sedative effect?"
"Good thing I didn't use it mid-battle…"
Watching her reactions intently, Chu Guang picked up a pen from the drawer, carefully recording her clinical response.
Side effects of the nano-healing syringe included drowsiness, anesthesia, and blurred consciousness—not recommended for use during combat.
After this, he carried her next door, placed her in an unused room with four inactive growth pods, and laid her on the ground.
The syringe was already taking effect.
The inflamed, festering wound slowly began to subside, and color returned to her pale cheeks.
Though hoping her lost leg would grow back was impossible, at least amputation wouldn't be necessary.
With the shelter's stable climate, the cool floor was better than the harsh outside.
All that was left was rest.
This one was tough; she'd survive.
Leaving a chocolate bar and a bottle of purified water from the outpost, Chu Guang locked the room with his administrator privileges, preventing her from wandering once she awoke.
Then, he returned to the resident hall, eager to check his own stats.
[ID: Chu Guang
Gene Sequence: Administrator
Level: LV 5 → LV 7]
—Attributes—
Strength: 9 → 10
Agility: 6
Constitution: 7 → 8
Perception: 7
Intelligence: 6
"Two levels up?"
He'd sensed he was near a breakthrough, but he hadn't expected the recent crisis would propel him from LV 5 straight to LV 7.
Surprise and excitement lit his face.
However, the attribute changes brought on by the increased "Administrator" gene sequence seemed oddly unpredictable.
Unlike other players who had a main attribute, his stats seemed to be randomly distributed.
Still, a boost in strength and constitution wasn't bad.
With 10 points in strength, his power now rivaled twice that of an average adult male. His endurance, explosive strength, and stamina metrics followed suit.
An increase in constitution meant greater resilience and stronger resistance to adverse conditions.
But most intriguing to Chu Guang was the addition of a line in his talent bar below his attributes.
Compared to the last checkup, a new entry appeared—
[Talent: Primal Instinct (Under extreme conditions, awaken primal instincts, temporarily enhancing all attributes by 10-15%. Fatigue accumulation rate increases by 20-30%.]
"Primal Instinct, huh…"
Something felt odd about the name.
Yet, he understood its purpose.
The original designer of this attribute system had been a rather eccentric individual, after all.
Based on his prior data, Chu Guang made a rough hypothesis.
In simple terms, this talent likely increased cellular activity and metabolism across the body or maybe boosted adrenaline.
Its effect was somewhat like a stimulant.
Though, only somewhat.
The biological and chemical reactions involved must be complex.
Besides, panel data was only a reference.
For instance, the Gnawer he encountered today had stats that would logically dominate any human.
Yet even so, killing him was no easy feat.
Storing the data on his computer, Chu Guang looked to the backpack he'd discarded, picking it up.
Inside were weapons Ye Shi scavenged from the mercenaries' corpses.
As he unzipped the bag, a pleased grin spread across his face.
Four pistols, two stockless submachine guns, a pump-action shotgun, and a broken assault rifle.
Even if the assault rifle couldn't be repaired, this haul was bountiful!
"Jackpot!"
Along with ammunition—scattered and loaded into magazines, filling the bag to the brim.
Ye Shi had been thorough, even picking up empty magazines.
Though of average quality, with most bullets full steel-cased and only a few copper or lead core rounds, Chu Guang noticed a few bullets with red-painted tips, possibly special rounds.
The mercenaries were far from wealthy, but well-armed.
"It seems Boulder City's strength is substantial…" weighing the red-tipped bullet, Chu Guang dropped it back in the bag.
A region's strength often aligned with its productive capacity.
For instance, the raiders outside used makeshift pipe guns or found weapons—some even wielded melee tools.
For such "bands" to be this well-armed, Boulder City's industrial capacity must far exceed its rumored might.
Chu Guang resolved firmly.
After this winter, he'd go there.
If possible, he'd organize a trade caravan.
As the outpost grew, trade with other survivor settlements was inevitable.
One couldn't always rely on unscrupulous merchants for supplies; to avoid exploitation, he'd have to see for himself.