Chapter 10

The sound of gunfire echoed, the bullets forcing their way through the air at a speed invisible to the naked eye, striking the vital points of the insectoids.

Puffs of blood mist, mixed with green liquid, burst out.

In the next moment, the insectoid fell to the ground, and the two spent shell casings landed with a crisp clink.

Wu Ming was an excellent marksman; three years of survival in the New World were enough to turn someone who had never touched a firearm into a true expert.

In his previous life, during the days before his awakening, Wu Ming had relied on a gun he had traded for food from the black market to survive. Back then, he struggled every day to exchange food and bullets. Even after successfully awakening eight months later and being able to use the power of the cards, Wu Ming always carried a gun with him.

So Wu Ming could confidently say that he was an expert with firearms. However, in the New World, due to technological and equipment limitations, humans could only manufacture simple firearms. The most popular were the Soviet SKS and AK series from the Cold War era. People often needed only a gun that could fire bullets, and materials, advanced technology, and ergonomics were all discarded.

As for the Type 95 rifle in his hand now, Wu Ming had used it for a while in the New World, so he was very familiar with it.

Of course, Wu Ming also knew that the power of firearms was ultimately limited. In the future, in the New World, only cards would truly dominate, and nothing else.

The two insectoid corpses lay ahead. Wu Ming got up from the ground and hurried to check on the three soldiers. The result made him sigh.

All three soldiers were dead. Wu Ming knew that if it weren't for him, they might not have died, but in the critical situation just now, there was no time to save them.

Looking at the bodies on the ground and the Type 95 rifle in his hand, Wu Ming had a sudden idea. He thought to himself that he was worried about how to get better weapons for self-defense, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Wu Ming immediately collected the weapons from the three dead soldiers: two Type 95 rifles, over two hundred bullets, a Type 92 pistol, and only fifty bullets.

Wu Ming's face immediately lit up. These would be enough if used sparingly. Who would have thought that this trip downstairs to save someone would yield such unexpected gains?

By now, it was deep into the night. Without electricity, the streets were pitch black, and there was no one around. Only the headlights of the military vehicle provided a faint glow.

The military vehicle was a typical truck with an enclosed cargo area. Wu Ming, out of curiosity, naturally planned to take a look. If it turned out to be a truck full of ammunition, that would be a huge windfall.

However, when Wu Ming opened the cargo area, what he saw surprised him. The next moment, he burst out laughing.

Without a doubt, the contents of the truck were even more useful than ammunition, at least for Wu Ming.

The cargo area was filled with the corpses of parasitic beetles, densely packed with at least a hundred of them. It was clear that this truck had come from the old city's combat zone. Wu Ming also found a pass from a research institution, indicating that the authorities might be planning to study these parasitic beetles, hence the collection. Wu Ming didn't care about that.

He knew that the amount of essence contained in so many parasitic beetle corpses would be astonishing. Even though most of the beetles had been dead for a few days and the essence had dissipated by more than 80-90%, the sheer number was enough for him to collect enough essence for his awakening.

He looked at the essence collector on his wrist, and sure enough, it quickly filled up with one unit of essence in less than ten minutes.

Wu Ming's heart raced as he looked at the progress bar on the essence collector. This was a rare opportunity. If he had to collect so many parasitic beetles on his own, it would be impossible, but the military could.

Now, thousands of soldiers were gathered at the old city's defense line, fighting a desperate battle against the insectoids. Only they, with their heavy firepower, could kill so many insectoids and extract such a large number of parasitic beetles. Wu Ming was reaping the benefits. The essence in the cargo area was abundant, and soon, Wu Ming collected another unit of essence.

The essence collector was like a magnet, drawing all the essence from the parasitic beetle corpses. In reality, the essence provided by the hundred or so corpses would not exceed a dozen units, and with the constant dissipation, he might not get more than five units.

Fortunately, even with just five units of essence, Wu Ming could gather enough for his awakening. However, a few minutes later, Wu Ming realized he might not even get five units.

In the distance, the sound of a helicopter grew louder. Wu Ming didn't want to attract trouble, so he immediately jumped off the truck and hid in the darkness.

Less than a minute later, the helicopter landed on top of the truck, and soon, seven or eight armed soldiers rappelled down to investigate the scene.

From a hundred meters away in an alley, Wu Ming thought he had run fast enough. If he had been a bit slower, he might have been discovered by the soldiers, which would have caused some trouble.

Looking at the essence collector on his wrist, the small piece of jade was already fully charged. In less than half an hour, Wu Ming had obtained three units of essence, a significant gain. As for the remaining essence in the cargo area, Wu Ming had to abandon it for now.

He took off his jacket and wrapped the two Type 95 rifles and the magazines, then quietly returned to the residential area. By now, the bodies in the area had been removed, and a few police officers in uniforms were sealing the manhole from which the insectoids had emerged with stones and cement. The area was crowded with onlookers.

Wu Ming took off his clothes and hat, and no one noticed that he was the one who had single-handedly killed the insectoids. He smoothly went upstairs and knocked on the door. Li Xia, who had been terrified, immediately opened the door.

"I'm going to rest for a bit. Prepare some food for me; I'm quite hungry!" After the intense battles and the long run, Wu Ming was indeed tired. He went straight to his room, hid the Type 95 and Type 92 rifles and the bullets under the bed, and then sat on the bed to absorb the essence from the jade.

This experience had been both thrilling and rewarding. If he had to describe it, it was like seeking wealth in danger, which made Wu Ming suddenly realize that his previous plans, though safe, were too conservative and petty.

All along, Wu Ming had wanted to keep himself in a safe environment, but this was a one-sided wish.

With the apocalypse, there was no place that was truly safe. Only by mastering powerful abilities could one have the strength to protect oneself.

Now that Wu Ming had absorbed three units of essence, his total essence reserve had reached ten units. He needed fourteen more to meet the requirement for awakening.

Wu Ming didn't plan to wait around to collect the remaining essence. He intended to go out and hunt some insectoids, as this was the only way to awaken sooner.

The sooner he awakened, the sooner he could take control. Besides, he now had firearms, and with his marksmanship, he was generally safe unless he encountered more than five insectoids or was attacked at close range by two of them.