Chapter 71

Apart from the distinction in population size, city-states also have cultural and ethnic differences. For example, Miracle City is a city-state where over 80% of the residents are Chinese, so the architectural style and facilities within the city have a distinct "Chinese flavor." Of course, since there is a Chinese city, there are naturally American, European, and Japanese cities, among others. However, most city-states are open to adventurers without discrimination, so "mixed cities" are the main theme of the city battle system.

After reading this information, Ma Le gave it a good review and then began browsing other topics. Not finding anything of interest, he returned to the main interface. Ma Le noticed an option to upload information at the bottom of the main interface. Thinking that posting a few valuable pieces of information could be quite profitable, he clicked on it.

Upon reaching the input interface, Ma Le became hesitant. Although he had not experienced many worlds, he knew quite a few explosive pieces of information. From his inexplicable high attributes to Xia Yingying's conspiracy and the method to obtain unique talents, almost all of these were highly coveted revelations. However, he dared not upload any of these. Not to mention other reasons, just uploading Xia Yingying's conspiracy could lead to her team members realizing that the "scapegoat" from back then was still alive, and they might come after him for trouble. As for the others, they were the foundation of his strength, and out of self-interest, he was unwilling to share them. Besides, to be honest, such luck was hard for others to replicate even if he did upload it.

After much deliberation, the only piece of information Ma Le felt confident to share was the special mission in Hurricane City. This mission, which involved continuously hunting adventurers from other city-states across three worlds, was quite rare. Ma Le estimated that not many people would know about it, so he organized the information he knew and uploaded it to the information system. After a review of less than five seconds, the system recognized the value of this information and confirmed that there were no similar entries, so it listed Ma Le's information at a price of 20 credit points.

Having checked what he needed and uploaded what he wanted, Ma Le finished the last cup of green tea and left the Information Tower. He had 2320 credit points left. Looking at the neon lights on both sides of the street, he swallowed hard and, after some consideration, decided to spend some credit points to enjoy himself.

As a food lover, Ma Le naturally headed straight for a restaurant. After acquiring the absorption talent, he found himself increasingly interested in organic matter, not just through absorption but also in his interest in food. Of course, he did not realize that this was his subconscious instinct to collect genes at work.

Finding a table by the window, Ma Le picked up the menu and found that the prices were not too high. The restaurant he visited was not luxurious but was considered high-end. The dishes on the menu, with their tempting pictures, mostly cost only a dozen credit points, with the most expensive being a hundred. A decent meal could be had for around 200 to 300 credit points. In fact, Ma Le had been "spoiled" by the continuous high rewards. Many beginners were still carefully budgeting for a 100-point tax, and even experienced adventurers could not guarantee a profit of ten thousand points every time. For most adventurers, spending a few hundred points on a meal was already a luxurious extravagance!

Ma Le was not wasteful. He casually ordered four dishes that looked delicious and a bottle of wine, spending exactly 50 credit points. These dishes and drinks were rare items not found in the real world. Ma Le tried a few bites with a curious mind, and hey, they really did live up to his expectations!

As Ma Le was enjoying his meal, two guests sat at the table opposite him. Soon, their dishes were served. As the waiter passed by Ma Le with a tray, he suddenly sniffed and then grabbed the waiter's hand. Fortunately, the waiter, being a well-trained system character, did not spill the food.

"What is this dish called?" Ma Le pointed to a sashimi platter, which he usually did not like and had not paid much attention to. However, when the waiter passed by, Ma Le suddenly felt a strange aroma wafting into his nose. After stopping the waiter, he sniffed carefully and confirmed that the aroma came from the sashimi.

The waiter, not angry at Ma Le's behavior, politely replied, "This is Regenerator Sashimi, sir." "How much is it?" "20 credit points." "Then bring me a plate!" "Certainly, sir."

Soon, Ma Le's Regenerator Sashimi was served. The plate contained thin, transparent slices of meat, with a piece of hard shell on the side. Ma Le picked up a slice and put it in his mouth. It seemed to be the meat of some kind of crustacean, melting in his mouth with a very peculiar taste that most people would find hard to get used to. Ma Le wrinkled his nose and chewed a few times before swallowing, but he did not taste the strange aroma he had sensed earlier.

Ma Le tilted his head, looking at the sashimi. It was not particularly delicious, but it was not particularly unappetizing either. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He picked up another slice and put it in his mouth, activating his "Tongue Recognition" ability. Indeed, the information about the meat's origin was transmitted to his mind through his tongue:

Name: Regenerator

Category: Monster

Origin: Dead Space World

Strength: 50 points

Agility: 5 points

Stamina: 80 points

Trait 1: Immortality: As its name suggests, this monster has an astonishing survival ability. Ordinary physical means are hard to kill it, and even dismembering it can only temporarily slow its pursuit. Unless every cell of this monster is destroyed, it will regenerate and recover at an extremely high speed. Life recovery speed increases by 20 points per second, and severed limbs can regenerate.

...

Understanding this information, Ma Le finally knew where the strange aroma came from. It was not a scent in the traditional sense but a signal at the genetic level! This aroma was a signal from his body, indicating that it needed the monster's genes! The reason for this need was simple: the monster's incredible recovery speed! Ma Le had heard of monsters, but only this one had a recovery speed measured in seconds—20 points per second! Ma Le's stamina was already quite high, but his life recovery speed was only one point per minute, a difference of 1200 times!

Ma Le stopped eating and called the waiter, expressing his desire to visit the kitchen. The waiter politely refused, but Ma Le was persistent and asked to see the manager. The manager, also a system character, was quite intelligent and emotionally rich, and after some thought, he agreed to Ma Le's request. After some negotiation, they decided to sell the Regenerator for 1200 credit points.

Ma Le went to the kitchen and saw his newly purchased "commodity." It was a large, black monster that looked like a humanoid arthropod, covered in a hard shell, with a pentagonal, glowing mouth. The monster was bound with special ropes and could not move. Staff would feed it, and when needed, they would cut off a piece of its limb, which would regenerate in just a few seconds, making it an inexhaustible source of food.

The Regenerator weighed about 150 kilograms, but this was not a problem for Ma Le. He thanked the manager and the chef, picked up the packaged "delicacy," and left through the back door of the restaurant.

Finding a quiet alley, Ma Le placed the Regenerator on the ground. Despite being bound and mistreated for a long time, the monster still retained its ferocity, opening its flower-like mouth and roaring at Ma Le. Ma Le did not tolerate its behavior, transforming his hands into iron fists and pummeling the monster, reducing its health to below 100 points in a short time. Before it could recover, he immediately absorbed it.

Indeed, as soon as he absorbed the monster, Ma Le felt a tingling sensation all over his body, but it lasted only a few seconds. After the discomfort subsided, a sense of vitality and satisfaction spread throughout his body. Using the Miracle Emblem, he checked and found that his Prototype Body now had a new ability called "Regeneration," with a simple description: "Severed limbs can regenerate."

Do not underestimate these five words. Although adventurers are enhanced, they are still fundamentally human. Ordinary wounds can heal, but if a limb is lost, even with full health, it would result in a permanent disability, requiring a return to the city battle system for complete recovery. With the Regeneration ability, Ma Le could, like an arthropod, slowly regrow lost limbs. However, this process was slow and would not happen immediately upon full health. If he lost a limb, it would take several days to recover. Therefore, this ability was somewhat redundant for Ma Le, as his absorption ability already had a healing effect and the ability to regenerate limbs.

In addition, his basic information showed that his life recovery speed increased by 60 points per hour, making it 120 points per hour. This meant that his 780 health points could be fully recovered in just over six hours!

For just 1200 credit points, Ma Le had doubled his life recovery speed and gained the ability to regenerate limbs, making him feel elated. He felt the sky was bluer, the road wider, and even climbing to the fifth floor was easier. He hummed a tune as he left the commercial street.

Calculating