Chapter 8

Ma Le's actions were not without strategy. He noticed that the monster had a crippled leg, which would certainly hinder its movements. Given his current physical condition, he believed he could rely on his speed to outmaneuver it!

Sure enough, the monster was distracted by Ma Le, who was making strange noises and waving his arms wildly as he charged forward, limping to meet him. Seeing the monster's speed, Ma Le felt a glimmer of hope and accelerated, making a sharp turn to dodge the monster's attack and running to pick up the "divine weapon" — the iron pipe!

With a weapon in hand, Ma Le felt more confident. His muscles tensed, and he roared as he charged at the monster again. The monster, having failed to catch Ma Le earlier, was already enraged. Seeing this small creature coming back, it was determined not to let it escape again, and it lunged at Ma Le with its massive claws.

Ma Le used the same tactic, dodging at the last moment and circling around to the monster's side. He aimed for a vulnerable spot and, using all his strength, thrust the sharp iron pipe into the monster's side!

There was a "thud," but no blood spurted as Ma Le had expected. Instead, he felt a strong resistance, as if he had stabbed into a thick rubber tire. The sharp end of the iron pipe only penetrated about five centimeters before getting stuck! The monster, feeling the pain, instinctively swung its arm backward, hitting Ma Le and sending the nearly 100-kilogram man flying several meters away.

Ma Le rolled several times before coming to a stop. As he tried to stand up, he felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Damn, what kind of monster is this? It's so strong!" Ma Le didn't know how much of his health had been drained by that hit, but he could feel that more than a third of his health was gone, probably over 70 points. This was just a casual hit; could he really win against such a monster?

"What the hell is this monster? Is it from Resident Evil?" Ma Le wiped the blood from his mouth and shouted. He wasn't asking anyone in particular; he was just venting his frustration. But unexpectedly, someone answered.

Not far away, Zhou Ruinan shouted to Ma Le, "It's a mutated舔食者 (licker), with over 100 points of strength. Don't engage it head-on!"

"How do you know?" Ma Le asked in surprise.

"My newbie reward was a skill, which allows me to detect others' stats!" Zhou Ruinan replied.

Their conversation also caught the attention of the mutated licker. Although it couldn't understand human speech, it used the sound to locate Zhou Ruinan, who was loudly warning Ma Le. It abandoned its pursuit of Ma Le and limped toward Zhou Ruinan.

By now, Xia Yingying had already reached Zhou Ruinan's side. If the monster caught up to them, both would be in grave danger! Seeing this, Ma Le gritted his teeth, suppressing his fear, and charged at the monster with the iron pipe again!

The mutated licker, with its injured leg, was slow, and Ma Le quickly caught up. Perhaps because the earlier stab had not caused much damage, the licker was not wary of Ma Le. However, Ma Le had learned his lesson. The licker had no skin, and its exposed muscles were incredibly tough, making it difficult to damage. This time, Ma Le chose a less defended spot — the anus.

The licker, with its injured leg, had to use its front limbs to move, adopting a posture with its buttocks raised. Given its height, the anus was about 1.5 meters off the ground. Ma Le ran under the monster, gripped the iron pipe with both hands, and aimed for the vulnerable spot, thrusting it with all his might!

This time, there was no resistance. Ma Le felt the iron pipe penetrate easily, going in more than half a meter deep! The monster let out a terrible scream from the unexpected attack. Ma Le, having learned from his mistake, quickly abandoned the iron pipe and ran deeper into the street, shouting to the stunned Zhou Ruinan and Xia Yingying, "Wait for me, I'll come back once I lose it!"

In Zhou Ruinan and Xia Yingying's eyes, Ma Le's figure grew smaller as he ran, with the giant monster, still impaled, following behind him...

A loud "bang" echoed, and Jiang Dahua had already dealt with one of the mutated lickers. This giant was as strong as the monsters, if not stronger. Initially caught off guard, he now had the upper hand, blasting the monster's head with a single shot. The remaining licker, though still fierce, was no longer a threat to Jiang Dahua, who snapped its neck in less than ten seconds...

Jiang Dahua shook off the blood and walked to Xia Yingying and Zhou Ruinan. Noticing that Ma Le was missing, he asked, "Where's that kid with the surname Ma?"

Zhou Ruinan sneered, "Isn't it because you, the captain, didn't fulfill your responsibilities? That kid lured the monster away!"

"What?" Jiang Dahua was shocked, "Why didn't you stop him? How can he survive alone against such a monster?!"

"What could we do?" Zhou Ruinan seemed to disregard Jiang Dahua's seniority, "We're just rookies, after all. Stopping him was your responsibility, right, senior?"

Jiang Dahua's eyebrows twitched, and he narrowed his eyes, glaring at Zhou Ruinan but not lashing out. He sighed, "It's too late now. That kid probably won't make it back. Let's check the building first!"

Zhou Ruinan agreed, but Xia Yingying didn't move. She looked in the direction Ma Le had fled and suggested, "Let's wait a bit longer. He said he would come back!"

"You believe that?" Zhou Ruinan said, "That kid was just spouting tough talk before dying. With at least 800 health points left, even a submachine gun might not kill it!"

Xia Yingying ignored him, sitting on a nearby step, her beautiful face showing a hint of stubbornness.

Jiang Dahua laughed and sat down next to her, "I believe in that kid. I'm willing to wait. If you're in a hurry, you can go up first, shorty!"

Zhou Ruinan looked at the building, considering the potential dangers, and ultimately relented, stomping his foot and sitting down with the others.

...

Meanwhile, the mutated licker, with its injured leg, was no match for Ma Le's speed. After a series of twists and turns in the complex streets, it lost track of him. The licker, with its anus impaled, was not about to give up. Unable to find Ma Le, it vented its anger on the surroundings, using its strength to rip out a fire hydrant and smashing everything in its path — shops, facilities, and cars.

Suddenly, a familiar voice reached the licker's ears: "I'm here, big gorilla." The licker, though it couldn't understand human speech, recognized the voice of the human who had injured it. It looked in the direction of the voice and saw the hated human standing at the end of the street, waving an iron pipe similar to the one in its anus! The licker was enraged, roaring and charging at Ma Le with the fire hydrant, limping as it went. When it was within five meters, it used all its strength to leap, swinging the heavy hydrant at Ma Le from the air!

There was a "clang," but the hydrant did not hit Ma Le. Mid-swing, it seemed to hit a hard barrier, flipping back and striking the licker's face. The licker, still in mid-air, was then slammed into the barrier, bouncing back and falling to the ground on its back.

At that moment, Ma Le emerged from behind an advertisement board, aiming the iron pipe at the licker's eyes and thrusting it with all his might. The licker, already disoriented from the fall, screamed in pain and flailed its limbs, accidentally hitting Ma Le and sending him flying again.

Ma Le landed and rolled, observing the monster from a distance, ready to run if necessary. After a while, the monster stopped moving, its limbs limp and its chest still.

It turned out that the licker had seen only a reflection. The "barrier" it encountered was a bank's floor-to-ceiling window, and Ma Le was hiding behind an advertisement board in front of the bank. It was evening, and the bank was dark, making the window look like a mirror. From the licker's perspective, it saw Ma Le's reflection and charged. The bank's windows were made of special bulletproof glass, over 60mm thick, which cracked but did not shatter, reflecting the hydrant back at the licker. Thus, the licker was defeated by its own attack and finished off by Ma Le.

Ma Le wasn't sure if the licker was dead. If it was faking, the next hit could be fatal, as the previous one had already drained a third of his health. He waited for about five minutes, throwing stones at the licker to test it. When there was no response, he cautiously approached. The licker was indeed dead, but Ma Le still wasn't convinced. He shook the iron pipe in the licker's eye, ensuring the brain was completely destroyed before feeling safe.

When Ma Le pulled out the iron pipe, he noticed a dagger attached to the end. No wonder it had penetrated the licker's brain so easily. The iron pipe and dagger were items he had found during his escape. The dagger's handle fit perfectly into the iron pipe, forming a makeshift spear that was even more effective than the original.

With the monster dead, Ma Le felt a wave of relief. As his nerves relaxed, he felt the pain from the licker's attacks. If his attributes hadn't been enhanced, he would have been killed in one hit. Damn, this was supposed to be an introductory difficulty, but the monsters were so powerful!

As he complained, Ma Le noticed a faint blue light near the licker's body. He hadn't seen it before because it was obscured by the corpse. Now, it appeared to be a small blue box.

Ma Le picked up the blue box, which felt weightless. Opening it, he saw a soft blue mist but couldn't see what was inside. Curious, he reached in and pulled out a red vial. The mist remained, and he reached in again, pulling out a bloody spinal segment, which almost made him drop it. The mist finally disappeared, and the box lost its magic, turning into a regular wooden box that quickly decayed and turned to dust.

"Damn, it even drops treasure chests? This is like a video game!" Ma Le exclaimed.

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