Chapter 58

"Isn't it a monster that transformed after the mutation, but he just turned into a werewolf, which isn't human either?" The cleaner's brows furrowed.

"Then it's a human monster."

"Go stand over there." The cleaner glared at Kantu, subconsciously reaching for his chest but finding no cigarette. With a wistful smile, the cleaner squatted beside Sangshan's corpse and examined it from head to toe again.

"Boss, this guy didn't drop anything when he died. And the corpse won't respawn here, it's creepy. Let's go?" The junkyard was eerily quiet, with the bright moonlight, the damaged mechs, the corpse in the pit, and the indifferent cleaner, making Kantu feel a chill.

"Why go? Call the police."

"Call the police?" Kantu widened his eyes, unsure if he had heard correctly. Reporting to the police in a game was something he had never heard of before.

In the past, virtual games had guards, but if a player with a black name appeared near them, they would be stabbed to death with a spear without the need to report to the authorities. Player-versus-player battles in the wild didn't involve reporting to the police either.

"Call the police if I tell you to, why so many questions?" The cleaner stood up and kicked Kantu's butt. Being with Kantu made the cleaner feel like he was still training new recruits in the army. During training, the cleaner used his hands far more than his mouth, as his formidable strength was more effective than any philosophical words.

Other games didn't have a police reporting system, but "Fate" did. Players living in safe zones had real houses, not virtual ones, and they could be burglarized just like in real life. So while the police in the safe zones didn't handle disputes in the wild, they did handle disputes within the safe zones.

Not long after Kantu called the police, Officer Pete arrived with his team in a police car. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, clearly having been dragged out of bed.

"What happened here, Cleaner?" Officer Pete asked as soon as he arrived.

"It's like this, Officer Pete..." The cleaner recounted his suspicions and what he had seen.

"No doubt, it must be those mutants," Officer Pete said fiercely.

"Mutants?" The cleaner was surprised.

"There are many unknown dark forces in this world, always trying to overthrow the current human government and build their ideal nations. Many years ago, a group of mutants appeared. They used the genes of mutated beasts to alter human bodies, creating many human-like monsters with animal traits."

"You mean Sangshan was injected with werewolf genes, which caused the mutation?"

"Probably. People injected with animal genes have terrifying strength and retain certain animal traits. Normally, they appear human, but when stimulated, they transform. Werewolves transform on full moon nights, a natural trait."

"What about the little girl who has remained the same age for thirty-four years? Even if injected with animal genes, they should still age and die, right? That little girl seems to never grow up." The cleaner continued to ask.

"I don't know about that. It needs to be investigated by citizens like you. However, discovering a mutant hidden in the safe zone is a significant achievement. I represent the chief to reward you."

Ding! You have completed the first stage of the "Werewolf Legend" quest, and received the following rewards: one second-generation werewolf mech, a初级猎手勋章, and 50,000 game points.

[System Announcement]: On October 16, 3576, a player in the Chinese region completed the first stage of the main quest "Werewolf Legend." The Chinese region's officer rank limit has been unlocked, and innate skills have been activated. The player is rewarded with 1,000 reputation points, and their glorious history will be recorded in the "Fate" history.

Ding! You have successfully unlocked the Chinese region's player level cap and innate skills, and received the following rewards: 10 level 3 energy stones, +3 to all skill levels, 500 Chinese region merit points, and one chance to spin the grand wheel.

The system notifications kept sounding, leaving the cleaner very surprised. He had never expected to complete the first stage of the main quest so easily. The cleaner was somewhat dazed, and so were the players in the Chinese region, who were buzzing in the world chat.

"Damn, which idiot took over two weeks to complete the main quest? He held back our levels for so long, I XXXXXX..."

"Oh, God. You finally made a pig smart. I didn't believe in God before, but you made a pig complete the main quest, so I believe now."

"Damn, why did the system announcement hide the player's name? Don't let me know who you are, or I'll make you pay."

...

While the world chat was buzzing, a grand wheel appeared in front of the cleaner. The wheel was divided into countless sections, each marked with a different reward, from 100 points to various materials, equipment, and gems.

"Captain, what's wrong?" Seeing the cleaner dazed, Kantu couldn't help but tap him. After Officer Pete mentioned the reward, the cleaner had been stunned, which puzzled Kantu.

"Oh, nothing. Wait a moment, I'm..." The cleaner originally wanted to say he was spinning the wheel, but he was distracted by the items on the wheel for a while. Not noticing the countdown on the spin button, he replied to Kantu and then saw the wheel start spinning automatically.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, let's go." Watching the rapidly spinning wheel, the cleaner felt bored and pressed the stop button, then closed the spin page. Since the wheel had already started, whatever he won would be stored in his inventory, so there was no need to watch it.

Closing the spin page, the cleaner checked his quest panel and saw a star light up next to the "Werewolf Legend" main quest, indicating he had completed the first stage. There were no further hints.

"Officer Pete, Sangshan is a servant in the XX villa in the safe zone, and seems to know the old butler, Sangbo." The main quest had become confusing after the cleaner saw the little girl's eyes and didn't bring her back as required. So the cleaner didn't know what to do next and decided to share what he knew.

"I will investigate, Mr. Cleaner. However, the case is complex, and you are still too weak. Get stronger quickly, so you can kill more mutants hidden among us." Officer Pete patted the cleaner's shoulder.

"Too weak means my level is not high enough to unlock the next stage of the quest?" After playing for over two weeks, the cleaner had gained some game experience. Seeing the grayed-out main quest and hearing Officer Pete's words, he seemed to understand something.

Ding! You have drawn a design blueprint.

"Nothing, let's go back and check. Now that the level cap is open, go back and find Fatso for information." Seeing there was nothing else to do, the cleaner told Kantu.

Peacheye liked to collect various information and analyze it. Although the Chinese region's level cap had not been opened, several foreign countries had already unlocked officer ranks. So Peacheye had collected all the relevant information.

On the way back to his residence, the cleaner took out the reward from Officer Pete.

初级猎手勋章 (Upgradable Accessory): All abilities +5%, all skill levels +1. Additional skill: Insightful Eye, which has a chance to reveal the enemy's weakness. Quality: G1 Star.

Second-Generation Werewolf Mech: Attack +412, Defense 300, Speed 210, Slot +1, Additional skill: Werewolf Howl, which increases night attack power by 15% and deals 1.2 times normal damage to enemies in a 5x20 meter line. Required level: Corporal, Quality: G5 Star. Limited to Mech Warrior class.

After checking the items in his inventory, the cleaner and Kantu returned to their residence.

"What's wrong?" The cleaner asked, noticing Trigger and Peacheye's unusual expressions.

"Our new mech design might not be as successful as we expected," Peacheye said solemnly. The new mech had been a major project for the past two weeks, with a significant investment of rare materials.

"Why?" The cleaner asked, surprised.

"We overlooked the most critical issue," Trigger said.

"What issue?"

"The design blueprint, the energy furnace design, wasn't designed by us. It came from a monster drop. Peacheye saw someone selling this blueprint in the market, meaning others can create the same energy furnace. If large guilds get this blueprint, they will have an advantage in production, as they have their own logistics players, while we don't."

"Can't we get all the material test data in the short term? Besides, didn't you modify the energy furnace design based on real-world conditions?"

"Developing something new is hard, but copying is easy. Trigger's modifications might be genius, but once we sell our mechs, others can easily copy them," Peacheye said, shrugging helplessly.

"Can we apply for a patent?"

"Our blueprints come from monster drops, so where's the patent? As for Trigger's modifications... don't forget this is a game. It's a game where all humanity resists mutants and traitorous machines. Do you think the system will recognize a patent for minor modifications to the original design, limiting other players' development?"

Thank you to Hongbai, Shenzheng, Jixiang, and Wangzhe Cao for your support. It's Monday, please give me some recommendations. There will be another chapter tonight.